In the early morning of late autumn, a touch of morning light penetrates the clouds and shines on the road of Yunyang County.

The morning breeze is slight, after all, it is late autumn, with a hint of coolness, a pair of father and son are walking on the road to the direction of the county, pushing the cart is the father Wang Yuanshan, the face is square, a pair of thick eyebrows, at first glance is a hearty person, is a farmer in Wangjia Village, Qingfeng Town, Yunyang County, there are three acres of thin fields at home, hunting in the mountains when the farm is slack, the strength is great, the arrow is accurate, and he will be looking for him when he wants to find someone to hunt.

Son Wang Rui, nicknamed Huzi, is twelve years old this year, looks very much like his father, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a mouthful of white teeth when he laughs, and a strong body, especially his strength has been great since he was a child. When he was eleven years old, he was playing in the village barn field, everyone jokingly asked him if he could push the stone mill on the threshing field, he actually lifted it alone, the stone mill was a strong man in the village of twenty or thirty years old, and it took two or three people to lift, Wang Rui became famous in one fell swoop, and everyone said that he was as powerful as an ox.

Originally, the family had a field, and could hunt to supplement the family, the family had a good life, but unfortunately there were unforeseen circumstances, when the tiger was eight years old, Wang was pregnant with the second child, the child was gone, the body also collapsed, lingering on the sickbed, not to mention the housework, drinking medicine to see a doctor and hollowing out the family, delayed for more than two years, Wang Yuanshan borrowed more than 30 taels of silver from the west, Wang did not survive in the end, and the tiger went when he was ten years old.

The people in the village persuaded Wang Yuanshan to continue the string, and marry another one to help take care of the housework and take care of the children, but he and Wang's childhood sweetheart couldn't give up their affection, and they were afraid of marrying another one What if it was an unvirtuous abuse child, the family still owed dozens of taels of debts, Huzi saw that he had to prepare for family affairs when he was getting older day by day, and refused the kindness of his neighbors, and bluntly said that he would not marry again, so he would keep the child to grow up, and he would be able to explain to the Wang family in the future.

In order to repay debts, the father and son have been frugal in recent years, and they have also repaid a seven, seven, eighty, eight or eight years down, in order to repay the debts, naturally Huzi can't eat some snacks like other children, buy a pony or something, fortunately, this child has been sensible since he was a child, and he knows that it is not easy for his father, and sometimes the village grandmother gives him a cake, and he has to take it home and share it with his father.

Yesterday, the father and son were set up in the mountains, and actually caught a wild boar, and after slaughtering, there were more than 200 catties and zero, and they wanted to sell it in the town, but they heard that the price in the county was high, and it happened that the next day was a market, so the two simply pushed the cart to the county to sell.

Wang Yuanshan of Yunyang County has come a few times in order to sell game, because the road is far away, he has to walk for nearly four or five hours, and he comes alone, this time thinking that his son is twelve years old, and he has not even been to the town a few times, so he came with him.

When the tiger grew to the age of twelve, it was the first time he went to the county seat, and it happened that he caught two hares by himself yesterday and brought them to sell together.

The two of them set off at the same time, and they are even more happy when they finally see the county seat in sight.

Entering the county gate, Wang Yuanshan first went to the tavern where he had sold game in the past, the shopkeeper saw that the wild boar meat was fresh, but it happened that the merchants who passed by recently wanted to try it, and bought more than half of it, and the two hares were also left, Wang Yuanshan saw that there were still about 30 catties of pork left, and sold most of them in the East Market, looking at the remaining only three or four catties, thinking that his son was also a long body and bones, he simply didn't sell it, and planned to take it home and eat it himself.

The father and son packed up their things, and it was rare to come to the county seat, Wang Yuanshan thought that it would be better not to buy anything and take Huzi to see, so he took Huzi around.

"You little beggar, you dare to come to our store to steal vegetables to eat." Suddenly, there was a shout from afar, followed by several children's screams.

"I didn't steal it, I just wanted to see the person just now, I recognized the wrong person."

"Look at you, look at you like that, you don't have money to enter our store, it's not that you want to steal it, you still recognize the wrong person, you look for a beggar to find our restaurant, and you want to touch our owner's mold."

It was the guy from Dafeng Restaurant who spoke, in this county, everyone knows that this restaurant is not easy to mess with, the owner is actually a relative of the county grandfather's family, and the guys inside are also showing off their might, more fierce than the servants in the yamen.

The scolding guy stared at the little beggar on the ground with a pair of triangular eyes and a broom.

Someone next to him couldn't look at it and said: "This kid won't steal, he went to return something last time he saw someone drop something." ”

"Such a young child, if you drive him out, forget it, and beat him up."

"Don't fight, don't beat you to help him lose money, went to our store and soiled a customer's clothes and stole a dish."

"I didn't steal it, you spilled the dish yourself, and you spilled it before I entered the store."

