Siheyuan: The romantic and suave Xu Damao

"Oh, village chief, there's no need to trouble you with meals! I have my own dry food with me, and there's a stove in this room. I can just heat it up and have a meal. I don't dare to trouble you anymore!" Xu Damao quickly waved his hand to decline.

"Well, since you have arranged everything, I'll go back first. If you need any help, just come to me!" The village chief smiled and nodded, then turned around and strode out of the yard.

Xu Damao looked at the village chief's departing back, paused for a moment, then slowly pushed the bicycle to the shed in the corner of the yard and parked it.

Then he walked quickly into the house, took out a match from his pocket, put a cigarette given to him by the village chief into his mouth, lit it with the match, took a deep breath, then sat down on the chair and smoked leisurely.

Xu Damao thought to himself: I came here from so far away, I can't go back empty-handed, right?

He suddenly recalled the exquisite kingfisher-feathered phoenix crown and the gorgeous mother-of-pearl longevity screen he had seen at Zhang Meifang's house, and he couldn't help but think: There must be a lot of old things in this village! It wasn't snowing heavily yet, so it was a good time to go out for a walk.

Why not take this opportunity to go to the village and collect more things? Who knows, you might come across a treasure that makes your heart beat!

Thinking of this, Xu Damao made a prompt decision, stood up and walked to the door, threw the half-smoked cigarette butt in his hand out of the house, then quickly put on a thick leather hat, put on his gloves tightly, and finally pushed his bicycle out of the yard.

As soon as he left the yard, Xu Damao raised his voice and shouted: "Collect old things!" "Exchange old things for things! Exchange for flour and salt!" His loud voice echoed over the quiet little village.

In that peaceful and tranquil village, which seemed like a paradise on earth, a loud shout suddenly broke the silence. The voice came from Xu Damao, whose voice was loud and penetrating.

Looking back on the first time he started hawking his wares in the city, Xu Damao seemed very unfamiliar and reserved, and felt awkward every time he opened his mouth.

However, after a period of training, he is now able to skillfully use various tones and rhythms to attract customers. Not only is his shouting fluent and natural, but he is also becoming more and more adept at it, and he even feels excited, as if he is immersed in this unique pleasure.

"Hey, maybe in my previous life I was really a small vendor selling things on the streets every day!"

Xu Damao continued to shout while thinking to himself. Before long, the first group of guests arrived - a group of innocent and lovely children.

Their little faces were red from the cold wind, like ripe apples, and they were wearing slightly worn cotton coats and trousers, but this did not affect their lively and active nature at all.

The group of children gathered around Xu Damao with smiles on their faces, chasing and playing with each other, making the scene very lively.

However, a little further away, several adults were standing there, watching Xu Damao from afar.

There was a hint of vigilance and alertness in their eyes.

After all, there are some peddlers who go from village to village selling goods. When they encounter children playing alone, they sometimes transform into the detestable human traffickers.

Therefore, the villagers are always wary of strangers coming from outside.

A little boy squeezed to the front, looked up and asked, "Uncle, do you have any candy?"

Xu Damao smiled and replied, "Yes!"

The little boy then asked: "How much does one cost?"

Xu Damao held up a finger and said, "One cent each."

After hearing this, the little boy showed a disappointed expression on his face and muttered, "But I don't have any money. Can I exchange it with something from home?"

Xu Damao quickly shook his head and refused: "No, little friend, what if you secretly took it out from home to exchange for candy? That would be bad. Uncle can't exchange it for you."

Xu Damao stood there with a big smile on his face, chatting with a few lively children. His cheerful look seemed to fill the air around him with a bit of joy.

"Goudan! Come back!" Suddenly, a clear shout came from not far away. A little boy who was playing and laughing with Xu Damao and his friends heard the shout, sniffed his nose with two snots hanging from it, and then ran back.

"Hey, don't leave in a hurry. Everyone who sees it will get a share. Come, I'll give each of you a candy!" Xu Damao hurriedly called out to Goudan.

At the same time, he reached into his pocket and took out a few colorful, beautifully wrapped candies. Like a magic trick, he distributed them to the children around him one by one.

As soon as these little guys got the candies, their eyes lit up like stars. They were so excited that they kept screaming with joy, and a new wave of fun was set off at the scene.

Xu Damao smiled and shook his head, and continued to walk forward. When he just turned into another quiet and narrow alley, suddenly, a middle-aged woman in her forties pushed open the door of her house, stuck her head out and shouted: "Young man, do you have any salt? I want to buy some salt. The salt at home is almost gone."

When Xu Damao heard this, he stopped immediately and said with a gentle smile on his face: "Sister, I'm sorry, the salt here is not for sale."

"I came out today specifically to buy old things. In this basket, I have both salt and flour. If you have any old things you want to sell, I can pay a high price for them, or we can exchange things."

"Of course, if you really can't find any old items at home, I can still sell you some salt."

After saying that, Xu Damao looked at the elder sister sincerely, waiting for her response.

"I don't have any rare old items at home. They are just ordinary items that we often use at home."

"But if you must say, there are a few items that can be considered old. Why don't you come in and take a look?" The eldest sister invited Xu Damao enthusiastically, and stepped aside to make way for him to walk into the yard.

Xu Damao was not polite at all. He pushed his feet and strode into the yard, pushing the somewhat worn-out bicycle.

As soon as he entered the house, Xu Damao saw his elder sister sitting in front of an old spinning wheel with a basin full of snow-white cotton beside her.

"Sister, why don't you stay indoors to warm yourself up in such a cold weather? You are busy spinning at home." Xu Damao smiled and started chatting with his elder sister.