Under the sky
Chapter 163 Broken stalks fluttering
Chapter 163 Broken stalks fluttering
Amao has been begging with the yellow beggar since he was a child. The yellow beggar asked him to call him daddy and named him Amao. That's because the yellow beggar always carried a bundle of thatch with him to make a bed when the weather was hot and a bed when the weather was cool. The quilt was his unique treasure, and Amao couldn't touch it easily. In the cold and heat, Amao had to find his own way to save his life.Apart from this bundle of thatch, they only had two or three pieces of clothes and pants that were so patched that they couldn't tell the original shape and could still be called household items.
Amao didn't know whether Beggar Huang's real surname was Huang.Beggar Huang is a ruffian. He must be carrying a case. He may steal, abduct, commit murder, or even commit murder. It is natural for him to change his name.
When the yellow beggar asked for money, Amao could still breathe a sigh of relief.He pulled the hem of the beggar's clothes along the door to beg for food. If he were in the market, the beggar would kneel down, and Amao was kneeling next to him. Everyone saw that it was not easy for the beggar to raise a baby, so they were willing to give him a few more coins.
Besides begging, their other job is stealing.The beggar told Amao that if he couldn't steal, he would rob; if he couldn't steal, he would starve to death.The yellow beggar taught him how to pick people's pockets, teach him how to rob people when they take silver coins out of their sleeves, teach him how to trip up women, and steal or rob when they bow their heads to apologize.
But the yellow beggar never steals by himself, it is too risky.He asked Amao to steal, because Amao was young and had a sense of control when he was caught and beaten. If he couldn't kill someone, even if he tried to force him away from the sect, cry and make a fuss, and shout that he was hungry, he would probably be fine. If he was lucky, he could still catch a few. Big cake and a few copper coins.
Amao was arrested for losing his temper. If the victim doesn't give up, the yellow beggar will come to the rescue.He would beat Amao severely, kick him, and hit him with his fists until his nose was bruised and his face was covered with blood.The yellow beggar will howl, cry loudly, beat his chest and beat his feet, saying that people are poor and have ambitions, so I will beat you to death. I have taught you to starve to death and not make mistakes. Kneel down and cry and beg for forgiveness.This trick has been tried and tested, and has never caused any serious problems. Sometimes when I meet a kindhearted person who feels sorry for the child's physical pain, he not only refuses to pursue the case, but also rewards the yellow beggar with a few coins for medicine and wine.
One time, Amao was in trouble, his body was hot and cold, and his face was as white as paper. Amao really thought he was going to die. The yellow beggar dragged him to the market to beg his grandfather to sue his grandmother. He burst into tears and shouted that the child was going to die. , want to buy medicine.That time he asked for a lot of silver. The yellow beggar smiled happily and dragged Amao to the next town to beg for money while he was still sick.
The yellow beggar said, these people are bad, stupid and cheap.How can you say they are bad?Why do they have food and drink, fields and grain?If you didn’t come here secretly, how could an ordinary person have such savings?How can you say they are stupid?How can you cheat, steal, and rob someone if you are not stupid?You deserve what happened.How can you say they are cheap?Giving hard-earned money and food to people who are not relatives or friends is more than a shame.It's so mean to the core.
The yellow beggar also said that there are no kind people in this world. You, me and others are all human beings. If we compare ourselves with each other, are you willing to give away the steamed buns and pancakes that you finally saved?Those pities are all pretended. They are either pretending to show others or doing too many bad things to seek peace of mind. Therefore, there are many people in the temple. If you don’t do anything wrong, what can you say to the Bodhisattva?Even if you just want to get rich, that's greed.
Beggar Huang is not his father. When Amao first became sensible, he thought he was, but later found out that he was not. With Beggar Huang's virtue, no decent widow would give him a child.The yellow beggar said that Amao picked it up. Amao believed it and was a little grateful, but later he knew it was not the case.
That was also what happened when he was showing off. The yellow beggar was begging for money. He was in a good mood, got drunk, and talked drunkenly in a shabby house in the suburbs.Amao was half-conscious, and his body was so hot that it felt like he could smell the aroma of his own meat.
The yellow beggar looked at him and murmured to himself, saying that stealing this baby is worth it.Amao was anxious when he heard it, and he groaned and asked a few questions. The yellow beggar said that Amao had stolen it. His parents were busy with farm work, so they put the child under a tree for shade. He was only three or four years old. He thought it would be easy to raise a child to ask for money. , just pick it up and take it away.
"It's true that I begged for more, but it's hard to feed you enough food. I can still sell you when you're older, but you're ugly and can't be sold for a good price." The yellow beggar murmured while burping from wine.
Amao did not die, and recovered after a few days. Beggar Huang was a little worried, because the good days had come to an end, and it would not really look like Amao pretending to be sick.If it weren't for the lame leg that was difficult to take care of, Huang Beggar would have really wanted to break Amao's legs. At least Amao thought that was what Huang Beggar would think.
That was when he was eight years old, about that age.Later he asked the yellow beggar where he had stolen it. The yellow beggar scolded him for being shameless, unruly, and forgetting the kindness of upbringing. From then on, whenever he asked about it, he would give him a good beating.
In order to fight for food, Amao often fights. If he is bullied by naughty children, he will fight back. Although he is young, he uses all his teeth and elbows, inserts eyes, teases the vagina, smashes the head, and beats him to death. He is a yellow beggar. Taught.Although he was young, he had already risked his life and had half his ear bitten off for half a steamed bun.
About a year ago, Amao followed Huang Beggar to Pingyuan Town.As usual, they could get some food in the first few days. When the townspeople got tired of it and the alms were deserted, Amao went to steal. When people were angry, they changed places to get holes. They wandered in Xiangdi for several years, all the time. in this way.
It was July last year, it was very hot, and they were begging in the market. The yellow beggar tied his rags around his waist, exposing his skinny bones and skin covered with leprosy. Amao was kneeling aside, dizzy from the sun.
The first thing Amao noticed was the sound of "ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding."This sound came with the wind, a cool feeling, and seemed to resound deep in my heart. It was clear and loud, and it was very pleasant to hear.
Amao turned around and saw a small shop with strings of wind chimes hanging in it. The sound came from three small copper bells hanging in a string at the door.The small copper bell swayed with the wind, and still rippled gently after the wind stopped, making a thin sound. It seemed that hearing the sound made it feel much cooler.
Amao went into the store when no one was around.The old man looking at the shop had no light in his eyes and looked around aimlessly. Amao could tell that he was a blind man.Wind chimes were hung on the wall, and they were made of bamboo, copper, or wood. They were all in various designs. Amao was soon attracted by the string of wooden wind chimes.
It was a wind chime in the shape of a small wooden house. The bottom of the wooden house was hollowed out, and there was a small copper bell inside. There were small copper pieces inside the copper bell.Amao looked at the old man. He was sitting behind the counter, seemingly unaware that he had entered the store.Amao held the copper piece in his left hand, and gently took the wind chime off the wall with his right hand. He looked outside the door. He was a thief, and his hands and feet were naturally nimble.
"Ding, ding, ding, ding," the wind chimes at the door rang.
The yellow beggar noticed something was wrong early on, and after questioning, he found out that Amao had stolen a string of wind chimes.
"Fuck! Why are you stealing this? Where to hang it? Where is there a house for you to hang?" Huang beggar slapped Amao hard on the face, "The shopkeeper is a blind man, you are stealing money! If you can't steal it, just rob it, he is a Blind man, are you afraid that he will catch up?"
The yellow beggar threw the wind chime on the ground and stamped it hard until his feet hurt. He asked Amao to dig a hole and bury the wind chime.
"It can't be pawned and it's worthless. If someone sees it, they'll know it's stolen. Why don't they beat you to death?"
The yellow beggar asked Amao to steal money from the wind chime shop, and Amao went there twice.The first time I went there, the blind old man stayed in front of the counter. He took out an erhu from under the table and played it. Amao found it unpleasant, and it was far less clear and loud than the wind chimes.When he went there for the second time, the old man probably wanted to relieve himself. When he finally left his seat, he found that the drawers were all locked.The yellow beggar shouted loudly outside the house, which was a signal that someone was passing by, so Amao hurriedly escaped from the store.
Before Amao could steal the money, the yellow beggar fell ill. First, his whole body became swollen, then he urinated blood, became dizzy and had a headache, and vomited everything he ate. A few days later, he passed out in the market.He was covered in leprosy, and no one dared to pull him away. Amao half dragged and half helped him to a broken house outside the town.It was impossible to see a doctor, and whatever little beggar Huang had saved he spent on drinking.
