A ragged cub at the beginning

Tang Xu was packing up his painting supplies, and Qi Qing said, "The girl is losing money again. She clearly ordered black, but why did she add color? I thought at most my daughter would be painted, but she ended up losing more money."

Tang Xu smiled, "I'm in a good mood. Look at my daughter being filial."

"You always put some on no matter whether you are in a good mood or not." Qi Qing shook his head helplessly, but then he thought, if it weren't for her kindness, he wouldn't be where he is today.

"It's okay, we're big money earners." Tang Xu said with a smile.

"There will be another one later." Qi Qing flipped through the booklet, "It's a young girl."

"Oh." Tang Xu yawned.

"Can I come in? I want to draw." Two children stood at the door, their clothes patched together and tattered. The older one was less than ten years old, and the younger one looked like he had just learned to walk.

"Huh?" Qi Qing glanced at Tang Xu and waved to the boy at the door, "Come in."

"I'm just wearing rags, I'm very clean." The older child said. She was very thin, and although she tried to tie her hair up, it was still messy. Her face was washed very clean, and she was holding a child who looked less than two years old. The child closed his eyes, and his little hands nervously grabbed the clothes of the person next to him.

"I'm really clean." She emphasized again, then tentatively took a step forward. Seeing that the two people in the room were not unhappy, she turned around and brought her brother in.

Tang Xu looked at them curiously, "Little girl, who are you going to draw?"

"I'm a boy!" she retorted loudly. Realizing she had overreacted, she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so loud. I'm a boy and I wanted to draw me and my brother."

"It doesn't matter. If you say it's a boy, then it's a boy." Tang Xu could tell at a glance that this was a little girl, although most children are difficult to tell their gender when they are young. But this girl has delicate features, a slender frame, and her voice seems to be deliberately lowered, so it's unlikely that she is a boy. "Come in and sit down."

"I, I heard that those who helped at the Zhu family's gate can get less money, right?" She rubbed the corner of her clothes, her head lowered, "I also helped, can I get less money?"

"This happened a long time ago. It's no longer possible now." Qi Qing said.

"But, but it's hard for me to beg for money. It took me a long time to save enough." She covered her clothes, where she kept the money she had saved with great difficulty over the past few months. "Last time, I was hungry for two days and didn't get any food, but I didn't want to spend it."

Qi Qing frowned and looked at Tang Xu.

"Okay, then you come." Tang Xu waved her hand. Seeing that the younger one had his eyes closed but his eyeballs were rolling back and forth, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with his eyes?" After that, she asked Qi Qing to get some snacks for the child.

"His eyes look a little strange." Ah Da was flattered and took the snack. Is this a snack? It smells so good, sweet, and looks so good, like a flower. "Waiter, eat quickly."

Hearing the word "eat", the waiter suddenly opened his eyes, took the snack and took a bite, his eyes widened into a circle, he nodded vigorously, and handed the snack to Ah Da's mouth, motioning him to eat.

"Close your eyes quickly!" Ah Da shouted and looked at Tang Xu nervously, his breathing quickened.

It's heterochromia! Tang Xu came over in amazement, "What beautiful heterochromia, can you show it to me again?"

Ah Da looked at him in confusion, "Heterogeneous eyes?"

Xiao Er buried his head in A Da's arms, trembling.

"Ah? What's wrong with him? Did I scare him?" Tang Xu quickly stepped back.

"What are heterochromia?" A Da patted the waiter's back to comfort him. Tang Xu's attitude did not seem to show disgust or fear, which made her relax.

"Your brother is like this, his eye color is different from others, which is very rare. Is he your biological brother?" Tang Xu asked. The two of them had no similarities in their facial features.

"Aren't you scared? My brother has blue eyes." A Da asked.

"I'm not afraid. It's so beautiful. Can you show it to me again?" Tang Xu asked.

Ah Da confirmed her expression again and again, then patted his brother and said, "Xiao Er, don't be afraid, show her."

Hearing this, Xiaoer slowly came out of Ah Da's arms, revealing a pair of sky-blue eyes. His facial features were similar to those of the locals, and his heterochromia was very conspicuous. Xiaoer's eyes were round and big like cats, and his face was thin, which made his eyes look even bigger.

"It's the color of the sky, so beautiful." Tang Xu praised sincerely.

"But they said Xiao Er was a cat demon and would beat him when they saw him. His parents couldn't stand it and threw him away." Ah Da stroked his brother's hair, "I raised him with great difficulty."

Tang Xu was silent for a while, then smiled and said, "You are really amazing. You can raise a younger brother at such a young age."

