Chapter 9 1. At the feet of the Son of Heaven (2)

The craftsman had already lit the fire, took a puff first with a squeak, and exhaled two puffs of smoke from his nostrils with his eyes closed. When he opened his eyes again, he looked ecstatic. "Not bad, not bad, caught up with the smell of Kanto smoke,... this brother is right, kiss is kiss, money is clear, you wait first, I will work for you." The so-called "ugly words" are spoken by the craftsmen, and the money is really low.It took him more than half an hour to work on the two broken shoes with large mouths and small mouths. Hu Huli looked carefully at the side, and only three pieces of leather with a bowl mouth were used.After mending, the craftsman wiped his sweat with his big palm-like hands, and handed the shoes to Hu Huli. The price had obviously been thought out, and he blurted out:

"Three big bucks." Hu Huli had a good impression of this guy who didn't look very pleasing to the eye. When he heard that it only cost three big money, his eyeballs almost fell out, and he couldn't help laughing out loud: "Brother, aren't you being too mean? You're embarrassing my brother, aren't you? Even a fool can see that if you want to work at this price, within three days your stall will be ruined." I can't afford it anymore, brother, you can add more!" The craftsman rubbed his hands, grinned, and looked very simple and honest: "I hear what you say sounds good, I'm convinced you! Medium! If it rises, it will rise! You can pay five big bucks! You pay less, and I earn less! Okay?"

Hu Huli understood that the three big money rose to five big money. If it continues like this, it is purely an unclear lawsuit. When it comes to the sky, the craftsman will not ask for enough money, so he simply stopped arguing and greeted a few people first. The son walks ahead.He took out a dozen Xianfeng Tongbao from his pocket, threw them into the basket with a clatter, turned his head and left, and said politely to the craftsman as he walked: "Brother, brother, there are only so many details, if there is more, you will lose less, let's chat when we have time." The small shop pointed by the old lady is 40 to 50 steps in front of the leather goods store. It is a row of small houses like pigeon cages. I picked four dusty lanterns, each with a word on it, which was enough to make up the auspicious saying "Home away from home".A half-old man waited at the door, and greeted Hu Huli's family when he saw them coming, saying that it was a cheap and affordable hotel, and it was the best place to stay when visiting Beijing.

As the half-old man entered the gate, there was a narrow and dirty corridor in front of him. On both sides of the corridor were two rows of huts with doors next to each other.The door and the walls are all dirty. Going straight in, the two innermost rooms on the left hand side are slightly larger. One of them is already occupied, and only one is opened by General Tie. Don't speak, just turn around and leave. Hu Huli opened the door and went in, only to find out that the old lady had done a good deed. The house was a mess, a miasma, a mess of old things, pieces of cloth, broken bricks, and hay piled all over the floor, and there was a pile of ashes in the corner. It's obvious that the previous owner didn't tidy up before leaving, and the innkeeper seems to be a deacon, and he doesn't even show his appearance.However, this kind of house is exactly what Hu Huli hopes for right now, because it is cheap. After entering the door, Hu Huli discussed the price with the boss, and Hu Huli is very satisfied with it. Everyone in the small family has hands, and it doesn't take much to tidy up such a small house. The only disadvantage is that the house is too low. People of Hu Hu Li's size have to bow their waists to get in and out, otherwise they will have their brains smashed.

There is a row of kangs in the house, which are placed in the inner half. The place to live is quite spacious, ventilated, bright, and warm. In Hu Huli's opinion, it is not bad in all aspects. The family has been busy for a long time. Cleaned up and brand new. Of course, this is all relative. Clean is compared to the original debris, stepping on it and dust blowing on the face. A new look refers to the mess that was originally smeared on the wall, such as dry nose, children's happy paintings. The patterns, as well as the accidental ashes, etc. have now been brushed off, and the careful Mrs. Cao has also used grass paper to frame the wall.Finally, sprinkle some clean water on it, and open the window to let the afternoon sun shine in warmly.Sitting in the shadows, Hu Huli watched half of his wife's face become red and transparent under the sunlight. The children quickly adapted to the environment and played on the bed, fighting hard. Some money, don't let the family go hungry, it's okay to live in this place for the rest of your life!As long as his wife and children are happy, he has nothing else to ask for, nothing at all.If we can go on like this, we can put two more spare cash in our pockets, so that we won't be caught off guard by unexpected bad things, that's enough.

Hu Huli went to sit beside Cao Shi, and stroked her hair lightly. Cao Shi turned her head, smiling at the corners of her brows and eyes, and her eyes were still mellow. Hu Huli was drunk... That night was the first night when the Li family settled down in Beijing. Hu Huli specially bought some marinated pork head meat, and asked Cao to cook some seasonal vegetables. The family sat around and had a delicious meal. .When Hu Huli came back from buying meat, he brought half a catty of wine with him. Mrs. Cao and the children each took a few sips, and the rest was only two or three ounces.Just like that, Hu Huli's eyes were straightened, and his face was as red as a fire.When the children were at home, none of them had anything to do with wine. Little Lingjie drank Zhou Tiedan's old wine when he went to the ghost land that time, and his throat and eyes hurt for several days. The incomparable thing swells the head.But these few were afraid that the old man would be too cold if they didn't take a sip, so they squeezed their necks and took a sip reluctantly, and then five or six pairs of chopsticks were fighting each other in several dishes.

