Today an uninvited guest came to the town, a boy of about thirteen or fourteen years old passed out at the gate of the village. The young man was ragged, his hair was messy, and he was covered with dust, like a lost dog.

In a school in the village, a teacher was leading a group of children to read, and as he read, he frowned and could not continue.

"Sir, sir?" reminded one student, "what's wrong with you?"

Hearing the child's voice, the gentleman reacted, "Oh oh! It's okay, let's continue." ”

"Feng Yi is only an image, how can he know it?"

"Feng Yi is only an image, how can he know it?"

"Light and darkness, but what is the time?"

"Light and darkness, but what is the time?"

............

This was when the boy had just stepped into the village.

————

The boy woke up in a dark sky, accompanied by a slight pain in his head.

"Where is this? Why am I here?" the boy slowly propped himself up, dizzy and disgusting, and gradually fell into deep thought, only the pain in his head was in response, and everything else was like a blank slate. I don't know!

The boy looked around, the surrounding twilight fields were as deep as water, the lights in the village were faint, only the bright moon hung for a long time, and the galaxy drew a colorful exercise. I thought to myself, "Now it's imperative to find a place to rest and survive the night." ”

With that, the boy walked towards the village.

It's winter, and although there is no snow, the cold wind blowing on your body is still unbearable. The young man put his arms around his shoulders, looking around for a place to rest, the moonlight was like washing, and a layer of frost was laid on his shoulders, as if the cold weather had added a coat to the young man, cold or cold.

In the middle of the night, the boy wandered around like a lost dog, and finally he found a place where he could settle down temporarily, a dilapidated temple.

The dilapidated temple, the broken walls, the statue of the god is broken, a Maitreya Buddha statue in the center, half of the face is broken, there is only one of the two big lop ears left, the smile in the night is also terrifying, and even occasionally there are cockroaches crawling over the cheeks of the Buddha statue, and the Buddha statue that once represented the sacred and the best is now like a golem.

But there was no way, so the boy had to rest here. He found some dry straw and put it on the ground as a mat, and slept on it with a layer of straw as a quilt. The night passed like this, accompanied by the rotting smell of straw and the squeaking of rats above the temple beams.

That night, the boy had a dream, in which an old man with gray hair stood on the top of the mountains, his long hair was blown by the strong wind, and his sleeve robe was constantly swaying in the wind. ”

It was soon dawn, and the boy got up early, and his mind kept echoing the dreams he had made at night, he had to live, and only by living could he figure out his life experience, and he muttered to himself: "Live!"

He came to an inn and found the guy at the counter and asked, "May I ask if you are short of people to work here?"

He was small and barely allowed his eyes to show the counter, so he had to keep tiptoeing to reveal more of his body. However, his feet were not strong enough, and his body was constantly shaking, and he was very tired.

"There is no shortage of people, the clerks are full. The man didn't raise his head, and kept moving his abacus.

The boy was a little anxious, because this was the third one he had found, "I don't have to pay too much, as long as I can give a little food, I can do anything, wash dishes, serve dishes and even clean ......"

The guy looked up and saw a teenager in front of him, and was shocked: "How old are you?

The boy was overwhelmed by the questions, because he didn't know these things himself, his eyes were in a trance, and he didn't dare to look at the man: "I'm eighteen years old, and I got lost with my family, so I came to look for a job." Don't look at my small body, but I have the strength, and I can do anything. ”

These are all lies he made up, full of loopholes.

The man saw the clue at a glance, from the young man's shabby clothes, his hands full of frostbite, and the strong smell of rotten grass and trees on his body, all of which spoke for themselves, and he immediately felt pity. But when he thought of the vicious face of the store manager, if he accepted this person, he would definitely be deducted from his salary and even beaten, he said with some embarrassment: "There is no shortage of people here, you can go to another house." ”

There was a light in the young man's eyes, and he finally stood on tiptoe no longer with his feet, and the whole person was a little shorter as if he had collapsed, "Oh, that's it, that's it, thank you, little master." ”

After speaking, he lowered his head and walked out slowly step by step, like an old man in the twilight.

The guy looked at the back of the young man, and his heart was full of thoughts, "Such a young child, which house is not a treasure, why is it so miserable?"

This reminded him of his past, the same appearance, similar encounters, the only difference was that he was a few years older than his teenager.

Just as the young man was about to step out of the threshold of the store with one face, the guy was ruthless in his heart: "Mother, fight." ”

"Wait a minute!" the man caught up, "don't go yet, if you really want to eat, I've got a way to get some food." I don't know if you'd like to?"

The young man lifted his spirits, "It's okay, little master, you can say it." ”

The man said the plan in his heart, "I'll take you to the store manager later, and when he asks, I'll say that you are my distant relative, and you came here to eat with me." Our store manager is more cunning, you will never open a good condition for a child, if you want to endure it, if you don't want to, I don't force it, but when it really starts, you don't want to end it. Once the store manager finds out, I will also suffer. ”

The young man's heart was full of gratitude, and a thousand words could only be summed up in one sentence: "Thank you! Thank you very much!"

