"Give it back to me!"
Su Mingde lunged forward to grab it, but was kicked in the back of the knee by the short, stocky man, and fell to his knees with a thud.
The hunchbacked man seized the opportunity to strangle him from behind, the stench of body odor mixed with sweat and urine making him gag.
"I've heard that educated comrades are all wealthy?"
The tall, thin man squatted down, his dirty fingers rummaging through Su Mingde's pockets.
"Why is there so little? It's not even enough for us guys to drink."
Su Mingde struggled violently.
"Let me go! You bunch of—"
"Smack!"
A slap made his vision go black.
The short, stocky man grabbed his hair and forced him to look up.
"How dare you talk to my older brother like that?"
The tall, thin man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he pulled a photo out of Su Mingde's shirt pocket.
"Oh my goodness, whose young wife is this? She's so beautiful!"
He licked his lips and sent the photo to his accomplices.
The photo shows Liu Meijuan.
Su Mingde secretly peeled off her two-inch photo from her work ID.
It was passed around by several dirty hands, and the edges were quickly covered with black fingerprints.
Su Mingde's eyes instantly turned red.
"Don't touch her!"
He didn't know where the strength came from, but he suddenly broke free from his restraints and pounced on the tall, thin man.
The two rolled around in a ball, with Su Mingde slapping the other's face like a madman.
But soon, a blow to the back struck him, and he cried out in pain as he released his grip.
The short, stocky man raised his wooden stick to strike again, but was stopped by the tall, thin man.
"etc."
The tall, thin man wiped the blood from his nose and stood up with a sinister smile.
"How can an educated comrade like fighting?"
He suddenly stomped on Su Mingde's hand, grinding his knuckles until they cracked.
"We'll show you something else."
The hunchbacked beggar deftly pulled off Su Mingde's polyester shirt, while the short, stout man unbuckled his belt.
"I heard they all wear polyester underwear? Let us see!"
"Stop! You beasts!"
Su Mingde struggled desperately, but was held down and unable to move.
The icy muddy water soaked through my back, and the water droplets seeping from the top of the bridge arch hit my face like countless tiny fists.
When the last piece of clothing covering his body was torn away, he let out a howl that was not human.
Both the big and small ones were scared out of their wits.
The three beggars suddenly lost interest.
The tall, thin man crumpled his clothes into a ball and tucked them under his armpits, then kicked Su Mingde, who was curled up like a shrimp.
"How unlucky, she acts like a woman."
They walked deeper into the bridge archway, cursing and swearing, and soon the rustling sound of rummaging through their belongings could be heard.
"pen!"
"What's the use of this lousy notebook?"
"Where's your wallet? Is that all the money you have?"
Su Mingde bit his lip hard until he tasted blood.
His glasses, his clothes, and the silk scarf he had saved up for three months to buy for Meijuan—all gone.
After an unknown amount of time, the beggars' commotion gradually subsided.
Su Mingde shakily got up, reached for a tattered straw mat in the corner, and hastily wrapped it around himself.
The barbs on the straw mat pierced his skin, but he felt no pain.
Moonlight streamed in from the other end of the bridge arch, drawing a pale dividing line on the ground, as if separating him from the whole world.
The fishy smell of the river mixed with the stench of urine filled my nostrils.
Su Mingde suddenly remembered a comic book he had read when he was a child, which told the story of a young master who fell into misfortune.
At the time, he thought the protagonist was really stupid, but now he understands that it only takes one night to go from human to ghost.
"Meijuan..."
He murmured to himself in the darkness, and tears finally streamed down his face.
Tomorrow will be the third day, and he promised to bring the betrothal gifts to see her.
Now, let alone two thousand yuan, he can't even come up with two cents.
The sound of dripping water from the top of the bridge arch was like the ticking of a second hand, each drop striking his heart.
Su Mingde curled up even tighter, his body under the straw mat covered with bruises and abrasions.
The most painful spot was in my chest.
It was empty there, as if even its heart had been ripped out.
A few hours later.
Su Mingde was half-asleep when he was woken up by the cold.
The June morning breeze, carrying the fishy smell of the river, rushed into the bridge arch, and his body, curled up in the corner, trembled involuntarily.
The moment he opened his eyes, a sharp pain shot from his temple straight into his brain. He instinctively raised his hand to rub it, only to find that his arm was covered with purplish bruises.
"hiss--"
Su Mingde gasped, as memories flooded back like a tide.
Last night, the three beggars' hideous faces, filthy fingers, grating laughter, and...
He looked down sharply and found that he was only wrapped in a moldy, tattered straw mat; his original white shirt and trousers were nowhere to be seen.
"You beast!"
Su Mingde cursed through gritted teeth.
He struggled to stand up, but his knees buckled and he knelt heavily on the damp, muddy ground.
Dew seeping from the bridge arch dripped onto the back of his neck, its chilling touch penetrating.
The shouts of early morning market vendors drifted from afar, and Su Mingde realized that it was already dawn.
He has to leave this place; he has to find a way...
But he doesn't even have a piece of clothing to cover his body.
Thinking of this, an unprecedented sense of humiliation welled up in his heart. He pounded the ground hard, not even noticing that his knuckles were scraped raw.
"Meijuan..."
Su Mingde muttered to himself, suddenly remembering that today was the third day, the day he had promised to bring the betrothal money to see Liu Meijuan.
But now, he can't even come up with two cents, let alone two thousand yuan.
This thought stabbed at his heart like a knife.
Su Mingde struggled to his feet, the straw mat slipped to the ground, and his naked body was exposed to the morning light, his skin covered with red and swollen marks from mosquito bites and the wounds left from the struggle the night before.
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