The east city of the capital is not as prosperous and rich as the west city, but the excitement is not reduced, especially in this spring season, early in the morning there are hawkers carrying goods along the street to sell, the melodious and tactful shouting, compared with the west city more a bit of fireworks.

There is a spontaneously formed market in the north of Dongcheng, an episode on five days, there are also many surrounding vendors who pick up goods to set up stalls on weekdays, in the innermost part of the market, I don't know when there is an extra dignified Mr. who sells calligraphy and paintings, and writes letters on behalf of others.

Because he has an outstanding temperament and outstanding calligraphy and painting, there are many people around the stall on the day of the market, and the business is quite prosperous.

On this day, the stall owner set up the table as usual, and as soon as the pen and ink were taken out, a piece of broken silver was thrown on the table, and the bones rolled until it reached the stall owner's hand.

The stall owner raised his head and looked at the man in his early forties, still handsome, and smiled at the owner who had lost the silver: "Do you want to buy words or paintings?" ”

The person who came was a young man in his early twenties, his hair was combed and shiny, and he was fixed with a yellow golden hairpin.

If it was before, he wouldn't even look at this kind of.

"I don't buy words, I don't buy paintings. My master has a treasure painting, which I borrowed from a friend, and I want my husband to copy one for me. If you draw well, you will be rewarded. The young man pointed to the broken silver on the table, "This is the deposit." ”

The stall owner was overjoyed when he heard this.

Specifying painting can make more money than selling calligraphy and paintings, and it can give full play to his ability.

As soon as he thought that if he could take advantage of this young man's eyes, and he would often have this kind of business in the future, the stall owner became happy and asked with a smile: "This is no problem, I wonder if you have brought your paintings?" ”

"Brought." The young man motioned to his subordinates to hand the painting to the stall owner, and said, "This painting is inconvenient for people to see, but it needs a person with excellent calligraphy and painting to copy it." I searched for a few days before I found him. ”

Hearing this, the stall owner smiled and carefully unfolded the painting handed over, and the smile on his face suddenly froze.

There were two men and a woman in the painting, both naked, and they were making unsightly movements, and even the private parts were delicately visible.

The scroll was thrown onto the table like a hot potato, making a snapping sound.

The young man suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Sir, what do you mean by this?" ”

The stall owner blushed and was quite annoyed: "You better ask another master, I can't copy this painting." ”

I think he is also a dignified scholar and has entered the Hanlin Academy, no matter how he is, he can't be reduced to the point of painting a picture of the Spring Palace, and it is such a filthy picture!

The young man obviously didn't expect to be rejected by a calligraphy and painting gentleman who set up a stall, and he was immediately annoyed: "Master asks you again, is the painting a painting or not?" ”

The stall owner shook his head: "I really can't draw this." ”

The young man was furious and spat out: "I'm a stall selling calligraphy and paintings, and the master called you sir, and you kicked your nose in the face." Don't draw it, do you? Come to gold and silver, you give it to me, and smash his mess. ”

The two subordinates who followed the young man immediately stepped forward, one overturned the stall, and the other stepped on it with his feet raised.

"You can't step on it, you can't step on it, do you still have a royal law!"

"Wang Fa? In this Dongcheng, the master is the king's law, what kind of king's law do you tell the master about a poor stall? ”

The young man pushed the stall owner hard, and the stall owner fell to the ground.

Waiting for the two subordinates to smash the stall to pieces, the young man snorted condescendingly: "It's really shameless." Come to gold and silver, and in the future, you will come here every day to walk around, and you will smash it once you see him setting up a stall! ”

"Don't worry, the eldest young master, the little one remembers."

One master and two servants ignored the whispered chatter of the people around them, and walked away, leaving only the extraordinary-looking stall owner sitting in a mess.