This was the first time the boy felt the kindness of others after waking up, and this chaotic brain temporarily gained a trace of clarity.

"Don't say anything, come with me. The guy led the way for the boy, "I will act like a little later, and if I can't do it, I won't talk less." ”

If you say more, you will lose, this young man still understands, "Hmm!"

————

The guy knocked on the door of a courtyard, "Store manager, I've brought you a new person." ”

A lazy reply came from inside the room, "Come in." ”

After that, the boy saw a scene that he would never forget, and every time he remembered this scene, the boy would be sad for a long time.

I saw that the guy took a deep breath, and his face, which was originally normal, began to change his expression, and he exhaled in one breath, all of which changed, this was a smile full of smiles, but this smile was full of greasy stutters.

Pushing open the door, a lean middle-aged man was smoking a dry cigarette, swallowing clouds and spitting fog, surrounded by a pile of ledgers.

When the man saw the young man, he lowered his head and took a deep puff of cigarette, and slowly exhaled a cloud of smoke, "Dayong, Dayong, are you kid tired of living? Pull me a little beggar back, look at his thin arms and legs, what can he do?"

After speaking, he squinted and glanced at the guy named Dayong, like a man on his back!

The guy immediately ran over to beat the store manager's back, with a smile on his face, and said flatteringly: "Store manager, you listen to me and you slowly, this little guy is a distant relative of mine." This isn't a disaster at home, this person, the dead are dead, the ones who escaped, this kid came to me after listening to his temporary mother's words, and the road was difficult and tortuous, you said that I can't see death without help, this conscience can't get by! And don't look at his small body, but he still has the strength. ”

The store manager took another puff of cigarette and said in a deep voice, "Well, it's weird to hear that." But you also know that lately there have been people everywhere who want to eat, and I'm not a bodhisattva, where can I tolerate these chickens and dogs?"

The guy kept beating his back with one hand, patted his chest with the other, and said: "Store manager, you are humble, aren't you the reincarnation of a Bodhisattva in my eyes, as for this little guy, I wonder if the stable is not dirty and no one goes, let him clean the stable." ”

"To the left, yes, yes, that's it! It's been really hard work lately. The shopkeeper exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "The whole shop is your clever boy, so I transferred you to the counter, and the stable is indeed a good place." Let's arrange it for him!"

The guy smiled, "The store manager, you have a good reputation, mainly because you teach well." ”

The guy paused for a moment and said, "So how do you get that salary?"

The shopkeeper stopped smoking a cigarette, put down the cigarette stick, and said in a solemn tone, "What? Salary! I will provide him with food and shelter, and if it weren't for me, he would have starved to death outside! You said Dayong, how much money are you worth for your life?"

The store manager is also a veteran of this industry, not only unwilling to pay the salary, but also puts the responsibility on the guy.

The guy broke out in a cold sweat, and in a blink of an eye, he returned to the appearance of a dog's legs, not that he wanted to, but that he was ready to fly, and he didn't allow him to regret it, "Yes, yes, yes! The store manager is merciful and chivalrous, and it is my desire for profit, I don't know what to do." ”

The store manager took the cigarette stick again, took a puff, this time did not spit out, but let the smoke and words come out together, and resumed his lazy tone, "Well! Take him down. When you go out, remember to call Xiaolan up, I have some accounts I want to check with her?"

The guy was relieved, "Okay!"

After saying that, he took the boy away, and just as the two of them were about to go out, a voice stopped them.

"Wait a minute, I thought about it for a while, and I felt that I really didn't give a cent, which was really not good, but I really didn't have any money left to pay my salary. The store manager looked sad and had a flash of inspiration, "Otherwise, how about the guy give him 30% of your salary, since they are relatives, they should help each other." ”

When he mentioned the word "relative", the man deliberately accentuated his tone.

The guy's heart was cold, he gritted his teeth and said, "The store manager is really considerate, I am deeply grateful, everything is obeyed by the store manager!"

Led the boy out of the room.

When everyone went out, the store manager lay back, and the recliner swayed slowly, revealing the two rows of teeth that had been yellowed from long-term smoking, and sneered, "Relatives? Hahaha!

The store manager looked sarcastic, very disdainful of the guy's actions.

In the early years, when he followed others around doing business and encountered gangsters robbing money, he said that it would be good for everyone to hand over half of their money, although they were reluctant at that time, but after all, life is important, and half of them should be half.

What is hateful is that there is a young man who knows some martial arts to learn from the chivalrous bones, to ensure that they are thorough, this is good, the young man was hacked to death under the gangster's knife in three strokes and two blows.

