Chapter 9 Blood of sin flows in my veins…
Li Jiacong held Li Ai's hand as they walked along the country road. He had recovered from what had just happened and was now hesitant to say anything to Li Ai. He and Li Sheng had entered in time, preventing Li Ai from suffering greater harm. However, the aftereffects of the incident would linger for a long time; it just wasn't manifesting now.
Li Ai shook his hand: "Did I do something wrong? Don't tell Grandma. I'm scared."
Fear was the child's first reaction; she felt she had made a mistake that worried the adults. Li Jiacong squatted down and looked into her eyes: "Don't be afraid. You did nothing wrong. From now on, we need to protect ourselves, not go to places where there are no people, and not talk to strangers."
Li Ai: "My mother said these things, but I know that uncle. He said he would take me to see the wasp nest and that he could remove it, so I went to see it!"
Li Jiacong: "Sometimes, bad people will pretend to be good people and befriend you."
Li Ai: "Then how do you know he's a bad person?"
Li Jiacong was stumped by the question. He was worried that he would push Li Ai into a deeper shadow and make her live in fear from now on. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Many people will hide their true intentions to lie and deceive others, or do certain things. Judging from their behavior, some people have good intentions, while others have bad intentions and are used to hurt others. When you grow up, you will be able to distinguish them yourself, and in the process of growing up, you will have many opportunities to develop this ability to distinguish."
Li Ai nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.
After a pause, Li Jiacong added, "Also, we need to let our parents know about this, let the police know, and let the bad guys be punished!"
…
Li Jiacong used the home phone to call Li Ai's parents, who were working away from home. The next afternoon, Li Ai's mother returned and took Li Ai to the police station. Li Jiacong went along as a witness. There were very few people at the police station, and ahead of them was a fight where the two sides were arguing and the other was making themselves even more seriously injured.
Li Jiacong sat down next to Li Ai, frowning as he looked at the noisy crowd, and said in a low voice, "Do you remember what I said yesterday?"
Li Ai: "I remember."
Li Jiacong: "Do you remember what happened after I went in?"
Li Ai: "It's Li Sheng! Brother Li Sheng, he's fighting with the bad guys. The bad guys have been driven away."
Li Jiacong said with a smile, "If they ask, we can say that I chased the bad guys away, okay?"
Li Ai blinked her big eyes. Soon, the test to test her discernment came. She looked at Li Jiacong, who seemed to be waiting for her correct answer. Li Ai slowly nodded: "Okay."
She could tell a person's intentions by observing their actions. She knew that Jia Cong was going to lie—but his intentions were good.
After taking their statements, the suspect's identity and address were crystal clear, and the police quickly responded. It was late when they returned to the village, and the three of them got off the bus. Li Ai's mother, holding Li Ai's hand, called out to him, "Jia Cong, thank you so much, but about this..."
Li Jiacong: "I won't say."
“Thank you,” said Li Ai’s mother, a seemingly simple woman with a face devoid of color, only etched with anxiety. “You’re a city kid; everyone in the village knows what’s going on. We’re relatives, but… Li Ai is too young. This is too shameful. It’s also my fault for not having time to take care of her; I really haven’t had time…”
Her voice trembled, and as it trembled, tears streamed down her face.
Li Jiacong didn't know how to comfort him; he stood there, looking helpless.
The village was quiet, without streetlights, and the starry sky seemed almost within reach. At the corner, Li Jiacong watched the mother and daughter leave, then turned and saw the small shop in the village center. The light shining from inside illuminated the glass display case, which was filled with all sorts of snacks.
Li Jiacong's gaze gradually deepened. Yesterday, when he heard the phrase "the rapist's offspring," his memory clock was turned back, and the starting point was right here.
He remembered that he had indeed met Li Sheng when he was a child. It was the first time he returned to his hometown that he remembered. His father gave him some pocket money and asked him to take a boy who was about his age to buy things.
The convenience store was crowded; some people were playing cards, others were smoking—men and women alike—and the air was thick with smoke. Li Jiacong reached his money onto the counter, took the candy he wanted, and was waiting when he heard a snap behind him.
Turning around, he saw that the boy he had brought had been beaten, his hand was hit—Li Sheng had touched a woman's arm, and he was caught red-handed.
Whose child is this?
"That courtyard."
"What are you doing, grabbing and groping like that? You little rascal! Why are you acting like this, big kid?"
