"Good, good." The shopkeeper nodded repeatedly.

Xiaomi heard their conversation and asked her father, "Why didn't he let the shopkeeper feed them water?" ”

Grandpa shook his head in confusion and said, "Eat well, don't worry about so much." He told Millet to leave it alone, but his eyes glanced at the dogs from time to time.

Grandpa and Millet finished eating, and the man hadn't come back yet. And a few dogs in front of the store had long tongues stuck out and gasped for air.

Grandpa and Millet were about to go upstairs when a noisy woman came from outside the store. As soon as the woman entered the shop, she asked the shopkeeper, "Did you see a child coming here just now?" Such a tall little kid. The woman measured a height with her hand.

The shopkeeper said impatiently: "Those who come to us are either eating or lodging, how can there be a single child?" You can look somewhere else. You can go to places that sell snacks, perform puppet shows, and do acrobatics. ”

At this time, a dog in front of the store barked particularly violently, constantly "purping" at the woman, and even made a gesture to come forward and bite her.

She was so frightened that she retreated and ducked.

The shopkeeper kicked the manic dog. The dog was kicked and rolled on the ground, "whooped", and got up again and barked at the woman.

Xiaomi grabbed her father who walked up the stairs, pointed to the dog and said, "Ma Xiucai, that dog seems to be wrong." It is said that the dog fights people, its owner is not here, it is so fierce? I feel like it means something else. ”

Grandpa was already suspicious of the person who came and left just now, and when he heard Mi say this, he came down the stairs, stared at the dog for a while, and listened to the woman talking to the shopkeeper.

The woman said, "I came all the way, and I searched all the places you said, but I didn't see my child." You didn't look for it here. ”

Grandpa guessed that the woman had come from the center of the county all the way to this remote outskirts of the county.

The shopkeeper kicked the dog who was about to pounce again, and then pushed the woman out, saying as he pushed, "I don't have such a tall child here as you said." You can look around and look around. Hurry up, this dog seems to be biting you, and if it bites you, you'll have to rely on our store again. ”

When the woman saw that the dog was really about to pounce on her, she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll look for it somewhere else." ”

Seeing this, the father walked to the door of the shop and asked the woman, "Where did you find that the child was missing?" You tell me. ”

The woman saw that her grandfather was dressed and talked well, and she had a sense of trust, so she told her grandfather the place and time.

Grandpa pinched his fingers and said, "Don't panic, the child shouldn't have gone far." If you look around the area, nothing should happen. ”

"It's okay, it's okay!" The woman's nervous expression relaxed slightly, and her trembling hands eased slightly. "But my child has never run around, and if I tell him to wait for me, he won't go too far. But today I have searched for half of the county and haven't found him yet, so there is no way not to worry! Are you sure he won't get lost? ”

Grandpa comforted, "No." He's still around. ”

The woman bent down and said gratefully, "Thank you, thank you so much!" ”

The shopkeeper also complimented: "This gentleman is really a good man!" ”

The woman turned around and was about to leave, when Millet hurriedly shouted behind her, "If you haven't found the child yet, remember to come to this store to find us!" ”

Daddy couldn't help but smile.

The woman turned around and bowed, "Yes, thank you, little girl!" ”

When the dog saw that the woman was leaving, he pounced fiercely. The shopkeeper kicked the dog a few more times.

When the dog saw that the woman had gone, he finally quieted down, and went back into the corner and crooked as if he were crying.

Every creature feels for its kind. The other four dogs leaned over to the dog, seemingly comforting it.

Grandpa and Millet go back upstairs to rest. Grandpa has a small account book, which is used by Luo Buzhai to keep accounts, and Grandpa uses it to record the name of resentment. From Thrush Village to Zichuan, nearly half of this ledger has been used. It's densely packed with all kinds of names. Daddy should always review the names he has already taken to avoid repeating them the next time he goes out to collect grievances.

Grandpa sat at the small table in the guest room and looked through the small ledger. Xiaomi lay on his side on the bed and watched his father flip through the small ledger.

Grandpa and Xiaomi lived in the same room when they lived in a hotel, but they slept in separate beds. When there were no two beds in the guest room, my father made a bunk on the floor.

After reading the record in front of the small ledger, Grandpa was about to squint for a while, but heard a conversation downstairs.

Grandpa sat by the window, and this room was just above the door of the restaurant, so I could hear the conversation of the people downstairs very clearly.

The first thing I heard was the words of the shopkeeper.

"You're finally here!" Shopkeeper said.

"Are you afraid that I won't be able to escape? My dog is still here! Another said. He was the one who came here at noon bridge dogs.

"Of course, I'm not afraid that you will run away, you didn't eat the food in my store and didn't live in my store, even if you run away, it has nothing to do with me. But you're not a very honest dog and likes to be scared and bite. If you don't come, I don't dare to take a step forward, for fear that something will happen to them! The shopkeeper said.

"Biting? Which dog bites? The man asked.