The gangsters were injured and unhappy, so they directly robbed them of all their money and property, and threatened to say that it was the medical expenses! It is not ridiculous, and they have no ability to pretend to be a hero to save the United States.

The store manager's eyes were foggy, only accompanied by thick smoke, swaying, and the whole person was also in and out of the smoke, looming.

As for how much human life is worth, it is really not worth a few dollars except for his own!

Thinking about it, the store manager laughed, and this feeling of being high made him very happy.

The man led the boy to the stable, and explained some daily things, nothing more than feeding the horses once in the morning, noon and evening, washing the horse trough, cleaning up the horse manure, and so on. Matters are trivial, that is, they are a little dirty with horse manure and horse urine all day long.

"It's not bitter, it's dirty, there's no way, I'm too small to do this, you just do it. The guy is still smiling, the warm sunshine is reassuring, "By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Da Yong's surname Zhao, don't mind calling me Brother Da Yong, what's your name?"

The boy lowered his head, a little at a loss, and whispered, "I... I don't remember, I forgot everything. ”

Da Yong's expression was complicated, a little distracted, and after a long time, he put his hand on the young man's shoulder gently, and said slowly: "In this way, how about I give you a name, and call it 'Da Niu'? ”

The boy didn't speak, just nodded, and agreed.

"Okay, you get acquainted with the environment here first, and I'll come back to you later, I still have work to do, so I won't accompany you. With that, the man walked outside.

"Brother Dayong!" the young man suddenly shouted loudly, stopping Dayong, "Thank you, really thank you for doing so much for me." ”

Dayong didn't look back, just turned his back to the boy, shrugged his shoulders, smiled slightly, waved his hand, and left.

After a few days, Da Niu basically got used to life here, and his work was extremely hard, so he was safe.

That night, Da Niu and Da Yong slept in the same bed. The room is not big, a bed occupies thirty percent of the space, the kind of bed and sleep is unrealistic for ordinary people, the so-called room is even more extravagant.

At the end of the day's work, both of them were more tired.

Da Niu suddenly asked, "Brother Da Yong, have you ever read?"

Da Yong felt that it was rare, after all, Da Niu was an extremely introverted person, and he usually didn't speak, so he lay down and said, "No, I can't read a few words." ”

In fact, during the great famine, Dayong hurriedly brought out an ancestral "Book of Agriculture" from his family, the family has been farming for generations, and there were also a few reading seeds earlier, but none of them have ever been famous, and slowly there is no longer any literacy. Dayong didn't understand this book "Agricultural Book" at that time, and Dayong, who was naturally studious, silently memorized the symbols on the book, flipped back and forth, thinking that he would take these out and ask others when he had the opportunity in the future. But later, on the way to escape, a brother fainted from hunger, so he took the book to a small bookstall and sold it for two cents, and bought a few steamed buns. Later, people still died, leaving only one Dayong to survive by gnawing on the book jacket and eating grass roots, and human life was also worthless, and some people either got separated on the way to escape, or simply died on the road.

Dayong had a lot of thoughts and remembered many, many past events. I was a little distracted for a while.

"Brother Da Yong?" Da Niu's reminder pulled Da Yong back from his distraction, "Then why can you say so many literati words?" Da Niu continued to ask, he didn't say that day, when Da Yong patted the store manager, there were a lot of words that he still didn't understand, thinking of this, Da Niu was a little sad.

Dayong took a long breath, it was cold at night in winter, he wrapped the quilt tighter, and said: "That's because most of the people who usually come to the inn are from outside, literati, officials, and merchants, but without exception, they basically have a little culture to go out." And I usually secretly pay attention to the words and deeds of these people and study secretly. If you don't know how to keep it in your heart, the next time you encounter the same words, you can compare them and probably guess the meaning. It was a little troublesome at first, but over time it was almost the same. So if you ask me to write, I may really not be able to write a few words, but I can just do some lip service. ”

Da Niu was very surprised, he didn't expect that Brother Da Yong loved learning so much, and he didn't expect that he could study in this way, he secretly made up his mind to pay more attention to these personnel.

"Then there's the academy. Dayong said again.

"Academy?" Da Niu was very curious. He had never heard of such a place.

"Yes, Academy. "Speaking of the academy, Dayong is also interested, and he also shows a rare yearning for the academy, "Fenglai Road in the town comes to the end, there is a academy, and there is only one small town in the academy, called Zhang Shi, and everyone usually calls him Mr. Zhang." Mr. Zhang is a very good person, although he is sometimes hot-tempered, but he is deeply loved by everyone. Usually I go to the gate of the academy when I have time, secretly listen to some gentlemen's lectures, memorize them all, and go home to figure it out for myself. Mr. Zhang didn't care about someone eavesdropping, and sometimes even took the initiative to help me answer some questions. ”

"And such a good thing!"

"Of course! I'll show you there another day. ”

"Yes, yes!"

In this way, after the two parties agreed with each other, they went to sleep one after another.