Towards evening, the streets and alleys looked a little empty after the rain.

The shops along the street have reopened their doors, but there are few pedestrians on the wet streets.

Under the eaves, the shopkeeper sitting on the threshold looked at the afterglow of the sunset on the street outside the eaves, stood up, turned around again, and stepped into the door.

Putting the cigarette stick back in its original position, the shopkeeper reached for the switch on the wall next to the door.

Suddenly, the lamp hanging under the eaves outside the door lit up, illuminating the street outside the eaves, which was somewhat dim after the rain.

After turning on the light, the shopkeeper stepped out of the door again and sat back on the threshold.

The lights under the eaves of the houses lit up as if to send a signal, and the lights inside and outside the shops on both sides of the street lit up one by one, illuminating the streets.

“...... It's still a highlight, you say yes, sir. The shopkeeper looked at the brightly lit street with a smile, turned to look at Lian Ge and said.

Hearing this, Lian Ge smiled slightly, glanced at the shopkeeper, and then at the street illuminated by the lights.

......

By the eaves, the beggar, who was squatting on the ground and eating his meal with chopsticks, put the last grain of rice in the packing box into his mouth.

Holding chopsticks and looking at the empty packing box, the beggar was stunned.

"Smack......

The chopsticks slipped from between his fingers, hit the edge of the packing box, and fell to the ground, and then, he picked up the chopsticks again in a little panic.

"Whew...... Whew......"

He frantically blew on his chopsticks, as if trying to blow off the dust on them.

But the oil-stained dust, firmly stuck to the chopsticks, did not show the slightest sign of falling off as he blew on it.

He put the chopsticks back into the bowl and stretched out his hand to wipe the dust off the chopsticks, but his hands were also stained with mud and oil.

He was a little anxious, his face was anxious and flustered, and he looked at the chopsticks in the packing box, looking at the helplessness.

"Take it and wipe it......"

The shopkeeper stood up, walked over to the beggar, fumbled in his pocket, took out a few pieces of paper, and handed them to the beggar.

When the beggar heard the voice, he turned his head, looked at the shopkeeper, reached for the paper, and quickly lowered his head.

He took the paper, carefully placed it on the plastic bag next to him, picked up another one, and wiped the chopsticks in the packing box with some difficulty with one hand.

Finally, the chopsticks were barely wiped clean.

The beggar spread the last piece of paper on the plastic bag, wrapped his hand with the paper in his hand, picked up the chopsticks, put them on the clean paper, and wrapped them carefully.

After wrapping the chopsticks, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, stretched out his only hand, and carefully put the chopsticks wrapped in paper into his coat pocket.

After touching it through his coat pocket, he withdrew his hand, picked up the wooden stick beside him, and stood up again with some difficulty.

Turning around, the beggar looked at the shopkeeper who was still standing aside, and winced a little.

The shopkeeper watched the beggar get up again, then turned around and walked back towards the threshold.

When the beggar saw the shopkeeper turn around, he hesitated and seemed to want to reach out and hold it, but immediately put it down,

"Wait......"

The beggar said to the shopkeeper with some difficulty.

When the shopkeeper heard this, he turned back and looked at the beggar,

"Thank you......" said the beggar, looking at the shopkeeper.

Hearing this, the shopkeeper shook his head,

The beggar, on the other hand, looked at the shopkeeper, put down the stick he was holding, and leaned it against the wall.

Stretching out his hand, the beggar reached into the wet layer of clothing and fumbled for it.

After some effort, the beggar fumbled through the inner layer of clothes, grabbed a handful of things, and handed them to the shopkeeper.

"Give you ......"

It was a handful of scattered bills, five cents and one piece, all soaked by the rain, wrinkled, and dripping along the beggar's hand.

"Clothes are for you, and so is paper. The shopkeeper looked at the beggar and said.

Hearing this, the beggar looked at the shopkeeper and shook his head,

"I'm going to ...... If you're dead, can you ......?" said the beggar, looking into the shop next to him, "...... Can you wait for me to die, give me ...... Burn some paper money. ”

The shopkeeper listened to the beggar's words, looked down at the money in the beggar's hand, and after a pause, he still reached out and took it.

"Are you sick?" said the shopkeeper, looking at the beggar with his crumpled and wet bills, "there is a clinic in the alley, and you can go to the doctor in it, it doesn't cost much, and the money is enough." ”

The beggar looked at the shopkeeper and shook his head,

"I ...... Not long to live...... People like me don't live long...... It's my own fault, my own iniquity, I don't see a doctor......"

The first half of the sentence is to answer the words of the shopkeeper, and the second half of the sentence seems to be mired by the beggar,

As he spoke, the beggar stopped making a sound, and seemed a little stunned.

“...... Okay, I'll burn the paper for you. The shopkeeper took the soaked money and looked at the beggar and nodded.

The beggar raised his head again and looked at the shopkeeper, his muddy face showing some hesitation.

"Don't burn paper money...... No more paper money......" the beggar repeated, shaking his head.

"Donate it for me...... Donate it. ”

Hearing this, the shopkeeper looked at the beggar, then at the money in his hand, and didn't say anything more.

......

“...... The past cannot be recovered, and the future can be made up for as much as possible. ”

At the door of the shop, Lian Ge stood up, looked at the empty street, and turned his gaze to the beggar.

Hearing the sound, the shopkeeper turned around and looked at Lian Ge.

The beggar also turned his head and glanced at Lian Ge, but said nothing,

Reaching out, he picked up the stick against the wall again,

"Donate it for me...... I ......"

The beggar squatted down with a wooden stick, put the plastic bag of the packing box on the ground back together, pinched it in his hand with the stick, and stood up again.

"Okay, I'll donate as much as there is here. The shopkeeper nodded, looking at the beggar in response.

"Thank you......" The beggar heard this, and at the same time, holding the plastic bag in his only hand, he held the wooden stick, and turned around,

With a stick, the beggar limped out of the eaves and walked down the street, out of the street, and gradually disappeared into the distance.

The shopkeeper watched the beggar walk away, looked down at the wet money in his hand, and then walked back to the threshold and sat down.

"Sir, did you guess how this man came to be like this?"

The shopkeeper sat on the threshold, sorting out the scattered and wet banknotes in his hand, and asked Lian Ge.

Hearing this, Lian Ge glanced at the shopkeeper's hand, which gradually returned to the neat banknotes, and nodded,

"I guess a little. ”

"What is he doing for what?"

The shopkeeper gently brushed a crumpled banknote in his hand and turned his gaze to look at Lian Ge.

"Bet. ”

Hearing this, Lian Ge turned his gaze to the street where the beggar had disappeared, and said softly.

Hearing this, the movement in the shopkeeper's hand paused slightly,

"It's harmful. Shaking his head, the shopkeeper sighed, and then continued to sort out the wet banknote in his hand.

Lian Ge didn't speak again, and under the eaves, it suddenly became quiet.

......

"43 yuan and 5 cents ......" sorted out the wrinkled money in his hand, and the shopkeeper dipped the paper in the water vapor on it, and then carefully put it in the store and on the counter temporarily.

Hearing the sound, Lian Ge glanced at the shopkeeper, and then cast his eyes on the darkening sky outside the eaves.

And at this time,

On the street that was still wet and waterlogged, a figure appeared from the entrance of the street, hurriedly stepping on the wet ground, splashing up bursts of water, and running straight in the direction of the shop.