Chapter 60 59

God bless the old man simply didn't know what to do.He is the shopkeeper, he has the right to mobilize, handle, everything in the shop.However, now he seems to be useless and only eats three meals for nothing.Winter is here, and it's time for everyone to add winter clothes, but he can't buy cotton or cloth.If you can't buy it, you will naturally have nothing to sell. When ten caregivers come in, seven or eight go out empty-handed.At the beginning, he was an apprentice in Peiping; now, he is leading an apprentice in Peiping.What he learned, and what he taught others, is first and foremost politeness, and the purpose of politeness is to make the caretaker buy two or three instead of one; It will also be gray.If customers go out empty-handed, it is the failure of the shop.Now, Tianyou sees people going out empty-handed every day, and there are more than one.He doesn't have much to sell.Even if people want to buy more, he can't get it out.Even if the clerk's courteous manners can win the buyer's heart and settle on the color and pattern, he has nothing to replace it; white cloth may replace gray cloth, but white cloth cannot replace blue satin.His politeness has lost its effect.

There are only a few goods in the shop, and the more they sell, the less they sell, and the less they sell, the more obvious they are.In the old days, neatly folded cloths of various colors were placed on his shelves. The blue ones were blue, and the white ones were white. They were all so thick, brand new, and quiet. , Warm, arranged; some exuding a mild indigo smell, some exuding a pleasant luster.Tianyou sat on the big stool covered with thick blue cotton cushions by the door of the shop, looking at the goods in the grid and smelling the smell of indigo, he couldn't help but feel comfortable and happy.That is goods, that is, capital; it can generate profits, but it also includes credit, management, rules and so on.Even on stormy days, it doesn't matter much that there isn't necessarily one buyer a day.The goods will not be blown away by strong winds or rainstorms; as long as there are goods, sooner or later you will meet someone who knows the goods, so there is no need to worry.At the end of his big stool, there were always two large baskets of cotton mats, white, soft and warm, which brightened his heart.

With a squint, he could see half of the inner cabinet.Although his main business is cloth, he also has an eye-catching inner cabinet displaying silk and satin.Some of these small goods were wrapped in tissue paper and stood upright in a glass cabinet, while others were folded and placed flat in a low glass cabinet.Here, it is not as simple as the outer cabinet, but has another kind of sentiment. Every item has its luster and dignity, which makes him imagine the gentleness and magnificence of Suzhou and Hangzhou, and the happiest moment of life—if his Didn't the old father celebrate his 80th birthday with a purple or dark blue or bronze, large satin jacket?What pair of newlyweds does not want to wear a silk dress?When he saw the inner cabinet, he not only thought of ample food and clothing, but also thought of a prosperous and prosperous age. Even those who hired girls in the countryside had to use a few bolts of silk and satin.

Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, he was almost always in the shop, and he never disliked his life and those goods.He has no ambitions, he does not think wildly, he is like a small fish, as long as there is clear water and green algae, he will swim happily, no matter it is a small lake or a magnetic jar. Now, the two baskets of cotton have long since disappeared, leaving only empty baskets lying in the backyard.The grid of the outer cabinet is more than half empty.At first, Tianyou asked the guys to even out the goods. Even though they were not full, none of them were completely empty.Gradually, the uniformity is no longer enough; the empty ones have to be empty.In his own shop, Tianyou hardly dared to raise his head, those empty boxes looked like square eyes without eyeballs, staring at him day and night, mocking him.He had no choice but to paste the blank space with flower paper.However, this is clearly self-deception; can it be considered as a commodity if it is pasted up?

The grids were more than half muddy, and there was only one old chap sitting at the counter—the rest were fired.The old man had nothing to do but take a nap.This is not a business, but a disgrace to those who do business!The inner cabinet looks better, but looks sadder.Silk and satin, like women's hair, have new patterns every day.After three months, there is no hope of reselling it; in half a year, it becomes an antique—the most worthless antique.There are more silks and satins left than cloth, that is to say, there are more money-losing goods left.There is only one guy left in the inner cabinet, and he has nothing to do.He had no choice but to wipe the cupboard and the glass on the cabinet frequently.The brighter the glass, the darker the old silk and satin look, the white turns yellow, and the yellow turns white.Tianyou is a person who doesn't like to talk too much, and he is even more reluctant to open his mouth when he sees those small goods bought with silver that are about to perish together.His saliva turned bitter, and he swallowed it mouthful.His decency, loyalty, talent, experience, and dignity were all suddenly wiped away.He became helpless, a waste like those second-hand goods.

