Chapter 93 92

In summer, the plaster flag flies in the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.Sons of the sun god, conquered many green islands full of sugar cane fields and rubber plantations.It is rare to see short-legged Japanese soldiers in Peking.They dare not see the sun, and come and go, always at night, because their uniforms are patched and their shoes are torn.The imperial army became a group of ragged people. In order to hide their ugliness, the imperial army dared to come out at night; ordinary Japanese didn't care, and were not afraid of embarrassing themselves everywhere.Some Japanese women in kimonos, walking with their heads down, grab everything they see in markets and alleys.They ran to the vegetable market in groups of three or four, and surrounded the vegetable or fruit stalls.You take cabbage, I take cucumbers, grab them and stuff them into the basket.No one is idle, eggplants and zucchini are stuffed into the sleeves.After the snatching was over, each of them went back to their respective houses, chatting and laughing like beautiful little magnetic dolls.

Although the food rations for them were more than the Chinese and the quality was better, it was still not enough.The lives of the conquerors and the conquered are paupers.The easiest thing to do is to rob, the Chinese police don't care, the Japanese military police don't ask, and they don't dare to stop small businessmen. The trailblazer of the Japanese sissy was Koryo-bamko—a high-ranking minion.They are not only robbing, but also doing things according to their nature.They eat your watermelons without spending a dime, and they have to spoil some.In contrast, Japanese women feel that they are not so lowly - they just grab things and don't destroy things.

Since the beginning of summer, there are no more vegetable and fruit vendors, and the people in Xiaoyangpen can only make do with it.The hawkers are afraid that the Japanese women on the 3rd will rob them. This has brought great inconvenience to Chinese women. Xiang Yunmei can no longer buy green onions and spinach at her doorstep.Even if you want to buy a head of garlic, you have to go to the street.Besides, if the peddlers were robbed, they had to go to the Chinese to get their money back.Everything has gone up in price.Yunmei found out that she still had to pay a robbery tax. Ever since Fourth Master Li passed away, Inspector Bai has been more and more troubled every day.Although he could think of two reasons to forgive himself, no matter what he thought, he still felt sorry for Fourth Master Li.It was him who forced fourth master to become the head of the village. When the Japanese military police beat fourth master, he didn't step forward to stop him.He had no choice but to visit the sheep pen, but he was afraid of seeing the fourth mother and her son.Every time he saw them, he lowered his head, not daring to look directly at them.He couldn't stand up in front of people, he was just a poor guy trying to make ends meet.

He didn't let his men take care of the Japanese women's robbery. "If we go to report or take care of it, if we can't keep these bastards, we will try our best to arrest the small businessmen. I said, brothers, the best way is to close your eyes. The whole of Beiping is occupied by others , where is there right and wrong?" The little sheep pen cannot live without the village chief, he thought of Qi Ruixuan and Cheng Changshun, but they were all soft-faced and couldn't do anything. As soon as Fourth Master Li died, Ding Yuehan fell in love with this job.He has plenty of time now.Since he came out of the British government, he hasn't looked for another job.Since he worked in the British government, he didn't want to be a stage setter in a western restaurant.Even if he is willing to lower his status, he may not be able to find a job, because the Japanese are anti-British and anti-American, and more than half of the western restaurants are closed.

Inspector Bai didn't like Ding Yuehan's foreign style, but he couldn't find a suitable person, so he nodded. After arranging the affairs of the chief of the village, the chief inspector Bai still worries about it day and night.There was another thing that worried him, and it was hard to say: he was too old. Someday, he took an old razor and shaved off the stubble of his beard carefully. The old uniform was neatly packed and clean, and a pair of old leather shoes were also polished with a rag. At that time, Qiang worked hard to puff up his chest, but he knew that his old state could not be concealed.He didn't want to be a running dog for the Japanese, but he was really afraid that the Japanese would withdraw his job.When he was checking the streets, he was always afraid that some Japanese would come across him and say to him, "Go away! Who wants an old man like you to be the inspector?"

What bothers him the most is that since the Japanese women snatched things away, the Chinese have also learned this trick.He told his people not to worry about Japanese women stealing things, so how could he tell them to deal with Chinese people?No matter how much the Chinese grab, they can't compete with the Japanese.If he dared not control the Japanese, he should not control the Chinese either.He lowered his head and said to his subordinates: "Leave them alone, they are all hungry. Who has never tasted the feeling of starvation? Even if they are arrested, the Japanese will not speak well of us. The prisons are full, and the prisoners And there is no food to eat. Alas—or so, keep your eyes open and close your eyes. When our eyes are closed and never open again, the world may be peaceful."

