He took a deep drag on the cigarette, and his face, which had aged prematurely, was shrouded in a layer of indescribable sorrow under the dim yellow light. He took a long, deep breath, tilted his head back, and exhaled a ring of smoke, saying: "The village where I was born was a beggar's village. The whole village didn't know how to do anything except kneel down. Children were born, raised for a few years, then had their limbs broken and were taken out to beg for a living. Those with a bit more ruthlessness would even have their eyes dug out. Don't be surprised, there are countless ruthless people in this world who, driven by hunger and poverty, will stop at nothing. Men can sell their wives, and fathers can treat their own children like animals. My parents died young, so I was raised by my grandmother alone. This leg of mine was broken when I was nine years old because my grandmother had grown old and couldn't pick up scraps anymore, so she had to go out and beg for food. I broke it myself; otherwise, no one would give us money. Before my grandmother and I left Heilongjiang, she died on a bridge, sleeping under the cold winter sky. I knew she wouldn't make it through the winter, so I used all my money to buy her a coffin. Then I set out alone, traveling south, north, east, and west, passing through the three northeastern provinces, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia. After my grandmother died, I never knelt down to anyone again. My crippled leg isn't easily noticeable, and I can speak half of China's dialects fluently. Beijingers always say that outsiders can't pronounce the word 'er' correctly, but when it comes to accent, I'm more authentic than any old Beijing native. Henan is poor, but I've seen people who are even more miserable than me. In Shaanxi, I saw the Loess Plateau; in Inner Mongolia, I lay alone on the vast grasslands and finally felt at peace. From then on, I vowed not to engage in any more despicable or deceitful activities that harm others for personal gain. In my earlier years, I learned some tricks from a fortune teller, like how to swindle people and sell women into prostitution. I understood the basics of those shady practices. The old man who taught me how to read faces was blind, but he told me that rich people are like pampered cats – when they're happy, they bask in the sun; when they're not, they go out and catch mice for fun. Poor people, on the other hand, are like mice; to survive, we have to steal and run for our lives with all our might. This blind man said something before he died: 'In this lifetime, I've never met a good person.' At the time, I wanted to say, 'You're just a blind man; who can you see?' But I held back. Actually, the blind man's eyes were more accurate and piercing than anyone else's. I followed him for several years but didn't want to take those few ancient books from him. I'm not a good person either. In the end, the blind man burned all his possessions, leaving me only a few pages of writing, telling me not to harm others and giving me a way out. I didn't blame him."

  Chen Ergou slowly puffed on the cigarette, which cost 11 cents a pack, and coughed several times. He was used to smoking dry tobacco, but this cigarette really didn't agree with him. When he had only one butt left, he didn't throw it away. "Huren," he said, "as long as you follow me, I'll make sure you have enough to eat. I'm not a good person, so let's get the ugly talk out of the way first. When I'm climbing up, I don't ask you to risk your life for me, but don't hinder me either. If you're narrow-minded, I won't be magnanimous."

  Wang Hu dropped the cigarette butt, not leaving a single shred of tobacco behind. He flicked his head, and two strands of hair swung out in perfect arcs on either side, as he said: "What can I possibly get in your way? I'm hoping you'll make a name for yourself in big Shanghai, so I can benefit from it too. My greatest advantage is that I'm used to living a poor life, so I'm easy to support - just give me a few bowls of rice a day, and I won't even need any dishes."

  ”

  Chen Ergou lowered his head and fiddled with the cloth shoes, saying in a low voice: "Don't take it to heart when I say this, but mainly because not long ago, a woman told me an analogy about chess. She said that the piece that can trap the 'general' is the 'guard'. In my lifetime, I've only trusted two people - my mother and a brother who grew up with me named Fugui. I never had friends, except for those who looked down on me or wished I would die early. Actually, when I first left the mountains, I didn't have any ambitions. Buying an arrow for Fugui, marrying a wife, and letting my mother live a good life was enough for me. But after staying there for more than half a year, I saw many beautiful women with big buttocks, rich people who drove nice cars and lived extravagantly... then I became unfaithful. I wanted more things - when holding chopsticks, I would think of the food in the bowl; seeing the food in the bowl, I would think of the food in the pot; thinking of the food in the pot, I would think of the food on the ground. My mother saw that I was no longer content."

  "A restless man will make a name for himself. The old blind man said that I would have great success in the future, tremendous success."

  Wang Hu's smile was not silly or cunning, but that face still made it difficult for people to look at him, let alone the dark yellow teeth with vegetable leaves stuck on them, a yellow and green combination that was hard to imagine. Yet this person was still a senior donkey friend who had traveled through most of the northern provinces with almost no money.

  "If I have to deal with this a few more times, these canvas shoes will be ruined. If they break today, I'll definitely go bother that group of people."

  Chen Ergou sighed and looked at the pair of cloth shoes with a heartache, then raised his head to look at those young people who came to the bar to show off their wealth. They were handsome, dressed in fashionable clothes that made Chen Ergou unacceptable, with earrings, necklaces, and all sorts of weird hairstyles that made Chen Ergou feel suffocated. The beautiful girls were all heavily made up, carrying various strange-shaped bags that looked bizarre to Chen Ergou. Occasionally, a few rich men and women even drove themselves there, making Chen Ergou sigh in amazement.

