Chapter 10: Li Jing

“Mom! I’m home,” Li Jing said as if leading a little puppy, pulling me along to her house.

Although Li Jing’s mother was only in her forties, her hair had turned quite gray, and deep lines creased her forehead, giving her a weathered, world-weary appearance.

“Xiao Jing... who is this? A classmate of yours?”

“No, Mom,” Li Jing tugged at my arm and said, “Mom, I just caught this kid by the moat. He was sneaking around suspiciously—I think he’s been fishing with electricity.”

“Fishing with electricity?” Li Jing’s mother looked at me curiously. “Young man, are you one of those electric fishermen?”

I hurriedly explained it was all a misunderstanding—I was not involved in any illegal fishing.

Li Jing’s mother gave me a kindly look, shaking her head with a smile. “I don’t think this young man is an electric fisherman. Xiao Jing, you’ve made a mistake this time. You even brought him home—go apologize to him right away.”

Later, I understood why Li Jing was so determined to catch illegal fishers.

It was because the Shunde Forestry Bureau had placed a bounty. At that time, the Yangtze River’s ecosystem was severely damaged, and species like the Chinese sturgeon and the Yangtze finless porpoise were on the brink of extinction. The authorities had taken a firm stand to protect the inland water environment, and this campaign had extended to Shunde as well.

Anyone who caught a person using electric shock or explosives for fishing could claim a reward from the Forestry Bureau—five hundred yuan for catching a single offender.

That’s why Li Jing clung to me—she thought I was an electric fisherman and wanted to turn me in to the Forestry Bureau to collect the reward...

Because her family was short on money.

Under her mother’s stern insistence, Li Jing reluctantly apologized to me. “Classmate, I’m sorry.”

Li Jing’s mother was warm and hospitable. To show their regret, they invited me to stay for lunch.

It was nearly two in the afternoon, and I was quite hungry, so I agreed.

For lunch, they served plain rice and three simple dishes: scrambled eggs with chives, stir-fried zucchini and green beans, and a cold lotus root salad. The home-cooked dishes were authentic and delicious.

I ate quietly, spooning the rice from my bowl, while Li Jing eyed me coldly. Occasionally, she would bang her chopsticks hard against her porcelain bowl, deliberately making a loud noise that caused her mother to frown repeatedly.

She was clearly annoyed that I was eating her family’s eggs.

Li Jing’s mother scolded her, “Xiao Jing, how can you be so rude? What did this classmate do to you?”

Li Jing bit the tip of her chopsticks and pouted. “Nothing, but I just don’t like the look of this guy.”

That made me angry too.

Though I was born into a humble family with no one to care for me, I had a strong sense of pride.

I put down my chopsticks, stood up, and prepared to take my leave.

“No one cares about your family’s eggs anyway,” I thought angrily.

But just as I reached the door, a group of six or seven men blocked my way.

They were all young men in their twenties or thirties, some carrying paint buckets, others holding sticks.

“Where’s Li Dequan? Li Dequan, come out now!”

“If you don’t come out, I’ll kill your wife and kids!”

They looked terrifying. I had never seen such a scene before and was instantly paralyzed with fear. Li Jing and her mother were no better off, their faces pale.

One man carrying a paint bucket entered the house. Seeing the food on the table, he sneered coldly.

“Damn, fancy eating eggs! You have money for eggs but don’t pay me back?”

“I’m letting you eat!” The man lifted the paint bucket and dumped red paint all over the table.

The acrid smell of paint filled the air as the dishes were slathered in red. Li Jing’s mother looked frightened, and Li Jing kept her head down without a word.

“Heh heh...” the man laughed. “Eating eggs, huh? No money, huh?”

He poked the paint-covered scrambled eggs with his stick and shoved the plate toward Li Jing.

“Eat it. Eggs taste good, right? If you eat this plate, we’ll leave. Ha ha.” The others laughed in agreement.

“What are you doing!” I couldn’t stand it. “This is bullying!”

“Oh?” The man looked at me with a grin. “Brother, who do you think you are?”

Taking a deep breath, I said, “I’m Li Jing’s classmate. If you cause trouble, I’ll call the police!”

“Call the police?” Laughter erupted all around.

“Debts must be paid! You little brat dare to call the cops?”

He swung the stick hard toward my head.

I raised my arms instinctively to block it, but was too slow. The stick struck my head solidly.

I felt something sticky and reached up to touch my head—it was bleeding from the wound.

The world spun wildly before my eyes.

“Stop hitting him!”

“I’ll eat it! I’ll eat it!” Li Jing, who had kept her head down, suddenly looked up, eyes red, shouting loudly.

Her mother wiped away tears.

Li Jing grabbed the paint-covered eggs and stuffed them into her mouth...

But the paint’s acrid smell made her gag and she spat it out.

“Haha, no good! Eat it all! I said all of it! Are you deaf?”

Li Jing grabbed the eggs again and forced them into her mouth.

Five minutes later, the plate was empty.

“Heh, interesting. Today wasn’t a waste after all. We got a good show. And tell Li Dequan, when we come back, if he still doesn’t have the money, things won’t be so simple.”

With that, the men left, grumbling and cursing.

My head was bleeding badly and lying on the floor was agonizing.

“Are you alright?” Li Jing cautiously helped me up, wiping paint from her lips.

Her mother fetched some gauze and bandaged my head. I rested on their bed for over an hour before feeling better.

“I’m so sorry you got hurt, classmate,” Li Jing’s mother said, full of guilt.

“Auntie, who were those men?” I asked, still aching.

“My father’s business failed, and he owes them a huge debt,” Li Jing explained.

“Business failed? How much does he owe?”

“Ah...” Li Jing’s mother shook her head, “Fifty thousand yuan…”

“Fifty thousand!I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.