The vendor, who had been a neighbor with the stall owner, helped him up and sighed: "How did Mr. provoke Zhao Erba in the Three Tyrants of the East City, you won't be able to stay here in the future." ”

The stall owner stood up, looked blankly at the smashed eater, pushed the vendor away, and staggered out.

"You, your stall was smashed? Because you don't draw for people? The old lady lying on the narrow bed scolded, letting the saliva flow down but didn't know, "You waste, what else do you need to drink the northwest wind when the whole family is going to drink the northwest wind?" Now that my stable income has been cut off again, do you want me to not even be able to take medicine? I know, I can't move, I'm a waste, and you're all looking forward to me closing my eyes! ”

The old lady spoke slurredly, but as a son who gets along day and night, she heard it clearly.

"Mother, don't think so, my son really can't draw—"

"I'm sorry, Cheng Er, you are a wreck who can't afford to raise your father, I have worked hard to pull you up, and I love you the most among the three brothers!"

It turned out that this stall owner was Cheng Wei's father Cheng Xiuwen.

Listening to Mrs. Meng's words, Cheng Xiuwen closed his eyes in pain.

Life has been nothing short of a nightmare for the past few years.

was first driven out of Huairenbo's Mansion by the Emperor, and then the Jishengtang that relied on it for a living was squeezed out by the opposite Dejitang and closed its doors, and then there were several shops that had problems one after another, and they could only be resold to make up for the shortfall.

The people walked and sold, and even the third brother broke up in anger in a bitter scolding after his mother was able to speak, and from then on he only sent some silver money every month.

But that bit of silver is just a drop in the bucket for a large family, he went to the academy and the rich and noble family to teach as a teacher, and he was always found out in a few days before he was settled, and those who were involved in the abolition of the prince dared to use it, and he was swept away without hesitation.

What he didn't expect was that Cheng Yu, the eldest brother's family, went to the embroidery building to deliver embroidery and was caught by a lame master in his forties, and wanted to ask for it back to be a concubine. The sister-in-law, who has always been honest, quarreled with her mother for the first time, and the next day she took her daughter to nowhere to go, and the eldest brother said that he went out to look for it, but never came back. Within a few days, the eldest nephew Cheng Ming disappeared with his wife and children.

He struggled for several months, and there was no news of his eldest brother's family, and finally he couldn't stand it and moved to Dongcheng with his parents, wife and children to beg for a living, and his life became more and more difficult day by day.

Cheng Xiuwen is a filial person, but at this moment, his ears are full of Mrs. Meng's vague scolding, and a little boredom suddenly rises in his heart.

"Mother, don't worry, your illness is the most urgent, my son will find a way." After Cheng Xiuwen finished speaking, he turned around and went out, leaving behind a series of scolding from Old Madam Meng.

"The master is back." Aunt Dong put aside the half-embroidered pillow towel and greeted her.

Cheng Xiuwen was furious in his heart, and pushed Aunt Dong away: "Go aside!" ”

Aunt Dong was pushed back to sit down, her hand happened to be pressed on the embroidery needle, and at the same time as screaming, blood suddenly flowed out and spilled on the unfinished pillow.

She didn't care about the distress and exclaimed: "Master, this is the goods to be delivered tomorrow, how can it be good if it is stained with blood now!" ”

Speaking of which, Aunt Dong couldn't help but choke.

Cheng Xiuwen was angry, and when he heard Aunt Dong crying, he was even more annoyed, grabbed her hair and dragged the person over, and slapped her backhand twice: "Cry, cry, cry, you know that crying, our family is crying like this ghost by you!" ”

"Master-" Aunt Dong covered her face, her heart aching.

If not, if it weren't for the sake of the two sons, such a day would not be as good as death!

"Don't cry for me, take care of my mother, my mother can't leave anyone!"

Aunt Dong opened her eyes every day, except for the embroidery work in her hands, she was used to taking care of Mrs. Meng, and she was so used to being numb, so she listened to Cheng Xiuwen's words and went to Mrs. Meng silently.

