The wind outside the house is blowing stronger and stronger, the open windows in the hall are blown and banging, Xiao Er is busy closing the windows, the windows on all sides have not been closed, a thunder roars down from the sky, "stab" sound, the dazzling white light in the night cut a big opening, frightened people's hearts.

Xiao Er was still busy closing the window, but the sky suddenly fell downpouring, and the speed was so fast that people were caught off guard. Seeing that the heavy rain had drifted into the door, the shopkeeper couldn't care about settling the accounts anymore, so he called Xiao Er over, and the two quickly inlaid the wooden planks one by one in the inner groove of the threshold.

It was stormy outside, and it was busy inside, Mao Xiu ate a bowl of noodles in just a few bites, and finally drank not a drop of soup, so he wiped his mouth with his sleeve with satisfaction, and his tone was emotional and helpless.

"Hey...... It's been a long time since I've eaten a full meal. He said as if he wanted to express all his sadness, and his eyes couldn't help but burst into tears, and he choked up, "What kind of sin is this, God doesn't have long eyes, we have lived a miserable life, but we still have to torture people." ”

Yao Zhenghe comfortingly took Mao Xiucai's hand, but he was very puzzled: "What happened? When our inner son and the child left, the township could still live, why is the old brother Xiucai like this now?"

Mao Xiucai had a long talk, and was about to speak, Yao Zhenghe suddenly remembered, waved his hand to pause, and then went to say to Xiao Er, let him open another guest room, he expected that Mao Xiucai would have difficulty even eating, let alone lodging.

Xiao Er and the shopkeeper had just closed the doors and windows, and at this time there was no one else in the hall except Yao Zhenghe and Mao Xiucai, and the shopkeeper looked at the booklet and said with a smile: "Xiucai is lucky, there is still the last room." ”

After opening the guest room, Yao Zheng and Mao Xiucai went up to the second floor, and the two entered Mao Xiucai's room, lit the lamp, and then sat down and slowly talked about the cause and effect of the incident.

"Brother Yao, thanks to you this time, otherwise my old bones would have frozen to death and starved to death on the street. This food and accommodation money, my brother will definitely pay you back in the future. ”

Yao Zhenghe's face was pale: "What are you talking about, don't talk about it between you and me." ”

Mao Xiucai was moved again, a handful of old tears and horizontal, he was already a lot old, he thought that he was a private school in the countryside, even if he was not rich, he could support himself, but he just didn't expect that he would suffer from the tragic situation of almost freezing to death and starving to death when he was over fifty.

"After you left, the village didn't have been peaceful for long, there was a cold disaster this year, plus Dai Binglun's house, who has surplus food?

The lake was already covered with thick ice, and there were no fish for a long time, so everyone went up the mountain.

If you're lucky, you can catch a pheasant, but it's very rare, and it's all digging up the roots of trees and eating them. ”

Speaking of this, Mao Xiucai covered his eyes with his hand again: "Demon, my brother has lived for most of his life, but these days are getting more and more wontons, I still have some savings at home, but I can't help everyone, I can only boil a pot of clear soup porridge every day, and I barely passed half a month." ”

When Yao Zheng and his family left, the situation in the village was very bad, he knew the situation at that time, a few years ago, Luo Meng sent thirty taels of silver, and he also took ten taels out for relief at that time, but before he and Mao Xiucai cooked a big pot of porridge together, he received the news that Yao Xian had an accident, so he left the silver to Mao Xiucai, and he took his family to Beijing with Wei Za.

"What happened next?" asked Yao Zhenghe.

"You have only been gone for a few days, and something happened in the village, a large group of refugees suddenly broke into our village, at first they just asked us for food, but where did we have food, let alone the twenty or thirty people......"

When Yao Zhenghe heard this, he vaguely guessed, but he still couldn't believe it: "I can't get anything to eat, how about it?"

Mao Xiucai squeezed his fist hatefully and slammed it on the table, "These days to kill, we said that there was no food, but they didn't believe it, it was a group of fierce tigers, they took our hoes and sticks, and when they saw people, they smashed things, and when they saw something to eat, they were simply a group of bandits." ”

Yao Zhenghe couldn't believe it, and said angrily: "What about the county master, if they fight, you won't fight back?"

"Where can they fight those poor people, they are crazy, we can't fight, not to mention that before everyone can react, they rush into the house to smash things and grab things.

All my silver was robbed, and many people in the village were injured, and after those people ransacked, they fled, the county master?hahaha......" Mao Xiucai smiled bitterly, it would be very good if the county master didn't exploit them.

Yao Zhenghe's face turned red, "Is there a royal law here?" But as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt that he had said something stupid.

The two looked at each other with a wry smile.

Mao Xiucai suddenly remembered and said helplessly: "Your family...... We weren't spared, those people saw that there was no one at home, they rushed in and flipped around, and we couldn't stop it......"

Yao Zhenghe also guessed that when he heard this, in addition to a fire, he was still sad, he had lived in the home for more than ten years, and he didn't know what it had become now.

"They were all forced, otherwise who would want to, those people fled from Yuzhou. ”

Mao Xiucai nodded: "Listening to that accent, it should be, the snow disaster in Yuzhou is serious, many people fled to the south, but I didn't expect to run to our village, everyone is now not even home, many people have fled one after another, I left late, now there is no class in the private school, I am fortunate to have half a tael of silver in the soles of my shoes, I think of you in Beijing, I want to ......"

When Yao Zhenghe left, he just told Mao Xiucai, saying that he was going to Beijing to see Yao Shi. Mao Xiucai didn't know about Yao Shi's injury, and he didn't know that Yao Zheng and his family came back so soon, anyway, he couldn't stay in the village, so he thought about coming to Beijing to find a job as a private school teacher, and he happened to be able to be a companion with the Yao family.

Only then did he remember something: "Brother Yao is here now, is he planning to go back?"

Yao Zhenghe smiled bitterly: "How did I know that something happened in the village, Yao Shi is about to enter school, we stay in Beijing, and eat ...... It's not convenient to live, so I went back, we traveled on the road for five days, but we didn't expect to meet Xiucai brother here. ”

Mao Xiucai waved his hand again and again: "Listen to me, don't go back, it's just a dirt house after all, I've been to see it in your house, there's nothing left, the tables and chairs are smashed."

Besides, there are almost no people in the village, only a few old ones who can't walk haha stay, you go back, there is no way to live. ”

Yao Zhenghe's face hesitated for a while, he never thought of leaving the village, let alone staying in Beijing, but if what Mao Xiucai said, was it right to go back?

Mao Xiucai shivered, but it was too cold, Yao Zhenghe woke up, and hurriedly said: "Brother Xiucai, wait a minute, I'll go get you a jacket, and by the way, let Xiao Er carry some hot water, you have a good night's rest tonight, and everything will be talked about tomorrow." ”