Xu Yi ignored him and strode straight toward Fu Man'er. "Brother," the little girl whimpered, tears welling in her eyes. She finally couldn't hold back her tears when Xu Yi held her in his arms.
She was frantic when she saw so many people beating her brother, but her brother wouldn't let her go over.
This article is from the TaDu Novels App. Download the TaDu Novels App for more free books.
"It's alright, it's alright." Xu Yi gently patted her back, awkwardly coaxing her, but inwardly he was cursing: These bastards, they beat him until his body ached.
"Hey, the one who got beaten is fine, but the one who wasn't beaten is still crying." A mocking voice came from behind. Xu Yi looked up and saw that an old man was sitting next to their water buckets.
Fu Man'er turned her head and looked over, meeting the old man's teasing gaze, and tears began to well up again.
Tears were about to fall, but she held them back. She couldn't cry; her brother hadn't even cried, so she couldn't cry either.
"What are you doing here?" Judging from Xu Yi's tone, he knew this old man.
Fu Man'er forced back her tears and turned to examine the old man. His clothes were patched upon patched, his gray hair was half-tied and half-loose, and his face was sallow, except for his eyes, which looked somewhat bright.
"Look, are you selling these fish?" The old man gestured towards the bucket next to him.
Xu Yi carried Fu Man'er over and put her down. He felt that his left arm was becoming weaker and weaker, and he wondered if he had hit her too hard.
Upon hearing about the fish, Fu Man'er immediately perked up and skipped over to the bucket as soon as her feet touched the ground.
"Grandpa, this fish, the fish is for sale, it's big, twenty, twenty coins."
This book is first published on the TaDu Novels App—free, ad-free, and pop-up-free, and you can also interact with other readers.
Fu Man'er sniffled as she spoke, her nose bright red, yet she didn't forget to sell fish. (m.cascoo.net)
"Twenty coins, that's really expensive." The old man clicked his tongue, looking at the fish wriggling in the bucket with a pained expression.
“Not expensive.” Fu Man’er shook her head. “This fish is big, really big.” She looked at the old man with a serious expression, gesturing with her hands. Her grown-up appearance was quite amusing.
Xu Yi swung his arm and immediately felt a piercing pain. Cold sweat broke out on his back. He immediately dared not move around. After a while, he walked towards Fu Man'er.
"Grandpa, you don't cook, why are you asking about this dried fish?" Xu Yi was a little puzzled. This old man was one of a kind in the village. He was old, had no children, and lived alone in a small, dilapidated house.
He usually wanders around aimlessly, sometimes doing odd jobs to earn some coins, and sometimes drinking until he's completely drunk.
He didn't cook at home. When he was working, the host would provide him with a meal, and if there wasn't one, he would take a penny and go to the village to buy a bowl of rice.
Although the villagers all said he was crazy, most people didn't refuse when he bought food.
It's getting cold, and he's not often seen. Even when he is, it's usually in crowded places in the village. If Xu Yi hadn't seen him at the village entrance today, he would have almost forgotten about him.
"You little brat, you look down on this old man, thinking I'm broke and can't afford it?" The old man said angrily.
Xu Yi walked in and smelled alcohol on him. He said, "Why is the old man at the village entrance? He must have gone out drinking. The smell of alcohol is so strong. He must have drunk too much."
"Grandpa, I didn't." Xu Yi said helplessly. He really hadn't thought of that. "You don't cook, so you can't just buy a fish to take home and look at. Why don't you come to my house in the evening?"
Anyway, the old man always pays for his meals. It's something that can be solved for one coin, so there's no need to waste twenty coins.
"Mom's cooking is so fragrant and delicious." Fu Man'er slurped her saliva as she thought of Liu Fang's cooking.
These were all very ordinary dishes, but after Liu Fang's hands processed them, they tasted exceptionally delicious.
Liu Fang kept some of the bamboo shoots she dug up a few days ago at home. She cooked them in stir-fries and soups, and the kids ate them for several days without getting tired of them.
"Can we eat fish?" The old man's gaze fell on the bucket again.
Before Xu Yi could speak, Fu Man'er blurted out, "Eat, eat fish! Tonight, Mother, cook fish!"
When she left, Grandma Xu said that she would have Liu Fang clean the big fish that evening so that everyone could have a taste.
"Oh~~" the old man drawled out the last syllable, then suddenly laughed, "Alright, let's eat fish." This laugh revealed his yellowed teeth, which also made his withered old face look a little more lively.
This book is first published on the TaDu Novels App—free, ad-free, and pop-up-free, and you can also interact with other readers.
Perhaps satisfied with the result, he stopped worrying about buying fish and tried to stand up by supporting himself with his left hand. But whether it was because he had been sitting for too long or because he had drunk too much, he sat back down as soon as he managed to stand up.
He cried out as a pebble on the ground poked his bottom, and he tried to touch it but couldn't get up.
The comical sight made Fu Man'er giggle. Her grandfather glared at her and said, "Crying and laughing at the same time, like a yellow dog peeing."
Fu Man'er didn't seem frightened at all. Although she covered her mouth, her eyes were curved, and she looked at her grandfather without fear.
The old man was at his wit's end; he couldn't even get up himself, so he just let Fu Man'er laugh.
"Hey kid, come help! Help that old man up." The younger one grinned foolishly, while the older one, though silent, still offered some assistance.
Xu Yi frowned and didn't move. The old man smelled too strongly of alcohol; it was pungent to him. He was probably still drunk and wouldn't be able to walk steadily if he got up.
Moreover, for some reason, his arm was getting increasingly painful.
"Brother." Fu Man'er smiled, but seeing the old man sitting there without getting up several times, she felt quite sorry for him.
Xu Yi thought for a moment, then walked over. It wasn't convenient for them to sell fish while he was next to the bucket, so they helped him to sit down and waited for him to sober up before going home.
This book is first published on the TaDu Novels App—free, ad-free, and pop-up-free, and you can also interact with other readers.
When the old man saw him coming, he instinctively extended his left hand. Xu Yi paused for a moment, so that the old man's hand would rest on his left shoulder.
Well, he doesn't have any other choice now. He'll just help him up; it shouldn't be a problem.
"Oh dear, kid, bend your back a little more, or this old man won't be able to hold on properly." After some searching, the old man finally found a suitable height.
Once the old man's hand was firmly on the ground, Xu Yi pulled him up with a strong pull. He was about to tell the old man to find a rock to sit on and rest for a while.
The old man's hand suddenly started moving erratically, slid from his shoulder to his upper shoulder, and almost touched the spot that hurt him. Just as he was about to speak, the old man's hand seemed to have eyes and touched back.
This hit the nail on the head, "Whoosh!"
The old man was oblivious to his own ignorance, saying, "I'll hold your arm for better stability; this old man can't walk steadily."
Xu Yi reflexively tried to break free from his hand, but a cracking sound was heard, accompanied by Xu Yi's scream of pain.
He felt like his arm was broken.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com