"Zhang Shanren, why do you come to take a bath in this big bathhouse?" The boss's greeting caught the attention of Xiao Chen, who was sitting against the wall. He couldn't help but glance at the door.
At the gate, a short fat man, followed by a hunched servant, walked in.
"No matter how good the hot water at home is, it's not as comfortable as taking a bath in the lobby here. Normally, I can just take a bath at home. Isn't this the Chinese New Year? Here, I can soak away all the bad luck in this year."
Zhang Shanren, who had a fat belly and a glowing face, smiled and walked towards the bathhouse.
The servant behind him was carrying a large bag of things, obviously Zhang Shanren's change of clothes, and followed closely behind.
"Just take a shower and take a shower. What are you talking about? You want to soak away all the bad luck for a year here. I am a shelter for bad luck." The boss muttered angrily.
Looking at everything in front of him, Xiao Chen couldn't help but think to himself: "It seems that this good man is not worthy of the name. At least, what he said is a bit selfish. A selfish person, but he paid for a deserted little house."
There may be some special reasons why the hospital is repairing the wall."
Thinking of this, Xiao Chen felt a little relieved.
Seeing that Wang San was about to pass the first seven, the whole thing became somewhat clearer, and when he was burning paper in the first seven, he would not be speechless.
The curtain of the men's bathhouse was opened with a crash, and San'er's little head emerged from inside.
After taking a bath, San'er, after cleaning the dirt on her body, turned out to be beautiful. Her small white hands were like a lotus root after autumn, crystal clear.
Although he was still wearing the same dirty and tattered old clothes, his pink cheeks and a pair of big, spiritual eyes made people feel a bit of love and pity.
"Let's go buy some new clothes and have a good meal." Xiao Chen threw some broken silver on the bathhouse owner's counter, took San'er and squeezed out of the crowd queuing up to take a bath.
"My lord, you gave me too much money." Looking at the white pieces of silver, the boss hurriedly shouted to Xiao Chen who had gone away.
"It's the Chinese New Year, and it's not easy to do business. You can keep the extra ones." Xiao Chen said without looking back.
The boss was stunned, took the pieces of silver, and shook his head.
In this small town, whether they are officials or rich and powerful people, like Zhang Shanren, when they come to take a bath at his place, not only are they not paid, but there is no queue.
This seemingly unfamiliar official actually gave him so much silver. Who said there are no good people among officials?
I took San'er with me and changed all his clothes inside and outside into brand-new cotton-padded clothes. I also bought a pair of boot-style cotton shoes, which made him look much neater.
What to eat?
Northerners mainly eat pasta, but thinking of the life Saner had lived before, Xiao Chen took him to the door of a mutton restaurant.
Lifting the door curtain, the two of them walked in.
"My lord, what do you two want to eat?" The waiter waved the white towel on his shoulder and greeted him enthusiastically.
"Two bowls of hot noodles and a large plate of mutton to go." After working hard all morning, Xiao Chen felt a little hungry and ordered two bowls.
Since becoming an orphan, San'er has never had enough to eat.
Seeing the steaming hot noodles, my eyes were already straightened, like a hungry wolf just waiting for Xiao Chen to say something.
"Eat, don't worry. I won't let you go hungry again." Xiao Chen smiled, handed the chopsticks to San'er's hand, and said kindly.
With permission, San'er picked up the hot noodles and started to devour them.
"Don't be anxious, be careful of choking. There will be mutton later, eat slowly." Just like Wang San took care of himself back then, Xiao Chen pushed a bowl of hot noodle soup to San'er's hand.
"Yeah." San'er nodded obediently, picked up the noodle soup and took a sip.
"Is the person covered to death under the wall your friend?" San'er looked at Xiao Chen and asked timidly.
Xiao Chen stopped eating noodles: "Why do you think so?"
"You are all good people, truly good people."
"Hahaha." Xiao Chen burst into laughter. He, a vicious person who was as taboo as a ghost in the eyes of the court officials, was actually said by San'er to be a truly good person.
"Really, I feel that you are all really good people. You took me to take a bath, and bought me clothes and food. You are doing good to people. And the father-in-law who took the lead that day was to save the big black dog.
You are not like some people who behave one way before others and another behind others." San'er said seriously.
"What kind of person does one thing in front of others and another behind others?" Xiao Chen was amused by San'er's serious attitude.
"Just like Zhang Shanren in the town, everyone calls him a good person, but in fact he is very bad."
"Tell me, why is he broken?"
"Before, when I met him on the street, he shouted loudly and gave me two copper coins to sell me steamed buns. I thought he was really a good person. Once, I didn't eat for several days and I was so hungry.
, I just wanted to go to Zhang Shan’s house to ask for a bite to eat.”
"There was someone guarding the front door of his house, and he looked so fierce that I didn't dare to go, so I begged through the back door. I happened to see Zhang Shanren coming out of the back door. When he saw me begging for food, he kicked me and cursed me, saying, "Don't you dare to do it again?"
If you come to my door to beg, it will cost me my life."
"From now on, I will never dare to go to his house to beg. Even if his house distributes steamed buns to the poor once a month, I will not dare to go there." There was a trace of fear and resentment in San'er's eyes.
.
Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and touched San'er's head: "From now on, we don't have to beg for food anymore, and we don't have to be so afraid of Zhang Shanren."
Then my heart became cold.
Zhang Shanren, it doesn’t matter whether you are a true good person or a hypocrite, if you are involved in the murder of Wang San, your whole family will completely disappear from the town.
"Brother, tell me, how can a dog have such strength to pull down a courtyard wall?" San'er raised his head, looked at Xiao Chen innocently, and affectionately called Xiao Chen "big brother".
"You mean, that courtyard wall was pulled down by the big black dog?"
San'er nodded: "There was a huge wooden wedge under the courtyard wall. I don't know who caught the big stray black dog and tied it there. Moreover, one of the black dog's front legs was tied up.
It was chopped off. It was bleeding all over the floor. It looked so scary. I wanted to go up and untie the rope and let it go several times, but when I saw its broken legs hanging in the air, I didn't dare to go over."
"Then, some father-in-laws saw how pitiful it was and wanted to let it go. As a result, the big black dog was alarmed. It rushed out with all its strength, pulled off the wooden wedge, and then the entire courtyard wall fell down?" Xiao Chen said
made my own conjecture.
"That's right. But the big black dog didn't startle because someone was approaching. I don't know who it was next to the dog, and there was also a huge animal trap. As soon as the three people approached, the black dog backed up, tail
It happened to hit the animal trap. The big black dog was startled and in unbearable pain, so it rushed out." San'er tried hard to recall the scene at that time.
The corner of Xiao Chen's mouth twitched a few times: "It's so cruel that even a dog can be used to make a fuss about it."