The few original beggars in Pingyuan Town were annoyed by the two outsiders who were snatching food. They took the opportunity to bully and beat the yellow beggar. Amao was young and was let go. He just asked them to get out of here and not die in the town. unlucky.When the yellow beggar was being beaten, Amao squatted beside him and watched. He didn't yell or stop him, he just found it interesting.This beating made the original condition a little worse. The yellow beggar grabbed Amao's hand and asked Amao to go and beg for money from the beggar who beat him.
"Just say that I am about to die of illness. If I die, you go to the sect and report them." The yellow beggar said a few words and took a few breaths. He was afraid that he would not be able to hold on for a breath, so he was about to leave. "They are afraid of trouble and will give them money. Just open your mouth and ask for it. With the money... help me hire a doctor and get me two sets of medicine..."
Amao really went to ask for money, but he didn't get much. They were ordinary poor people, and they only got two or three hundred coins.Amao didn't go to the doctor, let alone help Huang Beggar get medicine.The yellow beggar was thirsty and asked for a drink of water. Amao handed him water and drank bowl after bowl. When the yellow beggar said he was hungry, Amao would look at him intently. No matter how much the yellow beggar yelled and cursed, Amao just ignored him. .
Doesn’t it mean that giving hard-earned money and food to people who are not relatives or friends is not only despicable, but downright despicable?
The yellow beggar died of illness two days later. Amao didn't have the strength to bury him, so he notified the sect to conduct an autopsy and found out the injuries, and then arrested a group of beggars who were beating people around. They were all local scoundrels. If anyone hurt someone to death, they would each be beaten twice. With ten sticks, all the prisoners thought it was a waste of rice, so they were all driven out of Pingyuan Town.
The yellow beggar burned it into a jar of ashes, but Amao didn't even bury it, so he scattered it in the woods outside the village and sold the jar for more than ten yuan.
All that was left of the yellow beggar was the bundle of thatch, which now belonged to Amao alone.
After Yellow Beggar died, Amao dug out the wind chime.The decorated cabin was trampled to pieces, but fortunately the copper bell was only slightly rusty and could still make a sound when it shook.Amao took off the wind chime and hid it in his arms. He would take it out and shake it a few times from time to time. He felt comfortable listening to the sound.
It's useless, but he likes it.
It is not that there are no orphans in Pingyuan Town, but the villagers will always help them. The boss family will give them a meal, and the west family will give them a piece of cake, so that they can find some leisure work and work hard, get a few wages, and when they are older, they can do menial work and be self-reliant.At first, the people in the town saw Amao as pitiful, and took care of him like an orphan in the town, giving him some scraps of food. Gradually, they realized that Amao's hands and feet were unclean. He was a foreigner, and he was not affectionate. The townspeople gradually grew to hate him.
As the yellow beggar said, there are no good people in this world.Amao stole when he couldn't ask for it, and robbed when he couldn't steal. After a few months of this, winter was about to come, and the weather was getting colder. One day, Amao was very hungry. He saw a young woman holding a paper bag and looking at the oil. Run, Amao was so greedy that his saliva was dripping, and he followed secretly. He saw the woman walking to a vegetable stall, putting the paper bag aside, gesticulating at the vegetable vendor, and bargaining. Amao lowered his head and touched her. I reached out and fished it out, and the paper bag was fished out without anyone noticing.
Originally nothing would happen to him while fishing, but Amao was really hungry. As he walked, he opened the paper bag and saw that inside was a sauced duck leg bigger than a palm. How could he bear it?I just ran on the street and started eating.
What serious person can show up on the street like this?Doesn't this mean he is a thief?At that moment someone called out.A group of people rushed forward and overthrew Amao. They were angry that his hands and feet were unclean and that he was an outsider. They could easily beat him and snatched his duck legs.Amao didn't suffer any loss. Even if he was beaten, he would eat the duck legs. He stuffed them into his mouth, no matter whether he chewed them thoroughly or not. He bit off and swallowed them. Even if the bone spurs pierced his jaw, his mouth was full of blood. Keep silent.
Amao was beaten many times. Seeing that half of the duck leg was left with bones left by him, the woman reached out and grabbed his rags.The clothes were in tatters and would fall apart if they were torn. The wind chime fell and the woman reached out to pick it up, thinking it was a valuable item. However, she didn't expect it to be a small copper bell. In anger, she threw it far away to relieve her anger.
Amao had a good meal, but lost the wind chime.That was the first time Amao felt distressed.That's the only thing he has because he "likes" it.
He picked out the bone spur stuck in his upper jaw, chewed it carefully and swallowed it. Enduring the pain all over his body, he walked back to the end of the town and went around to the shop selling wind chimes.He hid in the alley for a long time. When it was noon and there were fewer pedestrians, he walked out quickly.
The blind old man was still sitting behind the counter, looking out the door with his cloudy eyes.Amao looked at it carefully this time, looking for a good collection.
These wind chimes were so beautiful. He wanted to try which one sounded better, but he didn't dare to make any sound, so he could only watch.Although the bronze bell from last time was good, I still felt that it was not as good as the one at the door.
He saw a colorful wind chime that looked like a bunch of flowers hanging down.He didn't know that the material was called glass. He just looked at it and touched it. He felt it was fragile and inconvenient to carry around.
Change to one made of bamboo?But what sound does the bamboo wind chime make?He looked over one after another, hesitating...
"You can take off the string of small iron wind chimes on the right and wear it on your wrist. It's suitable for walking around." The blind old man suddenly spoke, almost making Amao jump in fright.
"Can you see me?" Amao was surprised.But this doesn't make sense. If he wasn't blind, how could he have stolen the wind chime last time?
"Did you lose the string last time?" the blind old man asked, "How about you listen to which string you like and I'll give it to you."
"You want to lie to me? When I take it, are you going to call me a thief?" Amao was furious after his tricks were exposed, "You thief, I won't let you know!"
He turned and ran, fast, urgent, angry and angry.He had encountered this kind of thing many times, and it was a good beating after being exposed, but he didn't expect this blind old man to be so bad that he wanted to lie to him!
Amao didn't intend to let things go like this. He was full of resentment and hid in the dark watching the wind chime shop, planning to wait for the old man to go out and trip him up.
He remembered that he had actually looked at a string of wind chimes tied with iron pieces.Amao thought to himself, if I really wear it on my wrist, it will jingle when I reach out, and I will be caught alive as soon as I try to pick it off. Does this old man think I am stupid?
The old man didn't go out until dusk. Seeing no customers, he closed the door of the shop and walked away. Looking at the way he couldn't hold his cane forward when walking, he was obviously blind.
So this old man doesn’t live in this shop?
That night, it was not until late at night that Amao returned to the market.Pingyuan Town has always been peaceful, so the watchman was not careful when he came to watch. He dodged the fire and went back to the wind chime shop. The door of the shop was locked. He went around to the back of the house and touched the window, but it was not locked.
This was a God-given opportunity. Amao planned to go in and steal his mother's pleasure. He looked around and saw no one, then opened the window and climbed in.The shop was not big. There was a small room at the front of the shop. He went in in the dark and found a candle on the table. The candle was next to the fire. Amao lit the candle and saw five or six buns on the table. He couldn't help but be startled. .
Why do you just put the buns on the table like this? Are you not afraid of them getting spoiled?
There is a string of wind chimes next to the buns. They are several copper pieces strung together with thin wires. They look delicate. As the old man said, it would be very unique to take them off and tie them to the wrist.
Amao couldn't help but be stunned.
Think about it carefully, the old man is blind, what is he doing with candles?
"Fuck! Fuck your mother!" Amao felt humiliated for the first time in his life.No matter he stole, was beaten or driven away, he never felt ashamed. Only this time, he didn't know why he felt this way. He blushed, felt ashamed, and felt that he was completely looked down upon, even more thoroughly than being a beggar.
Anger arose from his heart. He didn't know where the anger came from. He just felt angry. He rushed to the wall, grabbed something and threw it on the ground.He was going to destroy this store to see if the old man still dared to look down on him!
But he forgot that this was a wind chime shop. When the first string of wind chimes hit the ground, it immediately made a loud clang, which echoed very clearly in the hut. It frightened him out of his wits. Wouldn't this smash trigger a patrol?
Not caring about smashing them again, he picked up the buns on the table. He didn't even bother to pick up the string of wind chimes. He climbed out of the window and ran as fast as he could.
Burglary is far more serious than pickpocketing. It's not just as simple as getting slapped with a brick, and you may even have to be kicked out. After leaving Pingyuan Town, I really don't know where to settle down.Amao ran as hard as he could, through the streets and alleys, and didn't catch his breath until he ran out of the town.
Damn it, he resented.Although I won a few buns, it was not a loss, but if I signed up for the sect and wanted to find thieves, the old man would be afraid that he would be found on his head.
He hid for two days, relying on these buns to wrap his belly, but he didn't see any movement in the town. After asking around, he found out that the old man said that there were rats in the shop, chewing up the binding wire, and disturbing the neighbors.
