Republic of China small businessman

The half-sized man squeezed in the door, was suffocated by the heat, and was shaking badly at the door, rubbing his hands while rubbing his teeth together, unable to speak: "Thank you, Xie Jing, I'm here today... I beg for a meal... ...just tonight is fine, don't drive me away."

Xie Jing took off the cotton robe she was wearing and wrapped it around him, and warmed him up first. Grandma Kou heard the movement and came out of the inner room, and when she saw someone "ahhh", she went back and took it A pair of half-worn cotton shoes, "Why are you still barefoot? It's a big deal. Winter is not over yet. You have to step on the snow all the way here to avoid freezing your toes!"

Xiao Lizi grabbed Xie Jing's padded robe with both hands, and hid his feet back: "Dirty, dirty the shoes."

Xie Jing said: "It's okay, just wear it."

Grandma Kou also advised him: "Son, put it on first. This is what Jing'er used to wear small. I think it looks good. Wash it and put it away."

Xiao Lizi just wore it.

He drank a bowl of hot ginger soup, but at least he stopped shaking.

Xie Jing brought him a hot towel to wipe his face. Grandma Kou knew that he hadn't eaten anything serious for a few days, so she didn't dare to give him dry rice, so she went to cook a pot of noodle soup for him.There are a lot of things sent by the White House during the New Year’s Eve. Grandma Kou boiled a can of lard with a large piece of fat before. The lard residue was crispy and mixed with sugar for Xie Jing to eat. The remaining lard was white and clear. There is also a can, creamy and shiny.Grandma Kou dug out a spoonful of it to fry out the oil, chopped a handful of shredded cabbage and boiled it in a pot, and finally added water to make a pot of salty noodle soup for him.

Little Lizi had never eaten such a delicious food, and he had been hungry for a few days, so he buried his head in the bowl and ate.

Grandma Kou wanted to persuade him to eat slowly, but she felt distressed, so she opened her mouth and swallowed the words.

Waiting for Xiao Lizi to eat and drink enough, he hiccupped, and then cried and knelt down to Xie Jing and Grandma Kou, begging them for help: "Grandma, Xie Jing, please take pity on me, take me in for two days, I will take care of you." I can work, and I am not afraid of hardship... Master Cheng is going to kill me! I dare not go back to the opera troupe, please help me!" He cried sadly, his face was thick with oil, some of it was not wiped clean, and he began to cry The faces are distorted.

Xie Jing pulled him up and said in a deep voice, "Speak slowly, what happened?"

Xiao Lizi sobbed and told the story.

He was sold into an opera troupe. I can't remember where he came from. I only vaguely remember that there was a flood in his hometown, and there was a famine. Replaced half a bag of dried sweet potatoes.

Although he was beaten and scolded in the theatrical troupe, at least he was able to eat well.

Because the day he was sold in, the group leader was eating a plate of plums, so he called him such a name casually.

Xiao Lizi thinks it's good, after all, it sounds like a surname, much better than Goudan or Douzi.

He couldn't remember his parents, nor what his original name was, but he was called "little plum" one by one.

He and Xie Jing met purely by accident.

That day he went to plan the bark of the elm tree, and Mr. Cheng specifically told him to get these, so that he could make shavings water when he came back. The bark of the elm tree has a lot of mucus, which can be used to shape the outfits for performing on stage, especially the hair of the dandelion, which needs to be washed every year. Comb once.

Xie Jing went out to pick elm coins that day. There were a few old elm trees on the eastern hillside, and there were also many elm coins with thick skins, hanging heavily on the treetops. Xie Jing turned around to look for elm coins. As soon as he turned around, he saw the little plum breaking the bark.

Neither of them had any playmates, Xie Jing just glanced at him, and went to hook money again.

It was Xiao Lizi who was timid and said first in a low voice: "That is not delicious, you pick the tender ones on the top of the head, and pick the lighter ones, which are sweet."

He eats a lot.

Although the troupe provides food, it doesn’t care about being full. It’s common to be hungry. Xiao Lizi likes spring the most. He sneaks out to find some wild vegetables, wild fruits, or pick two large handfuls of elm money. At least it can fill his stomach. Get a good night's sleep.

The relationship between him and Xie Jing is just like this, occasionally picking elm coins, or picking a date, and nothing else.

Xiao Lizi is a boy without a home, and the place where the theater troupe hides is just the side of the suitcase under the stage blanket.

