farce a ups and downs

Chaozhou is the closest place to the imperial capital Linze, and its prosperity is not inferior to that of the imperial capital.

The He family is one of the most wealthy merchants in Chaozhou City, and He Zhixiao is the young son of the He family.

When He Zhixiao was five years old, there was a natural disaster in the north, and the people were in dire straits. At that time, the reigning emperor and his subordinate officials had a vegetarian meal. Closing the city gates and falsely reporting the death toll resulted in hundreds of thousands of disaster victims having nowhere to go and finally falling outside the city.

So, someone rose up.

Chaozhou is far away from natural disaster areas, He Zhixiao can only learn about these things by listening to people - how brave the rebel army broke the city gate, and the disaster victims poured into the city... His mother, He Chen, would not let him listen to these things, saying that it was treason , is wrong, let him read the books of sages, in the future he will gain fame and become an official in the court.

He Zhixiao doesn't like studying, but he has considered whether to be a businessman or an official in the future, and he will never jump out of these two choices.

He never thought that one day he would become a martial artist.

Fate seemed to have made a joke with him, turning a corner when he was seven years old.

The disaster victims and the common people along the way became members of the rebel army. No one expected that they would grow to this point day by day. When the army reached the center of the country, the court finally couldn't sit still.

The imperial court began to recruit soldiers and food. The rich and ordinary people in Linze City either emptied their homes or their only son was taken away. Linze City did not have enough soldiers and military pay, so they rushed to other places.

Like a hungry wolf, they frantically rushed in all directions.

The He family in Chaozhou was the first to bear the brunt.

The Patriarch of the He family emptied out the wealth he had accumulated from his ancestors time and time again. Every time the imperial army came in, it was like locusts sweeping away. The Patriarch of the He family, who was only [-] years old, was depressed in bed not long after, and the army came several times after that. It was Mrs. He Chen who came forward to stand up, and the people who came to collect the military salary saw her beautiful, and they were moved to a wrong mind. It happened that He Zhixiao and his family were there that day, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

After the people left, He Zhixiao spat hard in the direction of the gate: "Why does the court keep such a thing?" Looking back at He Chen, "Mother, I will never be an official in the court in the future. The imperial court, it would be better if it is gone!"

He Chenshi was taken aback by his words, and quickly jumped up and covered his mouth: "Zhi Xiao, don't talk nonsense, if people listen to it, our whole family will be executed."

He Zhixiao lowered his face, and swept around sharply, young but fierce at first sight: "I see who dares to speak out."

The servants shrank aside and did not dare to speak.

He Zhixiao went out feeling restless, he was going to fetch medicine for his father, he was worried about entrusting his servants to do this kind of work.

Father always taught him to be kind to others, to trust, tolerate, and treat others kindly, but He Zhixiao didn't think so. From the book, he saw that people's hearts were unpredictable, like ghosts and ghosts, treacherous and cunning, and changeable. I don't believe it.

With something on his mind, he accidentally ran into a little beggar while walking.

"Oh, you don't even look at the road when you walk?"

A bag of buns fell on the ground, and the skin of Bai Shengsheng's buns was covered with dirt, just like He Zhixiao's expression at this time.

He looked down at the oil stains on his clothes, and told himself to be calm and be kind to others.

Before the clinker could speak, the other party opened his mouth, "Why didn't you speak? You knocked my steamed stuffed bun to the ground without even apologizing? Look at the young master, why are you so dumb? Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you want to pay?"

He Zhixiao: "..." No one opened their mouths yet.

"you……"

As soon as he opened his mouth, the other person quickly answered: "It turns out that you are not dumb, so be kind. Either you lose money or you lose buns. Don't be fooled by thinking that I am a beggar. A rich young master like you, I can beat ten of them."

He Zhixiao took a deep breath and decided not to argue with the beggar, "How much, I will pay you."

The little beggar turned his eyes, his eyes flickered from the jade pendant around his waist, and he said: "Two taels of silver."

"You want two taels of silver for a mere bag of buns? You're blackmailing!"

"The dignified young master of the He family, the richest man in Chaozhou, can't even give me a mere two taels of silver?"

He Zhixiao sneered... It's not that he can't get it out, it's that he doesn't want to throw money at dogs.

He raised his leg to go.

"Hey, don't leave without paying."

A figure was blocked in front of him.

He Zhixiao: "I just left, what can you do to me."

However, he found that no matter which direction he went, the little beggar could block him ahead of time. Without panting.

Looking up again, He Zhixiao's eyes suddenly widened: "My purse!"