Is the rat talking about himself?Amao was even more angry.He even wanted to set fire to the shop, but setting fire to the shop was a capital offense. The shop was in the market, and he had no chance of escaping if it was compromised.He thought about it and decided to go home with the old man, see where he lived, and then think about how to get revenge.
That day he waited for the old man to close his shop and followed behind him secretly.The old man is a blind man and there is no need to hide. Amao is a beggar, wandering around and arrogant but not attracting attention.
He followed all the way to the west of the town and saw a large courtyard. The old man unlocked the door and entered the courtyard.It was a manor owned only by wealthy families. Wouldn't it take three to five years to build it?How much silver will this cost?Amao couldn't calculate it clearly. He only knew that it was an amount that he could never imagine in his life.
Amao didn't believe it. How could a small shop selling wind chimes afford this manor?Given the size of the manor, would there be more than a dozen maids, servants and bodyguards in it?How can I break in?
He was feeling annoyed when he suddenly became suspicious again. The old man entered the yard just now and fumbled to open the lock. Could it be that there was no one inside to open the door for him?How could only one person live in such a manor?Amao decided to watch for two more days until he was sure that the old man was the only one living in the manor.
What would a person do living in such a big yard?Is it because there is too much money and no place to spend it?This old man is so weird.
No matter how weird things happen, they can't stop Amao from wanting revenge.The residents of Pingyuan Town are really stupid for leaving such a big yard unattended.Amao made up his mind to steal if he could, rob if he could, find some valuable things to take back, and pawn them in other towns to get a lot of money.
He suddenly felt his heart beating rapidly. This should be a lot of money, a lot of money... He looked at the high wall of the compound and thought, "Can you climb over it?"
He couldn't climb over it. He was only ten years old and just over six feet tall. He was not strong enough to climb up the wall and couldn't climb over it.Just when he was discouraged, he walked around to the gate and found that it was open. Amao was happy and surprised. He cursed in his heart that the old man was blind because he didn't even close the gate.He gently opened the door and finally saw the manor.
It's a big yard with many flowers and trees.He smelled the fragrance, the fragrance of flowers. Amao had never entered a manor like this before, so he couldn't help but hesitate and didn't know where to start.
The manor was incredibly empty, with no furnishings except flowers, trees, tables and chairs.Amao couldn't tell the difference between this manor and other manors. He walked in at night and felt empty.He walked along the gravel path under his feet towards the hall. It was pitch black where the moonlight could not illuminate.He didn't have an oil lamp. It was ridiculously expensive. He was about to touch something and take it out to take a look. He stumbled and kicked something. He looked down and saw an oil lamp at the end of the gravel road. There was also a firecracker next to the oil lamp. .
Amao is confused, what is this blind man doing here lighting a lamp and making fire?He lit the oil lamp and the surroundings were finally bright. As soon as he walked into the hall, he saw a braised duck leg, a few scones and a pot of water on the table.
What the hell is this!Amao was angry again, and was so angry that he swept away the pancake and duck legs together with the pot of water, not even leaving the bones and residue for the old man to chew on.
He must steal from this old man and steal all his belongings, whether they are valuable or not!Amao carried an oil lamp and searched for valuable things in the house.
Nothing at all……
The large courtyard was empty, except for the tables and chairs used to entertain who-know-who, the flowers and trees, and a string of wind chimes hanging in the hall.There were no books on the shelves, no paintings on the walls, no antique vases, no decorations, nothing.
Some thief must have emptied the house first, Amao gritted his teeth, no wonder the old man didn't lock the door, it turned out he was poor.He circled around a few times and found a locked warehouse.
This warehouse is the only one that is locked, so there must be something valuable inside.Amao didn't care whether he would be discovered or not, so he picked up a big stone and smashed the lock.He was not very strong and couldn't break it open even after several hits.
"Stop smashing it and disturbing the neighbors. Let me open the door for you." A voice came from behind.Amao was startled, quickly stepped away, raised the oil lamp, and saw the old man standing behind him gloomily.
"Damn it, old man, go to hell!" Amao yelled and ran away with the oil lamp in hand. He ran for who knows how long, but he stopped when he expected that the blind man couldn't catch up.
He didn't go to the yard again. The old man was too weird and he didn't want to mess with him. He also thought he was cowardly and couldn't vent his anger.
After winter, the bundle of thatch gradually became useless.Ever since he snatched the duck leg on the street, the food available for him has become less and less. The people in the town just hope that he will get out of here. He can still steal and rob, but with more people on guard, it becomes increasingly difficult to get hold of it.
He still had the oil lamp he brought from the yard in his hand, and he really wanted to burn Pingyuan Town clean, and burn himself clean as well.
It was already the twelfth lunar month when he went to the yard again. He was extremely hungry that day. Not only was he hungry, he was also cold. He couldn't find a place to take shelter from the cold. Thinking of the yard, he took the bundle of thatch with him and decided to live in the yard.
The yard is so big, the old man is blind, and there is no one else in it. No one knows that I live here, he thought.
He actually stayed.The courtyard door was still unlocked, so he walked in quietly, chose a draft-free room, covered it with thatch, and although it was not very warm, he fell asleep like this.Maybe one day, he will die in his sleep.He has seen many beggars freeze to death, and he himself almost froze to death several times.Although the yellow beggar was useless, the two of them could still keep warm by leaning against each other. Maybe the yellow beggar shouldn't have died so early, he thought, but what was the use of him living?There is no use living by yourself, and there is no use living by everyone. They are all just waiting to die. This is the way of the world, son of a bitch!
The next day, he was woken up by the fragrance of rice.There was a pot of porridge and a few dishes of side dishes placed at the door of the room. They were simple, but rich for him.
He ate the whole pot of porridge. He had never been so full since he was sensible.
There was no one in the courtyard, so the old man was probably on business.He had never seen anyone visit that wind chime shop. The old man must have money, but he just hid the money. Where did he hide it?Amao looked around, but found nothing except a quilt in one room, rice and a few jars of pickles in the kitchen.
The warehouse was unlocked, and as soon as Amao opened the door, a gust of north wind blew, and he heard a "ding-dong-dang" sound.There are many wind chimes, more wind chimes than in the shop, and they make a nice sound.
Amao was fascinated by this.
Amao lived in this courtyard.He almost never met the old man and lived in a small house. When he got up early every morning, there would be a pot of porridge, a few dishes of side dishes, and a preserved egg or salted egg at the door of the room.The old man would go to the shop to do business. When he came back in the evening, there would be food in the hall. Sometimes it was pancakes and chicken, sometimes it was rice and various side dishes, sometimes it was steamed buns, and he went to get it.
The old man also gave him a thick quilt, and on the second day he stayed there, he also placed it at the door of the room, covering him very warmly.
He had noticed that when he was not in the store, the old man would sit in the yard and play the erhu, or walk around the yard with a cane. Sometimes he would open the warehouse, take out a string of wind chimes, hang them up, and listen to the sound of the wind chimes quietly.
Every once in a while, someone will come to help the old man trim the flowers and clean the pond.Amao knew that the old man had money, but he didn't know where he hid the money.He thought that when he found the place where the old man hid the money, he would steal the money and never come back. However, the yard was so big, and he couldn't find the place where the money was hidden.
It took him a while to learn to go to bed: one day he suddenly realized that the bed was right next to him, so why should he sleep on the floor?
He spent the winter in this yard, one old and one young. They didn't say a word all winter, but they knew the other person was there.
Amao doesn't stay in the courtyard all day long. He often goes out and doesn't know where he is going.He had food to eat, he didn't need to be looked down upon, and he was just walking around. For some reason, he always walked back to the wind chime shop, and then he turned around. He was already annoyed by that bad old man every day, so why did he have to go out of his way to do it? Going to meet?
During the Chinese New Year, the town was decorated with lights and colorful lights, and firecrackers crackled outside the door. Amao thought it was noisy, but the yard was quiet.He tossed and turned in bed that night, and didn't know why he couldn't sleep well. The next morning, besides breakfast, there was a string of wind chimes outside the door - it was no longer wind chimes. The old man took it off and made it into a bracelet. It makes a subtle tinkling sound when shaken, not loud and not disturbing. Just shake it by your ears a few times and the wind will come.
He picked up the bracelet and played with it for a long time before putting it on his bone-thin wrist.
"It's too loose." Amao walked into the courtyard. This was the first time he spoke to the old man after moving in. "I can't wrap my wrist around it."
The old man was playing the erhu. Hearing this, he stopped his bow and said, "You'll be able to fit it when you get fatter."
"Call me a pig!" Amao cursed and hid in the room.
He was actually afraid, and he didn't know what he was afraid of. It was definitely not afraid of this old man.What ability does this old man have that makes him afraid?That's a blind man!
