Hidden Blade Chapter 1: A beggar asks for life

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The snow in Shangyun City this year came very early and very heavy.

The common people have not had time to recover from the earlier drought, and they have caught up with the snow disaster that has not been seen in a century.

The royal court’s food and salaries for disaster relief are laid down layer by layer, but everyone who handles it will naturally have to take advantage of it. In the end, only a little bit of rice bran is left in the hands of the people.

Since the emperor ascended the throne, the situation of the Great Zhou Dynasty has been worse than every year. It is widely rumored that this is the karma of the emperor who killed his father and ascended the throne.

It's just that Xu Han didn't understand why the emperor Lao'er did something wrong. Why should the people bear this karma?

Compared to these, he is more concerned about how to survive the cold night before him and how to deal with the overwhelming hunger in his lower abdomen.

"Cough cough cough!"

At this moment, a violent coughing sound from the side pulled Xu Han back to reality from his thoughts.

He turned his head with some worry and looked at the rags beside him, describing the withered old man.

The old man's surname is Xu, called Xu Qianrui.

The name is of course a good name. According to him, he was also born in a big family. He had read some books when he was young, but he didn't have time to test his fame, so his parents died in an accident. Without restraint, his wealthy family background was completely defeated by him, and it became what it is now.

"Daddy, are you okay." Xu Han stretched out his hand and gently patted Xu Qianrui's back, trying to relieve the old man's violent cough at the moment.

"Cough cough cough!"

But this approach has little effect, and the old beggar coughed for a while before slowly stopping.

"No problem." At this moment, the old beggar shook his head, his turbid eyes filled with heavy twilight.

He looked up at the dim sky and sighed.

"Go home soon, it's going to snow again."

After the old beggar said, he took his own steps trembling again, and Xu Han on the side saw it and hurriedly stretched out his hand to support him.

Xu Han's father is an old beggar, and Xu Han is naturally a little beggar.

But Xu Han was not the result of this old beggar.

Twelve years ago, on a snowy night, the old beggar picked up Xu Han who was abandoned there in the ruined temple on the outskirts of the city. The old beggar, who was old and without a success, couldn’t bear to look at him as a baby. Xu Han froze to death in this icy world, and after thinking for a long time, he still adopted him.

After all, the old beggar hadn't read many books. After thinking about it, he felt that the weather was extremely cold that night, so he named him Xu Han.

Twelve years have passed. Although life has been difficult, the old beggar still drags Xu Han up.

It’s just that this year’s natural disasters and man-made disasters, ordinary people have been unable to open the pot, how can there be surplus food to give them?

Calculating, the two hadn't asked for any food for two days. When they were really hungry, they could only eat some tree roots with snow water to satisfy their hunger. Xu Han was young and could survive for some time. But the old beggar is not so lucky. His body is getting worse and worse in the past few days. No one can say whether he can survive this winter.

It’s getting late, and the two of them who haven’t had a harvest in a day are walking on the way home. The wind and snow are approaching. If you don’t get home before then, you won’t be starved to death, I’m afraid you will also be caught by the wind. Xuesheng froze to death.

"Look at this girl, who has big eyes and a strong body, so you can give it more." At this time, a conversation on the street attracted the attention of Xu Han, who was heading down on the road.

He turned his head to look, only to see a woman pointing at the girl beside him and speaking to a man.

The little girl looked as old as Xu Han, but at this moment, she lowered her head like a frightened elk, standing in a daze, letting the woman and the man point fingers at her. It's like a commodity.

Xu Han has never read a book, but he has a good memory. He recognized the girl in front of him.

About May this year, the summer was scorching, and there was a lot of starvation in Shangyun City. Xu Han, who was also hungry, was begging on the side of the road. He had not eaten for a few days and was almost on the verge of dying. It was that girl who gave Xu Han the only half-moon she had in her hands, and only then allowed Xu Han to survive for a few days, until the day when the food appropriated by the imperial court arrived.

"The year is not good, I can't buy more than two bowls and chopsticks? Eight taels of silver are already a lot." The man obviously disagrees with the woman's point of view, he shook his head and said.

"My lord, you also know that this year is not good, otherwise, how could I sell my daughter cruelly? You can do it well and add two to two." Of course the woman was not willing to give up and continued. .

"There are only eight taels of silver, and I can't get much, you see..." the man distinguished, and the two of them just bargained at the end of the street like buying vegetables.

"Let's go, don't look." The old beggar pulled a bit to see Xu Han, a little displeased.

The well-behaved Xu Han rarely broke free of the old beggar's hand and stubbornly looked at the sight not far away. The expression on his face was not real because it was stained with dirt, but his small fist was clenched tightly at that time.

