After breakfast, the old man asked Bai Gu to sit down for a while and clean up the dishes and chopsticks by himself.

Bai Gu still wanted to help, but was held down by the old man, and they each shirked it, which dispelled this idea.

Bai Gu gave the old man a good person card in his heart again.

Bai Gu sat bored in the chair, so he reached out and pulled a long weed and began to weave it.

Tsk, why is this weed so difficult? It's more difficult than iron, but with this kind of quality, the quality of the things made up shouldn't be much worse.

Well, braided straw sandals should last a long, long time.

The usual straw sandals can be worn for ten years is already the durability of the top breaking sky, and the ordinary ones are basically broken in one day, and they have to be replaced in three days.

Therefore, Bai Gu is not very old, and his experience in weaving straw shoes is not shallow.

In the first two years, I thought about weaving some straw sandals and going to the city to sell them for money and food, but because I set up a stall, I was begged for protection money by the thugs, driven away by the pickets in the city, and squeezed out by my strong and arrogant peers. Even if someone comes to ask for the price, they will walk away because the quality of the straw sandals is not the price.

For three months in a row, Bai Gu was stunned and did not sell a single pair of straw sandals.

Although the weeds used to weave straw shoes are all picked from the roadside or pond, and there is no principal of a penny, but not a pair of straw shoes can be sold in three months, so Bai Gu no longer thinks about this matter.

In addition, for three months, he thought about selling straw sandals for money, so Bai Gu didn't think of any other way to change food. As a last resort, Bai Gu had no choice but to go to Li Dashan's house in the north of the city, took those straw sandals that no one wanted, and made an unreasonable request for straw sandals for food with a shy face.

Li Dashan is also kind and tolerant, and he generously exchanged ten yellow flour cakes for Bai Gu's ten pairs of straw sandals.

Two yellow breads are worth a penny! Ten yellow flour cakes are five pennies! changed to Bai Gu's straw sandals that no one wanted, and Bai Gu felt that it was not worth it for Li Dashan.

You know, even those grocery stores can buy three pairs of good-quality straw sandals for a penny, and they can be cheaper if you buy more. Li Dashan spent a "lot of money" to ask for Bai Gu's straw sandals, and suffered a big loss.

But even if he was embarrassed, Bai Gu still had the cheekiness to bring back those yellow breads. And in the three months after that, Bai Gu went to Li Dashan's house every day to try his luck and see if he could change some food.

It was okay at first, and if you're lucky, you can still have yakiniku. But as the number of times increased, the servants received by Li Dashan's family became a little impatient, and regarded Bai Gu as the kind of dead beggar and white lai, who was cheap and obedient, and did not know how to advance or retreat. And the servant gradually reduced the food that he had replaced. In the end, a dozen pairs of straw sandals were exchanged for four or five cold, hard-haired black gnocchi, which was the least valuable, and a penny could buy a lot.

People's kindness is like a pool of water. Blindly giving to others, sooner or later it will dry up.

It's just that Bai Gu just finished taking the black gnocchi, and when he turned around, the servant gave a few hot baked cakes to the beggar behind.

After this time, Bai Gu never went to Li Dashan's house to change food, and he also dispelled the idea of selling straw shoes to make money.

The servant's contemptuous eyes, the smell of hot baked cakes, and the cold and hard touch of black gnocchi, Bai Gu didn't want to feel it a second time.

Perhaps, I wasn't born to be a trader.

Bai Gu shook his head, put aside these distracting thoughts, and concentrated on weaving the weeds in his hands.

Weeds are so resilient that if you're not careful, you'll get cuts.

The old man suddenly came over and said softly: "You kid can still weave straw shoes?" ”

"No way, otherwise I won't have shoes to wear, I won't be able to go out, and I won't have anything to eat." Bai Gu lowered his head and didn't look back at the old man.

"It's good, you have a skill, you can have a full stomach." The old man said with a smile.

"I don't sell anything, I knit straw sandals just to have shoes to wear."

"Otherwise, you can weave a few pairs for me, and I'll show you the way to find ginseng, what's the matter?" Seeing Bai Gu's puzzled look, the old man snorted: "No matter how cheap the straw sandals are, you have to spend money to buy them, why don't I want free straw sandals?" Besides, you have to go looking for ginseng, and I'll show you the way, isn't it just right? ”

Bai Gu nodded, "Master Xu, have you ever seen that kind of purple ginseng?" ”

The old man stroked his beard: "Look for it, maybe there is." ”

Bai Gu silently calculated in his heart, and then said, "Master Xu, then I have to trouble you for two days first." ”

It's been four days since I went up the mountain, and if I don't go down the mountain for another three days, Brother Peng will be in a hurry to go up the mountain.

Two days of searching, one day down the mountain, just the right time.

If you really can't find it, after meeting with Brother Peng, decide whether you want to go up the mountain for the second time.

It's really important to find ginseng, but Bai Gu doesn't want to let anything happen to him because of this. After all, there are still Xiaoxiao and Ah Yue at home who need to be taken care of.

