Xia Er (Little Shrimp)

Old Chang stayed up at Five Miles Slope. Facing west of Five Miles Slope you could see the high and low hills, a stream lay on the east of where Old Chang lived. The stream flowed down to the big sea. The people that lived in Five Miles Slope were mostly farmers. Occassionally they would fish in the sea too. The vegetables that they grown, they would sell them on the streets. The fishes that they caught, they would bring and sell them in the market.
No rain for two months, Old Chang's vegetables were dead; the water in the stream was drying up. Old Chang got no vegetables to sell. He brought Xia Er along to the sea to catch some fish, at the end of the day they caught only one little fish. Old Chang got no vegetables and fishes to sell. The family of three got nothing to eat. Xia Er's mother was sick and how to survive the days to come. Xia Er said to his mother and father:" you sell me away and I can work for people doing manual labour."Old Chang got no choice and brought Xia Er to the street to sell him off. Old Chang cried and shouted:"selling child! selling child!"
At this time two men walked up to Old Chang and Xia Er. One of them was very tall called "Gao Da Niu"(tall big bull); the other one was plump and had hairy chest. He was called "Mao pang zi".(hairy plump) Both of them carrying big knifes. They looked at Xia Er from top to bottom and decided to buy him. On their way up they ate and drank. They did not look like good people.

This is the first part of the story (To be continued........)

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Translated from a children's chinese book :虾儿(Xia Er)