"Still hard-mouthed, I'll kill you little beggar, let you steal, make you hard-mouthed......" The guy scolded viciously, and then pumped it a few times, it was he who accidentally knocked over the dish, but who let this little beggar just run in? Count on him, of course.

The little beggar's clothes looked black, and he couldn't see the original color, his face and hands were full of black ash, and he fell to the ground to expose the cloth shoes on his feet, the soles of which had been worn out, and he didn't know what leaves he had found to put in the shoes, and the whole person was black and thin, and he didn't beg for mercy except that he didn't steal it, and shrunk into a small ball, and he probably hit his head when he was hiding, and he was bleeding.

"I'm going to die."

"Stop fighting."

"If you don't fight, how much will you lose?" A few people asked, unable to look at them.

"How much? He knocked over a plate of roast chicken, a lot of money, do you give it? ”

"It's only five big dollars to buy a chicken, you're too black-hearted."

"I can't afford to pay you what I do, if you say that you will hang the money, Dafeng Restaurant, of course it is not from you poor people." The guy said, raised the broom and wanted to pull it up, but he didn't hit it, and when he saw a little boy standing next to him, he grabbed the broom with one hand, and he struggled a few times but didn't break free, "Boy, you don't owe it either?" ”

"Look how pitiful he is, don't hit him."

"Don't hit him? You help him lose money. ”

Huzi just heard the words of a hanging of money, heard the loss of money pursed his mouth and did not speak, but he refused to let go, the little beggar on the ground looked up, Huzi only saw his small face, small body, and felt that this broom could beat him to death if he hit him again.

"What's the noise? What is the noise? Liu San, what are you hiding outside? The shopkeeper came down, and when he saw that there were many people in front of the store, he came out and asked.

"Shopkeeper, this little beggar came to the store to make trouble and knocked over our dishes." The wicked man complained first, "This kid won't let him be beaten, and he is willing to help him lose money." ”

The shopkeeper walked out, frowned when he saw the little beggar on the ground, and saw the tiger standing next to the guy, "How much money can a little hairy boy have, send this beggar to the official." ”

When the guy heard this, he let go of the broom, and wanted to grab the beggar on the ground like a chicken.

Wang Yuanshan sighed secretly, he was busy all morning, and he sold it for more than a penny, and he was also heartbroken to give up a hanger for an irrelevant passer-by beggar, but he was also heartbroken, but he was not used to this kind of bullying, looking at his son's pitiful pleading eyes, and looking at the thin figure on the ground, forget it, just accumulate virtue for the child, "Shopkeeper, I am willing to help him lose some money, can you not send him to the official?" ”

"Oh? Do you help him pay for it? ”

"Look at such a thin child, why bother him, I have half a penny, if you want to, let him go and take the money." Wang Yuanshan took out half a hanging money and handed it over.

The shopkeeper naturally understood that this kind of little beggar couldn't get a penny after he was sent to the official, so he immediately smiled and said, "That's natural, if you are willing to help him lose money, I won't embarrass him." Liu San, let him go. The shopkeeper took the money and called the man into the store.

Huzi happily walked over and said to the little beggar, "It's okay, you can go quickly." Thinking about it, he took half a loaf of bread out of his pocket and handed it to him. The little beggar looked up at him, his eyes brightened, and he whispered "thank you", and then lowered his head and refused to lift it up again.

Wang Yuanshan looked at the sky, and had to walk for more than an hour to go home, beckoning Huzi to go home early, and when he was about to walk to the city gate, Huzi also turned back frequently, and saw that the little beggar was following them from afar, he should have been beaten, and he walked a little staggering, but he had been following from a distance, and he didn't eat half of the bread in his hand.

"Dad, that kid is so cute, why don't we take him home."

Wang Yuanshan turned his head to look at the child, and then looked at his son, it was not that there had never been a beggar in the village before, and his son had never been so concerned, maybe this was also fate.

Huzi saw that he didn't speak, and couldn't help but say again: "Dad, look at his small body, I will save a bite for him to eat in the future, and I will go hunting more with my father." ”

When his son said this, Wang Yuanshan sighed and smiled, "This is what you said, go and call him over." ”

Hu Zile turned around and ran back, and the little beggar saw him running back and was stunned, "Do you still have a family?" ”

The little beggar shook his head.

"Then you will come to my house?"

With a whoosh, the little beggar raised his head and looked at him in disbelief, his mouth squirming without making a sound.

"My family is a little poor," Huzi scratched his head, "but it's better than you begging, no one will beat you." ”

"Will you sell me?" The little beggar asked timidly.

"Why should I sell you, you're not a pig, you can't sell it for a few bucks." Huzi looked at his small body and added, "I can't do the work, no one buys it." If you're willing, come home with me now, my dad is waiting in front. ”

When the little beggar heard what he said, his eyes widened, and suddenly his eyes turned red, and he wanted to wipe them, but he reached over with one hand to wipe away his tears, and took his hand and ran forward.