There weren't many dishes, and Hu Huli bought it with a few copper coins after calculating two months' rent and other miscellaneous expenses that could be expected.The five little guys first stretched their chopsticks towards the pork head meat together, and the two chopsticks of one person were not even enough, then the green vegetables, and finally Xiao Wu licked all the speckled vegetable juices left on the bottom of the plate with his tongue.Hu Huli looked at the side of the room, his eyes were sore, he burped twice, and the alcohol surged up, he couldn't sit still.But this is also good, Hu Huli used this energy to speak eloquently in front of his wife and children, and the main idea is to make the Li family work together to gain a firm foothold in Beijing and live a good life as much as possible a little.The children of the Li family had never seen their father with such a brilliant eloquence. Seeing their father's eyes straightened, swaying here and there on the stool while talking, the eyes of several people also became straightened.Hu Huli hiccupped while talking, but fortunately, everyone in the room had drunk alcohol to the bottom, but they couldn't smell the strong smell of alcohol that came out with Hu Huli's breathing.Hu Hu Li said:

"The boss, the second child, the third child, the fourth child, the fifth child, and the mother of the child, you are all here, er..., tonight should be said to be a day of great joy for our Li family. First, we have experienced thousands of years from our hometown. It was difficult to escape here, and finally took a few lives. Our family is still alive. Compared with those dead... people on the road, we have to be reasonable, that is, it is really not easy for us to come here alive, because of this point, we have to think about it, and to say something ugly, we can't treat our lives badly. When we arrived in the capital, we were in the dark up and down, not to mention relatives who were close to each other, and we didn't even have acquaintances. Say we There are other reasons for being overjoyed, Deng Yuan, no, Deng Tianyi, a bastard, got our land away in a different way, and drove us here, but we are really here, maybe One day, when we make a fortune, we have to go back and want our few acres of land. Not only the land, but also people who stand tall. We don’t steam steamed buns to make a living. We fled here from Li Jia, Ordinarily, he was driven to nowhere by the famine, but in fact, you all know that Deng Tianyi is a bastard, so coming here may not be a bad thing, but I would say it is a joy. This is at the feet of the emperor, and the things are good. I don’t know if money is hard to earn, but the old man also said today that as long as you want to go, there is no way you can’t go. No matter if you talk about it from afar or near, we have to worry about it from tomorrow. , We are not afraid of being poor, bitter, dirty, or tired. We are here to survive. At first, we are only here to survive. We are not here to enjoy happiness. Just remember this. At least I won't die in Beijing..."

Hu Huli talked for a long time, and the more he talked, the more he talked, and in the end, although his mouth was still moving, his words became slurred.Mrs. Cao helped him to lie down on the bed, and he finally uttered two clear words: "Patch...shoes...um" Hu Huli got up early the next morning and went to the room next door, which was next to them. When the other passed by there yesterday, Hu Huli was fascinated. The room was obviously dark, dirty and dirty. It was chaotic, but Hu Huli saw several boxes and poles lying vertically in the open door. He was sure that the people living there were craftsmen, and they were probably poor people who fled their homes and escaped with their lives.Hu Huli thinks that these people have been here more than him anyway, so they should be regarded as acquainted, and they can always help out if there is any matter, so he wants to go and have a look, to make connections.He always thought that they were all from poor backgrounds, so they could talk together, besides, it was the last two words that Hu Huli uttered last night, mending shoes.He wanted to learn how to mend shoes, otherwise he would have to stand still and not leave, so he would have to watch Shandong people mend shoes.A few copper coins were also pasted in to repair the pair of rag shoes that could not be worn at all until they looked like a dog's butt.Since he stood by the riverside and looked forward to the heart of the sea, Hu Huli had his own ideas when he made up his mind.Both of his parents died when he was a child, and when he was living on the street, he had to sew up and mend the torn clothes by himself. So I was moved, and I came here to inquire about the market with the craftsman, to see if it would be beneficial to do this job.

It was still early, and as soon as Hu Huli went in, he realized that he was late.In the room is the Datong Kang who is smiling across the room. Dirty and torn bedrolls are lined up side by side on the Tong Kang. The people have obviously left, and the quilts are messily nested together. The room is full of musty smell, and there is also a choking smell. Human smoke.The room is very dark, and those burdens and boxes are lined up in the middle, and they have not been carried away. On one burden is a bench with a whetstone on it, which is used to sharpen scissors and kitchen knives; There are two small copper gongs on it, needless to say, this is for sawing pots and bowls; the other is the kind of pick with a raised wire bottom, there is no doubt that there are also cobblers living here .

