HLLY Chapter 15

The lieutenant had no choice but to bend down as well. “A girl was beaten to death last night. Some people said they saw Captain Wang’s son in contact with her.”

Jiang Huan wiped the water stains from Shen Shanwu’s lips with his thumb, his dark eyes slightly turning. “Contact? Was there a conflict?”

“There wasn’t a conflict. It seems that the boy even gave her something. Originally, Captain Wang came over this morning, chatting and laughing with us, but before long, the person in charge of the rest station came over. After they exchanged a few words, Captain Wang’s expression changed drastically. I didn’t dare to press him for more details when he was in such a bad mood.”

As if to confirm the vice captain’s words, just as he finished speaking, a loud reprimand from Captain Wang erupted from the direction of the Cobra team.

Shen Shanwu quickly perked up his ears to listen. The shouts were mostly filled with meaningless accusations like “Look at what you’ve done.” However, regarding the specific reasons, Shen Shanwu had already gathered a rough understanding from various sources of information.

Jiang Huan nodded at the lieutenant, but the next second he suddenly looked at Jiang Tong, his eyes deep as a chasm. “You seem to be lost in thought; it seems you know something.”

“Ah?” Shen Shanwu was taken aback for a moment, secretly surprised by Jiang Huan’s keen observation. The lieutenant made a sound of realization, suddenly clenched his fist, and knocked on his palm. “Right! Jiang Tong, didn’t you and Captain Wang’s son have a long chat after brushing your teeth last night? What did you two talk about?”

“Um…” Shen Shanwu pondered for a long time, mainly thinking about how to fabricate a response, which compelled the lieutenant to impatiently urge him.

“Yesterday, we argued about who the real victim was: the boy who stole or the pregnant girl. He felt sympathy for the latter was unwarranted, while I thought both were pitiable.”

As Shen Shanwu spoke, the lieutenant straightened up thoughtfully. After a moment, he lowered his voice and said to Jiang Huan, “Could it be that the boy, feeling soft-hearted, brought those girls something to eat? In this situation, he really might have meant well but ended up causing trouble…”

“…” Jiang Huan rubbed Shen Shanwu’s hair and softly said, “Compassion is a very luxurious thing. It’s beautiful, but it can easily harm both oneself and others.”

This phrase sounds a bit familiar. Shen Shanwu furrowed his brow, recalling a time when Jiang Huan had wanted to save someone but ended up indirectly causing their tragic death, almost putting himself in danger as well. Had he used this very phrase to educate him? Was this a case of learning on the spot?

Just before getting into the car, Shen Shanwu spotted the members of the Cobra team. They were lined up in an orderly fashion to board the vehicle. Among the crowd, Wang Yanyan was carrying a huge military backpack, his head slightly bowed and looking dejected.

He still looked robust, with no new injuries visible, so it seemed that Captain Wang hadn’t lashed out and beaten the boy in his anger. However, Wang Yanyan’s eyes were swollen like two walnuts. He noticed Shen Shanwu, who still appeared relaxed, carrying nothing and doing nothing, but Wang Yanyan no longer had his previous arrogance. He wouldn’t question Shen Shanwu about why he was so inconsiderate or why he didn’t help the adults with their worries.

It was he who was inconsiderate; it was he who caused trouble for the adults.

After parting ways unhappily with Shen Shanwu last night, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Retreating just made him feel more cheated. Every time he recalled the spoiled little young master’s pretentious words, he felt even more infuriated, so much so that he could do sit-ups with great vigor.

Isn’t it obvious who the real victim is? Why did he have to advise against feeling compassion? I am different from him; I absolutely cannot become someone like him!

Wang Yanyan thought this and suddenly jumped up from the ground. While the adults weren’t paying attention, he secretly pulled out two pieces of compressed food from his backpack, wrapped them in paper, and lied that he was going to the bathroom. He then ran over to where the women were “recruiting customers” and boldly handed the food to two little girls—whom he considered the real victims.

The girls looked at him in surprise, even hesitant to reach out and take the food. Their astonishment stemmed from two points: first, Wang Yanyan was so small, yet he knew how to play the game, and he was actually trying to buy two at once—could he handle that?

Secondly, the two pieces of compressed food were incredibly precious. Spending such a significant amount to buy food for them made them worry they might not be able to afford enough for themselves later.

The adult women nearby were quite envious, though they didn’t show it directly. In their minds, these little girls had been flirtatious from a young age; they knew how to sell their sorrow and, after becoming pregnant, were aware that their appearance could easily evoke pity from others, so they didn’t bother to hide their bellies. These women endured the same suffering, both selling their dignity, yet the younger ones always seemed to gain more benefits.

One of the women sarcastically remarked, “Little brother, you’re so young; you must be buying this for some other adult, right? Offering such a high price, it must be some kind of bloody scheme. Those little sisters might not even be able to handle it.”

Wang Yanyan didn’t quite understand. He was just thinking about how he had done a good deed. He waved his hand dismissively and said, “I didn’t buy them; the food is a gift for them.”