It was not until later that he was able to play tricks, that he had a good meal, and then he was divided into subjects. He was not good at learning, and he was the last one selected. Mr. Cheng was a hunchback, and he walked past him with his hands behind his back and stopped. Looking picky, he said very dissatisfied: "Okay, seeing that the bones of the body are still soft and the voice is soft, go learn Danjiao."

Xiao Lizi didn't understand these things, he just thought that after the division, he was happy, at least he had something to do, and he came back to the team.

The theatrical troupe was divided into dan roles, and Xiao Lizi played the role of dan, but it was also because of his one sentence that almost caused his death.

The band leader Qian Cheng had good luck. An old man in a foreign country liked to be lively when he was old. He even booked a stage for three days and asked them to sing at home for a few days to have a good time.

The old man was over 80 years old, with chicken skin and white hair, and he walked tremblingly, but beside him were two delicate girls in their twenties who were carefully supporting him.The old man had already panted for a while when he got to the teacher's chair, sat down and rested for a while, then opened his toothless mouth, and said in a thin voice: "Okay, let's start the show."

Mr. Cheng has been around for many years, and he is a fine person. He can tell at a glance that this is a father-in-law who has retired and returned to his hometown.

When this kind of person came out of the palace, he didn't know how many treasures he had hidden on his body. Taking advantage of the chaos, he turned back home and hid himself to become a rich man. He tried his best to please the old man, he probably served others all his life, and now he also likes to be flattered and flattered by others. The old man was happy and rewarded him with more than a dozen silver dollars.

Master Cheng even showed eighteen martial arts skills, and let his apprentices and grandchildren perform lively. Everything went smoothly, but the accident happened when receiving the reward.

All the theater troupe lined up to receive the reward, with their costumes still on and the paint on their faces, one by one, they went forward to say a few auspicious words to the old man to ask for a reward.

The old man waved his hand and asked a big girl who was serving beside him to bring a money box to the room, and there was a box full of copper coins in it, which attracted everyone's eyes to shine, and they couldn't stop looking at it.

"Take it yourself, take more for those with big hands, and less for those with small hands. God will reward you with food, and we can't stop you." The old man said softly, and then waved his hands for them to grab.

There are so many rules in the country theater troupe, they are crazy when they see the money, the first few who sing well don't care about their dignity, they rush to the front and grab a lot of copper coins, and they still have to take them after they put them in their arms, and the others don't. Concession, some squeezed into the crowd, and some were crushed to kneel down, picking up copper coins on the ground while kneeling, the scene was very chaotic for a while.

The old man nodded this with his finger, and then nodded that, making him laugh out loud, happier than just watching a play.

Leader Cheng stood aside with a smile on his face.

Xiao Lizi was small, standing at the end, and was hit by someone. It was a coincidence that he bumped into a boy who was carrying a plate of red eggs, and the eggs were scattered on the ground, and he fell to the ground. broken.

"Eggs smashed—"

As soon as Xiao Lizi opened his mouth, he saw Mr. Cheng's face change color, walked over two steps and slapped him on the face: "What are you talking about, you unruly thing, shut your mouth!"

But it was too late, the old man sitting in the front had already heard it, his face suddenly fell down, his eyes looked over sinisterly, and he snorted heavily, even the two high-spirited girls beside him were a little scared , one bent down and couldn't stop talking in a low voice, but the other took a step back quietly.

Xiao Lizi is young, how can he understand these rules.

The eunuchs in the palace don’t like to hear these two words the most. There are taboos when ordering food. There are few words such as chicken and egg. Fried fungus is called mushu meat, and the more elegant one is called osmanthus meat. In short, no matter what, you can't hear those two words.

Xiao Lizi committed a taboo and offended his master.

He was beaten so badly that Banzhu Cheng almost beat him to death on the spot.

When they came, they drove the donkey cart, and now they are using the same whip that was used to drive the donkey. It has been held in the hands of Cheng Banzhu for a long time. It is black and shiny, and it can be heard whirling in the air. There was a loud sound of the wind, followed by a "slap" that landed on him firmly, his skin was torn apart, and his flesh and bones ached.

But even such a beating didn't make the old man feel any pity, and their end-of-year rewards were all gone.

Xiao Lizi was beaten to the brink of death. He came back and lay in bed for a few days. He had a high fever and no one cared about him.

Only this time he didn't dare to stay in the troupe, he took advantage of the troupe's departure, smeared his face and got in there, and limped out at night wearing a costume and inner clothes, and came to Xie Jing to seek a way out.

