The two beggars, the old one and the young one, are also refugees from Tianshui City. The old man didn't know his name, but everyone called him A Tu, so the little beggar called him A Tu Bo. The little beggar’s name is Lu Duofu, and he is less than ten years old. When Lu Duofu's family was in Tianshui City two years ago, his parents were both there. Relying on his parents working in the mines to earn some wages, Lu Duofu could barely make ends meet.
But later, with the war, Lu Duofu's father died of disease and hunger, and his mother took him and fled to Anyang City with everyone. A few days later, Mother Lu died of hunger and cold. Lu Duofu still remembers that on that rainy night, his dying mother lay on the straw, tightly grasped his hand, and whispered in his ear with her faint breath: "Stay alive..." The others were because of the loud thunder. , Lu Duofu couldn’t hear clearly either.
At that time, Lu Duofu was less than eight years old. After his mother died, it was Atubo who braved the heavy rain to steal a broken straw mat from a pigsty and came back to wrap his mother's body, and then helped transport her out of the city for burial.
From then on, Lu Duofu and Atubo depended on each other. Atubo was old and frail, and fell ill again. The old and the young had no way of making a living and were forced to become beggars. During those two years in Dirty Clothes Alley, both of them spent their time in poverty and hardship. I ate mice, stole other people's pig food and ate it, and getting beaten was a common occurrence. Fortunately, the government also provided some porridge and medicine regularly, allowing the two of them to survive.
Two months ago, the government lifted the ban on these beggars, and A Tubo took Lu Duofu to beg everywhere in the city. Later, I met Qian Xiaopang. This little fat man was not evil-minded and generous, but he just loved to play pranks and tease people, so what happened today.
Lu Duofu and Atubo were unlucky today. They sat there all day without getting a penny. If Qian Xiaopang hadn't given them two meat buns, they would have been hungry all day. It's just that a person only eats one meat bun a day and is still hungry. However, both of them were accustomed to days like this.
"Afu, let's go back. It's getting dark. Go back and lie down early and come back tomorrow." When you're not full, move less so you won't get hungry easily. This is what A Tubo taught Lu Duofu. experience. Lu Duofu responded and followed A Tubo. The old man and the young child walked through the deserted streets and returned to their residence.
It is said to be a residence, but in fact it is a bridge hole under an abandoned bridge. This was discovered by Atubo accidentally. Later, he took Lu Duofu to clean the bottom of the bridge, picked up some broken bricks and laid them on, then laid them with wooden boards, and finally laid a layer of straw. One side of the bridge hole was built with bricks, and the other side was made of wooden planks. This will protect you from wind and rain and keep you warm. The most important thing is that Lu Duofu and the others no longer have to sleep in other people's pig pens.
After closing the cave door, the two huddled in the straw, listening to the cold wind outside making the wooden door crackle, but Lu Duofu couldn't sleep. It’s no wonder that it’s really hard to fall asleep when you’re hungry. After staying up until midnight, Lu Duofu, who had been hungry all night, finally fell asleep due to sleepiness.
Early the next morning, Lu Duofu woke up from hunger. Atubo is not here, he must have gone out to beg for food. After Lu Duofu came out of the bridge hole, he felt dizzy and even walked lightly. Not long after he went out, he was hit by someone. With two "bang bangs", Lu Duofu and the visitor both fell to the ground.
A kind voice said: "I'm sorry, kid, you may have been hurt."
Lu Duofu took a closer look and saw that this man was a strong man, extremely tall in stature, with a resolute face and bright eyes. He hurriedly came over to help Lu Duofu, but Lu Duofu saw that his chest was black and there was blood flowing out.
"Ah, uncle, I'm fine. How are you? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it." Lu Duofu muttered in his heart. Could it be possible that a slight bump could have injured him like this? It's impossible.
"It's good that you're fine. Little kid, take this little silver and buy some candies. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first!" The tall man was obviously in a hurry. He gave Lu Duofu some broken silver, then turned around and staggered away. Go forward.
At this moment, someone not far away shouted: "Nangong Xiu, where are you running from?"
The tall man's face changed drastically and he said, "Kid, if someone asks you, just say you have never seen me, please!"
Lu Duofu said: "What? Uncle, is there anyone chasing you?" This man is very reasonable and generous. He should not be a bad person. Lu Duofu couldn't help but ask more.
The tall man said: "Indeed, I have some enemies. My little friend, run away. These people are not good people. Be careful that they are not good for you."
"That's it, uncle, go this way."
"Um?"
"Quick, this way." Lu Duofu grabbed the tall man's clothes and walked towards a gutter. Then he walked through a narrow alley and stopped beside a thatched house.
The tall man frowned and said, "It smells so bad. Where is this place?"
"The hut of Ma Laowu's family. Uncle, come in quickly." Lu Duofu is familiar with this place. It is the hut of Ma Laowu's family. Many people come here to use it. If there are too many people, the smell will inevitably rise to the sky. In addition to making the hut, Ma Laowu also piled some firewood inside. Lu Duofu pulled the big man into the hut and let him hide in the thatch pile.
Lu Duofu ordered: "Uncle, hide inside and don't make a sound."
