Chapter 4

He nearly buried his face in the bowl, devouring the food with a clatter, like autumn winds sweeping away fallen leaves, finishing three bowls in a row, his belly now round and full

A young boy stole several pieces of adult clothing, casually putting them on, and then, under the cover of night, used a ladder to climb over the wall and escape. He quietly hid in a truck that was transporting winter storage cabbage to the city, and thus he was taken to a city.

What am I doing? Wei Qian thought in confusion, beating up such a little brat? How is this any different from that worthless mother of his?

The boy was startled by him and hesitated to take a few steps back

He is merely an outstanding little thug who is so poor that he doesn't even know where to scrounge up the 400 yuan tuition fee for the start of school

Wei Qian was afraid that the little wild children outside had infectious diseases and parasites that could be transmitted to Xiao Bao, so he immediately erupted in anger at his sister, scaring the little girl into crying loudly. He reached out and grabbed the vest on the little brat, tossing him out again as if he were throwing away a rag.

The next day, Wei Qian went out and saw that the little boy was still there. His head was large while his limbs were thin, curled up into a round, plump ball.

Wei Qian, feeling exasperated, lifted her leg and delivered a solid kick to him. The boy was kicked hard enough to feel pain, yet he did not cry out; he merely let out a muffled groan, knelt down on the ground, and reached out his arms to embrace Wei Qian's legs.

Xiao Bao is truly a forgetful person when it comes to punishment but remembers every meal—mainly because Wei Qian has never really hit her. Although he doesn't express it much, in reality, he has never even laid a finger on a single strand of her hair, to the extent that when it comes to being scolded, Comrade Song Xiao Bao simply forgets as soon as she puts her hands down

The boy felt both disappointed and sad, wandering in place for a while, contemplating whether to give up

In the end, Wei Qian sighed, slowly retracted his foot, and walked into the kitchen without saying a word. He hastily prepared a pot of thin noodle soup and placed it in front of the little boy: "Eat up."

He had not yet come to a conclusion when it started to rain, and the boy had no choice but to retreat back into the corridor

This time, her indifferent and bad-tempered elder brother was finally provoked. Wei Qian reached out to grab the boy, but the boy sensed the danger and quickly jumped up to evade, causing Wei Qian's raised hand to swing through the air without making contact.

However, when he came out of the kitchen holding the dishes, he saw Xiao Bao squatting at the door, peering outside and saying: "Brother, he is still looking into our house, why don't you let him in"

Wei Qian sat quietly beside him, waiting for him to finish eating, then began to clear the dishes. He then said to the boy: "You can understand human speech, right? Alright, I know you can understand."

Over the past few months, the little boy, through careful observation and prudent reasoning, has drawn a conclusion with his malnourished brain, which has been undernourished due to age, that this older brother is a good person

"Wretched pup," Wei Qian scolded him

During the hot summer, Wei Qian usually only closes the security door that has a layer of mesh screen, and does not close the main door, in order to allow for ventilation in the room

On that day, while the boy was washing dishes in the icy well water, his fingers became numb from the cold, and he accidentally broke a bowl, which angered his drunken adoptive father.

Anyone who sees it would find it hard to bear, but unfortunately, he happened to encounter someone as cold-hearted as Wei Qian

Wei Qian gently pushed him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, let's leave once we've eaten enough"

The little boy had actually been moving from place to place, but in order to secretly watch this person every day, he had unknowingly been living in this small alley for several months now

However, despite enduring hardships such as sleeping outdoors and experiencing hunger intermittently, he instinctively envies those who have houses to live in and families to call their own

This little brat also knows fear, which gave Wei Qian a strange sense of satisfaction. The chuunibyou boy snorted softly, glanced at the rain outside the window, turned around, and surprisingly let the little boy go.

After a while, Xiaobao said again: "Brother, he often looks into our house."

From then on, he became a little vagrant

This time, Wei Qian was too lazy to even scare her; he simply ignored her, placed the dishes on the dining table, then walked over and slammed the front door shut, completely shutting out those two envious gazes from outside.

A couple of days later, as Wei Qian entered the door, he discovered that Xiao Bao had already brought that little brat into the house

"I cannot afford you," he said, almost exhausting the greatest patience he had ever mustered, "You have looked in the wrong place."