The little beggar grandiosely opened the purse, took the money from it, tied it up again, and threw it back to He Zhixiao.

"It's a tip for playing with you."

"When will I want you to play with me..." He Zhixiao opened the purse, counted it carefully, and found that only two insignificant copper coins were missing, and all the vain silver was neatly stacked in the purse. "What the hell are you—"

When he raised his head, the little beggar had already slipped away.

In the end, he only took away the money for a bag of buns.

He Zhixiao's blood, which was boiling due to slight exercise, slowly calmed down. He went to the pharmacy to buy medicine, and when he walked back, he found something was wrong.

There was thick smoke in the direction of his house.

"Father, mother..."

The doctor's carefully folded medicine bag fell to the ground, and He Zhixiao ran home helplessly, and passers-by all gave him pitying looks. Immediately, raging fire and smoke engulfed him.

"Father, mother! Where are you? Answer me! Father—mother—"

The young boy's voice was hoarse. When he passed the pond in the mansion, he subconsciously paused, and then jumped into the water. The cold water dilutes the fear in his heart.

He Zhixiao scolded himself for wasting time with a little beggar on the road, while covering his mouth and nose and opening the door to find someone.

The fire was not big, and the He Mansion was not a structure where all the houses were connected in a row. He yelled around the burning house for a while, then gritted his teeth and came to the place where there was no fire.

Then he saw the unbearable scene in a certain door that was wide open to him.

As the young master of the He family, he naturally knew what was in that room.

The He family's land deeds, food stamps, money bank, rice farm and other property tickets are all there, and it is not an exaggeration to say that they are the He family's treasury.

Now, not only these will fall into the hands of outsiders, even his mother...

"These beasts!"

He Zhixiao wiped away tears, turned around and ran to the fire room, the only place in the house where there might be weapons, was there.

The fire room is far away and has not been burned yet.He Zhixiao came and went back and forth, but felt that he was flying, and the air inhaled into his lungs was hot and burning his internal organs.

He had never done this kind of work, so his hands were covered with bandages—just to keep the kitchen knife in his hands.

Then I found the tongs for burning fire. This thing is made of iron and is a bit heavy. He Zhixiao dragged it completely. Leave the ground without making a sound.

After the people in the room finished their work, they inevitably relaxed their spirits, and then they were stabbed in the back from the back.

Blood spurted out in a radial pattern, and most of it fell on the dying woman on the ground.

He Zhixiao put the man down, and then used the kitchen knife in his hand, one knife after another, to ensure that the man died completely, then threw away the pliers, and used his clean hands to fasten He Chen's skirt.

"mother……"

The teenager choked up.

He Chenshi opened his eyes, his face was weak.

There was a conversation outside the door, and the expressions of the mother and son changed slightly.

He Chenshi didn't know where to find the strength, grabbed He Zhixiao's arm and pushed him behind the screen: "Zhixiao, hurry up, there is a secret road leading to the outside, hurry up, leave me alone, hurry up...go away. "

"Mom, I want to be with you, by the way, where is Dad?"

The conversation was close at hand, and suddenly stopped. The two people outside the door had obviously found the dead brother, and began to search around.

"Your father, he..." After saying three words, He Chen shut his mouth, with a pale face, he just kept pushing He Zhixiao into the secret passage, and when he saw that he would not leave, he begged again: "Go, go, I don't want you to care about me, go!"

The two people heard the noise here, came to check, saw the mother and son crying, their eyes were tearing, and they wanted their mother and son to pay for their lives.

The big knife fell, and He Chenshi pushed He Zhixiao into the secret passage with the last bit of strength, and then twisted the mechanism.

The hidden door closes in front of your eyes.

Before the darkness invaded his field of vision, what He Zhixiao saw was splashed blood and the figure of his mother blocking the secret passage without hesitation.

"Woo, father, mother... woo..."

The tears couldn't stop streaming down, but He Zhixiao didn't dare to stop a single step, and he didn't dare to stop with the pace behind him chasing after him.

After an unknown amount of time, He Zhixiao's leg was about to break from running, and the exit finally appeared.

The air outside was fresh and natural, and the slight suffocation in the secret passage disappeared immediately.He Zhixiao didn't dare to stay, turned around and left, and a familiar figure passed by.

He Zhixiao stopped abruptly: "It's you?"

The little beggar also turned his head. He was still holding a bag of hot steamed buns in his hands. Hearing the call, the little beggar blinked his peachy eyes, then narrowed his eyes, showing a three-point smile: "Oh, it turned out to be you."