The old beggar raised Xu Han for so many years. It was the first time he saw him so faintly.

"That's her life. For example, if there is a man-made disaster today, it is a blessing to save your life. You can't give people a little food, what else do you want?" The old beggar obviously doesn't want to cause trouble, he is too old. Now, too old to talk, but also dull.

Xu Han was taken aback, he naturally realized this at this time. What can a beggar do to save others? For the first time in his life, he had some kind of dissatisfaction with his identity.

"Take it, this girl, I want it." At this moment, an old voice suddenly rang.

This change is beyond everyone's expectations.

Xu Han and the old beggar followed fame, but saw an old man who did not know when he appeared between the woman and the man, carrying a heavy money bag in his hand, and handing it to the woman.

"This..." The woman was taken aback, subconsciously took the purse, and weighed it slightly in her hand-the weight was quite large, at least twenty taels.

"You!" The man whose business was disturbed was naturally dissatisfied. He turned his head and looked at the old man who was about to say something, but before he could speak, he found that the old man was followed by two extremely strong people with his waist still slung. A strong man with a long knife.

Obviously, this old man is not something he can afford.

He retracted what he said, gave the old man a stern look, and then left angrily.

When the woman received the money, she opened her eyes and smiled, "Keqing, you will have a good filial piety in the future, don't blame your mother for being cruel! It's this world that doesn't give people a way to survive!" After she said this, the woman turned towards Thanks to the old man's gratitude, he turned and left.

"Let's go, the old man looks like a rich man, follow him, at least he won't suffer." The old beggar said at that time.

Only then did Xu Han come back to his senses. He took a deep look at the girl with the bowed head and the kind-eyed old man, but at last he silently followed the old beggar's pace.

......

The home of Xu Han and the old beggar is not a writer.

It's just a ruined temple on the outskirts of the city. It's not true when it was built, but it has been abandoned for some years.

It can't cover the wind and rain, nor can it avoid the cold, but it's a bit better than sleeping and sleeping. Most of the beggars in Shangyun City used to live here, but as the situation deteriorated from year to year, some of those beggars left Shangyun City, while others stayed in this small town on the border of Qingzhou forever. In today's ruined temple, only Xu Han remained.

Back to this ruined temple, the old beggar pulled out the moldy quilt he had hidden under the thatch and wrapped it around his body, looked for a place that was not too wet, and lay down. The best way to resist the severe cold and hunger is naturally to sleep.

Xu Han also understands this truth. He covered his body with thatch and lay down beside the old beggar, but he couldn't sleep over and over again.

There are always scenes in my mind where the man and the woman bargain and sell their children. The girl's worried face, like a stream of light, kept flashing in his mind.

Finally, he couldn't suppress the unspeakable depression in his heart, turned his body, and looked at the old beggar who was about to fall asleep.

"Father." He called.

"Huh?" the old beggar who was half awake and half asleep responded.

"Just now..." Xu Han asked something out loud.

"In the disaster year, selling children and selling daughters is very common. The girl’s life is a little bit worse. If she sells her own family, the girl is bought away. No matter what you do in the future, but at least not now. As for starving to death, and family members have the money to sell their baby girls, saving some money may be able to survive this cold winter, and wait until next year’s spring, when the year is good, and another one is enough. It is better than a family gathering together and waiting for death to come. Strong..." The old beggar pulled Xu Han with one hand. How could he not understand his thoughts? Before Xu Han could ask questions, he said.

"Fate?" Xu Han frowned. He naturally knew that the old beggar was not wrong, but he couldn't tell why. He just felt dissatisfied. What is so-called fate?

"Fate is not good. Everyone has his own life. Some people are born in wealthy people, rich in clothing and food, that is their life. To be a beggar, not having enough food, is my life. You It was your life to be picked up by me and followed me to be a beggar." The old beggar said slowly, but his voice became smaller and smaller.

Xu Han hadn't completely digested the old beggar's words. When he saw that he suddenly lost his voice, he looked up, only to see that the old beggar had already fallen asleep.

After all, the old beggar's age is getting older, and if the particles haven't entered for two days, the mentality is naturally not good.

When Xu Han saw this, he couldn't bear to ask any more, but he frowned, thinking about the old beggar's words, and couldn't sleep.

......

The old beggar closed his eyes last night and never woke up again.

He still hasn't survived this winter after all.

His death came very suddenly.

Suddenly Xu Han was not half prepared for this.

The wind and snow outside are getting bigger and bigger, there is no meaning to stop at all.

Xu Han sat next to the old beggar's body for an entire hour, and then he slowly stood up.