"This can be sold for money." After a long silence, the boy quietly explained, seemingly afraid that Wei Qian would not believe him. He extended his dirty little hand, in the palm of which were two crumpled five-dime bills, "Really, I have sold it before."

Little Bao gently called out at the right moment: "Brother"

Until he met such a unique person

Wei Qian did not understand why this little creature, which seemed always ready for battle, had taken a liking to him, so easily letting down its guard and even clinging to him.

Such an unattended little boy is very easy to target. During this time, the boy narrowly escaped being abducted several times; some attempted to sell him, others tried to make him a thief, and two individuals were discussing selling his organs—he overheard this while sneaking out to urinate in the middle of the night and ran away that very night

Wei Qian remained silent

In the evening, when Wei Qian returned from his part-time job after school, he looked down and saw a small lump in the corner of the wall, and his expression immediately turned unpleasant

A night had passed, and the fire in his heart had diminished by more than half. Wei Qian helplessly lowered his head to look at the small object that had turned into a lump, unsure of what this little creature was really thinking.

The boy felt as if he would freeze to death; finally, he made a decision that was somewhat bold and astonishing for his age—he ran away

The little one has long forgotten the taste of home, yet he cannot have a home, for he is afraid to come into contact with anyone

The boy, for some unknown reason, seemed to be stirred upon hearing these words. After pretending to be mute for over a year, he suddenly spoke to Wei Qian without any forethought. Although his voice was hoarse and sounded nothing like that of a child, and his pronunciation was quite peculiar, Wei Qian still understood what he said. He imitated Xiao Bao and said: "Brother!"

He strode over, intending to throw this troublesome little brat out again. Upon seeing him approach, the small creature, thinking it was about to be beaten, hurriedly retreated to the corner, assuming a defensive posture

Of course, more often than not, this person tends to overlook him.

He was too young when he was stolen, and he no longer remembers the details of the incident. The traffickers kept him for several months before selling him to a very remote farmer's family.

The boy standing at the door was dragging a huge snake-skin bag in his hand, which made a clattering sound. Wei Qian lowered his eyes and glanced, discovering that it was a bag full of bottle caps and pull tabs.

The little boy struggled in his hands, unable to break free, and instead fixed his bright, shiny black eyes on him. Those eyes resembled black stones freshly washed by rain in the mountains, standing out starkly against his dirty, indistinct little face, appearing so wild, yet filled with resentment, disappointment, and a faint plea.

One minute later, the boy walked out of his home for the first time on his own two feet, rather than being violently thrown out.

Since then, the boy seemed superfluous in his adoptive parents' home, and his days deteriorated accordingly

Little Bao, this mischievous child, has finally gained some insight. She never imagined that her older brother, whom she spends every day with, could be so violent. Startled, she let out a loud cry and sobbed, shouting: "Brother!"

Wei Qian was utterly devoid of compassion, resorting to all manner of cruelty towards both cats and dogs. He decisively ignored the boy's pitiful little gaze, too lazy to utter a single word. He turned back to lock the door behind him, bent down, and grabbed the boy's thin, frail arm, dragging him down the stairs. Then, he unceremoniously tossed him onto the overgrown grass and said curtly: "Don't get too cocky, just get lost"

During his wandering life, this was the first time he felt an involuntary desire to connect with others... However, to his disappointment, when he reached out to make contact, that seemingly "good person" did not seem inclined to adopt him

He has lived to such an age, successfully escaping each time, his luck is almost miraculous, and he has become something of an escape expert

The dirty little coal ball, with bleary eyes, lifted its head and immediately perked up upon seeing Wei Qian. It looked at him with a face full of anticipation, resembling a clumsy little calico kitten, its tail tip trembling slightly. It still made an effort to nuzzle closer to his feet, striving to demonstrate its docility and harmlessness, pleading for adoption

He has heard others call him "Qian'er" with a rich local accent. This person helped him chase away the wild dogs and gave him food, but always just threw it down and left, never saying a word to him

A tiny little thing, standing up, looks almost like Xiao Bao. Surely, I can't really go home and take out a kitchen knife to deal with it. Wei Qian stretched out his toes and poked the dumpling under his feet: "Hey, hey, hey, get up, don't sleep here, do you hear me? Our shop hasn't opened yet, what are you sleeping for?"

