The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

“Brother Tan, take a good look, these are all fine clothes! This fabric, this stitching, where can you buy this for twenty coins?” Huang Shiren picked up a piece of clothing and shook it.

"Even if you brought them the imperial robes, they still wouldn't look like princes on them!"

"Brother Tan, this price is far too low. How about you add some more? Eighty coins?"

"I have no choice but to offer twenty coins. Manager Huang, please don't think the price is too low. Look at these clothes of yours, they've been sitting there for who knows how many years. They'll rot if you leave them any longer!"

"You should be happy that I'm buying it all for you at once!"

"Is it really impossible to add any more?"

Tan Ya shook his head.

"Brother Tan, I've also brought you a set of clothes."

"I already said I'd pay for it, but you insisted on giving it to me. What could I do?" Tan Ya shrugged.

"Fifty coins minimum! Take it or leave it," Huang Shiren said through gritted teeth.

"Then we can't reach an agreement. Give me my money back so I can go to the next one!"

"Hehe! Tan Ya, go and find out. Has any money that's in my hands, Huang Shiren, ever been sold?" Huang Shiren said with a smug, sinister smile.

"So, Manager Huang is going to force us to buy today?" Tan Ya sneered.

"How is this forced buying and selling! This set of clothes costs fifty coins; I'm not afraid of what people say about it anywhere."

"Sigh! I knew the young master was too kind-hearted, even paying for a few old clothes. If he just sent someone to check for stolen goods, let alone clothes, raiding this pawnshop would be a piece of cake!" Tan Ya sighed, shook his head, and prepared to leave.

"Hey, Brother Tan, don't go! Let's discuss the price again!" Huang Shiren grabbed Tan Ya.

"Your price is too high, I really can't afford it! Consider that silver dollar as a meal for Manager Huang!" Tan Ya shook his head.

Holy crap! Something doesn't sound right here! This meal... could it be his last meal before he's executed? Huang Shiren felt a chill run down his spine.

"Brother Tan, let's discuss the price again! Who is this young master you were talking about?"

"Young Master! Did I say Young Master?" Tan Ya looked at Huang Shiren in confusion, and Huang Shiren nodded affirmatively.

"Hey, look at my loose tongue, I just can't keep a secret!" Tan Ya slapped himself.

"I really can't reveal the young master's identity right now. But you'll find out soon enough. Just think about it! How many people in this whole city can take in so many orphans?" Tan Ya said, puffing out his chest.

Huang Shiren's expression changed upon hearing this, and after a moment, he said, "Alright! Brother Tan, twenty coins it is. I'll take the loss and consider it making a friend."

"Manager Tan, this won't put you in too much of a difficult position, will it?"

"No problem, no problem!" Huang Shiren clutched his chest, shaking his head with a grim expression.

"Thank you so much, Manager Huang! Children, come and choose your clothes quickly," Tan Ya called out happily.

"Don't grab it! Don't grab it! There's enough! If this isn't enough, I'll go to the next store!"

"Hey! Don't change right away! Look how dirty you are, don't get your clothes all dirty." Tan Ya saw a little kid grab a piece of clothing and put it on.

"Just roughly compare them, as long as they're about the same size. Remember your clothes, we'll change after we take a shower!"

Tan Ya tore up several pieces of cloth and made several bundles, which he then had some of the older children carry on their backs.

"Manager Huang, thank you for your kindness. Farewell!" Tan Ya bowed and prepared to leave.

"Hey! Brother Tan, you haven't paid yet!"

"I already paid you, didn't I? Look, Manager Huang! There are fifty-six sets of clothes in total, twenty cash per set, which is one tael, one mace, and two fen. Manager Huang, you just said to round it down, so it's one tael. Didn't I give you a silver dollar? Perfect!"

"Alright! I have to rush to the next house, so I won't chat with you any longer! Kids, let's go!" Tan Ya waved his hand and hurriedly led the children forward.

So, I sold fifty-six sets of clothes for only one silver dollar? Huang Shiren realized what was happening and spat out a mouthful of blood with a "poof!" before collapsing backward.

"Shopkeeper, what's wrong?" The waiter quickly grabbed him and helped him into the shop.

After downing a cup of hot tea, Huang Shiren slowly awoke. "Second son, hurry and follow them. See where those beggar children, Tan Yaba, have taken."

"But shopkeeper, you..."

"Don't worry about me, go now!" Huang Shiren roared. The waiter hurriedly ran out.

An hour later, Tan Ya led a large group of children out of the city to the canal and found a shallow beach at a bend in the canal.

"Boys over here, girls over there. Go down and wash yourselves and hair properly. This is soap, specially for bathing and washing hair. After you're done, comb each other's hair and braid it up."

An hour later, Shen Lian was fiddling with a wooden box in his study. Xiao Hu rushed in.

"Young Master, Tan Ya has arrived with a group of children!"

"Alright! Go check it out right away!" Upon hearing this, Shen Lian dropped the wooden box and left.

At the back gate of the General's Mansion, Tan Ya and the children, dressed in all sorts of mismatched clothes, stood to one side, looking up at the tall walls and the high-rise buildings inside, not daring to breathe loudly.

Stone held his sister's hand tightly. He saw a tall man with a gentle smile walk out of the door. In a daze, he felt as if there was light behind the man.

"Young Master!" Tan Ya hurriedly went to greet him.

"Well done, Tan Ya! I didn't expect you to find so many children so quickly." Shen Lian patted Tan Ya on the shoulder happily.

"Hehe! It's all thanks to the young master's money. I'm just running errands." Tan Ya was so excited that he felt light as a feather.

"Why aren't you all paying your respects to the young master!"

"Greetings, young master!" the children shouted in unison, and knelt down with a thud.

"Okay, okay, get up, get up quickly!" Shen Lian stepped forward and helped a little girl up, and the other children also stood up one after another.

Shen Lian rubbed the little girl's head and walked into the crowd to observe.

“Children, you have suffered before! Coming here means all your suffering is over. From now on you will have clothes to wear, a place to live, and plenty of food to eat every day. I will also find teachers to teach you to read and write.”

"Are you willing to follow me and pursue a bright future?"

"Yes, yes!" The children didn't understand anything about the future; they only heard that they would have enough to eat and clothes to wear in the future.

"Good, good, good!" Shen Lian nodded in satisfaction.

"Young master, two sets of clothes for each person, plus meals and bathing, cost a total of five taels and one hundred and fifty coins. Here is the rest of the money!" Tan Ya presented the silver dollars and some copper coins with both hands.

"Only spent so little money? How did you manage that?" Shen Lian asked in surprise.

Seeing Shen Lian's surprised expression, Tan Ya secretly felt smug.

"It's like this, young master..."