The old man took out a cigarette gun, lit the tobacco inside, took a beautiful puff, and spit out a not-so-good-looking smoke ring before he spoke: "Two days? So confident, I don't think I can find much in two days. Say not more than a few days? ”

Bai Gu shook his head and told Brother Peng about it.

"That's right," the old man took another puff of his cigarette, "Then you might as well go down the mountain now, talk to your brother Peng, and come up again to find it slowly, isn't it better?" ”

Weaving the last piece of weed into the sole of the shoe, Bai Gu put the braided straw shoe on the stone table, then pulled another weed and continued to weave it. He kept moving his hands, and pondered for a while before he spoke: "I'm afraid of death, I'm afraid that the mountain will be closed by heavy snow suddenly, and I won't be able to go back, and there will be no one to take care of my two younger sisters at home." ”

The old man was slightly stunned, and then laughed: "Haha, how many years have I lived on this mountain, and I have seen countless mountain closures, what are you afraid of, it's a big deal for me to take you in!" ”

"I don't have any money."

"Weave straw sandals for me, help me do things, just pay for the house and food."

After being silent for a while, Bai Gu said faintly: "The main thing is that I'm afraid that I will affect you, you are old again, if there is any accident or something...... I can't afford that. ”

The old man was speechless for a while, not to mention the life experience he had accumulated at such an old age, just the experience of going up the mountain for many years, it was still possible to take a person through the heavy snow and the mountain, it was not a difficult thing.

Bai Gu, this is a kind of distrust of him! This is questioning his abilities!

He glanced at Bai Gu and expressed dissatisfaction.

Are you kid questioning my abilities? Look down on me?

The latter gave a look in return.

Yes.

The corners of the old man's mouth twitched, you kid really don't believe me, I'm so good to you! You can say something nice, so direct the old man is very sad! The old man's little heart!

The old man was so angry that he took a sullen puff of his cigarette, "Stinky boy! The old man has eaten more salt than you have ever eaten, and he is older than you on this mountain, even if the snow really closes the mountain, I can take you down the mountain! ”

Bai Gu raised his head and said with a serious face: "Since I was a child, I have eaten less rice, and I have eaten rice twice and gruel five times. ”

"Ahem, ahem." The old man was choked by Bai Gu's sincere tone, and the latter hurriedly went over to help the old man pat him on the back, and it took a while for the old man to ease up.

The old man was speechless by Bai Gu, and said sullenly: "Today, stay here for me to weave straw sandals, make as many weaves as I can, and I will take you to patrol the mountains to find ginseng from tomorrow." ”

"Good!" Bai Gu smiled. Straw sandals for the road, this wave of his blood earned.

There was just one thing he couldn't figure out.

"Master Xu, don't you feel a loss if you change a few pairs of straw sandals for two days to accompany me to patrol the mountains?"

"In summer, the soles of the feet are sweaty, and it is easy to sweat the feet when wearing cloth shoes, and the straw shoes are refreshing, but they are easy to break, and they have to be changed frequently, which costs money. Now that there are free straw sandals, why wouldn't I? The old man paused, "Besides, if you don't take straw sandals, do you have the money to invite me?" ”

This time, Bai Gu was speechless.

That's true, he really doesn't have any money.

Bai Gu shrugged his shoulders, looked indifferent, and continued to weave straw shoes.

The old man looked at Bai Gu with an open look, and he didn't bother to say anything, so he picked up the cigarette gun and continued to smoke.

Speechless for a moment.

In the gazebo, Bai Gu's eyelids were slightly constricted, and he was concentrating on weaving straw sandals. The weeds were tough and sharp, constantly cutting small blood marks on Bai Gu's hands. Just for a short while, Bai Gu's hand seemed to be woven with a blood-red spider web.

When the cold wind blew, the seeping cold and sharp pain penetrated into the bone marrow.

I couldn't stand it anymore, so I ran to the side of the snow, put my hands in the snow, and used the biting cold to offset the pain of the wound. By the way, it can reduce inflammation of the wound, stop bleeding and scab.

It's just that even though Bai Gu was in pain and kept gasping, the movements of his hands still didn't stop, and straw sandals kept appearing on the stone table one after another.

The old man glanced at it and knocked the ashes of his cigarette: "If it hurts too much, just rest first, you are so weird." ”

Bai Gu put down a straw shoe that he had braided, bared his teeth, and then smiled again, and said a little embarrassedly: "Please Xu Ye help me boil the kettle, I want to scald, my hands are stiff." ”

The old man glanced outside the pavilion again, it was almost noon, and he could go cook by the way, "Well, you wait." ”

When the old man went to the kitchen, Bai Gu put his hands together to his mouth, pressed his palms against each other with few scars, and rubbed them while sighing, trying to warm up his frozen hands and feel better.

Looking at the stone table...... Two...... Three...... Fifteen, fifteen straw sandals, Bai Gu nodded, very satisfied with this number.

At this rate, I can make about twenty pairs of straw sandals today, which is still a little less, and it is very hard to go up the mountain and lead the way, and it is still the age of the old man.