People who are not ambitious are often not broad-minded.God bless is like this.On the surface, he remained calm, but in his heart, it was as if a swarm of wild bees were stinging him with poisonous stings.He secretly went to see several nearby shops.The dim sum shop, because of the lack of flour, also cleared the pot and cold stove.Due to the inconvenient transportation, the tea shop could not deliver goods, and there was no good business.Sometimes there is not even a piece of meat in the pork shop.Seeing this situation, he felt a little relieved: Yes, everyone is like this, it's not that he himself is particularly incompetent or helpless.This consolation was only for a moment.After he sat down and thought about it carefully, his heart tightened again, even stronger than before. He thought, if this continues, all kinds of business will stop at the same time, won't they all freeze to death and starve to death?In that case, the whole of Beiping would have no cloth, no tea, no flour, no pork. How would he and all the people in Peiping survive?Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of the country.When the country is destroyed, everyone must die; it is true, everyone must die!When he thinks of the country, he also thinks of his third son, Ruiquan.The third child is right, right, right!he told himself.Not to mention the old father, even he himself was helpless and useless.Hmph, even the eldest son Ruixuan—such a smart and personable Ruixuan—doesn't have much method or use!When Peking is over, of course the people in Peiping are also over.Only the third child, only the third child, escaped to Peiping, and there was hope.China will not perish because Ruiquan has not yet surrendered.Thinking of this, Tianyou straightened his back again, and let out a long puff of white air from his mouth.

However, this is only a small consolation, and it cannot relieve his current difficulties.Soon he lost even this consolation, for he was busy and had no time to think about his son.He was notified to check the goods.He had heard it was going to be done, and now it had become a fact.Every store has to check the inventory and fill in the form in great detail.Tianyou understood that this was "copying the house by order".After everyone completes the forms, the Japanese will know exactly how many supplies there are in Peking and how much they are worth.Beiping will no longer be a famous city with the beauty of lakes, mountains and palaces, a long history, flowers, trees, fish and birds, but a large industry with a certain price.The owners of this industry are Japanese.

There are few people in the shop, so Tianyou has to count the goods and fill out the forms by himself.It's true that there are not many goods, but it is not very simple to count them.He knows that the Japanese are very careful, if he reports carelessly, he will definitely cause trouble.He had to re-measure each piece of cloth with a ruler, write down every inch and cent, and then calculate their prices exactly. Such overnight checks and calculations were clear, and he didn't dare to formally fill in the form.He didn't know whether to set the price high or low.He knew that more than half of those stocks had no hope of being sold, so if the price was too high and the goods could not be sold, and the Japanese taxed them according to his price, what should we do?Conversely, if he sets the price low, he will lose money if he sells it. Not only will he suffer a loss, but he will also be criticized by his peers.He frowned.He had no choice but to go to another cloth merchant for advice.He has always had his own style and methods, and now he has to seek advice from others.He is still the shopkeeper, but has lost his autonomy.

Colleagues also have no idea.The Japanese only issue orders and do not give detailed explanations to anyone.An order is an order, and the Japanese do not tell anyone in advance what will happen in the future.The Japanese conquered Peiping, and the businessmen in Peiping deserved to be tortured. Tianyou thought of a compromise, setting a high price for the products that could be sold, and discounting the products that had no hope of being sold. He felt that he was quite smart.After handing over the form, he guessed all day long what the second step was.He can't guess, and he refuses to ignore it because he can't guess; he is a person who can't let things go.He was bored, anxious, and felt that it was an insult—his business, but to be directed by others.He has added a few white beards that often stand on end.

After waiting and waiting, he waited for the people who came to inspect the goods according to the form—there were plainclothes and armed people, Chinese and Japanese.This momentum is not like checking goods, but like catching Jiangyang robbers.The Japanese like to make a sesame seed the size of the earth.Tianyou's physique is quite good, and he doesn't easily suffer from headaches.Today, his head hurts.The person inspecting the goods holds the form, and he holds the ruler. Every piece of cloth must be re-measured to see if it matches what is written on the form.The old man almost forgot the rules and politeness, and wanted to knock their mouths with a wooden ruler and knock out some of their teeth.This is not a business, but a confession; he has been just all his life, and now he is regarded by them as a crooked and habitual thief.