He silently wrapped the old beggar's body with the quilt that had accompanied the old beggar for several years, and then found a hemp rope in the thatch to secure the quilt. Then, he took a deep breath, put one end of the rope on his shoulder, arched his body, and faced the blizzard, pulling the body of the old beggar and walking out of the ruined temple.

Xu Han is only twelve years old this year, and his perennial begging life makes him look much thinner than his peers. In addition to having no food for a few days, dragging the body of the old beggar is not an easy task for Xu Han,

But he gritted his teeth and let the icy wind and snow blow across his face, while he walked stubbornly and slowly in the full sky of wind and snow.

For a long time.

The rope had blood stains on his shoulders, his knuckles were a bit whitish, and his face was flushed red from the freezing of the wind and snow.

He stepped deep into the snow and dragged the old beggar's body into Shangyun City.

A boy dragged a heavy quilt-wrapped thing.

Such scenes are not uncommon in Shangyun City this year, and their purpose is not difficult to guess.

If a person is dead, it is safe to enter the earth.

Selling one's body to bury the father was a rare scene in previous years. In this year of frequent disasters, not many pedestrians on the street can't lift the slightest interest.

The life of the small family is naturally miserable, but the big family has a lot of this little food. They are happy to accept these children who sold themselves to bury their fathers, and they cleverly left behind, being a buddy or a maid. I don’t like it. It’s also a business to resell it elsewhere. A gambling shop in the west of the city has even put up a signboard to buy these children, men and women are not restricted, but they cannot be too old, and the price is clearly marked.

The owner behind the gambling house seems to have a lot of background, and the yamen in the city also turned a blind eye to this, never asking. It’s just that there are so many rumors in the shop that this gambling house buys so many children for some sorcery. Someone once said with certainty in the wine shop that he saw a gambling shop carried out in the middle of the night. A corpse of a child.

The only alcoholic who said this was never seen again after that day.

When Xu Han walked to the casino, the strong man guarding the gate was drowsy, leaning on the threshold with his clothes closed.

The sound of the old beggar’s corpse dragging on the snow pulled the strong man back from his dreamland. He lowered his eyebrows and glanced at the ragged Xu Han, waved his hand, and said impatiently: "The little beggar’s side Go, grandpa has no money for you here."

Xu Han didn't care, he let down the rope in his hand in relief. He stood up straight in the snow, looked at the strong man, and said in his youthful voice: "I'll sell myself."

"Huh? Sell yourself?" The burly man was taken aback, only then did he see the thing wrapped in the quilt behind the boy.

This made him a little surprised. There are naturally many children who sell to the gambling house, but most of them are led by their parents, or they have changed hands from other places. He ran to the gambling house to sell himself. This was the first time he met. .

He looked at Xu Han again, and carefully looked at the boy in front of him.

He is very thin, so thin that a gust of wind can blow him down. His face is full of mud, making it difficult to see what he looks like, but his dirty face has bright eyes.

The pupil, looking at the burly man's gaze at this moment, is wrapped in something unspeakable.

The brawny man was a jealous man. He was touched by that gaze and asked: "You sell yourself to bury your father. There are many places to go. Why didn't you choose this place."

He knows exactly what the gambling shop behind him is, and he also knows what the end of the selling children are.

"Being sold to others is a lifetime. Here, I have heard that as long as you do it for five years~IndoMTL.com~, you can set me free."

Xu Han looked at the brawny man and said calmly.

The strong man was taken aback for a while, he secretly thought it was funny, indeed, they have such a rule here. But until now, he has never heard of such a child.

"Five years of doing it? That's a desperate job." said the strong man.

Speaking of this, in fact, there is already a suspicion of ultra vires. But maybe the boy in front of him made him feel a little special, so he couldn't bear to tell the truth behind it.

"Others give seven or eight taels of silver, and it takes a lifetime to do it. You spend fifteen taels of silver, but you only need to do it for five years. Naturally, what you need to do will not be simple." Xu Han nodded, but his eyes Still calm.

Hearing this, the strong man's face changed suddenly.

From Xu Han's words, it is not difficult for him to hear that the boy had already prepared for this before he came. Not to mention that these words can be inferred. The boy's disposition is extremely good, but he already understands the difference, but he still chooses them to sell himself as a gambling shop, which is enough to make him puzzled.

"Why?" he asked startledly, his voice a little bitter for some reason.

"The old man said, if he is dead, let me sell myself to a wealthy family, so that I can survive, if I do it smartly and win the favor of the owner, maybe I can get a good job, and I will have nothing to worry about all my life. ."

"He said, this should be my best life."

"But..."

The boy's brows suddenly wrinkled at that time, and a determination flashed in his eyes. At that moment, he straightened his spine in the wind and snow, like the warrior about to die, and like It is the phoenix waiting for Nirvana.

He said. "I don't accept my fate."