Chapter 5 first quarter
Zaoqi is not named Zao.His name is Zaoqi, because he was born under the jujube tree, and he was the seventh son of his father.
He had never seen his father—his father had died of illness before he was born, and he only knew that his father was just like him picking dung.
Zao Qi's mother is not his father's wife, so Zao Qi has no home.
In order to feed Zaoqi, mother sleeps with different uncles in the village every night.
No one in the village liked Zao Qi and her son—including those uncles who slept with their mothers, women in the village often pointed at them and scolded them, and children liked to throw stones at them——Zao Qi always stood in front of her mother.
When I was ten years old, my mother also died.He didn't see how his mother died, only her naked body floating on the river with her back in the sky.Nobody told him how his mother died, and he didn't ask.
So he started picking shit.Every night, barefoot, I carry two large empty dung buckets to Dai Town, ten miles away, and go door-to-door to fill up the dung, which can be exchanged for five steamed buns; put rice.
I get hungry again after noon every day.Zaoqi went to the mountain to look for food.He eats anything that can run and fly.Even the bones are chewed and eaten.Once Zao Qi met a wild boar bigger than himself, and he beat it to death with stones. His left leg was swollen into two thick pieces, and he couldn't pick dung for several days—fortunately, the wild boar was his own. It took three days to finish it.
There is only one person in the village who doesn't hate Zaoqi.That person was called Zhang Niu, and he was about the same age as him.Zhang Niu likes to play in the mountains. Once he met Zao Qi and saw that Zao Qi knew many new things: traps for catching birds, leaves that make strange sounds, and round stone marbles... Zao Qi taught Zhang all the tricks. Niu, so they became good friends.
Zhang Niu often said to Zao Qi: "People in the village say you are stupid. In fact, you are not stupid at all."
Zao Qi looked really stupid.People in the village say he looks like a monkey, and he thinks he does too: his two arms are so long that they almost touch his knees when they hang down; his four canine teeth are sharp and sharp; his hair is messy withered and yellow.But Zhang Niu didn't make fun of him, and often praised him for his strength.
Once, several boys in the village surrounded Zhang Niu to bully him. Zao Qi saw it and jumped at him without thinking.The boys were beaten black and blue, and one of them dislocated his wrist.After this incident, the boys in the village didn't dare to bully Zhang Niu any more, and they listened to him very much and honored him with food.He gave half to Zao Qi.
Both Zao Qi and Zhang Niu are over twenty years old, but Zhang Niu still refuses to marry a wife.One day Zhang Niu said to Zao Qi: "This village is really boring. I don't want to stay in this kind of place for the rest of my life. Have you heard of Piaocheng? I heard it is a very good place. There, as long as you are smart enough People can make a lot of money. There are also beautiful women, good wine, and many things. I want to go to Piaocheng, but I am a little scared. Will you go with me?"
"Is Piaocheng bigger than Dai Town? Does it have more variety of food than Dai Town?" Zao Qi asked.
"Of course. Piaocheng is bigger than several Dai towns!"
So they went to Piaocheng.
