"Brother, there are three or four old men inside, drinking," Monkey said to Scarface as he came out.
He looked at Huo Panli's sword and asked...
"Little girl, are you fast? If not, let's get someone faster."
Before the little girl could answer, a clear, crisp voice reached her ears from the side.
"I can run fast! I'll go!"
Following the sound, they saw the boy who had shared steamed buns with Huo Xiaolong at the dilapidated temple that day.
"What brings you here?" the little girl asked.
"Big sister, I'll go! I'm fast!"
"I asked you what you did here!"
"I wanted to come and see if they had left yet. I felt bad that Miss Huo's family had made a wasted trip."
The boy was no different from a few days ago, except that his face was a little paler and his body was still dirty.
"Uncle, I'm the fastest runner among all the kids, can you ask Uncle Monkey to take me?"
Just as Scarface was about to nod, he heard the little girl shout angrily.
"Hey! You go home right now and look after your younger brother and sister-in-law!"
The monkey, watching the two children tearing at each other, didn't care about anything else. It scooped up the boy and carried him away, saying...
"That's what we border town men are like. We have to protect our own sister. Be smart in a bit. Once I get the money, you'd better get ready to run away, understand?"
The boy nodded in his arms and said...
"become"
Inside the thatched hut, there was no light; the room was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the stench of cheap liquor. Four cripples sat around a dilapidated table, holding bowls of liquor that reeked of strong alcohol.
The monkey pushed open the door and said
"This is my child. Let's see how much silver we can exchange for him?"
The man looked up and saw it was a boy, so he said in a rather unfriendly tone.
"Two taels of silver, take it or leave it."
"Two ounces! Do you know how much food he ate to grow to this size? Two ounces isn't even enough for me to break even!"
"I said, sell it or not, it's up to you!" the kidnapper shouted, slamming his wine bowl on the table.
The monkey nodded to the little boy and held out its hand, saying...
"Give me the money!"
Some of them had drunk too much and walked unsteadily to the corner of the wall. They lifted a floor tile, took out a coin, and threw it to the monkey.
"You stay, I leave."
"Dad! Please don't abandon me, Dad!" the little boy cried, tugging at the man's clothes.
The monkey swaggered out, and the little boy scrambled to his feet and ran off. The others, seeing the silver disappear, shouted and gave chase.
"Hey! Didn't you see your child run away? Hurry up and bring him back!"
"Yes, don't they know the rules!"
But the monkey didn't turn around; instead, it walked even faster, and before the little boy could react, it had already run ahead of him. Seeing the four men's aggressive demeanor behind him, the thug who had been operating in Pingyang County for so many years also quickened his pace.
This kid runs really fast; his legs are much better than his old arms and legs.
"Big brother, wait a minute, they're trying to trick us!"
"This is the first time I've ever seen a father and son running together."
"Chase!"
The leading man waved his hand, and the kidnapper hurriedly chased after the two.
In the end, Huo Panlijian still received twenty taels of silver, a huge sum for them, enough to help them get through the harsh winter.
Actually, the little girl could have gotten more, since the group had taken all the money the kidnapper had hidden in the corner, which is why Scarface didn't report it to the authorities first. A search of the thatched hut revealed about a hundred taels of silver.
But she didn't want it.
"Miss Huo, you can keep it, I don't need it."
"Why don't you want it? You're already living in a dilapidated temple and you still don't want it? Don't you have any younger siblings to eat?" The little girl was quite young, but she had the air of someone lecturing someone.
"I have too much money, too much for me to keep."
A hundred taels of silver? Does she really think there are good people everywhere in this world? Meeting Huo Xiaolong, the young girl felt she had used up all her luck. She couldn't keep so much money; she might as well give it to Miss Huo so she could come to him for help next time she encountered difficulties.
"Then I'll buy you a house, and you can bring your younger siblings over."
"No need..."
"That's settled then. Come see me the day after tomorrow."
Huo Xiaolong didn't give her a chance to refuse. She understood that Huo Panlijian felt that having too much money would attract attention, so she would exchange it for a house. A house doesn't grow tall, and it's so big. As long as she held the deed, it couldn't be taken away by someone.
The two children insisted on escorting Huo Xiaolong home, not for any other reason than for the twenty taels of silver and the pig stew from last time. Although they were beggars, the white-bearded grandfather had said that one should be grateful and repay kindness.
"Since you're already here, why don't you come in and wait a bit?"
"I'm not staying any longer, I really am not staying any longer."
The little girl struggled to pull the hem of her clothes out of Huo Xiaolong's hand, only to find it difficult. No, this young lady must be eating very hard to pull it out, otherwise why couldn't she get it out?
"Finished your business? Leaving now?"
Er Ya ran out carrying a bundle; she had just heard the commotion outside from the kitchen.
"Yeah, I've finished taking care of my sister, but she's not coming to our house to play."
"No... I have younger siblings at home, I have to go back and take care of them."
"Okay, then take your things back."
Only after Er Ya had spoken did Huo Xiaolong release his grip on the hem of her clothes, and the round-faced girl handed the bundle to Huo Panlijian.
"There are several pairs of cotton shoes and some sweet potatoes inside, all roasted. We can just heat them up and eat them when we get home."
The little girl pursed her lips; having begged since childhood, she blushed a little as she received someone's kindness for the first time.
Huo Panli thought to himself, "So I still have self-respect."
Before, she had no name or surname. In order to survive, she chased after people on the street begging for food and was never ashamed.
Now, facing Huo Xiaolong and her sister, who gave her the name, the little girl felt for the first time how wonderful it would be if she weren't a beggar.
If they weren't beggars, they would definitely be very good friends.
"Thanks"
"No need to thank me! Just come over if you need anything in the future!"
The little girl nodded, took her brother's hand, and left. Er Ya watched her figure disappear into the alley, then patted Huo Xiaolong's head.
"Sister Er Ya, why didn't you let her come in and play for a while? She could have had a meal."
The round-faced girl smiled and held her younger sister's hand. Huo Xiaolong's hand was soft, unlike hers, which was covered in calluses.
She needs to go back to see her younger siblings.
"ah?"
"That's how it is when you're the eldest sister; you always protect the younger ones."
"And what about herself?"
"Herself..."
Yes, but what about herself? Er Ya seemed to have forgotten. What was she feeling at that time when she saved every bite of good food for her younger brother and sister-in-law?
My gaze shifted to the little dumpling bouncing around beside me, and I thought, "Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore."
There is a saying
Forget the past, focus only on the present.
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