Chapter 399

Chapter 399: ‘Porter’ in the Alleyway

Alena, Lolan Hill, and Lily walked down the street, continuing their shopping spree at various shops.

Since this was once the capital, there were some stores that weren’t found in smaller towns, such as art supply stores, porcelain shops, and poetry bookstores. The group spent quite some time exploring, and before they knew it, it was around 4-5 PM. Luckily, it was still light out due to the season.

They first went store by store, but that took too much time. So, they decided to check out only the more interesting ones. By the time they realized it was late afternoon, they still had enough daylight to continue shopping.

“Is this a wine shop? It’s a bit unusual,” Alena and Lily stood under a signboard with bottles in red, blue, and green forming a logo, next to which was written ‘Hibiscus Wine Cellar’.

“Let’s go take a look.”

The few of them entered the shop. Lily and Alena were very interested, but Lolan Hill took a quick look around and stepped out again, not being particularly interested in wine.

“I’ll wait outside for you guys.”

“Okay.”

After saying this, she came out. The intense sunlight hit her again, so she pulled her hat down a bit and walked over to a nearby alley. It was shaded and cooler there.

Now they were close to the sea. From the alley, they could see the distant horizon, the vague outline of the sea, railings, and the clear blue sky.

Not wanting to attract too much attention, Lolan Hill wore a light brown cloak today, similar in style to a short robe. It was slightly longer than her dress, reaching just below her knees, with a hood that could be pulled up during rain or when the sun was too strong. The front of the cloak did not have buttons, revealing part of her white dress underneath.

Seeing that Alena and Lily would not come out anytime soon, Lolan Hill leaned against the wall, lifting one foot slightly to relax.

“Hey.”

A voice came from nearby. The girl looked up and saw a figure appear on the third floor of a house in the alley. He stretched his hand out of the window and waved at Lolan Hill below.

Is he calling me? She wasn’t sure, but there was no one else around, so Lolan Hill walked over with some hesitation.

The person greeting her was a young man, about 20 years old, with a round face giving him a plump appearance. Seeing the person in the hood approaching, he took a rolled-up blanket from inside the window and threw it down.

“Could you help catch this? It’s too long, and the stairs are too narrow to carry it down easily,” said the plump man.

Lolan Hill blinked, still thinking, when the blanket was already thrown down, landing in front of her and stirring up a small cloud of dust.

“Thank you, I’ll be right there.” Before Lolan Hill could answer, the plump man closed the window, seemingly going downstairs.

Standing here, Lolan Hill hesitated. She turned her head to look outside the alley; a few pedestrians walked down the street, occasionally glancing at the alley entrance. Seeing the figure standing next to the blanket, they didn’t pay much attention and continued walking.

After a while, a conversation echoed from afar.

“Mrs. Goddard, I’ve cleaned your fireplace.”

“Alright, here’s your payment.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Goddard. If you need anything else, you can call me.”

“Then I’ll be off.” A light sound of footsteps followed.

Soon after, the figure appeared at the alley entrance and walked over.

“Hey, good friend.” Seeing the untouched blanket and Lolan Hill, he breathed a sigh of relief and approached.

When the two were about five to six meters apart, the plump man finally got a good look at Lolan Hill’s face.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t expect you to be a girl.” He slowly stopped, rubbing his hair sheepishly.

After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled out a money bag from his pocket, took out a few silver coins, and handed the rest to Lolan Hill.

“Thanks for your help, I’ll be going now.”

Seeing Lolan Hill not accepting the money, he felt a bit embarrassed, put the bag down, picked up the blanket, and prepared to leave.

“Hold on, where are you taking this?” Lolan Hill finally spoke. This plump man didn’t seem like someone struggling to survive, so why was he doing this?

“Actually, I’m just a porter, moving things from one place to another.” He turned back and explained.

“And you get paid for that?” Lolan Hill laughed at his defensive stance.

“Well, carrying things does require effort. Isn’t it fair to earn some compensation?”

“But.”

Just as Lolan Hill was about to ask more, Alena and Lily came out of the store. Not seeing Lolan Hill, they turned the corner and walked over.

“So you’re here, Lolan.” Curiously, they sized up the plump man in front of them.

“Oh, there’s a money bag on the ground.” Lily jumped and squatted to pick it up. Meanwhile, the plump man quickly tried to leave the alley.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Alena saw through his act instantly, spun around, and blocked his path.

“Just trying to make a living. Please let me go, ladies,” he said, realizing Alena was no ordinary person and pleaded for mercy.

“Huh, making a living? How many people in your family depend on you?” Alena shook her finger, not believing him.

“Yes, I have an older sister who couldn’t get married, a younger sister who is weak and sickly, and a younger brother who is naive. They all depend on me,” he explained with a pained expression, then turned to look at Lily and Lolan Hill, perhaps thinking they might be more sympathetic.

“Don’t be fooled by him. Your story is too immature. At least say you have an elderly mother and a wife and children at home,” Alena warned.

“That would be too far-fetched, hahaha,” Lolan Hill chuckled.

“Still, we should return the blanket since it belongs to someone else.”

“No way, I earned it honestly. Why should I give it back?”

“But this isn’t a legitimate way to earn money,” Lily said after counting the money in the bag.

“What’s legitimate? The landlord here is also involved in smuggling, abuse, and salary deductions. His money isn’t earned legitimately either. Why should he be considered legitimate and I not?” the plump man complained.

“You could report him,” Lily simply stated.

“I’m just a small person, how dare I? Even if I had evidence, I’d probably end up dead somewhere,” he replied.

“Talk to the constable then.”

“You want me dead,” he argued with Lily, and Alena rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

“Fine, let’s not talk about this. You said you needed to support your family, right? Show us your home.”

“Why do you want to see my home?” the plump man stepped back warily.

“To verify if you’re telling the truth. If you are, we’ll let you go,” Alena said, patting her chest. As the daughter of a captain, she had a flexible sense of morality.

(End of Chapter)