019
The Spring Festival is here. The busy streets are bustling with people, everyone is laughing and making noises, and the laughter and joy add an infinite festive atmosphere to the whole city.
In the tunnel under the overpass not far away, curled up was a homeless man with long dirty hair tied into clumps, a dark face, chapped lips, tattered and dirty clothes, and a foul odor all over his body.
Because he was too sloppy, other homeless people nearby didn't want to associate with him. After beating him several times without being able to drive him away, the others finally packed up their things and left, cursing, to find another place to stay.
Apart from the occasional unconscious groan and faint breathing, the quietness in the bridge hole and the hustle and bustle outside are as different as heaven and earth, as if they are two different worlds.
The homeless man struggled to open his eyes. He knew that today was Chinese New Year, and many people would be having a New Year's Eve dinner with family and friends. He hadn't had a full meal in a long time, let alone something as luxurious as a New Year's Eve dinner. He didn't even dare to think too much. If he allowed himself to drift into fantasy, his saliva would flow uncontrollably, and his stomach and brain would frantically urge him to find something to eat, but he no longer had the energy to look for food.
There was half a steamed bun thrown to him by someone in the broken bowl in front of him, but he didn't want to eat it. He wanted to save it for the evening. This might be his only New Year's Eve dinner, and he didn't want to go to bed hungry at night.
The biting cold wind whistled in the bridge hole and then swirled away. The man curled up even tighter. His clothes and pants were too torn. If he pulled them up a little, they could not cover the lower part, and if he pulled them down a little, they could not cover the upper part.
Damn, why is it so cold?
The man struggled for a long time, but in the end it was in vain. The cold wind still crawled up his trouser legs and sleeves all over his body. The coldness eroded his skin bit by bit, and also eroded his will, which was not strong to begin with.
How about just let it be, have a good sleep, maybe everything will be fine after a good sleep, the man comforted himself in his heart.
His heavy eyelids drooped involuntarily, and he allowed himself to fall asleep.
"Hey, have you heard? Today is New Year's Eve. Director Jiang is visiting the children in the welfare home. I heard that she wants to celebrate the New Year with the children in the welfare home."
"Everyone knows that Director Jiang is such a kind man. Not only did he visit the children, he also distributed Spring Festival gift packages for us all over the city. Look, I just got this military coat. Isn't it nice and warm?" The man patted his brand new coat, his pride evident in his words. "There's also a lot of food in the gift package. Hey, we've had a good Spring Festival for many years. I really hope Director Jiang lives a long life so that we can have a good Spring Festival every year from now on."
"Oh, it's really pitiful. She gave birth to a son who is worse than pigs and dogs. At her age, her family is broken up. Others of her age would have children and grandchildren and enjoy the happiness of family life, but she is still running around outside during the New Year."
"You're being too narrow-minded. People have said before that although she lost a son, she will make more children who have lost their homes feel warm. Aren't these her children?"
"But after all, they are not my biological children."
"Well, what does it matter whether they're biological children or not? Look at the one before, he's a biological child, right? He did what a human would do, right? He even dared to murder his own mother, he's worse than an animal. What's hateful is that he used the pretext of mental illness to get away with it. Damn it, he got off easy."
The two homeless men walked forward with their bodies hunched over, rubbing their hands while talking.
"Fuck, it's this damn guy, stealing my territory. Damn, I haven't seen such a shameless person in years. He doesn't even know what first come first served means. I told him to find a place by himself, but he insisted on begging here. He stinks, just like he was just fished out of a cesspool. Who else is like him now? He's really embarrassing us and ruining our reputation. Tsk tsk, look at those pustules and chilblains on his body, so disgusting." He raised his foot and kicked hard, cursing and taking a few steps forward. As he spoke, as if he hadn't vented his anger, he returned and kicked again, "It's New Year's Day, bad luck."
The man woke up as they walked over while talking. He was kicked twice for no reason. Even though he was in so much pain that he was cramping, he didn't dare to resist. There were two of them, and he was hungry and tired. He had no chance of winning if he resisted. He had long been accustomed to this kind of life. It was just a kick.
