“You say all that, but you did it for me and your two sips of piss, we both know it!”

Liu Shi snorted. “You and Er Ge only cared about escaping, leaving the tools and traps on the mountain! If the eldest brother were here, he wouldn’t have forgotten, and even if he did, he could have gone back to get them. What if they’re lost? That’s all money!”

Many villagers went to the mountain last night, some staying too long and attacked by wolves. They survived but were terrified. No one dared to go back, not even Old Meng.

Wei Sannian hissed in pain. “The eldest brother’s been dead for years! Why mention him! They won’t be lost! I’ll get them myself when my waist heals!”

Liu Shi scoffed, You’ll go yourself? You don’t have the guts!

Wei Cheng woke up on the third day.

His body ached, his mouth dry. He sat up, helped by Mo. “Qi, Cheng’s awake!”

“Awake? Good.”

Qi entered, placing medicine packets on a cabinet. He examined Wei Cheng’s face and pulse, sighing. “Your pulse is weak, you’ve lost blood, your organs are out of balance. You’ve been unconscious for days, it scared us. You need to rest.”

Wei Cheng had herbs on his forehead, his eyes dark, his lips pale. He grabbed Qi’s sleeve, coughing. “Uncle Qi, Guan Guan… Guan Guan…”

“Cheng, don’t worry.”

Mo said, “Guan Guan? The child you rescued?”

Wei Cheng’s eyes reddened. “Yes, where is he? Was he beaten by Wei Sannian…?” killed.

“He wasn’t beaten. The village head let Wang Zhuangzi adopt him.” Mo continued, “Zhuangzi’s family is poor, but honest. I heard Zheng Shi took the child to buy tofu. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good.”

Wei Cheng relaxed, his voice choked. “That’s good.”

He tried to get out of bed. “I want to see him.”

Mo urged, “Your injuries aren’t healed. Rest at the Wei family, then go. The child is in the village.”

“I want to see him, and let him see me.”

Wei Cheng whispered, “He saw me get beaten, he must be scared and worried.”

Mo thought, A four or five-year-old wouldn’t understand worry. He’s with the Wangs, probably forgetting Wei Cheng.

Wei Cheng put on his shoes, looking troubled. “Uncle Qi, the medicine…”

“The money’s been paid.”

Mo explained how the village head demanded payment from the Wei family. Qi understood, giving Wei Cheng his medicine and twenty cash.

Wei Cheng accepted it, knowing the Wei family wouldn’t give him anything. “Thank you, Uncles.”

Wei Cheng went to Wang’s house, knocking. No one answered.

Wei Cheng cleared his throat. “Uncle Zhuangzi, are you home!”

His voice was weak.

A crack appeared in the door, revealing Wang Zhuangzi. “Cheng? You’re here? Are you better?”

“Yes, Uncle Zhuangzi, I want to see Guan Guan…”

“He’s asleep.” Wang Zhuangzi sighed. “His mother put him to sleep after breakfast. Come back another day.”

Wei Cheng felt disappointed. “Tell Guan Guan I came. I’ll come tomorrow.”

Wang Zhuangzi’s eyes flickered. “Tomorrow won’t work. His mother is taking him to her relatives tomorrow…”

Wei Cheng said, “Then I’ll come the day after tomorrow.”

Wang Zhuangzi almost couldn’t contain his smile. This troublesome kid!

Wang Zhuangzi went inside, Zheng Shi rushing over. “What’s wrong? Did Wei Cheng come for the child?” She was anxious and afraid of their plan being discovered.

“We can’t delay.”

Wang Zhuangzi said grimly, “Get rid of him after the New Year.”

Zheng Shi patted her chest. The New Year was only two days away.

“Father, Mother… he pushed me…”

Ange ran to Zheng Shi, crying. “Sister helped him…”

They hadn’t heard Wei Cheng calling, but Ange did, running out, grabbed by Zheng Shi and locked in the small room with his sister.

Pingjie said, “Ange wanted to grab the clay pot, but he has wooden toys!”

Zheng Shi slapped her. “He’s not your brother, only Ange is!”