The light in the room was dim. After Hu Huli went in, he called the master twice, but no one answered. He closed the door and was about to go out, when someone suddenly asked in the darkest corner: "Who! What's the matter here yelling here early in the morning?" Hu Huli turned around, and heard an impatient groan and the sound of getting dressed in the corner, but it was so dark that he couldn't see anything.He heard the voice very familiar to his ears at first, it seemed to be the shoe repair master, he couldn't help secretly happy, and thought that it would be much easier if it was really him, so he asked tentatively: "Is it the shoe repairer in front of Tongzeng Leather Store?" The Tongzeng Leather Store was mentioned by Xiao Lingjie when he came home, because he stayed there and listened to the boss talking to the southerners. If the boss wanted to brag about his leather goods, he would naturally slap his chest and say how about the fur goods in our Tongzeng Leather Store. The expression, movement and those words became the objects that Little Lingjie tried his best to imitate. After returning home, he kept laughing, patted his chest and muttered about the leather goods store, so Hu Hu Li knew the name of the leather goods store behind the craftsman's stall. The noise was louder in the corner, and a person asked lazily: "Yeah! I was on duty yesterday, why did the big brother ask me?" It really was that one, and it seemed that he had recognized Hu Huli.Hu Hu Li was ecstatic, and when he went up to look, that person had already put on his clothes in a hurry, with bare feet, sitting cross-legged on the bed, yawning, with sleepy eyes, as if he didn't sleep well last night. With the experience of meeting for the first time, and living as neighbors again, the two of them unconsciously felt a little more close, and they talked a lot more freely.It turned out that this person's surname was Li, and his name was Tie Fan, a surname from Qihe County, Qingzhou Prefecture, Shandong Province. After all, he and Hu Huli were still the same surname that could not be separated from the Li family.It turns out that the surname Li of Li Jia Village moved from there during the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty.After such a chat, the two became more intimate. When Hu Huli asked him why he came here all the way from his hometown, Li Tiefan hit the bed with a hammer and said angrily: "It's not because people are poor and short-sighted, plus natural and man-made disasters, I have been out of my hometown for more than ten years. At that time, there were four people in my family, two of them starved to death in a severe drought, my parents died, and I was left And a little brother. Everyone in the village fled to famine, and I also dragged my brother to escape. I originally wanted to go to Kanto, but I went the wrong way. When I got here, my brother fell ill again, and he died after two days. I was also discouraged, and I was too tired to go any further, so I stayed here, alas! Life is hard, money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat! I am here first as a beggar, and after two For three years, although I suffered a lot, I was able to fill my stomach. Later, for some reason, I thought that I should ask for a house wife, and continue the fireworks for the Li family. Look, I have been doing this for more than ten years, let alone She is a daughter-in-law, and she can barely pay the rent, and when the settlement comes at the end of the month, the old man will have to ask for the pig's account from my ass." Hu Huli felt cold when he heard it. If this cobbler lives in such a poor life and can't make money, his idea is clearly declared to be a failure, and he has to find another job, but Hu Huli hasn't done it yet. Giving up easily, he tentatively asked again: "Brother, is it too much to do in this line of work, and there is no big profit to be made?" Li Tiefan shook his head and waved his hands, expressing his denial; "You can't say that, there are three points for doing anything, such a big capital city, no one running around barefoot, everyone has to wear shoes, once wearing shoes On the day of wear and tear, the cobbler’s business is still going on. If it’s done well, you can make seven or eight pairs a day, and you can drink two pots when you come back. Maybe, if you make less, you can still fill your stomach. For example , someone like you, if you want to do this, it’s easy to survive, life is tight for sure, I’m poor because I have other expenses..." Li Tiefan lowered his head when he said this, staring at a wine gourd hanging on the window sill in a daze, Hu Huli suddenly understood, and hope was rekindled in his heart. "Brother Li, as you said, can I do this job?" Hu Huli finally spoke after holding back the words for a long time, and his face turned red in an instant. He was afraid that he would be misunderstood as fighting for the spoon with Li Tiefan, so he added an explanation as soon as he finished speaking: "Brother, I just arrived here, and I don't know a lot of things. In the future, I