When the voices faded away completely, he opened his eyes. It was too cold and he couldn't sleep at all.
He thought of his past life, the fine clothes, the luxury houses and cars, the delicacies from land and sea, things that were once as insignificant as air in his eyes, have now become something he dare not even think about.
I don’t know how long it took, the night sky was gradually filled with stars, the street lights lit up one after another, and one or two firecrackers were heard in the distance.
The man listened to the sharp rumbling sounds coming from his stomach, stretched out his stiff and swollen fingers, and took the already cold and hard steamed bun out of the bowl.
He was already extremely hungry, but he did not dare to wolf down the steamed bun, which was not even as big as a child's fist, in just two bites. He licked the bun in small bites, like a rodent.
By the time he picked up the last crumb of steamed bread from the ground and put it into his mouth, his dinner was officially over.
He licked his tasteless fingers with a lingering feeling, then lowered his head and angrily pounded his stomach which was still rumbling like thunder. What a useless thing.
He raised his head, his gaze gazing into the distance through his long, tangled hair. He rarely went out during the day, and when people saw him, they would pinch their noses and look at him with disgust, wishing he would disappear immediately. Sometimes, he would be beaten by passers-by for no reason. He dared not and could not fight back. If he did, they would call the police and report that a madman was wantonly attacking passers-by.
He didn't want to go back to that place.
It was evening now, and he was wondering if he should go out for a walk to see if he could find something to eat.
Didn't the two homeless people during the day say that the Jiang Group was distributing Spring Festival gift packages? There should still be some now and then. If he leads the gift package, he will have new clothes and he can also eat well.
He quickly rejected this idea.
No, you can't go through.
He sat up with difficulty and leaned against the bridge hole. As he moved, his long hair fell on both sides of his cheeks, revealing his weather-beaten face. It was the former pride of the world, Jiang Yuchen.
Jiang Yuchen stared at the brightly lit office building of Jiang Group in a trance. He couldn't go to collect the Jiang Group's New Year gift package because he would be recognized. Not only would they not give it to him, they would also humiliate him. He couldn't go.
The streets became increasingly bustling, and Jiang Yuchen was accompanied only by garbage and rats on the ground, and the occasional cold wind that blew into his humble abode.
An advertisement for the Jiang Group was playing on a huge 3D screen on the street, which was saying how many women and children they had sponsored and how many schools and hospitals they had donated in the past year. Countless children surrounded Jiang Yanyi, happily calling her mother and grandmother.
The sound was so loud that it penetrated through layers of obstacles and reached Jiang Yuchen's ears.
"Mom," Jiang Yuchen stood there in a daze. He had that too once.
Jiang Yuchen's deeply buried memories suddenly burst out.
He stayed in the mental hospital for three years before being released. During these three years, no one visited him, let alone picked him up. It was as if he had been forgotten there.
At first, he tried to escape countless times, but was caught by the powerful nurses every time. Then he was treated, given medication, and taught. He was clearly not sick, but the doctors at the mental hospital said he was seriously ill. They asked him boring questions every day and kept a close watch on him, fearing he would escape.
Gradually, he gave up struggling. He begged every day, begging them to let him see his mother. He said he would be obedient and stop causing trouble. His only wish was to see his mother, even if it was Su Zhao. But they acted like they were listening to a joke, their faces filled with mockery and sneers. They laughed at his wild imagination, his big face, and whether he was truly ill. Why should he see Director Jiang? Why did he think they would condescend to see him?
"Bah, just a poor wretch who has severed her mother-son relationship with Director Jiang and been kicked out."
They spat at him.
The hatred in his heart reached its peak. He was like a tiger in the open and being bullied by a dog. Now any cat or dog dared to bully him.
When he returns, as long as he returns, he will repay the current humiliation tenfold.
He thought so in his heart.
"Hey, look, he dares to glare at me. Look, if you look at me again, damn, I'm giving you face, right? Brothers, come here and get him for me."
