The air was thick with the smell of burning wood, filled with voices shouting and cursing. People had already begun running out of the alley. Bai Lan and Xu Jianbei stood in the open space at the entrance of the alley, staring toward the courtyard.
The fire wasn’t large yet—it had likely only started burning recently. Some people had already gone to fetch water and were heading to the back alley. The fire was located in a crevice between the courtyard walls, making it difficult to put out. On top of that, many people were at work, so there weren’t many hands available to fight the fire.
Seeing this, Xu Jianbei wanted to go help.
Meanwhile, the factory leaders had already begun directing the people on site to work together, fetching water to put out the fire.
Just then, Aunt Wan suddenly shouted, “Oh my, Ning Geda’s wife, you and your son are here. Where’s your husband?”
Ning’s mother let out a cold, mocking laugh. She felt that heaven was helping her today. Here she was, about to tear off Ning Geda’s mask and expose him for the trash he was. She had been waiting for the leaders for a long time. But as soon as the leaders arrived, before she could even say anything, the courtyard caught fire.
Normally, she would have been worried about something like this. But right now, Ning’s mother felt a secret sense of satisfaction. In fact, she even had the deeply immoral thought: let the fire burn right up to their doorstep, and see whether Ning Geda kept up his act.
So, Aunt Wan’s shout immediately irritated her.
The factory leader, who had been directing the firefighting efforts, heard Aunt Wan’s shout and remembered why he had come today. He felt a headache coming on. Pointing at Xu Jianbei, he told him to go rescue Ning Geda.
Bai Lan really wanted to tell Xu Jianbei not to go. She wanted to see whether Ning Geda would rather face the threat of the flames than come out on his own. But no one else knew the truth.
However, Datou didn’t put Xu Jianbei in a difficult position. He stepped forward himself. “Factory Director, no need. My father doesn’t need anyone to rescue him. The fire isn’t big to begin with, and with so many people putting it out, it will be extinguished soon. Besides, my father can walk on his own. He doesn’t need anyone to save him!”
Everyone was ready to call Datou unfilial after his first sentence. But as soon as the second sentence came out, they were all dumbfounded.
Apart from those still shouting at each other to fight the fire, everyone else was speechless.
After a long pause, Hu the Widow, who had been uncharacteristically quiet all day, suddenly said, “That can’t be true, can it?”
Aunt Wan, for the first time ever, agreed with her old rival and nodded vigorously.
The rest of the people also began discussing it animatedly. No one believed Datou’s words.
After all, who could fake being paralyzed—keep it up for nearly twenty years? No one believed it! With that kind of determination to pretend to be paralyzed, what couldn’t they have accomplished?
Datou didn’t want to believe it either, but the facts were simply that unbelievable.
And Datou’s mother, Ning’s mother, said directly, “My son wouldn’t lie. All these years, that damned man has been taken care of by my son. Anyone might lie, but my son absolutely would not.”
“Well…”
The people who had been about to rush into the courtyard to carry Ning Geda out now looked at the factory director, not knowing whether they should still go rescue him.
The fire probably wouldn’t reach the front courtyard. But the smoke was quite thick by now, and staying inside the courtyard would definitely be uncomfortable.
What could the factory director say? He couldn’t very well say “don’t go get him”—if something happened, he would be responsible. But what Ning Geda had done was absolutely disgusting. A man pulling a stunt like this—no one had ever heard of such a thing in decades.
Seeing the factory director’s dilemma, Datou immediately pounded his chest in reassurance. “Don’t go. If anyone is held responsible, I’ll take the blame.”
Ning’s mother added, “No, it’s me stopping you from rescuing him. I’ll bear the consequences. My life is already ruined. But my son cannot be dragged down any further by that damned trash.”
The atmosphere remained deadlocked right there.
Everyone present probably had their own thoughts, but at this moment, no one truly stepped forward to rescue Ning Geda.
——
Meanwhile, what was happening with Ning Geda?
He was lying on that broken wooden bed, feeling conflicted.
He rarely spoke much normally, and after shouting so much in the morning, his throat was now dry and itchy. The smoke from outside only made him cough more. There was no way he would call for help.
All he could hear were people shouting about fighting the fire, the sound of water from faucets, and buckets being emptied. In fact, ever since he first heard about the fire, the footsteps he heard had gone from chaotic to completely silent.
Before his eyes, aside from the ever-increasing smoke, there was no movement at all.
This made Ning Geda afraid. He couldn’t tell whether it was just his imagination or if the fire had already reached his doorstep. He increasingly felt the heat. Sweat poured down his forehead in droplets.
Ning Geda gritted his teeth. He couldn’t understand why his wife and son, who usually doted on him, were nowhere to be seen. From early morning, the two had been acting strange. He couldn’t figure it out, but he knew one thing: he couldn’t stay hiding in the house and wait to die.
