Chapter 2

During this period, both San Pang's mother and Ma Zi's mother have helped him quite a bit

Wei Qian scoffed, believing that she was talking nonsense. If she had known that such a day would come, she should not have gone out to indulge in debauchery, should not have taken drugs, and should not have dressed up like a monster to work in a nightclub for a few dollars and out of curiosity.

Humans and dogs, at this moment and in this place, are essentially the same—just as some people wear suits and have good houses and cars, some dogs receive regular grooming and are sleek and shiny. Yet, there are also some people and dogs destined to struggle and fight for laughable and tragic reasons on a narrow path filled with garbage, bleeding and sweating.

Wei Qian's mother was abruptly awakened from the happiest life of her existence, and the anguish in her heart was beyond the comprehension of others. No matter how hard she tried, she could not come to terms with it or adapt, and thus, she naturally fell back into her old ways, returning to her former life. Eventually, she even escalated her actions—she began using drugs.

Little Bao, at eleven months old, is still a chubby little ball wearing split-crotch pants. Just when she had learned to take a couple of steps on her own, her father was gone

In that brief moment of opportunity, the wild dog seized it. Seeing its opponent distracted for a moment, it immediately pounced forward. The cub, having been chased and cornered for a long time, reacted with remarkable agility, leaping aside to evade the attack. Consequently, the wild dog inadvertently pounced right at the feet of the young Wei Qian.

One must always repay what they owe after mingling in the world

I truly only gave her a gentle push—who would have known that in the next second she would be unable to continue

That year, Wei Qian was not yet thirteen years old, still a green youth, just in the second year of junior high school, accompanied by a little sister who was dragging two streams of nasal mucus—Xiao Bao, five years old, who understood nothing and could only stand by, blankly watching her older brother and mother

After her mother died, all her belongings were burned by Wei Qian in a single fire—she ultimately succumbed to AIDS, contracted through a needle.

His reading seems to be just a matter of course, working odd jobs and living a carefree life, yet none of this has affected his grades, for school is his only connection to "the future," "hope," and "a decent life," which he desperately wants to grasp

Wei Qian gave a flick, but finding it impossible to shake off this dead dog, he forcefully stepped on the wild dog's belly with his foot. He then picked up a brick from the side and struck fiercely at the head of this heroic dog. After one blow, the hero loosened his grip; after two blows, the hero's head was shattered and bleeding, completely turning into a ghostly figure.

Later, her addiction escalated uncontrollably, and she began to tremble as she administered muscle injections to herself

She first accompanied the guests in smoking white powder, and after finishing, they would engage in a clouded haze of intimacy. When the guests were pleased, they would stuff tips into her bra and panties, and she relied on these fleeting moments to escape the powerless reality she could not resist.

Wei Qianleng exhibited the woman's corpse in his home for two days, to the point that it began to decompose, and he had not yet figured out how to dispose of it

The remaining money from the funeral arrangements was left to Wei Qian and his sister Xiao Bao. Wei Qian rummaged through and sold some of the jewelry left by the woman. These items were originally the woman's life... No, they were more precious than life.

Wei Qian lived in a state of exhaustion, the heavy pressures of life suddenly weighed him down to the point where he could not lift his head. If adults struggle to bear it, one cannot expect a child like him to endure.

However, before it could be implemented, Wei Qian's mother and a few of her friends found their way to their home, demonstrating with facts that even Qin Hui had a few friends to rely on

Wei Qian quickly retracted his foot, narrowly avoiding the bite

The high school entrance examination concluded after three days. On the final day, Wei Qian submitted his exam paper and rode his bicycle home

The wild dog is thin and emaciated, yet it is not small in size, with eyes glowing red. It is uncertain whether it carries rabies, but surviving during the vigorous dog culling campaign in the city suggests that it is indeed a remarkable dog among its kind

She should be like countless little girls resembling cranes, wearing a school uniform that may not fit perfectly, with a silly fringe neatly arranged on her forehead, sitting upright in the classroom listening to the teacher explain analytic geometry, ... and then get admitted to a university, work, get married, or remain single ... . ... Regardless, she should live like a respectable person.

