Salt Xiao Fulang

In Chunyang County, it is another market day.

Just entered the winter, several freezing rain came down, the temperature took a turn for the worse.

Many people need to buy supplies for the winter, otherwise, in the long night, all the heating depends on shaking, that is, it will still be cold even if it is shaken to sieve.

In the north of the county, there is a dilapidated shanty town, which is the poorest place in Chunyang County.

Although the houses are simple and simple, they accommodate most poor families.Every day here is full of painful groans, dirty words that are too dirty to repeat, and violent venting.

Jiang Tiantian got up from her "bed" made of firewood piles, her little face was flushed red from the cold.Because it is too cold, the snot will not fall off, so I am a bit sloppy.

Before she raised her hand to wipe it away, a middle-aged man happened to see it, cursed in disgust, and kicked the person onto the water tank a few meters away, like kicking a cat or dog.

"...Mmm." Jiang Tiantian hit his head and became dizzy for a while.But she was used to it, and she really couldn't feel any special emotions, she sniffed and got up on the ground.

He touched his back with his backhand. Although he couldn't see it, there must be another big bruise.If you're unlucky, you'll even scratch the skin.

But she didn't dare to delay, fetched water, endured the pain in her back, and came to the main room.

Although it was the main house, the main house in the shanty town still couldn't cover the dilapidated roof, which was crumbling, as if it would be blown into a messy pile of firewood by the wind in the next second.

Jiang Tiantian carefully placed the basin in front of the bed, took the boiling water pot on the only charcoal stove, and mixed some warm water.Wet the cloth again and wiped the face of the emaciated woman on the bed.

The warm touch made the woman wake up slowly.She glanced at Jiang Tiantian in confusion, softened her expression and said, "...Tiantian."

Jiang Tiantian smiled shyly: "Mother, how are you feeling today?"

The woman nodded slowly, but the ashes on her body couldn't be concealed at all.

Fortunately, Jiang Tiantian didn't really want an answer, she was just used to it, and she seemed to be able to hold on for another day by asking such a question.

"Mom, I'm going to cook. Dad brought some brown rice back yesterday, and today we have brown rice porridge to drink."

"... Tiantian," the woman looked at Jiang Tiantian's happy smiling face, hesitated to speak, and said for a while, "Mother, stop drinking, let your father and elder brother eat."

Jiang Tiantian pursed his lips: "Mother, how can you get better if you don't eat?"

The woman smiled wryly, but she couldn't get better after eating...

Jiang Tiantian stopped answering the phone, picked up the basin and just stood up, when he heard a loud roar from the courtyard: "I fuck you xxx! I brought back such a small amount of money after working for three days!? I would rather give birth to you if I gave birth to you!" Wotou!"

Jiang Tiantian was startled, the eldest brother is back?

Before she could react, a middle-aged man suddenly came in from the outside with the cold wind, his round eyes filled with blood, and he overturned the short Jiang Tiantian with his outstretched hand.

The basin splashed warm water on the head and face of the woman on the bed. Jiang Tiantian lay with her face covered, a trail of water slowly dripping onto the ground in front of her.

Like a hideous twisted snake.

The woman on the bed was terrified and coughed roughly.

But the man didn't let it go, and said viciously: "Prodigal girls, prodigal girls, raising you two is really bad luck for eight lifetimes, you should have been strangled to death!" He exhaled, like an angry cow, and turned to the room The only cabinet.

He fumbled around and finally found a money bag.He opened it and poured it out, and scattered a few copper coins, which were already a dozen or so copper coins left in their family.

The woman coughed and cried, trying to stop the man, but he still cruelly pushed away most of it, and then left without looking back.

Jiang Tiantian felt a little nauseous from the beating.

She hit her head twice a day, and even though she was used to being beaten, she felt a little uncomfortable.

With tears in her eyes, she stood up, helped her mother who was crying so much that she almost fell to the floor to the end of the bed, and changed the cold quilt by herself.After struggling to go out, he looked at his elder brother with a face full of hatred.

Jiang Tiantian was a little scared, subconsciously took a step back, and looked at him timidly from behind the quilt.

"...Big Brother." She called out, but didn't know what to say.

She was eight years younger than her brother, and she seldom saw him since she became sensible, either working outside or on the way to work.

The eldest brother gave all the money he earned to the family, and Jiang Tiantian was very grateful to him.It's just that he was too fierce, although he didn't hit anyone, but his eyes seemed to eat her up, which made her instinctively afraid, so she didn't get too close.

The eldest brother bent down, stretched out his hand without saying a word, and wiped Jiang Tiantian's nose: "It's bleeding."

"Ah," Jiang Tiantian raised his sleeve and wiped it, feeling a little pain in his cheeks, "It's okay bro, it's always. Well, I'll clean it up and cook brown rice porridge for you."

The eldest brother gave way silently, saw the younger sister doing housework and cooking with her thin and pitiful body, and finally brought a bowl of porridge to him.

"Hey, big brother, eat!"

The porridge was thin, but still fragrant to him, and there were two pickled radishes beside the bowl.

