Chapter 2 Chapter two

Soapy's wounds healed -- quicker on the outside, slower on the inside.The old beggar got another mattress from somewhere and put it in another corner of the room.But sometimes when he woke up at night, Baslim would still find the warm little guy curled up next to his back, from which he knew that the child had had another nightmare.Baslim slept very lightly at night and didn't like to sleep with people, but he never made Soapy go back to his bed when he came over. Sometimes a child cries out in pain in his sleep.At one point, Baslim was awakened by Thorby's cries of "Mama, Mama."Without turning on the light, he immediately climbed onto the child's bed, put his arms around the child and said, "Okay, my child, it's all right."

"dad?" "Sleep, son, or you'll wake Mommy," he added, "I'll stay with you, don't worry, keep your voice down, we don't want to wake Mommy, do we?" "Okay, Dad." The old man hardly dared to breathe out, and stayed motionless beside the child.Later, he gradually felt his limbs became stiff, his body was cold, and his stump was also aching.He did not crawl back to his bed until he was satisfied that the child had fallen asleep. These little things in life made the old man want to try hypnotism on the child.Long ago he had learned hypnotism.At that time, Baslim was still a healthy person and had no reason to beg for food.But he has never liked hypnotism very much, even if it is used to treat diseases, he is not very in favor of it.He has a concept of absolute respect for the individual, and the practice of putting others into a hypnotic state can be said to be inconsistent with his basic values.

But this time is a special case. He was sure that since Soapy had been taken away from his parents since he was a child, he had completely forgotten about his biological parents.The child's impression of life is only some messy memories of his masters: some masters are bad, some masters are even worse, and all masters are destroying the heart of a "bad boy".Soapy well remembered some of these masters, and when he talked about them, he used to talk about them with a rough language, vivid and uncontrollable emotions.But he has never had a concept of time and place.The place he had in mind was someone's estate, or someone's home, not a particular planet or sun (he was mostly wrong about astronomy, and knew nothing about the Milky Way).For Soapy, time is just "before" or "after", "long time" or "short time".Each planet has its own day and night and year, and has its own set of timekeeping methods, in addition to the standard second measured by the radioactive decay method, the year and reference day used by the birthplace of human beings-the third sun god first The day when he jumped from his own planet to its satellite for the first time.These are scientific ways of keeping time, but it is impossible for an ignorant child to calculate time in that way.For Soapy, the earth is a non-existent thing, and "a day" refers to the period between two sleeps.

Therefore, Baslim could not guess the child's actual age.From the looks of it, the child looks like a very young earthling who has not undergone any mutations, but any of his guesses are nothing but imaginations that cannot be verified.For example, the Vandors and Italo-Griffs both look like Orientals, but the Vandors mature three times longer than the Italo-Griffs.Baslim recalled a curious anecdote: a consular attorney's daughter's second husband was the great-grandson of her first husband, and in the end, both of her husbands died of old age while she survived.It can be seen that appearance does not necessarily reveal a person's actual age.

If calculated by standard seconds, it is entirely possible that this child is "older" than Baslim.Space is infinite, and human beings will use various methods to adapt to different environments.Now, let's not go into the issue of his age, because he is still young and needs help. Soapy was not afraid of hypnotism, because he had no idea what it meant, and Baslim would not explain it to him.One night, after dinner, the old man cut to the chase and said, "Sorby, I have something I want you to cooperate with." "Okay, Dad, what's the matter?" "Go to your bed and lie down, I'm going to put you to sleep, and then we'll talk."

"Ah? Did you say it was upside down?" "No, it's a different kind of sleep: when you're asleep, you can still talk." Soapy was a little dubious, but willing to do it anyway.So the old man lit a candle and turned off the lamp.After focusing the other person's attention by candlelight, he began a series of ancient steps: monotonous enlightenment, relaxation, drowsiness... Finally, the other person fell asleep. "Thorby, you are asleep now, but you can hear me and answer my questions." "Yes, father." "You'll be asleep until I wake you up."

"Yes, father." "Remember the slave ship you came here on. What's its name?" "'Merry Widow,' but we don't call it that." "You remember the scene when you entered the cabin. Now you are in the cabin, you can see what is inside, and remember everything inside. Now, go back to the place before you got on the boat." The child's body stiffened immediately, but he didn't wake up. "I don't want to go back." "It's okay, I'll be with you, you're safe. Now, tell me, what's the name of that place? Go and have a look."