After stepping into the city gate, Zao Qi felt dizzy.Piaocheng is much more beautiful than what Zhang Niu described. They walk around the street excitedly.Zhang Niu was even more excited than Zao Qi. He kept pointing to the shops on the street and said, "When we make money, we spend it here." But they can't make money.After arriving in Piaocheng for five days, they couldn't find an errand.Thinking of asking in the store, he was kicked out before he opened his mouth, and he pinched his nose and scolded them for being stinky.Fortunately, Zhang Niu brought some money.They found a wooden inn in Poshili and rented a bed to sleep together.Zhang Niu told Zao Qi to hold everything while sleeping, otherwise it would be stolen by others.When they were hungry, they went to the market to pick up leftovers, and cooked a random meal. On the fifth day they met a nice guy on the street.He told Zhang Niu that he could find good jobs for them, but he had to give some money first so that they could take care of things for them.Zhang Niu gave the money to the man.Then they never saw him again. In the end, Zao Qi found the job first.It's picking shit again.Zao Qi was very happy.The same is picking dung, and now he earns a lot more money than before, which is enough for him and Zhang Niu to eat and sleep, and it is much easier than before picking dung to and from the village. Zhang Niu didn't look for another job.During the day, when Zaoqi finished picking manure and came back to sleep, Zhang Niu wandered around the street and took away the money left by Zaoqi, and came back every day with empty pockets.Zao Qi didn't annoy him.As long as Zhang Niu is happy, Zao Qi will be happy. One day Zhang Niu came back with money and a roast chicken.Zhang Niu told Zao Qi that he met a big brother named Mao Chun, who was a really good man, and not only gave him errands, but also gave him money.Zao Qi asked what kind of errand it was, but Zhang Niu refused to say. Soon after, Zhang Niu didn't bring any money back, and started to take Zaoqi's money again.Once Zaoqi went to the street to look for him, and finally found him outside a gambling house in Poshili. Zhang Niu gradually became different. When he came back, he often scolded Zao Qi without asking why, and drank it from the bottle, without asking Zao Qi if he wanted to take a sip too.Zao Qi thought, probably because Zhang Niu's errands were not going well, so he was not angry.Zhang Niu was drunk, and sometimes he would talk loudly about going to a brothel to find women, which made Zao Qi feel hot all over.Zao Qi never thought about the women in Piaocheng, because his body smelled like excrement no matter how he washed it. Zao Qi felt that Zhang Niu had changed, he was no longer like Zhang Niu before.Zao Qi hopes that Zhang Niu will return to what it was before.Zao Qi wanted to say to Zhang Niu many times: "It's better to go back to the village." But he never dared to speak. Finally one day, Zhang Niu did not come back.Zao Qi was very worried.After three nights, Zhang Niu still did not come back.Zao Qi decided not to pick manure that night, and went to Zhang Niu after getting enough sleep. Zao Qi found out from the inn's population where the big brother named Mao Chun lived.Zao Qi had seen him outside the inn before, and recognized him.Zaoqi searched for a long time in Jiwei, and finally found Maochun. Mao Chun was playing dice with several other men, so he didn't glance at Zao Qi. "That guy Zhang Niu is in jail," Mao Chun said. "He 'slipped' and missed." Zao Qi heard from the people in the inn that "sneaking" means entering someone's house and stealing things. So Zao Qi ran to the prison in one breath, took out all the money on his body and handed it to the prison boss, and then allowed him to take Zhang Niu away. The moment he saw Zhang Niu, Zao Qi's whole person changed—what he saw was Zhang Niu's body, which reminded him of his mother's appearance when she died.The corpse was stripped of all its clothes and wrapped in a broken mat. There were countless wounds on the body, and a short wooden stick was inserted into the asshole. Zao Qi trembled all over, and slowly lifted Zhang Niu's body onto his shoulders.The cell leader standing behind him became a little scared for some reason—Zao Qi's back exuded a fearsome aura. "It's none of our business." The cell boss said guiltily. "It's Mao Chun. He sneaked into a house on Shannan Street and raped the girl. It was only later that I found out that the family had friendship with a boss in the city. It was Mao Chun who beat the boy like this and sent him to the yamen Take the blame. The corner boss’s subordinates in prison tortured him to death the night before.” Zao Qi carried Zhang Niu's body on his back and walked past the barren grave outside the prison.He wanted to take Zhang Niu back to the village for burial. He hid Zhang Niu in a ruined temple—the ruined temple used to be the place where the most ferocious knife fighters in Piaocheng hid—then went to the market on the north side of the street, and secretly took a knife from the fish killing bed. It was the first time in Zao Qiping's life that he stole something.He wrapped the knife in a cloth and walked into