Chapter 5 Four

Xiangzi lay in a small shop in Haidian for three days, his body was hot and cold, his mind was in a daze, and there were purple bubbles on his gums. He only wanted to drink water and didn't want to eat anything. After three days of starvation, my anger subsided, and my body was as soft as leather candy.I'm afraid it was during these three days that his relationship with the three camels was heard in dreams or nonsense.When he woke up, he was already "Camel Xiangzi". Ever since he came to the city, he has been "Xiangzi", as if he had no surname at all; now that "Camel" is placed above "Xiangzi", no one cares what his surname is.Whether he has a surname or not, he himself doesn't care.However, the three animals were only exchanged for a few dollars, and he felt that it was not worthwhile to get a nickname.

Just struggling to stand up, he wanted to go out and have a look.Unexpectedly, his legs could be so effortless, and he sat on the ground as soon as he walked to the door of the small shop. He sat in a daze for a long time, and his head was covered with cold sweat.After holding back for a while, he opened his eyes, his stomach rumbled, and he felt a little hungry.Standing up very slowly, he found a wonton pick.He ordered a bowl of wontons, but he was still sitting on the ground.After taking a sip of the soup, I felt sick, held it in my mouth for a long time, and swallowed it reluctantly; I didn't want to drink any more.However, after staying for a while, the hot soup went all the way to the abdomen like strands, and I burped twice.

He knew he was alive again. With some food in his belly, he couldn't care less about looking at himself.She lost a lot of weight, and the ragged trousers were so dirty that they couldn't be more dirty.He was too lazy to move, but he wanted to restore his cleanliness immediately, and he didn't want to just go into the city with a grimace.However, it costs money to be clean and tidy. It costs money to shave your head, change your clothes, and buy shoes and socks.The thirty-five yuan in my hand should not be moved, and even a single one is still far away from buying a car!However, he pitied himself.Although it was not long before being dragged away by the soldiers, when I think about it now, everything is like a nightmare.This nightmare had aged him a lot, as if he had suddenly gained several years in one go.Looking at his lavish hands and feet, they are obviously his own, but they seem to have been found from somewhere suddenly.He is very sad.He didn't dare to think about the grievances and dangers in the past, although he didn't think about them, they still existed, as if even when the sky was cloudy, he knew that the sky was dark even if he didn't look at it.He felt that his body was very cute, and he shouldn't suffer too much.He stood up, knowing that his body was still weak, but he couldn't wait to dress up, as if he could immediately become stronger by shaving his head and changing clothes.

After dressing up, it only cost two yuan and twenty cents.A suit of natural-colored coarse cloth trousers and coat that resembles ragbu is 1 yuan, green cloth shoes are 80 cents, socks made of thread shawls are 15 cents, and a straw hat is 25 cents.The broken things I took off were exchanged for two packs of matches. Holding two packs of matches, he walked along the avenue towards Xizhimen.Before he had gone far, he felt weak and tired.But he gritted his teeth.He can't take a car, and he can't take a car in any way: can a countryman use ten miles as a road, and he himself pulls a cart.Not to mention, it's a joke to be caught by this small illness with his own size and strength; unless he falls down and can't get up again, he will roll into the city if he rolls all over the ground, and he will never give in !If he couldn't go into the city today, he thought, Xiangzi would be done for; he only believed in his own body, no matter what disease he had!

Unsteadily, he let go of the step.Not far from Haidian, Venus appeared in front of his eyes.Holding on to a willow tree, he was in a daze for a long time, and he panicked for a while, but he still refused to sit down.The rotation of the sky and the earth gradually calmed down, his heart seemed to fall back into his heart from a long distance, and after wiping the sweat off his brow, he took another step. He has shaved his head and put on new clothes and shoes, and he thinks that he is quite worthy of himself; then, the legs have to do their duty, let's go!In a fit of anger, he walked to the gate.Seeing the hustle and bustle of people and horses, hearing the complicated and piercing sounds, smelling the smell of dryness, and stepping on the soft and dirty dust, Xiangzi wanted to climb down and kiss the smelly, stinky land, the lovely land, the land where foreign money grows. !He has no parents, brothers, or family relatives, and his only friend is this ancient city.This city has given him everything, even if he is hungry here, he is cuter than the countryside. There are things to see and things to hear, and there are lights and sounds everywhere; All kinds of good things that can't be worn out.Here, if you want to eat, you can also get meat soup and water. In the countryside, there are only stick noodles.Just to the west of Gaoliang Bridge, he sat on the river bank and shed a few tears!

