Chapter 190 [Street beggars' topic]
A few skinny beggars in ragged clothes were lying on the corner of the street as usual, chatting while catching lice on their bodies under the sunlight that did not hinder the footsteps of pedestrians.
Whenever you find one, lightly pinch it with your nails, and it will make a "pop" sound. This kind of sound of exploding from the hand can make the spirit happy from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet.
In front of them, each had a container, some were broken bowls, some were half a jar. The containers are not neatly arranged with each other, just like the lying postures of these people lying down in disorder - no one has obsessive-compulsive disorder after being a beggar for a long time.
However, the common people are not rich enough to give alms frequently, so passers-by rarely stop here, and there are very few who can stop and drop some money and food, and they don't meet three or five in a day.
Relying on these, it is naturally difficult to live.
What’s more, it’s better to look through the swill poured out by the rich people, or go through the villages and alleys to beg for leftovers to satisfy our hunger.
As for getting enough food or getting some spare money, you have to wait for a wedding or a wedding or a new store to open. These people will gather together to draw lots. The lucky ones can go to sing Luozi and talk about happy songs, ask for some rewards, and eat some rich meals.
Of course, they were not allowed to serve on the table, so as not to offend the guests, they could only take the food and eat it from a distance.
Most of the time, they lie on the side of the street like this.
In addition to the little copper in the bowl, which is better than nothing, more importantly, stopping exercise in this way can greatly reduce unnecessary consumption, so that the stomach will not be hungry too quickly.
The beggar lying in the corner looks very old, and even his nickname is "Old Beggar". However, those who are familiar with him will know that he is actually not that old, he has just reached middle age.
The topics of the beggars are not rich, they are chatting about eating.
"...you say, what is the best food in the world."
asked a little black beggar, he had a foot that was obviously out of shape, maybe that's why he'd fallen into this profession.
A man next to him who was wearing only half of his clothes and with distinct ribs shook his head and said, "It's hard to say, what can people like us know, and what have we tasted? Maybe you should ask, what is the best thing we have ever eaten?" eat."
"Yes, yes, yes." All the beggars agreed.
Another beggar took the lead and said:
"The most delicious thing I've ever tasted. Do you still remember that four years ago, Wang Yuanwai from Rushui Town outside the city celebrated his birthday and held a water banquet? We didn't use lottery that time, so we went directly to eat until we were full. I brought back a lot of food and lived happily for several days."
"The two bowls of red and white meat on the banquet table are the most delicious things I have ever eaten. The snow-white fat slices are tender and soft, cut thin and wide, slick and oily, and smoother than my own tongue. Get out of here."
Several beggars nodded deeply, salivating, especially the older ones, who had experienced the flowing banquet, and recalled that good time.
Another beggar next to him said:
"The best thing I've ever eaten was the dumplings made by my mother when she was still alive. It's just that my family is poor and I don't do it often. The first crop of leeks and the first crop of alfalfa are cut into two large pots."
"Add some scrambled eggs, add a few drops of sesame oil, wrap it up, boil it, dip it in old vinegar and eat it, and then drink a big bowl of dumpling soup when you are full.
He tilted his head and looked towards the sky, not knowing whether he was reminiscing about his relatives, or recalling the quiet and happy childhood, or lamenting the current situation.
"I turned over half a cup of sweet cake, which was blended with white molasses, added fresh milk and dough, and sprinkled with some raisins from the Western Regions. It tastes very sweet and high-end..."
All the beggars spoke separately, arguing endlessly, but such topics will lead to fast hunger.
As their stomachs growled, they suddenly felt that the gain outweighed the loss.
"Talk about something else, talk about something else,"
"Then... Let's talk about what is the scariest thing in the world, no, it should be 'what is the scariest thing you have ever encountered, hahahahahahaha." The proposed beggar said while looking at the half-clothed Yes, meant to make fun of.
All the beggars were indeed of the same type. They instantly understood what the speaker meant and started laughing.
"Of course walking at night is the scariest, especially when you come across a cemetery. How many of you are brave enough to walk up there? I was terrified that time. In the middle of the night, there are foxes calling from far and near, and they always draw circles to return It’s better to stay where you are until you find a place to hide in the wind.” A beggar replied.
"That's because you are too cowardly. I have never been afraid of walking at night. As long as I can't see my fingers, I can walk for a while. Compared with them, the dogs raised by Luyuanwai in Dongcheng are more terrifying. Pu, he is still big, especially if he knows the dog-beating stick, he often ignores the stick and directly rushes at people."
These remarks were well received by the beggars.
Everyone has suffered from those dogs, and there is no objection to this. Even the person who just proposed walking at night gave up his original opinion, and instead supported that "the dog raised by Lu Yuanwai is the most terrible".
Someone said: "...Talk about what you are going to do in the future? Although I don't know if we still have a chance to get rid of the status of beggars, but dreaming is also a good thing?"
"If I have the opportunity in the future, I would like to work as a small worker on a construction site. Unfortunately, I don't eat enough and can't exert much energy, so I always get fired." A beggar lamented that he was also thin. There is always nothing to eat, so I have no strength to work.
Someone shook his head and sighed, saying, "It's so troublesome, alas."
"Old beggar, what do you want to do in the future?" the black and thin young beggar asked in the corner.
"My..." the old beggar narrowed his eyes, "My biggest wish is to be able to eat dumplings every day. But it's very difficult, maybe when I save some money, I set up a small stall and sell some dumplings that I don't like. The handicrafts affected by the disabled legs, stop being a beggar."
Hearing this lofty ideal, all the beggars burst into laughter.
The old beggar is actually different from the beggars around, because he still has a house in the city, but he is reluctant to go back.
After all, I was alone and empty. The so-called "no quilt in the middle of the night, the colder the hungry body", now the weather has cooled down, and there is air leakage everywhere after returning. There is no stove or kang, and it is even colder.
Every two or three days, he went back to stay overnight, and the rest of the time he huddled with the beggars.
The quilt at home hasn’t been changed for many years, and there are holes in it. Occasionally, mice can be seen walking around on it. If you are hungry, you can catch a mouse and eat it to save money.
The topic soon turned to the strange things that happened before.
The old beggar was asked again, he still squinted his eyes, and said: "A few days ago, I saw a man with a rough face and a thunderous mouth, passing through the street, and hurried north out of the city. No one thought it was unusual, but I The eyes have been bright since childhood, no matter how you look at it, how you feel, it should not be a person under the clothes, but a monkey."
The beggars laughed again in disbelief.
But half a mile away, a young man in white with a sword on his back heard it and stopped lightly.
Thank you Wang Banxian for your reward.
(end of this chapter)