Qin Liu was settling accounts in the private room of Yanzilou until late at night, stretching his waist and was about to go back to the main house to rest, but he heard the sound of rustling in the kitchen.

She thought it was Aunt Ma who was still busy working, and when she went into the kitchen, she saw that it was a dirty, thin, weak, ragged beggar stealing something - he was carrying a piece of sauced beef on the table into his arms.

When the beggar saw Qin Liu appear, he panicked and wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere to hide - the only door that could get out was blocked by Qin Liu.

Qin Liu helplessly supported his forehead: This old man Lou is becoming more and more unreliable, doesn't it mean that no thief dares to come if he is there?

Because there was an old man Lou and a little mute living in the backyard, she was not too afraid, but pointed to the steamer on the stove and said, "The nest inside should still be hot, you can take a few more." ”

The beggar was manipulated by such a god, and he was stunned and did not dare to move.

Qin Liu left the kitchen door indifferently and found a chair in the hall to sit down: "Don't take too much, it's not good if it breaks." ”

There was a sound of the steamer lid being opened and closed in the kitchen, and the beggar turned out of the kitchen, glanced at Qin Liu, who was sitting upright, and went out through the door again.

Qin Liu frowned and kept looking at the beggar.

Judging from the figure, the beggar is a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, with unkempt hair on his bare feet, his whole body is black and dirty, his hands and feet are frostbitten and suppurated, and he walks slightly lame on one leg. It's much worse than the situation of the little mute.

Qin Liu sighed slightly.

Old man Lou's voice came from behind: "The shopkeeper feels sorry for that piece of sauce beef?" ”

Qin Liu glared at him: "The children are all asleep?" Will you come with me? ”

Old man Lou agreed happily: "It's all asleep, let's go!" ”

At night outside the gate in early March, the temperature was still icy, and the watery moonlight added a bit of chill.

Qin Liu immediately shrunk his shoulders when he went out, took the thick cotton jacket handed over by Old Man Lou and put it on, and walked with him in the direction where the beggar disappeared.

The more you walk, the more desolate it becomes, and everywhere you see is broken walls, barren grass and yellow yellow.

Qin Liu was at a loss.

Old man Lou paused, pointed in one direction, and quietly pulled Qin Liu behind the half-section of the earthen wall.

Looking in the direction pointed by Old Man Lou, in the corner of a half-meter-high right-angled earthen wall not far away, two people, one big and two small, were sitting happily eating and chatting. The big one is the beggar boy who just stole something.

One child excitedly said, "Wow! There is meat! Brother Zhao, where did you get it? "Listening to the immature voice, it looks like six or seven years old.

Qin Liu thought to himself, calling each other with his surname, the beggar boy and these two children are not a family.

The beggar boy said, "It's a kind person who gives alms." Eat quickly, and when you are full and strong, you will be able to go to Kannai with me. ”

Another eight-year-old child raised the food in his hand and handed it to the beggar: "Brother Zhao eats meat!" ”

The beggar boy smiled and said, "Brother Zhao has eaten, you can eat it." ”

The six-year-old child said, "Brother Zhao, you are so amazing!" Every day, you can meet kind people who will bring you food. We don't meet good Samaritans when we go out. ”

The beggar boy said, "Don't go out." Your strength is small, and you can't beat someone who grabs a padded jacket. ”

The eight-year-old asked, "Brother Zhao, you are older than us, why do you eat less than us every day?" My brother and I can eat two nests a day, but you only need to eat one? ”

The beggar boy said: "Brother Zhao is big, he is more powerful, and he eats less." ”

The eyes of the two children lit up: "We also have to grow up quickly, like Brother Zhao!" ”

……

Qin Liu tilted his head slightly and leaned against the cold earthen wall behind him, restraining the sourness of his nose.

For the sake of her family's survival and survival, she has been trying her best to ignore the fact that there are still such a group of people in the city who are struggling to survive.

She told herself that her ability was limited, so she could only take care of the people around her and not do too much, so as not to bring unnecessary trouble and disasters to herself.

The ancients had a saying: "Everyone sweeps the snow in front of his own door, who cares about the frost on the house of others?" ”

This set of creeds of self-preservation and refined egoism, she has instinctively always believed in and practiced them.

And the lame and filthy beggar who stole from her shop lived up to the words of the ancients in this ruined corner of the ruins: "The young and the young of man." ”

She is wealthy, employed, and money-wise, and she is a successful person in Shabaozi Town.

She is also a doctor of modern society who has traveled over, a college teacher, and is educated and knowledgeable.

But morally, is she taller and more majestic than that beggar?

Not really.

Ma Ang was able to rescue their mother and son at the risk of disobedience to their superiors and abandonment of their posts on the basis of the feelings of his neighbors alone.

The little mute, with a faint employment relationship, risked his life and broke into the trap set by Master Zhang of a thousand households alone to save their mother and son.

The beggar boy not far away can give the fragrant sauce beef to the little brothers, and give the little living nest to the younger brothers, and he depends on a nest every day to survive......

From the point of view of human nature, who of them is not more glorious and great than her?

Qin Liu wiped the dampness from the corners of his eyes, stood up and walked to the three of them in the corner.

Under the moonlight, Qin Liu smiled faintly: "I still have more nests in my store, if you want to eat every day, why don't you come with me." ”

The beggar boy stood up vigilantly and put his thin body in front of the two children: "Don't believe it! It could be a flower shot! He had instructed the two children behind him.

Qin Liu froze slightly, and looked himself up and down.

Do you look like a trafficker?

She looked at the old man Lou who was hunched behind her and held her hands on her sleeves, and said helplessly to the children in front of her: "I am the shopkeeper of Ma Li dumpling shop in the city, my husband's surname is Li, my mother's surname is Liu, and I also opened a restaurant called Yanzilou. A new inn is being built and is needed.

I've been running shop in town for a year, and I haven't heard anyone say I'm kidnapping children. I also have two children in my family, so why should I abduct someone else's family?

If a few young brothers are willing to come to work with me, they will not be paid for the time being, but they will have a house to live in, three full meals a day, and new clothes and shoes and socks.

If you don't want to do it, you can leave at any time.

If you are interested, come and find me in my shop. Brother Zhao, you know where my store is. By the way, this old man used to sleep on the streets like you, and now he's my buddy. ”

After Qin Liu said this, he turned around and left.

When she got home, she didn't go to bed directly, but went to the warehouse to dig out the extra bedding, found a hut and cleaned it with Old Man Lou, cleaned up the house to a habitable state, and even threw a few firewood into the mouth of the kang and lit it - the weather is getting warmer day by day, and now it looks a little irrational to burn the kang.

Returning to his West House, Qin Liu found that the little mute was sitting on the side of the kang, and the sleeping brothers Da Lang and Erlang were lying on the kang.

She waved her hand and said, "Go back to sleep, if you have anything to say, I'll talk about it tomorrow." ”

The little mute didn't talk much, so he didn't say a word and took the door for her.