Chapter 99

The large performance tent was still under construction, but a row of smaller shacks and tents for the acrobats’ living quarters had already been set up.

Xu Dong held the hand of his “son,” Liangliang, and followed someone to a white-topped tent in the middle.

The tent was wrapped in thick plastic sheeting, with a curtain made of rugs hanging at the entrance.

It was still summer, and the sun was high. Just looking at that kind of dwelling made one feel stifled and irritable.

Xu Dong lifted his collar and urged, “Can you hurry it up? Don’t waste my time!”

The young woman gave him a glance and said, “Even when buying a mule or an ox, you check it over first. Let alone a child.”

Xu Dong glared at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means we have to see if the kid’s sick or deformed. Otherwise, even if we take him, we’ll have trouble finding someone to pass him on to.”

“My son’s been healthy all his life. Hardly even been sick.”

“Heh.” The young woman covered her mouth and laughed. “What you say doesn’t count. Come in and sit. It’s hot outside. Cooler inside.”

As she lifted the rug curtain, a blast of cold air wafted out. It dispelled the summer heat and even made one shiver involuntarily.

Xu Dong suspected there might be ice stored inside.

“You coming or not?” the woman called again.

Xu Dong took a deep breath and, still holding Liangliang’s hand, stepped inside.

The interior wasn’t large. A chair and a bed stood on either side.

In the center stood a large water vat, atop which rested a statue of a figure dressed in white robes and a tall hat, holding a lantern in both hands.

At first glance, it looked like a living person. Xu Dong had jumped when he entered.

Liangliang shrank back in fear, hiding behind his father and clinging to his trouser leg.

“What is that thing?” Xu Dong asked.

The woman replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Every trade has something they worship.”

An old woman sat on the chair. At some point she had picked up an old-style porcelain bowl, chipped in several places, and filled with clear water.

The younger woman bent down and grabbed Liangliang.

“No, I don’t want to! I don’t want to!” Liangliang pleaded, looking up at his father.

Xu Dong hesitated, pain flashing in his eyes. But he didn’t look down. He stood still.

The woman yanked the boy away from the man and dragged him in front of the old woman.

The old woman reached out and touched Liangliang’s cheek.

At her touch, the boy immediately stopped struggling. His eyelids drooped, though his little body trembled uncontrollably beneath the calm surface.

The old woman first touched her index finger to the boy’s forehead, then dipped it into the bowl of water. The clear water turned a faint black.

The younger woman frowned slightly at the color—clearly dissatisfied.

Still, she pulled out some money from her pocket, counted it, and handed it to Xu Dong. “That’s all. Take it or leave it.”

Xu Dong took the money without counting, stuffed it into his pocket, and walked out quickly.

Liangliang’s trembling worsened.

The old woman remained still, holding the bowl without moving.

Just then, the curtain was lifted slightly and a man peeked in. “Sister Rou, lunch is back. Everyone’s waiting on you to start.”

The woman called “Sister Rou” whipped her head around and snapped, “Eat, eat, eat—none of you even prepared the offering! All you know is how to stuff your faces!”

“But didn’t we just take one…”

Sister Rou shoved Liangliang and snorted. “The quality’s awful. No one wants a kid like this.”

Xu Dong kept walking, down to a corner shop by the roadside. He went in, bought a pack of cigarettes, and lit one at the door. The first puff choked him, and he squatted down, dry-heaving.

The satisfaction he had imagined never came. Instead, his heart felt hollow, and his eyes welled with tears.

“Smack! Smack!”

He slapped himself hard, reddening his cheeks.

“Xu Dong, you pathetic bastard. He’s not even your kid. What are you still holding on to?”

He’d once had a life others envied.

After graduation, he was placed in a well-paying job with great benefits. He’d married a smart, beautiful woman. Later, they’d had a sweet little son.

Back then, he truly believed life had been good to him.

But eventually, he realized he had become a joke.

His wife had divorced him, citing incompatibility. He hadn’t understood, had tried desperately to save the marriage—but in the end, he could only accept it.

Still, he managed to win custody of their son.

For that, he even felt some gratitude toward his ex-wife.

Until one day, gossip about her reached his ears. At first, he didn’t believe it. But when he investigated, he found out she had been involved with someone else back in college. Strictly speaking, he had been the third wheel all along.

He visited that school and met the now-retired Professor Chen Deliang. One look, and he knew Liangliang was that man’s child.

He’d never thought the boy didn’t resemble him—perhaps he looked more like his mother. But once a suspect emerged, the resemblance became undeniable.

All these years, he’d not only been raising another man’s wife—he’d been raising another man’s son.

The boy he once cherished now felt like a living mockery. Every glance at him seemed to trample Xu Dong’s pride.

Especially that “Liang” in the boy’s name. His nickname, Liangliang, had been chosen by his ex-wife—and “Liang” was taken from that old man’s name.

His world had collapsed.

But now that he had sold the child, his heart ached. He could still faintly hear Liangliang calling him “Daddy.”

