The dawn of the morning has just risen, and Huiguang Town has already begun to be noisy. Today is a market day, and the work and rest time of the country people is obviously earlier than that of the city. Many farmers get up in the dark and come from nearby villages. , bring some home-made eggs and vegetables, and go to the market early to get a front seat to do better business.
The theme of the market is buying and selling. The cries of vendors and the noise of the market crowd, as well as the crowds blocking the road and the honking of passenger vehicles in the town, make this remote and backward town seem very noisy.
"Tingting, we are here. How is the business? Is there anything you need our help with?"
This is a breakfast shop. The storefront and tables are a bit shabby. The signboard says porridge, rice noodles, steamed buns, and steamed buns. Several customers are eating breakfast in the shop.
Qiangzi and Gou San walked into the shop carelessly, sat down on an empty table, and shouted to the kitchen.
"There is nothing to help. Brother Qiangzi, what do you want to eat?"
A little girl wearing an apron walked out of the kitchen. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old. She looked very delicate. She didn't have the smell of rouge and gouache in the city, and exuded natural beauty.
"Two bowls of noodles, and half a drawer of steamed buns." Qiangzi stepped on the bench with one leg, rolled up his sleeves and shouted.
"No, you didn't help with the work today. We only have rice porridge and steamed buns." The pretty little girl was Qiangzi and Gou San's Tingting. She rolled her eyes, but she still turned around and went to the kitchen to bring them half a drawer of steamed buns. .
"Hey, we're not freeloaders today."
Qiangzi smiled, not afraid of being burned. He grabbed the hot steamed bun as big as his fist and took a bite. He took out a ten-dollar bill from his trouser pocket with his other hand, shook it in his hand, and then handed it to Tingting.
"Where did you get the money?"
Tingting was obviously confused. She took the money and asked strangely.
"Don't worry about it. Let's find a job that makes money. Let's go to the market today and pick out a birthday gift for you later." Qiangzi pointed at the beef noodles on the sign of the breakfast shop and looked at Tingting with a carefree smile. said.
"Really, Brother Qiangzi?" Tingting immediately stared at Qiangzi happily.
"Then there's still time left. Go get us something to eat. We're almost starving since we didn't eat last night." Qiangzi waved his hand impatiently.
"I'll go right away!" Tingting happily returned to the kitchen and started to make food.
During this period, Gou Sandu ate the buns silently without saying a word, only occasionally glancing at Tingting secretly.
But Tingting secretly looked at Qiangzi from time to time, and the beef powder she gave Qiangzi contained a lot of beef.
"Look, I caught it last night. This should be worth a lot."
In the noisy market, Qiangzi took out a watch from his trouser pocket, threw it into the sky, and said to Gou San, "It's a pity that their pockets are empty. They must have been searched before they were delivered. Apart from the little change from last night, this is the only thing left after looking through it."
"It shouldn't be worth much, otherwise I wouldn't have left it to you." Gou San looked at it and replied.
"It's just worth two, go to the back alley to find the lame man." Qiangzi took Gou San to the back alley. The lame man is a craftsman in the town, he can repair clocks, mend bicycle tires and so on.
Back alleys and markets are opposites. All the prosperity of the town is concentrated in the market, while poverty, backwardness and bankruptcy remain in the back alleys.
The broken stone road is mixed with mud. The roadside is full of garbage and old bloodstains. Blood spots and various poultry feathers left by people who have gone to the market to slaughter poultry here.
Along with the persistent stench, the biggest symbol of the back alley is a giant garbage pit passing by. This is the source of all domestic waste in the town. Obviously, this remote town does not have garbage transfer stations or other treatment measures. Yes, so the big burning once a month is the way this garbage pit is treated, which also causes the entire garbage pit to be burned black and hard.
"Qiang, Qiangzi..."
Suddenly, Gou San grabbed Qiangzi, who was walking deeper into the back alley, and said with a trembling voice.
"What's wrong?"
Qiangzi turned around strangely and saw Gou San looking in the direction of the garbage pit with something wrong on his expression. He also looked there and was surprised.
"Fuck! Damn it! Isn't this the fat guy who disappeared in the hospital last night?"
On the edge of the garbage pit, the fat man who mysteriously disappeared last night was lying there like a dead body. No wonder they were shocked.
"Yes, who dragged him here... We all left last night... Could it be that he was already dead and was dragged here to dump his body..." Gou San's voice was trembling.
"Let's go first! Don't worry about our business, just pretend you didn't see us!" It was a sunny day, Qiangzi still had to be calmer and said.
"Look at Hadron! His eyes are moving, he's still alive!"
Suddenly, Gou San said loudly, staring at the garbage pit, not so afraid anymore.
"The eyes are moving? It's impossible. I heard that those who were transferred are like the living dead. Their eyes cannot be opened. You have also seen it in the hospital in the past two days."
Qiangzi was a little strange. He took two steps towards the garbage pit and looked at the fat man carefully. He suddenly became more confused and said, "It's strange. His eyes are actually open."
