“Sis, he wants more. Isn’t it disgusting for such a big guy?” Chen Zhiyi rolled his eyes as he watched Wangyou holding up his empty bowl, staring eagerly at the pot, and muttered under his breath.
Even though he knew the man had truly lost his mind, seeing a tall, handsome young man looking at his sister with such pure dependence still made him feel uncomfortable all over.
Chen Zhiwei ignored her brother’s sour remark and ladled another half bowl of soy milk for Wangyou. “Drink slowly, don’t burn yourself,” she said gently.
Wangyou immediately beamed, holding the bowl and sipping little by little, looking as satisfied as a cat that had stolen cream.
Chen Zhiyi grew even more annoyed.
He finished his porridge, pushed his bowl aside, and said, “Sis, I’m going to study!” Then he went straight into his room, as if staying another second would be unbearable.
After finishing the last sip of soy milk, Wangyou followed Chen Zhiwei around as she cleared the dishes. “Sis, I’ll help.”
“It’s getting late. I’ll do it today—tomorrow, you can help in the daytime,” she replied softly.
Early the next morning, Chen Zhiwei got up to prepare to go to town. She quietly made breakfast and kept it warm in the pot.
Before leaving, she instructed Madam Mei, “Grandma Mei, I’m going to town to take care of something. I’ll be back before noon. When Wangyou wakes up, keep an eye on him—don’t let him leave the yard.”
“Alright, don’t worry. I’ll watch him,” Madam Mei replied.
Not long after Chen Zhiwei left, Wangyou woke up. After eating, he wandered around the courtyard. The sunlight was bright, and the laughter of children outside the gate tempted him. He quietly walked over and peeked through the crack.
Madam Mei was busy in the back and didn’t notice for a moment. Wangyou pushed at the gate—it wasn’t fully latched. He managed to open it and ran outside.
Several children were playing on the village road. When they suddenly saw a tall but blank-faced young man they had never seen before walking out of Chen Zhiwei’s house, they all froze.
A boy named Tiedan bravely asked, “Hey! Who are you? Why did you come out of Sister Zhiwei’s house?”
Wangyou looked at them, a little scared and a little curious. He shrank back slightly, saying nothing.
Another child shouted, “Is he an idiot? Look at him!”
The children burst into laughter and began circling him, jeering, “Big dummy! Big dummy!”
Surrounded, Wangyou grew frightened and wanted to go home, but the children blocked his way. His eyes reddened, and he stammered, “Sis… go home…”
Tiedan found it amusing and picked up a clod of dirt, throwing it at him. “Dummy! Big dummy!”
The dirt hit Wangyou—it didn’t hurt, but the shock and humiliation overwhelmed him. With the mind of a child, he instinctively bent down, picked up a larger clod, and hurled it back at Tiedan.
His strength far exceeded that of a child. The clod struck Tiedan squarely on the nose—blood immediately gushed out.
The children were terrified and scattered, crying as they ran: “The idiot hit someone! There’s a crazy idiot at Chen Zhiwei’s house hitting people!”
The cries alarmed the adults.
Tiedan’s mother rushed out first. Seeing her son covered in blood and hearing that a strange “idiot” from Chen Zhiwei’s house had hit him, she exploded in rage:
“Damn it! Where did Chen Zhiwei get this wild man—and he dares to hit people?! I’ll fight you!”
Her shouting drew neighbors from all sides. Seeing the crying Tiedan and Wangyou standing there trembling, tears streaming down his face, confusion written all over him, the crowd erupted in discussion.
“Who is this man? Why is he in Zhiwei girl’s house?”
“Never seen him before! Something’s not right—is he simple-minded?”
“Oh my! An unmarried girl hiding a man at home? What kind of behavior is that?”
“And he hit someone! So heavy-handed! What if he goes mad someday?”
The accusations and gossip frightened Wangyou so much that he shook uncontrollably. Surrounded by angry and contemptuous faces, he curled up instinctively, sobbing the only word that gave him comfort:
“Sis… sis… scared…”
Madam Mei was sweating anxiously, trying to rush forward to pull him back, but Tiedan’s furious mother and several other women blocked her.
“Old Mei, don’t protect him! We’ll wait for Chen Zhiwei to come back and give an explanation!”
“That’s right! You think you can hide after hurting someone? No way!”
“This idiot has no control—today he hits a child, tomorrow he might kill someone! He must be driven out of the village!”
Wang Shi and Liao Jinfeng from the old Chen family squeezed into the crowd. When they realized Chen Zhiwei was the target, they immediately became energized.
Liao Jinfeng raised her voice sharply, loud enough to pierce ears:
“Everyone, look and listen! Is this something a girl not even fourteen should be doing? Back then you all supported her splitting from the family—now look! She’s ruined the morals of Chen Village! A girl with no self-respect, bringing all sorts of questionable men into her home! And now? Disaster!”
She pointed at Wangyou, spitting as she spoke:
“This unknown wild man—and a violent idiot at that! Keeping him here is a disaster! He must be driven out today! And Chen Zhiwei too—our Chen family cannot bear such shame!”
Wang Shi joined in, beating her chest dramatically:
“What a sin! Our Chen family accumulated virtue for generations—how did we end up with someone so shameless? If this spreads, how will girls in our village find husbands? How will young men marry? She’ll ruin the entire village’s reputation! Where are the clan head and the village chief? This must be dealt with!”
Their coordinated performance successfully escalated the issue—from a simple fight to a matter of “moral corruption” and “threat to the community.”
Some villagers who had only been watching began to change their expressions. Indeed, an unmarried girl keeping a strange man at home was already questionable.
And now he had hurt someone. What if he really went mad someday?
More and more people looked at Wangyou with disgust and fear.
“Drive him out! He must be driven out!”
“That’s right! We can’t keep such a danger in the village!”
“Chen Zhiwei must be disciplined too! This is outrageous!”
The crowd grew increasingly agitated. Some hot-headed young men even began rolling up their sleeves, ready to drag Wangyou away.
Terrified, Wangyou trembled violently, tears pouring down. He suddenly pushed through the crowd, ran back into the house, and bolted the door—refusing to open it no matter how hard they knocked.
“Open the door! You hit someone and ran?!”
“Open up, or we’ll tear the door down!”
“Damn it—what did you just throw at me?!” one man shouted angrily, suddenly drenched in something foul-smelling.