the chicken enclosure. Mao Chun had heard the news a long time ago, but he didn't know where to hide.Zao Qi didn't say a word to anyone from morning to night, didn't drink a mouthful of water, didn't eat a mouthful, didn't stop for half a step, but kept looking for Mao Chun in the city. At night, when he walked outside a casino in Poshili, three men standing in front of the casino watched him at the same time.Zao Qi ignored it, did not look back, and still walked straight forward. Just when Zao Qi was about to pass by the gambling house, three men rushed over, one strangled his neck from behind, and the other two each grabbed one of his arms. "Boy, are you here to ask for trouble?" the man with a strangled neck whispered in his ear. "What are you holding? Put it down!" Zao Qi let out a howl that shook the whole street, turned around and threw the three men to the ground at the same time. Zao Qi did not run, but kept walking forward at the same pace. Five more men quickly ran out of the gambling house, together with the three men just now, they attacked Zao Qi, and four of them drew their knives. Zao Qi's actions made them doubt their own eyes: he leapt like an ape, jumped higher than the top of the frame of the front door of the gambling house, kicked the wall with his toes, and then stretched out his arms that seemed to grow longer , climbing on the edge of a window on the second floor of the casino. Zao Qi's body smashed through the wooden pane and rolled into a small room inside. There were only four people in the room.One sits behind a table and the other three stand.The three tough men standing reacted immediately, and surrounded Zao Qi who had barged in from three directions.They were all bare-handed, yet they posed in strange poses that Zao Qi had never seen before.Zao Qi saw with his beastly intuition that the fists of these three people were more difficult to deal with than the wild boars on the mountain. The three of them did not attack, and their six eyes were fixed on Zao Qi's actions. Zao Qiban knelt on the ground, but couldn't help looking at the fourth man who was sitting. This man was shorter than everyone else in the room, wearing a white padded robe, his fair face showed no expression, and his small palm was still holding a teacup firmly. But no matter whoever stepped into this room, he would inevitably look at this person.Maybe it's because of the calm sitting posture; the slightly tilted angle of the face; or the gentle but vigilant eyes, making it impossible to ignore the existence of this man. Later, Zao Qi knew that the man's name was Di Bin.
After stepping into the city gate, Zao Qi felt dizzy.Piaocheng is much more beautiful than what Zhang Niu described. They walk around the street excitedly.Zhang Niu was even more excited than Zao Qi. He kept pointing to the shops on the street and said, "When we make money, we spend it here." But they can't make money.After arriving in Piaocheng for five days, they couldn't find an errand.Thinking of asking in the store, he was kicked out before he opened his mouth, and he pinched his nose and scolded them for being stinky.Fortunately, Zhang Niu brought some money.They found a wooden inn in Poshili and rented a bed to sleep together.Zhang Niu told Zao Qi to hold everything while sleeping, otherwise it would be stolen by others.When they were hungry, they went to the market to pick up leftovers, and cooked a random meal. On the fifth day they met a nice guy on the street.He told Zhang Niu that he could find good jobs for them, but he had to give some money first so that they could take care of things for them.Zhang Niu gave the money to the man.Then they never saw him again. In the end, Zao Qi found the job first.It's picking shit again.Zao Qi was very happy.The same is picking dung, and now he earns a lot more money than before, which is enough for him and Zhang Niu to eat and sleep, and it is much easier than before picking dung to and from the village. Zhang Niu didn't look for another job.During the day, when Zaoqi finished picking manure and came back to sleep, Zhang Niu wandered around the street and took away the money left by Zaoqi, and came back every day with empty pockets.Zao Qi didn't annoy him.As long as Zhang Niu is happy, Zao Qi will be happy. One day Zhang Niu came back with money and a roast chicken.Zhang Niu told Zao Qi that he met a big brother named Mao Chun, who was a really good man, and not only gave him errands, but also gave him money.Zao Qi asked what kind of errand it was, but Zhang Niu refused to say. Soon after, Zhang Niu didn't bring any money back, and started to take Zaoqi's money again.Once Zaoqi went to the street to look for him, and finally found him outside a gambling house in Poshili. Zhang Niu gradually became different. When he came back, he often scolded Zao Qi without asking why, and drank it from the bottle, without asking Zao Qi if he wanted to take a sip too.Zao Qi thought, probably because Zhang Niu's errands were not going well, so he was not angry.Zhang Niu was drunk, and sometimes he would talk loudly about going to a brothel to find women, which made Zao Qi feel hot all over.Zao Qi never thought about the women in