The sun is flat, and the old willows on the river are crooked, with golden light hanging from the tips.There is not much water in the river, but there are a lot of green algae growing, like a greasy evergreen belt, narrow and long, dark green, giving off a slightly fishy damp smell.The wheat in the north of the river bank has spit out its awn, is short and dry, and a layer of dust has fallen on the leaves.The green leaves of the lotus pond in Henan are tiny and weakly floating on the water surface, and small blisters pop up from time to time on the left and right sides of the leaves.On the bridge on the east side, people and cars pass by, especially in a hurry in the setting sun, as if they all feel a kind of uneasiness that the twilight is approaching.These are very interesting and cute in Xiangzi's eyes and ears.Only such a small river can be regarded as a river; such trees, wheat, lotus leaves, and bridges can be regarded as trees, wheat, lotus leaves, and bridges.Because they all belong to Peking.

Sitting there, he is not busy.Everything in front of him was familiar and lovely, even if he sat and died, he seemed to be very happy.After resting for a long time, he went to the bridge and ate a bowl of old tofu: vinegar, soy sauce, pepper oil, and minced chives. After being scalded by the hot snow-white tofu, he gave off a slightly delicious smell, so fragrant that Xiangzi wanted to hold his breath; Holding the bowl, looking at the dark green leek powder, his hands trembled uncontrollably.After taking a bite, the tofu scalded his body; he added two teaspoons of chili oil by himself.After eating a bowl, his sweat was soaking through the waist of his trousers.With half-closed eyes, he handed out the bowl: "One more bowl!"

Standing up, he felt that he was human again.The sun was still at the lowest point in the west, and the river water was a little reddish by the sunset glow. He was so happy that he wanted to cry out.He touched the smooth scar on his face, touched the money in the bag, and glanced at the sunlight on the turret. He forcibly forgot about his illness and everything. As if he had some wish, he decided to walk in to the city. All kinds of cars and people are crowded in the city gate. No one dares to go quickly, but everyone wants to go quickly. The sound of whips, shouts, curses, horns, bells, and laughter are all blocked by the gate. ——Like a megaphone—the humming is connected together, as if everyone is making a sound, and they are all buzzing.Xiangzi took a step eastward with his big feet, took a step westward, and slid his hands left and right, squeezing into the city like a big slender fish leaping with the waves.He saw Xinjiekou at a glance, the road was so wide and straight, his eyes shone, as bright as the reflection on the east roof.He nodded.

His bedding is still in Renhe depot on Xi'anmen Street, so naturally he wants to go there.Because he didn't have a small family, he always lived in the car factory, although he didn't always pull the cars in the car factory.Renhe's boss, Mr. Liu Siye, is almost seventy years old; he is old and his heart is not honest.When he was young, he worked as a warehouse soldier, set up a casino, bought and sold people, and let go of the king of hell.Mr. Liu has all the qualifications and skills necessary for doing these jobs—strength, mentality, means, communication, brand name, etc.—all of them.In the former Qing Dynasty, he fought in group fights, robbed women from good families, and knelt down on iron chains.Kneeling on the iron chain, Liu Si didn't frown, and didn't say a word of mercy.The lawsuit taught him to stand up, which is called "Font Size".After being released from prison, he happened to enter the Republic of China, and the power of the police became stronger and stronger. Fourth Master Liu saw that heroes on the ground were a thing of the past, and even if Huang Tianba was reborn, he would not have much chance.He opened a foreign car factory.Born as a local bastard, he knows how to deal with the poor, when to tighten up and where to relax, he has a talent for mobilizing.None of the coachmen dared to play tricks with him.He stares and laughs with him, which can make people confused, as if one foot is in heaven, and the other is in hell, so he has to listen to him.Up to now, he has more than 60 cars, and the worst ones are 70 to 80% new. He does not keep broken cars.His car rental is larger than others', but when it comes to three quarters, he has two days more than others.People and factories have a place to live, and the bachelor who pulls his car can live for free - but he has to pay the car share, and if he can't pay the bill and gets tired of him, he will withhold the bedding and treat him like a waste Throwing it out the door like a kettle.If you have an emergency, you just need to tell him, he is not careless, he is eager to help in water or fire, this is called "zihao".

