Chapter 104 Murder
Today is New Year's Eve. There are no lights or firecrackers on the streets. There is really no festive atmosphere. Except that there are more people on the street, more children's laughter, and the smell of food in the air is more fragrant than usual, there is no difference from usual days.
Lin Qi walked on the street, looking around curiously.
"Go to Nanqiao Market? There are fresh radishes and greens there."
"Go ahead. There are not only vegetables, but also fish and shrimp. However, they are all small fish and shrimp, no big fish. Tonight is New Year's Eve. If there is no big fish, small fish will do."
"Fish is not enough. I want to buy a chicken. If someone kills a sheep, I can buy a pound or two of it and make some mutton soup. It will be just right for me to replenish my body."
"Then we have to hurry, otherwise all the good stuff will be snatched away."
“........”
Two women carried baskets and walked quickly forward.
Nanqiao Market?
That new temporary market that my aunt mentioned yesterday?
Lin Qi became interested and followed the two people at a leisurely pace.
After walking for a while, Lin Qi found more people carrying baskets, including men, women, young and old, and they were all heading in the same direction, towards the south.
These people walked hurriedly, some even jogging, just to arrive earlier and buy a more complete range of goods.
"Don't pull me. I can't breathe. If you were me, you should have left earlier today. If you had left earlier, you wouldn't have to rush like this."
"I can't get up. I finally got a chance to sleep in."
"There's no need to be so anxious. The market doesn't start until ten o'clock, and it will take time for nearby farmers to come over."
"The good stuff is snatched up as soon as it's available. Tell me, am I anxious?"
“.......”
Nanqiao Market is right next to Nanqiao. Under the bridge is the Lancang River that runs through the entire Zhoucheng. During the natural disaster a few years ago, rivers in other places dried up, but the Lancang River still had water, but the water level dropped by about ten meters.
Even after dropping ten meters, the bottom is still not seen, which shows how deep the Lancang River is.
The market is located on the road by the river. There are various stalls on both sides of the road. The total length is about one kilometer, so it is very lively.
The road in the middle of the market is not very wide and is crowded with people.
Lin Qi stood outside the market, looking at the crowds of people crowded inside, and she was deterred from entering.
Anyway, she didn't have anything she had to buy, so she didn't go in and get involved.
However, Lin Qi did not leave. Instead, she stepped onto the South Bridge, wanting to take a look from this side of the bridge to the other side.
The entire length of Nanqiao is about 1,400 meters, with a bridge separating the urban area on one side and the suburbs on the other. On this side of the bridge, there are clustered villages, and more farmland and mountains.
Lin Qi looked at these fields and the scattered plants in the fields, and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
She is indeed more suitable for the countryside, Lin Qi thought to herself.
Lin Qi didn't plan to go forward. When she was about to turn back, a little boy called her, "Do you want to buy some vegetables?"
Lin Qi turned around and saw a little boy of about eight or nine years old. His hair was messy and his clothes were obviously ill-fitting. His shirt was too long, covering his knees, and his pants were rolled up, still too long. He was wearing a pair of cloth shoes whose original color could not be seen. There were a few small holes in the front of the shoes, revealing his swollen toes inside the shoes.
When the little boy saw Lin Qi's face, he was stunned. He had never seen such a beautiful person.
Lin Qi looked at the little boy's clothes, and then at his basket, which contained some Chinese cabbage, two handfuls of leeks, and some seasonal vegetables such as celery, green onions, and garlic sprouts.
The Lin family already had some of these vegetables in stock, but it wasn't too much.
Lin Qi took out three big unity notes from her pocket and handed two to the boy, "Here."
The boy licked his cracked lips. He wanted to grab the two big unity notes directly, but the kindness in his heart restrained his greed. He said with difficulty, "It's a bit too much."
"Not much, give me the basket too." Lin Qi said.
The man looked down at the basket with holes in it. It was so old that it seemed like it would break completely if it was touched lightly.
The boy looked embarrassed. "It's not worth that much."
"As long as I think it's worth it," Lin Qi said. She stuffed the money into the boy's hand and took the basket. "The deal is done. You can go now."
The boy looked at the two big solidarity photos and turned away in a daze. It seemed like a dream and it was unreal.
He also came to sell vegetables two days ago, and sold about the same amount as today. However, because he came late, he couldn't find a good stall, and he was not good at talking, so he wandered around the market for a long time before he sold all the vegetables. He made 50 cents on the first day and 60 cents on the second day, so the total profit for both days was only one dollar and ten cents.
The boy, whose nose was running from the cold, was holding the twenty yuan in his hand, and his palms were sweating from nervousness.
With these twenty dollars, their family’s debt will finally be paid off.
The day before yesterday, my second uncle came to our house and said that my second aunt had a high fever and had to go to the hospital, but he had no money. As a last resort, I went to their house and wanted them to pay back the money I borrowed.
But where was the money at home? His parents gave the few dollars they had left to his second uncle. Last night, his second uncle came again and said that his mother had pneumonia and needed to be hospitalized, but they didn't have enough money. His parents worried all night, and when the morning came, they decided to sell the only quilt left in the house.