Even if it was twenty pairs of straw sandals, Bai Gu still felt that the old man was at a loss.

"Well, here comes the hot water." The old man brought a basin of water, and there was still a mist behind him.

Bai Gu just glanced at it, and knew that the water had just been brought to a boil. It's just that at this temperature, are you sure that your hands won't be cooked directly when you put it in?

The old man knocked the cigarette ash and said with a smile: "It's not hot, I'll mix it with some cold water." ”

Bai Gu always felt that the old man's smile was a little unreliable, and he put his hand into the basin suspiciously.

In an instant, a thrill of ten thousand needles piercing his heart surged towards Bai Gu from his two hands like a wave, and he breathed in cold breath.

Even if it hurt so much that he jumped to his feet, he didn't scream.

The old man laughed: "Hahaha, you kid can really bear it, you don't make a sound." Then he walked back to the kitchen, "You soak slowly, I'll cook first." ”

Bai Gu is completely numb now.

The hands, and even the whole body, were not only stiffened by the cold wind, but also because of the pain, the pain was numb.

————————

In Lingding Alley.

Bai Xiaoxiao had just helped Ah Yue wipe her body, and was squatting at the door to pour out the dirty water in the basin.

But as soon as she raised her head, she saw several children standing around the corner, staring at her.

Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly had a bad feeling.

Although he is a child, he still grew up in Lingding Alley, although he is not tall or strong, but for Bai Xiaoxiao, a ten-year-old girl, he can't resist it.

Besides, there is a child inside, even taller than Bai Gu!

Bai Xiaoxiao just wanted to stand up and run into the house, but the group of children moved faster. I heard the tallest kid howl, "Hurry up, catch her!" She must have something to eat at home! ”

Several children jumped out and pounced on Bai Xiaoxiao before she was about to enter the door, crushing her to the ground.

Bai Xiaoxiao struggled violently: "What are you going to do!" Let me go! ”

The other children rushed in and rushed into the room behind Bai Xiaoxiao, churning around. After a while, several children were holding a few baked cakes, a shabby cotton coat, and a quilt that was not too thick.

When Bai Xiaoxiao saw the cotton clothes and quilts, she immediately struggled more and more, "You are not allowed to move!" Don't take my family's cotton clothes and quilts! Let me go! You bastards! ”

The tall child led by him walked up and kicked Bai Xiaoxiao's face: "I'll fuck you, I can do whatever I want, I want you to take care of it." He glanced at the cotton clothes on Bai Xiaoxiao's body again, turned his head and said to the child behind her: "The cotton clothes on her body are not bad, take them off and wear them." ”

Two children stepped forward, cooperating with the little white child who had just been suppressed, ready to rip off the cotton clothes on her body.

Bai Xiaoxiao struggled even harder.

After all, it is one of the few cotton clothes in the family.

This is still left by my brother!

It must not be snatched away!

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaoxiao used all the strength to breastfeed, so that five or six children couldn't hold her down.

Seeing this, the tall child frowned, and couldn't help but be a little angry. He stepped forward in one step, and with one foot, he stepped directly on Bai Xiaoxiao's back.

With so much force, the dust under Bai Xiaoxiao's body was lifted up a little.

Without waiting for Bai Xiaoxiao to cry out in pain, the tall child grabbed Bai Xiaoxiao's hair and pulled her head up a little. Then he punched straight into the back of Bai Xiaoxiao's head.

Several children around heard a muffled "bang" sound.

The tall child didn't seem to be relieved, so he shook off the little ones who helped hold down Bai Xiao and lifted her up.

Suffering three heavy blows to the face, back and back of the head, Bai Xiaoxiao's consciousness at this time had begun to blur, and he couldn't raise the strength to resist, let alone make a sound.

The tall child carried Bai Xiaoxiao by the back of the neck, treated her like a sandbag, and poured several punches into her abdomen in a row, and then threw Bai Xiaoxiao to the ground with satisfaction.

I also have food, and there are cotton clothes, which is good. The tall kid was very satisfied with the operation.

He raised his arms, and the other children followed him out of the hut.

Only Bai Xiaoxiao, who was covered in injuries on the ground and looked like a broken porcelain villain, and Ah Yue, who had already passed out while lying on the bed and had a face like snow.

————————

Snowy night, waning moon, so on the snow peak.

The place where Bai Gu weaves straw shoes has been moved to the house, because it is dark outside, the wind and snow are heavy, and the kerosene lamp is not easy to ignite, so he can only go back to the house.

"Thirty-seven, and there are still three left, twenty pairs." Bai Gu grinned.

Bai Gu glanced out the window, and the moon had begun to sink in the west.

"It's late, it's late." The old man's voice suddenly came from the door, "I'm going to look for ginseng tomorrow, go to bed early, and nourish your spirits." ”

"Okay, Master Xu, go to bed early!"

The old man stood at the door, glanced at the kerosene lamp in the white lonely house, and wondered if there was too much kerosene.

But he didn't do much, and the old man went straight back to the house to rest.

The wind and snow do not stop, and the bright moon does not stop.

The small lights in the house were on overnight.