Fourth Master Liu is the Prime Minister of the Tiger.He's almost seventy years old, he doesn't bend his back, and he can walk ten or twenty miles with his legs up.Two big round eyes, a big nose, a square mouth, a pair of big canine teeth, and a mouth like a tiger.He was almost as tall as Xiangzi, with a bright shaved head and no beard.He considers himself a tiger, but unfortunately he has no son, only a thirty-seven or eighteen-year-old tiger girl—whoever knows Fourth Master Liu must also know Huniu.She was also very thick-headed, so she frightened men, and she was good at helping her father with his affairs, but no one dared to marry her as his wife.She is like a man in everything, even cursing is as straightforward as a man's, sometimes with more tricks.Liu Siye beats the outside, and Huniu fights the inside. The father and daughter manage the people and the car factory like an iron cylinder.Renhe Factory has become an authority in the foreign car industry, and the Liu family's father and daughter's method is often mentioned by the driver and the owner of the car, like a scholar's quotation.

Before buying his own car, Xiangzi pulled Renhe Chang's car.His savings will be handed over to Liu Siye for safekeeping.After collecting enough money, he wants to come over and buy the new car. "Fourth Master Liu, look at my car!" Xiangzi took the new car to Renhe Factory. The old man glanced at the car and nodded: "Not leaving!" "I still have to live here, so I will pay a monthly subscription before going to the door of the house!" Xiangzi said quite proudly. "Okay!" Fourth Master Liu nodded again. So, Xiangzi found Baoyue, and went to Zhuzushan; when something happened, he went to take a break, and lived in Renhechang. According to other coachmen, it is a rare thing to be able to live in Renhe Factory without pulling Fourth Master Liu's car.Therefore, some people even speculated that Xiangzi must be related to old man Liu; some even said that old man Liu probably took a fancy to Xiangzi and wanted to find a "little man" for Huniu to attract a husband.Although there was a bit of envy in this conjecture, if this was the case, when Fourth Master Liu died in the future, Renhechang would definitely belong to Xiangzi.This taught them to only dare to guess wildly, but not dare to say anything that would not be listened to in front of Xiangzi.In fact, old man Liu's preferential treatment to Xiangzi has other accounts.Xiangzi is such a person who can maintain old habits in a new environment.If he had been a soldier, he would never have acted foolishly to bully people as soon as he put on that tiger skin.In the depot, he is not idle, and as soon as he sweats, he finds something to do.He cleaned the car, pumped it up, dried the raincloth, and oiled it... No one needed to ask him to do it, he was willing to do it himself, and he did it happily, as if it was an excellent entertainment. There are always about twenty coachmen living in the factory; after the carts are collected, everyone either sits and chats, or falls asleep with their heads covered; Xiangzi, only Xiangzi's hands are not idle.When he first came up, everyone thought he was courting Mr. Liu and trying to curry favor with others; after a few days, they saw that he was not trying to be courteous at all, he was so sincere and natural, so they had nothing to say.Old man Liu never praised him, and never looked at him too much; the old man knew it well.He knew that Xiangzi was a good hand, even if he didn't pull his cart, he would still like Xiangzi to be in the factory.With Xiangzi here, not to mention other courtyards and gates will always be swept clean.Huniu liked this big, silly guy even more. Xiangzi always listened attentively to what she said and didn't argue with her; They; her words, therefore, are all left to Xiangzi.When Xiangzi went to get a monthly subscription, both Liu's father and daughter seemed to have lost a friend.As soon as he came back, even the old man seemed to be happier and more charitable when he cursed. Xiangzi took two packs of matches and went into Renhe Factory.It was still dark, and the Liu family's father and