The old man and the young man on the oxcart obviously also discovered Alexander Vasilyevich. For hard-working serfs like them, the old man riding a tall horse and wearing elegant military uniforms was naturally a god they could not afford to offend.
For a moment, the two of them were a little confused. What was worse was that Alexander Vasilyevich was running very fast on horseback and rushed in front of them as soon as they met.
Seeing that the horse and the bullock cart were about to come into close contact, fortunately, Alexander Vasilyevich was an excellent horseman and pulled the reins sharply, causing the horse's front hooves to lift into the air, and he stopped dangerously.
"You bastards, you don't have eyes! How can you drive!"
Without thinking, Alexander Vasilyevich raised his hand and whipped the horsewhip, and the whistling whip hit the old man with a snap.
At the critical moment, the old man stood in front, blocking the whip firmly and protecting the kid behind him.
"I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry, let's make way right now!"
The old man hurriedly apologized and almost knelt down before Alexander Vasilyevich. It was obvious that he was an honest and responsible man.
For him, this was a disaster from heaven. The two of them were walking on the road in an orderly manner, and a disgusting toad like Alexander Vasilyevich flew out. What do you think this is?
!
Originally, the paths on the ridges of the fields were not used for horse racing. You just had to gallop onto the main road, which is as spacious as you want. But you just had to go to the path to act mischievously, scolding others when you made a mistake,
WTF!
It’s just that these words are impossible to say. To the serfs, a master like Alexander Vasilyevich is the truth. Even if he is very irrational, who makes him a master? The master himself represents the truth, and the serfs are the truth.
But I can’t afford to talk about it!
If you really offend him, the whole family might be killed, so just think of it as a blessing, and let others do whatever they want!
Alexander Vasilyevich didn't think he was at fault. Anyway, he looked left and right and felt that the old man and the young man were an eyesore, so he whipped the old man directly in the face and slapped him.
A stagger!
"You know you have to make way, why don't you hurry up? Can you bear the responsibility for delaying my military affairs by dilly-dallying!"
The whip was really heavy, and it hit the old man right between the eyes, and a blood-red mark suddenly appeared.
The old man suppressed his dizziness and quickly nodded and bowed to apologize again. He knew that if he didn't move faster, the third and fourth lashes would probably fall like raindrops.
Why does it matter if you beat a serf to death?
He lived for more than fifty years and received more beatings than cheese. His grandfather, his cousin, and his nephew all died under his whip. In the end, they only paid symbolic compensation.
It cost a few dozen rubles.
When he thought of his cousin who died tragically at the age of four, the old man felt an urgent sense of crisis. This was what he had been doing in his life. If he died, it would be nothing more than death. Maybe he would go to heaven sooner rather than later.
A kind of relief.
But nothing can happen to his little Ivan. How cute and clever this kid is! The priest said that this kid has a talent for learning. In the future, he might be able to go to a seminary and become a priest. At the very least, he can learn a valuable trade.
Become a useful person to the master.
He understands very well how different useful people and useless people are to the gentlemen. Look at the fact that he is also a serf, and that bastard Ivanov can be a housekeeper just because he knows how to calculate accounts, and his life is similar to that of the gentlemen.
Already.
However, their family could only dig in the soil for generations. They were as tired as dogs but ate worse than pigs.
So no matter how hard and tiring it was, he would try every means to allow little Ivan to go to a church school. He firmly believed that his little Ivan was definitely no worse than that old guy Ivanov. It was up to little Ivan to change the fate of his ancestors.
!..
The old man took a deep breath, and while protecting little Ivan behind him, he turned around unsteadily and tried to drive the car out of the way.
It's just that he misjudged his body. If you think about it, he was already hungry, and then he spent the whole morning chopping wood, and his clothes were thin, and then he received two heavy blows.
One or two of these things alone may not be able to defeat him, but together they can kill him!
As soon as he turned around, the old man felt top-heavy and dizzy, and then his vision went dark and he was about to fall to the ground. He subconsciously wanted to grab something to steady himself, but he was too weak, and his outstretched hands were in vain.
Then he fell to the ground with a thud!
Because he was almost unconscious, it was natural that he could not take any action to protect himself. This time, he almost hit the ground straight up. His mandible hit the ground and several yellow and black teeth flew away.
go out.
"Dad, Dad! What's wrong with you!"
Little Ivan was frightened. He had never seen such a weak father. No matter how much he was shaken, he had no reaction. His eyes were closed tightly and his mouth was full of blood. He looked so scary!
But the scarier thing was yet to come. Alexander Vasilyevich had no sympathy. The moment the old man fell, the anger in his heart suddenly ignited.
He was angry and angry like never before. He felt that the old man in front of him really deserved to die. They told him to get out of the way and get out of the way, but he took his time pretending to be faint. This was because he wanted to rebel!
Furious, he burst out all his dissatisfaction and resentment since arriving in Ukraine. He raised his riding crop and whipped it wildly.
He doesn't care whether the old man is dead or alive, and he doesn't care whether the half-grown boy will be beaten to death. He just wants to vent and beat these blind bastards to death!
When Leo Tolstoy rushed to the scene after hearing the news, the old man and the young man had been beaten to death and were bleeding on the snow. But Alexander Vasilyevich was still outputting like a madman.
, looking at his crazy look, you can hardly imagine that this man is a recognized so-called gentleman in St. Petersburg.
Obviously, Russian gentlemen have two faces. To the tsar, to ladies and ladies, and to high-ranking dignitaries, they are really polite and look like dogs. But to lower-ranking people, especially serfs, they are like evil spirits in hell.
Even more terrifying!
Tolstoy rushed to Alexander Vasilyevich, grabbed his arm and shouted: "What are you doing! Do you want to kill them!"
Alexander Vasilyevich calmed down a little, but he still cursed confidently: "So what if I kill them? These two dogs are so brave that they dare to block my way. Shouldn't they be killed?"