Chapter 540 What I Saw in the Early Morning

"A down-and-out doctor who just came back from the other side of the ocean. The boat ticket spent most of his assets, and now he only has nine pounds and fifteen pence..."

"Oh, it's really getting more and more backwards."

"Last time, at any rate, it was the lord who was famous all over the city."

After teasing himself a few words in his heart, Lu Li stood up and took out a pocket watch from his pocket. It was made of cowhide, gold trim, and a crystal surface that was polished evenly.

Apart from the wolf's head and sword crutch, this is the most valuable thing around him.

Of course, this thing can't be pawned off, Lu Li needs to watch the time, and he is a bachelor, as long as he doesn't waste money, nine pounds is enough to live in London for three months.

"A halfpenny, sir, to warm your hands and fill your belly!"

Just as he was thinking, a voice came.

A middle-aged aunt wearing a headscarf was waving at Lu Li. If it wasn't for the fact that no one came to the business, she wouldn't even have noticed this down-and-out middle class.

In fact, many stall owners' gazes flicked past Lu Li without stopping for a moment, and naturally they didn't have any impression of him in their hearts, as if such a person didn't exist.

[Exclusive skill: low-key kingly way]

Lu Li didn't activate this skill on purpose, but the skill changed his temperament:

Unremarkable, passer-by.

Four thirty-seven in the morning.

click.

Lu Li closed the silver cover, put it back in his pocket, and then walked towards the middle-aged aunt who was selling. His stomach was a bit empty.

And the stall owner's aunt is like a character in a game, shouting lines, looking very proficient:

"Good hot eel--good hot eel for half a penny, to warm your hands and fill your belly!"

"Have one."

Lu Li lived up to his enthusiasm. He opened his wallet, took out a coin, and didn't say anything arrogant, such as:

Look no further, here's the tip.

For an ordinary family with six children, adults tighten their belts and live in London for a year, and the cost is about twenty pounds.

Nine pounds may seem like a lot, but after renting a house, it is only enough for daily food and drink, and there is not much money left.

In other words.

Poverty restricted Lu Li before he robbed the rich and gave to the poor.

"Gudu...Gudu..."

Just as he was thinking, a fragrance wafted from the small iron cup in front of him.

"My son bought these eels from Billingsgate Market at midnight and they were so fresh."

As she spoke, the aunt lifted the lid, added some flour to make the soup thicker, and then began to add parsley and pepper.

It’s autumn now, and it’s extremely cold in London in the wee hours of the morning. Hot eel is cheap, sticky and easy to fill your stomach, so it’s very popular among the working class.

While the aunt was speaking, two workers came over. They had just finished the night shift, were tired and wanted some hot drinks.

"One serving of hot eel and one serving of coffee."

"Me too."

The two didn't pay attention to Lu Li who was standing next to him, and subconsciously ignored him.

The stall owner's aunt nodded, indicating that she had heard it, and at the same time handed Lu Li the cup covered with cloth strips, and said, "Come here to warm up."

With that said, he turned around and continued to work.

At the same time, Lu Li put on the iron cup containing the hot eel, walked to a place that would not interfere with business, and stood there, silently enjoying the smell of the burnt eel.

As a newcomer, you have to find out the situation before you act, and the time is not rushed.

"Wheel!"

"Wheel!"

Another stall was pushed over. The stall owners were two and a half children, up to twelve years old, but they acted neatly. One was in charge of selling, lighting a fire and boiling water, and the other was in charge of cleaning.

After a while, the water boiled.

A whole pot of whelks was poured in, stirred continuously with a broom handle, and the mud and dust were removed, as was the inedible digestive tract.

However, Lu Li didn't lament the hard work of the two children, he only felt that this world was abnormal.

But if there is a choice, who is willing to make their children work so hard?

poverty.

This is something imprinted in the bones of the East District of Wudu.

During this period, four night shift workers surrounded by the stall owner's aunt. They were thinly dressed and slender, and they were looking at the iron cup being heated expectantly.

Some people eat hot eel, while others like to drink coffee. What they both have in common is that they can put their hands outside the cup to keep warm, and their bodies can be heated by the boiling hot food. As for the taste, they have to be left behind.

"If this food is placed in the West End, or the Financial City, it will cost at least a penny."

The worker who spoke had a sallow face, holding two thin slices of bread in his hands. There was no strawberry jam, let alone bacon, just a small piece of butter.

After sixteen hours of work, he had to eat something before he went home, or he wouldn't be able to sleep at all.

"Who would save that unfortunate girl?"

On the left, with an inexplicable smile on his face, a worker blew on the coffee he bought for half a penny, and said, "She looks very young, I've never seen her before."

Unlucky girl.

This is a polite term for a drifting warbler.

Following the worker's line of sight, Lu Li saw a girl.

About sixteen or seventeen years old, with some freckles on both sides of the nose, thin clothes, only a one-piece dress and a coat, at the moment standing by a stall a little far away, looking very cramped.

Night shift female workers usually go together, even if they buy something to eat, they do so in groups, so as not to be targeted by ulterior motives.

With one occupational exception, they often haunt late at night and are alone.

For some reason, Lu Li thought of Jack the Ripper, but he was denied immediately. How could it be such a coincidence.

In addition, according to incomplete statistics, about one-sixth of the school-age women in the Fog City of this era have been warblers. If he follows this route to find events that can be cut into, he will probably be exhausted.

"How can I get to Uxbridge?"

Under the watchful eyes of several people, two homeless men walked past. They couldn't find a stall where they could get warm for free, and they didn't want to be a talking point, being teased and discussed by the workers.

"We are brothers. We came to London the day before yesterday looking for work. We found nothing. We want to go to Uxbridge to try our luck and find a job."

The girl was taken aback, but after listening to the tramp's explanation, she regained her composure.

It was not uncommon in London for country people to try their luck in the city, only to leave with their last penny wiped out of their pockets.

"Go there...there are signposts..."

She answered patiently, and seeing the two poor people half understanding, she simply knelt down and picked up the broken branches on the ground, gesticulating continuously.

"Understood, but it's cold now, and it's easy to get sick from the cold. You have to wait for the fog to clear before setting off. Eat some bread, butter and coffee. I'll pay for it."

It's a pity that the workers couldn't hear this conversation, speculated maliciously, and showed wretched smiles from time to time, as if doing so would make them happier and forget the tiredness of work.

Only Lu Li, who was an observer, saw the precious side. The two laborers took the girl's bread and kept thanking her.

Then, I ate a little decently, less than a quarter, and only roasted for a while before walking towards the depths of the dense fog.

He didn't ask for butter, he didn't ask for coffee, and he declined the sixpence offered by the girl.