Chapter 2 Chapter two

Two days later, Niu Bao opened up his battle at the Pao Market in Duliu Town. Pao Market in Duliu Town is different from Jinghai County.A flat field of about ten acres, surrounded by a mud wall, collapsed in many places, allowing people to step in and out; the ground is bare, but there are many tall and short wooden stakes for tying animals. Usually, this is a business. The boundaries of livestock.But in the twelfth lunar month alone, the fireworks sellers gradually squeezed in. When the firecrackers rang, the animals were scared away, and it was naturally changed to a temporary fireworks market.

Niu Bao is in good spirits today.A brand-new cotton-padded jacket and trousers, black shoes and clean socks, and my head was washed early in the morning. Now that the sun is shining, it is black and shiny.The firecrackers have never been dressed like this before, the smoke is smoky, the firecrackers are broken, and the clothes are mostly old and ripped.Niu Bao doesn't like to wear new clothes at ordinary times, he is completely brand-new, frivolous and raw, as if he came on a blind date.Standing beside him was a pale and thin boy with a sick look, but his small eyes were shining brightly, full of energy.This person is his cousin, Brother Dou, a peddler who specializes in tossing firecrackers: Niu Bao invited him to buy a batch of high-quality firecrackers yesterday.Brother Dou is not only interested in money, but also loyal. He is very humane in business. These firecrackers were bought from his family in Yanerzhuang "Wanjialei." This "Wanjialei" is not only famous in Jinghai, but also in Tianjin. There are cannon stalls on Weigongqian Avenue and Changdian in Beiping, and they are famous. People say that "Wanjialei" can dig holes in mountains and put them into the chambers of cannons as shells.

Niu Bao tore off all the stamps with "Wan Jialei" on the firecrackers overnight, replaced them with red paper, and temporarily covered them with a piece of Duli woodcut and a big carp.Since Jinghai made guns for thousands of years, I have never seen this name.The next day, a small car was fully loaded, and it was transported to the market. The car was beautifully arranged on the car and the car; there were ten thousand thunder whips hanging on the car, a pack of more than three feet high, standing on the car, like a half-fanned pig, which was very beautiful. style.Niu Bao and Brother Dou each took a big bamboo pole, a full two feet long, standing on the left and right, like two generals guarding the gate.

On the opposite side is a boy with a round head, holding a long pole in his hand, picking up a big red paper whip, and immediately standing in front of him with a horizontal knife.Behind is a donkey cart full of firecrackers, and the woman sits on the cart like a clay sculpture.In front of the car, apart from the young boy, there was also a black and thin man.They all wear a red cloth belt around their waists to ward off evil spirits.People in the Pao Market saw the situation and knew that it was going to be a cannon contest, so they all surrounded them. Brother Dou glanced at the other party, his eyes almost fell to the ground in shock, turned his face and whispered to Niu Bao:

"Brother Niu Bao, why are you fighting with them? They are the Cai family in Wen'an County! In Tianjin Wei, the 'Cai Jiabian' and 'Wan Jialei' are as famous. Two years ago, the boss of the Cai family was killed by gunpowder. The Cai family It's not too late to come to our Jinghai side, and the 'Cai Jiabian' can't be seen anymore. Hey, look, the handsome person sitting in the car is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Cai family. I found such a handsome man! It’s a pity that I’m a widow! This round-headed boy is Cai San, and the second and fourth sons of Cai’s family standing next to the station are both good at shooting cannons. No matter how good our cannons are, we can’t let them go. Not to mention the 'Cai Jiabian'!"

After hearing this, Niu Bao only had spring branches in his head, and there was no "Cai's whip" at all. He had to ask more questions, but he was not allowed to speak. The whip tied to the tip of the pole swung in a straight line and hummed in the air.Those who sell whips all do this, showing that the hemp rope they make cannons is strong and continuous.Afterwards, Cai San changed his technique again, playing tricks, telling the pole in his hand to spin, tightening half a circle, loosening half a circle, once tightening and then loosening, sometimes stretched and sometimes relaxed, the whip would bend and straighten suddenly, stiff and stiff again. Rou, the snake dancing and the dragon flying, very beautiful, before the cannon was fired, it attracted people's applause: Then, the bamboo pole was poked on the ground, and the firecracker hung down, and it exploded when it was lit. The sound was louder than the small steel whip last time. Several times, the shock caused some animals pulling carts to move their bodies and legs in a panic. They couldn't stand it? They wanted to run.