An hour and a half later, Baslim was still squatting beside the sleeping child.Beads of sweat rolled down his wrinkled face, and he felt himself trembling violently.In order for the child to recall the memories he wanted to know, Baslim had to force the child to relive those events, which were terrifying even for Baslim.During this period, Thorby did not want to think about it several times, and Baslim did not blame him.Now he could count the scars on the children's backs and know which villain had done each one. Naturally, he achieved his goal: he used hypnotism to produce far more things than the child could usually recall, and he even figured out what happened to him when he was a child.In the end, Soapy was finally able to tell the painful and unforgettable story of being snatched away from his parents when he was a baby.

After the hypnosis, he let the child fall into a deep sleep, and cleaned up the messy things he had just heard from the child in his mind.Especially the questioning at the last moment was so cruel that even the old man himself had doubts as to whether he should go to the bottom of the question to find out what caused his pain. Now look what Baslim figured out. The child was born completely free, he had long thought of that. The child's native language is Galactic English, with a slight accent.Baslim couldn't tell what kind of accent it was, and the child was too young to speak clearly, so it became even more blurred.With such an accent, he must be within the scope of the Earth Alliance.It's even possible that the child was born on Earth - which is certainly unlikely.This was beyond his expectation.He had thought that the child's mother tongue was Interlingua, because Thorby spoke Interlingua better than the other three languages.

What else did the child say?Oh, come to think of it, his parents must be dead, if those horrible and vague memories Soapy had so laboriously conjured up were to be believed.It is no longer possible for the child to name the family members and how to identify them. He only knows "Dad" and "Mum".Baslim had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​further inquiring about the child's relatives. Well, now the pain he inflicted on Soapy can finally be over, but after thinking about it carefully, the child's suffering is worth it this time. "Soby?" The child groaned in pain, moved slightly, and said, "What's the matter, father?"