He had really gained a lot of weight. He touched his arms.What's the old man's plan?When will the old man drive him away?Are you just wasting it with yourself?How do you want to harm yourself?Is he too old, afraid that no one will look after him, and wants to help him guard the door?
In a few days, he planned to ask.
"What do you want to do?" Amao asked.
"I didn't want to do anything." The old man replied.
"Why do you give me food?"
“If you cook too much, don’t waste it.”
"Why do you let me sleep in your room?"
“There are many rooms and it doesn’t take up much space.”
"Why did you give me the wind chime?"
"Can't sell it."
Just like this, two sentences for three days, one sentence and one sentence, one question and one answer.
"Where is your money?"
"You look for it."
"Sooner or later I will steal all your money." Amao said through gritted teeth.
"Okay, take it if you can find it." The old man replied with a smile.
Sometimes, it was the old man who stopped him.
"How long has it been since you took a shower?"
"none of your business!"
"There's an extra pot of hot water in the kitchen."
"Pooh!"
"The day you stole the wind chime, I only knew you came in because of your strong smell."
"Stinky old man! Do you stink as much as you!"
By the end, although not much, I was still asking about chores.
"Why are you selling wind chimes? You are not short of money."
"People always have to find work, otherwise they will get bored."
"What kind of flowers are those in the backyard? They smell bad."
"Jasmine has just bloomed. Does it smell good?"
"Stinky, smoky!"
On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Amao tried to put on the bracelet, but it was still a little loose, almost...
Just a little bit off...
When Diancang disciples broke into Pingyuan Town, there were still disciples who resisted. At the entrance of the town, Amao heard killing sounds and shouts and wanted to see what was going on. As soon as he opened the door, the old man came in and grabbed him. His arm.
The hand was as if it were made of iron. Amao couldn't move it even if he wanted to. Only then did he realize that the old man was not a weak old man.
"Don't go out!" the old man shouted, turned around and closed the door, pulling him to the room next to the kitchen.The old man groped on the ground and lifted up a piece of floorboard.
"Bring in all the food in the kitchen." The old man shouted, "Quick!"
Amao followed the old man's instructions and moved all the edible bacon, pickled vegetables, half a jar of rice, and a bag of mung beans from the kitchen into the secret room. Then the old man followed him down, closed the wooden boards, and the cellar was dark.
"Is this where you hid your money?" Amao asked, "You let me find it."
"There is no money here." The old man replied, "This is a place to hide from enemies. I don't have any money with me. If you see those people who come to clean and trim the garden for me on the third and seventeenth of every month, they will give you some silver."
"Ah?" Amao was stunned.
"This is called the Cunning Rabbit's Three Holes. Otherwise, I, a blind old man, would encounter a malicious beggar and steal everything."
Amao snorted bitterly: "I'll know how to do it in the future!"
The disciples led by Liao Ming only resisted for a moment before surrendering. Disciple Dian Cang opened the door.They didn't hurt anyone, just searched for a while and then left.
When Dian Cang's disciples left, Amao thought he was safe, but he didn't expect that the disaster would begin.The local sub-rudder Liao Ming gathered all the townspeople and asked everyone to survive this disaster together.He plundered all the remaining food in the town and asked everyone to hand over all their belongings. He said that he was afraid of escaping privately, so he would create a register to manage it and return it according to the register after the war was over. He wanted the townspeople to believe that Leader Li would To protect Hengshan, they must protect their hometown.
Liao Ming had coveted this large manor for a long time, which Amao only found out later.The old man is not a local. He only built a house here 14 years ago. It took him three years to build the largest manor in Pingyuan Town.Few people came in. According to their speculation, there should be many antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and collections in such a luxurious manor.
The old man could only hand over an empty courtyard. Liao Ming said that he was hiding and wanted to escape privately. He led a group of disciples to push down the gate and grabbed the old man.Amao tried his best to attack, bite, punch and kick, how could a ten-year-old child have any strength?But the beating was in vain.He cursed and screamed, and suddenly he was hit hard on the back of the head, his eyes darkened and he fainted.
When he woke up again, the smelly old man was lying on the ground, covered in blood. It turned out that Liao Ming had searched the whole yard and couldn't find anything valuable. He beat the old man until he vomited blood and asked him where he hid the silver.The old man only said what antique calligraphy and painting can a blind man reward?Apart from the warehouse wind chimes, this big house was the only one left. Liao Ming had no choice but to leave in anger.
Amao finally helped the old man up, but saw that he was covered in wounds, vomiting blood, and the few remaining teeth in his mouth had been knocked out. He was afraid that he would die if he could not recover.
Where can I find medicine for him?Amao was anxious, so anxious, even more anxious than not being able to find a steamed bun after being hungry for three days.Can he find a doctor?Even if he found a doctor, he couldn't afford the consultation fee.
"Help me...into the secret room." The old man gasped, "Bring an oil lamp down."
Amao went to the secret room for the second time, and the last time was only two days ago.He found the oil lamp that the old man left for him, and used the remaining lamp oil to illuminate it. He supported the old man with one hand and held the oil lamp with the other, which was very difficult.
He himself didn't expect that he had such great strength.
"There is medicine for bruises in the cabinet on the wall..." The old man leaned against the wall and pointed at the wall, while Amao held the oil lamp to get the medicine.Under the firelight, he saw a bow hanging on the wall and two barrels of arrows on the floor.
Amao first gave the medicine to the old man, and then looked at the bow and arrow after the old man rested.The wood grain of the bow body was old, but not rotten. It was obviously maintained frequently. He took the bow off the wall and could only pull it open a little bit with all his strength.
I don't know how many days the food stored in the secret room can last, so Amao returned to the town.Pingyuan Town was distributing food. He was not a town citizen and had no food. He helped the old man beg for food. The person who sent the food asked the old man to get it himself. The old man only had one breath left. How could he leave?
He came to the old rice warehouse. The rice had long been moved into the sect. He scraped at the cracks in the ground to look for the rice grains that fell on the ground. He picked them up one by one. There were only a few dozen grains in the whole day. However, he collected a bag of quicklime to avoid moisture. .He mixed the rice grains with mung beans and made a big bowl of mung bean porridge for the old man.
He went to the woods outside the town early in the morning and followed the townspeople to scrape bark, pick wild fruits and dig wild bamboo shoots.Once he climbed up a tree and picked a few bird eggs. He was afraid of being discovered, so he hurriedly fled back to the farmyard.
On the third day of junior high school, he sat in the yard, eagerly waiting for the old man's "friends" to send him some silver, hoping that those "friends" would help them get some food.He waited from morning to night, but the old man's friend never showed up.
"The land is not peaceful," the old man said. "The war is chaotic. Maybe something happened on the road."
That night, he wanted to go to Liao Ping's mansion in the dark to steal food, but saw that the lights were on all night, so he had to go home disappointed. He told the old man about it.
"What kind of activities can you do if you are unconscious in the middle of the night? You must not see the light. I guess Liao Ming wants to take away the town's property." The old man said to him, "You run away. I have been in this town for a long time, can't you wait? When the bark is scraped, people have to eat people to survive.”
So what if people cannibalize people?There are only bad people, fools, and bitches in this world.The old man is also stupid. The friend who sends money every month must have swallowed his money.
The old man's injuries are getting better, but his body is still weak.The small amount of food stored in the house was already exhausted. After being hungry for many days, Amao looked for food everywhere.He walked a long way to ambush on the road, deceived lone refugees when he saw them, sprinkled them with lime, robbed them and ran away.He knew he would be beaten to death if caught, so he was particularly careful.
Until he met the man named Li Jingfeng.
"If he comes from Ba County," the blind old man said, "ask him to take you away, and he will probably help you."
"Are you going too?" Amao asked.
"Don't let him know I'm here." The old man replied, "He recognizes me, so it's a little inconvenient."
"Then what will you do? Starve to death?" Amao scolded, "Why are you trying to be a hero!"
The old man said: "My friend will come to pick me up. After the battle, you can go back to Pingyuan Town."
"Liar!" Amao stood up, "You think I'm easy to cheat! Your friend has already taken your money and ran away!"
"They won't run, they..." The old man pondered for a while, then turned around and said, "You will drag me down if you stay."
"Drag, drag your mother!" Amao was furious, his face flushed, "If I hadn't fed you one mouthful at a time, your mother would have starved to death!"
"One mouth is better than two. I am in better health and can receive my own rations. You are an outsider and my rations are all thin." said the old man.
"You're such an old man, if you really want to eat someone else, they'll eat you too!" Amao searched for the stairs in the dark, but he didn't respond to the old man's call.
He ran to the atrium, the moonlight was in the sky, and he didn't know where to go for a moment. When he returned to the room where he lived before, the bundle of thatch he brought with him was thrown into the corner of the room. It had not been used for a long time.
He lay on the ground hugging the thatch, his mind going through so many twists and turns that it was difficult to fall asleep.
