"Lot 97 is—" the auctioneer announced loudly, "a boy." Because of the seasickness just now, the child is still a little dizzy and still not feeling well.The slave ship he was on traveled more than forty light-years, and the cabin was filled with the unbearable smell and atmosphere of all slave ships: the smell from unwashed bodies rubbing their shoulders and backs. The stench, plus the stench of vomit, and the dread in the cabin, and the ancient sadness.So, at this time, his mind was still dizzy.But on the smuggling ship, he was just a kid everyone knew in the group.You can eat every day, and you can get food in peace.He even made a few friends in the boat.

Now on the surface, the boy was left with nothing: nothing of his own, no friends, and was about to be sold to someone else. On the auction stage, a batch of "goods" just now—two blond girls who were said to be twins in it—was sold at once.At that time, the competition was very fierce, and the price was very high.When the deal was sealed, the auctioneer turned around with a satisfied smile, pointed to the boy and said, "Lot 97—push him up." The child was slapped and stumbled onto the auction block.He stood there nervously, glancing around angrily, looking at everything that he couldn't see in the small enclosure.The slave market in front of us is located on the side of the famous Liberty Square Spaceport, just facing the famous Capitol Building named by the Sargon Executive Committee, where nine planets discuss major issues.But that child didn't know anything about it, not even what planet he was on now.He just stared blankly at the crowd in front of him.

A group of beggars stood closest to the slave auction stand, ready to beg for property from buyers.Behind the group of beggars in a semicircle are the seats of the rich and powerful.The dignitaries were flanked by their slaves, porters, bodyguards and drivers.Some of the entourage wandered around beside the cars of the rich and the sedan chairs of the rich.Behind the distinguished gentlemen and ladies are some ordinary people, idlers, curious people, free people, pickpockets, hawkers of cold drinks, and an ordinary businessman passing by.The ordinary businessman was not qualified to sit, and only wanted to buy a handyman, clerk, mechanic, or even a servant for his wives and concubines.

"Lot Ninety-seventh--" repeated the auctioneer, "is a good, healthy lad, who can be a page or an entertainer. Ladies and gentlemen, you can use him as a servant. See--" Before the words were finished, there was a scream coming from the spaceport behind the auction house, and another spaceship landed. Baslim, an old beggar nicknamed "The Lame", was shirtless and squinted his eyes, looking around the auction platform.In Baslim's view, the child did not look like a docile and obedient domestic servant, but rather a wild beast being hunted down.He was dirty and thin, with purple blotches all over his body, white welts and transfer signatures from previous owners showing on his spine beneath the dirt.

Judging from the child's eyes and ears, Baslim guessed that he must have maintained the earthling blood that has not yet mutated.Short, frightened, hostile, male, Baslim couldn't come to any conclusions.The child saw a beggar staring at him, and he also glanced at him. When the uproar died down, a dandy sitting in the front row lazily waved a handkerchief to the auctioneer: "Don't waste our time, you bastard. Show us something as good as the last batch." Look." "Please wait a moment, honorable sir. I must sell all goods in catalog order." "Go away! Or drive this hungry ghost aside and let us see other things first."

"Please help me, sir." The auctioneer raised his voice, "Everyone hopes that I will auction off this batch of goods quickly, and I believe that your honorable employer will also agree to this approach. To be honest, The handsome lad is young, but his new master must train him well. Therefore—” The boy who was auctioned off hardly listened to the others, because he understood only a few words of the language, Besides, what was the use of understanding these words to him?He looked at the veiled ladies and noble gentlemen, wondering which one would be his new enemy. "—Let's start with a minimum starting price, and then the price can be raised immediately. Let's start! Has anyone quoted 20 star yuan?"

There was a dead silence.At this moment, a lady who was in fashion from the sandals on her feet to the lace veil on her head leaned over the dandy.The two of them whispered sometimes and laughed out loud.I saw the man frowned, then took out a pocket knife, pretending to be manicuring his nails. "I told you, tell him to go away!" he yelled loudly. The auctioneer sighed, and said: "I ask you to remember, this educated gentleman, that I must be responsible to my client. But we can start from a lower price. Do you want 10 stars-yes, I'm talking '10 stars'. It's an unbelievable price!"