"You're still sleeping soundly, and you won't wake up until I call you again." "If you don't call me, I won't wake up." "When I call you, you wake up right away. When you wake up, you feel comfortable and you forget everything we talked about." "Okay, Dad." "You'll forget everything, and you'll be fine. After about half an hour, you'll be drowsy again. Then I'll put you to bed again, and you'll fall asleep when you do .You'll get a good night's sleep and a few good dreams. You'll never have bad dreams again. Soapy, follow me." "I will never have nightmares again." "You'll never have a nightmare again, ever." "Never." "Mom and Dad don't want you to have nightmares. They are happy, and they want you to be happy. When you dream about them, it must be a happy dream." "A dream of happiness." "It's all right now, Soapy. You're going to wake up. Now, you're waking up, and you've forgotten what we talked about. But you won't have any more nightmares. Wake up, Soapy. " The child sat up, rubbed his eyes, yawned, and grinned. "Oh, why did I fall asleep? I thought I was playing with you just now, Dad? No, huh?" It took a long time to dissipate the psychological shadow of the child, but the nightmare has diminished and finally disappeared.Baslim is not a doctor who specializes in treating psychological shadows, so those terrible memories will still remain in the children's minds.All he could do was to guide Soapy and try to make him happy.Besides, even if Baslim's skills were really good, it would be impossible to erase the terrible memory left in the child's mind.Baslim insisted that a man's experience was his own, and that even the worst would not fade from his memory if he did not want to forget it. Soapy was busy during the day and peaceful at night.In the early stages of their life together, Baslim always took the children with him.After breakfast they always turned into Liberty Square, Baslim sitting sprawled in the road, Soapy standing or sitting beside him.They took their bowls and acted as if they were starving.The traffic in that place always caused disputes and blocked pedestrians, but when the police came, they would just scold them and settle the matter.Soapy knew that the patrolmen in the square could only yell and curse. Even if the police found them, Baslim would mediate with them and try to give the police as little money as possible. It did not take long for Thorby to learn the ancient trade.Men with women are generous, but this is when you should ask women for money.Begging from a woman without a partner is generally in vain (except for women who don't wear a veil).Hounding a man walking alone for money is a 50/50 gamble of kicking you or giving you a little money.Rich aliens are usually generous.Baslim taught him to put a little money in the bowl, not the tiniest pennies or large bills. At first Thorby's looks were well suited for the job.He was short, didn't seem to have enough to eat, had ulcers, and looked lonely.For a beggar, these are enough.Unfortunately, it didn't take long for his body to look better.So Baslim made up for this deficiency with makeup: blackened the circles under his eyes, cut holes in his cheeks, and glued a piece of horrible plastic to the inner shin of his calf, which made people feel uncomfortable. It seemed that a large "ulcer" reappeared on the healed wound, and then sprinkled sugar water on his body to attract flies around him.Such a disgusting appearance will attract people to throw money and alms in his bowl, and then turn away holding their noses. When the child is well fed, of course it is not easy to put on makeup.But in the past two years, even though he ate enough to eat twice a day and slept well at night, he was still relatively thin because of his rapid growth. During this period, Soapy received precious poor education.Jubulbo is the main residence of the great Sargon people, Jiuxing and the capital of Jubul. It claims that there are more than 3,000 government-licensed beggars and more than 6,000 hawkers in the city. The Grog Hotel is bigger than the church There are many, but there are more churches than any city in Nine Stars.There are countless thieves, tattoo artists, lawless drug dealers, house burglars, street money changers, prostitutes, pickpockets, fortune tellers, robbers, assassins, gamblers big and small, con men, etc. .Residents of Jubulpo boast that in the tower building a mile away at the end of the spaceport on Ninth Avenue, anyone with money can buy anything they need to explore the universe, from a starship to a few handfuls of starships. Dust sells everything from certificates of honor left by the ancestors to the robes worn by senators. Soapy technically isn't from the Underworld, as he has a legally recognized slave status and a government-sanctioned occupation as a beggar, but he should still be included in the Underworld, as everything else he can only look up to, in society Among all levels, there is no one lower than him. Like other upper-class children who naturally learned social etiquette, Soapy, a slave, unconsciously learned to lie and steal, and faster than some.He found that among the lower classes of the city, these ordinary abilities had developed into superb skills.As Soapy grew up and became familiar with the language and streets, Baslim began to ask him to go out for errands and shopping alone, and sometimes asked him to beg for food alone, and the old man stayed at home by himself.In this way, he quickly "falls into the gang of degenerates", just like a person falling from zero meters above sea level to the depths. One day, he came back without asking for a penny.Baslim said nothing, but the boy explained, "Look, Daddy, I'm doing well!" He took out a beautiful scarf from under his rags, and showed Baslim very proudly. Baslim didn't smile or touch it, but said, "Where did you get that?" "I got it from someone else!" "Of course. But who is that man?" "A lady. A beautiful lady, she's gorgeous." "Let me see the logo. Mmm...maybe it's for Ms. Farsha. Yes, I think she's pretty. But why didn't you end up in jail?" "Gee. Daddy, it's so easy! Ziggy taught me. He knows all kinds of tricks. He's always been good at his job—you should go and see how he does it." Baslim didn't know how to educate such a lost "lamb".He doesn't want to talk about the big truth with the child, because the child has no knowledge background and no foundation in real life. It is futile to talk to him about moral issues now. "Sorby, why did you change your career? In order to let us beg peacefully, you have paid the management fee to the police, you have also paid