(End of this chapter)
Amao has been begging with the yellow beggar since he was a child. The yellow beggar asked him to call him daddy and named him Amao. That's because the yellow beggar always carried a bundle of thatch with him to make a bed when the weather was hot and a bed when the weather was cool. The quilt was his unique treasure, and Amao couldn't touch it easily. In the cold and heat, Amao had to find his own way to save his life.Apart from this bundle of thatch, they only had two or three pieces of clothes and pants that were so patched that they couldn't tell the original shape and could still be called household items.
Amao didn't know whether Beggar Huang's real surname was Huang.Beggar Huang is a ruffian. He must be carrying a case. He may steal, abduct, commit murder, or even commit murder. It is natural for him to change his name.
When the yellow beggar asked for money, Amao could still breathe a sigh of relief.He pulled the hem of the beggar's clothes along the door to beg for food. If he were in the market, the beggar would kneel down, and Amao was kneeling next to him. Everyone saw that it was not easy for the beggar to raise a baby, so they were willing to give him a few more coins.
Besides begging, their other job is stealing.The beggar told Amao that if he couldn't steal, he would rob; if he couldn't steal, he would starve to death.The yellow beggar taught him how to pick people's pockets, teach him how to rob people when they take silver coins out of their sleeves, teach him how to trip up women, and steal or rob when they bow their heads to apologize.
But the yellow beggar never steals by himself, it is too risky.He asked Amao to steal, because Amao was young and had a sense of control when he was caught and beaten. If he couldn't kill someone, even if he tried to force him away from the sect, cry and make a fuss, and shout that he was hungry, he would probably be fine. If he was lucky, he could still catch a few. Big cake and a few copper coins.
Amao was arrested for losing his temper. If the victim doesn't give up, the yellow beggar will come to the rescue.He would beat Amao severely, kick him, and hit him with his fists until his nose was bruised and his face was covered with blood.The yellow beggar will howl, cry loudly, beat his chest and beat his feet, saying that people are poor and have ambitions, so I will beat you to death. I have taught you to starve to death and not make mistakes. Kneel down and cry and beg for forgiveness.This trick has been tried and tested, and has never caused any serious problems. Sometimes when I meet a kindhearted person who feels sorry for the child's physical pain, he not only refuses to pursue the case, but also rewards the yellow beggar with a few coins for medicine and wine.
One time, Amao was in trouble, his body was hot and cold, and his face was as white as paper. Amao really thought he was going to die. The yellow beggar dragged him to the market to beg his grandfather to sue his grandmother. He burst into tears and shouted that the child was going to die. , want to buy medicine.That time he asked for a lot of silver. The yellow beggar smiled happily and dragged Amao to the next town to beg for money while he was still sick.
The yellow beggar said, these people are bad, stupid and cheap.How can you say they are bad?Why do they have food and drink, fields and grain?If you didn’t come here secretly, how could an ordinary person have such savings?How can you say they are stupid?How can you cheat, steal, and rob someone if you are not stupid?You deserve what happened.How can you say they are cheap?Giving hard-earned money and food to people who are not relatives or friends is more than a shame.It's so mean to the core.
The yellow beggar also said that there are no kind people in this world. You, me and others are all human beings. If we compare ourselves with each other, are you willing to give away the steamed buns and pancakes that you finally saved?Those pities are all pretended. They are either pretending to show others or doing too many bad things to seek peace of mind. Therefore, there are many people in the temple. If you don’t do anything wrong, what can you say to the Bodhisattva?Even if you just want to get rich, that's greed.
Beggar Huang is not his father. When Amao first became sensible, he thought he was, but later found out that he was not. With Beggar Huang's virtue, no decent widow would give him a child.The yellow beggar said that Amao picked it up. Amao believed it and was a little grateful, but later he knew it was not the case.
That was also what happened when he was showing off. The yellow beggar was begging for money. He was in a good mood, got drunk, and talked drunkenly in a shabby house in the suburbs.Amao was half-conscious, and his body was so hot that it felt like he could smell the aroma of his own meat.
The yellow beggar looked at him and murmured to himself, saying that stealing this baby is worth it.Amao was anxious when he heard it, and he groaned and asked a few questions. The yellow beggar said that Amao had stolen it. His parents were busy with farm work, so they put the child under a tree for shade. He was only three or four years old. He thought it would be easy to raise a child to ask for money. , just pick it up and take it away.
"It's true that I begged for more, but it's hard to feed you enough food. I can still sell you when you're older, but you're ugly and can't be sold for a good price." The yellow beggar murmured while burping from wine.
Amao did not die, and recovered after a few days. Beggar Huang was a little worried, because the good days had come to an end, and it would not really look like Amao pretending to be sick.If it weren't for the lame leg that was difficult to take care of, Huang Beggar would have really wanted to break Amao's legs. At least Amao thought that was what Huang Beggar would think.
That was when he was eight years old, about that age.Later he asked the yellow beggar where he had stolen it. The yellow beggar scolded him for being shameless, unruly, and forgetting the kindness of upbringing. From then on, whenever he asked about it, he would give him a good beating.
In order to fight for food, Amao often fights. If he is bullied by naughty children, he will fight back. Although he is young, he uses all his teeth and elbows, inserts eyes, teases the vagina, smashes the head, and beats him to death. He is a yellow beggar. Taught.Although he was young, he had already risked his life and had half his ear bitten off for half a steamed bun.
About a year ago, Amao followed Huang Beggar to Pingyuan Town.As usual, they could get some food in the first few days. When the townspeople got tired of it and the alms were deserted, Amao went to steal. When people were angry, they changed places to get holes. They wandered in Xiangdi for several years, all the time. in this way.
It was July last year, it was very hot, and they were begging in the market. The yellow beggar tied his rags around his waist, exposing his skinny bones and skin covered with leprosy. Amao was kneeling aside, dizzy from the sun.
The first thing Amao noticed was the sound of "ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding."This sound came with the wind, a cool feeling, and seemed to resound deep in my heart. It was clear and loud, and it was very pleasant to hear.
Amao turned around and saw a small shop with strings of wind chimes hanging in it. The sound came from three small copper bells hanging in a string at the door.The small copper bell swayed with the wind, and still rippled gently after the wind stopped, making a thin sound. It seemed that hearing the sound made it feel much cooler.
Amao went into the store when no one was around.The old man looking at the shop had no light in his eyes and looked around aimlessly. Amao could tell that he was a blind man.Wind chimes were hung on the wall, and they were made of bamboo, copper, or wood. They were all in various designs. Amao was soon attracted by the string of wooden wind chimes.
It was a wind chime in the shape of a small wooden house. The bottom of the wooden house was hollowed out, and there was a small copper bell inside. There were small copper pieces inside the copper bell.Amao looked at the old man. He was sitting behind the counter, seemingly unaware that he had entered the store.Amao held the copper piece in his left hand, and gently took the wind chime off the wall with his right hand. He looked outside the door. He was a thief, and his hands and feet were naturally nimble.
"Ding, ding, ding, ding," the wind chimes at the door rang.
The yellow beggar noticed something was wrong early on, and after questioning, he found out that Amao had stolen a string of wind chimes.
"Fuck! Why are you stealing this? Where to hang it? Where is there a house for you to hang?" Huang beggar slapped Amao hard on the face, "The shopkeeper is a blind man, you are stealing money! If you can't steal it, just rob it, he is a Blind man, are you afraid that he will catch up?"
The yellow beggar threw the wind chime on the ground and stamped it hard until his feet hurt. He asked Amao to dig a hole and bury the wind chime.
"It can't be pawned and it's worthless. If someone sees it, they'll know it's stolen. Why don't they beat you to death?"
The yellow beggar asked Amao to steal money from the wind chime shop, and Amao went there twice.The first time I went there, the blind old man stayed in front of the counter. He took out an erhu from under the table and played it. Amao found it unpleasant, and it was far less clear and loud than the wind chimes.When he went there for the second time, the old man probably wanted to relieve himself. When he finally left his seat, he found that the drawers were all locked.The yellow beggar shouted loudly outside the house, which was a signal that someone was passing by, so Amao hurriedly escaped from the store.
Before Amao could steal the money, the yellow beggar fell ill. First, his whole body became swollen, then he urinated blood, became dizzy and had a headache, and vomited everything he ate. A few days later, he passed out in the market.He was covered in leprosy, and no one dared to pull him away. Amao half dragged and half helped him to a broken house outside the town.It was impossible to see a doctor, and whatever little beggar Huang had saved he spent on drinking.
The few original beggars in Pingyuan Town were annoyed by the two outsiders who were snatching food. They took the opportunity to bully and beat the yellow beggar. Amao was young and was let go. He just asked them to get out of here and not die in the town. unlucky.When the yellow beggar was being beaten, Amao squatted beside him and watched. He didn't yell or stop him, he just found it interesting.This beating made the original condition a little worse. The yellow beggar grabbed Amao's hand and asked Amao to go and beg for money from the beggar who beat him.