Early this morning, his mother put all the remaining vegetables in his basket, and she and his father took the quilt out, hoping to sell it for a good price. His younger brothers and sisters, wearing thin clothes, could not leave the fire all day.
His family still owed his second uncle twelve yuan. After paying back the twelve yuan, there would be eight yuan left.
What can you buy with eight bucks?
Clothes? Shoes? Meat?
A smile broke out on the boy's face unconsciously.
The next second, a pair of large hands grabbed his neck, and his fingers, which were tightly holding the money, were pried apart one by one.
"A little kid has so much money!"
"Twenty dollars? I have enough money for tonight's drinks!"
The two men chuckled and got the money. They pushed the boy away and turned away without caring about the boy falling to the ground.
The boy on the ground had red eyes, perhaps because he was anxious or angry.
A strong feeling of resentment and grievance surged into the boy's chest. He yelled, and with a desperate attitude, he slammed into a man's back like a little wolf cub.
Boom!
The two of them rushed forward together and fell to the ground.
The man subconsciously supported himself on the ground with his hands, and the skin on his hands was rubbed and blood oozed out immediately.
hiss--
"Boy, you are looking for death!" The man took a breath, and a cold light flashed in his eyes. He glanced around and found that there was no one. He became more and more vicious. He grabbed the boy's collar, lifted him up, and threw him into the river like a chicken.
"You're crazy!" the companion said anxiously.
The man didn't care. "It's winter, it's just a child, so what if he died? Who cares if anyone saw it? Or are you going to report me? Have you forgotten that you and Zhao Laosi's wife were caught having an affair, and you two beat Zhao Laosi to death, but you pretended that he was bitten to death and eaten by a vicious dog?"
The companion's face turned pale, and then he spat, "Damn it, just die, it's just a cheap life, it's worthless."
"Oh? Not worth anything? If it's not worth anything, then you might as well go to hell!"
In the cold wind, two figures jumped off the bridge.
The moment their bodies were in the air, the two men saw the vines entangled around them, saw the vines sweep away the money and tickets in their hands and pockets, saw the vines let go of them and fly towards the bridge.
They could not see anything on the empty bridge.
Who attacked them?
Could it be that they have done so many evil things that God can no longer tolerate it?
The two couldn't figure it out, but they were not too scared because they could swim and would not drown.
However, they were too relieved too soon. With two splashes, they fell into the icy river water. Before they could even struggle, something entangled their legs and dragged them to the bottom of the water.
It's over, they are going to die!
God couldn't stand it and punished them!
The fear of death and the freezing cold river water overwhelmed them, and soon they were completely lifeless.
The boy's consciousness was still at the second before he entered the water. He felt unwilling at that time. He had clearly earned money, and his family's debts were about to be paid off. The remaining money could be used to buy a lot of things, food, daily necessities, and two chicks to raise... Everything was going to be good, but it was gone again -
He hated it so much! He was so unwilling!
Cough cough cough——
The boy spat out the water, followed by a heart-wrenching cough.
When the coughing finally stopped, he regained consciousness and asked, "I'm not dead?"
A gust of cold wind blew, and the boy shivered, followed by a few sneezes. His teeth kept chattering, "It's so cold..."
"Take off your wet clothes." A voice came from behind.
The boy was startled and turned around suddenly, "It's you!"
"Yes, it's me. Take off your clothes, otherwise you will freeze to death." Lin Qi said as she unbuttoned her army green coat.
The boy was startled, thinking that if he took off his clothes, he would freeze to death. But then he saw Lin Qi taking off her clothes. Was she going to give him her clothes?
In the end, the instinct for survival took over. The boy took off his clothes and pants with trembling hands and covered the area between his legs with his hands.
Lin Qi didn't look at him and threw the clothes accurately on the boy's head.
The military coat was very long, reaching all the way to the ground.
The boy buttoned up his military coat and grabbed the two hems of the coat with both hands to prevent the hem from touching the ground.
He looked at Lin Qi with red eyes, "Are you cold?"
"It's okay." Lin Qi said. She used her special power to isolate her body from the cold wind outside. Her body was not cold, but her special power was consumed quickly.
Lin Qi tied up the vegetables with straw ropes, put the boy's clothes back into the basket, and handed it to him, "Go back."
The boy held onto the basket and didn't move. "How did you get me out?"
"I'm catching fish. You floated to the shore and I pulled you up." Lin Qi pointed at the six big fish on the ground and thought for a moment. "I'll give you one. It happens to be New Year's Eve today and we need to eat fish tonight."
"No, thanks." The boy swallowed. When he mentioned eating fish, he felt his stomach cramping. He was hungry.
"You're welcome. I caught it from the river anyway." Lin Qi said indifferently. She picked up a fish, put it in the basket, and put twenty yuan in it. "I snatched it back from those two people."
"You snatched it back?" the boy asked in surprise.
Lin Qi hummed, "I stole it."
The boy was very curious about how she snatched them, but Lin Qi didn't give him a chance. She used a straw rope to string the remaining five fish through, then picked up the fish and vegetables and strode away.
"How can I change your clothes?" the boy shouted.
"No, I'll give it to you." Lin Qi said without turning her head.
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