frivolous

Three Rivers City in summer is very lively.

Pedestrians on the bridge stopped with their hands behind their backs, admiring the majestic momentum of the confluence of the three rivers in the city.The Huansha women under the bridge gathered together in twos and threes, discussing something happily, and there were occasional laughter.The weeping willows on the shore are graceful and graceful, like a woman's soft hands, waving in the wind, welcoming and sending away the heavy cargo ships near the port.

A school of peace and prosperity of the country and the people.

Suddenly, a middle-aged man's hysterical curses erupted from the crowded pier.

"Stop! Little brat! See if I don't skin you!"

Several workers who were carrying goods hurriedly turned to the side to avoid the two oncoming people.

The young man running in front was unkempt, his teeth white against his black face.With a bun stuffed in his mouth and a few deformed ones tightly in his arms, like a gust of wind, he walked around the cart parked on the shore familiarly, stretched out one hand and gently raised the neat ones. Leaning on the shoulder pole of the tree trunk, he pushed it behind him, stepped over the high pile of goods, and turned into the alley.

The middle-aged man chased after him angrily, and wandered in the alley for a long time, cursing along the way.

Ah Jiu squatted in a corner, hearing the shouting and cursing outside had drifted away with the wind, and then she lifted the bamboo basket covering her head and carefully looked at the items in her arms with peace of mind.After a while, he tore off the dead branches in his hair, subconsciously straightened his hair, turned into a dilapidated house, opened the door and stepped in.

When someone inside saw him, he smiled and said, "Ah Jiu, you're back."

Ah Jiu stuffed him with the food in his bosom, took the firewood in his hand, and said displeasedly: "Yuanqing, why are you disobedient? You have been in poor health since you were young, so don't be busy with this or that. Eat while it's hot." ——your favorite meat bun.”

"I hope you will have a hot fire when you come back, so I picked up some dry branches and leaves nearby." Yuan Qing explained embarrassingly.He seemed to have been hungry for a long time, and he grabbed one without caring about his dirty hands and began to bite.

"Eat slowly, no one will snatch it from you." Afraid that he would choke, Ah Jiu gently stroked his back from the side, and the bloody cuts that had just been wiped on his thin forearm were shocking.

"Why are you injured again?" Yuan Qing grabbed his hand with a worried look on his face.

Ah Jiu withdrew his hand indifferently, and said with a smile, "It's not in the way, it's just that I was running too fast on the road—" He suddenly silenced and covered his mouth.

He guessed it without mentioning Yuanqing, and immediately sank his face, only to feel that the delicious buns had become tasteless, and turned his back: "You promised me not to steal anything again!"

Although the two are not related by blood, they have depended on each other and cared for each other for many years. They are not blood relatives, but they are better than blood relatives.Yuan Qing's health has been poor since he was a child, so more often, Ah Jiu always takes care of him and begs for their livelihood.Once Ah Jiu was thrown into the river and almost drowned because of risky stealing. At that time, Yuanqing cried and begged him not to steal again.

"Yuanqing, listen to my explanation. You have been in poor health. How can you do it without some meaty tonic? Don't be angry, eat first, okay? Eat more..." The guilty person drooped his head and said loudly Angrily persuaded, "Just leave it alone, okay? I promise, this is the last time, really."

God doesn't seem to give good people a chance to be good.Ah Jiu didn't want to steal things, but they were only six or seven years old, and because they didn't have enough food and clothing all year round, they looked skinny.When begging, you can't compete with the young and strong beggars on the street. If you don't steal or grab them, you may have starved to death in the biting cold wind.

"You promised the same way last time, and you said that if you steal anything again, you will break up." Thinking of this person's original promise, Yuanqing shouted angrily, "I knew you were like this, every time you promised me that you would never again If you can steal things and then steal again, let's break off friendship. I——I don't care about you."

"Yuanqing?" Ah Jiu leaned over to the sulking person.

Yuanqing glanced at him angrily, but said nothing.

"Yuanqing!" He called again flatteringly.

Yuan Qing still didn't speak.

"Okay." Seeing that he was so decisive, Ah Jiu's heart was also on fire. There were only a few buns left and right, and this man was really angry.

"It's very good. That's right, I'm the kind of person who doesn't repent." Ah Jiu suppressed his anger and repeated in a low voice, "Breakdown, right? You don't care about me, right? It's up to you, everything is up to you .I'm going out to rob now, and then I'll grab a few steamed buns and some roast chicken. I don't think you care about me?!"

"You!" Yuanqing's eyes widened, startled and angry, he quickly grabbed his arm, and said anxiously, "Rooting is not allowed!"

"Isn't it a breakup?" Ah Jiu ignored the thin but persistent strength of the person behind him, stopped in place, and stared at him fiercely, "You won't let me rob, I'll go! The first thing I want to grab is You, I want to take away all the troubles, illnesses and pains from your body! Let me see if you are still in good health!"