Mrs. Meng was holding her breath because her son shook his hands and left, and when she saw Aunt Dong coming in, she immediately found an outlet, and opened her mouth to scold: "Who are you putting on a crying face to show it!" My throat is smoking, do you want to die of thirst for me? ”

Aunt Dong poured a glass of warm water, helped Mrs. Meng to sit up, and fed her carefully.

Xu was suffocated by the inability to move and unable to speak after the stroke at first, and Mrs. Meng couldn't keep her mouth idle after she was able to speak.

She moistened her throat, and after lying down, she chattered endlessly: "You broom star, since I straightened you, nothing good has happened at home!" I think it's time to let the second child sell you to a brothel, and you can cut a few catties of pork and come back to eat! ”

Aunt Dong squeezed the water glass tightly, her eyes were a little straight: "Old lady, you can't think like that, I'm the mother of Xi'er and Yang'er-"

"Whew!" Old Madam Meng spit out a mouthful of thick phlegm on Aunt Dong's face, "She was originally a concubine, but she was embarrassed to say that she was the mother of two brothers!" I was just confused, so I helped you a wild woman from a ravine! ”

Aunt Dong listened in a daze, and her heart became colder and colder.

It turned out that she was nothing in their eyes.

Yes, the old woman can even sell her own granddaughter to a lame bad old man, what else can't she do? Sooner or later, the old woman would encourage the old man to sell her to a brothel.

What should she do?

Her father is a showman, although she doesn't have the life to be everyone's lady, but she must not be a prostitute with a thousand pillows with jade arms!

If that's the case, it's better to die!

Die?

Old Madam Meng was still cursing non-stop, and the buzzing sound was like a headless fly flying in Aunt Dong's ears, making her mind more and more confused.

What greeted me was a distorted face, and there was no feeling of kindness because of old age, and the folds of the face and the resentment in the eyes only made people disgusting.

Don't listen, don't look!

Aunt Dong covered her face, her fingers touched something slimy, and when she let go of her hand, she saw that it was the thick phlegm that had just been spit on her face by Mrs. Meng.

Cold light shot out of Aunt Dong's eyes, she casually picked up the pillow and blocked Mrs. Meng's mouth, and said hatefully: "Let you scold, let you scold!" ”

I don't know how long it took, Aunt Dong's hand loosened, and the pillow slipped down, revealing Mrs. Meng's round eyes.

She reached out and snorted at Old Madam Meng, and stepped back in horror.

She killed, she killed her mother-in-law!

Aunt Dong stepped back step by step, her foot didn't know what she had tripped, and she fell to the ground all of a sudden, but slowly came back to her senses.

She's going to run, she's going to escape this cannibalistic cage!

Aunt Dong put the pillow back on the bed, covered Mrs. Meng with a thin quilt, and hurried back to the house.

The strong smell of wine made her feel relieved.

When the old man is not happy, he will always get drunk.

She opened the mattress, took out a half-worn purse, and poured out a few pieces of broken silver, a golden hairpin, and dozens of copper coins.

That's all she's accumulated.

After thinking about it, Aunt Dong took the golden hairpin and copper coins into her purse, grabbed the half-old purse and came to the door of her eldest son Cheng Xi's room, and quietly stuffed the purse into it through the crack in the door.

She can't take her two sons with her, but fortunately, Xi'er is older and can take care of her younger brother. The old woman has swallowed her breath, and she will never come up with bad ideas to harm anyone, and her two sons will always live.

Thinking of this, Aunt Dong's panic and apprehension were swept away, leaving only joy and reluctance.

The courtyard door was quietly opened and closed quietly, and no one knew about it.

After sobering up, Cheng Xiuwen shouted: "Dong, pour me a glass of water." ”

After shouting several times and no one answered, he had to get up and look for someone everywhere.

Cheng Yang, who got out of the school, ran in: "Father, I'm hungry." ”

"Hungry, hungry, hungry, you know you're hungry, what about your brother?"