Piaocheng, because his body smelled like excrement no matter how he washed it. Zao Qi felt that Zhang Niu had changed, he was no longer like Zhang Niu before.Zao Qi hopes that Zhang Niu will return to what it was before.Zao Qi wanted to say to Zhang Niu many times: "It's better to go back to the village." But he never dared to speak. Finally one day, Zhang Niu did not come back.Zao Qi was very worried.After three nights, Zhang Niu still did not come back.Zao Qi decided not to pick manure that night, and went to Zhang Niu after getting enough sleep. Zao Qi found out from the inn's population where the big brother named Mao Chun lived.Zao Qi had seen him outside the inn before, and recognized him.Zaoqi searched for a long time in Jiwei, and finally found Maochun. Mao Chun was playing dice with several other men, so he didn't glance at Zao Qi. "That guy Zhang Niu is in jail," Mao Chun said. "He 'slipped' and missed." Zao Qi heard from the people in the inn that "sneaking" means entering someone's house and stealing things. So Zao Qi ran to the prison in one breath, took out all the money on his body and handed it to the prison boss, and then allowed him to take Zhang Niu away. The moment he saw Zhang Niu, Zao Qi's whole person changed—what he saw was Zhang Niu's body, which reminded him of his mother's appearance when she died.The corpse was stripped of all its clothes and wrapped in a broken mat. There were countless wounds on the body, and a short wooden stick was inserted into the asshole. Zao Qi trembled all over, and slowly lifted Zhang Niu's body onto his shoulders.The cell leader standing behind him became a little scared for some reason—Zao Qi's back exuded a fearsome aura. "It's none of our business." The cell boss said guiltily. "It's Mao Chun. He sneaked into a house on Shannan Street and raped the girl. It was only later that I found out that the family had friendship with a boss in the city. It was Mao Chun who beat the boy like this and sent him to the yamen Take the blame. The corner boss’s subordinates in prison tortured him to death the night before.” Zao Qi carried Zhang Niu's body on his back and walked past the barren grave outside the prison.He wanted to take Zhang Niu back to the village for burial. He hid Zhang Niu in a ruined temple—the ruined temple used to be the place where the most ferocious knife fighters in Piaocheng hid—then went to the market on the north side of the street, and secretly took a knife from the fish killing bed. It was the first time in Zao Qiping's life that he stole something.He wrapped the knife in a cloth and walked into the chicken enclosure. Mao Chun had heard the news a long time ago, but he didn't know where to hide.Zao Qi didn't say a word to anyone from morning to night, didn't drink a mouthful of water, didn't eat a mouthful, didn't stop for half a step, but kept looking for Mao Chun in the city. At night, when he walked outside a casino in Poshili, three men standing in front of the casino watched him at the same time.Zao Qi ignored it, did not look back, and still walked straight forward. Just when Zao Qi was about to pass by the gambling house, three men rushed over, one strangled his neck from behind, and the other two each grabbed one of his arms. "Boy, are you here to ask for trouble?" the man with a strangled neck whispered in his ear. "What are you holding? Put it down!" Zao Qi let out a howl that shook the whole street, turned around and threw the three men to the ground at the same time. Zao Qi did not run, but kept walking forward at the same pace. Five more men quickly ran out of the gambling house, together with the three men just now, they attacked Zao Qi, and four of them drew their knives. Zao Qi's actions made them doubt their own eyes: he leapt like an ape, jumped higher than the top of the frame of the front door of the gambling house, kicked the wall with his toes, and then stretched out his arms that seemed to grow longer , climbing on the edge of a window on the second floor of the casino. Zao Qi's body smashed through the wooden pane and rolled into a small room inside. There were only four people in the room.One sits behind a table and the other three stand.The three tough men standing reacted immediately, and surrounded Zao Qi who had barged in from three directions.They were all bare-handed, yet they posed in strange poses that Zao Qi had never seen before.Zao Qi saw with his beastly intuition that the fists of these three people were more difficult to deal with than the wild boars on the mountain. The three of them did not attack, and their six eyes were fixed on Zao Qi's actions. Zao Qiban knelt on the ground, but couldn't help looking at the fourth man who was sitting. This man was shorter than everyone else in the room, wearing a white padded robe, his fair face showed no expression, and his small palm was still holding a teacup firmly. But no matter whoever stepped into this room, he would inevitably look at this person.Maybe it's because of the calm sitting posture; the slightly tilted angle of the face; or the gentle but vigilant eyes, making it impossible to ignore the existence of this man. Later, Zao Qi knew that the man's name was Di Bin.