short-lived

13 years later.

Two children were chasing back and forth by the river beach, the one behind caught up with the one in front, and kicked him to the ground.

The one in front didn't care about his legs, his arms were already worn out by the stones, he got up and pushed the child behind him hard, the child fell down, and the child in front turned around and ran away.

The child behind cried loudly: "Zhou Xiaochu, that is the fish I caught, you give it back to me!"

Zhou Xiaochu ignored him, and immediately ran away without a trace.

Xie Baobao, who was on the ground, could only get up by himself, looking at his bleeding palm, thinking that the fish in his hand would be gone just like that, tears streaming down his face on the spot.

But he felt that he had grown up, so he swallowed back the remaining tears, sniffed, raised his hand and wiped his face with his dirty and torn sleeve, and walked home.

Yuqian Town is a very poor town. Although there are rich families, there are still more poor families.

Xie Baobao's family is very poor. There are only two low tile-roofed houses in the family.It is useless to have a tile-roofed house, because it is said that the tile-roofed house was left by his great-grandfather, and now it leaks when it rains, and the wind blows in when it blows.

"Mother." Xie Baobao pushed the door open and entered.

Mrs. Xie Liu was cooking at the stove, when she saw her son came back, she raised her head and asked, "Are you back? Where did you go to play this afternoon?"

As soon as this matter was brought up, Baby Xie wanted to cry. He had no fishing equipment, so he went into the water with his bare hands. After spending an entire afternoon, he managed to catch a fish. He wanted to improve the food, but Zhou Xiaochu snatched it away as soon as he got it. up.

"I went to catch fish, and I caught a very big one, but it was snatched away by that bastard Zhou Xiaochu!"

Xie Liu wiped her hands dry on the coarse cloth apron, came over and touched Xie Baobao's head, and said: "Don't be sad, mother will fry a green vegetable with oil residue for you tonight."

Xie Baobao said in surprise: "Really?"

"Really, why did mother lie to you?" Xie Liu liked his son's appearance in his heart.She picked up the spoon again and stirred the porridge in the pot.

Xie Baobao ran outside the door and started to tease the small insects in the grass, but he heard his mother sigh in the room.

"The child Xiaochu is also pitiful. His father is gone, and his mother is like that again."

Xie Baobao immediately jumped up and said: "He is poor! He is not ashamed of stealing chickens and dogs and stealing other people's things since he was a child, and I am ashamed for him. Sure enough, there are such kind of parents as there are such kind of sons!"

Xie Liu gave Xie Baobao a look, and said: "Don't talk nonsense, be careful with your mouth."

Only then did Baby Xie hum two times in disbelief, squatted down in the grass again, and poked the ground fiercely with a small wooden stick.

In the evening, Xie Baobao, who ate the oil residue, was very satisfied and even drank two bowls of porridge.

He climbed onto the bed with a distended belly, lifted the quilt, and wanted to go straight to sleep.

Xie Liu said: "Like a little mud monkey all day long, take off your clothes and go to sleep."

Xie Baobao took off his clothes two or three times, and got into bed.

Sitting at the head of the bed, Xie Liu took out her needle and thread, and began to mend the torn clothes.

While falling asleep, Baby Xie heard his mother say: "Get up early tomorrow, your father is coming back."

Xie Baobao’s father, Xie San, works as a helper in Linzhen, and he only goes home once every two or three months. Wait at the door.

This time was no exception, Baby Xie saw his father coming back carrying a burden from a distance, and he ran over quickly.

Generally, the front of the burden is filled with rice, and the back is filled with old clothes and other odds and ends given by wealthy families.

Xie Baobao habitually rushed to the back, but saw that there were no usual things in the burden, but a seven or eight-year-old girl instead.

The little girl huddled inside, timidly, looking at him with big black eyes.

Xie Baobao took a step back from being watched, and stammered: "Father, this... whose child is this?"

Xie San entered the house, put down his burden, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said with a smile: "Silly boy, this is your cousin from the Lin family, you met a few years ago."

It was only then that Baby Xie remembered that he did have a cousin, but the last time I saw her, she was still a white and tender dumpling, and she couldn't even call her cousin clearly.

This is the group from the beginning?

Baby Xie wanted to take a closer look, but saw the little girl inside whispering, "Cousin."

This cry reached Baobao Xie's heart, and he suddenly felt a little sweet in his heart.

Xie San patted Xie Baobao on the shoulder and said, "Your cousin will live in our house from now on. As an older brother, remember to take good care of her."

Baby Xie nodded quickly, he stretched out his hand, pulled the little girl out, and said, "Play with me from now on, I will protect you."

The little girl said softly "hmm".

When Xie Baobao was listening to his parents' conversation at night, he heard his father say that the relative surnamed Lin gave birth to another child, and he really couldn't afford it, so he brought it here.

For the rest, Xie Baobao didn't hear clearly.

He thought that if he had such a cute girl doll, he would not give it away even if he was killed.

Since then, Baby Xie has had a little tail following him behind him, and he is also happy to follow such a little tail behind him.

He takes her out every day, he chops firewood, she picks flowers aside, he goes up to the jujube tree, and she picks up the sweet jujubes from the skirt below.

During this period of time, Xie Baobao lived very comfortably without any worries.

Until he met Zhou Xiaochu again.

Xie Baobao finally understands what it means to have a narrow road.From the age of six or seven to the present, he never forgets to take him with him in case of any unlucky things.

When he met Zhou Xiaochu, Zhou Xiaochu stole a pack of medicine from a pharmacy and was discovered.