Devil's Department Store

Miser was not born unlucky, or in other words, if he was born with nothing, fate would not allow him to lose so many things.

In Miser's vague memory, he once had a happy family. His mother was a gentle woman who always spoke in a soft voice. Her hands were warm and her embrace was soft and full of security. The black hair was always loosely coiled, with strands falling in pieces, exuding a pleasant aroma.

The face of the father is not so clear, but he is strict and reliable after all. They live in a modest house and lead a reasonably affluent life.

Miser was too young at that time, and the few memories he left were mostly around a department store near his home. Whenever there was something to celebrate or a festival came, they would go to the narrow and mysterious room with his family. hut, shopping for a whole bunch of fancy gadgets.

For Misser at that age, this department store was always associated with happiness, and it seems normal to remember it the most clearly, just like every child’s first dream is to sell candy or toys, opening a department store It also became Miser's dream.

Logically speaking, such a simple dream will soon be replaced by other things as he grows older, but Miser has no such experience.

Because when he grows up, he has no extra energy to have a new dream.

When Misser was six, he left home with his mother and never returned.

Children at that age don’t really understand what happened between adults. Misser only knows that his mother took him to many places, knocked on many doors, and was rejected by many people. In the end, he had to live in a house on the side of the road. In the shack, there is no warm house, nor delicious food.

Miser later found out that everything was because his father wanted to marry a noble lady, so he had to get a divorce.

Divorce, this word was like a nightmare for Miser and his mother, because women were not allowed to own their own property at that time, and without their husbands, they seemed unable to survive as a person in the world. Survival, can only choose to remarry.

Miser's mother is not a great beauty, but she is gentle, willing to work, and obedient. She could have easily found her next husband, but because she was unwilling to give up Miser, everyone shut her up Gates, even her parents and brother.

In Miser's memory, his mother was always so soft, like an oyster without a shell, but after that, seemingly overnight, she suddenly grew all her shells, just to protect her child .

She set out to do the cheapest drudgery for other people, and took Miser with her when she could, and when she couldn't, she hid Miser in any place she could by night, like all mother beasts with children. I thought of a safe place, and when the work was over, I went to look for my child with hard bread and not-so-clean water.

Her soft hands began to thicken, her voice became louder, her hair became dull, and her body was no longer clean and tidy. The only thing that remained unchanged was her embrace, which was always so warm, and brought Miser the only sense of security in her wandering life.

In this way, Miser grew up gradually. He began to work with his mother and worked hard to survive. Those days could not be said to be happy, but Miser was actually very satisfied.

However, just when their life seemed to be getting better, Miser and his mother ushered in the coldest winter, and the shack and animal fur could not protect a child, and Miser naturally fell ill.

That winter, in order to save Miser, his mother spent all her savings, did everything she could do, and sold everything she could sell—maybe she brought Miser in the first place because of her concern for the child. Love, but at that time, Miser had become her only hope of living when she was running counter to her ideal life and getting farther and farther away.

Miser was very ill, he was cold and hot, his mind was dizzy, and his body seemed to be no longer his own, but he could still feel the oppressive atmosphere, and his mother's warm hands and embrace could no longer save him. Hearing other people's advice to his mother, he also foolishly said to her: "I'm going to die, Mom, bury me."

It was the first time he saw his mother's crazy appearance, the woman's red eyes were as terrifying as a stranger.She raised her hand high, and finally landed on her face. She wailed, pulled her hair like crazy, and beat herself. The woman's hot tears fell on Miser's face, blown by the wind, It froze again.

Miser did seem to be dying, but for some reason, he eventually recovered and their lives changed again.

Looks like it's headed in a good direction.

His mother didn't have to do so much work every day, her hands gradually became soft again, her voice became thinner, her hair was coiled up, and she put on clean clothes. They even had money to rent a small house, although it was dilapidated. , but it does protect against wind and rain.

But Miser's mother no longer always brought him by her side as in the past. Most of the time, she would let Miser go to work outside and not let Miser stay at home.

This seems to be no problem, because Miser always has to learn to support himself. He is still young, and although he has no money to work outside, others are willing to give him a little food like feeding a puppy.

Sometimes Miser didn't have so many jobs, and he would stay outside obediently, and then go home at the time set by his mother.

Miser loved the night then, and night meant a soft bed, sweet bread, and hot broth, while his mother would hold him in her arms and lull him to sleep as before.

Miser remembers clearly that his mother always told him in those days, to be a kind person, to have enthusiasm for life, and to be full of expectations for fate.

Miser was ignorant and didn't know why his mother said this, because he was already living every day full of hope. Later, thinking about it, maybe this was not said to Miser from the beginning, but to her yourself.

On Miser's tenth birthday, his mother set aside a day to take him out to play.

They already have some savings, not much, but enough for a day off.

Miser was very happy. He still vaguely remembered some things when he was younger, but he never experienced that kind of happiness again.

At first they just wandered the streets without buying anything, which was enough to make Miser feel like he was going to fly to the sky, until Miser saw a department store and he cast a longing look at his mother.

Miser's mother hesitated, but finally nodded with a smile, and they went into the store, where they bought Miser a loaf of bread with jam for six coppers.

Misser couldn't describe his happiness at that time, because it was already the happiest mood a child can have. He split the bread in half and ate it with his mother.

Then on the way home, a wagon full of goods hit his mother, running over her lap.

Miser didn't understand why fate was always so harsh on him, as if he owed some kind of debt from birth, as long as he lived a little better, he would be pushed to the ground immediately and spit out all his happiness and joy .

Miser had never seen such blood, his mother moaned, like a ewe whose throat has been cut by a butcher's knife, only useless struggle is left, and the carriage has gone, no Anyone come down and take a look at them.

The passers-by gradually gathered around, and they all said that she couldn't live anymore, but Miser couldn't understand their words at all. He didn't know where the strength came from, and he carried his mother on his back--he was so short, a woman His legs were almost dragging on the ground, and his thighs were twisted, and Miser didn't dare to take a second look.

Maybe someone helped, Miser found the doctor as quickly as possible, and the doctor told him that to treat such an injury, he needs to pay a consultation fee of two gold coins first.

They supposedly had two gold coins, but when Miser took out his mother's purse and counted it, he found that they only had one gold coin, nineteen silver coins, and six copper coins.

Six coppers short, Miser thought, why should I eat that bread?

The people around hurriedly dispersed, and the six copper coins were used to buy the cheapest food, which can be used as a three-day ration for a family, not to mention that this woman cannot be cured with two gold coins.

No one would lend money to a ten-year-old, and the doctor wasn't about to show mercy, so Miser knelt down and counted the money over and over, hoping he'd made a mistake, but in which corner of the chair it was. There are still six copper coins hidden in Huangli, which can be exchanged for his mother.

Miser once had a similar nightmare, with numbers that could never be counted correctly, and bread that could never be counted. It was like a nightmare. No matter how she counted, there was always a difference of six. Miser's expression was also numb.

He lost his own mother to a damned bread, to a damned accident, to a damned fate.

Now that I think about it, his subsequent stinginess with money probably started from here.

But in any case, Miser was left alone.