Su Chen held a small bamboo raft carrying a fishing basket full of fish and shrimp, and went to an old fishing boat moored on the bank of Zhouzhuang Water Town, his excited little face was flushed, ready to go back to the old fishing boat to see his father and mother.

The dawn of the river is foggy, and you can barely see a few fishermen's lights, which is eye-catching. On the bank of a river in Zhouzhuang Water Town, there is an old fishing boat of Su Chen's family.

The ancestors of the Su family have been fishing in Zhouzhuang Water Town for generations, and the family of five lives on this old fishing boat.

The roof of the old fishing boat is a simple shack made of bamboo strips and dry straw, and the shed is coated with a layer of yellow mud to resist the cold wind, which has already dried up and cracked, and there are many more cracks.

The entrance to the shack was closed by a shabby curtain, which had been used for too long, and it was broken and leaking. The cold wind poured into the fishing cabin through the cracks in the curtain, and the chill was biting.

On the blackened roof hung a dim oil lamp, shallow to the bottom, swaying with a dim red light, barely able to see what was going on in the shack.

In the hut by the curtain of the door, there is a small earthen stove, which is made of red clay, on which is set up a clay pot, boiling a small pot of clear porridge, on which floats a few cabbage leaves, and there is no oil, water and salt flowers in it.

A dry wood fire burned under the stove, and sparks were bubbling outside.

In the shack in the cold winter, it is all because of the heat in the stove that it can barely maintain a little warmth.

An old wooden barrel was placed next to the stove, and in it were a few small crucian carp with their mouths open and closed.

At the very back of the shack were old wooden beds and musty bedding, in which two dirty three or four-year-old children were sleeping, curled up in the bedding and occasionally babbling.

Most of the fishermen in Zhouzhuang Water Township are so poor. It is already very good to be able to get a little oil, salt and meat on it during the New Year's holidays.

Daddy Su's swarthy face was full of wrinkles, squatting by the stove, holding a cold pipe, and inhaling the cold smoke in a dull manner.

Inferior old dry tobacco leaves, very dry, occasionally coughing a few times.

Su Lao Niang was busy with her hands, sewing a worn-out fishing net next to the bed, and her face was sad.

"Child's father, our family didn't save a lot of money this year, and we only saved four taels of silver at the end of the year. Seeing that the New Year is going to be celebrated, a boat donation will be paid to the county government before the year, and this bit of silver will be gone all of a sudden.

We caught fish and shipped them to the county to sell, but the Giant Whale Gang's weighing fee has not yet been settled. If this continues, I'm afraid I won't be able to survive this winter. ”

Mrs. Su mended the old fishing nets, chattered and sighed.

The boat donation of the Gusu County Ya is five taels of silver per year, which must be handed over before the New Year, otherwise the group of fierce and vicious officials of the county Ya will go to the countryside to find the door and detain the fishing boat and not allow it to go into the water.

The Giant Whale Gang is one of the five major gangs in the thirteen counties of Wu County, entrenched in Taihu Lake, rampant in the huge Wu County for hundreds of years, monopolizing thousands of miles of large and small lakes and river transportation, and levying a weighing fee on the fishermen of Zhouzhuang, one or two silver per month.

The fishermen have to pay it every month, otherwise the Giant Whale Gang will not allow the fishermen to transport fish to the county town to sell, and no matter how much fish they catch, they will only rot on the fishing boat.

Fishermen can't sell their fish, and their livelihoods are cut off, which is a dead end.

For those honest fishermen in Zhouzhuang, the Giant Whale Gang is a fierce tiger and wolf that eats people and does not spit out bones, bullying men and women, extorting and robbing, and is more vicious than the officials of the yamen, and they dare not resist at all.

"Let's do it~!"

Father Su is an old fisherman, so of course he knows these accounts in his heart.

There is still a full two taels of silver, that is, two thousand copper coins, and it is very difficult to endure this winter.

Every New Year's Day is like a catastrophe.

After surviving this catastrophe, there will be more big fish in the big lake next spring, and the income will be slightly better.

There is no other way but to go down to the lake before dawn every day and desperately catch a little more fish. He is an honest fisherman, and he has resisted so hard all his life.

