Liberate yourself Chapter 38

1

God, gloomy. There are no clouds, no wind, and no sun. Even the people walking on the street have somber faces.

I walked on the road back home on the familiar concrete pavement. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like going home. I can’t forget how I first moved to this old-fashioned Shikumen alley in Shanghai.

My neighbor on the ground floor is a Guangdong uncle who lives alone. I don't know what he is doing. Anyway, a person who stays at home often spends more time sitting idle at home than working. Sometimes, out of curiosity, I crawled on the floor, peeping through the cracks in the floor to peep at what he was doing at home? Except for reading, he probably has nothing to do.

Uncle Guangdong's father Uncle Wu worked as a tea worker in the "Great World Playground", and their life seemed very poor. Guangdong's uncle was in his forties and he was not married, and of course he had no children. Therefore, I sometimes go to Guangdong Uncle's house to play, but from time to time bring some joy to their home.

That year, I was 13 years old and naturally obedient and obedient, and their father and son liked me very much.

2

The uncle of Guangdong lives in the back wing of the ground floor. The fierce old lady in the front wing is completely different from his character. Before the liberation, the old lady was the second landlord of this Shikumen, with a murderous look on her face. The old woman has a son and a daughter. Her younger son is as old as me. Everyone calls him Xiaobao.

That day, I walked along familiar roads and markets, and I soon returned to my living alley. Do not know why? Today's Nongtangkou is particularly lively, where there are a lot of people, and the citizens of men and women are surrounded by a circle, from time to time a laughter, there are many young children cheering. This laughter is in stark contrast to the gloomy weather.

I squeezed into the crowd curiously, peering on tiptoe. Oh, it turns out that there is an "artist" standing in the middle of the circle! The so-called "artist" is actually just a young man of eleven or two years old. The boy's neck was covered with a double bag hanging bag commonly used by countrymen. I stopped and looked at this unusual teenager carefully. The young boy was thin and thin, and his pretty big eyes flickered under his slender eyebrows, his mouth opened, but there was no smile.

The teenager was leaning under the signboard of Nongtangkou, and took out scissors and paper from the bag, and skillfully cut flowers, grass, birds, and beasts to the citizens around him.

The children and I were attracted by the dexterous hands of the teenager: Shui Lingling's eyes stared at the shiny scissors. After a while, Zhang Guolao riding a donkey upside down, pig bajie carrying a nail rake, and Chang'e goose flying to the moon... lively paper-cuts appeared in front of the citizens. Oh, there was laughter in the noise.

3

The girls and sisters who loved to join in the crowd also gathered around:

"Hey, can you cut the pillow flower?"

"You cut a pair of shoes for me."

The teenager didn't lift his head, so he picked up the scissors and screamed. Yo, a pair of splashing ducks! How realistic. The girl aunts sneeze while picking up the pillow and shoe patterns that have just been cut. There are more and more people watching the fun, and the silhouette boy's scissors are constantly turning in his small hand.

"Hey, you cut a shadow for me, will you?" A middle-aged man asked the teenager.

At this time, the teenager raised his head and casually glanced at the middle-aged man, and then cut it in three cuts and two cuts. With a flick, it was the silhouette of the middle-aged man's beautiful head. The silhouette is like a silhouette projected on a pink wall or screen. The onlookers were even more surprised. Some wanted to buy the pattern he had just cut; some asked him to cut what he thought; some also shouted for the teenager to sketch himself.

I was thinking about it, maybe his scissors were different. Look, that scissors is very small. The scissors handle is wrapped with red silk thread in a circle. If I can have a pair of such scissors, maybe I can. Cut out the flowers, grass, insects, beasts... I don't know when, the sky is completely dark, and the crowd is gradually sparse. I suddenly remembered that I had to go home quickly.

4

When I got home, I told my mother about the silhouetted teenager I just saw at Nongtangkou. The mother said with a smile: "Why, you don't know how to cut paper, too. I can't use the scissors here. I'm cutting clothes. Ask your neighbor to borrow one."

I came to Guangdong Uncle's house. Uncle Guangdong took out a pair of scissors: "If you like paper cutting, just cut one for me." I jumped up happily and quickly cut it with the paper I brought. But somehow, both hands are not easy to use, and I haven't cut a decent thing for most of the day.

"Don't think paper-cutting is easy, maybe this teenager died of his parents since he was a child, so he relied on this skill to eat mixed meals." Guangdong uncle said.

At that time, Uncle Wu came back, and he said to me: "I guess, maybe this child was abused by his stepmother before she ran out of wandering..."

"Maybe it's because his father and mother are ill and need to buy medicine?" Guangdong uncle said.

My grandfather, father and son, you guessed me one by one. But in any case, this teenager was always forced to live on the streets because of the pressure of his life. He was alone and drifting around. The young man's paper-cutting gave others joy, but his heart must be pressed against the unspeakable endless pain.

Suddenly, there was a shouting in the alley at the entrance of the patio, and the wicked blaming of the old lady of the second landlord.

