Chen Zikun himself was also unclear about what it was for, and he honestly replied: "Professor Liu, I still can't remember things from my childhood."

  Liu Shipei held the test paper and looked at it back and forth, sighing: "Whose child is drifting away from home, must be heartbroken like a knife. Right, do you have any birthmarks or something on your body? Maybe we can help you find out about your life."

  Chen Zikun took out the ceramic badge of Guangfu Society from his close-fitting clothes and removed the jade pendant from his neck, saying: "I have these two things, I don't know if Professor Liu can see some wonderful things."

  Liu Shipei's spirit was lifted as soon as he saw the emblem of the Guangfu Hui, and under the lamp, he carefully examined it for a while. He then took off his glasses to take another look at the jade pendant and said, "Why didn't you bring this out earlier!"

  "Professor Liu, did you know the origin of this jade pendant?" Chen Zikun was also somewhat excited.

  Liu Shipei shook his head: "The jade pendant is just ordinary sheep fat white jade, and the two characters Kun Wu can't find any clues. However, this Guangfu Hui badge can be made into a big story. Principal Cai and I are both from the Guangfu Hui, although we have been out for a long time, but old friends are still all over the world. Please ask Principal Cai to write a letter, you go to Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to visit the old people of Guangfu Hui, and you will definitely find your parents."

  Chen Zikong was overjoyed and bowed to Liu Shipei in gratitude. "Will I be able to pass the Chinese exam now?" he asked.

  Liu Shipei smiled and said: "It's not just that you can pass, but you can easily take any university exam. You don't need to waste your time here anymore."

  "Thank you, teacher. No need to trouble Principal Cai again, just helping me write a letter of introduction is enough." Chen Zikun said.

  Liu Shipei shook his head: "I won't do it. If you think your words carry little weight, I'll go ask Principal Cai for you instead."

  Chen Zikong walked away with a smile, Liu Shipai sank into the wicker chair, lit a cigarette, and his thoughts drifted back to more than ten years ago when the winds of change were blowing...

  They all went away. He let out a deep sigh, extinguished the cigarette butt, and suddenly coughed several times. When he removed his handkerchief, there was a bright red patch on it.

  ……

  Chen Zikun came out of Liu Shipei's house, looked at the sky, and thought it was about time to hand over his shift. He pulled his rickshaw back to the depot, and on the way, he unconsciously wandered to the vicinity of Lin's residence on Shi Ban Ma Street, wanting to try his luck.

  As soon as the rickshaw stopped, the gate of Lin's house opened and a man came out with a scowl on his face, pointing at the broken gate and cursing loudly: "What's wrong with asking for some money for wine? This is the rule, understand? If you don't give it to me, then watch out!"

  Zhang Bo came out from inside, his face red with anger, "Get out!"

  "Old man, you dare to challenge me? Believe it or not, I'll beat you to death, you coffin nail!" The man rolled up his sleeves and brandished a long-handled ladle-like object, making a threatening gesture. Zhang Bo retreated several steps back, tripped over the threshold, and tumbled inside in a somersault. The man burst out laughing, but before he could finish, he was kicked to the wall by a flying foot from behind.

  Chen Zikong cursed back: "Bullying an old man, what kind of skill is that?"

  That kick was heavy enough, the man was in so much pain he couldn't get up, staring blankly as a big guy came over and picked him up, slapped his face with four loud slaps, beating him until he saw stars, his nose blue and his face swollen.

  After hitting enough, Chen Zikong walked into the gate, took a look and was frightened, and quickly helped Zhang Bo up: "Zhang Bo, what's wrong with you? Your head is broken. I'll take you to see a doctor."

  He shouted loudly, calling out to Lin's mother as well. When she saw the blood on Zhang Bo's head, she let out a shrill cry and was so frightened that she lost her composure. As a woman who had never dealt with emergencies before, she could only follow Chen Zikun as he lifted Zhang Bo onto the rickshaw and rushed towards the clinic.

  Familiar with the road, he rushed to the Huashi Clinic. It happened that Dr. Stanley was not on duty. He helped Zhang Boqing wash and bandage his wound, and also prescribed a few pills for him. The medical fee was one dollar and fifty cents, which was also paid by Chen Zikun.

  Zhang Bo's head was wrapped in a snow-white bandage, lying on the hospital bed. Chen Zikun bustled around, paid the bill, took the medicine, and asked for a cup of water to be sent to Zhang Bo's hand, saying with concern: "Zhang Bo, drink some water."

  Zhang Bo hugged the porcelain jar, his eyes filled with tears. He was moved for two reasons: firstly, he had never received such thoughtful care before; secondly, the person taking care of him was none other than Chen Zikun, whom he had always looked down upon and despised.

  "Zhang Bo, what's going on here?" Chen Zikong asked casually.

  "Little Chen, I owe you an apology." Zhang Bo grasped Chen Zikun's hand and shook it vigorously.

  Chen Zikong smiled foolishly: "Zhang Bo, what are you talking about? We get along well, don't we? Besides, I hate to see old people being bullied. Don't worry, that kid won't be able to get up for at least three days. By the way, what does he do?"

  Zhang Boda said: "He's a toilet cleaner, hasn't come since last year, the septic tank and toilet at home are all full, the stench is overwhelming. He came today, opened his mouth asking for wine money and red envelopes. I was so angry that I scolded him a few times, but this kid actually dared to blackmail me."

  "So it is."

  Zhang Bo's injury was not serious, and after being observed for half an hour, he left the clinic. Chen Zikun still took him back with a rickshaw.

