I picked up a ghost and took it home

A night of spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River.Early in the morning, Hang Shi Zhai in the depths of Qianyuan Street, as soon as the shop door opened, shopkeeper Wang saw a little man waiting outside the door.

This little man is only six or seven years old, his clothes are tattered, but he is still clean, his small face is sculpted in pink and jade, he is obviously a cute little girl, but his eyes are cold, with a trace of innocence that cannot be underestimated. stubborn.

"Liu Xiaoye, please forgive me. The rice paper in our shop can't always be given to you for free." When shopkeeper Wang saw this little man, his liver began to throb and hurt.Although he called the person in front of him "Liu Xiaoye", it was just a joking name - this kid is from Xinghua Lane two streets away.Where is Xinghua Lane?It is the famous poor alley in Jinling City, and no one likes to deal with the people in it.

Shopkeeper Wang was no exception, but he always felt that the "Master Liu" in front of him was a little different.Seeing "Liu Xiaoye" walking into the store with short legs, the little finger pointed to the stack of rice paper for sale on the table, his eyes full of longing.Shopkeeper Wang was about to cry, "I can't do it, I will be scolded to death if the master sees me later."

"Liu Xiaoye" didn't move, and he didn't look at shopkeeper Wang, but just stared at the stack of rice paper, as if he wanted to stare at the flames.

Shopkeeper Wang sighed, "One piece, only one piece." He shook off a three-foot piece of rice paper and said bitterly, "Master, please forgive me, don't do it again next time."

"Liu Xiaoye" wiped his hands on his body, stood on tiptoes, and carefully took the whole Shuxuan that was handed over by shopkeeper Wang, which was about the same height as him, and finally there was a smile on his fair little face.

"Let's go." Shopkeeper Wang waved his hand. "Liu Xiaoye" nodded towards Shopkeeper Wang as a thank you, and then he held up a long rice paper and prepared to go outside.Shopkeeper Wang sighed again when he saw his polite manner.At this moment, there was a cough in the store, and someone came out from inside.

Shopkeeper Wang jumped out of the counter with a jolt, and pushed "Liu Xiaoye" out of the store, "Hurry up, the master is here."

"Liu Xiaoye" was protecting the rice paper and refused to leave quickly, so he heard a gentle voice from behind, "Shopkeeper Wang, what are you doing, whose child is this?"

"Master Liu" completely stopped in the shop when he heard the voice, refusing to step over the threshold.Shopkeeper Wang turned his head in sweat, looked at the middle-aged man in the store, and said uncomfortably, "Master, this is Liu Han from Xinghua Lane, that paper, he, he—" Shopkeeper Wang said, from He took out a sling of money from his waist and put it on the counter.

"He came to buy rice paper." Shopkeeper Wang bit the bullet and finished speaking.

Liu Han had already turned his head to look at the middle-aged man in the blue silk shirt. His eyes trembled, and the rice paper in his hand slipped and floated to the rain-soaked ground outside the store, and the water was dense.

The middle-aged man's name is Hang Yi, and he is the owner of this Hangshi Zhai. He understood what happened, but he didn't lose his temper. He walked towards Liu Han, bent slightly, and said with a smile: "You like painting ?”

Liu Han looked up at the tall man in front of him, in a daze, with the corners of his lips tightly closed, not speaking.

Shopkeeper Wang hurriedly said, "Master, this kid is dumb."

Hang Yi was surprised: "Oh?"

Shopkeeper Wang said: "His father is a habitual thief. He was beheaded not long after he was born. These years, he lived with his mother in Xinghua Lane. The orphan and widow are very pitiful. I heard that my mother was seriously ill a while ago. The child had no money to see a doctor for his mother, so he sold paintings on the street for money. It is strange to say that this child has never studied or learned painting, but he is very good at painting, and he can write good poems and calligraphy. Little I feel sorry for him, so from time to time..."

Hang Yi heard the words and said, "Look, he is indeed a handsome child." He picked up the half-wet rice paper outside the store and put it back on the counter, "Shopkeeper Wang, replace this little Mr. Liu with a new one."