There was still no response from the audience, and the auctioneer seemed very surprised——did I hear it because I was deaf?Is there someone already sticking their finger up for an offer and I haven't seen it yet? "I ask you to think about it. Here, what you see is a newly arrived boy who is as clean as a piece of white paper. You can draw any pattern you like on this paper. As long as you spend so much For a small sum of money, you can get him such a dumb slave, and maybe turn him into the person you want." "Or you can pull him to feed the fish!" "Perhaps you can feed him... oh, that's a clever joke, my lord!"

"I've heard enough. What makes you think that poor fellow could be of all sorts of use? Maybe he's your son?" The auctioneer put on a forced smile and said, "If it's really my son, I'm sure I'd be proud. It would be nice if I could tell you the story of this boy." "So you don't know anything about him." "Although I don't have the right to speak, I can still see the shape of his skull and the perfect curve of the ear pinna." The auctioneer pinched the boy's ear, and then pulled it again. The boy twisted the auctioneer's hand and went up to take a bite.The people present roared with laughter.

The auctioneer quickly withdrew his hand, pretending to be nonchalant and said: "What a smart and brave boy! It seems that fists can't subdue him. What a good race! Look at his ears. Some people say that this is the Milky Way. Best ears ever." The auctioneer looked down the stage, and his eyes fell on that playboy.He is from the fourth kingdom of Xintang.At this time, he was taking off his helmet, revealing the typical Xintang people's furry long and pointed ears.He leaned forward, his ears twitching. "Who is your honorable protector? Let him out!" the Xintang man yelled at the auctioneer.