……

Xiao Lizi drank half a cup of tea, lowered his head and wept while holding the cup: "I said something wrong, Mr. Cheng will hate me, I'm afraid I won't be able to sing." In one sentence, he almost lost his life, and it was the first time he saw it With the power of the phrase "life or death" on the deed, if he was really beaten to death that day, it would be a roll of straw mats and thrown into a random grave.

Grandma Kou sighed unceasingly, it is not easy for anyone to survive these days, so she sighed along with her.

Xie Jing asked: "What do you want to do in the future?"

Xiao Lizi said: "I can do whatever I want, I've thought about it, I can work, I can be a waiter in a restaurant, my voice is still clear, I can sing the name of the dishes - I once went out with Mr Cheng and saw The waiter sings the names of the dishes, and standing there shouting for a while can give you several copper coins." He thought about it for a while, and then said, "Or carry a basket to sell 'Half Konger', and you can always have a meal for a day."

In the middle of the sky are shriveled peanuts, with only a small grain of peanut inside, and two handfuls of a copper plate.Most of them are some not-so-good peanuts left over from the store, and they are sold by hawkers. They take a bamboo basket and cover them with a piece of cloth, and sell them in the streets. If you are lucky one day, you can get two copper coins. Just nothing.Those who buy these are poor people. It is really difficult to earn two dollars from the poor. Even if a child is so greedy, he will not be able to eat a handful of snacks all year round. Skin Peanut glanced.

"Either, or go to sell fruit, I saw fried fruit on the street, it's not difficult."

Xiao Lizi talked a lot about the business he wanted to do, and his saliva drools.

Youguozi, just thinking about it makes me hungry.

How beautiful it would be if I could eat a small root every day, even just to smell it.

Xie Jing didn't answer, just let him rest first.The kang at home was very hot, and Xiao Lizi was frightened all the way. Xie Jing let him sleep on the hottest part of the kang, and fell asleep soon after being warmed by the heat.

Grandma Kou was boiling water outside, Xie Jing brought a wooden basin over, poured a bucket of cold water and mixed it, and the grandparents and grandchildren washed their feet together.

Grandma Kou was still sighing.

Xie Jing comforted her and said: "Grandma, if he can run out, it is already good." The troubled times have not yet arrived, and it will be really chaotic after more than ten years. Not a few families were destroyed, and the entire Northland was occupied, and some villages were massacred by thousands of people overnight.

Xie Jing frowned slightly and fell silent.

Grandma Kou stepped on his foot in the footbasin, "Grandma saw him and thought of you."

"I?"

"Well, I saw that he was in a hurry when he drank the noodle soup just now. My Jing'er is like a cat's tongue, and she is most afraid of getting hot, so I thought, what will my Jing'er do if grandma is gone? Give him a mouthful of hot soup and hot rice? What if I, Jing'er, eat as fast as he did today and get burned?" The old lady became sad again as she spoke, and wiped her tears with the corner of her clothes, her eyes were red .

Xie Jing gently moved her foot up, stepped on her grandma's foot in the hot water below, and said with a light smile, "Grandma, I'm capable, I won't starve."

Xie Jing didn't have a bad time.

The worst thing was when I first joined the theater troupe, but it wasn't so difficult at that time.

Leader Cheng used him as a cash cow, so he was very careful when eating for fear of scalding his throat.

But he didn’t eat very well, he could barely fill his stomach. He was young, he didn’t fit in with the troupe when he first entered the troupe, and he was robbed of steamed buns countless times. Later, he learned to make quick decisions. Eating is like fighting a war. He can eat a steamed bun in three bites .This is not good for the stomach, and after spending a long time with Master Jiu, I slowly changed it.

Those people in the theater troupe were very smart, they were all children who struggled to survive in the mud since they were young, they had very winking eyes, they knew that troupe master Cheng loved him, they never hit him in the face, they only hit him where he was hidden by the costume.

Xie Jing was assigned to Wu Sheng when he was divided into subjects. He was slim, his movements were agile, and he looked good. He was often lent out by Master Cheng to run plays for other troupes. Sometimes there were up to seven performances a day. In the evening, Xie Jing had a hard bone and insisted on holding on.

It was also because he lent it to an outside theater troupe that he was able to meet Master Jiu in the provincial capital.

This is all for later.

Xie Jing vaguely remembered that Xiao Lizi was also in the opera troupe at the beginning. He couldn't sing in an opera, so he went to do odd jobs. At first Xie Jing could take care of him once or twice, but later he couldn't take care of himself.Later, Xie Jing became a character, and the two of them saw each other even less, and basically had no intersection.