will ask you to support me more. One family doesn't talk about two different languages. You have seen the situation of brothers. Wife and children, big and small, six or seven, all have to live together." Rely on me to go out to earn my life. Right now it is dark and I can’t think of anything. What I mean by brother is that I will work on this business for ten and a half months. Just think of another way." Li Tiefan became a saw-mouthed gourd now, Hu Huli asked several times in succession, he kept smoking his pipe in silence.Hu Huli knew this old man's temper, and there must be other reasons for his indecision. Sure enough, after smoking a bag of cigarettes, Li Tiefan said: "Big brother, I, Li Tiefan, see that you are a confidant, so I will tell you the whole story. The city of Beijing is big and small, with three hundred and sixty lines, and there are rules and roads for every walk. You just say shoe repairer , there are also a lot of particularities, and the craftsmen in each place have a leader, to put it bluntly, the local hooligans, relying on the local tyrants. Anyone who wants to do evil, who wants to get involved, does not understand their rules. It’s a disadvantage, look at these people, they are on duty every day, and they are all staff assigned by the outfit in advance. No one dares to mess around,... According to me, it’s better not to do this poor craftsman.” Hu Huli thought to himself that we can't just hang ourselves from a tree, we can't do this, so we asked Li Tiefan to introduce one to him. Li Tiefan muttered for a while, and said: "What do you say? In the end, only this poor craft can do it, and the profit is small. Relatively speaking, it is less troublesome than other things. How about it, you buy a shelf, and get a few tools, and then you can do it here. Let's work in the streets and alleys! Remember, don't go out to work in the streets." Huhu, Li Weiwei, hey, he said goodbye to Li Tiefan, and went out non-stop to buy tools, and by the afternoon, everything was ready.The broken leather was obtained by Xiao Lingjie from the Tongzeng fur shop. The little guy really has a few tricks. He went out for a day during the day and somehow got close to the owner of the fur shop. When he came home at night, he recited it. Half a sack of shredded leather is enough for a long time. Hu Huli is a meticulous person, once he puts his mind to it, he can do everything well. Take the cobbler as an example, if you are a real student once, you are acquainted with it twice, and you are an old master three times.On the first day, I went out for a full day of shopping, picked up three pairs of shoes, worked non-stop in the morning until I finished the soup, and then I called it off.The next day was different, and I did ten jobs until dark.When I went out on the third day, Mrs. Cao hummed a little song before making dinner, and came back excitedly carrying a burden. Mrs. Cao found out after asking that he had bought thirteen pairs of shoes that day. , It's almost like this at the end of the day.So he closed the stall and hurried home. Li Tiefan was drinking soup here that night. Hu Huli performed a live performance, and Li Tiefan gave a thumbs up, saying that this person is not cured if he is spiritual, what he does, what he does What's the matter? At that time, he learned how to repair shoes and was beaten by his master for three months. When he was about to leave the master, the master told him to take it easy because of your craft, lest someone might kick the stall for you one day. The days passed so quickly, half a month passed before I knew it.In the past half month, the Li family was cheering, and a few children ran outside all day long, picking up useful trash and bringing it back.Hu Huli went out in the morning and returned home in the dark. Cao's meals were ready, and the children waited for him with the steaming rice pot. The family finished their dinner with smiles on their faces.Hu Huli told some jokes with the children, or reorganized the wooden sticks and broken shoe toes brought back by the children into small decorations at home. If there are fewer things, you can’t see it. Look at it after half a month, and it is clearly this small thing at home. The little things are dazzling, and the flowers are clustered.The atmosphere at home is happy and sweet, every night lying on the bed Hu Huli has the same dream when he was adopted by his fourth uncle.Once he even dreamed that he had earned a lot of money, and rode a tall horse with a neat coat and hat, and galloped back to Li Jia Village.The heavy bag of silver rattled heavily across the horse's back, and he rode the horse directly into the Deng family's compound, scaring the servant of the Deng family's door squatting on the ground.Deng Tianyi was recuperating on the grand teacher's chair in the room, and was stunned when he came in. He threw the silver chain in front of Deng Tian's feet in a haughty manner, and counted it as a hundred times the price of the five acres of good land. .After waking up, Hu Huli laughed alone, thinking that he was really stupid in the dream, even if he had so much money, he couldn't throw it to the black-hearted Deng Tian to show off his wealth, the five acres of land can be abandoned, but the money must be kept Distribute it to the living poor buddies in Li Jia Village, and then he will