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Thick clouds drifted over Nanwan Village, casting a shadow over the night. Behind the big willow tree by the lake emerged two figures, one tall and one short, one fat and one thin. They both looked about fifteen or sixteen years old. The tall, fat one was named Yang Lang, but everyone in the village, except his mom, called him "Moron."
"Xiaobai, we can start now. Liu Changhe took his flashlight and walked away."
"Keep your voice down!"
Still hiding behind the big willow tree, Jiang Xiaobai whispered sharply. He didn't come out until the beam of light in the distance had moved away.
"Give me the fish trap."
"Xiaobai, can't you let me set the fish trap for once?"
Moron reluctantly handed the fish trap to Jiang Xiaobai, mumbling as he did. Despite following Jiang Xiaobai for so long to set traps for catching fish and shrimp, he had always been the one carrying the trap. Jiang Xiaobai never let him do the technical work.
"You can't set a trap for shit! You brainless fool, stay behind the big willow tree and keep watch while I set the trap."
Jiang Xiaobai carried the fish trap down the slope along the lakeshore, quickly sticking it into the water, then nimbly climbed back up the bank.
"Dummy, let's go!"
Feeling light-hearted after finishing the task, Jiang Xiaobai gave Moron a pat. Moron followed him as they headed back to the village.
They hadn't walked far before Moron noticed something was off and asked, "Xiaobai, aren't we going to your house? What are we doing in the village?"
Jiang Xiaobai replied, "We're going to the village for something good."
"Are we going to steal pears from Granny Wang's house?"
Thinking of Granny Wang's big, juicy yellow pears, Moron got very excited.
"I'm going to steal your mom's peaches!" Jiang Xiaobai cursed.
"What does my mom have to do with it?" Moron muttered, realizing he had guessed wrong.
"Moron, did you know that Liu Renchun's son Liu Haibo got married today?" Jiang Xiaobai said.
Moron replied, "Of course I know, the firecrackers were deafening at noon. My mom even went to the banquet, but she didn't take me."
Jiang Xiaobai said, "I went, but didn't get to eat. That old bastard Liu Renchun looked down on me and wouldn't let me eat at their banquet."
"Why wouldn't he let you?" Moron asked curiously.
Jiang Xiaobai laughed, "Because I didn't bring a wedding gift."
As they spoke, the two of them had reached Liu Renchun's house. Moron whispered, "Xiaobai, what are we doing here in the middle of the night?"
Jiang Xiaobai said, "To watch a show."
"What show?" Moron looked around, but it was quiet everywhere.
"You'll find out soon."
They went around to the back of Liu Renchun's house. Liu Haibo's new room was in the northern building, with a window at the back.
The window was quite high. Jiang Xiaobai pressed his ear against the wall and listened, then chuckled and picked up a piece of brick from the ground.
"Moron, squat down and let me sit on your shoulders. You lift me up or I won't be able to see."
Moron, obedient as always, did as Jiang Xiaobai told him without thinking. Jiang Xiaobai sat on Moron's shoulders. Moron slowly stood up, and Jiang Xiaobai finally got to see what he desired—a big bed covered in red bedding shaking vigorously in the new room.
"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, what do you see?"
Moron, below, could only wait anxiously, breathing heavily.
"I'll tell you later. Stand still, don't wobble."
Jiang Xiaobai noticed that the window wasn't closed. He gently opened it, ready to throw the piece of brick inside to scare Liu Haibo, who was in the heat of the moment.
Both Liu Renchun and Liu Haibo had bullied him before. Jiang Xiaobai thought this was his chance to finally get revenge.
"Xiaobai, Xiaobai, is someone sick? Why do I hear groaning sounds? Sometimes my mom makes those sounds at night. When I ask, she says she's sick."
"Stop wobbling! Stand still!"
As Jiang Xiaobai was engrossed in the scene, he forgot to throw the brick. Just then, a loud shout came from inside.
"You little brats, what are you doing!"
Liu Renchun had suddenly appeared, holding a high stool. Moron saw him and was scared stiff. Jiang Xiaobai hadn't had time to climb down before Moron threw him off in fright.
Jiang Xiaobai hit the ground head first, pain shooting stars before his eyes. Liu Renchun didn't chase Moron. He walked over and kicked Jiang Xiaobai senseless.
"You little bastard, I'll teach you not to behave, I'll teach you to peep..."
Moron had run about thirty meters when he heard Jiang Xiaobai's screams behind him. He suddenly stopped, stomped his foot, and ran back.
Liu Renchun was in the middle of beating Jiang Xiaobai and didn't notice Moron returning. He never expected the infamous coward to dare come back.
"Ah—"
Moron shouted as he rammed into Liu Renchun, who was thin and frail. The collision sent Liu Renchun flying and slamming into a tree behind the house, his forehead scraping against the bark.
By the time Liu Renchun came to his senses, Moron had already run off with Jiang Xiaobai in his arms.
"Dad! What's going on?"
Wearing only shorts, Liu Haibo came running out, full of questions.
"Jiang Xiaobai and Moron were peeping at your window. I caught them red-handed."
"Damn it, those little bastards are really bold. Next time I catch them, I'll kick their balls off!" Liu Haibo didn't seem angry, even chuckling.
"I won't spare them!" Liu Renchun gritted his teeth, his jaws clicking.
Moron carried Jiang Xiaobai as fast as he could, feeling Jiang Xiaobai's body growing colder. Reaching Jiang Xiaobai's thatched hut south of the village, he put Jiang Xiaobai on the bed and collapsed onto the floor in exhaustion.
"Blood..."
Moron saw blood on his hands and clothes, almost fainting in fright.
"X-xiaobai..."
Moron stood up and saw Jiang Xiaobai covered in blood, his pillow soaked. He realized Jiang Xiaobai's head was bleeding, and it hadn't stopped.
"Xiaobai, Xiaobai..."
Moron called out a few times but got no response. He touched Jiang Xiaobai's arm, feeling as cold as if he'd touched an ice pop just out of the freezer.
"Dead... Dead?"
Moron raised his trembling hand to check Jiang Xiaobai's breath but felt nothing. He fainted on the spot from fright.
In a daze, Jiang Xiaobai felt his blood draining and his temperature dropping. He wanted to wake up but couldn't.
"Am I going to die?"
Just then, he felt a sudden heat flow into his mind. The heat came from under his pillow, where he remembered placing a dragon-shaped copper ornament his grandfather had given him on his deathbed.
"What is this?"
As the heat continued to flow, strange things appeared in Jiang Xiaobai's mind. A series of words and images flashed before his eyes.
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