Having said that, he patted his ass and ran off.

He remembered his father once teaching him to do good deeds anonymously. Delighted, he kept this matter a secret, thinking that if his father happened to find out about his kindness someday, he would surely praise him.

But he could never have imagined that one of the girls would end up dead because of him.

Among the girls who received the food, one was perceptive and more thoughtful. Noticing the unkind looks from others, she immediately shared the food. The other girl was more “stingy,” reluctant to give any away, and unwilling to eat it herself. Instead, she tucked the food into her clothes, planning to save it for when she was really hungry later. However, in the middle of the night, someone coveted her food and tried to snatch it away. She refused to let go, and as a result, she was brutally beaten to death.

In fact, there were many people around her. In the cramped residential area where the displaced lived, the space was so small that everyone heard the girl’s cries for help and her agonizing screams, yet no one was willing to lend a hand.

Some were timid and afraid of trouble, some didn’t want to bring disaster upon themselves, and others simply took pleasure in the misfortune of others…

When Wang Yanyan learned about this from his father, his mind buzzed, and his face turned pale. Captain Wang angrily asked him why he had suddenly given away his own rations when he had clearly warned him against doing so. Wang Yanyan, with a blank expression, recounted what had happened the night before. When he reached the part about Jiang Tong saying, “If you don’t have enough capability, don’t casually talk about compassion and pity,” Wang Yanyan stumbled over his words, but Captain Wang immediately understood.

For a moment, Captain Wang’s feelings were quite complicated. He had previously thought that Jiang Huan spoiled his child too much, unwilling to let Jiang Tong suffer. However, he realized that Jiang Huan had started by teaching Jiang Tong the most complex and difficult concepts. Such intricacies of human emotion were something a child could never analyze on their own; it could only be broken down and explained by Jiang Huan piece by piece.

Yet, Captain Wang felt that Wang Yanyan was not ready to face such realities too early. He focused on toughening Wang Yanyan’s physique and teaching him good qualities, instilling in him a sense of justice and kindness, but he had also “spoiled” him in other respects.

He hoped that Wang Yanyan could remain pure and upright forever, just as Zhang Xiaowen said—life in the apocalypse was already tough enough; why should children have to bear such complex burdens?

Looking at Jiang Tong now, Captain Wang truly admired Jiang Huan’s teaching methods. A ten-year-old child understood so much, and it didn’t seem superficial; he genuinely grasped the concepts deeply.

For a moment, he thought about taking Wang Yanyan to see the girl’s corpse, to let him remember this lesson well and to always think twice before acting in the future. But in the end, he couldn’t bear to let him experience any more trauma… After all, he was his own son; who wouldn’t want to dote on him?

The boy who stole sat in the shadow of a corner, seemingly dozing off, yet also appearing to observe his next target. For the sake of survival, he had no other choice.

A short, stocky, lecherous man took the opportunity to grope the girl next to him. The girl numbly glanced at him and then got up to walk away; this was not the first time such a thing had happened, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. The man was smart enough to know who he could provoke and who he could bully at will.

The person in charge of the rest station directed the other staff to bury the girl’s corpse in a pit. There was no dignified coffin, not even a piece of white cloth to wrap her body. Her crushed skull was left exposed in the open air, only to be covered by dirt.

The death of a vibrant life seemed to create no ripples at all, as if she had never existed. Perhaps, however, she left a trace in the hearts of some people, a testament to her existence, even in this worst of times.

These small traces, accumulated little by little, might one day become a deeply buried fuse, poised to change the world with overwhelming force.

Inside the armored off-road vehicle.

Jiang Huan, who had never taught Shen Shanwu a single life lesson, opened the ‘The Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government’ again. In pursuit of his future happiness during their travels, Shen Shanwu decisively interrupted him, saying, “Captain, I want to hear some interesting stories. What you’re holding isn’t even written in human language; I don’t want to listen.”

Faced with the child’s rebellious challenge, Jiang Huan raised an eyebrow and took out some paper and a pen. “If you can write my name, I’ll switch to another book.”

Sitting across from him, Xiaowen’s eyes lit up with excitement as she looked at Shen Shanwu. The latter didn’t disappoint her; his little face puffed up with pride as his huffed and picked up the pen, neatly writing: Jiang Huan.

The character for “Huan” was written flawlessly, mimicking Jiang Huan’s own style with a bit of flair.

Knowing that she could benefit from this and exchange it for a storybook, Xiaowen immediately began to clap her hands. Jiang Huan picked up the paper and looked at his name written on it, and his gaze softened instantly. “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t do it? That it was too complicated?”

“Well…” Shen Shanwu propped himself up with his hands on the chair, swinging his short legs in midair. If he leaned back against the chair, both of his feet dangled, making his little legs look somewhat cute.

Jiang Huan glanced over at him. “Jiang Tong, you’re really a smart kid.”

Of course, Shen Shanwu thought to himself, closing the pen. At least he had a high school diploma and was accepted into college; it would be too embarrassing not to be able to write “Huan.”

 

 

 

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35: Short legs???