repair the graves of a few old people to show the filial piety of the younger generation. From that day on, Little Lingjie followed his father around the streets to make money.There was a lot of business in those few days, and Hu Huli couldn't handle it all by himself, so I brought Xiao Lingjie with me to give him a call to customers, and to give him a hand, rubbing the rope, and handing him a little something, The third is that when there is no work to do, the father and son can play the huqin and sing a few ditties in their busy schedule. The purpose is not to relieve boredom. To put it bluntly, it is like making an advertisement on TV today to increase their popularity and attract customers.The father and son’s shoe mending quickly attracted the trust and praise of many local residents. When the big guy saw Xiao Lingjie, he was willing to chat with him. The little guy spoke very sincerely, and he met customers all the way Just say hello from the uncle, and besides, the father and son can do it at hand, and the price is cheap. Gradually, there is nothing to do. When the father and son play the huqin, a group of old men and women will automatically move the ponytail from their respective gardens. Come out and remit to them, chat and laugh, and help solicit business.In this way, the father and son can make two to three hundred dollars a day without talking, which is already very good.Li Tiefan said with emotion that the cobbler's ability to make up for this is definitely the result of a lucky star.However, every time he turned to the Li family, he still repeated the old saying over and over again, always remember, don't stand out on the street.Hu Hu Li agreed with all his mouth, but he was a little disapproving in his heart. He had been working for three months, not to mention that no one made trouble for them, and no one even said harsh words to their father and son's faces.Hu Huli couldn't help suspecting that Li Tiefan was afraid that he would steal the business, so he threatened him and refused to let him set up a stall on the street.Hu Huli understood the difficulty of this old fellow, and knew that his life was extremely thirsty.Therefore, even though he had a way to deal with him in his heart, he still spoke nicely and did not neglect him at all.But the matter of setting up a stall, after Hu Huli's calculation, I think it's okay, and besides, he has become famous in a place, and he is familiar with everyone, so it's easy to talk about anything.So, Hu Huli and Xiao Lingjie set up the stall without saying hello to Li Tiefan.It was also a fork in the road, and there were many people, but there was not a craftsman who repaired shoes.Hu Huli had a mass base here in advance, and it became easier to set up a business with a stall.In those two days, Hu Huli tore two pieces of cloth cruelly, made new clothes for Er'er and himself, and it didn't look shabby to wear them and sit on the street full of pedestrians.In addition, it has been a long time, people's heads are familiar, and once the strangeness is gone, the barriers with the people around them are naturally eliminated and they become one with each other.Hu Huli sometimes has a whim when he can't change his mind, and mistakenly thinks that he is a native of Beijing. There were two days when the business was particularly good, and Hu Huli and his father and son were exhausted, because everyone knew that these two craftsmen could play the huqin, and Hu Huli felt sorry for the young and old who came to cheer if they didn't play a part every day to add to the fun. man.So no matter how busy I was, I didn't forget about playing the huqin. If there was a delay and the work was not finished, the residents in that area came to mend the shoes. Knowing that Hu Huli and his son were real people, they asked them to take the work home to do it. It should be delivered the next morning.Going home that night, Hu Huli finished the work by lighting the oil lamp. It was already the third watch, and he lay down and fell asleep with his head on without taking off his clothes.When I got up the next morning, I saw that the sun had risen to three poles, and the time was obviously delayed.After sitting up and eating some hot food, Mrs. Cao told her husband that Li Tiefan called him through the crack of the door in the morning, and asked him to stay at home for a day and come out tomorrow, so as not to cause any trouble.Mrs. Cao said that Li Tiefan's voice sounded panicked, and she suspected that he had gained something wrong, so she came here to warn him.Because of this, I didn't wake him up early in the morning. Hu Huli scoffed at this, hurriedly washed his face, packed up his things, and went with Xiao Lingjie.It is said by people and there should be faith. Even if the king of heaven is out to patrol the streets today, he has to send the finished work, otherwise how will he gain a foothold in the future, how can people believe that Cao can't stop him, sir The two went all the way.Hu Huli thought while walking, there are so many messy and stinky rules, I have been here for so many days, and if something happens, I will change it, Li Tiefan is obviously jealous that I make a lot of money, alas!You said that no matter how simple and honest this person looks, he will always play small things in his stomach.Speaking of money, this thing is really