Starting from a short stick, becoming the master of the universe

Chapter 1 Ghetto

The sunset fades and night falls.

There were only a few street lamps on the not-so-clean street, emitting dim light.

The occasional pedestrians passing by walked hurriedly, as if they were afraid that there would be danger if they walked slower.

"Squeak, squeak."

An old woman selling roasted sweet potatoes, pushing an old tricycle, walked into the alley.

The alley was dark, but fortunately there was a faint light coming through the gaps in the doors and windows of the adobe houses on both sides, so I could see the road below my feet a little more clearly.

But there seemed to be a shadow lurking in the unclear corner.

The old woman held the handlebars tightly with her withered hands and moved forward with an effortless composure.

After walking a long way, she finally breathed a sigh of relief as the feeling of being on edge disappeared.

However, before she had taken a few steps, two figures blocked her way.

"Hey, old woman, give me all the money you have."

The speaker was a young man. Due to long-term malnutrition, he was thin and pale, but his eyes were fierce.

"I, I have no money."

The old woman raised her head, fear in her eyes, and said tremblingly.

"No money. How can you be broke after selling roasted sweet potatoes for a whole day?"

The young man sneered.

"Stop talking nonsense and take out the money!"

The young man on the right also growled.

After saying that, he looked around.

"I really have no money left. My grandson has a high fever, and I have used all my money to buy medicine for him. But after two days, he still hasn't gotten any better..."

As the old woman spoke, tears began to fall.

Her grandson is about the same age as the two people in front of her.

The two depended on each other and barely made a living by selling roasted sweet potatoes.

But two days ago, the weather turned cold and my grandson had a high fever. I spent all my savings on his treatment.

She has some money on her now, but it is life-saving money.

"Shut up!"

The young man on the right shouted angrily, and took out a knife from his trouser pocket with his right hand, "Hand over the money, do you hear me!"

The old woman was so frightened that she took a step back and said nothing.

The young man with the knife swore and looked behind the tricycle.

Some sweet potatoes were placed there.

There are roasted fruits on top of the barrel, giving off an enticing aroma.

The two looked at each other and nodded.

Raw sweet potatoes are worth some money, and cooked ones can also satisfy your hunger.

So the two of them quickly walked to the back, took out a bag, and put the sweet potatoes into the bag.

"no, do not want!"

The old woman was horrified and subconsciously stepped forward to stop it.

"roll!"

The old woman was pushed hard and took two steps back. She fell to the ground and screamed in pain.

"No, please, don't take it all, leave some for us."

she begged.

The two young men turned a deaf ear to him, quickly took all the sweet potatoes, and then disappeared into the shadows.

"What a pair of little bastards!"

There were whispers coming from the houses on both sides.

"It's better to have less trouble than more. These people have knives in their hands."

"Alas, this world..."

The sound soon disappeared and the surroundings returned to peace again.

After a long time, the old woman got up from the ground, holding the tricycle with both hands, and looked behind.

Sure enough, there was not a single sweet potato left.

She wiped away her tears and continued pushing the tricycle forward.

After walking for a while, they stopped in front of an adobe house.

There was a candlelight in the room. "Is that Grandma Jiang?"

A woman in her thirties opened the door from the inside.

The old woman's face suddenly became nervous. She glanced inside the house and asked, "Xiao Cheng?"

"The fever has subsided a lot, but he hasn't woken up yet."

A smile appeared on the woman's face.

She lives next door, so please ask her to take care of Jiang Cheng when Grandma Jiang goes out for a few hours.

Naturally, she would not refuse such a small favor.

And it doesn't conflict with needlework.

"Really, really?"

Grandma Jiang's voice trembled as she hurried into the room, walked to the bedside, reached out and touched the forehead of the young man on the bed, then touched her own forehead, her pupils dilated.

Then she tried a few more times, and after confirming that it was correct, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mrs. Chen, thank you, thank you, if it weren't for you..."

The woman interrupted her quickly and said with a smile: "Grandma Jiang, this matter has nothing to do with me. Jiang Cheng is a lucky man with good fortune, and you take care of him."

"No no no..."

The old woman held the woman's hand tightly. She was so excited that she forgot what happened on the way back.

……

In the dim light, Jiang Cheng heard someone calling his name.

He felt something strange.

I should be on the subway, right?

Could it be that a colleague recognized me?
But these voices, one older and the other younger, were also very unfamiliar.

Curiosity made him open his eyes suddenly.

What comes into view is a roof made of iron sheets.

"Wake up! Wake up!"

The voice in my ear became more excited.

"Xiaocheng, you finally woke up. Grandma was almost worried to death."

Grandma Jiang's eyes were filled with tears.

"It's good to wake up, it's good to wake up."

The young woman was also touched and her eyes turned red.

Jiang Cheng was startled, turned his head and looked at the old woman in front of him, his pupils suddenly widened.

"grandmother?!!"

His mouth dropped open.

Can't believe it.

When he was young, his parents went to the city to work, leaving him and his grandmother to live in the countryside.

The conditions in the countryside are not good and it is rare to have a meat meal.

Grandma would never eat anything delicious and would always leave it for him. In the hot summer weather and without an electric fan, she would fan him with her hands and would not go to bed until he fell asleep.

The most memorable time was when I was trying to find river clams for him to improve his diet, and was bitten by a poisonous snake. Fortunately, the snake's venom was not strong, and I was sent to the clinic in time, so I saved my life.

Time is merciless. When he was in high school and about to take the college entrance examination, his grandmother passed away. His family was afraid that it would affect his preparation for the exam, so they told him only after the exam was over.

After hearing the news, he almost collapsed. Even when his college entrance examination scores came out and he was admitted to a key provincial university, he was not very happy.

Later, when he entered society and worked like a slave, he felt more and more that his childhood was the happiest time.

As a result, he not only did not know how to cherish his grandmother, but also often got into trouble and made his grandmother angry. By the time he grew up and was able to make money on his own and was able to repay his grandmother, she was no longer around.

But now...

He looked at the kind old man in front of him and his mind went blank.

Could it be that I am still dreaming?

The two people in front of the bed were stunned by Jiang Cheng's exaggerated reaction.

But when he saw Jiang Cheng waking up, he felt relieved.

Grandma Jiang smiled and said, "My dear grandson, you finally woke up. Do you know that I have been worried to death for the past two days? I wish I could exchange my life for yours."

"Grandma Jiang, stop talking nonsense," the young woman at the side interrupted her, then looked at Jiang Cheng and asked with concern: "Xiao Cheng, how do you feel? Are you feeling unwell?"

"I……"

Jiang Cheng still didn't understand the situation until a large number of memories flooded into his mind.

(End of this chapter)