Chapter 1: There is a boy named Lin You

Being born is the first choice in life that one cannot make for oneself.

Longguo, Southern Region, Jiangcheng City, Baiyun Town.

A black car hastily fled from this place.

They were mere passersby, yet they left behind a small, vibrant, and fragile new life.

From a garbage bin in a dark corner, a faint “goo-goo” sound could be heard.

If someone were to get closer, they would discover a tiny baby boy lying quietly in this filthy, foul-smelling place.

“Goo, goo, goo, goo.”

The baby boy stared with his watery eyes, letting out incomprehensible infant sounds, too naive and innocent to understand his own disastrous start in life.

He had a delicate and adorable little face, but a large, dark red birthmark on his left cheek marred this beauty.

Perhaps this was the reason he was abandoned.

In this world, living as a male, one’s appearance is often their first asset.

“Goo… wahh.”

The baby boy struggled to turn over, letting out a cry as if to remind his parents to care for him.

No one paid him any mind.

Until an elderly scavenger happened to pass by.

“What a sin, who would throw a little baby here like trash…”

The old scavenger woman quickly lifted the baby boy out of the wretched garbage bin.

From then on, the baby boy had a name and a grandmother who doted on him.

Time flew by.

Six years later.

A scene like this could often be seen in Baiyun Town: an old scavenger and her grandson weaving through the streets and alleys, one old and one young, striving to survive.

“Grandma, we collected so many bottles today, this is great.”

Six-year-old Lin You carried a small snakeskin bag on his tender shoulder, happily sharing the day’s harvest with his dearest grandma.

“Hehe, Grandma will cook braised pork for Youyou when we get home.”

The old woman’s wrinkled face bloomed with a loving smile as she promised what was for dinner.

“Braised pork is too greasy, it’s not tasty, I want to eat cabbage!”

Lin You gently shook his head, the dark red birthmark on his cheek so jarringly conspicuous.

“Little kids can’t be picky eaters, or you won’t grow tall.”

“Alright then, just a tiny bit. Grandma, don’t buy so much meat. You don’t eat it yourself, and I can’t eat that much…”

Under the setting sun, the grandmother and grandson chatted back and forth, walking in the direction of home.

The light and cheerful atmosphere vanished with the passing of a stranger.

Lin You lowered his head and quickly hid by his grandma’s side, squeezed between his only family and a cold wall.

“Sigh…”

Watching this, his grandmother sighed silently.

The pair quietly quickened their pace.

A little over ten minutes later.

Huimin Street, Residence Number Sixty-One.

This was Lin You’s home, an ordinary two-story self-built house.

“Grandma, I’ll go ahead and open the door for you!”

With home right in front of him, Lin You felt as if he had seen his savior, and he dashed over in a small trot.

“Slow down, don’t fall.”

His grandmother’s concerned voice followed from behind.

“It’s okay, I’m not a little kid anymore.”

The dark red iron gate was like the final finish line. Lin You shot past it and skillfully pulled a key from his pants pocket.

“Grandma, let me help you.”

After finishing the series of actions to open the door, the boy turned around and found that his grandmother, with her less nimble legs, hadn’t arrived yet, so he doubled back.

“Grandma, leave it all to me. I’m not a little kid anymore, I’m very strong.”

He snatched the large snakeskin bag from his grandmother’s hands, dragging it with great effort.

“Hehe, a six-year-old child who hasn’t even started school yet.”

His grandmother moved her heavy legs forward, gazing at her grandson’s small back, her heart filled with both comfort and bitterness.

After returning home, the pair didn’t rest, immediately starting to prepare dinner.

“Grandma, let me wash the rice and cook it. You can just do the stir-frying.”

In the home with only him and his grandma, Lin You reverted to his lively self, taking it upon himself to assign their tasks.

With their labor clearly divided, a simple and warm dinner was ready in no time.

“Grandma, we’re already having braised pork, why did you fry an egg too? There’s no way we can finish it all.”

Lin You brought over two bowls of rice. Seeing that the meal, which was supposed to be one meat and one vegetable dish, now included a fried egg, he instinctively gulped down his saliva but forced himself to look uninterested, muttering complaints about his grandmother’s extravagance.

“Youyou is starting school in a few days. You need to eat more to grow up healthy and strong, so you won’t get bullied.”

His grandmother placed the golden-brown fried egg into her grandson’s bowl.

“If I don’t eat the fried egg, can I not go to school?”

Lin You lowered his head to look at the fried egg, inhaling its fragrant aroma as he spoke in a small voice.

“Every little child has to go to school. At school, you can learn lots and lots of knowledge. In the future, you’ll be able to get ahead in life, become an outstanding person, and live a good life…”

His grandmother tried her best to describe the wonderful future of being an elementary school student.

“If I go to school, I can’t help Grandma collect things anymore, and… school seems really scary…”

Lin You wanted to try and refuse, but under his grandmother’s expectant gaze, his voice became so quiet that only he could hear it.

“I know, Grandma. I’ll give you half of the fried egg, I can’t finish it.”

No longer纠结ing over the issue of school, the little boy suppressed the unease in his heart about the future, trying his best to appear happy.

After dinner.

“Grandma, I’ll wash the dishes, you’re too slow.”

The little Lin You was already capable of handling most of the household chores by himself.

Nighttime was for rest, and also for entertainment.

In an ordinary family, adults would usually watch TV with their children, and there might even be scenes of a mother and daughter fighting over the remote for their favorite drama.

Lin You used to love huddling with his grandma in front of the pudgy television set to watch the children’s channel.

But ever since the TV broke, he no longer liked watching it.

The grandmother and grandson’s evening entertainment was listening to radio programs.

“The male-to-female ratio in Longguo has hit a new historical low… Experts recommend legalizing bigamy and promoting a system of one husband with multiple wives…”

“An incident of molestation occurred in Jiangcheng City, where a young man out late at night was followed by a female stalker… We urge men to go out as little as possible at night.”

“A revolutionary touchscreen phone is born! Not 998, just 888! Don’t just be tempted, take action! Call our hotline now to enjoy…”

…

The radio broadcasted information laced with static, and Lin You listened with relish to these things he didn’t quite understand.

Nine o’clock at night.

This was the time when Lin You and his grandmother went to sleep.

“Youyou, goodnight!”

His grandmother was old and used to sleeping and waking early. She was exchanging her final daily greeting with her grandson.

“Goodnight, Grandma!”

The little boy waved his small hand, then returned to his own little room to rest.

At six years old, he was no longer afraid of the dark and could bravely lie alone on his bed board.

‘Once Grandma is sound asleep, I’ll go out for a little walk.’

In the pitch-black room, Lin You’s clear eyes were wide open, completely devoid of sleepiness, as he plotted his little plan.

This was one of his few secrets.