The boy immediately resembled a wild beast with its fur standing on end, fiercely raising his head, his entire body tensed as if he were ready to charge at her and bite. His fierce gaze startled San Pang Ma, causing her to take a half step back: "Oh dear, this little beggar is insane!"

This little fellow is indeed a child who has been trafficked—Wei Qian is ruthless and sharp-eyed, and he has not misjudged.

This time, Xiao Bao did not dare to open the door. One child stood inside the door, while the other stood outside. Hearing the footsteps, they both raised their heads and looked at him with eager eyes

Little Bao saw a child outside and asked in a childish voice: "Brother, who is that person outside? How embarrassing, not even wearing pants"

Wei Qian's indifference and lack of communication made the boy feel safe, while his occasional acts of generosity brought the boy a rare sense of warmth

Wei Qian nearly tripped over the ragged little dumpling

For two or three days, Wei Qian had not seen the persistent little boy, until the evening of the fourth day, when he dragged his weary body home, calculating how much more tuition he needed, and he saw the little boy again at his doorstep

Wei Qian shook off the dishwater from his hands, crouched down, and aligned his gaze with that of the small creature.

As Wei Qian closed his eyes, he thought to himself: "What the hell is all this!"

The adoptive father stripped him of his clothes and made him stand in the freezing courtyard in the middle of winter, where the dripping water had turned to ice

The mother of the chubby boy, fearing trouble, cast a wary glance at the little boy, quickly used the key left by Wei Qian to unlock the door, and hurriedly stepped inside the house.

The boy did not want to appear too unambitious, but unfortunately, this bowl of food was like a long-awaited rain after a drought for him. As soon as he caught a whiff of the aroma, the words "ambition" joyfully abandoned him and eloped together.

The little boy took a long time to get up, looking up at the dilapidated cylindrical building that seemed very tall to him. After a moment, he lowered his head, his bare little toes entangled with one another, feeling extremely disappointed

Fortunately, it is summer; if it were winter, spending a night outdoors in the northern winter could freeze the little boy to death

But is he?

Wei Qian's foot, which he had lifted up in preparation to stomp down fiercely, suddenly became immobile

Wei Qian walked over and stood at the door, fiercely shouting at the boy: "Get away from me!"

This is nothing; being a son is being a son, regardless of to whom one belongs. He also enjoyed two years of being an only child

It is unfortunate that the girl is extroverted. Song Xiaobao, this little girl, is simply not worth anything. Just two days after her diaper was removed, she has already learned to bend her elbow outward.

He secretly sneaked onto trains, continuously changing cities, encountering all kinds of people. Occasionally, someone would attempt to speak with him, but he pretended to be mute and quickly found a way to escape. Among them, there might have been genuinely kind-hearted individuals, but unfortunately, the boy dared not let down his guard—being sold off in bulk was one thing, but he feared even more those who intended to cut open his belly and sell his body parts one by one.

Who would have thought that in the third year, his adoptive mother, who had been determined by the village doctor to be infertile, miraculously became pregnant. A year later, she gave birth to a healthy and robust little boy

Wei Qian said: "Mind your own business and stop meddling."

Not three days had passed when she brought that little cub back again

Let him in? Wei Qianxin thought, if he were a millionaire, he would be willing to raise ten or eight of such little brats, making them line up every morning to take attendance and count off.

The boy had remnants of vegetable soup around his mouth, and his star-like eyes were fixed on the youth before him

Wei Qian felt that he radiated an aura of revenge against society, devoid of the Buddha's light or the grace of the Infinite Celestial Sovereign. In retrospect, it seemed he had never offered the other party a pleasant expression.

The boy fell into the wild grass, watching helplessly as he walked away like a villain without looking back

In the eyes of the little boy, there seem to be only two types of people in the world: one type despises him for being dirty, avoiding him from a distance and even throwing stones to hit him; the other type treats him kindly on the surface, yet secretly wishes to sell him.

The heavy rain did not stop until the evening. At noon, San Pang's mother came downstairs once to help Xiao Bao heat up his meal. Upon seeing the little boy curled up in the hallway, she was taken aback and bent down to examine him closely: "Oh, whose child is this?"