During the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, the Dongdan archway of Jingshi (Beijing) was mixed, and all kinds of people lived here. In the early morning, the sky was still bright, and in the courtyard of Hongchang Hutong, Li Guolou had woken up in the south room. At this time of every month, he had to wake up, and he helplessly heard the Ma family and his wife arguing loudly in the yard. What are Ma Da Bang and Sister-in-law Qian arguing about? Why quarrel? Li Guolou already knew.

Ma Yaozu didn't return all night, gambling at the Silver Hook Gambling House all night, and lost all the 900 yuan in a month.

"You dead ghost, why are you coming back! Let's go jump the Yongding River! It's better for the old lady to remarry as soon as possible! At the door of the West Wing, Qian Shuiping yelled, and threw a big bowl at Ma Yaozu.

And Ma Yaozu is Yongding Henan Bay Wharf, born in anti-buns, carrying hundreds of pounds of goods on the springboard every day, people are extremely flexible, jumped sideways, and shouted: "It's your brother Ghost Face King, who pulled me hard, he is my head, can I refuse?" ”

With a "pop", the big bowl fell in the yard and fell apart, making a black-skinned dog who was guarding the yard scream in fright and hid behind a big elm tree in the middle of the yard.

When Qian Shuiping heard this, he was even more furious, and scolded: "You have no brains! He is a member of the Green Gang, how much does he earn in a month? Why do you only have 900 wen, and whose pocket is 100 wen? I went to such a younger brother, we only had to be blackmailed, two children who took a New Year's money from the Ghost Face King. You're a brainbreaker! He will listen to him! ”

Ma Yaozu replied: "My errand is what he found, this is a fat shortage, I don't know how many people are red-eyed?" ”

Carrying buns at Nanwan Wharf is hard work, the salary is high, and he only works for half a day, plus Ma Yaozu is stained with the ghost face king Qian Shuiyao's relatives, which is considered a long-term job and gets the highest salary. Qian Shuiping was scolding her younger brother, regardless of family affection, and still accepted money from her brother-in-law Ma Yaozu, but outsiders were very envious of their family. They all said that Qian Shui was enough for his brother and took good care of his brother-in-law Ma Yaozu. No one dared to bully the stupid big Ma Yaozu.

"Red-eyed! Red eyes! Whoever is red-eyed has been with you, I don't want to live with you! Alas·······" Qian Shuiping began to cry again, crying to her dead parents, how good it would be if her parents were still alive, how dare her younger brother be so ruthless, this month has only begun, their rice tank has bottomed out, how can their family of four live!

Qian Shuiping cried loudly, who was he crying for? The owner of this courtyard, the widow and daughter Wu, rented out most of the houses, but the mother and daughter of the Wu family lived in an east wing.

Ma Dabangzi's family came early, and there were two rooms in the west wing that they bought, and only their family was also the owner of this courtyard. The other tenants don't have any money, they are all three-minded people. Only Li Guolou, a young man who lives in the main house in the south, lives in three rooms alone, and goes in and out mysteriously, he has never seen him work, but he lives the most chic, and Li Guolou is the richest in this courtyard. I heard that he is a distant relative of Li Hongzhang, a co-organizer of the university and governor of Jiangsu.

In the south room, Li Guolou heard the two children of the Ma family crying sadly, and he couldn't bear it anymore, although he knew that Sister-in-law Qian was beating and scolding so early, just to let him hear it, because he was afraid that as soon as he went out, he would not be able to come back. Sometimes he goes out for several days, but he is alone anyway, and no one wants to explain where to play.

Li Guolou got dressed, looked at a floor-to-ceiling mirror, looked at his figure, and showed a wry smile on his face, the short braid on the back of his head hadn't grown much, it had been more than a year, and his braid was not half the length of a normal person.

This braid caused him to almost be swept out of the Li family, Li Guolou was born in a famous family, he was not yet fourteen years old, he responded to the call of his uncle Li Hongzhang, went abroad to study abroad, and went to study in the British Empire. Although I spent four years in Cambridge University, I didn't learn much in books, but I can already understand English, I can read the Times newspaper, and I can read English books. didn't expect that something big would happen when he was about to return to the Qing Dynasty, and his big braid was pranked by the landlady's daughter and cut off.

When he returned to his hometown in Hefei, Anhui, this would be a bad thing, and at this time, fake braids were also sold in the Qing Dynasty, but they were all the kind with hats. There are many rules in the Li family, Li Guolou has to take off his elders to pay tribute, as soon as he takes off his hat when he goes back, his head is exposed, there are only brothers and sisters at home, which is easy to do, cover it up for him, and don't care about him. But others can't, his future father-in-law Xie Yuantong is very old-fashioned, there is no room for accommodation, and he is the first to come to the door to withdraw from the marriage!