Niu Bao picks up a thunder whip and lights it. "Wan Jia Lei" is well-deserved. All firecrackers are like thunder, with a strong and heroic spirit. It is only stronger than the Cai family's big whip, and it is by no means weaker than the Cai family. It also invites a while to drink well. The two sides compete closely. I saw Cai San flashing to the right, and little Cai Si came from the car, carrying a giant whip, each as thick as a cucumber, twelve in total, like a bunch of long eggplants, attracting people Shout out strange.Cai Si was small, and even though he lifted it up obliquely, the big whip at the bottom was still scratching.Niu Bao saw such a big whip for the first time.Brother Dou told him: "This is called 'one step, one sound'. Take one step and blow one. This is the housekeeping item of 'Cai Jiabian'. It has been years since I saw it. You will know it when you hear it." He paid for it. I looked at an acquaintance nearby, muttered something, and then said to Niu Bao, "I'll ask someone to buy him a few whips, and some of them will be used as a cover to double the money this year."

Cai Si walked to the center of the arena, Cai San helped him light the medicine letter, the big whip exploded, the sound was like a cannon, and the people who watched the excitement not only blocked their ears, but also closed their eyes.Little Cai Si was unmoved by it, the shells bombed around him, and the smoke covered his body, but he seemed to be walking a bird in a cage, calm and leisurely! It makes people admire the Cai family's real skills in firecrackers. Cai Si took twelve steps steadily.As soon as he stopped, the big whip in his hand had just been put down.For a while, many people rushed up to buy a big whip.Brother Dou raised his hand and yelled: "Don't worry, there are better guys!" He took down a rare thunder cannon from the car, and stood it on the ground, more than one foot high.Almost up to the knees, the small arms are thick, the medicine letter is like a hemp rope, a big red paper tube, and the stamp on the top is a big fish with ink line.

"Mother! This isn't for bombing cities!" Someone exclaimed. "Look at the fish on the cannon, it looks like Niu Bao's tank fish. Hey, that strong boy is Niu Bao, right? Why did he change his career to sell cannons?" People discussed. In the car, Chunzhi was still like a statue in the temple of the empress, sitting still, but her eyelashes would occasionally tremble, which was the reaction when people talked about it, but no one noticed this reaction. Niu Bao took the incense and lit the big thunder cannon, and it exploded with a bang, the smoke burst into flames, and the sound was like the sky falling and the earth falling. The people in front were splashed with loess, no one shouted, they were all dumbfounded, as if something serious happened.Even Niu Bao was in a daze, not knowing what happened for a while.The skin was sore, it was the blast from the cannon blast.Only the Cai family didn't blink their eyelids, but the bombing made Chun Zhi completely aware of what was going on in front of him.

Afterwards, both sides tried their best, Cai's family fired cannons, which seemed to be useful in endless tricks, but Niu Bao couldn't do one trick, two pieces of the new padded jacket were burned by the cannon, and one ear was red, almost embarrassing, thanks to brother Dou all the year round The cannon dealers are well-informed and know little tricks to support the situation, but if "Wan Jialei" was not genuine and authentic, the Cai family would have been beaten to the ground long ago.It seems that there is nothing wrong with real things, and this is the reason for everything.