It's just that it's a cold winter now, and there are very few big fish in the lake. Seeing that the New Year is over, in just over a month, even if you don't sleep at night, you can't earn two taels of silver anyway.

I have no choice but to go to Zhouzhuang's squire Zhou Dahu to borrow some loan money and repay it next year. But the squire's silver is profitable, and it is easy to borrow it, but it is difficult to repay it.

Daddy Su just didn't say a word, and the cold pipe smoked harder.

"The child's father, let's send the big baby to the big family in the county to be a messenger. Dawa is now twelve years old, sensible, and can do some rough work, let's find a kind big family for him, and he can also have a way to live. ”

Su Lao Niang thought about it for a long time before she looked sad and said an idea.

Large families in Gusu County often collect some young men and women from poor families in the lunar month, and they have been domestic servants and maidservants since childhood, and they will give a settlement fee of ten taels of silver, but they must sign a lifelong deed of sale.

After signing the deed of sale, it is not a commoner but a pariah, and the whole person belongs to the master's family.

If the master's family is not kind, and the slave is abused and beaten to death, he does not violate the king's law, and at most he will pay a little silver.

Therefore, if there is still a little hope for the poor, they will not send their children to be slaves and maids for large families, and put their lives in the hands of others.

But this winter, the family really can't get through it, and if they don't send the big baby to the big family's house as a slave, what can they do if they stay at home?

Although they are slaves to other people's families, the slaves of the big families in the county are dressed decently, and the rice and noodles they eat are better than those of the fishermen, which is better than starving to death or dying of disease.

If there is another way out, Su Lao Niang doesn't want her baby to go to someone else's house to be a house slave.

But the days are very hard, so that Su Lao Niang has long understood the most simple truth, and the idea of surviving is the last word. This is their life, and it is also Su Chen's life.

"Shut up!

Father Su was furious, trembling with excitement, pointing at Mrs. Su, as if he was angry that she actually said this.

Let him sell the big baby, this is simply cutting his heart and digging his heart's blood.

"Daddy, the big baby is the meat that fell from my mother's body. If there is another way, I don't want to! Don't forget, father, his illness is terrible! If his illness happens again this year, how can he live!"

Mrs. Su cried, and the old tears were all over the place, and she said.

When the eldest baby was born, Su Lao Niang did not have enough milk, and the eldest baby was hungry and cried, shedding green tears on the bed, forming two bluestones.

After a while, the eldest baby turned pale and her lips were purple, and she couldn't do it.

The two of them had never heard of the strange disease of the "Fossil of Tears".

I took the baby to the county seat overnight to find a doctor, and searched dozens of pharmacies in the city, and the doctors were stunned, saying that this was a rare and strange disease that was unheard of and not even recorded in the medicine books.

Some doctors even said that it was a disease of early death, and even if it was saved this time, it would still die if it was not more than two or three years old, and it would be lost.

But Father Su and Mrs. Su didn't throw away the big baby, and they heard the people in the county say that the real people of Hanshan Taoist Temple in Hanshan are powerful and omnipotent. They knelt for three days and three nights outside the Hanshan Daoguan Gate at the west gate of the county seat, begging the old man.

Finally, I begged the old viewer to come forward to diagnose the big baby, and after seeing the dying big baby, he said that the big baby's illness was very strange, and this disease should be the legendary 'heavenly hatred disease', and he was hated by God and didn't let him live.

The strange stone that fell down was the 'Heavenly Hate Stone', and there was a leak of vitality in the body. The method of replenishing vitality with ginseng medicine may be able to temporarily prolong life. But it can only be saved for a while, but it can't cure the root of the disease.

This method is also very simple, that is, ginseng medicine is very expensive.

They hurriedly spent half a year's savings and bought a ten-year-old wild ginseng in the pharmacy, and sure enough, they saved the baby's life and slowly raised it to the age of twelve.

Over the years, the Su family has deliberately left one or two pieces of silver every year to buy ginseng for the eldest baby. If the eldest baby cries out bluestone tears, she will immediately use ginseng medicine to renew her life.

"This year's fishing harvest is not good, and now even the county government's boat donation and the giant whale gang's weighing fee are insufficient, and there is still a full two taels of silver. If he cries bluestone tears, without the money to buy ginseng medicine to save his life, he will definitely not survive this winter!"

