In the seventh month of the second year of Yong Chun, Guangzhou Prefecture.
On the long street, countless pedestrians, merchants, and stalls crowded the originally spacious street.
Scholars in wide-sleeved robes, barbarians with narrow lapel sleeves, and commoners in short brown shirts walked on the street. It was very lively.
On both sides of the street, there was a Indian man in a cloth draped over his shoulders and wearing earrings, loudly peddling his sandalwood incense in broken Tang dynasty dialect. There was a Kunlun from Southeast Asia walking barefoot on the street, peddling aloe vera pain-relieving ointment. There was also someone who kept boasting about how his clove slices could freshen the breath of people.
There was also a Persian man in a small sleeve gown and a flower skin hat, peddling Persian dates for makeup and saffron pollen for perfume. Of course, the stalls also sold the popular condiments of the Tang people: black pepper and thick mustard.
Even the peddler selling pistachios pushed a cart and shouted at the top of his lungs, shouting along the way that pistachios could nourish the kidneys and strengthen the virility of men, and make women happy and comfortable. For a moment, it attracted countless women. Who didn't want their man to be a handsome husband, whether it was outside or in bed?
Behind the stalls on both sides of the street, there was a clear river. Stone and wooden bridges were above the small rivers. Stepping on the small bridges and crossing the river, the banks were planted with banana trees, and behind the banana trees were wine shops. The lingering fragrance of wine wafted out from the wine shops, merging into the bustling scene on the street.
But the bustling living world, after all, could not compare to the world in books and paintings. In books and paintings, you can erase everything you don't need, but in the real world, you can't. There are always poor people. A Little Beggar in ragged clothes was running for his life barefoot, with two strong men chasing after him.
The Little Beggar escaped into an alley, and finally exhausted, he was caught by the two strong men. Under a series of punches and kicks, the Little Beggar hugged his head, curled up like a little puppy, and was kicked again and again. He didn't beg for mercy, nor did he cry out in pain, until he was kicked into the ditch at the side of the alley. He grunted and fainted.
The two strong men put down their sleeves and walked away, cursing, "Stinky beggar, how dare you steal to eat. If I catch you again, I'll beat you to death!"
There were many people on the street, but no one paid attention to them.
After an unknown amount of time, a woman in a tattered dress walked out of the narrow alley, holding the hand of a little girl. The little girl saw the child beggar lying by the stream, and she stopped in her tracks. There seemed to be a small argument between her and her mother, and the little girl won. She lifted her tattered dress and quickly ran to the stream.
The little girl squatted down to look at the fainted boy, then took a broken pot from her mother's hands, and carefully fed him porridge. The Little Beggar was obviously starving. Even though he was unconscious, when the porridge reached his mouth, he still subconsciously and quickly swallowed.
The Little Beggar slowly woke up. When he opened his eyes, he immediately felt a swelling pain in his eyes. One of his eyes had been beaten black, and it was so swollen that there was only a slit left. After a moment of dizziness, he opened his eyes slightly and fixed them on the little girl in front of him.
The girl looked even younger than him. She had a thin and dirty face, and her messy hair was a little yellow due to malnutrition. Only her eyebrows were black and thick. If such eyebrows were on a boy, he would definitely look handsome, but on a girl, they seemed a little too thick.
The little girl was wearing a moon-white short dress, and there was a slit at the shoulder, faintly revealing a bit of skin. Her lower body was wearing a bamboo leaf skirt that reached her chest. She was squatting in front of Little Beggar, so the holes in her skirt revealed two smooth knees.
Little Beggar quickly understood his situation, and also understood the other party's identity. He did not thank her, and only stared at the little girl in a daze. The little girl opened her mouth and smiled at him. Perhaps because she was still growing her teeth, her mouth was incomplete, and she looked very ugly.
The little girl tilted her head and thought for a moment. Then she took out a bun from her bosom and carefully broke it into two halves. After comparing the two halves, she put the bigger half in the little beggar's bosom and grinned at him. Then she stood up with the jar in her hand. The woman came over and took her little hand. She looked at the boy indifferently, and then the mother and daughter walked away along the dark and narrow alley.
Little Beggar climbed up with difficulty, and all the bones in his body ached. He pulled at his tattered clothes that were as thin as silk, and looked left and right in a daze. Then, he subconsciously followed behind the mother and daughter.
The little girl held her mother's hand, and looked back from time to time. The boy not far from them seemed to be in a more difficult situation than the mother and daughter. His tattered clothes could barely cover his body, and his collar was split open, revealing his craggy collarbone. His cheeks were thin and yellow, and his face was bruised and swollen.
The little girl grinned at him again.
Gradually, the road became more and more remote, and a dilapidated temple with a half-collapsed wall appeared in front of them.
The woman led the little girl into the dilapidated temple. Little Beggar stood outside the temple for a while, and then followed them in.