Yes, for some reason, this sudden fire had brought such thick smoke. Through the window glass, Ning Geda could barely see what was happening in the courtyard.
With his vision impaired, people start scaring themselves.
The sounds of firefighting efforts still reached his ears. But there was no one left in the front courtyard. There were people outside the alley—he could hear them moving around and talking.
But not a single one of them came to save him.
Ning Geda assumed they didn’t know he was here. So he grabbed whatever was on the table and began smashing it to the ground. He threw a fit, yet still no one came in. Instead, he only ended up exhausted and out of breath.
His body, which hadn’t moved much in years, couldn’t handle being pushed again and again.
Then, at this critical moment, someone outside shouted, “Run! Get out fast! The fire is getting bigger—if you don’t run now, you won’t make it!”
The shouts were followed by the sound of hurried footsteps.
Hearing this, Ning Geda knew he couldn’t wait any longer.
He tumbled and crawled off that old, broken wooden bed, then used his hands and feet to grab the edge of the bed frame and pull himself up. His legs, which he had barely used for nearly twenty years, were weak and limp. Just supporting him for a few steps, they began to wobble and give way.
But Ning Geda didn’t dare delay. He treasured his life more than anything. He was terrified of being trapped by the fire.
So, he opened the door, which felt impossibly heavy to him, covered his mouth, and stumbled and staggered toward the courtyard gate.
Of course, he also threw an old piece of clothing over his head, terrified of being seen. He had it all planned out: everyone outside must have run away, afraid of the fire. He would just leave the courtyard, hide in the dead-end alley up ahead, and then shout for someone to come rescue him.
If anyone asked how he got there, he would say he crawled out of the house.
Now, he wanted to crawl, afraid of being seen walking. This was his deepest secret, something he planned to take to his grave. Unfortunately, the thick smoke made him lose patience, fearing that if he delayed even a moment longer, he would be doomed.
From his door to the courtyard gate was only a few meters. Ning Geda, with his weak legs, tapped into some hidden reserve of human potential. Though he stumbled and staggered, he finally made it to the gate. Unfortunately, some inconsiderate person had left a brick on the threshold.
In his panic, he didn’t notice it. He stumbled and fell flat on his face, breaking both of his front teeth in the process. The whole sequence sounds long, but it happened in just a few minutes.
And the alley, which should have been empty, was now packed with people. Among them were residents of the courtyard, nearby neighbors, and even people from other alleys who had heard the commotion and come to watch.
Together, these dozens of eyes clearly saw Ning Geda walking. Not even the thick smoke could hide the sight of a figure standing upright on two legs.
Now that figure had fallen to the ground, two front teeth broken.
“Oh my, he really can walk!” Hu the Widow suddenly blurted out. Aunt Wan immediately chimed in agreement.
The quiet crowd around them all joined the discussion. Many even shouted directly at Ning Geda, who was still on the ground: “Ning Geda, you’re cured? What doctor did you see? Twenty years paralyzed, and a fire scares you into walking? It’s a medical miracle!”
Seeing this, Bai Lan exchanged a glance with Xu Jianbei. The couple both felt that today’s spectacle was quite a show.
They didn’t know how the fire had started, but it certainly provided a dramatic entrance for Ning Geda. In front of everyone, forced to walk, Ning Geda had given them all an unforgettable impression.
And those shouts of “run fast” earlier—those had been made by people at the scene, following the factory director’s instructions.
Such a simple trap, and they had flushed him out. It was truly…
——
The moment Ning Geda saw so many people in front of him, two words flashed through his mind: It’s over.
And indeed, it was over.
Amid the crowd’s chatter, Ning’s mother pushed through the crowd and jumped out. Without a word, she launched herself at Ning Geda, who was still on the ground.
After twenty years of hard labor, Ning’s mother was very thin. Her bones were clearly visible. But when she landed on him, she drove both of her kneecaps into Ning Geda’s back. A bloodcurdling scream cut through the crowd’s discussion.
Watching this, Bai Lan shuddered.
She didn’t know whether it would cripple Ning Geda, but it certainly hurt like hell.
After delivering that heavy blow, Ning’s mother didn’t get up. Instead, still pinning him down, she grabbed Ning Geda’s head and began smashing it against the ground.
The first smash stunned everyone.
Fortunately, Datou rushed over and stopped her.
“Don’t stop me, don’t stop me! Let me kill this beast!”
“Mom, have you forgotten what you promised me? Don’t waste any more energy on this piece of trash. The factory director is right here. He can get justice for us.”
The startled factory director nodded repeatedly. “That’s right, that’s right. We came here to resolve this matter.”
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