At that time, I felt that since Yanjing was the capital, there must be rich people everywhere. What’s more, I had heard about Panjiayuan for a long time.
During the more than 40 hours on the road, I didn't sleep a wink. When I ate, I ate steamed buns that I brought from home. I only went to get a cup of hot water. By the time I arrived in Yanjing, I was already tired and hungry.
But when I stepped off the station, I realized that Yanjing was so big that I was dazzled by it.
I didn't bother to rest, so I asked someone how to get to Panjiayuan as soon as I got out of the station. Fortunately, the uncle there was very enthusiastic and explained to me clearly the route and how to transfer.
In this way, I took the subway, changed trains several times, and then walked a long way with my suitcase before arriving at Panjiayuan. I entered from the south gate, and the street stall area was right in front of me. My dear, the antique coins and strange stones and flowers in that area were so dazzling that it was overwhelming.
I later became quite involved in antique treasures and encountered many treasures. Of course, that was all for later. At the time, for a young boy like me, they just felt big and strange.
I dragged the box along, and when I saw an opening, I quickly ran over, opened the box, and planned to set up a stall here. Before I could take out the things, the bearded stall owner from the stall next to me quickly called me.
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" The stall owner was extremely rude, his tone full of disdain.
"I set up a stall to sell things." As soon as I spoke, the look of contempt in his eyes became even stronger.
"Do you have permission to set up a stall?" The stall owner took out an invoice from his trouser pocket and shook it in front of my eyes.
"Do I need a permit to set up a stall? What about the permit?" I asked him.
"Needless to say, of course you have to pay for it, and the market management office is off work today, so you can't get the permit."
"How much did you spend on this? I'll buy it from you." When I heard that this was not possible, I quickly asked him.
The stall owner looked at his watch and smiled: "Okay, then I will buy you three hundred yuan, including this stall."
"How much! Three hundred!?" Three hundred yuan was enough for my ticket from Yanjing back to the village. I almost shouted, "This is too expensive!"
His eyes squinted at me: "You can't afford this, so why are you setting up a stall here? If you don't buy it, get out!"
I didn't have much money left in my pocket, so I took it out and counted it, and found that I only had 257 yuan left. Finally, I bargained with him and settled on 250 yuan.
After giving him the money, I only had seven yuan left in my body.
The stall owner took the money, smiled and cleaned up the stall, threw the invoice to me and disappeared.
I then opened the box and laid out the medicinal materials I had received. As for the tiger skin, I didn't dare to put it out in the end. It was too eye-catching and I was afraid of getting myself into trouble.
But the strange thing is, how many people passed by my stall, just took a look and walked over. Only one kind-hearted uncle stood for a while, looked at my medicinal materials, looked at me again, and finally left.
I had been setting up for about an hour when people in work clothes walked over and shouted: "It's time to get off work, it's time to get off work, pack up the stall and go home!"
Then the market's loudspeaker began to broadcast: "This market has closed. Vendors and tourists are asked to bring their belongings and leave in an orderly manner. I wish you a good mood."
Then the other stall owners around me began to pack up their things. I was anxious at that time. I had just been here for a while, but why did I close the stall?
I quickly grabbed a staff member and asked, "Why are the stalls closed? Even if I have a permit, I have to leave?"
The staff looked confused: "What kind of license? We don't have to pay to set up a stall."
I took out the permit and found out that it was just an invoice. I was new to the business and had no experience, so the stall owner had deceived me severely. No matter how angry I was, I had no choice but to put my things in the box and walk out dejectedly.
Just outside the market, I happened to meet the stall owner. It seemed that he had moved to another place to set up his stall. I was so angry that I went up and grabbed his sleeve: "You liar, give me my money!"
The stall owner threw my hand away and scolded me: "Bah, who are you? How can you prove that I lied to you? Can't you just put up a stall?"
My blood was rising and I was a little anxious. I grabbed him and refused to let him go. I made sure that he returned the money to me.
The stall owner didn't waste any time. He threw me to the ground and kicked me hard in the stomach.
Although I dared to come to Yanjing from the Northeast to set up a stall on my own, at the end of the day I was still a child who had not graduated from junior high school. How could I beat an adult? I was kicked to the ground and rolled in pain.
It was getting late, the market slowly emptied out, the man who kicked me also left, the streets began to become empty, and I was left alone.
When I calmed down and wanted to find a place to stay, I discovered that there was no place for me in Yanjing, a city as big as Nuozhou.
I only had seven dollars left, so staying in a hotel was out of the question. Although the winter in Yanjing is not as cold as in the Northeast, the temperature is still freezing to death if you sleep outside for a night, and sleeping on the street is impossible.
The man in charge of the market saw that I was still outside the door. He opened the door and shouted at me to leave quickly. If I didn't leave, he would let his dog bite me. He probably thought I was a thief who wanted to go in and touch something.
Winter is short, and after struggling for a while, it became completely dark. I stood on the street dragging two large trolley suitcases, feeling cold and hungry.
After sitting by a river for a while, I finally couldn't hold it any longer, so I found a noodle shop and ordered a bowl of the cheapest plain noodles for three yuan. It was the kind of plain noodles that only had white noodles. I had to persuade the old couple to give me such a bowl.
In the end, the old lady couldn't stand it anymore and handed me a small plate of pickles. I quickly finished the plain noodles with the pickles. After eating, I sat in the store. There was heat in the store and I could warm myself up.
The shop is not big, and sometimes when there are too many customers, I get up and give up my seat, take my box with me and stand in the corner of the door. Those who come to eat look at me with strange eyes, as if I am some dirty thing. Same.
When it was time for the store to close, no matter how shameless I was, I couldn't continue to do it. I could only carry my luggage and go out, walking aimlessly on the street. I passed an Internet cafe in the middle. When I went in, I asked, and I found out that the cheapest phone was available for the night. Got fifteen dollars. Moreover, it is already past 12 o'clock in the evening, and all machines can only be operated overnight.
I didn't have enough money, so I hesitated for a while, and finally decided to go out and find another place. But at this moment, the network administrator with yellow hair seemed to see my embarrassment and stopped me: "You can go sit on the unmanned machine in the Internet cafe for a while."
I was so cold that I finally stayed in the Internet cafe. I found an unoccupied seat in the corner near the toilet and sat down. I curled up on the chair and suddenly felt sleepy.
That location was right next to the toilet. When someone went to the toilet, the door creaked and there was a strong smell of urine coming out. Even so, I covered my face with a hat and slept.
In my dream, I dreamed about my grandfather, my uncles and aunts who looked down on me, and my teachers and classmates who looked down upon me.
In my sleep, I felt something streak across my face. Was it tears?
I secretly made up my mind that I must stand out so that no one will look down on me anymore.