The atmosphere in the audience suddenly became tense, and the old beggar Baslim hurried to the corner of the auction platform, trying to avoid the eyes of everyone.For some reason, the boy also looked around nervously, probably realizing that misfortune was about to befall him again.The auctioneer's face turned pale - none of the people present dared to look directly at that Xintang man. "My sir," he gasped, "you have misunderstood my words." "Show me another fart about 'ears' and 'best race'!" While police officers were visible, they were far from the scene.The auctioneer licked his lips and said, "Please be quiet, noble sir. These children of mine are dying of starvation, which is why I am here to auction, and besides, I am only quoting a common man - and it is not me. point of view; there is no other meaning, I just want to quickly auction off this slave, I think you will feel the same as me, right? " After hearing his words, everyone fell silent.After a while, a woman's voice broke the silence: "Oh, let him decide, Devaroll, don't be angry. It's not the auctioneer's fault what shape the slave's ears are. Just sell it." That Xintang named Devaroll said angrily: "Then sell it quickly!" After hearing this, the auctioneer finally breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, sir." He regained his energy and continued, "Just now I wasted some time on this small business, I invite you gentlemen and ladies Forgive me. Please bid whatever you want now." After waiting for a while, he said anxiously again: "I didn't hear the quotation, and I didn't see anyone wanting to bid. No one wants to buy it now, once... If you don't want it, I want him to go back to the fence and go with my old man." The customer discusses it before selling it. No one wants to buy it, the second time. There are still many good things to sell, and it must be a pity not to let you see those beautiful goods. No one bids, and the third time—— " "You make an offer!" said the Xintang man to the old beggar. "Ah?" The old beggar subconsciously stretched out two fingers.The auctioneer looked at him intently and said, "You want to bid?" "Yes," said the old man in a low, husky voice, "if you will allow me, sir and ladies." The auctioneer glanced at the people sitting in the seats.At this time, someone in the crowd shouted: "Why not? As long as you have money." Xin Tangren nodded.So the auctioneer immediately said: "You want to buy this boy for two stars?" "No, no, no, no!" Baslim yelled, "Twenty cents!" The auctioneer kicked him, and the old beggar immediately turned his head away.The auctioneer shouted: "Go away! I want to teach you a lesson, see if you dare to tease your father!" "Hey, auctioneer!" "Huh? What's the matter, my sir?" The Xintang people said: "You said 'Anyone can buy it', sell the child to him." "But--" "listen to me." "Sir, there is only one bid, and I will not sell it. The law makes it very clear that a one-time bid cannot be regarded as an auction. Unless the auctioneer has quoted a reserve price in advance, otherwise, even if there are two bids, it will be invalid. Now, I haven't quoted the reserve price in advance, so I can't do this transaction with less than three quotations. Honorable sir, this law protects the interests of the cargo owner, not the poor me." Someone shouted: "That's what the law says!" The Xintang people frowned and said, "Then make an offer." "As long as the gentlemen and ladies are satisfied." He said to the crowd below, "Now for lot 97: I just heard an offer of 20 cents. Who is willing to pay 40 cents?" "Four hairs." The Xintang people said. "Fifty cents!" Someone also yelled. The people from Xintang motioned for the old beggar to pass.At this time, Baslim was propping himself on the ground with both hands and one knee, dragging a false leg, and slowly crawling forward with a begging bowl hanging from his body.Only the auctioneer began to yell in a long voice: "Fifty cents, one time... fifty cents, two times..." "Six cents!" The Xin Tang immediately walked over to the old beggar, glanced into his bowl, took out his wallet at the same time, and threw a handful of change to him. "I heard that someone paid six cents. Is there anyone who paid seven cents?" "Seven hairs." Baslim said in a low and hoarse voice. "Someone reported 70 cents. Did you give a thumbs up off the field? Did any of you come up with 80 cents?" "Jiu Mao!" The old beggar hurriedly interjected. The auctioneer looked at the audience intently, and no one bid anymore.The price is almost one star. For most of the people present, this is no longer the time to joke around.Rich gentlemen and ladies would neither want such a worthless slave nor spoil the Sintang. At this time, the auctioneer had no choice but to shout monotonously and repeatedly: "Nine cents once ... nine cents twice ... nine cents three times - deal!" With all his strength, he pushed the child off the auction platform, almost letting him He fell into the arms of the old beggar, "Take him away!" "Don't worry," the Xintang people warned, "make a list." The auctioneer gasped and filled in the price and the name of the new owner on a form that had been prepared for Lot 97.Baslim paid 90 cents and then had to accept a handout from the Sintangs again because the stamp duty on the deal was higher than the sale price.The boy stood quietly, knowing that he had been sold to someone else again.He knew that the old man was his new master—but he didn't think it was a very important matter for him, in fact, he didn't think about the master's affairs at all.At this time, both parties were busy paying stamp duty, so he took the opportunity to rest for a while. After paying the stamp duty, the old beggar didn't seem to even look at him, stretched out his arm, grabbed the child by one ankle, and pulled him to his side.Then Baslim straightened up and put a hand on the child's shoulder, using him as a walking stick.The child felt a bony hand firmly grasping his