Because there was not enough food, the aliens in the dominant position showed their fox tails; because of hunger, the slaves didn't care about shame.People who are suffering from hunger, all they want is to get something to fill their mouths. They are not decent, and they have long since neglected it. Stealing and grabbing something is nothing. In shops selling raw and cooked pork in Beiping, the pork chops and sausages are as tall as a person.This is because the shopkeeper is afraid that the buyer will grab the meat with his hand and chop off a piece of his finger.But now these tall fleshy mounds (originally half of a big tree trunk) can no longer stop people from reaching there.Butchers who sell raw meat have always cut meat on the table, because no matter how greedy people are, they will not grab raw meat or oil and put it in their mouths.But now there are really people who grab raw meat to eat.

Since the Japanese implemented food rationing, the business of butcher shops has become deserted.There is often no meat for sale for three to five days in a row.Occasionally, some meat comes out overnight, no matter whether it is raw or cooked, it is cut into small pieces, wrapped in paper or lotus leaves, and hidden in the cupboard.The buyer has to pay the money before receiving a morsel of meat. This method of paying first and then delivering goods was very popular in Beiping.If you don't pay first, you can't buy anything. Those who sell sesame seed cakes, steamed stuffed buns and other kinds of food for small business use thin wire mesh to cover and lock the baskets.The buyer pays first, then unlocks the basket and takes the items out.The hawkers also said while delivering the goods that he would not be responsible for the goods once they were handed over.Because when shopping, there are always people waiting beside the stalls or burdens, and they will grab food when they see it.

Yunmei was robbed twice, and she never dared to send Xiao Shun'er to go shopping again.Although the things were worthless, she was terrified. Mrs. Tianyou hesitated and came up with an idea: "Wouldn't it be better to let Xiao Shun'er follow you? Four eyes are better than two." Yunmei felt that whether Xiao Shun'er was useful or not, asking him to follow along would always give him courage, but Xiao Shun'er had to go to school. "Oh," Old Man Qi sighed, "it doesn't matter if you don't go to school these days!" When Xiao Shun'er heard that he was assigned this job, she was so beautiful that she immediately thought of carrying a stick with her. "Anyone who takes your pocket, mother, I'll beat him with a stick."

"Be quiet for a while," Yunmei couldn't laugh or cry, "Just keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully. If someone keeps following us, you can yell loudly." "Call the police?" Xiao Shun'er loves to interrupt. "Hmph—it's strange if they want to take care of it." "Then why am I shouting?" Xiao Shun'er had to be clear about everything, otherwise how could she be a good bodyguard for her mother. "You can yell anything—just yell," Grandma helped explain. Old man Qi, in order to let everyone see that although he is old and weak, he is still resourceful, he found some rags and rope, and said to Yunmei: "Go and cover the basket, buy something, put the rope on Once it's tight, it's like those baskets used by small businessmen. Isn't it much less secure?"