Shopkeeper Wang hurriedly uncovered a new piece of rice paper, wrapped it carefully, and handed it over again.Hang Yi took it and handed it to Liu Han.Liu Han still stood motionless, looking at Hang Yi without hesitation.Hang Yi was not annoyed, and asked gently: "You don't want your paper anymore?"

Shopkeeper Wang was sorting out the remaining half sheet of rice paper, and said curiously, "Mr. Liu has always treated people coldly, but he is 'love at first sight' towards him."

Hang Yi smiled and raised his hand to touch Liu Han's little head, "I see that this child also likes it very much."

It was very effective, as soon as Hang Yi's hand touched Liu Han's head, Liu Han suddenly became excited, he lowered his head in a panic, took the rice paper wrapped in Hang Yi's hand, turned and ran outside.Hang Yi stood at the door of the store, watched the little figure disappear all the way down the street, then walked back to the store and asked, "Shopkeeper Wang, what's wrong with his mother?"

"I don't know the little one, it's been a while." Shopkeeper Wang was relieved to see that the boss didn't mean to blame him.

Two days later, Liu Han didn't come back, but Hang Yi was a little worried, so he closed the shop early and let shopkeeper Wang lead the way, looking for him in Xinghua Lane.It is rare for noble people to come to Xinghua Lane, and they couldn't help but look at Hang Yi. Shopkeeper Wang stepped forward and asked, "Which household does Liu Han live in?"

There are many poor people in Xinghua Lane, but the most pitiful ones are Liu Han's family, everyone in the alley knows it.After asking twice, he came to a dilapidated thatched hut.Shopkeeper Wang asked loudly outside the house: "Is anyone there?"

After a long time, an old woman's voice came intermittently from inside, "Who is it?"

"Master, someone is here, it must be his mother." Shopkeeper Wang said.

Hang Yi walked into the thatched cottage.The room was damp and cold, and it was dark. A thin and gray-faced woman was lying on the grass piled on the stones.Seeing the woman's face, Hang Yi was taken aback, and said to the shopkeeper Wang who had just entered the door: "Hurry up and ask the doctor."

The shopkeeper Wang also saw that she was a woman in her 20s, but she looked as old as 50 to [-] years old, coupled with her creepy face - he didn't dare to hesitate, and ran out quickly.

The woman opened her cloudy eyes, saw Hang Yi, and forced herself to sit up.Hang Yi hurriedly helped her to lie down, "Mrs. Liu, lie down and rest quickly."

But the woman struggled to sit up, knelt down on the grass bed and knelt down towards Hang Yi, "You are a kind person. You are willing to teach my family to draw and write. You also gave him paper and pen. You are a kind person."

Hang Yi was puzzled for a while, he had only met the child once, how could he teach him to draw and write?

The woman was already clutching her chest and coughing loudly, she panted and said: "I, I won't live long, and I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to burden Han'er anymore, if possible, after I die, can you please take him in, He is very sensible, very intelligent..." The woman broke down in tears, and kowtowed to Hang Yi, "If I didn't let him go, I would have died long ago, my lord, you should pity him."

"Mrs. Liu, the doctor will come later, let the doctor take a look at it for you." Hang Yi helped the woman to lie down.The house is small and bare, with a short wooden bed in the other corner, covered with straw, and a portrait hanging above the bed, probably to save drawing paper, so the portrait is very small.But Hang Yi walked over, only took a look, and then froze.

The person in the painting is very similar to him, not exactly the same, but the person in the portrait, more like him 20 years ago.This Liu Han is only seven years old at most, how could he have seen him 20 years ago?Hang Yi was stunned for a moment, remembering that when Mrs. Liu saw him just now, she seemed to have mistook him for someone else.Hang Yi understood that it was probably a person similar to him who taught Liu Han how to draw and write, so when Liu Han saw him for the first time, he seemed to see someone he knew.