This pass passed, and they found no ills.However, he was missing a piece of cloth.That was sold yesterday.They refused.The old man's face was purple with anger, but he still dealt with them patiently.He took out the journal, asked them to look at it, and even took out the money: "Isn't it? It's untouched, five yuan and a dime!" No, no!They cannot accept this account!The case has not yet been settled, and they discovered "illnesses" again.Why are some goods priced so low?They called out the old account: "Yes, the price you set is lower than the price when you received the goods! What's the matter?" Tianyou's bearded mouth trembled.I choked several times in my throat before I could speak: "These are second-hand goods, and they are unlikely to be sold, so..." No, no!This is clearly causing trouble on purpose. Is there anyone willing to lose money in business? "Can you change it?" The old man forced a smile. "Change? Is that still an official matter?" "Then what should we do?" The old man's head hurt like it was about to split open. "What do you think we should do?" The old man was like a wild dog, being blocked by people in the corner, with sticks all over him. The big man came over, offered cigarettes and tea to everyone, and then secretly tugged on the old man's sleeve: "Pay the money!" With tears in his eyes, the old man admitted his fault, accepted the punishment automatically, and handed over fifty yuan.They refused to accept the money no matter what, and they didn't stop being polite until they added another ten yuan. After they left, Tianyou sat on the chair, only shivering.In the era of warlords and civil wars, he went through many unreasonable things.However, at that time, the chamber of commerce always took the lead, apportioned on a per-household basis, and he could repay the account according to the notice of the chamber of commerce, and he was not directly insulted by the soldiers.Today, he was called a profiteer by them, and he took out money that could not be reimbursed.On the one hand, he was insulted and blackmailed, and he didn't have the face to tell anyone.If there is no business, the shop is already losing money, so how can it lose another sixty yuan for nothing? After sitting blankly for a long time, he wanted to go home and have a look.It’s not easy to tell others about the grievance in your heart, why not tell your own father, wife, and son?He left the shop.However, after only walking a few steps, he turned around again.Forget it, it's best to keep your grievances in your own heart, why bother to teach your family members to be sad too.Back in the shop, he found out the fox fur robe that hadn't been turned around a few times, and the leather panels were not very neat.Yes, this robe has not been worn many times, firstly because he is in business and cannot wear it too richly, and secondly because there is an old father on it, it is inconvenient for him to pretend to be old and casually wear fox fur— —Although this is a fox fur robe that is not very neat and valuable.He took it out and handed it to the big guy: "Go and sell it to me! The leather is not very good, but it hasn't been worn a few times; the face is a real big satin." "It's very cold now, how do you resell the skin?" the big man asked. "I don't like wearing it! It's still in storage, why don't you change it for some money? It's going to be cold, maybe you can sell it for a few more money." "How much will it sell for?" "It's up to you, it's up to you! Fifty or sixty yuan is enough! Once you buy something and sell it, there is a big difference; if you want to sell something, don't even think about how much it is worth when you buy it, right?" Tianyou never told the big guy why he To sell leather robes. The big guy ran for a long time, and forty-five yuan was the highest price he got. "Just forty-five, sell it!" Tianyou was very resolute. In addition to the forty-five yuan, he got another fifteen yuan by patchwork, and he returned the sixty yuan to the cabinet.He didn't have to wear a fur robe, but he couldn't pay sixty yuan for nothing on the teaching cabinet.He ought, he thought, to suffer this; who taught himself to have no luck, to be born in this unlucky time.Although the fortune is bad, he must maintain his personality, and he cannot irresponsibly lose money to the shop. A few days later, he got the price list set by the Japanese.The old man was careful, looking slowly one by one.After reading it, he didn't say a word, put on his hat and went out, he went out of Pingzemen.It seemed that the city could no longer breathe, and he had to find an open place to breathe and think.The prices set by the Japanese do not include two-thirds of the cost, and they are absolutely not allowed to be changed; anyone who changes without authorization will be shot to raise prices and disturb public order! The newly released water in the moat is prepared to freeze into solid ice when the northwest wind arrives, so that it can be stored in ice.The water was flowing quite fast, but there were already some icicles near the shore.The trees on the shore and other places have lost all their leaves, so you can see the distance