He picked it up and took a sip. Seeing that the little girl was still standing beside him, he asked strangely, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Tiantian rubbed his hands together, and said in embarrassment: "Well, brother, you know, mother is sick... I want to give her some porridge too, I don't want to drink, is that okay?"

The eldest brother paused: "It's only natural to support your parents, give her some."

"Hey." Jiang Tiantian rushed into the room to do some work, and after a while, brought out the porridge as it was with red eyes.

The eldest brother glanced at the bowl of porridge that was still steaming: "Mother won't eat it, so you can eat it."

Jiang Tiantian hurriedly shook his head.

Looking at the skinny little sister, the elder brother's always numb heart was suddenly touched.

Although father beat and scolded him, he would also tell him some things.For example, my younger sister is 14 years old, and there is a shopkeeper of Kaibu Village in the east of the city who wants to take her as a concubine.

He wasn't very happy at first, but looking at this house, wouldn't it be better to stay there than to live here?

He stretched out his hand dumbly, carefully took out ten Wen coins from the skirt of his shirt, and put it in the younger sister's hand.

Jiang Tiantian was stunned: "Brother, did you hide the money?"

The eldest brother said sullenly: "There is a big fair today, let's go out for a stroll. Dad said that after the next year, he will sell you to the shopkeeper Ma's house in the east of the city as a concubine."

He glanced at the little girl who was so shocked that she lost her expression, and a soreness flashed in his heart.

"Go buy something to eat. If you don't want to marry, run away. Don't come back."

***

Jiang Tiantian went out in a daze and came to the main street of Chunyang County.

Although she lives in the county, the world seems to be only as big as her own home. She only goes out once or twice a year, and every time she goes out, she is a stranger.

If she is gone, what will mother do?Who does the housework?Will father beat mother and elder brother more?

But even if he was sold, he still couldn't go back to the past.

She pursed her lips, the delayed sadness was like salt sprinkled on the wound, making it numb and bitter.

The nose and head were still aching, and the copper coins in her hands were hot and hot. She followed the crowds from one stall to another, and saw one happy or sad face after another, but she didn’t know where to go. stay.

After noon, the stalls were closed one after another, and many people went home.

Jiang Tiantian walked to the entrance of an alley, but saw a steady flow of people, coming in and out, people with smiles on their faces, discussing something in their mouths.

There is also a faintly seductive fragrance.

She squeezed her empty stomach, followed the flow of people anxiously, and saw a long queue, at least 30 to [-] people, before walking far.

She stood at the end of the line in a daze, but she couldn't understand what the people around her were saying, and she felt even more dazed.

"What do you want? I want that little plum blossom!"

"I like the shape of the lotus with lotus joints. The lotus joints are fat and cute."

"It's better to be Xiaozhou. The name of my head has the word Zhou in it."

Several women happily talked about topics that seemed to be related to the pattern of embroidered handkerchiefs, while the strong men on the other side were completely different.

"That pancake is delicious, Wang Da said, besides the egg, there is also minced meat! It's so big!"

"The buckwheat barley is fried in oil. I think it's better than the fried dumplings from Fufu Baozi shop. They are even bigger."

"Hey, fried dumplings are still the best, and Zhishui is so fresh...Have you heard that this is actually the first stall to make fried dumplings! It's just that the Qian family...you understand."

"Oh--"

Jiang Tiantian was confused when she heard it, but the scent kept reaching her nose, causing her to salivate crazily, and she couldn't help being caught among the people in line, moving forward slowly.

As the distance got closer, the aroma became more and more overbearing. She clutched her stomach and thought anxiously, would those ten copper coins be enough to eat such a delicious food?

Suddenly, there was a burst of exclamation from the front, and someone counted back, and Jiang Tiantian happened to be counted.

"Good luck, little girl!" The person in front laughed.

"Hey, why did you come to her, I'm so angry!" The people behind complained.

"......???" Jiang Tiantian.

It turned out that the clerk in the store said that today's goods are only enough to sell ten more people, and the tenth one happens to be Jiang Tiantian, the chosen one!

Jiang Tiantian didn't know how to buy food and buy the Chosen Son of Heaven. When she stood in front of the stall and faced the clerk's face, her head was blank, her face was so red that it was dripping with blood, and she almost lied down on the ground and refused to face it. Jiang Dong's father is old.

"...I...I...I...I..."

The people around gradually dispersed, because there was no next one, the man was not in a hurry, and waited for Jiang Tiantian to speak with a smile on his face.

Jiang Tiantian had never talked to a stranger alone in his life. He was too sad before, but now he felt flustered and spoke incoherently for a while before he said, "...what are you selling?"

That guy is Tian Xiaoqing.

Seeing that the little girl was having fun, he deliberately reported the name of the dish: "We have steamed dumplings, fried dumplings, buckwheat barley, fried rice paste batter peanut kernels, and one big pancake, one with meat and one without meat, and two with an egg. Eggs, three eggs, leeks, bracken, feathers! Which would you like?"

Jiang Tiantian: "........."

