An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

After entering the courtyard, Cheng Rui asked his brother to stand behind him, and he went forward and knocked on the door of the room where the lights had just been turned off.

He moved very gently, fearing to disturb the people in the house, but at the same time he was expecting that the door would open for them.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Before the knock on the door, there were rustling sounds in the room, and even one or two whispered conversations, but with the knock on the door, all the sounds inside stopped abruptly.

The people in the house were so frightened by the sudden knock on the door that they dared not make a sound, and the whole courtyard fell into dead silence in an instant.

In the vegetable patch, the caterpillars that had been nibbling at the heart of the vegetables raised their heads, as if startled by the noise. Only the croaking of frogs and the chirping of insects could be heard from the edge of the field and the woods, further emphasizing the quietness of the courtyard.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Is anyone in the room?" Cheng Rui paused for a long time, but still no one answered. He was a little disappointed, but unwilling to give up, so he placed his hopes on his brother.

Cheng Zhi's voice was filled with pleading, and his tone was even more childish: "Fellow countryman, we are scholars from Xunyang City, and we want to go to Jian'an City. It's too late to get here today. Could you please let us stay here for one night?"

There was still no sound in the room.

After a long while, Chengzhi sat down on a long stone by the door, groaned with fatigue, and said, "Brother, let's just sit here for one night. We can't get a hotel in the city now, so it's better to stay here safely." There was a hint of helplessness and fatigue in his voice.

"Okay, under this eaves, at least we won't be bitten by the frost. It's better than sleeping on the streets." Cheng Rui also sat next to his brother. The two snuggled together, looking at the sky with only a few scattered stars, and did not speak for a long time.

Even though they were wearing padded jackets underneath their long gowns, they still felt the biting cold wind. They sat there for a long time, unable to close their eyes, their anxiety quietly spreading in the darkness.

"Squeak!"

Finally, the sound of a door opening was heard. In the quiet of the night, the sound was particularly clear, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.

The two brothers didn't stand up, but simply turned sideways to look toward the door. In the faint starlight, they saw an old man in his sixties, hunched over, leaning his head out and looking in their direction. It was so dark that each could only see the other's shadowy figure.

"Grandpa!" Chengzhi, who was near the door, stood up slowly first and greeted him in a low voice, but he didn't dare to get too close to the old man for fear that he would be frightened.

Cheng Rui also stood behind his younger brother, called out "Grandpa" in a low voice, bowed his hands, and said repeatedly: "Sorry to disturb your rest. If it is inconvenient for you, old man, we will leave immediately." His voice was very sincere, and he pretended to say that he could leave immediately, for fear of causing any inconvenience to the old man.

The old man didn't answer them, but turned to the inner room and said, "They are not Japanese, just two big children." His voice was low and hoarse, as if he had experienced too many vicissitudes of life.

"Oh!" an old woman's voice came from inside the house. After a rustling sound, a light appeared in the room. Another step was heard, and the old woman was holding an oil lamp. The dim light swayed in the darkness, illuminating her wrinkled face.

The old man took the oil lamp and shone it on the brothers' faces, examining them carefully from head to toe, as if to confirm their identities. He asked, "Did your things get stolen?" There was a hint of doubt in his voice, but more of scrutiny.

The two brothers were stunned for a moment, and Chengzhi nodded first, as if he understood what the old man meant. They had not intended to do this when they left, so they had not thought of carrying a package and disguising themselves.

The old lady also looked at them carefully, and finally saw that they were huddled together. Their old robes seemed quite thin. She sighed and said, "Poor you, come in." There was a bit of pity in her voice, as if she saw her own children and grandchildren.

Chengzhi thanked them repeatedly, and Chengrui felt a little embarrassed and said, "It's so late, I'm bothering grandpa and grandma." They were full of gratitude, but also felt that they had caused them trouble.

The old man said, "Have you eaten yet? No, I still have two sweet potatoes, but they're a little cold." His voice remained cold, and he didn't even answer them directly. But Cheng Rui and Cheng Zhi knew that the old man and the old woman had clearly taken pity on them and had opened the door out of kindness, even wanting to share their food with them.

Cheng Rui: "I ate on the way, so I'm not hungry! Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma." He smiled slightly, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

The house was not big. Apart from two wooden beds pushed together and two old boxes stacked together at the head of the beds, there was not even a stool in the room. It was very poor.

In the corner of the house were a number of things: baskets, dustpans, bamboo baskets—these things the farmers used for themselves, arranged in a rather messy manner. At the very edge was a small pile of sweet potatoes, which seemed to be the family's winter rations.

The old man approached one of the beds, picked up an old piece of clothing from the headboard, and placed it on the other bed. Then, pointing to his own bed, he said to the two brothers, "We're poor. If you don't mind, you two can share this bed for one night." His voice was a little apologetic, but more of a sense of helplessness.

Chengzhi looked at his brother hesitantly. Chengrui didn't move immediately, not because he was disgusted, but because he felt that their sudden intrusion was like a cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest. The two stood there awkwardly, feeling very embarrassed. Chengrui even wanted to say: They can just sleep on the floor.

The old lady said, "I know you are not used to it, but being indoors can keep out the wind, which is better than being cold outside. It's late at night, and we have to go to bed. If you can't sleep, you can go to bed and cover yourself with a blanket to keep warm. Lighting a lamp consumes too much oil, and we can't afford it." Her voice was a little tired, but also kind.

After the old lady finished speaking, she climbed onto the inside of the bed.

When the old man saw that the two brothers finally sat down on the edge of the bed, he blew out the light, stuffed the oil lamp under the bed, and sat down and climbed onto the bed.

In the darkness, the cabin returned to peace, and only the two brothers' hearts were filled with warmth and gratitude.

Although the two had other purposes, on this cold night, the old man and the old woman kindly took them in, making it less difficult and making them feel warm in their hearts.