August 2018, Shuzhou City. In midsummer, noon is the hottest time of the day.
There was not a trace of cloud in the sky, and a scorching sun seemed to be scorching this space. The earth was as hot as a steamer, making people breathless.
In the streets that used to be bustling, today there is almost no one to be seen, and no one knows where the cat is. It seems that the previous hustle and bustle has been buried in the quiet indoors.
Today is the weekend, and the weather forecast says the temperature will reach 39 degrees Celsius. As for the surface temperature, it is even more unpredictable.
Such weather is naturally a bit daunting. People prefer to stay at home, turn on the air conditioner, drink cold drinks, or take a comfortable nap.
Everyone likes and looks forward to such a life, but not everyone has such a comfortable environment. At the bottom of society, there are still some people who are running for life, sweating under the scorching sun.
On the empty road, a sluggish old man pushed a dilapidated tricycle and was walking slowly on the clean and hot street.
Occasionally he would stop by the trash cans on the street and rummage through them. Even if he found a cardboard box or a few plastic bottles, a smile would temporarily appear on his face.
If your expectations are different, the joy you get will naturally be different.
In this city that is full of humanities and has a very developed economy, some people are thinking that their goal tomorrow is to earn 100 million first. However, some people are still hesitant to make a living by having three meals a day.
The old man continued to push the tricycle to the next trash can, which was already half full of various things. Old books, wire, cardboard, and even an old LCD TV.
He was limping, his left leg was obviously not very coordinated, and he had some problems with his strength. I don't know if he was born like this or if he had suffered some injuries.
"Master Zhang, please open the door!"
"Song Baopao, it's you!"
At the gate of a dilapidated community, an older security guard was unsmiling and even looked at the old man with a hint of contempt.
The old man is not very old. He is actually only 48 years old this year.
It's just that from the appearance, the dark skin, thin body, cloudy eyes, and haggard and wrinkled cheeks really do not match his age.
The security guard surnamed Zhang did not open the door to Song Baolan right away. He was still sitting in the pavilion with the old god present, squinting his eyes and blowing on the fan, with an expression of being uninterested.
Song Baolan didn't get angry because of his embarrassment. After decades of ups and downs, he was already used to being looked down upon by others. He had seen too many even more excessive behaviors.
He was just doing this because he wanted some benefits, and Song Baolan was already prepared.
He took out an unopened pack of cigarettes worth more than ten yuan from his trouser pocket and walked straight to the foyer, even smiling a little flatteringly.
"Master Zhang, I'm sorry to trouble you, I've been causing you inconvenience!" After saying that, he stuffed the pack of cigarettes into the hands of the security guard named Zhang.
The security guard finally opened his eyes slightly and looked at the cigarette in his hand casually, a little unhappy, obviously disdainful of this pack of cigarettes that cost more than ten yuan.
But he also knew that there was no way to extract any money from such a person. He had been a security guard in this community for several years, and he was relatively familiar with Song Baopao, although he did not remember the person's full name.
what is it call.
Zhang Baoan stood up slowly and stretched. Then he walked to the console, picked up the remote control, pressed it, and the railing slowly rose.
"Go in, don't stay too long!"
Song Popo said thank you and rode the tricycle towards this old-fashioned community.
The scorching sun was in the sky, and at this time, dense beads of sweat were falling from his forehead and neck. His old undershirt had already become completely wet.
But he didn't care about these. To him, these were just ordinary things and he didn't care at all.
He turned on the electronic loudspeaker in time, and the voice that had been recorded came from it, "Collect rags! Old books, magazines, paper cases, old appliances, scrap iron, copper and aluminum!"
The sharp and loud sound of electronic horns seems to have brought a bit of life to the originally quiet community. But to some people's ears, this is just another kind of noise, which is annoying!
The community is not very big, and in less than an hour, Song Baopao has already walked around it.
Naturally, there are still some harvests, whether it is plastic bottles in the trash can, waste cardboard, or waste products collected by some thrifty elderly people in the community.
Song Popolan planned to wander around the community one more time before heading to his next destination, so he pushed the unfilled tricycle and continued riding slowly.
The sound from the electronic loudspeaker echoed in the community again.
"Bang!" Suddenly, a half-filled bottle of Coke slammed down from an unknown building and hit the ground directly next to the tricycle. Then it bounced up and jumped onto Song Ruopo's body.
It wasn't very painful, but the half-bottle of Coke splashed onto his body, and it also shocked Song Bapolan.
"You are damn sick. Why are you making noises in the community all the time? You woke me up from a good nap!"
A sharp sound came from the third floor of a building nearby.
A shirtless middle-aged man, wearing only a pair of shorts, was on the balcony of the third floor, angrily scolding Song Baopao.
Song Bapolan knew that there was something wrong with him, and he had been scolded for such things before. However, it was rare for him to directly throw something at him, which made him a little resentful.
However, one more thing is worse than one less thing, and he didn't want to cause any more trouble. He just looked at the middle-aged man coldly and planned to leave.
But the man was obviously still a little angry. He was still cursing and even greeting Song Baolan's mother. Such words finally made him unable to bear it any longer.
He stopped the car, pointed at the middle-aged man, and shouted loudly upstairs: "Keep your mouth clean, don't spit it out like you've eaten shit!"
The man upstairs obviously did not expect that a rag collector would dare to scold him like this. He suddenly became angry and said: Just wait for me. After that, he turned back to the house and prepared to come down from upstairs to settle the score with Song Baora.
Song Baolan knew that he would not be so lucky this time, and he might have to fight.
As expected, the middle-aged man ran downstairs aggressively and headed straight for Song Popo.
And Song Baolan was not to be outdone. Now that he was involved in this matter, it was impossible to settle the matter.
It's a pity that no matter how he acts, he is still a lame. Whether it is his agility or strength, there is a big gap between him and men.
I saw the man walking over quickly, and at the same time he kicked Song Baolan with one leg.
Song Baopao took precautions and moved to the side, just in time to avoid the big kick. But before he could make any other moves, the man's arm had already swung over and hit him hard.
on the arm.
Song Baopao was caught off guard and had no time to dodge. He stumbled and fell to the ground. He just wanted to struggle to stand up, but suddenly he couldn't lift his arms and couldn't use any strength. He could only breathe heavily and sit on the ground.
, staring at each other with cold eyes.
The man did not give up. He walked to the tricycle, lifted one side of the tricycle with all his strength, and then pushed hard, overturning the tricycle to the ground.
"You pick up rags, get out of our neighborhood. If you let me see you wandering around our neighborhood again, don't blame me for being rude."
After saying that, he turned around and left without looking back. He never glanced at Song Bapolan who was lying on the ground again. It was as if he would dirty his eyes if he took one more look.
Song Baopao rubbed his arm. Fortunately, it was not a serious problem, but it was still a little sore. He knew that the other party did not dare to really do anything to him. In public, maybe the other party was afraid that he would really do anything to him.
Blackmail him.
He took out a fake mobile phone and wanted to call the police, but after thinking about it, he finally stuffed the phone into his pocket. Then, he silently climbed up and struggled to lift the tricycle that had fallen on the roadside.
A car full of junk was scattered on the ground, but no one would help. Most of them were admiring what just happened on their balconies.