shoulder, and his heart relaxed naturally.For some reason, sometimes, if you try to relax, the ease never comes. With the help of the child, the old beggar walked up to the Xintang man and bowed deeply to him. "Good sir," he said hoarsely, "my servant and I thank you." "You're welcome, it doesn't matter." The Xintang people waved their handkerchiefs, meaning to tell them to go back. It was less than a mile from Liberty Square to the pothole where Baslim lived, but it took them a long time to cover the distance.The old man took the child as a leg and limped forward.This way of walking was even slower than his crawling speed with hands on one knee.Because they are rushing forward, other people are also constantly moving around, so they are often blocked by pedestrians in a hurry. At this time, the old people need the help of their children to stick their begging bowls under the noses of passers-by.In this way, they move more slowly. Along the way, Baslim didn't say much.But he had tried the child in many languages, Interlingua, Space Dutch, Sargon, half a dozen dialects, slang, slang, slave lingo, jargon, and even Galactic English, to no avail.He noticed that the child understood what he said more than once, but in the end he gave up the idea of ​​communicating with the child in words, and only expressed his meaning with gestures and other actions.If the child cannot communicate with him in language yet, Baslim intends to teach him to use a common language as soon as possible.However, Baslim is not a impatient person, he is never in a hurry, he is a person who considers problems with a long-term perspective. Baslim's "home" is just below the old arena.Sargon Augustus of the Empire had ordered the construction of a larger circus, but only partially destroyed the old arena.With the outbreak of the Second Seitan War, the construction of the circus was suspended, and has not been continued since.At that moment, Baslim led the child to this desolate place.The road was uneven, and the old man had no legs and could only crawl. It was very difficult, but he never let go of the child.Once, he only held on to the child's loincloth. The child struggled and almost tore off the only piece of clothing. Fortunately, the old beggar immediately grabbed his wrist.Since then, they have moved more slowly. They came to the end of a dark, abandoned road, and a hole in the ground appeared before them.The child had no choice but to lead the way down the black hole.They crawled through broken brick and rubble into a dark, level corridor.Then go down again and come to an actor's booth under the old arena. They walked to an exquisite door in the dark, pushed it open, and Baslim pushed the child into the room, followed him in, then closed the door, locked it with a push of his thumb, and pushed the switch again, and the light came on . "Well, boy, we're home." The boy looked dumbfounded.For a long time, he had lost hope in everything, but what he saw now was beyond his imagination.It was a small, plain and delicate living room, neat and clean.Pleasant and non-glare light diffuses from the ceiling.Not much furniture, but enough.The child looked around in surprise, and felt that although the room was simple, it was still better than those places he had lived in before. The old beggar shrugged and turned to a row of shelves, put down his begging bowl, and then picked up an object with a complicated structure.It wasn't until the old beggar took off his clothes and put the boxy thing on his other leg that the child understood what it was.It turned out to be a very delicate artificial leg, almost as flexible as a real leg.The old man stood up, took out a pair of trousers from the box, and put them on.At first glance the old man hardly looked like a cripple. "Come here!" he said in Interlingua. The child did not move.Baslim repeated the words in other languages, then shrugged, took the boy by the arm, and led him into a back room.This room is small and is used as a kitchen and bathroom.Baslim poured a basin of water and gave the boy a bar of soap. "Wash it up." He said while gesticulating. The child didn't say a word, just stood there stubbornly.The old man sighed and picked up a scrub brush, as if he was about to wipe the child's body.However, when the bristles of the scrub brush were about to touch the child's skin, he stopped again.He repeated a sentence in Interlingua and Galactic English: "You take a bath yourself." The child hesitated, then undressed and slowly soaped himself. Seeing the child started to take a bath, Baslim said "very good", picked up the dirty loincloth that the child took off, threw it into an empty bucket, and brought him a towel, then turned to the stove and started to prepare Cook. After a few minutes, he looked back, and the child was gone. He walked into the living room unhurriedly, and found that the child was naked and dripping, trying to open the door in every possible way. When the child found him, he fiddled with the lock even more vigorously.Baslim went over to pat him on the shoulder, pointed to the small room inside with a thumb, and said, "Go take a shower first." He turned and left, and the child followed him quietly. After Baslim washed and dried the boy, he put the stewed food back on the stove, lit the fire, opened the cupboard, and took out a medicine bottle and bowls of leftovers.Now the child is completely washed, but it looks like it is covered with scars, bruised and swollen, and there are old and new wounds, cuts and ulcers. "Don't move," Baslim said. The child was in pain and began to writhe. "Don't move!" Baslim repeated again, in a kind but firm tone, and patted him twice.The child felt much more relaxed, but he was still a little nervous when giving him the medicine.The old man carefully looked at the old ulcer on the child's knee, then hummed a little tune, went to the cupboard again, and when he came back, he gave the child a shot in the buttocks.Before getting