There was more than one beggar in the dilapidated temple. An old beggar was sitting under the sun, and he had taken off his tattered coat, revealing his skinny body. He was catching fleas there. Another beggar was a bit stronger, and he was lying on a pile of firewood with his legs crossed, humming and singing.
The woman took the little girl to find a place to sit in the dilapidated temple. The little girl began to eat, and the woman grabbed a handful of soft wild grass and began to weave something.
Little Beggar was like a frightened little beast, and he looked around the temple warily, but he still stubbornly moved closer to the mother and daughter. He was rarely treated with kindness, and the little girl's kindness made him feel very close. He, who had no one to rely on, instinctively wanted to get closer to things that he felt close to.
The little girl used her mouth, which was missing two front teeth, to chew on the bread with difficulty. After a long while, when her saliva had soaked the bread, she took a hard bite. She happily swallowed the bread, looked at the boy, and asked in a soft voice, "I am Niuniu, what is your name?"
Little Beggar seemed to be at a loss. After a long time, a trace of bitterness suddenly flashed through his eyes, and he softly replied, "I … am Ah Ch 'ou."
"Ah Ch 'ou, sit down!"
Niuniu patted the straw next to her. Ah Ch 'ou looked at it, and then gently sat down next to her.
Niuniu bit on the bread, tilted her head, and looked at him. She softly asked, "How did you get beaten up like this?"
Ah Ch 'ou replied, "Because I stole their food to eat."
"Oh! That's not good. Begging is enough. There will always be kind-hearted people. "
Ah Ch 'ou was silent for a while, and then softly said, "Begging, I can't do it. I … can't stretch out my hand …"
Niuniu's two front teeth had both fallen out. She didn't know how many days that steamed bun had been there for, but it was as hard as a rock. She chewed on it for a long time, and it was dripping with saliva, but she still hadn't bitten off a piece. Hearing Ah Ch 'ou's words, she gave up on eating the bread. She opened her mouth wide in shock, and asked, "How can that be? Is stealing not shameful? "
Ah Ch 'ou seriously thought about it, and then replied, "I don't know. Although stealing is also stretching out my hand, but … it feels different. When it comes to stealing, I just have to be prepared to be beaten. But when it comes to begging, I can't even stretch out my hand, and I can't even say begging words … "
Niuniu blinked her eyes, and thought for a long time in confusion. She shook her head, and said, "I don't understand!"
Ah Ch 'ou smiled bitterly, and slowly raised his head. He looked at the sunlight that shone through the hole in the temple roof, and the dust dancing in the sunlight. He faintly said, "Actually, I don't understand either …"
Niuniu giggled, and said, "Ah Ch 'ou, you really are a strange beggar."
Ah Ch 'ou stubbornly emphasized, "I'm not a beggar! I've never begged before! "
Niuniu had a good temper, and gave in, "Alright, alright, you're not a beggar. You're a strange thief. Is that okay? Hee hee. "
"En!"
Ah Ch 'ou thought about it, and solemnly nodded, agreeing with her evaluation.
Niuniu turned her head, and pulled her mother's sleeve, and begged, "Mother, can you knit a pair of shoes for Ah Ch 'ou?"
She turned her head again, and blinked, and asked, "Ah Ch 'ou, are you willing to stay here?"
"… …"
"En?"
"En!"
Niuniu opened her mouth again, and smiled, and looked ugly.
At this time, a pair of straw shoes was gradually forming in Niuniuniang's hands …
… …
Ah Ch 'ou was really a strange child.
He stubbornly refused to beg, and would rather steal.
Because of his poor stealing skills, Ah Ch 'ou was often beaten black and blue. If it wasn't for Niuniuniang's financial support, he might have starved to death.
There were more than ten beggars living in the ruined temple, and they all agreed that Ah Ch 'ou should be called Dumby, and that he must be stupid. Only Niuniu didn't think so.
When Ah Ch 'ou was full, he never sat under the sun like other beggars, and took off his clothes to catch fleas, and told dirty jokes. He always sat on the stone mill in the backyard of the ruined temple, holding his chin, and staring at the sky in a daze. Niuniu felt that Ah Ch 'ou must be thinking about something.
Ah Ch 'ou could think, but could others?
Once, Niuniu secretly saw Ah Ch 'ou holding a branch in his hand, and drawing something on the sand. When he left, Niuniu walked over and compared the half of the stone tablet for a long time, and recognized that Ah Ch' ou had written the words on the half of the stone tablet. Thinking of his writing as smooth as water, Niuniu was very envious.
Ah Ch 'ou could write, but could others?
Ah Ch 'ou could also climb up trees to dig for bird eggs, use branches to catch dragonflies, and catch small fish in the river. Whether it was bird eggs, dragonflies, or small fish, they all became delicious food without exception. Although they were all roasted without exception, Niuniu ate them with relish.
During those days, Ah Ch 'ou's face was always bruised, and Niuniu's lips were always black.
In Niu Niu's childhood of begging for a living, of being looked down upon and suffering from hunger and cold, the days spent with Ah Chou became her most beautiful memory.
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