1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

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That’s all we have to say about the second brother. Next, today we have to talk about the third brother. Speaking of the third brother, he is really a tough guy! He is the type of person who is tough but doesn’t talk much. No matter what happens, as long as he feels unhappy or dissatisfied, he will roll up his sleeves and rush forward to fight without saying a word!

Take, for example, his infamous "Fight of Fame." Back in time, the third child had just turned ten. The villagers in his small village were known for their toughness and strong personalities. But the third child, as a child, was the exact opposite, timid as a mouse, bullied countless times. The village children always loved to tease him, treating him like a monkey, constantly pushing him or snatching things from his hands. Even the adults would sometimes order him around, showing him no mercy.

However, as the saying goes, everything turns to its opposite when it reaches its extreme. Under this day-in and day-out oppression, the anger in the third brother's heart continued to accumulate and be suppressed, eventually gathering momentum like a volcano ready to erupt.

Finally one day, this "volcano" erupted completely! It was a sunny afternoon after school. The children in the school left the campus one after another, but the third child was alone, silently carrying a heavy schoolbag and embarking on the road home.

He lowered his head, his steps heavy, as if each one carried an endless weight of grievance and anger. The scenery on either side of the road formed a stark contrast to the gloom within him: the trees were lush and green, their branches and leaves so profuse that they almost obscured the sky; the grass was also vibrant and lush, swaying gently in the breeze, as if whispering comfort to this lonely child.

From the branches emanated the sweet, melodious song of birds, as if to dispel the dark clouds in Lao San's heart; among the flowers, colorful butterflies fluttered gracefully, like a group of joyful elves, fully displaying the beauty of life. But all this beauty was like a passing cloud to Lao San, who was now filled with resentment, and could not touch his wounded heart in the slightest.

Just today, the pitiful man once again suffered merciless bullying. His once handsome face was now covered in horrifying scars, crisscrossing and interwoven, as if telling of the suffering and torture he had endured. Furthermore, his frail frame was a horrible sight, covered in footprints of varying sizes, deep and shallow. These marks, like the marks of a demon, cruelly branded upon his skin.

Yet, even after enduring such inhumane treatment, surprisingly, he didn't shed a single tear. Although his eyes were filled with pain and grievance, they were more filled with an unyielding will, as if no matter what difficulties he encountered, he would never easily succumb to the arrangements of fate.

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