The Cai family's second child's ability to play "two kicks" is admirable.He opened two "two kickers", put them on the red cloth belt one by one, stood in the center of the field, and first put them in the sky in the usual way.The Cai Jia whip is good, and the cannon is first-class; this "two kicker" flies high and is fried crisply. When it is exploded at high altitude, the debris is scattered, like hitting a bird, the feathers fly in and fly away.He put three in a row like this, then changed the method, put the "er kicker" upside down in his hand, lit the medicine letter, first let the lower side explode in his hand, and then threw it into the sky with force, and the upper side exploded with a loud sound.You can fry it wherever you want.Cai San, with a round head and a round brain, raised a hanging whip two feet away. Cai Er spotted it and lit "Er Kijiao". He opened it, and immediately drew the whip, crackling and crackling, which attracted a lot of applause from the surroundings: This Cai's second son is good but he doesn't give up, and he even performs a unique skill.He held the "two kicks" upside down as before, and after the lower side blew up, he didn't throw his hand, but handed it to the other hand, grabbed the exploded lower half, and called the upper side to hit the other side with a sound. Explosion in the hands: Two rings are kept in the hand, and one ring is used. This move is extremely dangerous. If the change of hands is slow, the hand will be blown up: but he is black and thin, with a tight face and is experienced and confident, and his movements are calm and skillful, as if playing a game. fish. ①Er Tijiao: A kind of fireworks, named "Two Rings", "Er Tijiao" is its common name.It is usually placed standing on the ground, or held in the hand. The first sound hits the sky, and the second sound explodes in the air. Niu Bao was anxious when he saw the other party suppressing him. Brother Dou said: "When setting up a cannon stall on Tianjin Wei Street, I don't ask you to place 'er kickers' indiscriminately. I'm afraid it will lead to the house and collapse people. Just hold the 'er kicker' in your hand and let people see it." Boss Cai, the man who died with the woman, still has handwork. He clamped the big thunder between his fingers, one between each finger, eight in total with both hands, holding them flat, eight The medicine letters were lit one after the other, which one would explode quickly, and which one would be released. Let the Leizi fall to explode, but it could not touch the ground, because it would bounce up and collapse people when it touched the ground. If the fire is not sure, your fingers will explode. Now that Boss Cai is dead, no one dares to make such a move. Hey, brother Niu Bao, why are you straight-eyed?" Hearing this, Niu Bao stared at Chun Zhi, and a thought popped into his head, he said to Brother Dou: "Hold the big thunder between your fingers for me, and I'll try." "You're crazy, this skill is practiced with an empty cannon barrel, how can you try it for real? If you blow up your hand, what are you doing to draw fish in a tank? I won't do it!" Dou Ge said. Niu Bao ignored him, took some big thunderbolts from the car, held them between his fingers one by one, raised his arms flat, stared wide-eyed, and said to Brother Dou in a commanding tone: "Click on it!" Brother Dou saw that something was wrong, so he wanted to drop Xiangtou and run away. Unexpectedly, when Niu Bao came like this, the three brothers of the Cai family were stunned as if they had been shot by a bullet.Chun Zhi's face was very ugly, as if he was having a heartache; Cai San blushed and shouted: "This kid treats our Cai family as nobody, and bullies our sister-in-law, let's fight!" The three brothers rushed over like crazy.There are also fellow villagers and close friends of the Cai family who also embraced together. Niu Bao didn't understand the reason, so he was pushed to the ground by Cai's family, and Brother Dou was also grabbed.The other party yelled to insert Leizi into their anus and hit them. Brother Dou was so frightened that he called for help and wanted to explain, but he didn't know what kind of enmity Niu Bao had with the Cai family.Niu Bao was pressed tightly by a dozen big hands. The harder he pressed, the stronger his strength became. When he struggled hard, his head was just lifted up, but his mouth was pressed down, rubbing against the frozen ground, causing burning pain. , Cai Laosan asked him what he was going to do, and he was furious, and his mouth was even more stupid, so he simply yelled: "I want to be your brother, I want to be Boss Cai!" This made everyone present foolish! A fool would not say such a thing.The three Cai family brothers were so angry that they pulled him up and wrapped him up and down with dozens of whips, intending to blow him up.Niu Bao exerted so much force that his neck and forehead were covered with blue veins, and he cried: "Light it up, light it up! I'm your brother!" Cai San held a handful of incense sticks, pointed at Niu Bao and said, "You are too deceitful, I will go to court and go to jail, and I will order you today. Get out of the way, I will do things personally—" said I'm going to rush up. "Wait." A clear voice suddenly sounded. Niu Bao saw Chun Zhijing standing in front of him, blocking Cai San with one hand, facing himself.I can't find this face even in Yangliu Qingnian's "Picture of Beauty", but at this moment, his face is full of sorrow, his eyes are shining, and tears are thickly packed, as if he has been extremely wronged.In Niu Bao's astonishment, Chunzhi said: "You don't want to sell your 'bowl fish' well, what's the trouble with these 'Wan Jialei'? If you want to disturb me again, I will light this whip myself!" The three said, "Go home!" Turning around, a large tear fell on Niu Baodang's chest.Niu Bao felt as if a row of gunshots had hit him. Chun Zhi and Cai's family went, and Niu Bao, who was wrapped in a whip all over his body, stood there blankly like a stake for hanging animals.