He Zhixiao grabbed the bun from the little beggar's arms, and under the incredulous eyes of the other party, he slammed the bun to the ground, and Bai Shengsheng's bun rolled into the dust again.

"You—" the little beggar almost lost his voice in anger, "Even if you hate me, you can't waste food like this! You are really a heinous sin!"

"I've committed a heinous crime?" He Zhixiao's eyes turned red with anger, "It's because I wasted a little time with you, my parents are gone! My house was also burned! I didn't even see my father for the last time! You Are you embarrassed to say that I have committed a heinous crime?"

His eyes are similar to those of a beast on the verge of despair. Once it sets its sights on its prey, it will never stop dying.

The little beggar shrank his neck and said cautiously, "Yes, I'm sorry."

Suddenly, the little beggar narrowed his eyes, and before he had time to pick up the buns on the ground, he dragged He Zhixiao and ran away.

The two will dodge, and a big knife roars and chops towards the original position of the two, smashing cracks on the ground.

The little beggar had no time to complain: "When there will be pursuers in the future, why do you still have the time to trouble me!?"

He Zhixiao ran behind him, a little embarrassed, his physical strength was exhausted, and he was about to be unable to run anymore. The little beggar glanced back and ran back with his back.

"You put me down."

The little beggar: "Didn't you say that your parents are gone because of me? Then I owe you two lives. I must save your life."

"How do you..."

"Shut up, save some effort, and you will carry me later."

He Zhixiao wanted to say that I wouldn't do it, but suddenly felt the danger approaching the back of his head, and quickly shouted: "Low your head!"

The little beggar reacted extremely quickly, and He Zhixiao leaned tightly on his back to avoid the sweeping sword.

"Look where you are going!"

The little beggar knew all the small roads in Chaozhou city like the palm of his hand, and turned around with He Zhixiao behind his back, even turning directly from a remote alley to a bustling street full of people.While running, he shouted: "Qiu Ba killed someone! Qiu Ba killed someone! The dog officials of the imperial court don't care about human life! Not to mention burning down He's family, they are going to attack the common people! Run away, everyone!"

His words cooperated with the pursuers behind him, almost as soon as the words fell, the pedestrians on the street were in a mess, you pushed and bumped into each other, the crowd drowned the figures of the two children, and the two pursuers were disturbed by the pushing They are dry, but try their best to control the knife in their hands. Even so, they also know that they will not get rid of the reputation of indiscriminately killing innocent people no matter what.

In the end, they had to go back unwillingly.

The little beggar hiding under the stall raised two fingers at He Zhixiao.

He Zhixiao inexplicably felt that the opponent's appearance was a little underwhelming.

"My name is Luo Wenchu. How about you, young master of the He family?"

The little beggar—Luo Wenchu ​​said that he took He Zhixiao back to his temporary place of residence, which was a square made of bamboo frames and rags, and when the wind blew, the air leaked from all sides.

"He Zhixiao."

After finishing speaking, He Zhixiao huddled himself in a corner. He was so tired that he just fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found that the little beggar had changed into clean clothes and was about to go out.

It's not right to say go out, but He Zhixiao has no intention of getting entangled.

"Where are you going?" He directly grabbed Luo Wenchu's sleeve.

"Go to the tavern and be a boy."

"You're not a beggar..." Before he could say the word beggar, Luo Wenchu ​​pulled his face with a smile.

"Being a beggar during the day and being a servant at night is not a conflict. When a person is alive, he always eats and drinks. If he doesn't make money, how can I support myself?"

Luo Wenchu ​​left and didn't come back until early in the morning.

When he came back, he found He Zhixiao curled up in a corner, whimpering.

Luo Wenchu ​​paused and walked over.

Then I heard what He Zhixiao was thinking:

"Father, mother, don't want me."

Luo Wenchu ​​reached out and patted his face, and was about to wake him up, but the temperature under his palm was terribly hot.

Luo Wenchu ​​paused, then wrapped his arms around He Zhixiao's shoulders, and pulled him into his arms, "If you persist, I will be able to pay my wages tomorrow night, and then I will have money to buy you medicine."

He Zhixiao hummed twice, but he didn't know if he heard it or not.

His mind was dizzy, sometimes he was at the bottom of the sea, suffocated to the point where he could not speak, and sometimes he seemed to be roasted on a big fire, so hot that he wanted to cry. At this moment, it seemed as if a singing voice came from far away: There was a young man named Goudaner, who caused Master Wang at the entrance of the village to break a leg..."

The singing is not very pleasant, but a gust of fresh wind blows away the depression, as if all the sadness can be blown away by this gentle voice and sent to the distant place.