magical. When you go out with some yellow and white things in your pocket, your waist will be straight, your tone will be rough, and your words will be justified.Money can really turn ghosts around! It's true that a penny can't beat a hero. Hu Huli couldn't help but smile knowingly when he recalled the time when the family was running around on the street and felt ashamed.To this day, he can still recall the great tremor in his heart at the moment when the old lady pushed open the courtyard door and poked her head out.So far, he thinks that the old lady is undoubtedly his life-saver, and he plans to wait for two days to close the stall after the two days of work are over, buy some gifts and go to the old lady's place. It was almost noon when we arrived at Zhitandi, the sun was a little bit eastward, and the streets were bustling with people, so Hu Hu Li asked Xiao Lingjie to take the finished work and ask them to send it to them from house to house, expressing that I'm sorry.He himself put down the pick, sat on the saddle and began to play the huqin leisurely. Hu Huli played the huqin for a while and began to feel strange. The old men and old ladies who used to gather in twos and threes when they heard the sound of the huqin did not see any of them today.Some familiar faces passing by are also in a hurry, without even saying hello, and their expressions are very different from the past. Hu Hu Li sat for a while, the more he thought about it, the more something was wrong.I got up and went to a grocery store behind me to ask the boss to chat. When the boss saw him coming in, he was very embarrassed. He hurried out of the store, stood at the door, looked left and right, and said to him in a panic: "Man, you'd better leave quickly! I'm afraid something will happen today, the cobbler was wandering around here this morning, and asked passers-by if there is a cobbler who is a noodle here to set up a stall these two days." Only then did Hu Huli realize the seriousness of the situation, and his heart thumped like a little rabbit. After thanking the boss, he turned around and went out, and was about to clean up the stall and leave. The muffled voice went on to say: "Where did the bastard come from, with a dick fiddle hanging on it, and he came to my uncle's field to have fun." Hu Huli was stunned by this voice, as if someone had poured a basin of cold water on him - his whole body was so cold, his teeth were trembling, his feet were nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move even if he wanted to.Turning around mechanically, I saw a burly man with tangled hair and wearing a waistcoat walking this way. The man's lips were almost cracked to the ears, showing his yellow teeth, and his eyes were squeezed together in a smile. , the flesh all over his face trembled suddenly. It's a blessing, not a curse, and it's a disaster that can't be avoided.Hu Hu Li is not a timid person by nature, and he has been through many times in strong winds and waves.After calming down for a while, he looked at the burly man and said: "My lord, we are all suffering, please speak cleanly, no one has provoked you!" "Hey! You taught me a lesson. You went to other people's fields to act wildly, and you still said such harsh words, buddy. Among the people I have met in this life, you are still the first one. I admire you." The burly man looked Hu Huli up and down for a while, and after looking up and down, he couldn't help laughing wildly, and changed the subject: "Good boy, as soon as an expert stretches out his hand, he will know if there is one. Anyone who dares to set up a pole on the three-thirds of my acre of land should have two skills. I, Long Si, want to see your real chapter today, and call you two catties." Hu Huli was completely calm at the moment, watching the big man wagging his head and tail in front of him with a smile on his face, turning around, and remained calm and motionless all the time. Don't watch the excitement, he made a bow to the big guy, smiled and said to the big guy: "How would you dare? I, Hu Huli, a grass-roots man, was forced to make a living and went to your place. I am poor and short-sighted. I haven't met the leading masters yet. I am new here, and many things are unclear. I hope that this master will help me a lot. Forgive me, the mountain does not change, this..." Before Hu Huli finished speaking, he was cut off by the burly man.This Long Si was the gang leader among the artisans, relying on his brute strength, there were a few gangsters in the local area who acted as thugs for him.So he and other gangsters set up a territory, this piece of land belongs to him, and the craftsmen have to pay him tribute until the end of the month. This time it is the end of the month again. The craftsman pressed for money, but the big guy said with a sad face that he had nothing to say for a long time, and the rent could hardly be paid, so he begged him to let him go.When this kid came out to inquire, he found out that a foreigner set up a stall to cover his business. At that time, this guy threatened to give this bold foreigner a face. Fortunately, Long Si had been in the rivers and lakes. The rules of walking in the rivers and lakes, so first come up and touch Hu Huli's bottom.As soon as Hu Huli said that he didn't know all kinds of gods, Long Si immediately had no scruples. He always