"Just say that I am about to die of illness. If I die, you go to the sect and report them." The yellow beggar said a few words and took a few breaths. He was afraid that he would not be able to hold on for a breath, so he was about to leave. "They are afraid of trouble and will give them money. Just open your mouth and ask for it. With the money... help me hire a doctor and get me two sets of medicine..."
Amao really went to ask for money, but he didn't get much. They were ordinary poor people, and they only got two or three hundred coins.Amao didn't go to the doctor, let alone help Huang Beggar get medicine.The yellow beggar was thirsty and asked for a drink of water. Amao handed him water and drank bowl after bowl. When the yellow beggar said he was hungry, Amao would look at him intently. No matter how much the yellow beggar yelled and cursed, Amao just ignored him. .
Doesn’t it mean that giving hard-earned money and food to people who are not relatives or friends is not only despicable, but downright despicable?
The yellow beggar died of illness two days later. Amao didn't have the strength to bury him, so he notified the sect to conduct an autopsy and found out the injuries, and then arrested a group of beggars who were beating people around. They were all local scoundrels. If anyone hurt someone to death, they would each be beaten twice. With ten sticks, all the prisoners thought it was a waste of rice, so they were all driven out of Pingyuan Town.
The yellow beggar burned it into a jar of ashes, but Amao didn't even bury it, so he scattered it in the woods outside the village and sold the jar for more than ten yuan.
All that was left of the yellow beggar was the bundle of thatch, which now belonged to Amao alone.
After Yellow Beggar died, Amao dug out the wind chime.The decorated cabin was trampled to pieces, but fortunately the copper bell was only slightly rusty and could still make a sound when it shook.Amao took off the wind chime and hid it in his arms. He would take it out and shake it a few times from time to time. He felt comfortable listening to the sound.
It's useless, but he likes it.
It is not that there are no orphans in Pingyuan Town, but the villagers will always help them. The boss family will give them a meal, and the west family will give them a piece of cake, so that they can find some leisure work and work hard, get a few wages, and when they are older, they can do menial work and be self-reliant.At first, the people in the town saw Amao as pitiful, and took care of him like an orphan in the town, giving him some scraps of food. Gradually, they realized that Amao's hands and feet were unclean. He was a foreigner, and he was not affectionate. The townspeople gradually grew to hate him.
As the yellow beggar said, there are no good people in this world.Amao stole when he couldn't ask for it, and robbed when he couldn't steal. After a few months of this, winter was about to come, and the weather was getting colder. One day, Amao was very hungry. He saw a young woman holding a paper bag and looking at the oil. Run, Amao was so greedy that his saliva was dripping, and he followed secretly. He saw the woman walking to a vegetable stall, putting the paper bag aside, gesticulating at the vegetable vendor, and bargaining. Amao lowered his head and touched her. I reached out and fished it out, and the paper bag was fished out without anyone noticing.
Originally nothing would happen to him while fishing, but Amao was really hungry. As he walked, he opened the paper bag and saw that inside was a sauced duck leg bigger than a palm. How could he bear it?I just ran on the street and started eating.
What serious person can show up on the street like this?Doesn't this mean he is a thief?At that moment someone called out.A group of people rushed forward and overthrew Amao. They were angry that his hands and feet were unclean and that he was an outsider. They could easily beat him and snatched his duck legs.Amao didn't suffer any loss. Even if he was beaten, he would eat the duck legs. He stuffed them into his mouth, no matter whether he chewed them thoroughly or not. He bit off and swallowed them. Even if the bone spurs pierced his jaw, his mouth was full of blood. Keep silent.
Amao was beaten many times. Seeing that half of the duck leg was left with bones left by him, the woman reached out and grabbed his rags.The clothes were in tatters and would fall apart if they were torn. The wind chime fell and the woman reached out to pick it up, thinking it was a valuable item. However, she didn't expect it to be a small copper bell. In anger, she threw it far away to relieve her anger.
Amao had a good meal, but lost the wind chime.That was the first time Amao felt distressed.That's the only thing he has because he "likes" it.
He picked out the bone spur stuck in his upper jaw, chewed it carefully and swallowed it. Enduring the pain all over his body, he walked back to the end of the town and went around to the shop selling wind chimes.He hid in the alley for a long time. When it was noon and there were fewer pedestrians, he walked out quickly.
The blind old man was still sitting behind the counter, looking out the door with his cloudy eyes.Amao looked at it carefully this time, looking for a good collection.
These wind chimes were so beautiful. He wanted to try which one sounded better, but he didn't dare to make any sound, so he could only watch.Although the bronze bell from last time was good, I still felt that it was not as good as the one at the door.
He saw a colorful wind chime that looked like a bunch of flowers hanging down.He didn't know that the material was called glass. He just looked at it and touched it. He felt it was fragile and inconvenient to carry around.
Change to one made of bamboo?But what sound does the bamboo wind chime make?He looked over one after another, hesitating...
"You can take off the string of small iron wind chimes on the right and wear it on your wrist. It's suitable for walking around." The blind old man suddenly spoke, almost making Amao jump in fright.
"Can you see me?" Amao was surprised.But this doesn't make sense. If he wasn't blind, how could he have stolen the wind chime last time?
"Did you lose the string last time?" the blind old man asked, "How about you listen to which string you like and I'll give it to you."
"You want to lie to me? When I take it, are you going to call me a thief?" Amao was furious after his tricks were exposed, "You thief, I won't let you know!"
He turned and ran, fast, urgent, angry and angry.He had encountered this kind of thing many times, and it was a good beating after being exposed, but he didn't expect this blind old man to be so bad that he wanted to lie to him!
Amao didn't intend to let things go like this. He was full of resentment and hid in the dark watching the wind chime shop, planning to wait for the old man to go out and trip him up.
He remembered that he had actually looked at a string of wind chimes tied with iron pieces.Amao thought to himself, if I really wear it on my wrist, it will jingle when I reach out, and I will be caught alive as soon as I try to pick it off. Does this old man think I am stupid?
The old man didn't go out until dusk. Seeing no customers, he closed the door of the shop and walked away. Looking at the way he couldn't hold his cane forward when walking, he was obviously blind.
So this old man doesn’t live in this shop?
That night, it was not until late at night that Amao returned to the market.Pingyuan Town has always been peaceful, so the watchman was not careful when he came to watch. He dodged the fire and went back to the wind chime shop. The door of the shop was locked. He went around to the back of the house and touched the window, but it was not locked.
This was a God-given opportunity. Amao planned to go in and steal his mother's pleasure. He looked around and saw no one, then opened the window and climbed in.The shop was not big. There was a small room at the front of the shop. He went in in the dark and found a candle on the table. The candle was next to the fire. Amao lit the candle and saw five or six buns on the table. He couldn't help but be startled. .
Why do you just put the buns on the table like this? Are you not afraid of them getting spoiled?
There is a string of wind chimes next to the buns. They are several copper pieces strung together with thin wires. They look delicate. As the old man said, it would be very unique to take them off and tie them to the wrist.
Amao couldn't help but be stunned.
Think about it carefully, the old man is blind, what is he doing with candles?
"Fuck! Fuck your mother!" Amao felt humiliated for the first time in his life.No matter he stole, was beaten or driven away, he never felt ashamed. Only this time, he didn't know why he felt this way. He blushed, felt ashamed, and felt that he was completely looked down upon, even more thoroughly than being a beggar.
Anger arose from his heart. He didn't know where the anger came from. He just felt angry. He rushed to the wall, grabbed something and threw it on the ground.He was going to destroy this store to see if the old man still dared to look down on him!
But he forgot that this was a wind chime shop. When the first string of wind chimes hit the ground, it immediately made a loud clang, which echoed very clearly in the hut. It frightened him out of his wits. Wouldn't this smash trigger a patrol?
Not caring about smashing them again, he picked up the buns on the table. He didn't even bother to pick up the string of wind chimes. He climbed out of the window and ran as fast as he could.
Burglary is far more serious than pickpocketing. It's not just as simple as getting slapped with a brick, and you may even have to be kicked out. After leaving Pingyuan Town, I really don't know where to settle down.Amao ran as hard as he could, through the streets and alleys, and didn't catch his breath until he ran out of the town.
Damn it, he resented.Although I won a few buns, it was not a loss, but if I signed up for the sect and wanted to find thieves, the old man would be afraid that he would be found on his head.
He hid for two days, relying on these buns to wrap his belly, but he didn't see any movement in the town. After asking around, he found out that the old man said that there were rats in the shop, chewing up the binding wire, and disturbing the neighbors.