Yunmei said: "Your idea is really good, Grandpa." She didn't say: "What if the basket is taken away?" Of course, Ruixuan also tried his best.Every time he goes home from school, he tries to buy something along the way, so as to save Yunmei from going to the street all the time and reduce the chance of being robbed. One day, when he came home from school, he remembered that Yunmei seemed to want him to bring something, but he forgot what exactly she wanted. After walking for a while, I saw a seller of fried dough sticks.Before the war, there were plenty of sesame seed cakes, but now they are very rare.The barbed wire on the basket also seemed novel and eccentric. He wanted to buy two sesame seed cakes and deep-fried dough sticks, to make up for his mistake of forgetting to buy something, and to make Niuzi have a good time.She still cried when she saw reconciliation. Holding sesame seed fried dough sticks in his hand, he walked all the way, thinking about Mr. Fushan all the way.Didn't he often give Niuzi biscuits and bread?He missed this old friend very much, but he knew in his heart that even if he knew where the old man was, he would not dare to visit him.The Japanese especially hate the Chinese who associate with Westerners. Thinking about it, Meng Gu Ding stretched out a hand beside him, a very dirty and thin hand.Before he understood what was going on, the fried dough sticks had disappeared.He stopped and looked back. The person who snatched the biscuits was an extremely thin and weak man, and he ran desperately, but he couldn't run fast.He spit on the sesame seed fried dough sticks a few times, but even if he caught up with him, he wouldn't take it anymore. Rui Xuan caught up with him.Like a desperate old hen, the thin man stood face to face with the wall.Seeing that he still knows how to be ashamed, Ruixuan feels sorry for him and regrets that he shouldn't be kicked out. "Friend, you can eat it, I don't want it anymore." Ruixuan said gently, hoping that the skinny man would turn around. The thin man pressed his face closer to the wall. Ruixuan wanted to say, "It's the Japanese who made us lose our sense of shame and lose face, it's not your fault." However, he wanted to say this but couldn't.Because it's all empty words.Reasonable, comforting, not full belly.So he said, "Friend, eat!" The thin man seemed to be moved, and slowly turned around. Ruixuan saw clearly at once: it was Poet Qian's uncle, Chen Yeqiu.He threw everything he was going to say out of the blue, and managed to hold back a sentence: "Yeqiu!" Ye Qiu drooped his head, leaned against the wall, and stood there dumbfounded.His hair probably hasn't been cut for several months. It's long and dirty, and it's messy and curled up on his head.His face was so thin that it hadn't been washed for many days.There were no tears in his eyes, and he stared blankly at the fried dough sticks in his hand. Ruixuan grabbed Yeqiu's arm, and Yeqiu wanted to struggle away, but he had no strength. He staggered and followed Ruixuan for a few steps, and asked with all his might, "Where are you going?" "Find a place to sit." Ruixuan said. The two walked into a small restaurant.As soon as you enter the door, the waiter will come to block you. "I'm sorry, but we don't have anything today, no fire at all. No business." No fire, no clinking of cups and plates, is this a restaurant?The tables, chairs, and benches were all neatly tidied up, and the shop still had the smell of meat and oil left over from the years and the smell of food. "Let's sit for a while, shall we?" Rui Xuanke asked politely, "This gentleman is a little uncomfortable," he was referring to Yeqiu. "It's nothing to say, sit down, the stools are empty," said the waiter with a smile. "Look, sir, how do we do this business? There's nothing to sell and we're not allowed to close. What a joke." Both sat down.Because of his thinness, Noqiu's face looks longer and longer, and his eyes are like those of a dead fish.He calmed down and sat there, motionless.Nokyu sighed. "There's nothing to say—now, I'm nothing more than a walking corpse." He didn't move a muscle in his face as he spoke.He was telling the truth without expression. "I ruined everything," Noqiu said quietly. "In order to feed my children and sick wife, I worked for the Japanese and smoked opium to anesthetize myself. Yes, I sold my soul for The only thing is that the wife and children don’t go hungry. It’s a good deal to sell one soul and save the whole family.” He stopped talking, and stared at the table in a daze.Ruixuan didn't dare to urge him to continue, so he just coughed. This cough seemed to awaken Yeqiu, and he continued, "It's strange to say that my wife's body becomes weaker after eating, as if everything I gave her was poisonous. She died." He His face was still expressionless, and when he spoke, it was like reciting a story he had heard many times. "It's a blessing to be dead. I thought that my children would be able to earn money to support me when they grow up. However, as soon as the eldest son was able to earn money, he left Peiping without saying a word. Not only was he not grateful for his repayment, but he also hated me. , I hate that I sold my soul. The other three sons are exactly the same as the eldest son. I sold my soul to raise them, but how did they repay me? Nothing, no heart." He licked his lips. "There are a lot of funny things. As I said just now, because I smoke opium, the Japanese treat me fairly well. But I am so addicted to cigarettes that I am too lazy to move, so they dismissed my job. I lost my income. There are only a few children who can’t earn money and rely on me to support them. When they can earn money, they will probably have to beat me and run away. I can’t drag them anymore, even if they can, they don’t appreciate me. Say no, they're going to starve again, there's nothing I can do. I still smoke opium, and opium can intoxicate people-that's what it's good for. What's so shameful? Not even my own children I'm such a dad. I robbed you today, but I don't have to apologize, I know you can forgive a dying man." "You can't just die like this," Ruixuan wanted to help him. "No one deserves to end up like this, but I have to die like this. Maybe tomorrow, I will be lying on the street, and I will be taken away by a big truck and thrown outside the city. I don't expect people to bury me. In the ancestral grave, I have no face to see my ancestors." He stood up, shook hands with Ruixuan, and walked out. Walking out of the restaurant, Noqiu sat down on the steps and started to eat sesame seed cakes.