Grandma Kou saw Xiao Lizi touching the scene today, thinking of her serious illness at the beginning of the year, she didn't feel how miserable she was, but she cried for her Jing'er.

Xie Jing whispered with Grandma Kou for a while, and coaxed the old man: "Grandma, don't worry, we are doing well now, you see, when I was with the young master before the White House, I not only made money, but also We can read together by the way."

Grandma Kou said, "Can it be the same..."

"It's really different. Schools can't make money."

"You little money fan."

"Grandma, the second young master's money is quite easy to earn." Xie Jing said seriously, "I didn't miss the rewards when I was in the second young master's yard before. Last time the young master was happy, didn't he give me back ten silver dollars. I I didn't tell you before, but I did the homework for him and he gave it to me."

"what?"

"Grandma, you don't know that the second young master in the mansion doesn't do his homework. I write all the homework assigned to him by my master. Copying books is also easy, similar to what I learned before."

Grandma Kou asked him about his life in the White House, and most of them believed him.

Among other things, she believes in homework. Her Jing'er has been smart and sensible since she was a child, and she can learn everything quickly. The teachers in the school used to praise him for his photographic memory.

Xie Jing ignored the things that happened in Heihe, and picked out two interesting things to tell her recently, which made the old man laugh.

Grandma Kou smoothed his hair for him, and said slowly: "Jing'er, remember, right and wrong are only for talking more, troubles always come out of force. Being a person is the same as doing things. You must remember these two points. Stuck in it, only in this way can we live happily and openly for the rest of our life.

Xie Jing nodded and agreed.

Grandma Kou put her hand on his cheek, looked at his little face and felt distressed: "If Miss knows that you have suffered so much, you must be very sad. It's all my fault for not taking good care of our Jinger."

Xie Jing got together with her, rubbed his forehead against hers twice, and smiled softly: "Grandma, if my mother knows, she will give you a big gift in person, she must not have thought that you can put I have been raised so well, better than anyone else."

Grandma Kou smiled and pinched his face, her eyes were full of doting.

Xiao Lizi was injured, and her grandma lived here close to the theater troupe, Xie Jing was worried about them, so she went to ask Master Jiu for a day off, planning to move first.

Master Jiu saw him coming back early in the morning, nodded after he finished speaking, and said, "It's true that the eastern suburbs are a bit chaotic, and it's not safe to live in. I'll let Zhang Huwei accompany you there later. He's familiar with this area, so let him accompany you." You go pick a house."

Zhang Huwei went out for morning exercises and ran around. When he was called back to Master Jiu, his head was covered with white gas, and he came here wearing a thin cotton robe. He heard that he was looking for a house for Xie Jing and Grandma Kou. , grinned and said: "Master, this is not a coincidence. I found a house for Mr. Huang two days ago. His yard is huge, and the small east wing is empty. There is also a kitchen and well for the little one. Thanks to them for a good stay."

Master Jiu nodded: "Yes, it's a good place."

Xie Jing hesitated: "Mr. Huang is happy, it's not good for us to move there like this, I have to tell Mr...."

Master Jiu smiled and said, "Actually, Master also has selfish intentions in his heart." He beckoned Xie Jing to come closer, and whispered to him, "Mr. Huang has been coming to play chess with me for the past few days. Master has a headache, so don't let him come. , his yard is deserted and there is no one to cook, so he must always come to eat. This time you live with grandma, and you will send some to Mr. Huang for three meals a day on weekdays, and the master will post money for you from the private treasury .”

Xie Jing had a weird face, looking at Master Jiu in disbelief for a while.

It wasn't like this in the last life. Master Jiu kept saying that Huang Mingyou was extremely talented, and coaxed him to study classics with Huang Mingyou first and then learn chess - Xie Jing's chess skills have not improved, and his ability to run away with oil on his feet has improved a lot, but he wants to Master Zhuo worked hard, but he didn't run so fast a few times, and was caught by Mr. Huang and played chess a few times.

Why is he afraid of playing chess with Mr. Huang?

Zhang Huwei was busy with things, so he went to Huang Mingyou's yard first, planning to tidy up the east wing.He is a big boss, and now in the entire East Court, he and his team of guards are the only ones who are not afraid of Mr. Huang and his chessboard.

Xie Jing was left at Master Jiu's side. He peeled the oranges for Master Jiu. After Master Jiu ate a piece, he let him eat by himself. In addition, he asked the small kitchen to make a small bowl of soy pot noodles and a plate of red date cake for him. Xie Jing eats.

