Kindred Spirits in Misery
Zhang Zhuzi cursed as he stormed into the courtyard. Su Li and Bai Lu exchanged a glance as they watched Zhang Zhaocai hobble along on his small, injured leg, and both their moods instantly darkened.
Zhang Zhaocai's downfall had a lot to do with Tang Shi no longer being around.
Su Li sighed, feeling caught in a dilemma. If she hadn't dealt with Tang Shi back then, Silver Bean might not have been saved.
Su Li wasn’t a saint; she had her own selfishness. Between Tang Shi and her own sister, if she could only save one, she would save Silver Bean.
To put it bluntly, if Tang Shi hadn’t pushed Su Li into a corner, she wouldn’t have faced a deadly calamity.
“Madam, it’s all fate,” Bai Lu sighed, shaking her head as she helped Su Li continue walking home.
Su Li was silent for a moment, then said, “Bai Lu, has Zhang Zhaocai signed up for the school?”
Bai Lu thought for a moment and said, “I saw Zhang Zhaocai’s name on the village chief’s roster the other day, so he must have signed up.”
Su Li sighed, “Tell the school to keep a closer eye on that child in private.”
“Yes, Madam,” Bai Lu replied.
Meanwhile, Zhang Zhaocai had been beaten again. Gasping for breath, he ran to the riverbank, washing his broken wounds with the river water while quietly sobbing.
“Mom, where are you? Please come back…” Zhang Zhaocai lay by the river, sobbing bitterly, overwhelmed with despair.
Suddenly, Zhang Zhaocai heard footsteps behind him and a voice called out.
“Son, why are you crying? Are you hungry?”
Zhang Zhaocai was stunned, a surge of wild joy flooding his heart. Could it be that Mom had come back!?
Zhang Zhaocai hurriedly stood up and turned around, only to see Zhao Shi standing behind him, dirty and grimy.
A wave of disappointment washed over him after the brief hope. Zhang Zhaocai’s legs went weak, and he plopped down on the ground, hanging his head low, weakly saying, “I’m not your son.”
But Zhao Shi seemed not to understand. She eagerly came over and tried to reach out to touch Zhang Zhaocai’s head. Seeing her own dirty hands, she hesitated, remembering how her son Su Shimao loved cleanliness. If she touched Su Shimao’s head with dirty hands, he would surely throw a fit.
So, Zhao Shi restrained herself and pulled her hand back, sitting cross-legged opposite Zhang Zhaocai, smiling foolishly with eyes full of affection: “Shimao…”
“I’m not your son Su Shimao, I’m Zhang Zhaocai.” Zhang Zhaocai looked up at Zhao Shi’s crazy, foolish expression, his nose tingling as he sobbed, “Your son is already dead, and my mom... my mom might be dead too... sob sob... Mom...”
“Shimao, eat meat for me, Shimao.” Zhao Shi seemed not to understand what Zhang Zhaocai was saying. She took out a dirty clod of earth from her bosom and offered it to Zhang Zhaocai like a treasure, “Meat, my Shimao eats meat.”
Zhang Zhaocai looked at the clod of earth, hesitated for a moment, then grabbed it in his hand.
Seeing that Zhang Zhaocai acknowledged her, Zhao Shi immediately grinned widely, extremely happy.
Zhang Zhaocai sniffed and said, “Do you not understand what I’m saying?”
Zhao Shi tilted her head and looked at Zhang Zhaocai, only smiling foolishly.
Zhang Zhaocai shook his head, “You really are crazy. Sigh... being crazy isn’t so bad, at least there’s no pain.”
After saying that, Zhang Zhaocai washed his face by the river, and Zhao Shi imitated him, washing her face as well.
After washing off the mud and dirt, Zhao Shi’s original skin was revealed, and like Zhang Zhaocai, her face was bruised and battered from being beaten.
Zhang Zhaocai looked at Zhao Shi and felt a sympathy born of shared suffering. He said, “Did your family beat you too? Was it your husband or your daughter? Sigh, your daughter really isn’t human, so thoughtless to treat you like this. If my mom were crazy, I’d definitely take good care of her. Sigh, if only my mom were still here.”