At the command, the crowd surrounded him, punching, kicking, and spitting at him. He curled up on the ground, holding his head in his hands, as countless fists and leather shoes fell on him. His head hurt, his back hurt, his legs hurt, and his whole body hurt.
However, the physical pain could not compare to the pain in his heart. By the second year, he had completely faced the reality and knew that he had really been abandoned and that no one would ever visit him again.
After being beaten again, he was locked up in a small dark room, under the pretext of reflection and treatment.
He didn't know how many days and nights he had spent in his dark little room. He only knew that after he was released, he could never look directly into the sun again.
That night, he attempted suicide for the first time. As he lay on the bed letting the blood flow out of his body bit by bit, he thought that maybe this would make his mother soften her heart and come to see him.
When he opened his eyes and saw the white snow, a surge of joy surged in his heart for a moment. He was out, he was finally out.
The next second, the dean ruthlessly shattered his fantasy.
The dean's face still had a smile on it, but the words he spoke made him shudder: "You're lucky this time. If you dare to do it again, we'll make you bleed to death before our eyes. The lady has shown her kindness by hiring the best doctors to treat you. If you dare to cause her trouble again, I'll make you go to see God."
Was he lucky? No, he wasn't lucky at all. Otherwise, why would his mother rather hire the best doctor for him than come to see him? Obviously, she already knew what he had done, didn't she?
This went on day after day, and he no longer remembered how long he had been there. It was so long that he felt he was becoming a real mental patient.
It took him two years to go from being full of expectations at the beginning to being calm and facing the reality.
In the third year, just when he was about to become a complete mental patient, the hospital suddenly kicked him out without any warning.
They declared him cured and he could be discharged from the hospital.
Is he alright? But he wasn't sick in the first place.
He was originally a normal person, but he stayed in a mental hospital for so long that when he came out he was more or less tortured and not normal.
He was not adapted to this society, was not adapted to people's gazes, and was uneasy wherever he went.
He wanted to go back to the mental hospital, but he couldn't.
He was wandering outside, uneducated, hungry and cold.
He secretly ran back to Jiang's house, and was discovered by Butler Liang. He did not see his mother, but only received a bowl of rice and a piece of clothing from Butler Liang.
My mother must still be angry, that's why she doesn't want to see me. But she asked Butler Liang to send me food and clothes, which shows that she still has me as her son in her heart.
He wolfed down his meal, unable to help but explain for Jiang Yanyi in his mind.
As long as I reform and become a good son in my mother's eyes, she will definitely change her mind.
Yes, that's right, that's it.
Jiang Yuchen regained his confidence and decided to cheer up.
After leaving Jiang's house, he went to apply for a job, but when people saw him, they were as shocked as if they saw a ghost. In just twenty minutes, all the companies received the news. No matter where he went, the message he got was always "Sorry, we are full."
He couldn't contact any of his former friends, so he squatted at the company door for several days. He finally waited for a childhood friend to pass by. He rushed to find him, but was knocked to the ground by the bodyguard.
His childhood friend heard the sound, walked over and saw him. Before he could speak, his childhood friend spoke first: "I'm sorry, I won't associate with such a heartless person. He can hurt his own mother, let alone others."
After the people walked away, he stood up from the ground in embarrassment. The gazes of the people around him were like knives, and people pointed at him.
"Oh, that's him, the bastard who killed his mother for the sake of property."
"He used to have a terrible temper. He would fire employees for the slightest problem, and he would take his anger out on his subordinates. He caused many people to be torn apart by their families."
"I heard he's a *** criminal. Ugh, so disgusting."
"Matricide, adultery, domestic violence... Oh my god, all five evils."
"He even used the backdoor. He clearly deserves to go to jail, but he insists on saying he's mentally ill. Bah, rich people are so great."
"I don't know how he still has the nerve to live. If it were me, I would have killed myself long ago."
…
In the end, he didn't find a job, no matter if he used an alias or a fake ID, no matter if he worked in a corporate or small company, no matter if he worked in this city or in other provinces, there was no place for him to stay in the world.
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