Is the rat talking about himself?Amao was even more angry.He even wanted to set fire to the shop, but setting fire to the shop was a capital offense. The shop was in the market, and he had no chance of escaping if it was compromised.He thought about it and decided to go home with the old man, see where he lived, and then think about how to get revenge.
That day he waited for the old man to close his shop and followed behind him secretly.The old man is a blind man and there is no need to hide. Amao is a beggar, wandering around and arrogant but not attracting attention.
He followed all the way to the west of the town and saw a large courtyard. The old man unlocked the door and entered the courtyard.It was a manor owned only by wealthy families. Wouldn't it take three to five years to build it?How much silver will this cost?Amao couldn't calculate it clearly. He only knew that it was an amount that he could never imagine in his life.
Amao didn't believe it. How could a small shop selling wind chimes afford this manor?Given the size of the manor, would there be more than a dozen maids, servants and bodyguards in it?How can I break in?
He was feeling annoyed when he suddenly became suspicious again. The old man entered the yard just now and fumbled to open the lock. Could it be that there was no one inside to open the door for him?How could only one person live in such a manor?Amao decided to watch for two more days until he was sure that the old man was the only one living in the manor.
What would a person do living in such a big yard?Is it because there is too much money and no place to spend it?This old man is so weird.
No matter how weird things happen, they can't stop Amao from wanting revenge.The residents of Pingyuan Town are really stupid for leaving such a big yard unattended.Amao made up his mind to steal if he could, rob if he could, find some valuable things to take back, and pawn them in other towns to get a lot of money.
He suddenly felt his heart beating rapidly. This should be a lot of money, a lot of money... He looked at the high wall of the compound and thought, "Can you climb over it?"
He couldn't climb over it. He was only ten years old and just over six feet tall. He was not strong enough to climb up the wall and couldn't climb over it.Just when he was discouraged, he walked around to the gate and found that it was open. Amao was happy and surprised. He cursed in his heart that the old man was blind because he didn't even close the gate.He gently opened the door and finally saw the manor.
It's a big yard with many flowers and trees.He smelled the fragrance, the fragrance of flowers. Amao had never entered a manor like this before, so he couldn't help but hesitate and didn't know where to start.
The manor was incredibly empty, with no furnishings except flowers, trees, tables and chairs.Amao couldn't tell the difference between this manor and other manors. He walked in at night and felt empty.He walked along the gravel path under his feet towards the hall. It was pitch black where the moonlight could not illuminate.He didn't have an oil lamp. It was ridiculously expensive. He was about to touch something and take it out to take a look. He stumbled and kicked something. He looked down and saw an oil lamp at the end of the gravel road. There was also a firecracker next to the oil lamp. .
Amao is confused, what is this blind man doing here lighting a lamp and making fire?He lit the oil lamp and the surroundings were finally bright. As soon as he walked into the hall, he saw a braised duck leg, a few scones and a pot of water on the table.
What the hell is this!Amao was angry again, and was so angry that he swept away the pancake and duck legs together with the pot of water, not even leaving the bones and residue for the old man to chew on.
He must steal from this old man and steal all his belongings, whether they are valuable or not!Amao carried an oil lamp and searched for valuable things in the house.
Nothing at all……
The large courtyard was empty, except for the tables and chairs used to entertain who-know-who, the flowers and trees, and a string of wind chimes hanging in the hall.There were no books on the shelves, no paintings on the walls, no antique vases, no decorations, nothing.
Some thief must have emptied the house first, Amao gritted his teeth, no wonder the old man didn't lock the door, it turned out he was poor.He circled around a few times and found a locked warehouse.
This warehouse is the only one that is locked, so there must be something valuable inside.Amao didn't care whether he would be discovered or not, so he picked up a big stone and smashed the lock.He was not very strong and couldn't break it open even after several hits.
"Stop smashing it and disturbing the neighbors. Let me open the door for you." A voice came from behind.Amao was startled, quickly stepped away, raised the oil lamp, and saw the old man standing behind him gloomily.
"Damn it, old man, go to hell!" Amao yelled and ran away with the oil lamp in hand. He ran for who knows how long, but he stopped when he expected that the blind man couldn't catch up.
He didn't go to the yard again. The old man was too weird and he didn't want to mess with him. He also thought he was cowardly and couldn't vent his anger.
After winter, the bundle of thatch gradually became useless.Ever since he snatched the duck leg on the street, the food available for him has become less and less. The people in the town just hope that he will get out of here. He can still steal and rob, but with more people on guard, it becomes increasingly difficult to get hold of it.
He still had the oil lamp he brought from the yard in his hand, and he really wanted to burn Pingyuan Town clean, and burn himself clean as well.
It was already the twelfth lunar month when he went to the yard again. He was extremely hungry that day. Not only was he hungry, he was also cold. He couldn't find a place to take shelter from the cold. Thinking of the yard, he took the bundle of thatch with him and decided to live in the yard.
The yard is so big, the old man is blind, and there is no one else in it. No one knows that I live here, he thought.
He actually stayed.The courtyard door was still unlocked, so he walked in quietly, chose a draft-free room, covered it with thatch, and although it was not very warm, he fell asleep like this.Maybe one day, he will die in his sleep.He has seen many beggars freeze to death, and he himself almost froze to death several times.Although the yellow beggar was useless, the two of them could still keep warm by leaning against each other. Maybe the yellow beggar shouldn't have died so early, he thought, but what was the use of him living?There is no use living by yourself, and there is no use living by everyone. They are all just waiting to die. This is the way of the world, son of a bitch!
The next day, he was woken up by the fragrance of rice.There was a pot of porridge and a few dishes of side dishes placed at the door of the room. They were simple, but rich for him.
He ate the whole pot of porridge. He had never been so full since he was sensible.
There was no one in the courtyard, so the old man was probably on business.He had never seen anyone visit that wind chime shop. The old man must have money, but he just hid the money. Where did he hide it?Amao looked around, but found nothing except a quilt in one room, rice and a few jars of pickles in the kitchen.
The warehouse was unlocked, and as soon as Amao opened the door, a gust of north wind blew, and he heard a "ding-dong-dang" sound.There are many wind chimes, more wind chimes than in the shop, and they make a nice sound.
Amao was fascinated by this.
Amao lived in this courtyard.He almost never met the old man and lived in a small house. When he got up early every morning, there would be a pot of porridge, a few dishes of side dishes, and a preserved egg or salted egg at the door of the room.The old man would go to the shop to do business. When he came back in the evening, there would be food in the hall. Sometimes it was pancakes and chicken, sometimes it was rice and various side dishes, sometimes it was steamed buns, and he went to get it.
The old man also gave him a thick quilt, and on the second day he stayed there, he also placed it at the door of the room, covering him very warmly.
He had noticed that when he was not in the store, the old man would sit in the yard and play the erhu, or walk around the yard with a cane. Sometimes he would open the warehouse, take out a string of wind chimes, hang them up, and listen to the sound of the wind chimes quietly.
Every once in a while, someone will come to help the old man trim the flowers and clean the pond.Amao knew that the old man had money, but he didn't know where he hid the money.He thought that when he found the place where the old man hid the money, he would steal the money and never come back. However, the yard was so big, and he couldn't find the place where the money was hidden.
It took him a while to learn to go to bed: one day he suddenly realized that the bed was right next to him, so why should he sleep on the floor?
He spent the winter in this yard, one old and one young. They didn't say a word all winter, but they knew the other person was there.
Amao doesn't stay in the courtyard all day long. He often goes out and doesn't know where he is going.He had food to eat, he didn't need to be looked down upon, and he was just walking around. For some reason, he always walked back to the wind chime shop, and then he turned around. He was already annoyed by that bad old man every day, so why did he have to go out of his way to do it? Going to meet?
During the Chinese New Year, the town was decorated with lights and colorful lights, and firecrackers crackled outside the door. Amao thought it was noisy, but the yard was quiet.He tossed and turned in bed that night, and didn't know why he couldn't sleep well. The next morning, besides breakfast, there was a string of wind chimes outside the door - it was no longer wind chimes. The old man took it off and made it into a bracelet. It makes a subtle tinkling sound when shaken, not loud and not disturbing. Just shake it by your ears a few times and the wind will come.
He picked up the bracelet and played with it for a long time before putting it on his bone-thin wrist.
"It's too loose." Amao walked into the courtyard. This was the first time he spoke to the old man after moving in. "I can't wrap my wrist around it."
The old man was playing the erhu. Hearing this, he stopped his bow and said, "You'll be able to fit it when you get fatter."
"Call me a pig!" Amao cursed and hid in the room.
He was actually afraid, and he didn't know what he was afraid of. It was definitely not afraid of this old man.What ability does this old man have that makes him afraid?That's a blind man!
He had really gained a lot of weight. He touched his arms.What's the old man's plan?When will the old man drive him away?Are you just wasting it with yourself?How do you want to harm yourself?Is he too old, afraid that no one will look after him, and wants to help him guard the door?
