In the dark of night, in a place called Hejia Village, a slender young man was walking through the streets and alleys, carrying a lantern in one hand and a gong in the other, striking the gong to announce the time.
The young man's surname was He, his given name Cong. It was said that when he was not yet born, his mother passed away due to illness. It was a coincidence that during the autopsy, he was taken out from the female corpse.
Because of this, the people in the village called He Cong "coffin boy."
Interestingly, after He Cong was born, he was adopted by relatives, but within a few years, his relatives passed away one after another.
Since then, the people in the village became even more wary of He Cong. Even if they met him during the day, they would shout bad luck, and some would even go out of their way to avoid him when they saw him coming from a distance.
He Cong spent most of his childhood squatting outside the house of the family who raised dogs in the village.
He ate whatever the big yellow dog in the village ate, living a life of hardships, sometimes with a meal, sometimes without.
Some time ago, the night watchman in the government office retired. This job has been unpopular since ancient times, and the government could not find a replacement. Finally, the job fell to He Cong.
With the meager salary from the night watch, he no longer had to compete with dogs for food, and his life became much more stable.
After the fifth watch, He Cong, who had been busy all night, put down his tools and, disregarding the dirt on the ground, sat down on the ground.
He leaned against the wall like this, looking up at the sky. When the sun rose in the east, he shook himself awake, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.
Today is his eighteenth birthday, and it will also be a good day for his change of luck.
According to the village rules of Hejia Village, any man who reaches the age of eighteen can receive an acre of land in the village.
Nowadays, agriculture is emphasized over commerce, and with this acre of land, his life will improve in the future.
He stood up and, like a local, walked through several alleys to a large house.
This was the house of the village chief. At this moment, the village chief was standing at the door, surrounded by villagers. In front of them, there was a stage with a troupe performing, sometimes swallowing long swords, sometimes breaking big stones with their chests. Whenever it was exciting, it would draw applause and cheers from the crowd.
He Cong was fascinated and unconsciously took a few steps forward, blending into the crowd.
From time to time, someone would see He Cong, the coffin boy, and avoid him with disdain. Several strong men in the village even rolled up their sleeves and started to push and shove He Cong, wanting to drive him away.
In the midst of the pushing and pulling, He Cong couldn't avoid a punch from one of the men hitting his chest. He staggered back several steps, coincidentally bumping into the stage, which was temporarily constructed of bamboo and wood and was already shaky.
At this moment, the troupe on the stage was performing a high-difficulty act of stacking Luohans. The unstable stage caused several people to fall from a height, but fortunately, they were all from the troupe and were extremely agile, rolling and dissipating the force upon landing, so there were no serious injuries.
The village chief's face sank to the extreme. Today, he had a happy event in his house and had spent a lot of money to invite a troupe from the city to liven up the atmosphere, but he was disturbed by this coffin boy.
He stared coldly at He Cong and asked, "You, coffin boy, wherever you go, trouble follows. What are you doing here?"
He Cong looked around at the chaos and thought to himself, could it be that he really was a star of ill omen in their eyes?
Although he felt guilty, he did not forget the purpose of his visit. He immediately said, "Village chief, I didn't mean to come here. Today is my eighteenth birthday. According to the village rules, any man who reaches the age of eighteen can receive an acre of land in the village. Once I receive the land, I will leave immediately."
The village chief heard this and sneered in his heart, intending to make things difficult for He Cong. He said, "Receive land? What land do you think you're entitled to? According to the village rules, only villagers of Hejia Village can receive land. You, coffin boy, are not a member of our Hejia Village, so naturally, you cannot receive land!"
He Cong replied, "Why wouldn't I be considered? I was born in Hejia Village, grew up in Hejia Village, and my surname is also He. Naturally, I am a member of Hejia Village."
The village chief gave a cold smile, turned to sweep his eyes over the surrounding villagers, and asked, "Can anyone here testify that this coffin boy is a member of our Hejia Village?"
He Cong also looked at the villagers. After a while, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"So, you have always treated me as an outsider. No, I think in your eyes, I may not even be as good as the big yellow dog in the village." He Cong paused and continued, "Since that's the case, then I will sue to the county government and let the magistrate come to judge!"
With that, he turned away in disappointment and walked towards the county government office.
The village chief heard this and was not afraid at all. He followed behind He Cong, as did the other villagers, wanting to join in the fun.
The county government office was not far from the village, only a few miles away.
When He Cong arrived at the drum tower, he knocked hard on the drum. After a while, the officials and soldiers led him into the courtroom, with the village chief also as the defendant.
In the courtroom, the magistrate saw that the person beating the drum was He Cong, the coffin boy, and asked in a deep voice, "Coffin boy, why are you beating the drum?"
He Cong knelt down and replied, "This humble one wants to accuse the village chief of Hejia Village of unfair treatment. This humble one is a member of Hejia Village. According to the village rules, when one reaches the age of eighteen, one should receive an acre of land. However, the village chief refuses to give me the land. I ask the magistrate to be fair!"
The magistrate looked at the village chief and asked, "Village chief of Hejia Village, is this true?"
The village chief replied, "Your Honor, this coffin boy keeps saying he is a member of our Hejia Village, but he cannot provide any evidence. As the village chief, I am just acting according to the rules. If anyone can falsely claim to be a member of our Hejia Village and come to ask for land, wouldn't our Hejia Village be in chaos?"
The magistrate nodded, then turned to He Cong and asked, "Coffin boy, you say you are a member of Hejia Village. Do you have any evidence?"
He Cong was momentarily speechless, unsure how to respond.
After a moment of silence, he replied uncertainly, "There is a family genealogy in the village, which might prove my identity if brought here."
"Heh, coffin boy, you still want to look up the He family genealogy? Fine, I'll put an end to your delusion!" With a sneer, the village chief took out a yellowed booklet from his bosom and handed it over, saying, "Judge, please examine the genealogy. Does it contain the name He Cong?"
The magistrate opened the genealogy and found no mention of He Cong. He immediately slammed the table and said coldly, "Coffin boy, how dare you falsely accuse the village chief and deceive this official! Guards, take him away and give him fifty lashes as a punishment!"
He Cong cried out in injustice, but the magistrate on the high platform ignored him, waving his hand to summon two bailiffs to drag He Cong away.
After the flogging, He Cong was already feeling despondent. He limped out of the county government office, only to run into the village chief again. The village chief spat in his face and said, "Still want to get land? You'd better go back to being a night watchman! Haha!"
With that, he kicked He Cong's buttocks, causing him pain. He Cong wanted to retaliate, but the village chief had already left. He could only sigh with a heart full of grievances.