"My brother hasn't come home yet, I haven't found my mother, my grandmother is sleeping."

Cheng Xiuwen didn't pay attention to his young son anymore, looked inside and out but didn't find Aunt Dong, and went to Mrs. Meng's house with his feet.

The thin quilt covering his head made Cheng Xiuwen subconsciously feel bad, and slowly pulled the quilt open, revealing a bruised face.

Cheng Yang was suddenly frightened and cried: "Father, what's wrong with grandmother?" ”

Cheng Xiuwen didn't say a word, turned his head and walked out, and happened to meet his eldest son Cheng Xi in the courtyard.

Cheng Xi held a purse in his hand and looked stunned: "Father, what happened?" ”

Cheng Xiuwen's face turned blue, and his gaze moved downward, landing on the purse in his hand.

Cheng Xi hurriedly said: "When my son came home, he pushed open the door and saw this. It seems to be the mother's, and somehow it was placed in the son's house. ”

Cheng Xiuwen grabbed the purse, poured it out, and immediately rolled out a few pieces of broken silver.

The irregular pieces of silver fell on the palm of his hand, and the cold and cold seemed to satirize everything about him.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiuwen didn't understand, his reason suddenly collapsed, and he grabbed Cheng Xi's collar and shouted, "What about your mother?" Say, where has your mother gone? This slut, I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her! ”

"Father, what's wrong with you?" Cheng Xi was at a loss.

Cheng Yang pounced on him and grabbed Cheng Xiuwen's arm: "Father, let go of your brother, let go of your brother!" ”

Cheng Xiu didn't pay attention to it, just stared at Cheng Xi: "Where is your mother?" If you don't say it, I'll kill you!" ”

"Father, the son really doesn't know where the mother has gone. Tell me first, what the hell is going on? ”

"Your grandmother is dead, and your mother is dead!"

Cheng Xiuwen is not a straw bag, where can he not see that the Meng family was suffocated to death, and who else did it except for Aunt Dong, who was nowhere to be seen!

"Brother, what is my father talking about?"

Cheng Yang was shocked and frightened, and was taken into his arms by Cheng Xi: "It's okay, it's okay, my father is drunk and talking nonsense!" ”

"You rebel!" Cheng Xiuwen raised his hand, and under the anger of his heart, he spurted out a mouthful of blood.

Two days later, Cheng Xi, who sold all the belongings in the family, hired two cars, one with a numb expression on his father and younger brother, and the other was a board car, pulling a thin coffin, he sat next to the thin coffin and guarded, and his drunken grandfather did not want to sit in the other car, and also crowded here.

The two cars drove slowly towards the outskirts of Beijing.

Cheng Xi looked ahead, his heart was at a loss, and in addition to the boring sound of the car, only his grandfather's whisper remained: "It's just an empty one, an empty one......"

It was getting dark, and the car finally arrived at Chengjiazhuang, but was stopped.

The one who stopped him from entering the village was Guo Shi, the wife of Cheng Jiubo, who had become the wife of the official.

The second grandfather, who has become an official patriarch, persuaded: "Guo's family, you can't do anything absolutely, people should cherish their blessings." ”

Only then did Guo Shi move away and snort coldly: "For the sake of the patriarch's face, I won't stop it, but if this family causes any trouble in the future, don't involve our family." ”

Guo Shi turned around and left, but Cheng Xiuwen, who was so numb with cold words that he was aroused, had a hot throat and spit out a mouthful of blood.

Cheng Xiuwen's group finally settled down in Chengjiazhuang, and at the same time, the person who rushed to the capital from Erlizhuang to deliver the invitation to Cheng Ruize, the son of Aunt Cheng's grandmother, looked at the empty courtyard and was confused, scratched his head and said, "Where are the wife's maiden family?" ”

The big red post didn't go out after all. (To be continued.) )