at a glance.The faint Xishan is no longer as dark blue as after the summer rain, nor as bright as the spring and autumn, but a little whitish, as if afraid of the cold.The sun is very good, but there is not much heat, and even the shadows of the trees and figures are so faint, dry and small, as if they were illuminated by the moonlight.The old man glanced at the distant mountains and the river, and sighed deeply. How to proceed with the business?The goods can't come.It is not allowed to report closure.High taxes.Well, now, the official price has been set again - if you don't sell it, others will buy it; if you sell it, you will pay as much as you sell.What kind of business is this? What does Japanese mean?Yes, if things have a certain price, the common people will not be exploited; but aren’t the common people who do business?Who would pay more if all the businessmen lost their money in a mess?If everyone doesn't add more goods, won't Beiping become an empty city?What does that mean?The old man couldn't figure it out. Standing blankly on the river bank, Tianyou forgot where he was.He thought, thought, like a spinning top in his head.The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, he wished he could plunge into the water and end his own and all troubles. A breeze woke him up.The running water, withered willows, and withered grass in front of me suddenly seemed more real.He touched his cheeks inadvertently. His cheeks were cold, but his palms were sweating, and the spinning top in his head stopped spinning.He figured it out!Very simple, very simple, there is no deep meaning in it, no!That is just to teach the common people to see that the prices of goods will not go up when the Japanese are here.The Japanese have methods and have a virtuous government.As for how the merchants live, who cares!The businessman is Chinese, he deserves to starve to death!Merchants no longer add goods, and they deserve it!People can't buy cloth, cotton, or everything, they deserve it!Anyway, prices haven't gone up!The virtue of the Japanese is to kill without blood. After thinking about this point, he took another look at the river and turned around quickly.He has to explain to the shareholders what he just thought, and he can't use "serve it" to ruin the business if he doesn't make a fool of himself. He has to explain clearly.His thick heels clattered on the ground, and he rushed into the city like a desperate man.He is a person who can't let go of things in his heart, he must figure things out immediately, and he can't just hang around with his eyes closed like this. All shareholders have seen it, and no one has an idea.Everyone is willing to close down immediately, but everyone knows that the Japanese are not allowed to report closing down.Everyone only knows that business is hopeless, and there is no way to save it.They could only say to Tianyou: "Let's talk about it! Make it harder for you! Who taught us to catch up with this..." Everyone still trusts and respects him, but there is no way.They could only teach him to guard the empty clamshell, and he nodded. Returning to the bunk helplessly, he just sat there blankly.Another order came: only one foot of each kind of cloth was allowed to be sold at a time, and a penalty was imposed for selling an extra inch.This is not an order, but a joke.One zhang of cloth is not enough to make a suit of men's trousers, nor is it enough to make a man's overcoat.The Japanese are short in stature, ten feet of cloth may be enough to make a piece of clothing; not all Chinese are short.Tianyou laughed instead, the tall man had to obey the short man's idea, and had nothing else to say. "This will save trouble!" He was very sad, and pretended not to care and said: "The price is fixed, the length is fixed, we can put away the abacus!" After finishing speaking, his old tears were in the sockets of his eyes change.What kind of business is this!Experience, talent, rules, and plans are all useless.This is not a business, but a decoration for the Japanese—a business that has no business, but still picks out a cover every day and keeps the door open every day! He has always been the most stable person, but now he doesn't want to sit like this all the time.He is useless, if he still sits there like a business, acting as a shopkeeper, he is boring and doesn't know what to do.He wanted to hide from the shop and never come back. The next day, he went out early in the morning.Without purpose, he walked slowly and trustingly.After passing a small stall, he would stop and look at it for a while, no matter whether it was worth seeing or not, he would look at it, just to kill a few minutes.Seeing an acquaintance, he rushed to have a chat with him.He wanted to talk, but he was bored.After walking like this for an hour or two, he turned around.No, this is outrageous.He's not used to this kind of fooling around.He has to go back.No matter what the shop looks like, whether there is business or not, he is a well-behaved businessman after all, and he can't walk around like a half-lunatic like this.Sitting in the shop is uncomfortable, and walking around like this is not helpful; besides, no