This is a maxim used by petty delinquents to show off, and it is also the last words left by that woman for the Wei Qian siblings

For a period of time, Wei Qian secretly hid a small knife. Every night when he went to bed, he would hold the knife in one hand and cuddle Xiao Bao in the other. When he saw the knife, he thought about rushing out to kill his mother, but when he looked at Xiao Bao, he had to restrain his thoughts, lie back down, and gently pat her back to soothe the little one who was about to wake up.

Such a small creature, it is hard to understand how it has survived, even being bullied by wild dogs. When Wei Qian passed by, the little cub was confronting a dog in a narrow alley—over half a can of beef stew that someone had thrown away.

In that case, she might live to be ninety years old and witness her grandson getting married and having children

San Pang's mother is not like Ma Zi's mother, who dares to be angry but cannot speak out. Sometimes, she cannot bear to watch and is filled with righteous indignation, almost wanting to spit in Wei Qian's mother's face, yet ultimately refrains from doing so

Originally, Wei Qian did not intend to pay any attention to it. For such little brats, one could always see one or two every month. They were born by accident, survived by accident, and did not have the fortune of both parents. After a while, they would almost certainly die. However, just as Wei Qian glanced over, the little brat, who was still entangled in its human-dog affection, happened to look up and meet his gaze.

This beast, with red eyes, emitted a huffing sound from its nostrils, as if in a frenzy, unable to distinguish friend from foe, barking wildly at an innocent bystander who was merely passing by, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth

His death was quite brutal, a traffic accident—at the time, he was walking home after finishing his night shift in complete darkness. Along the way, he thought to take a shortcut since there was no one around, so he rode his bicycle onto the motor vehicle lane. As soon as he got on, he was struck by a truck and was thrown several meters away.

Every day when he goes to school, he takes Xiao Bao to either San Pang's house on the upper floor or to Ma Zi's house, entrusting either San Pang's mother or Ma Zi's mother to take care of him for the day, and then picks Xiao Bao up again in the evening after school

Others also wipe away their tears, stand tall, and live just like anyone else

Finally, Wei Qian decided to choose an auspicious day to roll up the corpse with a straw mat and directly throw it into the garbage heap, allowing it to decompose and return to nature on its own

Wei Qian was extremely angry. If it weren't for her "who knows," he might have already been reborn as a rich second generation or a bureaucrat's second generation in this life, and perhaps he would now be living a glamorous life!

When Wei Qian's mother was on her deathbed, she looked just like a monster. Her entire body had shriveled down to a mere skeleton, her hair was almost completely gone, her face was severely deformed, and her eyes, which were already larger than average, bulged out. Her skin was covered in large areas of decay, showing no trace of youth or beauty, resembling a filthy and foul-smelling toad.

During that period, Wei Qian's home had many needles. To prevent Xiao Bao from seeing them and putting them in his mouth, Wei Qian had to clean the house three to four times a day, collecting and disposing of any needles he found.

Thus, the troubled adolescent, filled with worries, became agitated and kicked the wild dog. Having grown up with delinquents, he was accustomed to fighting, and this kick was not light; it sent the large dog crashing against the wall. The wild dog, however, remained relentless and bit down on Wei Qian's shoe—fortunately, this pair of shoes was a found plastic pair. Although they were hard and not breathable, they were sturdy enough to withstand the bite.

He lives like a dog, yet he still has the mood to be entangled in such philosophical questions; perhaps he is destined to be a remarkable person in the future

This is actually nothing, there are so many families of orphans and widows around the world—such as the family of the man who sells fried dough sticks every morning.

The little creature has slender hands and feet, with a gaunt frame, which makes its head appear large. It is slightly taller than the little treasure, but not by much, perhaps about the same size as her.

In her sorrow, she seemed to have concluded that her life was more bitter than that of the bitter herb, and she no longer wished to live. Consequently, she intensified her efforts to feign death, in which she possessed a remarkable talent and extensive experience, truly excelling in the art of dying.

He also has a little sister, a living being, a person, who shares the same unfortunate fate as him, born into such a family. He is the elder brother and must take responsibility to raise her.

He was wearing an adult-sized "two-pole beam" vest, with nothing on below and no shoes. The vest was covered in all sorts of stains and debris, resembling a vibrant tapestry of the nation's landscapes. He was rummaging through a pile of garbage next to a small alley, searching for something to eat.