"But in our family's situation, how can we have extra money to buy ginseng medicine?"

"Send the baby to a big family in the county to be a slave, at least he doesn't have to worry about food and clothing, maybe he can save some money to marry a daughter-in-law. But stay at home, in case you get sick, how can you have life-saving money?"

Mrs. Su babbled about her hard work over the years.

Father Su fell silent, smoking a cold cigarette, and his head was lowered. Su Lao Niang said this, how can he not know.

The name of the big baby "dust" is still given by the real people of Hanshan, saying that only the dust in the world is the cheapest, and it is easy to survive if it is not hated by God.

The eldest baby has been sensible since she was a child, rarely crying, and rarely cries once a year.

But after more than ten years of accumulation, Su Chen has cried more than a dozen times one after another, and spent a lot of money to buy ginseng medicine.

Daddy Su has been a copper coin and a copper coin over the years, and he has saved up the copper money to buy ginseng medicine, how can he not be clear about this.

The county government's annual boat donation of five taels and the monthly weighing fee of the Giant Whale Gang are a heavy burden on the family, and the whole family is breathless.

Su Chen's occasional strange illness every year made it even worse, and he weighed on top of these heavy burdens.

Daddy Su has been gritting his teeth all these years and holding on.

This winter's fishing harvest was too poor, and the family's silver shortfall was too great, and there was no extra money at all.

No one knows when the baby will cry next time.

If the eldest baby cries again, and the family has no money to buy ginseng medicine to continue her life, I am afraid that she will really die of illness.

Thinking of this, Father Su was silent, burying his head in sorrow and inhaling the old dry smoke.

Perhaps, the child is right.

Sending the baby to a big family in the county as a slave will be very hard, and he will often be beaten and scolded by the master's family, but he can get back ten taels of silver, and buy ginseng medicine in time to live a life.

In this difficult world, if you can survive, it is already God's grace, how dare you expect anything else.

If you don't have the money to buy ginseng medicine, the baby's life will be gone, and there will be nothing.

Old fishing boats, smoky, oil lamps dim and dim.

In the shack, Mrs. Su lamented without a word.

Daddy Su smoked a cold cigarette and was silent most of the time, thinking about waiting for the eldest baby to come back and tell the eldest baby about it. Big baby, maybe... Agree with it.

...

Outside the dilapidated old fishing boat of the Su family.

Su Chen stood alone on the small bamboo raft, the joy of returning from fishing had already disappeared, his face was as pale as snow, his eyes were full of lost souls, his thin and thin body trembled uncontrollably, and his little hands were holding the bamboo pole in his hand.

His lower lip was bitten with his teeth so hard that it almost bled out.

Su Chen knew that he had been born with a strange illness since he was a child, and whenever he cried and turned into bluestone, he would be seriously injured and seriously ill, almost losing half of his life, and bringing a catastrophe to this stormy family.

His fragile life is like a swaying bamboo lantern fishing fire, which may be extinguished by a cold wind at any time.

Whenever that happens, my father and mother will frown sadly, spend most of the savings for half a year to go to the pharmacy in the county town to buy back a ginseng plant, and boil it in fish soup to replenish his vitality.

Su Chen has always felt guilty about this.

Since he was five or six years old and sensible, he began to help his father and mother do some chores, and when he was more than ten years old, he could start to make some small fish and shrimp independently to make a little money, and try his best to help his father and mother reduce the burden. Save copper money to buy ginseng medicine, and try to survive as much as possible.

However, when he heard with his own ears that his father and mother wanted to sell him to a big family in the county as a slave, Su Chen was still devoured by thunder, and his heart was painful.

Daddy doesn't want him anymore, she wants to sell him!

Su Chen's mind was muddy, and only the hollow remained, and he forcibly endured the sourness in his eyes.

The bad news that he had not wanted to face all these years finally came.

He tilted his head, closed his eyes, and it took him a long time to recover from the bad news!

I didn't dare to have the slightest resentment in my heart.

Daddy went to the big lake to fish before dawn every day, and it didn't go until sunset. The mother accompanied her to help cast the net during the day, and mended the net and knitted clothes at home at night, always staying up until late at night.