Squatting on the ground, he turned his head. Among the toys on display outside the shop was a red toy car.

A chorus of voices inside him jeered and cursed—calling him spineless, useless, despicable.

Still, he stood up, picked up the toy car, and brought it to the counter. After asking the price, he paid for it.

Then, holding the toy, he began walking back.

He kept taking deep breaths. His expression was twisted with pain. He muttered again and again, “Even if it’s a dog… after raising it for so long, you’d have feelings too.”

He could have dropped the kid off with his mother, with that old man, or even left him at an orphanage—but selling him? That he should never have done.

At that thought, he broke into a run, faster and faster.

…

Inside the white tent—

The water in the old woman’s bowl, which had only been faintly dark before, was growing thicker and blacker.

Sister Rou noticed, and let out a long breath.

“Looks like it’s only half the usual quality, but still usable.”

The old woman stood up, still holding the bowl, and poured the black water into the vat.

The statue seemed a bit more lifelike.

A smile tugged at the old woman’s lips. The sagging folds at the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

Sister Rou pressed her palms together and bowed three times to the statue.

Then she stepped outside—and saw the man running back, toy in hand.

“Here’s your money. Give me the child. I didn’t touch the cash—count it!”

Xu Dong pulled out all the money he’d stuffed into his pocket.

Sister Rou shook her head.

“I’ll even add more. I’m not selling. Just give him back!”

She kept shaking her head.

“I said I’m not selling, damn it!”

Xu Dong tried to force his way inside.

In a flash, Sister Rou seized him by the neck—and kneed him.

“Wham!”

Xu Dong clutched his abdomen and collapsed to his knees, mouth agape. He hadn’t expected this young woman to hit that hard.

“Give me my kid… I’ll pay more… you take in kids… for money anyway…”

“Money? Hah.”

Sister Rou sneered—then brought a chopping hand down on the back of his neck.

Xu Dong’s eyes rolled back, and he passed out.

Two members of the acrobat troupe came over, pointed at him on the ground.

“Sister Rou, there’s a reservoir just up ahead. Should we take care of him there tonight?”

“Take care of what? Just lock him in a cage. When we head north out of Jinling, we’ll sell him to a black coal mine. He has to stay alive—otherwise, that kid we just got will be useless.”

“From now on, we’ll snatch the kids ourselves. Otherwise, people like him keep showing up out of nowhere.”

“During tomorrow’s show, keep your eyes peeled. Look for kids who are there with both parents.”

“Oh right, has the promo van gone out yet?”

“Not yet, they’re still eating.”

“Tell them to eat in the van. I want them out now, blasting the speakers! Go circle around residential areas near kindergartens!”

…

“The Yu Family Acrobat Troupe is bringing you an exciting show! Come see adorable little dwarfs, stunning mermaids… Kids, ask your mom and dad to bring you to West Suburb Square tomorrow!”

Tan Wenbin rolled down the taxi window and looked at the van coming toward them. A big speaker was mounted on top, and both sides were plastered with show posters.

“Xiao Yuan-ge, is this the one? The Yu Family Acrobat Troupe?”

Li Zhuiyuan nodded. “Should be.”

Tan Wenbin asked the cab driver, “Do you know where West Suburb Square is?”

“Sure, I live nearby. You folks here for the acrobat show? It starts tomorrow. I saw them still setting up tents when I went out this morning.”

“Are there a lot of people in that troupe?”

“Quite a few. Just their trucks alone took up a whole row. Haha, tomorrow’s the weekend and kindergarten's out. I plan to take my kid to see the show.”

“Better not,” Tan Wenbin said after a pause. “Too many people. Not safe for kids.”

“My kid’s smart and alert. Won’t be a problem. He doesn’t talk to strangers. No one can fool him.”

Li Zhuiyuan said coolly, “There’s no such thing as a kid you can’t fool.”

The driver immediately protested. “My kid’s different! We’ve drilled it into him since he was little: don’t talk to strangers, don’t take things from them. Not like other kids, all clueless.”

Li Zhuiyuan didn’t answer. He thought this driver was the clueless one.

He’d studied the behavior of many children. His conclusion: there’s basically no such thing as a kid who can’t be lured away.

And parents who proudly boasted how “their kid would never be fooled” were usually the most laughably naïve.

More importantly, traffickers often didn’t even need to lie.

For an adult, snatching a child was easy—clamp one arm around the kid’s torso, cover the mouth with the other, and walk off. The child couldn’t resist, couldn’t make a sound, and from a distance, it looked just like a parent carrying their kid.

Even if the child did struggle and scream a little, a trafficker only had to murmur “Be good, don’t fuss, I’ll buy you toys next time,” and any onlookers wouldn’t think twice.

They arrived at their destination: West Suburb Square. It was just a small paved area and a big patch of undeveloped land. It had probably been planned for something, but the project had stalled.

So events like temple fairs and acrobatic shows were usually held here.

“There it is, Xiao Yuan-ge.”