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

"Tan Ya, would you be willing to do something for me?"

"Yes, yes!" Tan Ya was overjoyed upon hearing this and knelt down before Shen Lian with a thud. Then he hesitated; "Young Master Shen, I, I..."

"What's wrong? Are you having trouble?"

"It's not Young Master Shen, I... I'm also a remnant of the Fa bandits!" Tan Ya said, trembling.

"Oh! Is that all? It's alright, young master doesn't care who you are. Just be loyal to your duties from now on." Shen Lian waved his hand.

"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master! From now on, Tan Ya's life belongs to you, young master." Tan Ya kowtowed three times, his forehead turning red.

"Alright, alright! Get up quickly, I have something to say." These ancient people kowtow all the time, it's annoying.

"Tan Ya, go and see how many orphans there are in the whole city. If they are willing, they can come to me and I will take care of them."

"Ah! This, this..." Tan Ya was stunned for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Young Master, why are you raising these children? If you need manpower, I can gather people to do the work," Shen Xiaohu hurriedly said.

“Yes, young master. Although I haven’t calculated it, there must be dozens or even hundreds of orphans in the whole city. It takes a lot of money and food to raise them, and they won’t be able to do much for several years,” Tan Ya added.

"I know all this, don't worry about it, I have my own arrangements!" Shen Lian waved his hand.

Since he said so, Shen Xiaohu and the others certainly didn't dare to stop him.

Shen Lian took out ten silver dollars and handed them to Tan Ya. "Take this money and give them a good meal, then find them some clothes to change into. Is that enough?"

"Too much, young master! Too much!" Tan Ya had never received so much money in his life and was at a loss for words.

"Alright! If you have extra, use it to buy yourself a couple of nice outfits. You can't be working here dressed in rags!"

"Yes, young master!" Tan Ya replied, his eyes reddening and his voice choked with emotion, holding the money.

"Alright! I'm leaving now. Once you've gathered everyone, bring them to the back gate of the General's Mansion."

Shen Lian gave a few more instructions, then turned and led Shen Xiaohu and the others back.

Having come up with two ways to make money and done a good deed, Shen Lian was in a great mood.

How much money would it cost to feed a hundred or so children? At most thirty or fifty dollars a month. That's small change for him.

He has no true allies in this world. These children are nurtured from a young age, and when they grow up, they will become his truly loyal subordinates.

On a distant street corner, a middle-aged man with a sinister face stared fiercely at Shen Lian.

"My lord, I never expected this lad to be so lucky! Should I send someone to take him down..." The attendant beside him raised his hand and made a cutting motion.

"Shut up!" The gloomy-faced man glanced around and found that there were no pedestrians nearby, only a sleeping little beggar lying under the eaves of a nearby house.

"You fucking want to die! Shen Hu has been operating here for thirty years, and his men are everywhere. Who knows if this mishap has caught his attention? From now on, you all better behave yourselves!"

"Hmph! Getting his son to take over won't be that easy. Let's go!"

Once the two had walked away, the sleeping little beggar sat up. He looked in the direction they had gone and scratched his head.

After watching Shen Lian and his group walk away, Tan Ya straightened up, put away his silver dollars, dusted off his knees, and strode into the city.

Tan Ya arrived at a pawnshop, looked up at the signboard, grimaced, and strode inside.

"Hey! Our Tan Ya is here. What do you want to pawn today?" The waiter standing at the door glanced at Tan Ya as he entered.

"I'm not here for anything today; I'm here to discuss a business deal with your manager." Tan Ya sat down in the chair with an air of nonchalance.

"You! You good-for-nothing, do you really think you're something special? Your two front teeth are quite big, though. Hahaha!" The waiter finished speaking and burst into laughter.

"Is this how your manager teaches you to greet customers who come to the door?" Tan Ya said coldly, not angry.

"You!" "Shut up!" An old man holding a brass water pipe strolled over.

"Hurry up and make some tea!"

The waiter quickly lowered his head and walked towards the back room.

"Mr. Tan, is that right? I am the manager of this shop. My staff has been very rude. Please forgive them."

"Greetings, Manager Huang!" Tan Ya stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Of course, of course! May I ask what kind of help Mr. Tan would like to give to our shop?"

"Well! Hehe! My throat is a little dry right now, so it's a bit difficult to speak!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Huang was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape. "You little punk, trying to act tough in front of me! If you don't give me some explanation soon, I'll break your legs!"

Tan Ya knew without even thinking what Huang Shiren was thinking; he'd been working at the docks for seven or eight years. He'd seen all sorts of people.

The hearts of pawnshop owners are blacker than the bottom of a pot, and Huang Shiren is the blackest of them all; I've been ripped off by him countless times before. But I'm here with business today, so I'm not afraid he won't comply.

Don't let his grim expression fool you; once he sees the money, he'll be more affectionate than if he saw his own father.

The waiter brought the tea over, and Tan Ya picked it up, blew on it, and took a sip. He smacked his lips and said, "Manager Huang, is this old tea from last year?"

"Damn it!" Huang Shiren felt a surge of anger rising to his head. The waiters beside him also glared at Tan Ya, ready to attack as soon as the manager spoke.

"Shopkeeper Huang must have quite a few old clothes that are past their expiration date, right?" Seeing that the two were about to lose their temper, Tan Ya took another sip of tea and said leisurely.

"Hmm! There are quite a few old clothes. What do you say?" Huang Shiren said, suppressing his anger.

"I wonder how many of the clothes are children's?"

"There should be dozens of these, right?" Huang Shiren thought for a moment.

"Only this much? That's too little." Tan Ya shook his head as he spoke.

"Ha! What a big mouth you have! You can't even afford these few dozen items!" the shop assistant couldn't help but say.

"It seems Manager Huang isn't interested in this small business!" Tan Ya reached out and pulled out a stack of silver dollars, tossing them in his palm with a clattering sound. He walked out amidst the two men's surprised gazes.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Brother Tan, please wait!" Manager Huang slammed his water pipe on the coffee table and rushed out to grab Tan Ya.

He'd lose all sense of shame to do business, even calling someone his "little brother." He's old enough to be Tan Ya's grandfather.

"Brother Tan, don't be in such a hurry! We're all regular customers, and we're already here. Sit down a bit longer and have a cup of tea."

"Erzi, what are you standing there for! Quickly change Brother Tan's tea!" He said, pulling Tan Ya to his seat.

Tan Ya grinned crookedly, feigning reluctance, and said, "Oh dear, Manager Huang, what are you doing! I have to rush to Shengdachang!"

"Why go to Shengdachang! Do you think you can get away with this? Brother Huang has used clothes here! I'll definitely give you the best price."

Upon hearing Tan Ya mention Sheng Dachang, his mortal enemy, Huang Shiren couldn't help but start cursing.