The morning sun shines on the earth, and a new day begins again.
In a small town, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy was looking around the street with a wooden stick in his hand. The stick was waving in his hand, looking carefree.
Behind the young man stood two little boys of about ten years old, following closely, their clothes fluttering gently in the breeze.
The three of them were wearing shabby clothes with many patches on them. It was obvious at first glance that they were children from poor families. The clothes had been washed and turned white, and they had not worn them for many years. It was even more obvious that their clothes did not fit.
Some are big, some are small. The clothes of the two children behind the boy, one looks like a skirt, the other looks like a short coat, even the belly is exposed. Fortunately, it is almost time now.
In summer, I don’t feel cold at all.
The three of them walked slowly on the street without saying anything. Suddenly, a child behind the boy said in a childish voice: "Brother, we came out so early, you see, the shops on the street are not open yet.
"As he spoke, he pointed with his little finger to the closed shop next to him.
The young man didn't know how to shake his head and said in a serious voice: "Don't worry, they will open the door in a moment." As he said that, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. The smile was very sweet, as if something happy was about to happen.
The child who just spoke hummed softly and stopped talking.
There were not many pedestrians on the streets in the early morning. The bustling people were walking around in a hurry, busy with their own things. No one paid attention to them. Even if someone passed by them, they walked away in a hurry with a strange look on their face.
expression.
The three of them walked to the end of the street. The young man turned around and was about to speak when he heard a creak. The door of a shop next to him opened. After the door opened, an old man in his fifties stretched out his head and looked out the door.
He looked around, and when he saw the young man looking at him with a strange smile, his body suddenly trembled, and he quickly closed the door he had just opened.
Just when the door was about to close, the young man moved and ran towards the door quickly. Then in an unknown tone, he asked with a smile: "Uncle Li, why do you have to close the store after opening it?" As he said that, he made a gesture.
An expression of confusion.
Uncle Li smiled awkwardly, opened the door again, and let the young man enter the store. Anyone could see that his smile was uglier than crying.
When the boy and the two children entered the store, Uncle Li said softly: "Little brother, see if you can give me a few days of grace."
The young man smiled slightly and said: "Grace, I didn't pay the protection fee last month, so I still want grace this month."
"But..." Uncle Li said with some embarrassment: "As you know, there are very few people in our town, and business has been sluggish in the past few months. If I was asked to come up with so much money at once, I really can't afford it.
.”
The young man patted the wooden stick in his hand gently and said nonchalantly: "It's your fault whether you can get it out. If you don't give us money, what will we brothers eat?" As he said this, he pointed with the wooden stick in his hand.
He pointed at the two children beside him, the expressions on their faces were extremely funny.
A child on the left said with some sympathy: "Uncle Li, we know that your family is in difficulty. Otherwise, give it to us next month!"
When the young man heard this, he tapped him on the head dissatisfiedly and said angrily: "Next month, this month we won't have money to eat."
After Uncle Li heard what the young man said, he obviously didn't believe it, but he didn't say it out loud. He just said, "How about I give you half of it this month." After saying that, he looked at the young man and waited for him to speak.
The young man thought for a moment, and then said firmly: "No, you must give me all the protection money this month." At this point, he paused, frowned slightly, and said with a smile: "And
Give me last month’s money as well.”
"What?" Uncle Li said in surprise: "Little brother, we really have no money, please give us some time!"
The young man looked outside the shop and said in a deep voice: "There is no more grace. If I say you will give it now, you must give it now." After saying that, his face changed, with a hint of anger.
Uncle Li pleaded: "Little brother, our family really has no money."
The young man looked at him with disdain and said, "Will you give it to me or not?" As he said that, he shook the wooden stick in his hand again.
Uncle Li knew that what he said would not change the boy's attention. His face also changed, and he said coldly: "Since you insist on asking for money, there is nothing I can do. Let me tell you, even if I have money, I won't."
For you."
After hearing Uncle Li's words, the young man was not angry. He smiled strangely and said, "Really? Have you forgotten what grandpa said before he died? Others may not give it, but you promised grandpa that you would give it to us every month."
Part of the living expenses.”
Uncle Li said: "Your grandfather has been dead for so many years, and you are now able to stand on your own feet. I didn't say that I would support you for the rest of your life, right?"
The young man continued: "We are still young, how can we make money? Besides, we don't have the ability to make money."
When Uncle Li heard this, he said angrily: "I don't have the ability. As far as I know, you started collecting protection fees from all the shops on this street three years ago. How can you say you don't have the ability!"
Just as the boy was about to speak, a child next to him said angrily: "What do you know? Big brother has never spent the money he collected for protection money. He spent all of it..."
The young man interrupted the child and said to Uncle Li: "Will you give it to me or not?"
Uncle Li said in a deep voice: "Don't ask, I won't give you money."