matter what, it is more like an idea person in the shop. Back in the shop, he saw some rubber shoes and some old Japanese-made toys piled up on the counter. "Whose is this?" Tianyou asked. "It was just delivered." The big man smiled bitterly. "If you buy a foot of silk, you should also buy a pair of rubber shoes; if you buy a foot of cloth, you should also buy a small gadget; this is an order!" Looking at the pile of flimsy, useless Japanese things, Tianyou was stunned for a long time before saying: "The rubber shoes can still be said to be useful, what are these things for? Besides, they are still so broken, isn't it Is it hard to beat the buyer's money?" The big guy glanced outside, and then said in a low voice: "The Japanese factories probably only make guns and guns, and they don't even make new gadgets, that's right!" "Maybe!" Tianyou didn't want to discuss Japan's industrial issues, but only felt that these old toys brought him greater insult and more ridicule.He was about to lose his temper: "Put them in the back cabinet, hurry up! It's a time-honored brand for many years, and it sells stuff, but it's still broken! I have to sell Rendan tomorrow! Hmph!" Watching the buddy put the things into the back cabinet, he made a pot of tea and drank slowly one cup after another.This is not like drinking tea, but rather like taking tea to relieve anger.Looking at the tea in the cup, he thought of the river water he saw yesterday.He thinks the river water is lovely, not only lovely, but also seems to be able to solve all problems.He is a person with a narrow mind, and he can't regard helpless things as helpless and laugh them off.He regards helplessness as a test for himself. If he admits helplessness, he admits his incompetence and is useless.He couldn't cope with the situation, he should end himself quickly—following the river, drifting, drifting, drifting, drifting into the big river and the sea, it's not bad.People with narrow minds often regard death as a broad road, and Tianyou is like this.Thinking of the river and the sea, he felt happier. He saw the openness, freedom, and carefree, which was much better than living in such a heart-wrenching way.Just after noon, a large truck stopped outside the shop. "They're at it again!" said the big man. "Who?" Tianyou asked. "Delivery!" "I'm afraid it's Rendan this time!" Tianyou wanted to smile, but couldn't. A Japanese jumped out of the car, and three Chinese, like wolves and tigers, broke into the shop.Although there were only four of them, their momentum seemed like a company of machine guns. "Where's the goods? Where's the goods delivered just now?" A Chinese asked very anxiously.The big guy hurried to the back cabinet to get it.Here, the Chinese snatched it with his hands, and counted very quickly and powerfully like a rooster digging soil: "One pair, two pairs..." After counting, the muscles on his face relaxed a little, and he said to the Japanese with a smile. : "Ten more pairs! I said the problem is here, it must be here!" The Japanese looked at the shopkeeper of Tianyou, and asked arrogantly and coldly: "Your shopkeeper?" Tianyou nodded. "Ha! Your delivery?" The big guy wants to talk, because he accepted the goods.Tianyou took a step forward, and nodded to the Japanese again.He is the shopkeeper, and he is responsible, even if the clerk did something wrong. "You big bastard!" Tianyou swallowed a big mouthful of saliva, and rushed down his anger like taking a pill.Still very polite and gentle, he asked: "I overcharged ten pairs, didn't I? I'll return it according to the number!" "Return? You big profiteer!" Suddenly, the Japanese slapped him. Venus appeared in Tianyou's eyes.With this one mouth, he didn't know what to beat him for.Suddenly he turned into a piece of flesh that couldn't think, feel, or move, and was stuck there.He has never fought or played wild in his life.He never imagined that one day he would be beaten.His honesty, obedience to the rules, and love of decency, he thought, were his steel armor, which would never allow insults and palms to come to him.Now, after he was beaten, he was nothing but a piece of flesh standing there. The big guy's face turned pale, and he said with a forced smile, "Gentlemen give me twenty pairs, and I'll take twenty pairs, why, why..." He swallowed the following words back. "We'll give you twenty pairs?" a Chinese asked.His majesty is second only to that of the Japanese. "Who doesn't know that each family distributes ten pairs! In the midst of your haste, you took ten more pairs and blamed us. How dare you!" In fact, they did give ten more pairs.The big guy had no idea he was overcharging.For these ten pairs of shoes, they ran half the city.They must find out these ten pairs of shoes, otherwise they will not be able to exchange business.When found, they cannot admit their own negligence, but must place the blame upon others. Rolling his eyes, the big guy came up with an idea: "We overcharged the goods, so we'll be punished!" This time, they were not bribed.They have to take the shopkeeper away.The Japanese are going to make a demonstration to force the implementation of "parity" and