"That's right! I'm so awesome! I'm smart too!" Although Ah Da looked mature, he was also a child, and he felt a little flattered when he received the compliments.

Qi Qing felt a little soft-hearted, so he brought them some snacks and poured them some water, fearing that they might choke.

"Should I draw beautiful clothes for you?" Tang Xu asked.

"Yes." Ada nodded.

"Do you usually eat enough?" Tang Xu asked again.

"It depends on luck, but I always have good luck. I never steal things, and I know where I can get the money." A Da smiled proudly, as if waiting for Tang Xu to ask.

"Where? You look like a smart kid." Tang Xu couldn't help laughing.

"At the entrance of Wenxianglou! Although I was chased sometimes and beaten if I ran too slowly, I ran very fast. Those old men were always very generous in front of the girls. The sisters there were very kind and would give me some food when they saw me." Ah Da raised her chin and pouted her little mouth, very proud of her intelligence. But then she became angry again, "If it weren't for the big black dog who kept stealing my money! I would have raised my brother better!"

"Big black dog? Why would a dog steal money?" Qi Qing asked in surprise.

"The big black dog is not a dog! He's a man! He's so bad! He never begs for money or food! If others have something, he'll come and steal it." Ah Da said, taking a big bite of the snack, "I really hope he dies soon!"

When Qi Qing heard this, he frowned and looked at Tang Xu.

Wenxianglou, if I remember correctly, is a brothel. Men who visit brothels are waiting to go in, and they are naturally generous. Most of the women in the brothel are miserable, and when they see the dirty beggars, they empathize with them and give them some food. Although this place is not suitable for children, Ah Da has her own survival skills, and she is indeed smart.

If she ran slower, she would be beaten, so how could she run faster? She was beaten more often, forced to run harder, and ran every day, so she ran faster.

Tang Xu didn't tell her not to go to a brothel, nor did he teach her not to curse others to death. He just said, "Come here when you're hungry in the future. I'll give you something to eat."

"Really?" Ah Da was skeptical.

"Yeah. Come when you're hungry, there'll always be something for you to eat. My brother is not a monster, he has very beautiful eyes. I heard that God is a naughty boy, and when he sees a child he particularly likes, he likes to mark that child. This pair of blue eyes must be because God likes him too much and was afraid that he wouldn't be able to find him, so he made him different from others." Tang Xu told a beautiful lie.

"I knew it! But my younger brother can't speak, is that also a mark?" A Da said again.

Tang Xu was stunned, glanced at the waiter, and said, "Have you heard of noble people speaking slowly? Some people just speak slowly, it doesn't matter, you can teach them slowly."

"Okay, you're really nice, you're even better than the sister from Wenxianglou." Ah Da praised sincerely, but it caused Qi Qing to retort, "How can you compare our girl with people from that kind of place!"

A Da looked at her blankly, not knowing which sentence he had said wrong.

"It's okay, the painting is done, come and see." Tang Xu waved his hand.

Ah Da looked at the painting, surprised and delighted. She held up the painting and grinned, then lowered it to show her brother, "Great, this is the portrait."

"Ah ah..." The waiter pointed at himself in the painting, then pointed at his own eyes, anxiously wanting to say something.

Tang Xu observed his expression and asked tentatively: "Have your eyes turned black?"

Xiaoer nodded, grinned, and clapped his hands. It was obvious that he really wanted a pair of black eyes. But the eyes were black because they were not painted.

"Thank you, sister." Ah Da bowed and took out a handful of copper coins from his pile of tattered clothes. "I have saved them for several months. Is it enough? If not, I will pay you back."

"Enough." Tang Xu took the money and looked at her nails, which were still black and dirty even though she had tried her best to wash them clean. He softened his voice and said, "Take some snacks and leave. Anyone who comes to paint can eat for free. Take this bamboo tube and roll up the painting and put it in it."

"Thank you." Ah Da bowed again, but did not take more snacks. She restrained herself and took two pieces, and gave one to her brother. She stuffed the bamboo tube containing the painting into her clothes, and the little person, holding her younger brother, slowly walked away.

"I suddenly feel that I have been living a good life." Qi Qing said.

"Yes, there are too many miserable people in the world." If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world. There are too many people Tang Xu wants to help, but she is not capable enough. I think of a saying that people often say in modern times: their own lives are miserable, but they cannot bear to see the sufferings of the world.

Tang Xu's current life is something many people envy, but all she can do is to help him with just a meal.

