Erwazi was lying in a pile of hay, with a tattered straw hat covering half of his head. He had a grass root in his mouth and chewed it. There was a sweet and bitter taste in his mouth.
In the distance, five cows were leisurely eating the semi-dry grass on the ground. An old cow was full and pooped a big poop, and the fragrance of cow excrement spread out.
The early winter sun shines on my body, making me feel warm and drowsy.
Erwazi thought happily, how nice it would be if the sun warmed her body at night. She also didn't think about whether it would be called night if there was the sun at night.
This is because he can only sleep in Wang Laocai's hay house at night. In addition to hay, there is only cold inside, so he has this unrealistic idea.
It was so cold last night that he couldn't sleep all night, and he was still sleepy now.
But he couldn't fall asleep, he had to cheer up and look at these cows.
These cows belong to Wang Laocai's family. He helps Wang Laocai herd the cows every day and is rewarded with a meal. If Wang Laocai's wife is in a good mood, she will give him an extra mouthful to eat. If she is in a bad mood, she will just give him a coarse grain wotou.
Even so, Erwazi still cherishes this job very much, because Qingniu Village is too poor, and other villagers cannot have enough to eat for their own families. How can there be any surplus food for him, an orphan?
Because I only had one meal a day, I was so hungry that I was as skinny as a stick. Fortunately, I had been used to boiling water since I was a child, and I had a good body. Otherwise, I don’t know when God would take me back.
In addition to helping Wang Laocai herd cattle, he would also go to Mr. Lan Qing's place to help him wash clothes and clean the house, for no other reason than to listen to Mr. Lan Qing's lectures and learn to read and write.
Because Mr. Lan Qing is the only literate teacher in the village, he usually teaches the children in the village to write and read, and the villagers are rewarded with food.
Because other people's children have been given food, he has no food to give to Mr. Lan Qing. The teacher can only let him listen to the class outside the yard, otherwise no one will give it, and it will be difficult for Mr. Lan Qing.
However, his understanding ability and memory are very good. Mr. Lan Qing often teaches him once and he remembers it, unlike some children who have a dull brain and don't understand.
One time in class, Mr. Lan Qing asked a question. None of the children in the yard could answer it, but Erwazi outside the yard answered it immediately.
Mr. Lan Qing asked Erwazi what reward he wanted.
Ever since Erwazi could remember, other villagers had called him Erwazi, and he didn't know why they called him Erwazi. It was said that he was called that way when his parents were around.
Erwazi asked Mr. Lan Qing to give him a name.
He found out that his family name was Ye, and Mr. Lan Qing thought about it and named him Ye Han.
He asked Mr. Lan Qing what he meant. Mr. Lan Qing said, "You were born in poverty and lived in poverty. You named me Ye Han in the hope that he would survive the cold and become rich in the future and not forget his past poverty."
Erwazi liked this name very much. When people first called him Erwazi, he would correct them and call his name Ye Han.
However, others still call him Erwazi.
But compared to other children called Goudan, Ergouzi, Erlunzi, Niu Zhibei, Xiaohei, Xiaobai...
At least Erwazi sounded a little better, so he could only comfort himself and accept it.
After being frozen all night last night, Erwazi thought to himself that after surviving this winter, he would leave Qingniu Village and go to the outer world for a while. If he stayed in this poor place, no one would call him Ye in his life.
Cold.
Because he had heard Mr. Lan Qing say that the world outside the outer sect was so prosperous and rich. He did not want to spend his whole life herding cattle for Wang Laocai in Qingniu Village without a meal. If he went out to work for a few years, he might become Mr. Lan Qing.
Talk about a wealthy and respectable person.
Maybe it was because I didn't sleep well last night, or maybe the sun was too comfortable, so I fell asleep unconsciously.
I don't know how long I slept when a gust of wind blew over, causing the remaining leaves to fly and blow away the broken straw hat covering Ye Han's face.
Erwazi woke up faintly and scratched the back of his head. The sun was high in the sky and it was almost noon, making him a little hot.
Gululu!
There was a protest in the abdomen, and Erwazi felt that he was getting hungry faster and faster recently. It is especially easy to get hungry when he is half a year old and growing up.
He took out half a whole-grain steamed bun from his pocket, which he saved last night for lunch. After eating it in a few bites, at least he felt that there was something in his stomach and he was not so hungry.
But it has been in the sun for too long, and I have eaten half a steamed bun. This thing is very dry, and I am about to find some water to drink.
Sudden.
Erwazi's face changed drastically, and he felt something was wrong. He jumped up suddenly and looked around.
Where's the cow?
It was quiet everywhere. The cows that were grazing not far away disappeared. They stood on tiptoes and looked around. I don't know where the cows went.
If Wang Laocai finds out that he failed to watch the cow while he was asleep, this job will definitely go to waste...
Normally, he would tie up the cows when they were full, and then go to Mr. Lan Qing's place for lectures. However, he had been freezing all night last night and had not slept well. When he fell asleep, the cows disappeared.
In the entire Qingniu Village, except for Wang Laocai who has five cows, others only have one or two cows. Cattle are still lost occasionally. They are either taken away by people or eaten by ferocious beasts that escape from the mountains.
.
"Where did you go?"
Erwazi was so anxious that he was sweating. He didn't care about his thirst. He jumped up on the big rock on the hillside and looked around. When he looked over, there was no trace of the cow at all.
If five cows were lost, it would be normal for Wang Laocai to beat him to death, otherwise he would be treated like a cow by Wang Laocai for the rest of his life.
Erwazi is the smartest child in the village. He immediately has an idea.
That’s right! Bull shit!
Cows have the habit of pooping while eating. You should be able to find the cow by following the newly pooped cow excrement...
After walking for a while, Erwazi found a pile of fresh-looking cow dung. His heart moved and he followed it. The further he walked, the uglier his face became.
Because walking along the cow dung is heading towards the mountains. There are some ferocious beasts in the mountains. If the cows run into the mountains, it will be in trouble.
Last year, several hunters in the village went into the mountains to hunt together, but never came out. The whole village went up the mountains to search, and only found a pile of bones. No one dared to hunt in the mountains for a long time.
Thinking of the consequences of losing the cow, Erwazi gritted his teeth and headed towards the forest to look for it.
In the early winter weather, the grass outside was half withered, but the vegetation in the mountains was still green. No wonder those damn cows ran into the mountains to graze.
I hope those cows don't wander too far.
Erwazi prayed in his heart and walked forward, following the traces of the cows.
The further he walked toward the mountains, the more lush the forests became. When he looked back, he couldn't see the way he came.
By this time, the sun was setting and it was almost dark.
"We can't go forward, we won't be able to go back for a while."
Erwazi took a look at the sky and said to himself that there was no need to risk his life for a few cows. It was really not possible to leave the village overnight.
He just turned around.
Sudden.
"Moo!"
A cow's cry came from the canyon not far away.
“Where are the cows!”
Erwazi exclaimed in surprise and ran towards the canyon. As soon as he reached the front of the canyon, he smelled a strong smell of blood.
Just after advancing more than ten feet, I saw the skeleton of an ox at the mouth of the canyon. The skeleton still had traces of fresh meat, internal organs and blood on the ground. You could tell at a glance what kind of beast it was.
what happened?
Not daring to go into the canyon at all, Erwazi's face changed drastically, and he suddenly turned around and was about to run away.
Ouch...
There was a roar of a wild beast, followed by a strong fishy wind. Erwazi felt like he was knocked away by a figure larger than an ox. His head hit the stone wall and he fainted.
At the moment of dizziness, a trace of despair flashed through my mind, this time I was dead...