San Pang and Ma Zi are both his childhood friends. San Pang's family is urban and vulgar, while Ma Zi and her mother are both inept and incapable of achieving anything significant. Their neighbors are not high-society individuals; however, these urban and vulgar neighbors are warm-hearted. Even the weak and silent little people are willing to help him as long as he speaks up.

Later on, Wei Qian even dared not leave Song Xiaobao alone at home

However, Wei Qian quickly discovered in horror that his beautiful and kind "mother" had overnight transformed into a damn wicked stepmother

With this meager savings, Wei Qian managed to live a life supporting a small dependent, struggling through more than a year, and he graduated from junior high school.

Yet he did not want to show any emotions; he believed he should hate this woman, considering any feelings he had for her as weak and contemptible. Therefore, Wei Qian forced himself to think this way—she deserved it

Wei Qian commanded himself to recall his hellish life over the past five years, and with his deepest indifference, he asked her: "Bitch, why did you bring us into this world?"

Her precious son had long been displeased with them; as soon as she closed her eyes, she immediately sold them off.

Together with the person in the car, they were beaten, and they were never able to recover.

Wei Qian was contemplating how to resolve the issue of tuition fees in the event that he was admitted to high school. He had no intention of paying attention to it and was about to leave when, unexpectedly, he did not know what this beast was thinking, as it suddenly lowered its head and bit at his ankle.

Different fates for the same kind, and different fates for the same dog

She was convulsing all over, her eyes wide open like ping pong balls, and then she gasped for a full five minutes, her breathing resembling that of a deflated bellows, having endured a blood-curdling ordeal, before finally managing to pull off the braid.

The place where the dead sleep is more expensive than that of the living, and even if he sold his two siblings, he still could not afford a plot of land for a grave—let alone the fact that Wei Qian was not even planning to pay for the crematorium—his mother was already dead, and the dead can always make do, but he has to live, he has to pay tuition, and he still has to support his sister

Wei Qian calmly accepted this fact; he knew that she had actually wanted to die for a long time

Later on, Wei Qian's mother finally passed away, living up to everyone's expectations

Wei Qian realized that he had finally escaped from this madwoman and would never see her again, yet he felt an uncontrollable sadness in his heart, as if he could see countless moments of life and time rushing past him in a blur, and he had not even had the chance to catch a whiff of the exhaust, everything had already vanished into thin air

Even if she is exceptionally dull and fails at everything she learns, at the very least she can work as a nanny, take on odd jobs, or sell breakfast items

At that time, Wei Qian was around thirteen or fourteen years old, having lost both his father and mother, and was left with a younger sister who could only sniffle. Despite performing excellently in exams, gaining admission did not guarantee attendance, and his situation was dire. A child raised in such circumstances, if he does not develop a cynical view of the world, would be quite unusual—because that would imply he is too good at acting, and he might very well become a highly intelligent antisocial individual in the future

Yet she refuses to do so; she chooses to be a lazy and mad woman, wasting her beauty that is as fresh as a flower

Wei Qian lives each day in a state of anxiety, as he has to attend school, find ways to earn money, take care of his little sister who cannot even speak, and also guard against the volatile woman who could explode at any moment

This is nothing; Wei Qian knew she wouldn't dare, because although San Pang's mother was poor and aggressive, she was after all a respectable woman. Respectable women do not easily provoke promiscuous women, just as decent people do not easily provoke hoodlums and ruffians.

They pooled their money together to arrange her funeral, which can be considered as sending her off. One woman told Wei Qian that she was born in an undignified manner, and it should not be that she dies in such an undignified way

He gently pushed her on the shoulder and cursed, "Go to hell."

The toad, on the brink of death, spoke kindly. She glanced at her two children with almost tender eyes and calmly said: "Alas, when one lives a life of indulgence, one must eventually pay the price. I have known that this day would come long ago"

The woman, with a look of confusion, pondered for half a day and replied, "Who knows?"

The Wei Qian family has once again found themselves in a situation of being orphaned and left with only widows.

Hamlet grappled with a long-standing question: "To be or not to be." Wei Qian, too, wrestled with an even more prolonged dilemma from his childhood: "To kill his mother or not to kill her."

Along the way, Wei Qian bought several steamed buns, parked the car in a shabby bicycle shed built with a large number of tube buildings, and while carrying his things home, he saw that little brat