“Brother.” Watson Harris called out crisply when he saw Matthew Brooks, but his gaze was immediately glued to the food on the table. Two packs of pig head meat, half a bottle of liquor, and most importantly, a pile of zongzi—these things completely captivated him.

“Eat first.” Matthew Brooks took out two bowls and poured some for himself and Third Young Master. Faced with such food, there was no way they could stay calm. No matter what else was going on, nothing was more important than eating right now.

Watson Harris grabbed a zongzi with his left hand, tore off the leaves with brute force, and with his right hand picked up two pieces of pig head meat, stuffing them all into his mouth. Smelling the aroma of the liquor, his oily right hand picked up the bowl in front of Third Young Master, and he tilted his head back, pouring the liquor straight down his throat.

“Cough, cough…” Watson Harris immediately choked.

“Kids shouldn’t be drinking.” Third Young Master snatched the bowl away and knocked Watson Harris on the head, scolding him with a laugh.

“I’m not a kid anymore.” Watson Harris tried to grab the bowl back, but he was short and not strong enough, so he couldn’t win against Third Young Master. As for the bowl in front of Matthew Brooks, he didn’t even dare to touch it.

“Watson Harris, begging on the streets isn’t a long-term solution. In a while, I’ll find you something to do,” Matthew Brooks said. Although Watson Harris was a beggar, he was very clever. Having seen all kinds of people, he’d learned to read faces and situations. As long as he was willing to work hard, he could succeed at anything.

“I think getting by on the streets is pretty good. Don’t you always need to gather information, brother? I can scout the whole city for you.” Watson Harris shook his head, his words a bit muffled by the food in his mouth.

A beggar for three years, but wouldn’t be an emperor. Every night when he came back, Matthew Brooks would bring him food—sometimes a steamed bun, sometimes a bowl of noodles. Even if he got nothing during the day, he wouldn’t starve. And since Matthew Brooks needed to know what was happening on the streets, Watson Harris felt he was more suited than Third Young Master to gather information.

“I have plenty of people gathering information for me. You need to learn a trade, or how will you support a family in the future?” Matthew Brooks said. Right now, Watson Harris was still young, but one day he’d have to settle down. He couldn’t beg for a living forever. As a patrol officer, Matthew Brooks only had Watson Harris gather information as a precaution. No matter what important news he got, with his current experience and connections, it was hard to make a real impact.

“I’ll follow you for my whole life, brother.” Watson Harris shook his head, saying firmly. Being a beggar was carefree; he had no interest in learning a trade.

“If you’re going to follow me, you have to listen to me.” Matthew Brooks said sternly. With his current abilities, the best he could do was get Watson Harris an apprenticeship at a shop in the district. Actually, at Watson Harris’s age, he should be in school.

“Not only do you have to listen to Brother Yun, you have to follow his rules too.” Third Young Master reminded him from the side. Matthew Brooks spoke with maturity and handled things steadily. Even though Third Young Master was two years older, Matthew Brooks always had the final say.

“I know. Once I leave this room, I can only say I know you, brother, but not that I’m your brother. And outside, I can’t use your name.” Watson Harris immediately replied.

“That’s a kind of cover, and also a kind of protection,” Matthew Brooks said. If everyone knew the relationship between Third Young Master, Watson Harris, and himself, it would be easy for others to get suspicious when they tried to gather information for him.

At the very least, some people, upon seeing Third Young Master and Watson Harris, would immediately think of him. Even though Matthew Brooks was just an ordinary patrol officer now, it was always good to be prepared. He hadn’t had any special training, but he knew the more cautious he was, the better.

At the very least, everything he did had to stand up to his own scrutiny. Only if he couldn’t spot any flaws himself could he hope to fool others. Only then could he survive in this chaotic world.

“Third Young Master, come down. I have some things to ask you.” After they finished all the food on the table, Matthew Brooks said.

“I’ll keep watch at the door.” Watson Harris wiped his mouth and quickly ran out, sensing what was needed.

Third Young Master walked into the inner room, moved the cabinet by the bed aside, and pushed on the wall, revealing a dark hole in the once-flat wall. He went down first, with Matthew Brooks following behind, restoring the wall and cabinet as he went.

Third Young Master seemed very familiar with the place below. He easily found a box of matches and lit the oil lamp on the wall. Below was a small air-raid shelter. Since last year, Guxing had been bombed almost daily. Anyone who could would dig an air-raid shelter.

After renting this house, Matthew Brooks made some modifications and dug the shelter through to the neighboring unit. Although the two houses were separated by just a wall, the shelters below were connected. This was their passageway; if they needed to meet in private, they could only use the underground shelter.

Matthew Brooks and Third Young Master didn’t live together, but were neighbors. This was carefully arranged by Matthew Brooks; whenever he came to see Third Young Master, he usually came through the underground passage.

At night, unless there was something special, Matthew Brooks would sleep in the air-raid shelter. After experiencing hundreds of air raids and witnessing countless scenes of carnage, only sleeping in the shelter allowed Matthew Brooks to rest peacefully.

He was even planning to expand the shelter so that in the future, both Third Young Master and Watson Harris could live there too.