…
The nights in late autumn were exceptionally cold, so cold that even wrapped in thick straw one could not help shivering. When he woke up early, several children were still sleeping. Chen He's face was a little red, and when he touched his forehead it felt like it was hot, but he just turned over and walked out of the dilapidated temple as usual.
Aqi found the job of pouring night incense from Old Man Wang in the west of the city. The old man had no children and had a distant cousin who worked in the government office. It was because of this relationship that he got the job.
Every day, Aqi helped Old Man Wang pour out the night incense, and he could have a full meal in return, and he also received eight copper coins every month.
Aqi cherishes the kindness of others towards him. He goes out early every day and comes back late at night. He often brings back the food given to him by Old Man Wang and shares it with them. Even though the old man knows about it, he never asks about it. Instead, he would give Aqi an extra bowl from time to time.
When Chen He found him, Old Man Wang was also injured.
When he heard him asking about Aqi's body, Old Man Wang said, "It should be in the mass grave. Everything in Beijing is expensive. Even a dry well is not something we can afford to die in. People pass by that alley from time to time. It would be easiest to throw the body in the mass grave."
Chen He turned and left without saying anything, but Old Man Wang called him.
"Child, everyone is born with a destiny. Aqi has a bad destiny. Don't try to hit a stone with an egg."
Chen He turned his head and grinned when he heard this: "What are you talking about? Eggs are laid in nests. I am at best a piece of mud in the wild."
…
The mass grave outside the city was easy to find. Graves could be seen everywhere in that place where even ghosts wouldn't want to go. Those who were lucky could even have a place to be buried in the ground. Those who were unlucky, like Aqi, didn't even have a straw mat. When Chen He found him, part of his leg was missing. He guessed that it must have been bitten by a wild dog.
Chen He carefully dug a hole and buried the skinny little man in it. He then found a piece of wood and stuck it on top. He wanted to write "Aqi's Tomb" but remembered that he couldn't write. In the end, he had to pull out the wood again and pull some weeds to bury in the protruding pile of earth.
Chen He looked at the ordinary earthen bag.
"No one will come to burn paper or incense for you anyway, so I won't leave this tombstone here. Take care of yourself and don't let stray dogs dig up your grave. I'm leaving now."
He paused.
"Please bless me. If I can live to be rich, I will buy you a new grave in the future."
…
Two days later, the youngest son of the wealthy Zhang family in the west of the city died in the alley behind a brothel. Not only was he beaten to death with sticks in a miserable manner, but one of his legs was also chopped off after his death.
After the Zhang family reported the case to the police, they investigated but found nothing. Young Master Zhang was arrogant and domineering and had caused a lot of trouble. Many people were at odds with him, and no one saw the person who committed the crime that night.
The authorities investigated but found no evidence or clues, so they just dropped the case.
The master of the Zhang family went crazy. Not only did he beat to death the servants serving his youngest son, he also declared that if anyone could find out who killed his son, he would reward him with three hundred taels of silver!
When Chen He returned to the dilapidated temple at night, he realized something was wrong. This dilapidated temple had long been uninhabitable. It could not shelter from the rain or the wind. Even some adult beggars who could make a living were unwilling to come here on weekdays. Only children like him who were young and could not get the territory gave it shelter.
But now there were many more footprints and even traces of wheel tracks on the muddy ground after the rain, and the temple, which used to be bustling with bonfires at night, was now too quiet.
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