to force the acceptance of the goods they send.They dragged the shopkeeper Tianyou out.From the car, they found a white cloth vest that had been prepared, with huge red letters written on the front and back - profiteers.They threw the waistcoat to Tianyou and taught him to put it on himself.At this time, the outside of the shop was already full of people.Trembling all over, Tianyou put on the waistcoat.He seemed to be half-dead. Looking at the people in front of him, he seemed to know a few people, but he didn't seem to know them.He seemed to have forgotten his shame and anger, and just trembled and let others manipulate him. The Japanese got into the car.The three Chinese walked slowly with Tianyou, and the car followed behind.On the road, three people taught him: "Say it yourself: I'm a profiteer! I'm a profiteer! I overcharged! I don't sell things at the price! I'm a profiteer! Say it!" Tianyou didn't groan. Three pistols were held against his back. "Say!" "I'm a profiteer!" Tianyou said in a low voice.On weekdays, his voice is not high, and he doesn't shout with a thick neck and red muscles. "louder!" "I'm a profiteer!" Tianyou raised his voice a little. "Bigger!" "I'm a profiteer!" Tianyou shouted. Pedestrians stood still, and those who had nothing important to do followed behind and on both sides.People in Peking love to watch the excitement.As long as their eyes had something to look at, they looked, and looked, without being bored at all.As long as they see the excitement, they forget about shame, right and wrong, let alone anger. Tianyou's eyes were fascinated by tears.Lu is familiar, but he seems not to know him at all.He only felt that the road was very wide and there were many people, but it was like seeing it for the first time.He also doesn't know what he is doing.He mechanically shouted one sentence at a time, just shouting, but he didn't know what he was shouting.Slowly, the sweat on his head merged with the tears in his eyes, and he couldn't see the road, people, and everything clearly.He lowered his head, but still kept shouting.He didn't need to think, those few words seemed to come out of his mouth.Raising his head suddenly, he saw the road, vehicles, and pedestrians again, and he didn't recognize them anymore, as if he had just woken up from a dream and suddenly saw the sun and things.He saw a whole new world, full of colors and sounds, and none of which had anything to do with him.Everything was so lively and indifferent, beautiful and cruel, and they all looked at him quietly.He was very close to them, yet seemed far away.He looked down again. After walking two streets, his voice became hoarse.He was tired and dizzy, but his legs dragged him along.He does not know where he has gone, and where he is going.With his head down, he still shouted those few words.However, her voice was already hoarse, as if she was chattering with herself.When he looked up, he saw an archway with four extremely red pillars.The four red pillars suddenly became extremely thick and gigantic, walking towards him unsteadily.Four red legs pulling the sky and the ground came towards him, his eyes were all red, the sky and the earth were red, and his brain was also red.He closed his eyes. How long, he did not know.When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was lying near the Dongdan archway.The truck was gone, and so were the three shooters, surrounded only by a circle of children.He sat up, stunned.After being stunned for a long time, he lowered his head and saw his chest.The waistcoat was gone, and the chest was still wet with foam and blood.He stood up slowly, then fell down again, his legs were like two logs.Struggling, he stood up again; standing still, he saw only a sliver of sunlight on the top of the archway. There wasn't a single spot on his body that didn't hurt, and the inside of his throat was dry enough to split. Stopping every step, he walked west.His mind was completely empty.His old father, long-ill wife, three sons, daughter-in-law, grandson and granddaughter, and his shop all seem to have disappeared.He only saw the moat and the lovely water; the water seemed to be flowing on the road, beckoning to him.He nodded.His world is gone, he must go to another world.In another world, his shame can be washed away.Alive, he is just shame itself; the white cloth and red letter vest he just wore will always hang on him, stick to his body, and print on his body, he will always be a big, big black man of the Qi family and the shop. The idea, the black idea that darkens the sun forever, stinks the flowers, cunning the justice, cruelty the mildness. He hired a car to Pingzemen.Holding on to the city wall, he rubbed his way out.The sun went down.The trees by the river were waiting for him.There was a little reddish glow in the sky, as if smiling at him.The river was flowing fast, and it seemed that he was getting impatient.The water made a little sound, as if calling to him in a low voice. Soon, he remembered the things of his life; soon, he forgot everything.Float, float, float, he will float into the sea, free, cool, clean, happy, and wash the scarlet letter on his chest.