the injection, he thought that if the child didn't let him get the injection safely, he would beat him up.But the child did not refuse.After finishing these things, he found an old cloth and motioned for the child to wrap himself up, then turned around and went to cook. After a while, Baslim put the big bowls of stewed fish and meat on the dining table in the living room, put the chair and table he was sitting on first, and then padded a box for the child so that he could sit on it. Eat on the crate.Then he brought out a handful of fresh green lentils and some hard black bread, and a bowl of soup, and said, "Here comes the soup, boy. Come and eat." Although the child sat on the edge of the box, he kept thinking about how to escape and didn't eat. Baslim put down the knife and fork, and said, "What's the matter with you?" He saw the child's eyes cast towards the door, and when he heard his words, he looked back immediately, "Oh, that's it." He stood up, Steady body first, then went to the door, opened the lock, and then turned around and said to the child: "The door is unlocked, you can either eat or leave." He repeated this sentence in several languages, and found that The child understood him--when he spoke in what he thought was most likely the slave's mother tongue.The old man is very happy. But he ignored the matter of language for the time being, went back to the table, sat down on his chair softly, and started to drink the soup with a spoon. The child straightened up, left the box suddenly, and ran out of the house.But Baslim didn't chase him out and continued to eat.The door was ajar, and the light from inside dimly illuminated the dark corridor outside. After a while, as Baslim ate his delicious meal slowly, he began to realize that the boy was probably watching him from the shadow outside the door.He didn't even look towards the door, and leaned lazily on the back of the chair, picking his teeth.Without turning his head or turning around, he just said, in a language he thought the kid might understand, "Are you coming over to eat? Shall I throw the meal away?" The child didn't answer. "Okay," Baslim continued, "if you don't want to come to eat, then I have to close the door." He stood up slowly, walked to the door, and was about to close the door. "I will say it one last time," he emphasized. Tone, "I won't open the door at night." Just as the door was about to close, the boy screamed, "Wait a minute!"—in the language Baslim suspected, as expected—and rushed into the room. "You are welcome." Baslim said calmly, "Then, this door will not be closed. If you change your mind, you can go out again." He sighed, "In my opinion, I am I don’t want to lock anyone up in my own home.” The child didn't answer. After sitting down, he lay down on the food and ate voraciously, as if he was afraid of being snatched away by others, his eyes were still rolling around.Baslim sat down and watched him eat. The frenzied pace at which he had begun to eat had slowed down now, but he hadn't stopped chewing and swallowing until he had chewed and swallowed the last piece of stew, the last loaf of bread, and the last lentil.The last few mouthfuls seemed to be swallowed desperately, but he swallowed them anyway, then sat up straight again, looked at Baslim, and smiled a little embarrassedly.Baslim smiled at him too. But after a while, the smile on the child's face disappeared.I saw that his face turned pale, and then turned a little blue again, and a string of saliva flowed down from the corner of his mouth—no, something really happened to him. Baslim walked over immediately, wanting to deal with it urgently to prevent the condition from worsening. "My God, what an idiot I am!" he cried in his native language, and immediately went into the kitchen, brought a rag and a bucket, wiped the child's face, and then sternly told the child to stay still, which Just cleaned up the vomit on the flagstone floor. After a while, he brought some clear soup and a small piece of bread from the kitchen, and said to the child, "Soak this piece of bread in the soup, and then eat it." "It's better not to eat it." "Eat it, so that you won't get sick again. As soon as I saw that your belly is attached to your spine, I should know that I can't give you an adult's meal. But you have to eat slowly in the future." The child looked up, his jaw still trembling a little.Then, I took a sip of soup.Baslim, who stood by, watched him finish the clear soup and most of the bread that had been prepared for him. "Very well," said Baslim at last, "that's all. I'm going to bed, boy. By the way, what's your name?" The boy hesitated, and said, "Soapy." "'Sorby', that's a good name. You can call me 'Dad.' Good night." He took off his leg, hopped over to the shelf, put it in place, and hopped on to himself bed.It was a comfortable bed that was really nothing more than a hard cushion in the corner.He curled up against the wall on the bed, making room for the baby. "Turn off the light before you come to bed." With that, he closed his eyes and waited for the child to go to bed. There was no sound in the room. After a long time, he heard the little boy go to the door and turn off the light.Baslim waited silently, listening for the door to open.As a result, he didn't hear the door open, but felt the mattress sink in instead, and he knew that the child had climbed onto the bed. "Good night." He said again. "Good night." Baslim was about to fall asleep when he suddenly felt Soapy shaking violently.He reached behind the child, touched his thin ribs, patted him lightly, then put his arms around his trembling shoulders, and pulled his face into his arms. "It's all right, Soapy," he said softly, "it's all right now, it's all over, and it won't be any more." At this, the child burst into tears, and clung to him.Baslim put his arms around him and chatted softly with him until the twitches stopped.In this way, he did not let go until Soapy fell asleep.