the membership dues to the head of the Beggars' Association, and you have sent gifts to the church on the Holy Day, You don't have to worry about anything. Think about it. Have we ever been hungry?" "No, father, but look at this thing, it must be worth nearly a star!" "I think it's worth at least two cents. But a bootlegger will give you twenty cents at most--if he's generous. If you've been begging today, you'll get more than that." .” "Well... but I think it's better to do that. I think it's more fun than begging. You should go and see what Ziggy does." "I've seen Ziggy at work, he's very good at it." "He's the best!" "I think he'd do better with two hands." "Well, maybe. Although he only has one hand, he taught me how to work with two." "That's good. But you should also know that one day you might lose a hand like Ziggy. Do you know how Ziggy lost that hand?" "what?" "Do you know the penalty? If you are caught, do you know what they will do to you?" Soapy didn't answer.Baslim continued: "Cutting off a hand is punishment for a first crime and that's the price Ziggy has learned to 'craft'. Oh, he's not bad, because he's still playing Do what he does. Do you know what the second punishment is for such a man? It's not just a matter of cutting off the second hand. Do you know that?" Soapy said, choking, "I don't know that." "I think you must have heard of it, but you don't want to remember." At this moment, Baslim stretched out his thumb again and scratched his throat, "This is what will happen to Qiji next time—— They will kill him. The noble judge said that a child who has not been taught a lesson once has no second chance. So, they will definitely kill him." "But Dad, I won't be caught, I'll be very careful... just like today. I can guarantee it!" Baslim sighed, because the kid still thought his stealing would be safe. "Sorby, take your bond of sale." "What for, father?" "Take it." The child held it in his hand, and Baslim read the words again: "Male child, registration number (left on lap) 8XK40367." He recalled what the auctioneer said at the time, "Nine cents Get out!" He looked at Soapy again, and was surprised to find that Soapy was already a head taller than himself. "Hold my tattoo needle, I'm going to turn you into a free citizen. I've always had this idea, but I don't seem to be in such a hurry. But now I really want to do it. Tomorrow, you will go to the Royal Archives to register .” Soapy looked down. "Why is that, father?" "Don't you want to be free?" "Uh... this... Daddy, I like to follow you." "Thank you, boy. But now I have to." "You mean to drive me away?" "No, you can stay, but only here as a freeman. You know, boy, that a master is responsible to his slaves. If I were a nobleman, and you did something wrong, I would be punished." Fine. But since I'm not... oh, losing a leg and an eye. I don't think I'd be able to live without another leg. So, if you're going to do Ziggy's trade, I'd rather It’s better to let you become a free man first, I can’t take this risk. You have to take the risk yourself, because I have lost too much, and from now on, I’d better not lose anything.” He ran through these words relentlessly without saying a word: the laws in real life are seldom so harsh.In fact, it was handled like this: slaves who broke the law would be confiscated and resold, and the money from the sale would be used to compensate others for their losses.If the master is a commoner, and the judge finds him to be both de facto and legally responsible for the slave's crimes, he will also be whipped.However, Baslim's words still express the spirit of the law: since the master owns everything about the slave, he himself will be responsible for the behavior of the slave, and may even be sentenced to death for the behavior of the slave. At these words Soapy wept for the first time since they had known each other and lived together. "Don't leave me, father, please don't leave me! I must follow you." "I'm sorry, son. I told you that you can still live here, but you don't have to leave here." "Please, Dad, I'm never going to steal again!" Baslim grabbed him by the shoulder and said, "Look me in the eye, Soapy, and I'll make a deal with you." "Ah? What are you talking about, father, as long as..." "You listen clearly before speaking. I don't want you to sign the paper now, but I just want you to promise me two things." "Ah? Okay! What's the matter?" "Don't worry. The first thing is, you have to promise not to steal other people's things. You can't steal money from rich ladies in sedan chairs, and you can't steal things from poor people like us. On the one hand, it's too dangerous. On the other hand... well, it's really embarrassing, of course, I don't think you know what 'shame' means. The second thing, you promise to never lie to me... you can't lie about anything .” Soapy said reluctantly, "I promise." "I don't just mean the thing you've been hiding money from me, but anything else. Mattresses aren't good places to hide money, by the way. Listen to me, Soapy, you know I'm all over town There are acquaintances." Soapy nodded.In order to do things for the old man, he had been to various places and met many people he didn't know.Baslim went on: "If you steal again later, I'll always find out eventually. If you lied to me, I'll find out eventually. It's your job to lie to people, but I'll tell you this: once a man gets a bad reputation for lying, he probably won't have much to say in the future, because people won't listen to his promises. But it doesn't matter, as long as I know you stole things, or if I find out that you are lying to me again, I will immediately sign and drive you away." "Okay, Dad." "That's not over yet. I'm going to kick you out the door. I brought you something with you, and I left you with something when I went out—a loincloth and a big purple spot. When we got there At that time, it can be said that my relationship with you is completely over. If I see you again in the future, I will spit at your shadow." "All right, father. Oh, I'll never do anything bad again." "I hope so, go to bed." Baslim lay awake, wondering if he was being too harsh with the child.But it is this world, this cruel world, that should be cursed.He had to teach his children to be good people. Soon, Baslim heard a sound like a mouse biting something.So he held his breath and listened quietly.Presently he heard the child rise quietly and go to the table, then the faint clink of coins on the board, and then the child's return to the mattress. It was only when the child started snoring that Baslim felt safe falling asleep.