Pingjie cried.

Ange cried, “Mother, I want the clay pot!”

Zheng Shi was annoyed. She’d secretly examined the pot; it was just a common clay pot. Ange wanted it, and she tried to take it, only to be bitten.

Zheng Shi’s hand bled. “Little beast! You dared to bite me!” She pinched Guan Guan’s face and arm.

Wang Zhuangzi pulled her away. “Don’t hurt him, it’ll be hard to sell him…”

Guan Guan hid in the corner, his face and arm burning, quietly sobbing. “Bad people… bad people…”

They wouldn’t let him see his brother and pinched him.

“Bad people? Who fed you these days!”

Zheng Shi took her children out, scolding, “No food for him today! Let him starve!”

They only gave Guan Guan soup and bread on the first day. Seeing him hide food, Zheng Shi only gave him a small piece of bread the next two days and nothing today.

Wang Zhuangzi said nothing, locking the small room in front of Guan Guan.

The room was cold and small. Guan Guan huddled in the corner.

He didn’t like it here. He wanted his brother.

But he couldn’t go to his brother; his brother would be beaten.

Ange’s happy laughter and the sound of chopsticks echoed outside…

Guan Guan wiped his tears. He wouldn’t be hungry when he slept. He wouldn’t eat their food again.

He would leave with his clay pot tomorrow.

At night, Guan Guan woke up cold. He heard groans and splashing sounds.

Zheng Shi crawled in, sweating, clutching her stomach, vomiting. “Zhuangzi, quickly, get the herbalist. I… I’m dying.”

She had another stomach cramp and diarrhea.

Wang Zhuangzi was also ill, having been to the toilet many times. He was exhausted.

Ange was also vomiting and feverish. Only Pingjie was fine.

Even in pain, Wang Zhuangzi got the key to let Guan Guan out, fearing discovery.

Pingjie opened the lock. “Brother? Come out.”

Guan Guan covered his nose. “Smelly.”

Except for Pingjie and the paralyzed grandmother, the Wang family was ill.

The commotion alarmed the neighbors. They almost fainted from the smell. What had the Wangs eaten?

The Wang family’s plight alarmed the village head.

Dawn broke, the dilapidated house filled with gossiping women, some in coats, some in slippers, craning their necks to look inside. It was winter, not summer or autumn when food spoiled quickly. What had the Wangs eaten?

Wang Zhuangzi and Zheng Shi, after a night of suffering and two bowls of medicine, lay on the kang, groaning. Ange, after a dose of medicine, stopped vomiting and was sleeping with Pingjie and the grandmother.

The small room was open, revealing Guan Guan huddled in the corner, clutching his clay pot, seemingly asleep, ignoring the groans and the gossiping villagers. He looked like a small, wronged child.

The Wangs lay in the main room, the village head and herbalist standing with the gossiping women. The small room was cramped. No one paid attention to Guan Guan, thinking he was being filial, worried about his parents.

Li Maode looked at Guan Guan, noticing he seemed thinner.

He suspected something, looking at the couple. “What did you eat last night? Why are you suffering like this?”

Zheng Shi groaned, “Cabbage and bread, and… several roasted ground beans.”

“Pingjie and the baby didn’t eat?” The village head frowned.

Zheng Shi sweated, unable to speak. Wang Zhuangzi, in as much pain, quickly said, “They ate, but less. We ate more, that’s why…”

“Village Head, look.”

The herbalist showed some ground beans. “These beans were eaten by rats, there’s rat droppings and babies inside.”

A woman exclaimed, “Could the Wang family have gotten the plague?”

The plague caused vomiting, diarrhea, and sores. It was common in times of famine. Maoxi Village hadn’t seen it in thirty years.

Wang Zhuangzi panicked, trying to sit up, his face pale. “No, we just ate bad food, not the plague!”

Some women retreated, shouting, “Don’t spread it to us!”

The government had posted notices—any plague outbreak must be reported. Villagers remembered stories of a village ravaged by flood and plague, burned down shortly after reporting it.

“Quiet!”

Li Maode looked at the herbalist, worried. “What’s wrong with the Wangs?”