  "Little Chen, sit down and have a cup of tea, Grandpa Zhang's tea is not bad, it's worth savoring." Zhang Bo warmly invited him to stay, but Chen Zikun, who would normally linger, became extremely shy today: "No, Uncle Zhang, I should get back to work, see you later."

  Watching Chen Zikun's figure fade away, Zhang Bo sighed: "What a good young man."

  Mr. Lin returned home and heard about this matter, instructing Old Zhang: "Change to another family's night soil collector, even if it means giving a few more coins."

  ……

  Chen Zikun returned to the garage and first went to the backyard to take a look. As he had guessed, their own manure pit was also full. Fortunately, it was very cold, if it were the hottest days of summer, there would be tens of thousands of flies, even now it was unbearable, the sewage was almost flowing into the yard.

  He found Xue Ping Shun and after listening to the whole story, he smiled: "You asked me, you can't underestimate our Beijing's feces industry. If you offend them, no matter if you're an official or a businessman, don't think about having a good ending."

  Chen Zikong said with a strange tone: "A group of people carrying large feces, are they so awesome?"

  Xue Ping said, "When I was a patrol officer, I had dealings with them. Don't underestimate this profession, it's an industry that took shape during the Kangxi period. With several million people in Beijing, the amount of human waste is staggering. Every household has toilets and cesspits, and there are horse and dog droppings on the streets. Who takes care of all this? The government doesn't, the police don't, it's these people who do. They dig up the night soil, transport it out of the city, and sell it to farmers for a profit. In the past, they were called 'night soil workers', but later on, as their business grew, they opened fertilizer factories, hired workers, and became the 'fertilizer syndicate'."

  "It's really three hundred and sixty trades, every trade produces a top scholar, even picking up dung can be turned into a noble profession."

  Xue Ping Shun smiled and said, "That's right, the big manure gate, with hundreds of workers under his hands, more than a dozen manure channels, one channel is an income of five or six hundred silver dollars, which is more profitable than opening a rickshaw factory. There are many tricks in this business, including dry and water channels. The dry channel is to carry a basket and hold a manure spoon to scrape the manure, while the water channel is to help people clean their toilets and earn some tips. In addition, there is also the 'tiao dao', which specializes in collecting toilet waste water and selling it to farmers outside the city. If done well, it can support a family's livelihood."

  Chen Zikun was stunned: "Making money is a long shot, or else we can also go dig up the big feces."

  Xue Pingshun said: "The sewage channels in Beijing have long been divided up, and they are lines that people have died to get. No one can muscle in on them, not even the police can say anything. In the past, removing feces was free, but now not only do you have to pay, but also give face to these people. If you offend them, they won't clean your family's sewage for ten days or half a month. You try to find someone else, but no one dares to come. In the end, you still have to beg them."

  Chen Zikong finally understood that Lin's residence had encountered this kind of sloppy and unscrupulous person.

  "Our family's septic tank is full too. Is it because we didn't give them red envelopes, so they won't come to empty it?" Chen Zikun asked.

  Xue Pingshun said: "They settle accounts by the year, our house's expenses last year were settled by Zhao Biao, and this year no one has come to discuss it yet."

  Chen Zikong understood that these toilet cleaners were unscrupulous and fearless, thinking that their line of work was always in demand, which is why there was a scene in front of the Lin's house today.

  ……

  The next morning, Mr. Lin had just walked out of the gate when he slipped and fell. He got up to take a look and found a layer of dirty ice on the ground with faint traces of feces. It was unclear who had poured some excrement and urine at his own doorstep overnight, which had frozen into ice.

  Mr. Lin felt insulted and was furious, so he didn't go to the yamen but instead rushed to the police station. A patrol officer received him, and Mr. Lin handed over his Education Department ID card and explained what had happened. The patrol officer immediately stood at attention and solemnly promised that the matter would be handled strictly.

  After returning, Mr. Lin again instructed Zhang Bo to change to another person who cleans the septic tank, and must solve the hygiene problem.

  But when he came back from the government office, he found another puddle of feces and urine at his doorstep, which was fresh. The stench was overwhelming, not to mention that it was even affecting his walk.

  Mr. Lin was thoroughly enraged and went to the police station again to file a complaint. This time, he was received by a young patrol officer who told him straightforwardly that the feces collector passing in front of his house would inevitably splash some feces and urine, and that the relationship between the feces collector and the homeowner was an employment relationship, so if the other party didn't want to help with the feces collection for his household, the police couldn't intervene.

  Mr. Lin, although he had read a lot of books, was not a bookworm. After hearing this, he naturally understood and returned to the mansion. As expected, Zhang Bo reported that no one was willing to come to the mansion to remove feces, saying that the Hou Zhai Hutong was Sun Laoban's toilet path, and others were not allowed to cross the border.

  "These laborers, really have no king's law." Mr. Lin was both angry and helpless, the toilet problem at home had to be solved, could he still take it upon himself to scoop out the feces personally? Even if he did scoop it out himself, how would he deal with the scooped-out feces, how would he transport them, one problem after another, fundamentally unsolvable.

  The stench at the entrance of the house is overwhelming, the backyard toilet is overflowing with feces, the wife's incessant nagging, Zhang Bo still has a bandage on his head, Mr. Lin sighed and prepared to go to the police station again, asking the patrol officer to mediate, whatever amount of money he should pay, he would pay it himself.

  Just as I was about to go out, a night soil collector came to the door, tall and gaunt, with a basket on his back and a shovel in hand, his face covered with a piece of cloth.