daughter were having dinner.Seeing him come in, Huniu put down her chopsticks: "Xiangzi! Did you let the wolves pick it up, or did you go to Africa to dig for gold?" "Hmph!" Xiangzi said nothing. Fourth Master Liu's big round eyes circled around Xiangzi's body, but he didn't say anything. Xiangzi, wearing a new straw hat, sat across from them. "If you haven't eaten yet, let's go together!" Hu Niu seemed to be entertaining a good friend. Xiangzi didn't move, but suddenly felt an indescribable intimacy in his heart.He has always regarded people and factories as his home: if he pays a monthly subscription, the owner often changes;Now that he had just escaped his life, he came back to his acquaintances and let him eat. He almost wondered if they were going to deceive him, but he almost shed tears. "I just ate two bowls of old tofu!" He showed a little courtesy. "What did you do?" Fourth Master Liu's big round eyes were still fixed on Xiangzi. "Where's the car?" "Car?" Xiangzi spat. "Come here and have a bowl of rice first! You won't be poisoned to death! What's the matter with two bowls of old tofu?!" Hu Niu pulled him over, as if an old sister-in-law loves her uncle. Xiangzi didn't go to serve the bowl, but took out the money first: "Fourth Master, give it to me first, thirty yuan." He put some change in his pocket again. Fourth Master Liu asked with the tips of his eyebrows, "Where did it come from?" While eating, Xiangzi told the story of being dragged away by the soldiers. "Hmph, you silly boy!" Fourth Master Liu shook his head after hearing this. "Take it into the city and sell it to the soup pot, and it's worth more than ten yuan a head; if the camel hair is full in winter, three camels will cost sixty yuan!" Xiangzi regretted it a long time ago, and when he heard this, he was even more sad.However, after thinking about it, it is a bit wicked to sell three live animals to the soup pot to be knifed; he and the camel both escaped, so they should be alive.He didn't say anything, and his heart calmed down. Miss Hu removed the guy, Fourth Master Liu raised his head as if thinking of something.He suddenly smiled, revealing two canine teeth that were getting stronger with age: "Fool, you said you were sick in Haidian? Why didn't you come all the way from Huangcun Avenue?" "I came back around the west mountain. I was afraid that I would teach people to catch up with me. If the people in the village thought about it, they would think of me as a deserter!" Fourth Master Liu smiled, and rolled his eyes to his heart twice.He was afraid that what Xiangzi said would be a ghost, and if the thirty yuan was stolen, he would not be able to store the stolen goods for someone else. When he himself was young, he did all sorts of illegal things; now, he pretends to be a reformer, he cannot be careless, and he knows how to be careful.There was only such a gap in Xiangzi's narration, but Xiangzi explained it without any fuss, and the old man was relieved. "What should I do?" the old man said, pointing to the money. "Listen to you!" "Buy another car?" The old man bared his canine teeth again, as if to say, "Buy the car yourself, and live in my place for nothing?!" "Not enough! You have to buy a new one!" Xiangzi didn't look at Fourth Master Liu's teeth, but only cared about his own heart. "Lend it to you? One cent of the interest, others will get two and five cents!" Xiangzi shook his head. "Print with the car shop, why don't you give me a profit!" "I don't print them either," Xiangzi said in a daze, "I'm saving slowly, and when I have enough, I can buy cash!" The old man looked at Xiangzi as if he saw some strange character, it was hateful, but he couldn't get angry.After staying for a while, he picked up the money: "Thirty? Don't be sloppy!" "That's right!" Xiangzi stood up, "Go to bed. I'll give you a pack of matches, old man!" He put a pack of matches on the table and was stunned again: "Don't tell others about the camel!" ①Tangbu, a kind of thin cloth woven with narrow and thick threads, was used as a face towel in the old days. ② Playing with bones, that is, being mischievous and making trouble.