His father and mother worked hard to raise him for 12 years, and his gray hair was born early, and his kindness was like a mountain.

They have done their best.

It's just that~... , It's just ~, hearing with his own ears that his father and mother were discussing selling him to a big family in the county as a slave, Su Chen felt really uncomfortable, and he wanted to cry out uncomfortably.

But if he cried, he would get seriously ill, and he didn't have the money to buy expensive ginseng medicine.

If you don't take medicine, you'll die.

He doesn't want to die!

Su Chen didn't dare to cry, biting his lip to death, his heart was sour, and he forcibly endured the sourness in his eyes.

Wandering outside the old fishing boat for a long time.

He was more precocious and sensible than his peers, but after all, he was only an ignorant teenager of twelve years old. The drastic change of his fate is helpless and hesitant at a loss.

It seems that his disease cannot be cured for a lifetime, and he can't continue to drag down his family. Without the drag of this strange disease, the pressure at home can be reduced a lot.

It's time to go to Gusu County to find a job and support yourself, maybe you can earn more copper money and send it home to help your father and mother reduce their burden.

If you get sick... Leave yourself to fend for yourself!

Su Chen showed a look of absoluteness.

He felt that his whole body was cold and about to stiffen, so he rubbed his hands and feet vigorously, put a fishing basket full of fish and shrimp on the bamboo raft, and gently placed it in front of the old fishing boat.

After thinking about it, he untied a small linen money bag around his waist, which contained more than forty or fifty copper coins.

Every time Su Chen caught a big fish at night, and followed the fishermen and adults of Zhouzhuang to sell it in the county seat, he would privately leave a penny of copper coins, just in case he shed bluestone tears, and he would go to buy ginseng medicine to continue his life.

The small bag of copper money that I have saved is not much, and I can't buy a ginseng plant. The New Year is coming soon, and this copper coin is left for younger brothers and sisters to buy two new clothes, so that parents will be less worried.

Su Chen also put this small money bag in front of the fishing boat.

All he had in his arms was a small cloth bag containing more than a dozen green tear stones, and half of the cold nest that he hadn't eaten when he was fishing at dawn. Apart from that, there is nothing else of value.

Su Chen knelt on the cold and water-soaked bamboo raft on his knees, and kowtowed three times to the old fishing boat upright.

I'm gone!

Take care of your parents, forgive the child for not being filial in front of his knees!

Second brother and third sister, don't say goodbye, my brother can't take care of you every day! You must grow up well and do your filial piety for your brother and your father.

Su Chen's childish little face couldn't hide his sadness, and after worshipping, he got up, and his little red hands struggled to prop up the cold bamboo pole and slowly slid towards the distant river.

...

"Whoa~!"

Daddy Su seemed to vaguely hear the sound of water outside the old fishing boat's shack. At first, he didn't care, thinking that other fishermen got up early to go fishing in the big lake, and splashed near the old fishing boat.

Suddenly, he thought that Dawa would get up at night and go fishing in the river, and he would almost come back at this time. It can't be the sound of the big baby's bamboo raft, right?!

Father Su's face changed, and he hurriedly lifted the curtain of the fishing boat and rushed out of the shack.

I saw that on the bow of the old fishing boat, a fishing basket full of fish and shrimp was placed upright, and there was a small cloth money bag with a big baby on it, which was placed upright and flat without the slightest wrinkle.

Daddy Su's wrinkled old face was all shocked.

It's a big baby's thing, but the person is gone.

Could it be that Dawa heard what his mother said just now?

Don't look at the big baby, she has a calm temperament since she was a child, sensible and not impulsive. But he is very strong in his bones, and he will only have blood when he knocks out his teeth, and he swallows it in his stomach without saying a word.

If the eldest baby heard that he was going to sell him, he would definitely not be able to stand such a stimulus, and he would not know what stupid thing to do.

"Big baby~~, come back!"

Daddy Su couldn't help but be anxious.

"Baby, my mother is wrong, come back!"

Mrs. Su also panicked, staggered out of the cabin, and her heart-rending cries reverberated across the river.

However, in the dark night river, there was a gray mist between the sky and the earth, and where was the shadow of Su Chen's lonely little bamboo raft.