thought that if Hu Huli dared to challenge publicly, he should have a backer here to support him. Si was not afraid, so before Hu Huli finished explaining the scene, he interrupted him with the word "slow": "Brother, you really have the guts of a bear and a leopard. You came out to break into the pier by yourself, messing around with the world, heh heh, I really admire you from the bottom of my heart." While talking, Long Si suddenly took a large sewing needle from Hu Huli's basket, and shook it in front of Hu Huli: "Brother, although I didn't go to sea to catch dragons, but to go up the mountain to bind tigers, I must have the ability to catch dragons and subdue tigers. I, Long Sigong, will save some face for you first, and test your basic skills. Let me ask you, what is this?" stuff?" Hu Huli stared at the big shining needle in a daze, is there any need to ask?This is a big needle for sewing.But Hu Huli understands that this big needle is definitely not called that. There are jargons in all walks of life. He understands this, but he doesn't understand the jargon of shoe mending. What else is it called a needle?After hesitating for a long time, the sinister smile on Long Si's face was even more frightening. He kept asking, but Hu Hu Li had nothing to do. In desperation, he closed his eyes and steeled himself and said: "Isn't this a big needle for sewing?" There was loud laughter all around, and Long Si even leaned forward and backward with a smile, tears came out. After laughing, Long Si took the big needle and walked around the field, raised his hand and inserted the needle into the ground, pretending With a fierce look, he said to the surrounding people: "What are you laughing at? What's so funny, is what this buddy said wrong? Isn't this a big needle for sewing? Who dares to say that it wasn't me, Long Si, who twisted his head off to make this buddy a chamber pot." After speaking, Long Si couldn't help laughing for a while, and then took out a shoe brush from the basket. Before he could ask, Hu Huli told him the answer without saying anything: "It's a shoe brush!" The people around roared with laughter again, and Hu Huli heard a few roars mixed with fire and misfortune, "Get rid of this bastard." At the beginning, Li Tiefan's words were ignored and he insisted on going his own way, which led to today's disaster. The burly man grew more energetic amidst the shouts of his subordinates, and walked forward majestically, without answering, stretched his arms, exhaled loudly, and punched Hu Huli with a punch of "Hey". All on their backs. That punch hit Hu Huli's chest, it was like a hammer hitting, Hu Huli didn't have time to think, his throat was sweet, and a mouthful of black blood gushed out of the corner of his mouth, he knew that today's matter would be difficult, so he simply lay down on the ground He folded his arms to protect his vitals, and prepared to use a meal of flesh and blood to offset the loss of money. The burly man punched out, put his hand back to his mouth and blew, moved his wrist, with a look of contempt on his face, a thin monkey-like man suddenly jumped out of the crowd, and yelled: "Brothers, beat this bastard to death to see if he is still rampant!" Four or five more rushed out from the crowd and beat and kicked Hu Huli. Hu Huli hugged his head in pain and rolled on the ground, neither begging for mercy nor standing up to resist. The fight was on fire, and the thin monkey went up and stamped Hu Huli's tools, picks, and horses to pieces, then stood beside Long Si with his arms folded, and said with a coquettish smile: "Fourth brother, according to me, let's destroy this wild species. If such an ignorant guy walks on the road in the future, he may be chopped off by his friends on the road one day. Fourth brother, you are a bodhisattva and let him live. In the future, when I talk about it in the Jianghu, it is a fool who was born under the fist of the fourth brother. Wouldn't it damage the reputation of the first brother? Fourth brother, look,..." Long Si slightly closed his eyes and muttered silently, those minions were still yelling vigorously, the owner of the grocery store really couldn't see it, so he walked out and said to Long Si: "Fourth Master Long, your old man has gone through a lot of battles. Let your subordinates bully an unarmed and difficult person here. The world can't bear a word. This person doesn't know the rules of the road and ruins your business. It’s enough to punish him lightly, and there’s no need to beat him to death? This period of rumors is very tight, and it’s a trivial matter to make you shameless. If it spreads out and loses your reputation, no one else can help.” Usually at this time, some people are bullying the weak, arrogant and domineering. Most of the onlookers have a sense of justice, but no one stretches their heads to speak, and everyone dares to be angry. Do it, but once someone stands up and speaks a fair word, the big guys will immediately swarm up, and if the strong bully the weak at that moment, if they continue to do their own way and act recklessly, then they are unsophisticated and want to poke the ant's nest and get gnawed .In fact, many people in the crowd knew Hu Huli and had a good impression of him. As for Long Si, he was rampant and had countless grievances. Everyone hated him behind his back, but no one raised his head.