Caishikou Street is bustling with people, noisy and lively.
But the butcher shop in the northwest corner was closed early in the morning.
Many regular customers who wanted to buy meat had to shake their heads and go elsewhere.
The black-armored warrior was tall and mighty, like a diamond protector, carrying Ma Liu across the street. Everyone looked at him and hid in awe.
Looking at the closed shop, Ma Liu frowned.
He had never brought home keys with him in these years, and this was the first time he encountered Aunt Yang who refused to come out of the stall, so he had to clasp his fists and say to the two of them:
"Can you two please jump over the wall?"
"..."
The two black-armored warriors looked at each other, lifted him up and jumped into the air, flying steadily into the yard under the watchful eyes of the neighbors.
The whole street became eerily quiet.
Then there were low-pitched discussions.
"The ancestral graves of Lao Ma's family are definitely smoking, how could they cultivate such a character."
"Are you afraid that Sixth Son has become a god? Otherwise, why would he be carried back by two door gods?"
"If your parents die young and you kill your wife and children, you can really become a great person!"
"Bangchui! You know what, that's called the Lone Star of Heavenly Evil."
"..."
In ancient times, entertainment methods were scarce, ordinary people lived a dull life, and they were extremely lacking in conversation topics.
Catching up on some topics is like a rooster crowing, raising his head excitedly to express his opinions.
Incidentally, he added more fuel and vinegar to make it more mysterious, highlighting his knowledge and knowledge.
until...
Two black-armored warriors flew out of the courtyard. The moment they landed, the entire long street returned to deathly silence.
…
Ma Liu in the yard twitched his ears, listening to the noise outside, knowing that for a long time, he would be the center of other people's topics.
He shook his head, sat up from the stretcher, shook his limbs vigorously, and the broken joints immediately recovered.
He frowned as he looked at the dusty wooden barrels in the yard, the weeds sprouting from the corners, and the large water vat that had evaporated water.
There was a war on the border, and the skin-picking department was busy. I haven't come back for two years, and my family has become like this.
Pushing open the side room, the books neatly arranged on the cabinets also gathered a lot of dust. The room was deserted, with dark cobwebs, and it was completely unpopular.
Suddenly, Ma Liu had the illusion that "a day in the cave means a thousand years in the world."
"It seems that Zhang Aotian has given up studying."
Ma Liu didn't care what happened to Aunt Yang, but he had already planned Zhang Aotian's future and the child was willing to leave, so he couldn't give up easily.
After leaving the back door of the courtyard, Ma Liu walked around the back alley of Caishikou Street and went straight to the corpse shop.
Uncle Li has passed away, and now the owner of the shop is his son Li Zhenshi, who was also one of Ma Liu's playmates when he was a child.
But now that we meet again, due to the gap in status, Li Zhenshi can no longer be enthusiastic, and he doesn't dare to be enthusiastic, for fear of making Ma Liu think that he is not big or small.
The two were originally peers, but now that they met someone, they shouted respectfully:
"Sixth Master."
"How have you been these two years?"
"Fortunately, nothing major went wrong."
There was no intersection in life, so there was naturally no common topic. After a moment of silence, not knowing what to talk about, Ma Liu simply asked directly:
"Has my butcher shop been closed for the past two years?"
Master Li Zhen nodded and said:
"After you left the year before last, within three months, Aunt Yang closed her shop and moved to Zhao Chuigu's house. Zixuan was also taken there. This year, she followed Zhao Chuigu on the streets to do errands for people. Look, It makes everyone feel distressed. They put their books aside and do low-level business on the streets just to earn a few taels of silver. It’s such a pity for the child.”
Aunt Yang's best friend is a drummer who plays gongs and drums for theatrical troupes, weddings and funerals.
Because of his ability to speak well, he was nicknamed Zhao Chuangu, and he was considered a celebrity in Caishikou.
"correct."
Li Zhenshi reminded:
"Aunt Yang and Zhao Chuigu are getting married today. If you go there in time, Mr. Liu, you can still catch up with us for dinner."
Ma Liu frowned and asked:
"Does the private school teacher I hired still teach Zixuan how to study now?"
Li Zhenshi shook his head.
"The old gentleman has passed away. The family members returned the money you paid in advance to Zixuan. I heard that Zhao Chuanggu took it and said that he wanted to save it for his children and use it to marry a wife in the future. In fact, I think he It’s almost been squandered.”
Everyone in the neighborhood knows what they do for a living and how much money they earn. If it exceeds the consumption level, it must be abnormal.
"Then what does Zhao Chuigu do to Aunt Yang?"
"It's barely okay, but I haven't heard of any beating or scolding." Li Zhenshi said.
Ma Liu asked again:
"What about Aunt Yang? Are you going to let Zhao do whatever you want and pull the child to do idle things?"