“It’s not the plague.”

The herbalist said, “I’ve seen plague descriptions in my father’s books. The Wangs’ symptoms are different. They’ve stopped vomiting and diarrhea, no fever or chills, only abdominal pain.”

“It’s strange.”

The herbalist was puzzled. “The medicine should have stopped the pain…”

Li Maode was relieved. He glared at the women. “The Wangs don’t have the plague. Anyone spreading rumors will be reported!”

The women felt embarrassed, whispering, “Then why are the Wangs sick? Ange got better, Pingjie and the baby are fine? Maybe they offended a god!”

Wang Zhuangzi and Zheng Shi felt uneasy. Pingjie ate a lot, and Ange’s leftovers, yet only she was fine. Only Pingjie was kind to the baby?

They exchanged a look.

The baby is cursed!

We can’t keep him!

We need to get rid of him!

Zheng Shi shouted, “Kindness unreturned! We adopted a child and got punished!”

The villagers were startled. The village head frowned. “Zheng Shi, don’t blame a child!”

“The child is cursed!”

Wang Zhuangzi trembled, his lips pale. “Those who helped him are punished. Look at Wei Cheng, and look at us! We won’t keep him!”

The women pulled Guan Guan out.

Wei Cheng woke up early, still worried about Guan Guan.

Zhuangzi said he was taking the children to his relatives, so Wei Cheng waited at Wang’s house.

Frost covered the branches, the ground icy. Wei Cheng left the woodshed, his eyelashes frosted. He hurried towards the gate, hearing Liu Shi’s cry, “Mother, Er Ge, help! Sannian’s waist and legs are paralyzed!”

Wei Cheng stopped. The Wei family had been busy yesterday, leaving him alone.

Wei Cheng ignored them and left.

Wei Sannian’s paralysis had nothing to do with him.

He was only eight, couldn’t fight Wei Ernian and Wei Sannian, but he was vengeful.

Wei Cheng saw villagers hurrying towards Wang’s house, whispering.

“Cheng! Cheng!”

Wei Cheng stopped. Two boys ran to him.

“Cheng, are you okay? We just returned from my uncle’s birthday, and Quan said you were beaten by Wei Sannian!”

It was Ma Doumiao, almost his age, a childhood friend.

After his father’s death, they lost contact. Only Doumiao and Quan visited him.

Ma Doumiao saw the herbs on Wei Cheng’s head. “Cheng! Why did Wei Sannian beat you like this? Let’s find the village head, or my father!”

Wei Cheng told Doumiao about Guan Guan. Doumiao was furious. “Why beat him? If my father were here, he’d beat Wei Sannian!”

Ma Doumiao’s father was a butcher.

“But Cheng did something wrong.”

Quan whispered, “You shouldn’t bring a strange child home.”

“Guan Guan isn’t a strange child! He’s being cared for by the Wangs! He has a father and mother!”

Wei Cheng yelled at his friends for the first time.

“Cheng, you don’t know! The Wangs said they won’t keep him!”

Quan said, “My grandmother said the Wangs are sick, only the baby is fine. They say it’s the baby’s fault. Fang Wen’s mother said meeting the baby brings bad luck, so Fang Wen can’t play with you…”

Wei Cheng’s face darkened, running towards Wang’s house.

Ma Doumiao wanted to follow but Quan stopped him. “Doumiao, don’t go, you might get bad luck!”

Quan watched them run, shrugging. He preferred playing with Fang Wen, a future official.

Wei Cheng arrived to see women pulling Guan Guan, who was clutching his pot, enduring their shoves and spit.

“Speak, where are you from?”

“Village Head, this child is cursed, he can’t stay in the village!”

“Who will take care of him? It’s harmful!”

“Don’t touch him!”

Wei Cheng pushed through the crowd, pulling Guan Guan behind him, protective. “No one can touch him!”

“Brother.”

Wei Cheng felt Guan Guan’s grip on his clothes. “Brother.”

Wei Cheng looked down. Guan Guan’s eyes were filled with tears. He cried, “Brother…”