Shopkeeper Wang quickly brought the doctor over. Seeing Mrs. Liu's expression, the doctor shook his head, "This...don't waste the medicine money in vain, and prepare for the funeral."

There was the crisp sound of copper coins falling to the ground at the door.

Liu Han's small figure stood in the dark yard, the copper coins in his palm fell and spilled all over the ground.

Before Madam Liu breathed her last, she grabbed Liu Han's little hand and kept urging: "Han'er, hurry up and kowtow to the old man, worship him as your teacher, hurry up, listen to your mother, cough cough cough..."

Liu Hantong looked at his mother with red eyes, and then at Hang Yi.Hang Yi said: "Madam Liu, don't worry—"

Liu Han knelt down in front of Hang Yi obediently and kowtowed three times to him.

Hang Yi looked at the villain in front of him, his heart trembled slightly for some reason, and there was a trace of pain.

Mrs. Liu finally calmed down and passed away suddenly.

Hang Yi buried Mrs. Liu.On the day of the burial, the pattering spring rain poured down the sky, beating on the deserted Qingshi alley.Wearing plain white clothes, Liu Han packed up his bald writing brush and the drawing paper that had been cut into small pieces, and followed Hang Yi out of the thatched hut.

Hang Yi bent down, picked up the little Liu Han, and walked towards Qianyuan Street holding the green cloth umbrella.Liu Han hugged the small bundle and lay on Hang Yi's shoulder, watching the raindrops flying all over the sky, suddenly burst into tears.He was a mute and couldn't cry, but he was trembling with tears streaming down his face.

Billowing spring thunder came from the sky, one after another exploding behind them.Hang Yi hugged the tears on his shoulders without saying a word, and walked home step by step.

Waiting patiently for Liu Han to finish crying, he took a bath, fed him, and sent him back to the house to sleep.

Shopkeeper Wang looked at it and sighed softly: "Madam has passed away for more than 20 years. The master has no children and refuses to remarry. He has been lonely all the time. With this young master Liu, it doesn't matter whether he is an apprentice or a son. Finally, I have someone to accompany me.”

In the middle of the night, Hang Yi was reading this month's accounts under the lamp and was about to fall asleep when he heard a knock on the door.He opened the door and saw the little man standing outside the door hugging a pillow.

Liu Han seemed to have just woken up from a nap, with long hair loose, wearing white pajamas, and standing barefoot on the ground.Hang Yi is also strange, this child has only known him for a short time, why is he always inexplicably familiar.He squatted down in front of Liu Han without a temper, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

Liu Han stepped across the threshold, ran in, opened his small arms, and hugged Hang Yi's neck tightly.

Hang Yi was slightly startled, and immediately laughed, holding Liu Han and standing up: "Are you afraid?" He closed the door, also shutting out the sound of the night's wind and rain.When he got to the bedside, Hang Yi put down Liu Han, seeing that he was not wearing shoes, he couldn't help scolding softly, "It's still cold, why don't you wear shoes?"

Hang Yi went to pour hot water again, put Liu Han's cold feet in it, and let him soak them.Liu Han stood in the hot water with his trousers lifted, but his eyes followed Hang Yi all the time.Hang Yi noticed it, and smiled at him, "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat osmanthus cake?" Liu Han seemed to be burned, turned away quickly, and shook his head.

After soaking his feet and drying them for Liu Han, Hang Yi smiled and asked, "Young Master Liu, do you sleep inside or outside?"

Liu Hancai pointed to the inside of the bed, then climbed in with hands and feet, arranged his small pillow, and placed it side by side with Hang Yi's pillow.Hang Yi covered him with the quilt, turned around and blew on the lamp, and lay down too.

There was a night of spring rain in the south of the Yangtze River. The spring rain was a little heavier, and it was splashing in the yard.Liu Han waited for Hang Yi to fall asleep before leaning forward, rubbed his wet face in Hang Yi's arms, and silently called out two words: "Ye Fan."

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The author has something to say:

I feel that Xiao Yezi is either on the road to the end, or on the road to the end, orz