Xie Jing ate and lived with Master Jiu, and he was used to cooking a small stove. He would eat whatever the master gave him, and it was very sweet.

Jiu Ye was looking at the blueprint of the machine over there, looked up at him several times in the middle, smiled and shook his head.

Xie Jing thought Master Jiu was calling him, so he stood up and planned to go over, Master Jiu waved his hand and said, "It's okay, I'll eat yours, I'm just curious, why would someone like to eat something salty and sweet, is it delicious?"

"good to eat."

Xie Jing answered simply, he really thought it was delicious.

Zhang Huwei came back after a while, Xie Jing took a day off with Master Jiu, and the two went to move.

Zhang Huwei came here this time not only by himself, but also brought two subordinates with him, intending to help move the furniture.But when I went in and took a look, I found that Xie Jing's house was empty and there was nothing there. If I insisted on talking about a big guy, it would probably be the iron pot in the kitchen at the door, and the small dining table that Xie Jing was holding with one hand.

Xie Jing said: "Uncle Zhang, we can go."

Zhang Huwei was nearly thirty years old, Xie Jing was about the same age as his nephew, and he loved Xie Jing a little more. He let Xie Jing call him that, and he already regarded him as his junior.Seeing Xie Jing's family, one old and one young, a few small burdens, a little Zhuo'er finished moving, and felt a little sour, took it and threw it to the two subordinates behind him, let them carry it, and then decided to take Xie Jing to buy it. Some everyday furniture.

In the furniture store, Zhang Huwei picked out two suitcases and a wardrobe, as well as a dining table and a few small wooden stools. When he wanted to choose something else, Xie Jing stopped him and said, "Uncle Zhang, you don't need to buy so many. It’s just me and grandma, it’s useless.”

Zhang Huwei said: "That's right. I'm going back to the provincial government in a few days. When the time comes, you will go together. If there are too many, you won't be able to take it with you." He turned to the shopkeeper and said, "Take that wardrobe away and replace it with two solid wooden boxes. If you want camphor wood, get rid of one of the other small stools."

The two camphor wood boxes are insect-proof and moisture-proof, and the boards are thick. When the time comes, all the odds and ends of the house will be put into the boxes and locked, and they can be moved directly to the provincial capital, which is convenient and labor-saving.

It's just that the camphor box is a little expensive. Zhang Huwei is doing a life-saving business with Master Jiu, and he has a lot of money, so he bought it himself and gave it to Xie Jing: "You and grandma are moving, and I have nothing to give you. These two boxes Consider it a housewarming gift."

Grandma Kou on the side declined a few times, but seeing Zhang Huwei's insistence, she accepted it and said, "Thank you for Jinger, I often hear this child mention you, and come home when I have time later, my wife can do nothing else, cooking is okay, Make a banquet for everyone."

Zhang Huwei rubbed his hands, grinned and nodded: "OK, then I will trouble grandma!"

They were carrying things into the car, Xie Jing said again: "Uncle Zhang, I have something else to do, please accompany me to the medical clinic later."

Zhang Huwei asked: "Where is the injury?"

Xie Jing shook his head: "It's not me, it's my friend who was injured by the whip."

Xiao Lizi, who was limping and walking slowly behind, was focused on looking at the furniture. He suddenly heard Xie Jing mentioning himself, and looked up timidly.

Zhang Huwei couldn't help frowning. He couldn't get used to this kind of behavior of men and women, so he asked directly: "He was injured by the whip? Let me see, if it's just a flesh injury, in the medical hall None of the doctors here are as good as the golden sore medicine we use.” He said as he rolled up Xiao Lizi’s sleeve, but the other party yelled in pain, Zhang Huwei wanted to help him, Xiao Lizi squatted down slowly, and it took a while to recover. Standing up with a pale face, he bit his lips and said, "I'm sorry, I, I'm in too much pain."

Zhang Huwei was speechless for a moment, he frowned and said: "Everyone has different ability to endure pain, no wonder you, let's take a look when you go back." He went to the front to lead the carriage.

Xie Jing helped Xiao Lizi climb onto the car, and because he was the one supporting him, Xiao Lizi didn't say anything, just got into the car and leaned against the wooden box brought up to shrink there, probably looking for a sense of security.

Xie Jing sat opposite, and did not talk to him on this trip.

He thinks his strength is not as strong as Zhang Huwei, but he is definitely not weak.

The two strokes of Zhang Huwei's sleeves just now will definitely not hurt the opponent, and he just supported Xiao Lizi's arm to let him climb into the car.