"That." Shopkeeper said.

Then, downstairs came the sound of a dog barking and the man's swearing. It was supposed to be the man teaching his dog.

The shopkeeper hurriedly persuaded: "Don't fight, if you fight again, you will be killed!" "The shopkeeper who even kicked the dog at every turn couldn't stand it and wanted to intercede for the dog, which shows how ruthless that person is.

"Little Er, just serve me good wine and food, uncle, I'm so hungry! Also, book me a good room, uncle, I'm going to rest here for one night! The man gasped. The beating just now cost him a lot of strength.

"Okay!" The shopkeeper was overjoyed.

Millet got up from the bed and said angrily, "Why is this person like this? ”

Grandpa comforted Xiaomi and said: "This person is not an ordinary person, let's not be nosy." "Grandpa is not a person who doesn't care about himself, but after all, now that the two of them have limited power outside, they have more important things to do, and the world is becoming more and more unpeaceful, so they can only turn a blind eye. If everything is investigated and everything is involved, it is very likely that the mud bodhisattva will be unable to protect himself when he crosses the river.

As soon as Grandpa's words fell, a familiar voice sounded outside.

"Little brother, little brother, please do me a favor."

The shopkeeper's impatient voice sounded: "Why are you here again?" How many times have I said this? The child you're looking for isn't with us. Hurry up, hurry up, go away! ”

"Little brother, I'm not here to look for the child, I'm here to find the gentleman at noon." It was the voice of the woman at noon.

The shopkeeper said: "What are you looking for him?" ”

The woman said: "My child has not been found. He said that my child was nearby, and I looked around your store four or five times, but I didn't see my child. ”

"What do you have to do with that gentleman when you look for your child?"

"The gentleman said that if I couldn't find the child, I would come here again to find him. Brother, weren't you there at the time? You've probably heard that, too! The woman said eagerly.

Daddy thought he would hear the dog barking again, but he didn't.

Millet also muttered to herself, "Why didn't the dog bark?" ”

"People are polite, are you still serious? Let's go! Hurry up! Don't be annoying here! The shopkeeper said.

"Please, little brother, for the sake of the people of the same place, you can help me spread the word!" The woman pleaded.

"Nope." The shopkeeper's tone was resolute.

Grandpa finally couldn't help it, opened the window, and shouted downstairs, "Man, don't drive her away, I'll go down." ”

Xiaomi immediately jumped out of bed.

The woman bowed to her father's window and said, "Thank you, sir! Thank you sir! ”

Grandpa put away the small ledger and took Xiaomi out of the guest room. When the two of them passed through the restaurant, they saw that the man who had led the dog was burying his head in eating± and there were bowls full of vegetables, and it was estimated that the four of them would not be able to finish eating. He devoured and almost threw himself on the table.

"I was a starving ghost in my previous life!" Xiaomi muttered quietly with a look of disgust.

Daddy pulled her and motioned for her not to talk nonsense.

When he arrived at the door, before Daddy could greet the woman, the woman rushed up and grabbed Daddy's sleeve.

"Sir, sir, save my child! I still haven't found him! Was he killed by someone? Or was it captured by human traffickers? The woman didn't let go like she was grasping at the last straw.

"Judging by my calculations, your child should be nearby, and you can't be wrong. Is he hiding? Daddy asked.

Xiaomi screamed as soon as she stepped out of the door.

Grandpa looked at the place where Millet was looking, and saw the dog lying there with a bloody mouth and nose and a dying breath. The other four dogs watched nervously at the people coming and going, as if they were afraid that some of the frenzied ones would come up and kick them again.

Millet never barked in horror when he was chasing ghosts and killing ghosts, and when he saw a dog being beaten like this, he actually screamed. This made Grandpa a little surprised and relieved.

The woman glanced quickly at the dog, then turned her attention to her father.

"Please help me calculate whether my child is near or far, and whether it is ...... Still dead ......"

Before coming to Zichuan, my father heard a lot of rumors of traffickers buying and selling children on the road. Due to the lax security and the large floating population, this kind of thing happens frequently, and it is difficult to find traffickers.

When the father heard the woman say this, he also thought that her children might have been trafficked. He raised his hand and counted again, and said, "Your child is still alive." ”

The shopkeeper next to him echoed: "Look, the child didn't run far and is alive, it must be fine." Are you worrying a little too much? You go back to the house and wait, maybe your kids will get tired of playing outside. ”

"My child never goes home for lunch, and he ...... very well," the woman said unwillingly.

The shopkeeper pushed her and said impatiently: "Okay, okay, what should be asked, what should be said." Listen to this gentleman, go home and wait for the child to come back. ”

The woman was pushed away by the shopkeeper, but she turned her head and asked her father: "Sir, I think you are a kind person and will not lie to me." My child will really come back on his own, right? ”

Grandpa couldn't make up his mind at all.

The shopkeeper replied for his father: "Of course! Go home and wait, don't stand with me! ”