The tall man laughed: "I didn't expect that I, Nangong Xiu, actually hid in the hut..." Before he finished speaking, there was a rush of footsteps approaching not far away. The tall man's face was solemn: "It's bad, they may know that I am hiding here."
"Don't be afraid, uncle, I have a solution."
Beside the latrine, there are a pair of dung buckets and a long-handled dung scoop owned by Ma Laowu. Lu Duofu placed the dung bucket at the door, picked up the dung ladle, and filled the stinky excrement in the dung pit into the dung bucket one ladle after another. After filling a few ladles, he kicked the dung bucket over and the big dung in the bucket Suddenly it fell to the ground. Since many people come to this latrine to relieve themselves on weekdays, there are a lot of yellow and white things in this latrine, and it is also particularly smelly. After Lu Duofu knocked them over, the pickled things looked even more filthy and the stench was overwhelming. Coupled with the maggots crawling on them, it was really disgusting.
At this moment, an irritable voice shouted: "Why is it so smelly? Who is pouring manure? Oh, it turns out to be this kid."
Lu Duofu took a closer look and saw three people standing not far away, each holding a sword and looking fierce. It seemed that they were chasing the tall man. The three of them put on a defensive posture when they saw someone, but after seeing clearly that Lu Duofu was just a skinny kid, they relaxed.
Lu Duofu bowed to the three of them and said with a smile, "I'm sorry, uncles, I accidentally knocked over the dung bucket and it stunk you all."
The three of them looked at Lu Duofu and saw that his clothes were in tatters, almost like a beggar. I also saw him holding a dung ladle in his hand to scoop up dung. He must be a child from a poor family. He accidentally knocked over the dung bucket while carrying dung.
"Kid, have you seen a tall man in gray? Well, about this tall." A man in black holding a knife raised his hand to the top of his head, gestured for height, and asked Lu Duofu.
Lu Duofu said without changing his expression: "I've never seen the man in gray before. I'm the only one here."
The man in black holding the knife said: "Seriously? Think about it again. He is so tall, about forty years old, and there is still a scar on his chest."
Lu Duofu shook his head: "Really not..."
"It's strange, he obviously came from here. Boy, you won't lie to us, right? If I find out, I will make you eat all the shit!" the man holding the knife said viciously.
It was a coincidence that the stench of the bucket of dung that Lu Duofu overturned just covered the smell of the big man in the latrine, and also wiped out the traces of his entry. As a result, the three men in black were unable to feel his presence.
Another man in black said: "Okay, okay, what nonsense are you talking to a country boy? Look elsewhere quickly and don't waste time."
The last man in black also echoed: "That's right, let's go quickly. I feel sick just looking at this pile of things. I probably won't have to eat for three days."
Seeing the two companions like this, the man holding the knife stopped insisting and said: "In that case, let's go. Oh, you go first, I need to pee, and there happens to be a hut here." But he took two steps forward and saw Looking at the shit all over the door of the latrine, he frowned and then covered his mouth and nose.
What is being said outside can be heard clearly inside the hut. The big man hiding in the thatch heard that someone was coming to the hut, and he was so nervous that his palms became sweaty. With the cultivation of the man in black, he would definitely be able to find himself once he entered the hut. He secretly channeled his spiritual power, waiting for the man in black to come in and strike first, catching him off guard. As for whether he can survive the fight, whether he can escape smoothly, and whether this warm-hearted child will be affected, we can only leave it to fate.
"Holy shit, you little thing, you said you're as skinny as a bird, why are you picking on shit? It's really disgusting."
After the man in black finished cursing, he ran away, leaving Lu Duofu where he was, staring at the shit on the ground in a daze.
"Uncle, they are gone."
About two quarters of an hour later, none of the three people came back. Lu Duofu dug the tall man out from the pile of firewood. The man's tense nerves suddenly relaxed and he fainted. Lu Duofu was worried and called him quickly. But this man was seriously injured, and no matter what Lu Duofu shouted, he remained unconscious. There was no way, Lu Duofu couldn't move the big man alone, so he had to go find Atubelai.
Lu Duofu said: "A Tubo, is this uncle still alive?"
"Let me take a look." Atubo was old and had seen countless dead people, so he was not afraid. He stretched out his hand to detect the man's breath, and said in surprise: "He's still alive, he's not dead yet."
Lu Duofu was overjoyed, it turned out that he was still alive, that was good. But the wound on the man's chest opened and bled even more.
"A Tubo, he is bleeding, what should I do?"
Atubo looked at it and said, "It's broken. Why is there so much blood? He may die. We have to save him. But..." Atubo was a little worried. This man has unknown background. What if he is a bad guy? . It can be seen that it is unreasonable to refuse to save them, and if someone dies here, they will be in trouble. Atubo was in a dilemma for a moment.
After discussion, the two finally decided to save people first. Lu Duofu knocked on the door of Dr. Xing of Huichun Hall on Huangshi Street.
"Who is it?" Dr. Xing came out with sleepy eyes and saw that it was a little beggar who wanted him to save someone, so he drove him out without any explanation. But when Lu Duofu put the broken silver in his hand, Doctor Xing rubbed his eyes and pinched himself twice. After making sure it was not a dream, he finally picked up the medicine box and followed Lu Duofu.
