The Magnificent Son-in-law

"Before I turned eight, I grew up in the countryside. Back then, nightlife wasn't as rich as it is now. Adults would work in the fields all day and after dinner, they would gather to play cards or chess, while the women would chat and do needlework.

For us kids, six or seven years old, there was nothing much to say. We could only play hide-and-seek and run wildly up and down the streets.

In such conditions, if a village hosted a movie screening or a troupe performed acrobatics, people from seven or eight villages around would come early with their benches, traveling twenty or thirty li round trip, and the place would be jam-packed, a truly spectacular scene!"

At this point, Zhao Guo'an poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and then continued, "One time, the neighboring village said an acrobatics troupe was coming, so I and a few good playmates agreed to go watch together after dinner.

But unexpectedly, my grandma locked the front door at dinnertime. No matter how much I cried and fussed, she wouldn't let me out, even making my grandpa watch over me, following me even to the bathroom."

"That's a bit much," Xiao Feng said, picking up a piece of shredded potato with his chopsticks as he ate.

Zhao Guo'an chuckled, "I thought so at the time too, but my grandpa didn't pamper me as he usually did. Instead, he lit his pipe and told me that my grandma once had a younger brother, who disappeared while watching such a performance.

"Was it because of the crowd?" a little girl asked.

"No," Zhao Guo'an shook his head. "Back then, acrobatics were also called 'magic tricks,' with many blinding technique performances, including the transformation trick, where a child would walk in and a grown-up or even a small animal would come out.

The performers would invite children on stage to assist, and kids, being curious, would eagerly volunteer. My grandma took her brother to see the show, and he walked behind the curtain and never came out again..."

Hearing this, everyone present sighed in understanding, realizing why Zhao Guo'an's grandma was so strict with him.

After a pause, Zhao Guo'an continued, "Later, my grandma's family searched for years. It was said that someone saw her brother in a circus, covered in monkey fur, performing along with them. From then on, there was no further news."

Finishing, he took a big swig of his wine, placed the cup on the table, and said, "That's why I paid more attention when I saw that monkey."

In fact, for a while, a story circulated online about a man and a woman traveling together when one suddenly disappeared, only to find them years later as a disabled beggar on the street.

Regardless of the truth of the story, child trafficking, knowingly crippling them, and forcing them to beg to gain sympathy for financial gain do occur.

However, in recent years, such cases have been rare. Often, a good-hearted citizen would report it, resulting in the entire criminal gang being uprooted.

"These people are worse than traffickers... they deserve to be punished severely!" Lin Jiaxuan said, clenching her fists and slamming one on the table.

Xiao Feng glanced at her, suddenly recalling her rescue of a group of abducted children at a repair shop. He realized she might not have been intentionally arguing with him but was unwilling to believe that the monkey could be a child.

Feeling the atmosphere become strange, Lu Yao spoke up, "Maybe we're overthinking it. Even if humans evolved from apes, the differences are quite obvious. Just having fur wouldn't make them identical to monkeys."

"Not necessarily," Xiao Feng exhaled and said, "In ancient times, there was a brutal technique called 'Gathering Life and Dismembering,' which was the most sinister method in the beggar industry, producing disabled persons or monsters to draw sympathy and money from passers-by.

This malicious method was recorded in 'The Qing Dynastic Anecdotes,' telling of a Jianghu artist during the Qianlong Period who performed with a singing dog on the street. Spectators marveled, lining up to pay, requesting the dog to sing their favorite tunes.

The local county magistrate happened to pass by, found it suspicious, and brought the Jianghu artist and the singing dog to the County Magistrate's Office. It turned out the singing dog was a six-year-old child."

Everyone felt a chill hearing this, while Su Yuzhuo was perplexed, "There's some resemblance between humans and monkeys, but the gap with dogs is too great, isn't it? What method could make a human resemble a dog?"

Xiao Feng thought and replied, "The exact method isn't detailed in the books, but some parts are recorded.

According to the book, 'The Singing Dog' was made from a three-year-old child, whose skin was caused to decay using poison, then the dog's fur was burned into ash and applied to the child's bleeding body.

With a special medicine, the wounds healed, producing dog-like fur on the body, indistinguishable from real dogs.

Ultimately, human malice knows no bounds..."

"This is too cruel!"

The little girl frowned deeply, feeling a shiver down her spine.

Xiao Feng shook his head, "The cruelest part hasn't even arrived. In the end, the county magistrate's investigation revealed that the Jianghu artist, or trafficker, confessed that out of ten children, less than one could survive, and the one he had was merely a lucky survivor."

"Bang!"

Lin Jiaxuan slammed the table again, spilling wine on it, angrily saying, "Why didn't you forcibly confirm this earlier?"

"Because of you," Xiao Feng calmly replied.

"Because of me?" Lin Jiaxuan widened her eyes in disbelief.

Xiao Feng nodded affirmatively, then said, "The circus had some strong men who probably practiced Hard Qi Gong and could help break your arms and legs.

Moreover, this is a test of your mental fortitude. I know you're full of murderous intent now, but tolerance is crucial, and I believe you can do it."

Lin Jiaxuan closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "I understand!"

With that, she turned and left.

Lin Zhiyan watched her sister leave with some concern, unable to resist the urge to get up and follow.

But as soon as she stood up, Xiao Feng grabbed her wrist.

"If you go, can you watch her get beaten and do nothing?"

Lin Zhiyan frowned, her face extremely upset, replying somberly, "I can't..."

"Exactly!" Xiao Feng said expressionlessly, "You can't, and neither can we. She must face this on her own..."

Turning his gaze to Zhao Guo'an, Xiao Feng said, "I think you were quite right about one thing."

"Which thing?" Zhao Guo'an asked instinctively.

Xiao Feng smiled, "There's not a single good person in this town, or maybe we've just run into every bad one."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt like laughing but couldn't find the humor to do so.