  He thought back to the commotion earlier and self-mockingly said: "Actually, I rushed up just now, largely out of selfishness. In school, there was a girl I considered my childhood sweetheart, but she ran off with a guy who looked similar to Huang Yuqin. The only difference was that the man really had talent and was smart. At the time, I thought he stole her from me, but later I realized it wasn't like that. Even if he hadn't appeared, there would have been another man to replace me.

  As for my childhood sweetheart, who I vowed to never forget, now even her face is starting to become blurry. How stupid. So when I saw Huang Yuqin today, I got angry. After kicking him, it felt like smoking a cigarette after eating, of course, the tobacco had to be top-notch, with a strong smell that made my heart and lungs feel like they were burning, just like the 'burning knife' I stored for seven or eight years."

  Wang Hu shook his head and said, "I'm not interested in things between men and women, nor do I understand them. When I see a woman, I like her big butt, especially when it's naked, white and shiny, just like a Chinese cabbage."

  Wang Hu turned his head, suddenly seeing the little girl with a bright red face, a beautiful young woman with a chest far more attractive than her buttocks. He wasn't very interested, but running into her like this was indeed awkward. Even with thick skin, he couldn't withstand the gaze of those watery eyes. Wang Hu could only pull out a six-yuan pack of Taiyangdao cigarettes and smoke with his head down.

  "Brother Dog, I've bought the rose oil for you." Xiao Yao came to Chen Ergou's side, squatted down and handed him the bottle of rose oil. She had run back and forth for ten minutes to buy this thing, panting, and after squatting down, her chest looked even more impressive. Her chest wasn't a stunningly beautiful and plump one, but it was particularly eye-catching compared to her body proportion, making people want to hold it in their hands and play with it. Otherwise, Huang Yuchen, that spendthrift young master, wouldn't have been splurging money non-stop for over a month.

  "How much?" Chen Ergou asked, taking over the red flower oil and tossing it to Wang Hu, who didn't hesitate, directly opening and applying it, probably this one bottle wouldn't be enough for his injuries.

  "Brother Dog, I've made such a big mistake today. I don't want to take your money, I don't even know how to thank you." Xiaoyao said hastily, as if she would dare to accept the money.

  "Money must be collected, don't be vague with someone you're not familiar with when it comes to money. I don't have any cash on me now, I'll give it to you tomorrow." Chen Ergou shook his head, this was what his mother had repeatedly reminded him of before he left the house. He understood the true meaning behind his mother's words, who would never dare to take advantage of anyone in her life. Taking advantage of someone even a little bit might lead to a big loss later on. His crazy grandfather used to say that only fools don't know how to suffer losses when holding onto a wine bottle. This was also a tradition of the Chen family, although Chen Ergou was usually an exception."

  Xiao Yao was at a loss, could only squat aside, and didn't dare to stand up. Chen Er Gou sat on the ground, she didn't dare to stand because that would have the suspicion of being condescending.

  "I'll go back to Aunt Mei's restaurant first, you go ahead and take care of things." Wang Huzi wasn't a fool who didn't know when to quit, he didn't wait for Chen Ergou to finish speaking before getting up and running off in a cloud of smoke, not at all like someone who had been beaten up and was limping on one leg. Actually, it seemed that Chen Ergou had said the opposite of where Wang Huzi ran off to.

  "Sit." Chen Ergou said with a smile, naturally helping her blow away the dust on the ground.

  Xiaoyao sat lightly beside him, reserved and dignified. She hadn't yet left the ivory tower to truly enter society, so how could she have seen Chen Ergou's ruthless side, which was as fierce as a wolf? At that time, Xiaoyao watched with her own eyes as this man silently walked past Cai Huangmao, his movements like a cat or leopard. He quietly picked up a chair and then suddenly kicked Huang Yiqing. All of this happened right before Xiaoyao's eyes. Later, the way this "brother" fawned on the police chief left her feeling another kind of shock. She wasn't the type of girl who would cry uncontrollably while watching a Qiong Yao drama. After working in a bar for over a month, she knew how hard it was to make money. Chen Ergou's performance, which was as smooth as a Sichuan opera actor changing faces, left her sighing in amazement.

  "Is there trouble at home?" Chen Ergou asked casually.

  Nothing.

  A bit embarrassed, Xiaoyi replied like a job applicant facing a stern interviewer: "Just want to experience life and earn some money, I want to go to Denmark at my own expense after graduating from university."

  In this world, how many parents are ill and cannot afford to sell their bodies or smiles, so they can meet beautiful women like you. Fortunately, I met you, but Chen Er Gou doesn't have the money to be a hero. Chen Er Gou, who looks dignified, seems to be staring at a fruit shop across the street, but his eyes occasionally glance at Xiao Yao's unbeatable curves, from head to toe, admiring her beauty in secret. Chen Er Gou, who is too busy appreciating the beauty, doesn't care about Xiao Yao's shyness and respect. Finally, after looking his fill, Chen Er Gou secretly wipes his mouth and says seriously: "Xiao Yao, your mother must be very beautiful."

  She was stunned on the spot, she had been living a life of stunning beauty since childhood, with countless love letters, gifts and flowers, and suitors as numerous as fish in the river. She had heard many unexpected confessions, but it was the first time someone praised her for being so charming, which made Xiao Yao sweep away her fear and nervousness, her delicate face smiling like a flower.

  Laughing without restraint.

  She found it irresistible when a very masculine man became adorable for the first time.

  ——