"Get off and go to Tian Xiaoqing!" Song Xu was packing up his things in the back, he couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, and took advantage of the fact that there were few people on the street at the moment, he stepped forward to greet him.

"What does the little girl want? The dumplings are gone, the buckwheat barley is gone, so I can only make pancakes. A pancake costs seven cents, with an egg in it, and minced meat is nine cents. What kind do you want?"

Song Xu's words were like the devil's whisper, and Jiang Tiantian's mind echoed "meat—meat—meat—" and the lingering sound lingered.

Meat?Can I have meat?

I happen to have ten coins in my hand, is it destined to taste the taste of meat today?

"...No meat." She chose with difficulty, and smiled timidly at Song Xu.

Song Xu raised his eyebrows, glanced at her, and continued to ask: "Our pancakes will be patterned after they are ready. Now there are plum blossoms, lotus flowers, and small boats. Which one do you want?"

Jiang Tiantian thought for a while: "Let's take a small boat."

"Row."

Jiang Tiantian had never seen such a temperamental person.

In her eyes, a "man" is either irritable like her father or gloomy like her elder brother.Filled with fearsome strength, they are invincible giants.

The pancake maker in front of me was obviously taller than her father, and looked stronger, but he spoke very peacefully, which made people feel infinitely fond of him.

The stove for making pancakes was inside the house, and Jiang Tiantian couldn't help sticking his head into the window to watch the people doing things smoothly.

The thin batter is poured on the iron plate, spread out with bamboo slices, and after being shaped, an egg is added and baked slowly.

The aroma of the eggs overflowed, and Jiang Tiantian swallowed his saliva.

Then, the man turned the dough over and sprinkled a thick layer of fried leeks and pickles on the cake, he sprinkled it very quickly, and added something during the process, Jiang Tiantian didn't see clearly.

Then, he scooped up a handful of light brown, unknown pieces from the basket under the table, and finally folded up the cake. On the front of the rectangle, he took a mold and pressed something onto it—a small red boat Jump across the river.

Tian Xiaoqing was waiting with oiled paper in his hands. Once the cake was ready, he quickly wrapped it up and handed it to Jiang Tiantian.

Jiang Tiantian handed him the hot copper coins that he had clutched, and took the paper bag with the other hand.

It is so heavy that it has the weight of seven Wen coins!

"Brother Xu—"

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"The buckwheat flour is not enough, and the pickles are gone, let's go in the afternoon..."

Xiaochun came in through the back door, and before he finished speaking, he saw Song Xu and Tian Xiaoqing staring outside.

Following the line of sight of the two of them, he saw... a thin and weak girl who was crying while eating pancakes.

Song Xu woke up, and patted Tian Xiaoqing awkwardly: "Hey, our pancakes are delicious. You must have cried for the first time."

Tian Xiaoqing said seriously: "Yeah, I really cried! I was bragging with my sister-in-law, but I turned around and took a bite of the cake, and thunder and fire fell from the sky! My body was tempered, my soul was sublimated, and I went to heaven!" "

Xiaochun: "..." What a mess.

"I know, Brother Xu, you entertained me that day because you wanted to show me off! Tell me, you can not only make fried dumplings, you can also make pancakes, fried buns, fried steamed buns, everything! I'm bragging, It’s still too clichéd—it’s not the only one in the world, but many unique ones in the heavens and the world!”

"Okay," Song Xu slapped Tian Xiaoqing's head, and Xiaochun answered, "Go out and ask what's wrong, if there is anything you can help, do it."

"Hey, sister-in-law, you have a good heart."

Tian Xiaoqing pushed open the secret door beside the counter, and the little girl knelt down with a plop holding the pancake.

"I beg you, please take me to work! I don't need wages, I eat very little, I can do laundry, fetch water, sweep the floor, I can do anything, sleep, sleep in the shop, please!"

She was crying all over her face, she still had unswallowed pancakes in her mouth, her speech was slurred, and she was extremely embarrassed.

Before Song Xu could speak, Tian Xiaoqing dragged him up and into the store, and found a rag to wipe his face at a loss.

"What's the matter? Suddenly, if you have something to say, talk about it, why are you kneeling, how can we be here..."

"Cake, there is meat in the cake, woo woo woo..."

Song Xu: "..." Mistake.

Xiaochun pulled up a stool, sat in front of Jiang Tiantian, and asked the ins and outs with a cold face.

After she finished speaking, the three of them were silent.

Song Xu sighed: "Let's think about it again, you should stay tonight first."

Back to the village at night, the joy of winning the first battle was tinged with a touch of melancholy.

After counting the money, the two became excited again, hugging and arguing for a while, Song Xu suddenly sighed: "That little girl is 14 years old, I thought she was a ten-year-old child."

Xiaochun: "..."

Hold me and miss someone else?

His head was hot, and he said indiscriminately: "What's the matter, I am as tall as 14 years old."

Song Xu was confused: "????"

What's the comparison?What does Xiaochun want to say?I used to jump back and forth on the edge of crime? ? ?