This acquaintance wasn't Old Wang Ba, who often squatted in the alleyway scamming people, but Wang Tiezhu, a schoolmate from Lin Huayu's school.
Wang Tiezhu squatted by the wall with a piece of tattered, floral cloth spread out in front of him. The cloth was covered with a variety of small toys, all made of straw, such as little horses, pigs, and sheep. The materials were inexpensive, but the craftsmanship was exquisite, and the toys looked lifelike. In this little alley, they were quite eye-catching.
Wang Tiezhu himself seemed to shrink back, squatting by the wall, not daring to raise his head to make eye contact with the passersby, only looking down at his own feet.
The sneakers on his feet had several holes, and bits of his toes were showing through. He tried desperately to pull back his feet to cover the holes, but his pants were ill-fitting with very short legs, failing to cover the holes and only making his entire appearance look even more destitute.