"Hey, are you dead? Say something?" As he spoke, Qiangzi kicked the fat man twice again, which scared Gou San and hurried over to hold him.
However, the fat man didn't react at all. He was lying on the garbage pile with dirty and smelly clothes. He just opened his eyes and stared blankly in the direction of the center of the garbage pit.
"Isn't this a fool? I know! He must have a mental problem. His family wanted to give up, so they sent him to the hospital as a transfer patient, but they were afraid that the hospital would find out and send him back. In the end, he was so cruel that he threw it into this garbage pit and prepared to burn it." Qiangzi hammered his hand, and he admired his own reasoning.
And Gou San actually felt that what Qiangzi said was reasonable. Looking at the fat man covered in garbage, his eyes were a little unbearable.
Backwardness and poverty are bound to be accompanied by evil. This garbage pit is the gathering point of evil in this town. It has only gotten better in the past few years. Going back a few years, this garbage pit was still nicknamed a corpse pit. .
Patients who could not be treated and were abandoned by their families, dead people who caused trouble and were hacked to death, beggars and homeless people who starved to death, and even abandoned babies abandoned by unknown parents were all thrown into this garbage pit, accompanied by On the day of burning it turns to ashes, leaving no trace.
"Let's go and leave him alone."
Qiangzi grabbed the dog San and walked towards the end of the alley. This kind of thing was not uncommon, and they couldn't even control themselves, let alone care about other people.
The town is only lively on the day of the market, and the next day it is empty and full of garbage.
The shabby breakfast shop didn't have much business. Tingting was sitting in the shop making buns. She didn't know when her cheeks were stained with a little flour, which made her even more adorable.
Gou San stared blankly outside the store for a while, then walked in carefully.
"Brother Gou San, you are here, what can you eat?" Tingting greeted quickly.
"I've eaten." Gou San shook his head, looked into the store, and asked, "Where is the fat man? Have you sent him to the hospital?"
"No, didn't you tell me to watch him a little bit? I asked him to watch the fire for me in the back. Brother Gou San, where did you meet this guy? He's not as stupid as you said, just a little bit She's dumb and can't speak." Tingting pointed in the direction of the kitchen.
Gou San walked over and stood up and looked inside, and sure enough he saw the fat man sitting in front of the stove staring blankly at the fire. After changing his clothes, he was not as half-dead as he was yesterday. His eyes were a little dull, but at least they were not empty anymore.
After separated from Qiangzi yesterday, Gou San thought about it for a long time, but in the end he couldn't ignore it, so he brought Fatty to this breakfast restaurant.
Seeing that there was nothing wrong with the fat man, Gou San felt relieved, then sat next to Tingting and looked at Tingting quietly.
"Brother Gou San, aren't you going to the city? I heard that my uncle and aunt's business is getting better and better, and I am planning to take you to study in the city." Tingting felt uncomfortable being looked at by Gou San, and took the initiative to talk to her. .
"Then will you come with me?" Gou San looked at Tingting and asked.
"Where am I going? My dad left early and my mom is lying on the bed again. What will she do if I leave." Tingting shook her head.
"It would be better to take my aunt to the city. There are many doctors there and the environment is better." Gou San said.
"Brother Gou, how am I qualified to go to the city? I have no relatives and no support in the city. There are so many places to spend money in the city that we can't stay here." Tingting just thought It was a joke, and he smiled and shook his head.
"Tingting, you know, I have always wanted you to be my family. You can live in my house as long as you want." Gou San's tone was slightly urgent.
"Brother Gou San, I know you are kind, but I have always regarded you as my brother. My dad passed away in an accident a few years ago. If you hadn't helped me open this store with the money, our family would have collapsed, so I am very sad. I'm grateful to you, but apart from gratitude, I have no other feelings." Tingting shook her head.
Gou San was silent, withdrew his gaze and stopped talking. He didn't know what he was thinking.
"Huh? You are all here. Tingting is going to pour me a bowl of soy milk. I have something good to announce."
Qiangzi ran into the store hurriedly from nowhere, panted and sat down, shouting to Tingting.
"Okay, Brother Qiangzi." Tingting quickly stood up to make soy milk and brought it to Qiangzi. Then she saw that Qiangzi was holding a large square paper box in his hand and asked curiously, "Brother Qiangzi, what are you holding?"
"Hehe, this is good stuff." Qiangzi drank the soy milk with a huff, then took the cardboard box in his hand to the table and opened it. Inside was a gaming helmet.
"Is this...a motorcycle helmet?" Tingting curiously moved closer and touched it, then asked.
"Hey, this is not a motorcycle helmet. This is called a gaming helmet. Wearing it can enter the very popular gaming world. I heard that people in the city are making money in that gaming world. All you need is this helmet. , I asked my uncle to go to the city to buy this for me yesterday, please be careful not to damage it." Qiangzi said proudly.
"Can this helmet make money?" Tingting became even more curious.
"No, Gou San, why are you in a daze? Are you envious?" Qiangzi became more proud and shouted to Gou San. He found that Gou San was staring at the game helmet in trance.