There is also the fact that he offended his uncle Li Hongzhang and said a few rebellious words, of course, saying that the Qing Dynasty was decaying and declining, and it could not be the same as the British Empire. After he came back, the errand was not settled, Li Guolou was unwilling to do business with his brothers and sisters, and he went to Beijing to find a decent errand, but for more than a year, the six yamen had run all over, and no one was willing to invite him. Obviously, the money is in place, but there is no shortage this year, wait for next year's sentence.

Li Guolou has an empty stomach of English ink, but he has no use in Beijing. He also held his breath, that is, he didn't go to live in the hometown association, and he didn't want to rely on the mention of his uncle Li Hongzhang to make a future on his own, he was a person who had stayed abroad, and he was a rare race in the Qing Dynasty, although he graduated from college without graduating, but he could also be a pillar of the country! Anyway, the family has money, and I don't have bad habits, so I rented a few rooms in Hongchang Hutong, and I also wanted to see how the common people lived, so I didn't find a courtyard house to live in. He didn't live in the courtyard for a long time, and sometimes he had to go back to his hometown to have a look, and hang out with two fellow Taoists he knew in Jingshili. But he can't stand the "enthusiasm" of the neighbors around him, knowing that his family is in a good situation, or he is a snitch and the money is not coming from the right way!

With the first grace, Li Guolou knew the inferior nature of the Chinese people, and he had heard the words of the grass ring in the next life countless times.

Li Guolou touched his chin in the mirror again, why didn't he grow a beard? If an official doesn't have a beard, who would believe that he is an official, hey! Before he grew a beard, he couldn't be a big official, and Li Guolou was still making the last struggle and didn't open the door. How many times has this been? The third or fourth time, Li Guolou silently calculated in his heart, it seemed that in summer, it happened twice, and now the autumn wind has risen, and it will come again, that is the fifth time. Ma Da stick don't resist buns, just give him a long job.

Li Guolou has lived independently since he was a child and does not need to be taken care of, he is nearly 20 years old, and after this year's training, he no longer talks big. He secretly vowed to explode, first say it in his stomach ten times, and if he couldn't help it, then say it. Outside the door, Niuniu and Niuniu, the two children, cried even more sadly, and their old lady Qian Shuiping wanted to commit suicide by jumping into a well.

"I don't want to live, let me jump in!" Qian Shuiping shouted loudly, but he couldn't break free from the two well-behaved children.

The doors of the other five families were closed, and Wang Kuaizui, who usually told stories, always had to hang a few voices in the yard, and he didn't come out to join in the fun today. The five of their families have all given money and food to the Ma Da stick family, but there are two of these things, and there can't be three, four, or five times, endlessly, who can stand it. Besides, if Ma Da Stick's monthly salary is taken back, he is a big family in this yard, and the Ma family is really not good, isn't it money to sell the house? Even the mother and daughter of the landlord Wu family refused to go out to dissuade Qian Shuiping from jumping into the well, just jump! At most, go outside to fetch water to drink. The neighbors were very dissatisfied with the Ma family's crying wolf so early, and they didn't come out to persuade them.

Li Guolou pulled out the bolt and opened the door, he saw Ma Yaozu, Qian Shuiping, Niuniu, and Niu Niu all showing a smile of relief to him, and they all hurriedly cried with sad faces.

Li Guolou seemed to have just woken up, stretched his waist and said, "What are you doing here, do you want people to sleep early in the morning." ”

Ma Yaozu had a big savior, and immediately came to Li Guolou's side, sighing and saying: "Fake foreign devil, you don't know, this stinky woman only knows money and money, but she doesn't know that our masters are working hard outside." ”

Li Guolou looked at Ma Da's stinky dog face, and his heart burned with rage, he is not a loser, he knows that firewood, rice, oil and salt are expensive, and the money is earned by his brothers and sisters, and it is natural for him to spend it himself. But give it to someone else, on what grounds! It's not that he is soft-hearted, so that Ma Bangzi and Sister-in-law Qian can see that he likes Niuniu and Niuniu.

The smiles on Ma Yaozu's face were all frozen, and the facial features piled up together reminded Li Guolou of a pig, isn't it Zhu Bajie in Journey to the West? is still shameless, calling his flower name, is it tolerable or unbearable!

Li Guolou raised his hand and slapped him, the speed was fast, like a bolt of lightning, hitting Ma Yaozu's forehead, and shouted: "Ma Da Stick, are you a man?" How can you live without money! I want to sell my sons and daughters! If you go to gamble again next month, no one will cure you, and I will kill you, believe it or not. ”

"Believe it, believe it! The little brother is so fast, I promise never to go to the Silver Hook Casino again. Ma Yaozu smiled and pretended to admit defeat.

secretly said in his heart: This small body, if he catches it, like an eagle grabbing a chicken, he can carry it into the air, and throw it casually, he can also throw it eight feet away. Hit him! Whoever has this ability, if it weren't for his clumsiness, soft-heartedness, and lack of viciousness, he would have been mixed into the Green Gang a long time ago, and the Four King Kongs would definitely have his place.