daily quirks

Chapter 19 Stone

When I was a child, there was a small shop in front of the community. It was not a small shop, but it was more like a utility room. Not to mention the dim lighting, the place was still small, and there lived an old man in it. Everyone called him Uncle Shitou.The reason why Uncle Shitou is called Uncle Shitou is because Uncle Shitou likes to collect jade.Jade does not only refer to the so-called mutton jade, but also some other stones. Anyway, it is all kinds of rare stones.Uncle Shitou has been obsessed with jade since he was a child. To what extent is he obsessed?Probably one day without eating, jade is unbreakable, as long as you see it, like it, and work hard, Uncle Shishi will buy it back, then put it in a box with flannel, and put it on the shelf. Abandoned studies, wasted youth.Time flies, Uncle Shitou has also become a middle-aged man, but he has no intention of getting married, and his parents have nothing to do about it, because Uncle Shitou is not at home all year round, he is always looking for Yushi outside, so he can't control it, until Uncle Shitou's parents passed away, Uncle Shitou I feel more at ease on the road to search for jade, without any worries.

Originally, Uncle Shitou's family has been in business for generations, and if Uncle Shitou does not do business properly, he will not be abandoned here.But when Uncle Shitou was 35 years old, a big change happened in his family.

Speaking of Uncle Shitou’s family, the ancestors originally opened a pawn shop, and later opened a money bank in Uncle Shitou’s generation. Although it is not as good as other big families, it still has no worries about food and clothing. Coupled with the ancestral treasure appraisal skills, even if you don’t open a pawn shop If you go to appraise treasures for other pawnshops, you can also support your family.When Uncle Shitou was 35 years old, not long after his parents passed away, Uncle Shitou went to the south to look for Shoushan Stone after the funeral.And only Uncle Shitou’s elderly grandmother, the old housekeeper and a group of servants are left in the family. The old housekeeper has worked for Uncle Shitou’s family for many years. Uncle Shitou can’t trust his grandmother to the old housekeeper, let alone the pawnshop and the bank. And the uncles are watching, how can anything happen?

But people are not as good as God, the old housekeeper that Uncle Shitou trusted since he was a child actually joined forces with his own uncle, poisoned his grandmother to death, and usurped Uncle Shitou’s family property. When Uncle Shitou found a rare stone, he returned happily. When I got home, I found that my house had already been sold by my uncle and the old housekeeper, and my pawnshop and money bank were also given to others. My grandmother passed away, and my uncle and the old housekeeper were missing. All of his treasures have disappeared.

Although Uncle Shitou is middle-aged, but because he is addicted to jade, his heart is as simple as a child. At that time, he was still looking for the whereabouts of his uncle and the housekeeper in the city.It wasn't until one day that Uncle Shitou met a girl from the mansion on the street that he realized what had happened. At that time, Uncle Shitou was already penniless, and only the precious stone he had brought back from the south was left.Fortunately, the girl missed the old days, packed some dry food for Uncle Shitou, took some broken silver, and asked Uncle Shitou to rent a yard next door to his house.Uncle Shitou would not be displaced. Later, Uncle Shitou became married to this girl and lived together.

But the sky failed. When Uncle Shitou temporarily put down the jade and prepared to live in peace, the Japanese invaded China. Uncle Shitou and his wife were separated. In order to find his lost wife, Uncle Shitou had to leave home. You Yushi took some dry food and money, and embarked on the road to find his wife.

After searching for three to five years, Uncle Shitou happened to pass by a city. Outside the city, Uncle Shitou met his wife. His wife was dragged by a group of robbers, her clothes were disheveled, and he was about to buy his wife to a brothel.Uncle Shitou's wife was still young at that time. She was ten years younger than Uncle Shitou, and she was quite pretty. of.

Uncle Shitou saw all this, touched the stones he had received in recent years and placed them next to him, and watched his wife being pulled further and further away.Although selling stones is not a quick thing to realize, it is not impossible, not to mention that at that time, there were many pawnshops and money houses, and it was much easier to sell these than now.Uncle Shitou watched his wife being pulled away, touched his own stone, and walked towards the opposite place with a heartless heart.

After all, Uncle Shitou did not go to save his wife, but found a small place to live.Later, when the house was demolished, Uncle Shitou had no money to make up the house payment, so he had to live in a utility room with the money from the demolition.After that, Uncle Shitou would still go to collect stones often. Although he lived in the utility room, Uncle Shitou had someone make a shelf specially, and put the boxes containing stones on the shelf in an orderly manner.

Over the years, Uncle Shitou's reputation has gradually spread, and there is an endless stream of people who come to buy stones.But Uncle Shitou drove out all those who wanted to buy stones, and he didn't spare any sympathy.Uncle Shitou has no other sources of income, but barely maintains his income by guarding the gates and cars of the community. But for so many years, no matter how difficult it is, Uncle Shitou has never moved those stones, but just carried them silently.

Until Uncle Shitou was 70 years old, Uncle Shitou's body, like other old people, slowly collapsed.The illness came like a mountain, and Uncle Shitou couldn't take it anymore and was admitted to the hospital. But Uncle Shitou is so poor, how could he have the money to be hospitalized?We can only rely on the help of neighbors and villagers.At the beginning, everyone thought, help this poor old man, and when the old man recovers, or gets better, the money will be returned to them.

But for so many years, Uncle Shitou lived in the utility room, not seeing the sun, damp and cold, and his health has long since failed. This time he fell ill and never got up again.

Before Uncle Shitou died, Uncle Shitou left his only last words.This will is not to help him find that girl, but to bury those stones with him.This request made everyone shake their heads. For so many years, Uncle Shitou has lived frugally and has not forgotten to buy stones. For every stone, the daily maintenance is also not neglected.When everyone thought that Uncle Shitou would distribute these stones to everyone to pay off the debt, Uncle Shitou actually asked to be buried with these stones.Of course everyone is not happy, but there is no way.

Until a leader, when Uncle Shitou was about to be buried, gave everyone an idea, saying that everyone would divide Uncle Shitou’s stones, and then hold a funeral for Uncle Shitou. After the individual proposed it, of course everyone hit it off, divided Uncle Shitou's stones, held a hasty funeral, and went back to their respective homes. ,

But everyone only knows that Uncle Shitou's stones are very valuable, but there is no place to sell them, so they can only be placed in the original brocade box and placed at home as decorations.Later, there was a child of these neighbors who owed a large amount of debts because of excessive gambling. He thought about selling these stones to pay off the debt, so he took out the stones and sold them, but he happened to meet a professional treasure appraisal organization. It is said that these things are national treasures and all have been handed over to the country.

Uncle Shitou has been busy all his life, has touched countless stones, knows the last moment of his life, and still wants to take these stones to be buried with him, and he really deserves the name Uncle Shitou.Facing his wife who never left him when he was down and down, he chose the stone. It is conceivable that it might be a relief for this wife not to be rescued.

(End of this chapter)