Li Qingqing's two braids were loose, and her hair was disheveled. The ruler, which was broken in half, seemed to be inserted into the flesh of her palm. When it was loosened a little, the skin was pulled apart by the sticky liquid.

But the clothes were still clean, with only a little dust.

Li Qingjing's face was covered with bruises, his body was covered in purple and blue patches, and his clothes had several holes in them.

And behind them, in the school.

Zhang Xiaochui and his companions did not fare any better. They collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, with marks from punishment all over their bodies and their hands swollen from being hit by bricks.

"Little sister, let's not go home yet. Mother will definitely be worried if she sees us like this!

First go to Ma Niangniang to get your clothes sewn, then go to Zhang Dajiao who sells snake wine to get rid of the swelling."

As Li Qingjing spoke, he repeatedly took out a few copper coins from his arms and counted them carefully one by one, with an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Do you want money? Here, I have six cents!"

Who knew that Li Qingqing handed over a purse, and it shook, making a pleasant sound.

"Where did you get the money?" Li Qingjing was stunned.

Li Qingqing waved his hand, showing a pair of fangs, and said solemnly, "The bearded man who sells cold wine on Changning Street brewed a batch of wine a few days ago and put it in the yard, but people steal the wine every day. After he posted a sign saying 'Don't steal wine', the wine was running out. He posted a sign saying 'This is a urine bucket', but it was still stolen.

Then I told him to fill the barrel with urine and put a sign saying "Don't steal the wine!"

Li Qinglin laughed like a silver bell, "Then no one stole the wine! The bearded man gave me six coins."

Li Qingjing was speechless after hearing this and took the purse.

"Second brother, when will the eldest brother come back?"

Li Qingqing opened her eyes wide and asked crisply, "I haven't seen him for half a year. I almost forgot what my eldest brother looks like.

Mother always complains that big brother's martial arts training costs a lot of money, he needs to eat meat and take medicine, I have saved eight cents for big brother! When big brother becomes a martial arts master, our lives will surely get better, right? "

Li Qingjing rubbed Li Qingqing's head, tied her whip again, and comforted her softly, "It will be soon, big brother will be back soon, and things will definitely get better..."

Li Qingjing felt deeply sad.

My eldest brother has gone to serve in the army and we don’t know whether he is alive or dead. We haven’t even received any news about where he went or what he was doing.

He had originally planned to rely on this year's Xiazhi exam to turn things around and pass the imperial examination, but Zhang Dachui and his men knew his background, and they had become complete enemies after this fight. They might use some dirty tricks to prevent him from passing the imperial examination.

and……

I wrote articles and poems for Zhang Dachui and others just to supplement the family income. It is impossible that the old man did not know about this.

After all, what kind of person is Zhang Dachui? How could the Master not know that he has a few words in his belly? But he ignored it and indulged Zhang Dachui and his men to make a show for them.

The information revealed here made Li Qingjing feel a little breathless, as if he was being pressed down by a mountain.

Although he had a mind far beyond his peers, he was, after all, just the son of a widow. Naturally, he felt a little intimidated when facing a "big shot" like the Master who had made great achievements.

As the brother and sister were talking, they went to the street, first they sewed some clothes, then bought a bottle of snake medicine, and asked Zhang Dajiao to massage them for a while.

“It’s raining.”

"Hurry, hurry, close the stall, don't let the goods get wet."

The spring rain came without warning. Just as Li Qingjing and his sister walked out onto the street and prepared to go home, it began to drizzle.

The raindrops as cold as silk threads fell on my body, making me feel extremely chilled.

Li Qingjing took off his coat to shield the two from the rain, turned a few alleys, walked into the muddy path, and walked home with one foot deep and one foot shallow.

In the hazy spring rain, outside a dilapidated courtyard, a hunched woman stood alone at the intersection.

Wearing a tattered, leaky hat, his pair of gray eyes were staring across the road, as if he was waiting for someone.

"Mom! Why are you waiting for big brother again? Go back quickly and don't get wet!"

When Li Qingjing saw this, he became anxious and immediately ran over and pulled Li Xianshi back into the house.

Then he saw that the house was still full of unsold coarse cloth, and the threads from the spinning wheel were scattered on the ground.

I sent him the coarse cloth that Granny Ma wanted. Jing'er, don't worry. I'll help you with your homework after dinner."

Li Xian shook off the water on her hat and was about to go out again. She said calmly, "Mother is useless. She can't go out to sell things now, but you don't need to worry about money."

Li Xian's eyes seemed to be covered by a layer of mist. After experiencing countless years of sedimentation, her gaze vaguely glanced at the injuries and seams of clothes that were deliberately hidden by Li Qingjing and the others.

"Crackle, crackle, crackle..."

In the distance, the sound of firecrackers came from the rain.

There are also the sounds of gongs and drums and suona.

I don’t know if it was an illusion of Li Xian and the others, but the sound was getting closer and closer, and seemed to be coming towards this remote alley.

…

Flower Cloth Street.

This work is organized and uploaded by Liujiu Book Bar~~

A large group of four or five people announcing the good news suddenly ran and jumped from the street to the end of the alley.

They all wore bright red robes, red flowers on their heads, and had rosy complexions.

They scattered candies and red paper along the way, attracting many children to follow.

The high-pitched and passionate sound of the suona, like the roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix in the clouds, penetrated the sky and attracted everyone's attention.

"Hiss... Is this a team announcing good news? Whose family is having a happy event?"

"It's not even the autumn exam yet, could it be that... someone's family has produced a martial arts master?"

"Hurry, hurry, keep up, keep up!"

Many neighbors went out in the rain, pointing and talking with different expressions.

"Excuse me, sister-in-law, where is Li Qinglin's home?"

The newspaper boy jumped in front of a woman with a smile and handed her a pair of red eggs.

"Li Qinglin?"

The woman was a little confused and had no impression of the name, so she looked at the person next to her in confusion.

In the crowded crowd, there was a big man with a face full of flesh and smelling of alcohol. He rudely pushed aside the people blocking his way and squeezed to the front.

The big man was also watching the fun, but when he suddenly heard the three words "Li Qinglin", he was startled and his drunkenness disappeared.

"Hey! I say, but is it the clearness of a soup or the rain of a forest?"

the big man asked loudly.

Hearing this, the reporter nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's Li Qinglin, Master Li!

This spring rain is just right, you have returned to Longmen Temple, thunderstorms and lightning are around you! All the neighbors are overjoyed, Master Li Qinglin has returned from military service and has become a martial arts master! "

Boom——

At this moment, it was as if a thunderbolt flashed through the minds of the neighbors. Some people did not know Li Qinglin, but when they learned that his mother was Li Xian, they were even more unbelievable.

"That ugly woman? They say that likewise, a dragon gives birth to a dragon, and likewise, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix. How come a golden phoenix flew out of a pheasant's nest?!"

"I remember that Li Qinglin sold himself as a slave and became a servant in the inner city palace. So now, he has officially become a noble in the inner city?"

"Damn it, my rebellious son spent dozens of taels of my silver to learn martial arts in the dojo and eat Polygonum multiflorum and Renzhi, but he didn't achieve anything! I'm going to beat him up when I get home!"

Upon hearing this, the big man with a face full of flesh slapped his thigh, his face full of joy, and shouted excitedly, "Good, good, good! My good nephew! You have made it! I am Li Qinglin's uncle!

Come, follow me, I will lead the way for you!"

(End of this chapter)