"Really?" The young man's expression changed, he held the wooden roller across his chest and said coldly: "No matter what you say today, you must hand over the protection money you owe us."
Uncle Li was not afraid of these children at first, but when he saw the young man waving a wooden stick, he took two steps back in fear for some reason, and then said: "You, what do you want to do?" After that, he was about to shout out.
With quick eyesight and quick hands, the young man suddenly covered Uncle Li's mouth with one hand and stuck his throat with the other hand. Because the young man's speed was too fast, Uncle Li did not react. At this moment, as long as Uncle Li moved, the young man would
If you press the hand stuck in your throat hard, Uncle Li will die on the spot.
The young man glanced at Uncle Li, and then said in a deep voice: "Since you don't give it, don't blame us for being rude." Then he said to the two children next to him: "Take out the rope and tie him up.
.”
The two children looked at the boy and then at each other. One of the children said softly: "Brother, isn't this bad?"
The young man said solemnly: "Xiao Ling, have you forgotten how everyone came here these days?"
A look of hesitation appeared in the child's eyes, but it flashed past. Then he took out a finger-thick hemp rope from his arms and came to Uncle Li. Just as he was about to tie it up, Uncle Li let out a soft sound.
He made a loud noise, as if he had something to say. The young man signaled the child not to tie him up yet, and warned Uncle Li: "You can let me go, but you are not allowed to scream, otherwise, you will know the consequences."
Uncle Li nodded briskly, and after the young man let go of his hand, he said: "Since you are in urgent need of money, I can give it to you, but after I give it to you, you are not allowed to ask me for it again in the future." His voice was very low.
, with a kind of helplessness.
The young man thought for a moment, and then continued: "Okay, but you have to give us a little more."
Uncle Li asked: "How much do you want?" His brows wrinkled slightly, thinking of something.
The young man said: "One gold coin." His voice was unusually firm and irrefutable.
"What?" Uncle Li said in surprise: "No, I can't take out so much."
Although the boy let go of his hand, his other hand was still stuck on his throat. He put a little more force on his hand, and then asked in a solemn voice: "Are you really not going to give it?"
Uncle Li has already felt the pain, or in other words, it is a feeling of suffocation. He knows some of the methods that the young man has used to collect protection fees on the streets over the years. As long as he does not pay the protection fees, the shop will be smashed the next day.
Damn. It's a pity that most of the young people in the town have gone to other places to make a living. Only some old people and children are left. Some people want to catch the boy, but they can't catch him no matter how hard they try. The boy's hiding place is very difficult.
In remote areas, when there was no other way, they even found killers to kill them, but those killers were unwilling to accept this deal. The reason was very simple. These people were too young, and they felt that killing them would be tantamount to insulting their own industry.
.
Finally, Uncle Li compromised. He sighed and said, "Okay! I'll get you the money now, but you have to remember what you said."
The young man replied: "Don't worry, after you give us the money, we will never come to you again." As he spoke, he smiled slightly, but still did not let go of his hand on Uncle Li's throat.
Uncle Li said as a reminder: "Should you take your hands away? How else can I get money for you?"
The young man said in a deep voice: "No, I know you have money." As he said that, he stared at Uncle Li, as if he had already seen through him.
Uncle Li sighed again and took a gold coin from his pocket. The gold coin sparkled under the reflection of the sun.
The young man quickly took the gold coin from Uncle Li's hand, and then said to the two children beside him: "You go first."
The two children nodded and walked quickly out of the door. After their figures disappeared from the young man's sight, the young man quickly let go of his hands, then moved and ran towards the door. Uncle Li looked at the direction in which the young man left.
He didn't chase her, shook his head, sighed, and walked slowly towards the room.
Three figures appeared in the corner of the street, and a child asked: "Brother, shall we go back now?"
The young man shook his head and said, "You go back first, I'll buy something, and then I'll go back to find you."
After the two children left, the boy held the gold coins tightly in his hands and walked towards a shop that had just opened. The shop sold freshly baked steamed buns. He bought some steamed buns, packed them in cloth bags, and carried them on his back.
On the shoulder. Then, he walked around the street a few times and finally came to a jewelry store.
The owner of the jewelry store thought that a customer was coming, so he walked towards the door with a smile. When he saw who the person was, the smile on his face suddenly stopped. Obviously, he recognized the boy. The owner of the jewelry store stopped and said,
He quickly said: "I have already paid this month's protection fee."
The young man smiled slightly, and then said: "I'm not here to collect protection money, I'm here to buy things."
"Selling things." The owner of the jewelry store said with a puzzled voice: "What do you want to buy?" He was very curious, curious about what a child who lives by collecting protection fees can buy when he comes to such a luxurious place. Could it be that he
Now he has become rich, but the shabby clothes on the young man's body tell him that he is just thinking too much.