She sighed and was about to work hard and think about how to make more money when the guests she had booked arrived, a mother and daughter.

The two were well-dressed, but their accessories did not look luxurious, so they probably came from a moderately wealthy family.

The woman looked amiable, but her daughter looked a little arrogant, looking down at people with her chin up. As soon as she came in, she said, "Draw me a beautiful picture, or I won't forgive you."

I want to see why you won’t forgive me!

Tang Xu was a little unhappy, but he was too lazy to argue with a little girl. "If you are not satisfied, you can ask for someone else."

"Rou'er, don't be rude." The woman said softly, without much blame in her tone, and said lightly: "Miss, please."

Tang Xu swallowed his breath and invited them to the inner room.

"It's so small and cramped. I wonder who recommended it so highly." The girl muttered.

Tang Xu pretended not to hear and told him to finish the painting as soon as possible and leave.

With this in mind, she drew the picture very quickly. When she handed it to the little girl, she showed a hint of surprise. Then she pretended to be calm and said, "Not bad, draw four more like this, and you will get the money."

Tang Xu said nothing, just focused on painting, and deliberately quoted a price 20% higher. The woman frowned, and was about to speak, but her daughter was already holding the painting and couldn't wait to urge her to leave.

The woman sighed, paid the money and left with her people.

"Look, the money is back." Tang Xu threw the silver on the counter. "Rob the rich to help the poor."

Qi Qing smiled and shook his head.

There was no reservation in the afternoon, so after Qi Qing had lunch, Tang Xu went home and locked himself in his room to paint.

She had a new idea. It would be boring if the murals were all landscapes. It would be better to draw some simple and easy-to-understand stories. The children would be more interested in the murals.

Just like those comic books, Qiyue still treasures them and takes them out from time to time to tell people stories. He is a quick learner and has learned to make up stories and draw them without any guidance to tell his friends.

At that time, children can treat the search for wall paintings as a treasure hunt game to see who finds the next episode first.

Tang Xu felt that he was very clever and motivated, so he drew several pictures in one breath.

"Have you been using your hands excessively again recently?" Du Yun smelled the ointment on Tang Xu's body as he approached, and asked with a frown.

Tang Xu laughed dryly twice and involuntarily retracted his hand.

Du Yun sighed, helpless and worried, "I asked the doctor, your wrist can't be completely cured, you can only rest. Medication can only relieve the pain, if you are always so tired, how can you get better."

"I'll pay attention next time." Seeing his worried look, Tang Xu came over and held his palm with one hand, and used the other hand to smooth out the wrinkles between his brows, "Okay, stop frowning, I'll really pay attention."

Du Yun stroked her well-defined eyebrows with one hand, "What should I do with you?"

Tang Xu couldn't help laughing, and said in a pinched voice: "Spoil me, love me, and don't bully me. Think about me even in your dreams."

"Naughty." Du Yun supported her body as she laughed so hard that she fell backwards, and whispered softly, "I have done it."

But Tang Xu laughed too loudly and didn't hear it. Du Yun grabbed her wrist. It seemed swollen, whether it was an illusion or something else. "Have you applied the medicine for the night?"

"No, do you want to wipe it for me?" Tang Xu looked at him with his eyes slanted, wondering what bad idea he had in his mind.

"Okay, I'll wipe it for you." Du Yun was very happy.

Tang Ling glanced at Tang Xu who was leaning against Du Yun like a boneless person, turned his eyes away and looked at Tang Yao, "It's time to set off."

"Okay, okay, I'll leave early tomorrow morning." Tang Yao was helpless, and said, "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. How about we go the day after tomorrow?"

Tang Ling nodded and looked at Tang Yao curiously. Why are they still celebrating the Lantern Festival? In the past, apart from tomb sweeping, they didn't celebrate any other festivals.

"I heard that the county town will be very lively tomorrow. The curfew will be lifted at night and the lantern festival will be held all night long. Do you want to go and see?" Tang Yao asked.

Lantern Festival? Tang Ling was not very interested, but looked at the children. They would definitely like it. "Go, all the children go."

"Why take the child with you? There are so many people on the Lantern Festival. What if he gets lost..." Before Tang Yao could finish her words, she was stared at by Tang Ling's cold eyes full of murderous intent. She narrowed her eyes and said, "If you get lost, I'll kill you."

Tang Yao laughed angrily, but he didn't dare to refute, so he could only say tactfully: "There are so many children here, don't talk about fighting and killing all the time."

Tang Ling was really frightened by him. She looked around and confirmed that no children heard it, then she breathed a sigh of relief.