"Hey, Aunt Yang naturally acquiesced in this matter. When you get married, your husband's family will naturally be the main one. Ordinary people don't have such big ambitions. If you can live a peaceful life and have a craft to make a living, it's pretty good. How dare you expect that? Is Zixuan going to take the exam to become an official?"
Ma Liu was silent, chatted for a few more words, and invited Li Zhenshi to have a meal with him. The other person shook his head and said:
"I still won't go. I can't stand Zhao Chuanggu."
Ma Liu didn't force himself, he cupped his fists and said goodbye, and went straight out.
…
Under the eaves of Zhao's house, red lanterns were hung high, and the small courtyard was packed with guests.
There were also many villagers in front of the door, chatting, laughing and bragging amidst the cheerful drumming. They pointed at the more than twenty banquet tables placed in the street and envied Zhao's grand ostentation.
Compared with this bustle, Zhang Aotian, who was squatting in the narrow alley behind the yard, wearing patchwork clothes and shoes with holes in his toes, looked even more lonely.
No child can watch his mother marry someone else. It is heart-wrenching pain. If you can't resist the reality, you can only stay away on the wedding day.
Ma Liu searched around and looked at Zhang Aotian huddled in the corner, sighing in his heart.
He walked silently, came to the child, gently stroked the child's hair, and asked softly:
"Have you studied well in the past two years?"
"Six...Sixth Master?"
Zhang Aotian stared blankly at the figure that appeared out of thin air, rubbed his eyes vigorously, almost thinking that he was hallucinating.
Ma Liu smiled and said:
"Why, it hasn't been long now and you don't recognize anyone anymore?"
"It's really Mr. Six."
The child jumped up all of a sudden, his little face was full of surprise, then his eyes darkened and he said in a low mood:
"Sixth Master, I have failed to live up to your expectations..."
"It doesn't matter."
Ma Liu interrupted the child and comforted him:
"In this life, people always have to experience some things before they grow up. Flowers in the greenhouse cannot make the climate. If you have not experienced hardships, the road is too smooth. When you walk on the street, people will look at you and get angry to death. Moreover, being an official requires A strong heart must also have a good enough mentality. It is normal to be depressed. Everyone has ups and downs in their emotions, but you must not fall down and never get back up."
Zhang Aotian nodded obediently, thinking about what Liu Ye said.
Ma Liu touched the child's head and said:
"It's almost time for dinner, let's go and have a seat."
"I can not eat."
"How can I not eat?"
Ma Liu advised:
"You should be happy that your mother is getting married. She has a home. She no longer has to wake up early and kill pigs and do hard work. It's always better. Besides, you are an official. If you gain fame, you will definitely be released. , be a county magistrate or something like that, and leave your mother alone in the capital. If one day she falls ill in bed with no one to take care of her, what will you do then?"
"Your mother has found a good husband. With less ties, you can be free to do things."
"Have a happy wedding today. If you don't want to live with them, go back to Mr. Liu's house. I will prepare firewood, rice, oil and salt for you. From now on, you can live alone."
Ma Liu took the child and walked out of the alley.
"Speaking of which, when Mr. Liu was your age, he could already kill a whole pig with a knife. His ears were sore from the cold in winter and his feet were rotten, but he didn't even make a sound."
After Zhang Aotian listened quietly, he seemed to have made up his mind.
"I listen to Mr. Liu."
"Children can be taught."
Ma Liu smiled and led the child out of the alley.
As soon as he showed his face, he immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Some were in awe, some were smiling at him, and some were lowering their heads and not daring to look directly at him. Everyone made way, kept a distance from Ma Liu, and did not dare to overstep in any way.
If the difference in status was not big, they would still dare to come up to talk and build a relationship.
But now, with the height of Ma Liu and the legend in Caishikou, these ordinary people can only look up and don't even have the courage to come forward to please him.
Zhao Chuigu, who was greeting the guests at the door, was shocked at first when he saw Ma Liu appeared, holding the child in his hand. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and then he quickly stepped forward with a smile and said:
"Master Liu, you are back."
"Come back and see that you are happily married. Please treat Aunt Yang well in the future."
Ma Liu patted the other party's shoulder and said:
"Zixuan is a good boy. He will definitely be one of the best in the future. After this feast, I will take him home. Apart from studying, I don't want anyone to bother him anymore."
Ma Liu's voice was not high, nor did he have the majesty of a big shot. He spoke as plainly as an ordinary person.
But the entire Zhao family suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere was strangely depressing. Only the sound of drums echoed in the street.
Zhao Chuigu felt a horrible feeling of suffocation coming towards his face, which made his heart feel uncomfortable. He could only breathe heavily and clasped his fists and said:
"It's all up to you, Master Six."
