Chapter 1. The Ruthless Mother and Daughter!

esterday's fellow worker, Mr. Wang (the same one who suffered from heatstroke today), brought a bag of walnuts back from his hometown and distributed them to the workers. Apart from Wang Ming, most wo...What is this

In August, the sun sets in the west, but it's still scorching hot in City A, which is located north of the equator. Only two kinds of creatures dare to show themselves at this time: those who have to work for a living, like Wang Ming, who just finished carrying bricks from the construction site, and the cicadas that have been chirping nonstop all summer long.

"Damn Zhou Pi, it's so hot out and he still had us eat lunch then start working. If I had been a little slower, I probably would have ended up in the hospital with Wang Da Ye from heatstroke. Thanks to Wang Da Ye, today Zhou Pi let us go home early." Wang Ming muttered as he walked.

This Wang Ming is actually also a pitiful person. Ever since he could remember, he has been living in that medium-sized orphanage with dozens of children.

Most of the children in the orphanage still know something about their parents because they were sent there for various reasons. But Wang Ming doesn't even know anything about his parents. It is said that he was found by a kind person at the back door of a black hospital that performed illegal abortions, and then sent to the orphanage.

Maybe tomorrow Wang Ming would be clever, or he knew the importance of learning. While all his peers in the orphanage had gone out to work after finishing their schooling, Wang Ming was still a college student.

It is the summer vacation now, and we are actively contributing to the infrastructure development of this city, adding bricks and mortar to its growth. Of course, that's just figurative language; in plain terms, it means doing manual labor.

Wang Mingzheng was muttering to himself when a fifteen or sixteen-year-old walked towards him. He carried a backpack and had a pair of endearing dimples on his face, radiating youthful energy yet carrying an air of detachment.

When Wang Ming suddenly saw him walking over, he stopped short. His hands instinctively tightened on his school bag strap, appearing somewhat nervous and afraid.

To tell you the truth, Wang Ming at this moment looked quite disheveled. He was wearing a t-shirt that was dirtier than something you'd find in a trash can – it was stained and wrinkled. Even from afar, you could smell the stench of sweat emanating from him.

Adding to the fear in the city is the fact that the rapist who caused such a stir these past two days has yet to be caught.

Wang Ming, seeing this, was not bothered at all. He turned his eyes and walked towards the opposite street, making way for him. The man, as if relieved, quickly walked away.

Of course, this was just a small song Wang Ming sang on his way home from work. Wang Ming didn't take it seriously and continued walking through the still-hot evening sun towards a famous slum in Xi District of City A.

Wang Ming rented a small brick house here, less than ten square meters. Although it was small, it had everything you could need in terms of furnishings, of course, these weren't given by the kind landlord.

But Wang Ming was used to wandering and naturally prepared these things.

Back in the house, Wang Ming wanted to take a shower and cool off. But unfortunately, his stomach started grumbling at that very moment.

Wang Ming sighed inwardly, then turned and went into the house to look for something edible. Soon, the sound of rummaging through drawers and boxes came from inside the house.

"Damn it, I even ate the last piece of candy last night," Wang Ming said with an empty candy wrapper in his hand, his voice filled with endless melancholy.

"Well, maybe I should just take a shower. I don't want to go eat like this and scare away that stingy landlord's clients. Otherwise, I'm in trouble."

Wang Ming must have his reasons for saying that. This landlord not only has dozens of houses like the one Wang Ming envies, but also a fast-food restaurant.

After a quick shower, Wang Ming picked up a relatively clean shirt from the ground and prepared to leave.

At that moment, a black ball fell out of the pocket of the garment, making a sound in the silent little room.

"Clang!"

Wang Ming looked around for the sound and saw a walnut, not too big nor too small, rolling on the ground. That's when he remembered where it had come from.

Originally, yesterday's fellow worker, Mr. Wang (the same one who suffered from heatstroke today), brought a bag of walnuts back from his hometown and distributed them to the workers. Apart from Wang Ming, most workers took a few. Zhou Pi was especially ruthless, taking the entire bag away.

This Wang Ming doesn't take things, of course because he knew from a young age that it's easy to get things but hard to return them in this world.

Wang Ming didn't take any, but there was still one walnut left. This was because he had accidentally picked it up on the ground when he finished work yesterday. In Wang Ming's mind, picking something up and taking it were two different concepts. At this time, he naturally wouldn't let it go. He picked it up and left.

After going home yesterday, I seemed to have forgotten about this walnut again, only remembering it today.

At this time, Wang Ming naturally wouldn't let him off. He bit down hard, trying to break the shell.

"Click"

A burst of sound traveled into Wang Ming's ears, and immediately, Wang Ming broke into a happy smile.

Suddenly, Wang Ming's smile stopped abruptly. His brow furrowed, and doubt clouded his face.

It turned out that as soon as the walnut was bitten, something similar flowed into Wang Ming's throat along his teeth and into his stomach.

Wang Ming, without a word, immediately took the cracked walnut from Li Ya's hand. He followed the crack and snapped it open, revealing something that left Wang Ming stunned.

At this time, Wang Ming's handful of walnuts had nothing but their shells. Even a bad walnut shouldn't be completely empty.

Wang Ming didn't seem like someone who liked to dwell on things. If he couldn't figure something out, he simply let it go, muttering to himself in his heart.

"What a waste of time!"

Having said that, he tossed the walnut shells in his hand aside, quickly put on his clothes, and went out.

What Wang Ming didn't realize was that the moment the walnut shell hit the ground, it transformed into countless specks of dust, scattered by the wind and vanished from this world, as if there had never been any evidence of its existence.

Wang Ming didn't learn anything else at the orphanage, but he learned how to eat really fast. As for why he learned this, I'm afraid everyone would be wondering too.

In less than three minutes, he finished a large plate of fried rice and, after patting his belly contentedly, leisurely went back.

This coming and going, though short in time, left Wang Ming drenched in sweat. Without a word, he went straight back into the corner bathroom and toilet combination.

The gurgling water soon filled the entire hut. Through the translucent plastic curtain, one could see a dark silhouette twisting in the water, humming a little tune as if quite content.

At this very moment, the music from within the curtains suddenly stopped abruptly. A human-shaped shadow fell backwards and landed in the bathroom. For a long time, there was no movement, only the sound of running water from inside the bathroom.

On the second day, in a inconspicuous corner of newspaper in city A, there was such a small news item.

Yesterday, a short house in the Xixi District of our city saw a tragedy. A young man fainted while taking a bath in the bathroom, leading to a gas leak and carbon monoxide poisoning resulting in his death. Citizens are reminded to pay attention to safety precautions regarding water, electricity, and gas during the summer months! Wang Ming drenched in sweat. Without a word, he went straight back into the corner bathroom and toilet combination.The gurgling water soon filled the entire hut. Through the translucent plastic curta...