"Follow your roots."
"Just like his father."
It seemed like someone was trying to persuade her not to scold, saying that she was still a child who didn't understand. Li Jiacong couldn't remember what happened after that, but he knew that after taking the candy, Li Sheng went with him. He shared the candy he bought with Li Sheng because he saw him crying, not like a child crying loudly, but silently.
Li Jiacong probably didn't say anything, because he didn't understand what had happened. After returning home, he sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) wrapped in candy, and heard the adults gossiping in strange and curious tones. Now, Li Jiacong remembered and pieced it together, realizing they were talking about the boy, Li Sheng's, background.
— Li Sheng's father was executed for rape.
Li Sheng was born because of that sin.
It was said to be a home invasion robbery. No valuables were found, but a terrified woman was raped by the perpetrators. In those days, this was a very serious crime. The suspect was arrested and imprisoned, and soon after, he was executed. His body was taken back by his family, wrapped in a straw mat, and buried in the wilderness.
Li Sheng was born that same winter.
The victim was not from this village. After the child was born, the original family wanted to abandon the child, but Li Sheng's grandfather found out, came to the house, and after a struggle, finally took Li Sheng back home.
In the dead of winter, amidst heavy snow, a man who had lost his wife and son, along with a newborn child, barely managed to survive the winter.
Thus, Li Sheng's existence became the most enduring topic of conversation in the village. Almost every year, as Li Sheng grew taller and bigger, he became even more of a topic of discussion.
—His appearance resembled someone else, yet he didn't resemble anyone else. His personality was strange, yet not strange. They were especially curious about who Li Sheng's mother was.
The church built here holds services every Sunday, yet it cannot redeem such murderous tongues. What is it that people truly believe in?
Unconsciously, Li Jiacong arrived at Li Sheng's door, where the lights were already off. He also understood Li Sheng's strange behavior: he dared not enter anyone's room rashly, fearing that he would be seen as having committed some wrongdoing and repeating his past crimes; he also avoided going out shirtless.
The world has shackled him. He didn't marry at the appropriate age, and the girls in the village wouldn't marry someone like him.
He has the blood of evil flowing in his veins.
They hadn't met since the day he left with Li Ai. Now, Li Jiacong desperately wanted to open that door, walk up to him, offer him a cigarette, and lament his pathetic life. However, after standing there for a moment, he went home.
A few days later.
"You smoke, Jia Cong?" His grandmother smelled the smoke in his room.
Li Jiacong lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), taking the book away from his eyes. It was unbearably hot; the electric fan whirred listlessly, barely functioning. It was so hot that he'd been caught smoking. Li Jiacong didn't even bother to explain: "Hmm."
Xiuying: "You're not learning anything good!"
Li Jiacong: "Yes, Grandma, I not only smoke, I also drink. What about Grandpa? I'll have a drink with him tonight."
Xiuying stared wide-eyed: "Are you crazy! I'll tell your dad!"
Li Jiacong sat up: "You're using my dad to scare me again. Don't you care about me? He hits me hard!"
His grandma said, "It's all because you didn't listen to me!"
Li Jiacong sighed deeply: "What brings you here?"
"What could possibly be wrong with me? Look what you're doing! I'm leaving, I don't want to bother you anymore."
"Milk, wait a minute."
His grandma, on the contrary, looked disgusted and said, "What!"
Li Jiacong: "Give me two yuan."
Xiuying clutched her pocket, becoming wary: "What do you need money for? Your dad won't let me give you any."
"Two yuan! Just two yuan!" Li Jiacong said. "I can't even get home with two yuan! Do I have to report using two yuan?"
His grandmother grumbled impatiently a few times, then took out two coins and tossed them to him: "The King of Hell doesn't owe little devils money."
For the first time in his life, Li Jiazong humbly picked up the two yuan he had begged from the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Thank you, my dear grandmother, the beautiful and generous Comrade Xiuying." He took the money and walked past his grandmother.
Ten minutes later, he appeared at Li Sheng's door. After hesitating for two seconds, he reached his hand through the small hole in the door, pulled the door open, and went inside.
Normally, Li Sheng would come out to check on things quickly, but not this time. Li Jiacong entered uninvited into the small room and saw Li Sheng lying on the small bed, shirtless, his neck covered in sweat.
His eyes were closed, and his brows furrowed uneasily, as if he were having a nightmare.
A note from the author:
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