愤愤不平，毕竟不是连着自己心尖肉的事儿，在心里骂龙四他十八代祖宗都行，你要让他上去一步怒斥强词可是千难万难。店老板一席话说得软中带硬，柔中有刚，义正辞严，立时人群中就有几个帮腔，如是一来，帮者越来越多，眨眼工夫龙四再抬头看，刚才还卑微地冲他点头哈腰的人此刻都横着眉毛歪着嘴看。龙四本来还想先斥责两名店老板，找个台阶借坡下驴，一看这个傻了眼，心说我的妈呀！这咋合合眼的工夫就变了天，成声讨我龙四罪行的大会了。 此刻场中那几个小子已不敢再打，退回到龙四身边兀自横眉立目地强撑面子，胡胡李躺在地上颤抖着呻吟。龙四凑上去托起他的下巴： "哥们儿，钱难挣，屎难吃呀！不是我龙四故意难为你，谁都有自己的难处，这样吧！我龙四大人不计小人过，看你初犯的份上，况且又遇上我龙四慈悲心肠，就放你一马，明儿个你带二十吊钱到茂源绸缎庄去找我，陪个礼道个歉给我个交待也就算了，我龙四也是场面上的人，不让你出一点我面子上实在不好过，啊！记住了，明个日头落山之前一定把钱送去，要是晚了，嘿嘿，菩萨也会变成煞神的。" 龙四带着手下人扬长而去。胡胡李在几个熟人的搀扶下坐起来，拍了拍身上的灰土，活动了活动手脚，觉得尚无大碍，向众人致过谢，大家伙儿也帮不上他啥忙，四散而去，胡胡李想起那二十吊钱，头皮一阵阵发紧，苦笑数声方觉一条腿疼得钻心，他害怕是老爹去世时摔得伤痕又复发了。呆着也不敢动，脑子里往来盘旋的尽是二十吊哗啦哗啦作响的铜钱。 小灵杰回来时候人都走完了，他哼着小曲连蹦带跳地从一个小巷里拐出来，往这边一望便看出了不对，挑子担子破破烂烂地散放在地上，老爹的胡琴被摔成两截扔在一边，老爹正一只手扶着头，一只手捏着腿坐在地上发呆。小灵杰大叫一声"爹"，飞跑上前。 胡胡李仰起头，鼻青脸肿，额头上还破了个大口子，往外流着血，他想笑笑不出来，只把一只手伸给儿子。小灵杰把老爹扶起来，弓着腰拖着他往家走，东西、工具、家伙都不要了，一路上胡胡李头脑昏昏地想，穷人想吃碗饱饭难道就这么难，老天，穷人是不是就该着饿死，这世道，穷人活着真是难啊！ 小灵杰抱着老爹满腔怒火地往前没走出多远，对面李铁帆就风风火火地赶过来了。一看小灵杰苦筋巴力地驮着老爹正往家挪，禁不住就叫出了声： "看看，看看，俺说不让你们来，非得来，唉！这可咋办好？" 说着咋办，李铁帆手上可没含糊，从小灵杰背上把胡胡李接过来。胡胡李面色苍白，目光呆滞地冲他咧了一下嘴，喃喃地说： "老哥，兄弟错了！兄弟错了！" 李铁帆边走边唠叨： "大兄弟，都啥时候了，说这些管啥屎用，你先老老实实歇会儿，甭想那么多啦！" 李铁帆是干到晌午头越想越不放心，才跑回来看看，曹氏跟他一说丈夫和儿子已经出去了好久，李铁帆当时就红了眼，俟曹氏把路大致给他一说，他就闷着头找过来了。 曹氏看李铁帆急得六神无主，晓得事情绝对不会太小。李铁帆一走，她就坐回屋里眼皮跳着双手合计求神保佑起来，几个小孩子不明白老妈咋会忽然间就神色惶急，扑过来抱住她撒娇，结果一人讨了几巴掌打。曹氏方定住心神，便听见小灵杰在外面叫了一声妈，她还没站起来，李铁帆就一脚跺开屋门背着胡胡李进来了。这会儿山东人长了个心眼，不待曹氏发问先给她吃了个定心丸： "没啥大事，皮肉小伤，休养两天就好。" 胡胡李被放到床上，挣扎着坐起来，喘息了一会儿，面色渐转红润，曹氏这才心下稍妥。再看一下丈夫比大前几次挨打气色都要好一些，想来也没啥危及性命的事，于是从筐萝里找了块布条，颤抖了手帮丈夫把前额的口子牢牢缠上，一边缠心里一边祷告：神上保佑，神上保佑，这回事千万就到这儿算了，别又扯起一串事，神上保佑。 李铁帆坐下来喝了口凉水，喘息着给胡胡李发牢骚，说他是咋晚上出去喝酒听人说起那边路口有人不识天高地厚支了个补鞋摊，他当时就有些害怕，上去一打听，那位描述的相貌特征就是胡胡李没错。他一听就怯上了，那个可是铁罗汉龙四的地盘，龙四心狠手辣，眼里从来揉不进米粒砂子。今儿个就是各个行主到手艺人这里收月贡的日子，万一给他逮着就不是缺胳膊少大腿的事了。李铁帆说他听到那个消息时天都快亮了，所以赶着天亮回来说了一声，李家人都没起来，他只得在门外边捏着嗓子说了几句，到晌午时，越想越不放心，只得再回来一趟。"还好"，李铁帆喜笑颜开地冲曹氏说，像是拾到了天上掉下来的大个儿馅饼： "龙四那小子是手艺人公认的煞星，后来的人没有谁敢在他地盘上讨饭吃。手艺人会都恨他恨得咬牙切齿，因为龙四这人在打人和捞钱方面从来没有手软过，新来的手艺人不懂规矩折在他手里的不是筋断就是骨折，想破财消灾都消不了。 李兄弟真是福星当头，福星高照啊！ " 胡胡李心里也暗自庆幸，皮肉之伤确实不算啥，可是，可是……" 胡胡李骤然想起还有明儿个的二十吊钱。李铁帆一会儿说得他心花怒放，竟然高兴得把这家事给忘了。一想起钱，胡胡李不由得心头大恸，心猛一收，身子颤抖，扯动全身上下的肌肉又是一阵剧痛，曹氏连忙坐过来，关切地问他： "你怎么啦！好好歇着吧！" 胡胡李苦笑： "钱，你看一下钱罐里的钱有多少？" 曹氏不假思索地说： "晌午没事，我刚查过，好像有二十一二串的样子吧！" 胡胡李一下子躺倒在床板上，喃喃自语： "一个多月，就破财消灾了，也好，人只要活着，钱反正都是人赚来的。" 曹氏听出丈夫话里有因，也不敢往下问，几个孩子都去了外边，屋里只有李铁帆、曹氏和胡胡李，沉默了一会儿，李铁帆叹了口气： "大兄弟，人不能只图一时气盛，胳膊拗不过大腿，强龙难压地头蛇呀！有时候该破财就得笑撇胡须不皱眉，钱财乃身外之物，只要有能耐，千金散尽复还来嘛！" 胡胡李这一次真是没憋太大气，且不说这些钱他赚得自认为不怎么费力，就是再费力，真到有事时，他也会毫不犹豫扔出去，吃一堑长一智吗？胡胡李现下看得很开。 当天李家和李铁帆商量好，李铁帆答应带钱替胡胡李赴约，胡胡李去了这个想法，心下大空，让曹氏把钱罐里这一段赚的钱全部交给李铁帆，要他交给龙四二十吊，剩下的买点东西，总不成就空着双手拿着钱过去，李铁帆满口答应，提了钱出去了。 第二天胡胡李躺床上歇了一天，曹氏害怕丈夫想不开，寸步不离地陪着他聊天，孩子都不在家，平时两人也难得有这样的机会。两个人倒是说了不少体己话，胡胡李本来就没把这回事往心里去，曹氏又故意在家跟他一逗乐子，伤疼也忘得差不多了，天黑时候还下床到李铁帆那儿去扯了一歇子闲话儿，心情适畅之极。喝罢汤正准备上床睡觉，闭着的屋门忽然被人推开。 进来的是龙四，龙四手里提了个钱袋，是胡胡李装着钱给李铁帆的那个。龙四进门也不落座，三两脚踢翻几个凳子，弄得锅碗瓢勺乱叮噹，然后他把钱袋往腰里一掖，用手拍着说： "好小子，你敢糊弄你龙大爷，拿十吊钱充二十吊，你以为你龙大爷是三岁小孩，告诉你，这十吊钱我没收了，充做这一趟的跑腿费，半个月后，老地方，你若不把二十吊钱送到，小心你们全家老小的狗命。" 胡胡李被龙四这一番话说得晕头转向，明明是查好的二十吊钱、咋会到他那儿就少了十吊，绝对不可能是李铁帆大哥搞的手脚，肯定是这家伙回去后嫌钱要的少了，耍赖皮再多要，胡胡李再好的脾气这下子也受不了，一下子瘫在床上起不来了。曹氏唯有暗自垂泪的份儿，也想不到其他办法，一天，两天，三天，四天——，日子一天天过去，钱却一分也弄不来，就算把节省的房租凑进去，从家里带来的钱也凑不足二十吊。一个铜板一个铜板地数，数来说去也只有十四吊，还有六串，胡胡李夫妇想破肚肠也想不来办法。这不比在家，在家就是再生人，好歹有几家亲戚，厚着脸皮求告求告，总能弄两个救救急，在这儿不行，有心借可是找谁借呢？胡胡李夫妇想豁达也豁达不起来．找龙四说情，不可能，出去找钱，也不可能。龙四等着要胁的可是李家大小七条人命呀！李铁帆那几天没有出摊，早上起来就呆在李家骂龙四他娘，骂龙四杀千刀挨万剐不是人养的，骂也不顶用，骂完了他也只有抽着旱烟陪胡胡李夫妇唉声叹气，想不来半点办法。 眼见胡胡李夫妇日见憔悴，第十天头上夫妇俩终于心力交瘁，病倒在床上了，水米不进。胡胡李在睡梦中一个劲咒骂老天，骂完了就哭他死去的爹娘．哭个没完，几个孩子轮番地在床前侍候爹娘，谁也不出去玩。果真是穷人家的孩子早当家，这几位平时闹起来没完没了，一点不顺心撅嘴瞪眼能生上半天闷气不理你，这几天真是要多勤快有多勤快，胡胡李只要在昏迷中哼一声，几个小脑袋便一齐凑过去问老爹要干啥。曹氏其实没啥病，就是心里憋着一口气化解不开，在床上躺了一天仔细想想，丈夫病倒了，我要是再也躺下，剩下一帮孩子可咋办，反正还有四五天期限，要真想不来办法到时候李家一家就坐着等龙四来索命呗！真要是阎王爷下了勾魂令，你就是再蹦还能蹦出他的手心，这几天不管咋个说还是要过的。 曹氏心里想开了些自然也不再挨在床上瞑目待毙，便下了床和小家伙一起忙活。忽忽又是两天，到第十四天时，钱的事还是一点眉目没有，胡胡李躺在床上依旧昏迷不醒，几天的心力交瘁使得他脱了相，皮包骨头的一声接一声高低呻吟，还说些不着边际的胡话。 曹氏已经彻底绝望，准备下午把孩子们召集一块，她上街买几个好菜，让孩子们晚上好好吃顿好饭，然后趁他们在睡梦中，自己拿刀把五个孩子全部杀死，最后自己也自杀在丈夫身边，也免得孩子们给龙四弄去，一个一个挨着受折磨。 主意打定，曹氏正要上街，往孩子堆里一瞄，猛可里发现小灵杰竟然没在，再转念一想，这么多天，这个刀钻古怪的二小子白天似乎从没有在过家，她这几天也是昏了头，五个孩子缺了个最"得宠"的她竟然不知道。 几个孩子脸上没有一点发愁的样子，冲老妈直做鬼脸。待到看老妈神情恍惚地掰着指头一数，几个小家伙立马意识到事情不妙，小五一下子冲到老妈面前，老三从后边一把没扯住，气得冲小五的后脑勺直扬巴掌。谁知小五置若罔闻，扯住老妈的手，从自己口袋里摸出一大把咸丰通宝，足足有十来个，小家伙手小，总共六十多个大钱他竟然分着抓了五六次。曹氏这下更是迷惑不解，小五从哪儿弄这么多钱，平时谁也没给他发过零花钱哪！莫不是……，小五晓得老妈的眼神忽然转为严厉是因为啥，忙不迭地申辩： "妈，这钱是二哥给我的，他说让大哥我们在家照顾爹妈，他自己出去赚钱还债，妈！二哥已经赚了好多钱了，……" 小五说到这儿回头瞅着老大，老三、老四嘟上了嘴，这三位就晓得事儿要坏到他手里。老大极不情愿地走上去，把自己口袋里的钱掏到老妈口袋里，临掏前狠狠地白了小五一眼，老三老四依法施为，把钱掏给老妈，不过骂小五的话更富于威胁性了。老三冲小五扬了扬拳头，意思是你小心这个，老四更干脆："老妈一走你就找地儿躲着吧。" 曹氏这下更晕，小灵杰哪儿这大么本事，直给哥几个的零花钱就有这么多，再说，他那么小的筋骨，能出去干啥活呢？曹氏这回把眼先瞄向了老三，五兄弟中，老大有点缺心眼，除了老二，下面就是老三，老三也是精得像猴崽子，小灵杰有啥事常常瞒不了他。 老三跨前一步，气汹汹地把小五从老妈身边轰开，自己把嘴凑到老妈耳朵上，低声说： "妈！老二又去给人补鞋了，就在老爹原先在的那地儿，他赚了好多钱哩，都他自己藏着。" 曹氏冷不丁吓了一跳，补鞋？还是在原先的地方，他是不是想找死？ 老三笑得像一只狐狸，拍着老妈的肩膀很大人气地说： "老妈，您稍安勿躁，老二自己主张，吃不了亏，听他说，他已经把龙四给盖帽了，明儿个龙四别说要钱，说不定是来赔礼道歉呢！" 任老三舌灿莲花，曹氏说死也不相信，不知道是不知道，一旦知道，她非要立刻就去把二小子拉回来。老四自告奋勇领了将令，扯着老大唿哨一声出了院门，小五要跟，被老四一声厉喝，乖乖地又站到原地，老三也说累了，看老妈瞅他的眼神仍是一百二十个不相信和二百四十个狐疑，装模作样地长叹了一声： "算了，这年头好人难做啊！连老妈都不相信自己的亲生儿子。唉！" 老三转身回屋，曹氏听得他在里边大呼小叫，显然是找老爹通风报信去了。 曹氏心里先大惊，次又大怒，再而大喜，忽而大惧，最后大狐疑，一时间百感交集，手足无措，她索性不再上街，坐屋里干等着二小子回来给他揭开谜底。 老三说的话一点也不夸张，小灵杰就是盖住了龙四，在原地儿又立了个摊，而且生意越来越红火。这事得从小灵杰那天和李铁帆一块回来后说起。 小灵杰一溜小跑跟着李铁帆回到家里，曹氏忙成了团团转的陀螺，李铁帆只顾追悔不迭谁也没想到去管他。小灵杰闷了一肚气不明缘由，听李铁帆说了会子话，弄明白事儿是出在龙四身上，老爹是因为占了他的场子抢了他的饭碗才招致这一顿毒打，然而，在李铁帆嘴里吐出的话里，老爹这一顿还是轻的，小灵杰料定龙四如果真如李铁帆所说，决不会善罢甘休。果真，一会儿老爹就露出口风，托李铁帆大伯第二天将二十吊钱到茂源交给龙四。 小灵杰听到此处觉得下面的话已没有必要再听，于是拔腿出门，奔同增皮货店去了。同增皮货店的店主这次没谈生意，正坐在柜台里边闭目养神，一个比小灵杰年纪稍微大一点的小伙计正在柜台里忙着整理东西。 小灵杰进去后熟门熟路，冲小伙计笑了一下，小伙计往里摆摆手，店主这时已经睁开眼了，一看见小灵杰，立时眉开眼笑： "小家伙，怎儿想起来到这儿逛一下，李爷爷可是好久没见你了。" 店主看样子还真不年轻，自称小灵杰的爷爷绝没有一分托大，只是因为保养得好，所以老态并不怎么明显，说话也仍然中气十足。