"Ah Jiu, don't be like this..." The force of pulling on the wrist suddenly became much lighter, and the grievance in his heart flooded, and his eyes became sore in the distance.He choked up and said: "Okay... I know you are for me. I know it all - I have been dragging you down since I was a child...I know..."

As soon as the words fell, Ah Jiu couldn't get angry anymore, and sighed silently.He knew that Yuanqing was thinking too much, so he could only rub his head distressedly: "What stupid things are you talking about? I've been here for so many years, how can there be any drag or not..."

"Ajiu——" Yuanqing unconsciously pinched the corner of Ah Jiu's clothes, moved his lips a few times, and whispered with some hesitation in discussing, "I will go out to beg with you in the future, and we will not steal anything anymore. , okay?"

"Who wants you to go with me, a sick child?" Ah Jiu was still angry, but couldn't bear to shake off his hand, and said in a cold voice, "Didn't we break up just now? I don't have you as a friend!"

"Ah Jiu..." Yuan Qing pursed his lips and called weakly.

"I'm very angry now, why don't you eat a few more buns to calm me down?" Ah Jiu threatened viciously, then lowered his voice and murmured softly, "It's a big deal, I won't steal anymore It is..."

"Okay, I'll eat." Yuan Qing wolfed it down and begged in a soft tone, "I've finished eating, so don't be angry..."

"You..." Always unable to be hard on him, Ah Jiu sighed inwardly, stroked Yuanqing's messy hair, and said in a muffled voice: "Since we broke up just now, let's get to know each other again. I It's called Ah Jiu, he's a little beggar who doesn't eat his last meal, would you like to be with me in the future?"

The sky in Sanjiang City is always very clean. After several months of cool autumn wind, it suddenly snowed on the third day of November.

In the cold and windy winter, the shops close their stalls early, and only a few pedestrians pass by occasionally on the street, but they are also in a hurry.

Thin and dense snowflakes fell on the hair and neck, and the chill seeped into the inside, it was really cold.With his back against the corner of West Street, Ah Jiu was so cold that he was shivering in the wind and snow.

Fortunately, he yelled at Yuan Qing back when he was going out, otherwise, according to his physique, he would be sick for several days.Ah Jiu comforted himself with some gratitude, he took a breath and formed a cloud of white mist in the air, couldn't help but rubbed his hands again.I don't know how Yuanqing is doing now, whether he is staying in the abandoned house, whether he is cold or hungry——

"Ding——" The crisp sound of a coin brought back Ah Jiu's thoughts.

Qiang cheered up, Ah Jiu said softly: "Thank you."

Opening his mouth, a biting cold wind rushed towards his face, choking him so much that he couldn't help coughing a few times.Ah Jiu coughed for a long time before it subsided, causing her entire face to flush red.

Ah Jiu pinched her fingertips that were about to freeze, and counted the days carefully.

It seems that Yuan Qing's birthday is approaching.

Feeling worried, Ah Jiu scanned the broken begging bowl carefully.The money from begging is barely enough to feed the two of them every day, and it seems that they can't save any extra money.

How to do it?

Sanjiang City is located at the confluence of three rivers, the river is turbulent, and there are many hidden reefs under the water, which stretch for several miles. Every year, many people who go out by boat accidentally fall to the bottom of the river, and they end up being eaten by fishes and die.Then maybe in the early morning of a certain day, the river will wash these corpses to the shallows for people to claim. Over time, there will be an indispensable but indispensable profession in the city-corpse picker.Legend has it that this is a group of people who wander in the two worlds of yin and yang, and if they do too much, it will harm their yin and virtue.

Ah Jiu pursed her lips unconsciously. If it was for the sake of Yuanqing, he wouldn't care much about it. Can a dead body be as scary as a living person?But most importantly: he can't swim at all.

When I was stealing things before, I accidentally ran into the mass grave, and encountered strange things inside.He once watched a dead body with blue eyes and white eyes crawl out of the coffin with stiff movements, and suddenly rushed towards him - Ah Jiu was startled, ran away in a panic, and accidentally staggered and fell into the river.

Ah Jiu was almost drowned that time, and since then, he has an instinctive fear of water.

Ah Jiu withdrew his gaze. Anyway, if he stared at it, no gold would grow. He carefully picked up the copper plates in the bowl one by one.Having really promised Yuanqing not to do those stealthy things again, Ah Jiu sniffed, her eyes dimmed for a moment, then she held the coin tightly in her hand, gritted her teeth and made up her mind.

I can always figure out a way.

There is such a custom in the city.Whenever someone has a birthday, the elders in the family will cook fermented eggs for the birthday person. If poorer people cannot afford wine, they can only substitute eggs soaked in vinegar.Wash and dry the eggs without special treatment, soak them in black vinegar and seal them for five days and five nights, and you will get a vinegar-soaked egg with a moderately sour and salty taste.

The days are short and the nights are long, and it gets dark after a while.

If you save your bun money, you can still buy an egg if you run to the corner of the street now.

Ah Jiu looked up at the sky, rubbed her frozen cheeks, and walked towards the corner of the west street.