In a few days, he planned to ask.
"What do you want to do?" Amao asked.
"I didn't want to do anything." The old man replied.
"Why do you give me food?"
“If you cook too much, don’t waste it.”
"Why do you let me sleep in your room?"
“There are many rooms and it doesn’t take up much space.”
"Why did you give me the wind chime?"
"Can't sell it."
Just like this, two sentences for three days, one sentence and one sentence, one question and one answer.
"Where is your money?"
"You look for it."
"Sooner or later I will steal all your money." Amao said through gritted teeth.
"Okay, take it if you can find it." The old man replied with a smile.
Sometimes, it was the old man who stopped him.
"How long has it been since you took a shower?"
"none of your business!"
"There's an extra pot of hot water in the kitchen."
"Pooh!"
"The day you stole the wind chime, I only knew you came in because of your strong smell."
"Stinky old man! Do you stink as much as you!"
By the end, although not much, I was still asking about chores.
"Why are you selling wind chimes? You are not short of money."
"People always have to find work, otherwise they will get bored."
"What kind of flowers are those in the backyard? They smell bad."
"Jasmine has just bloomed. Does it smell good?"
"Stinky, smoky!"
On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Amao tried to put on the bracelet, but it was still a little loose, almost...
Just a little bit off...
When Diancang disciples broke into Pingyuan Town, there were still disciples who resisted. At the entrance of the town, Amao heard killing sounds and shouts and wanted to see what was going on. As soon as he opened the door, the old man came in and grabbed him. His arm.
The hand was as if it were made of iron. Amao couldn't move it even if he wanted to. Only then did he realize that the old man was not a weak old man.
"Don't go out!" the old man shouted, turned around and closed the door, pulling him to the room next to the kitchen.The old man groped on the ground and lifted up a piece of floorboard.
"Bring in all the food in the kitchen." The old man shouted, "Quick!"
Amao followed the old man's instructions and moved all the edible bacon, pickled vegetables, half a jar of rice, and a bag of mung beans from the kitchen into the secret room. Then the old man followed him down, closed the wooden boards, and the cellar was dark.
"Is this where you hid your money?" Amao asked, "You let me find it."
"There is no money here." The old man replied, "This is a place to hide from enemies. I don't have any money with me. If you see those people who come to clean and trim the garden for me on the third and seventeenth of every month, they will give you some silver."
"Ah?" Amao was stunned.
"This is called the Cunning Rabbit's Three Holes. Otherwise, I, a blind old man, would encounter a malicious beggar and steal everything."
Amao snorted bitterly: "I'll know how to do it in the future!"
The disciples led by Liao Ming only resisted for a moment before surrendering. Disciple Dian Cang opened the door.They didn't hurt anyone, just searched for a while and then left.
When Dian Cang's disciples left, Amao thought he was safe, but he didn't expect that the disaster would begin.The local sub-rudder Liao Ming gathered all the townspeople and asked everyone to survive this disaster together.He plundered all the remaining food in the town and asked everyone to hand over all their belongings. He said that he was afraid of escaping privately, so he would create a register to manage it and return it according to the register after the war was over. He wanted the townspeople to believe that Leader Li would To protect Hengshan, they must protect their hometown.
Liao Ming had coveted this large manor for a long time, which Amao only found out later.The old man is not a local. He only built a house here 14 years ago. It took him three years to build the largest manor in Pingyuan Town.Few people came in. According to their speculation, there should be many antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and collections in such a luxurious manor.
The old man could only hand over an empty courtyard. Liao Ming said that he was hiding and wanted to escape privately. He led a group of disciples to push down the gate and grabbed the old man.Amao tried his best to attack, bite, punch and kick, how could a ten-year-old child have any strength?But the beating was in vain.He cursed and screamed, and suddenly he was hit hard on the back of the head, his eyes darkened and he fainted.
When he woke up again, the smelly old man was lying on the ground, covered in blood. It turned out that Liao Ming had searched the whole yard and couldn't find anything valuable. He beat the old man until he vomited blood and asked him where he hid the silver.The old man only said what antique calligraphy and painting can a blind man reward?Apart from the warehouse wind chimes, this big house was the only one left. Liao Ming had no choice but to leave in anger.
Amao finally helped the old man up, but saw that he was covered in wounds, vomiting blood, and the few remaining teeth in his mouth had been knocked out. He was afraid that he would die if he could not recover.
Where can I find medicine for him?Amao was anxious, so anxious, even more anxious than not being able to find a steamed bun after being hungry for three days.Can he find a doctor?Even if he found a doctor, he couldn't afford the consultation fee.
"Help me...into the secret room." The old man gasped, "Bring an oil lamp down."
Amao went to the secret room for the second time, and the last time was only two days ago.He found the oil lamp that the old man left for him, and used the remaining lamp oil to illuminate it. He supported the old man with one hand and held the oil lamp with the other, which was very difficult.
He himself didn't expect that he had such great strength.
"There is medicine for bruises in the cabinet on the wall..." The old man leaned against the wall and pointed at the wall, while Amao held the oil lamp to get the medicine.Under the firelight, he saw a bow hanging on the wall and two barrels of arrows on the floor.
Amao first gave the medicine to the old man, and then looked at the bow and arrow after the old man rested.The wood grain of the bow body was old, but not rotten. It was obviously maintained frequently. He took the bow off the wall and could only pull it open a little bit with all his strength.
I don't know how many days the food stored in the secret room can last, so Amao returned to the town.Pingyuan Town was distributing food. He was not a town citizen and had no food. He helped the old man beg for food. The person who sent the food asked the old man to get it himself. The old man only had one breath left. How could he leave?
He came to the old rice warehouse. The rice had long been moved into the sect. He scraped at the cracks in the ground to look for the rice grains that fell on the ground. He picked them up one by one. There were only a few dozen grains in the whole day. However, he collected a bag of quicklime to avoid moisture. .He mixed the rice grains with mung beans and made a big bowl of mung bean porridge for the old man.
He went to the woods outside the town early in the morning and followed the townspeople to scrape bark, pick wild fruits and dig wild bamboo shoots.Once he climbed up a tree and picked a few bird eggs. He was afraid of being discovered, so he hurriedly fled back to the farmyard.
On the third day of junior high school, he sat in the yard, eagerly waiting for the old man's "friends" to send him some silver, hoping that those "friends" would help them get some food.He waited from morning to night, but the old man's friend never showed up.
"The land is not peaceful," the old man said. "The war is chaotic. Maybe something happened on the road."
That night, he wanted to go to Liao Ping's mansion in the dark to steal food, but saw that the lights were on all night, so he had to go home disappointed. He told the old man about it.
"What kind of activities can you do if you are unconscious in the middle of the night? You must not see the light. I guess Liao Ming wants to take away the town's property." The old man said to him, "You run away. I have been in this town for a long time, can't you wait? When the bark is scraped, people have to eat people to survive.”
So what if people cannibalize people?There are only bad people, fools, and bitches in this world.The old man is also stupid. The friend who sends money every month must have swallowed his money.
The old man's injuries are getting better, but his body is still weak.The small amount of food stored in the house was already exhausted. After being hungry for many days, Amao looked for food everywhere.He walked a long way to ambush on the road, deceived lone refugees when he saw them, sprinkled them with lime, robbed them and ran away.He knew he would be beaten to death if caught, so he was particularly careful.
Until he met the man named Li Jingfeng.
"If he comes from Ba County," the blind old man said, "ask him to take you away, and he will probably help you."
"Are you going too?" Amao asked.
"Don't let him know I'm here." The old man replied, "He recognizes me, so it's a little inconvenient."
"Then what will you do? Starve to death?" Amao scolded, "Why are you trying to be a hero!"
The old man said: "My friend will come to pick me up. After the battle, you can go back to Pingyuan Town."
"Liar!" Amao stood up, "You think I'm easy to cheat! Your friend has already taken your money and ran away!"
"They won't run, they..." The old man pondered for a while, then turned around and said, "You will drag me down if you stay."
"Drag, drag your mother!" Amao was furious, his face flushed, "If I hadn't fed you one mouthful at a time, your mother would have starved to death!"
"One mouth is better than two. I am in better health and can receive my own rations. You are an outsider and my rations are all thin." said the old man.
"You're such an old man, if you really want to eat someone else, they'll eat you too!" Amao searched for the stairs in the dark, but he didn't respond to the old man's call.
He ran to the atrium, the moonlight was in the sky, and he didn't know where to go for a moment. When he returned to the room where he lived before, the bundle of thatch he brought with him was thrown into the corner of the room. It had not been used for a long time.
He lay on the ground hugging the thatch, his mind going through so many twists and turns that it was difficult to fall asleep.
(End of this chapter)
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