I pushed open the door of Guangdong's uncle's house and ran to the patio. I saw that the old lady of the second landlord was holding out a fat hand and vigorously twisting the ear of the silhouetted teenager who was just at the entrance of the house. Red guy, how dare Nung dare to slander my young master to steal Nong’s scissors? He also came to the door to die! Nong got out of me..."

Uncle Wu and Guangdong's uncle also arrived. Guangdong's uncle hurriedly opened the hand of the second landlord's old lady, and said haha: "Well, forget it, the child is small, not sensible, Nong just spare him... …"

"Huh, look at your old tenants, let Yi cross the door once, and if it gets messy again, I will break Yi's foot bones!" The old lady of the second landlord let go of her hand and pushed her child Xiaobao into the guest room , Close the door easily.

At this time, I saw Xiao Bao making a strange face at the paper-cut boy.

5

"What's your name?" Uncle Guangdong stepped forward and asked the silhouette boy.

The silhouette boy did not squeak, his eyes were still fixed on the door of the front compartment, with two crystal tears in his eyes, his lips closed tightly, and he said nothing.

"Well, let me sit at my house and cut a picture for me." Guangdong Uncle said.

The silhouette boy finally raised his head, glanced at his uncle Guangdong with tears, and then nodded.

The teenager came to Guangdong Uncle's house, his lips moved: "Uncle, the scissors you put on the table lend me a use..."

I quickly picked up the pair of scissors I just used from the table and handed them to the teenager. I thought to myself: this pair of scissors can also cut out lively flowers, fish and insects?

"Nong's scissors?" asked Guangdong Uncle.

"Scissors, the scissors stole the old lady's child..." The teenager avoided the gaze of Guangdong's uncle and turned his head to examine the silhouette of Guangdong's uncle. The silhouette of Guangdong Uncle appeared on his little hand, and he handed the silhouette respectfully to Guangdong Uncle. Uncle Guangdong and Uncle Wu showed their surprised eyes one by one. My eyes widened even more, and I was very surprised: the same pair of scissors became extraordinary in the hands of the teenager, it was really amazing!

Uncle Guangdong admired his silhouette admiringly, admiring it. Then he took a handful of change from his pocket and stuffed it into the hands of the teenager: "Take it, maybe Nong is short of money."

"No," the teenager shook his hand and said stubbornly, "I can only charge you a penny." Then, he picked up a penny and put the remaining money in the hands of Guangdong's uncle.

What should I say?

"Guangdong Uncle," I said, "He doesn't need money now, he wants to get back the scissors..." Maybe I am right, but the scissors have been stolen by the son of the second wife's old lady Xiaobao, how can you offend? Second landlord, ask her for the scissors?

Uncle Guangdong thought for a while and took the pair of scissors used by the teenager just to put it in the hands of the teenager, and said, "Child, give this pair of scissors to Nong. I know Nong wants to make money by his own ability. Scissors are also useful to Nong. Well, if Nong feels embarrassed to accept it, it will be counted as I lent it to Nong. When Nong buys new scissors, I will return it to me..."

With tears in his eyes, the boy bowed deeply to Guangdong Uncle, then smiled reluctantly at me and Uncle Wu, and then picked up the scissors and hurried away.

6

Since then, I have been thinking about this silhouetted teenager, and at the same time, I am deeply convinced: I must take back Xiaobao's scissors.

Once, I finally saw Xiaobao playing with scissors around the red silk thread. I jumped forward and cut the scissors back. Who knew Xiaobao was too strong, he twisted my arm and snatched the scissors back. Just when I was about to grab the scissors again, I slap my ears loudly, and I slapped five dark purple fingers with one slap. I looked up, and the second landlord stood in front of me. Xiaobao's mother showed big golden teeth and scolded fiercely: "Little Red Guy, the farmer dare to bully my young master! Seeing me not teaching the farmer..."

Seeing that the situation was not good, I ran away.

I leaned on the signboard at the alley, and I was angry: I just wanted to get the scissors back, but the fat pig woman took them away. Well, I must put away the scissors and let out this breath!

"Hello." Someone called me.

I closed my eyes and saw the paper-cut boy appear in front of me.

The boy smiled at me and said, "I deliberately returned the scissors to my uncle. I couldn't find my uncle. Please help me to return the scissors to him. I must thank my uncle."

Having said that, he took the scissors from his double bag from Guangdong Uncle. One side said: "I made money with this pair of scissors and bought a new pair of scissors. Really, you know." He was worried that I couldn't believe it, so he took out a new pair of scissors from the bag and showed it to me .

The teenager sighed and said, "My grandfather is a paper-cut artist. Not long ago he was very sick. I want to cut paper for others and make money to buy medicine for him. But, three days ago, he died... ...Said intermittently, his face had just lost its look.

"So how do you live in the future?" I asked.

"Like my grandfather, cut paper." The teenager stopped talking, and two drops of dew hung on the corners of his eyes. Although he cried, he did not cry or complain. He twitched his lips and said to me: "Goodbye!"

He beckoned to me, and his double schoolbags were missing the pedestrians on the market.

A 12-year-old boy, a paper-cut wanderer, disappeared... disappeared at the end of the street, but appeared at the other end of the street. Over the years, the silhouette boy's image has appeared in my mind from time to time.