Chapter 1

In the southwestern part of Hu country, at the mouth of the Fulin River, most people here live off the sea, choosing the profession of fishermen due to their proximity to the ocean.

In the spring of 1984, in a very ordinary fisherman's family in Jiangkou Town, the woman of the house gave birth to a baby boy after a silent labor.

When the midwife came out of the door carrying a clean, plump baby, the honest fisherman Chen Sanjin was so delighted that his mouth almost couldn't close. He wiped his hands, which were covered with thick calluses, on his old clothes and took the newborn from the midwife. He then grinned, showing his slightly yellowed teeth, and said excitedly, "I, Chen Sanjin, have a son! Our Chen family has an heir!"

The midwife reminded him, "Chen San, your son didn't cry when he was born. He might be mute like your wife. I suggest you take him to a big hospital in the provincial capital to check. Your son is so adorable; it would be a pity if he were mute."

Chen Sanjin's excited expression instantly cooled. After a moment, he asked, "This... Chen Mama, going to the provincial capital for treatment will cost a lot of money, won't it?"

Chen Mama, taking off the towel tied around her waist and wiping her hands, said, "It will definitely cost a lot. Big hospitals aren't cheap. But for the sake of your child's future, you should go even if you have to sell everything. If your child is mute, it will be hard for him to find a wife in the future. Just like you, you almost didn't find a wife because your left leg is a bit lame. You were forty before you found a mute woman to marry and had a son. Do you want your Chen family to die out?"

Chen Sanjin, hearing this, gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! I'll listen to you, Chen Mama. When my wife is better tomorrow, we'll take the child to the hospital."

Chen Sanjin then took out some crumpled bills from his pocket and handed them to Chen Mama, saying, "Chen Mama, I really appreciate your help today. I wouldn't have known what to do otherwise. Here are fifty yuan, a small token of my gratitude. Please take it."

Chen Mama, who was also a relative of Chen Sanjin, smiled and shook her head, "No, no. When I arrived, your wife was almost done giving birth. I didn't help much. Keep the money for the child's treatment."

Chen Mama turned to leave. Chen Sanjin, holding the child and with his leg disability, couldn't stop her. Seeing her leave, he nodded and said, "Thank you, Chen Mama. I'll definitely buy some good liquor for Grandpa Chen tomorrow!"

Chen Mama waved and said, "Alright, no need to be so polite. Your wife hasn't seen the child yet. Go inside and let her rest. Women need to take care of themselves after giving birth to avoid health problems."

Chen Sanjin smiled foolishly and said, "Alright!"

Chen Sanjin carefully carried his newborn son over the threshold and into the house. In the front hall, there was an eight-legged table and two armchairs, all very old and worn.

The inner room was separated from the front hall by a patched bedsheet. Chen Sanjin, limping, lifted the bedsheet and smiled at the woman lying on the bed, saying, "How are you, my dear?"

The woman, drenched in sweat, her hair matted to her forehead, smiled and gestured with her hands, making "ah ah" sounds.

Seeing this, Chen Sanjin immediately handed the child to her and grinned, showing his yellow teeth, "Our son is so strong. Look at his arms and legs! They're so thick!"

The woman gently touched the baby's fine hair, smiling and nodding. After a moment, she seemed to remember something and gestured to Chen Sanjin.

Chen Sanjin understood immediately. His smile slowly faded, and he sighed, looking at the baby in the cradle, "You heard what Chen Mama said. She said the child didn't cry after birth and might be mute..."

The woman's face showed worry. Chen Sanjin held her hand and comforted her, "Don't worry. We have the money saved for building a house. We can use it to treat the child. If it's not enough, I can borrow some. We can always earn more, so why worry?"

Just as Chen Sanjin said this, the child in his arms suddenly opened his mouth and started crying loudly. The sharp cry startled Chen Sanjin, almost making him drop the child.

After a moment, Chen Sanjin was overjoyed and said, "My dear! Our son can cry! He's not mute! Hahaha! He's not mute!"

The woman, hearing the child's cry and realizing her son was not mute, immediately smiled widely.

Chen Sanjin laughed happily for a while, and after all his worries were gone, he faced another problem. He frowned and said, "My dear, what should we name our son?"

The woman, who had never been to school, was taken aback by this question. The room fell silent for a moment. Then Chen Sanjin suddenly said, "Since you can't speak, let's name our son 'Chen Mo' (Silence)!"

The woman didn't know if the name was good, but since it was her husband's choice, she had no objections. She nodded and looked at the child, smiling happily.

Fifteen years later, the school bell rang at Jiangkou Middle School, and a dark-skinned boy grabbed his schoolbag and rushed out of the door of Class 1, Grade 3. His movements were so quick that he even ran out of the classroom before the homeroom teacher.

The homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang, reminded him, "Chen Mo, slow down!"

The boy, Chen Mo, turned back and smiled at the teacher, "I know, Teacher. I'll be careful!"

Mr. Wang, hearing this, smiled and shook his head. Watching Chen Mo quickly disappear down the hallway, he sighed, "This child is really hardworking. He has to help his family at such a young age, yet his grades are still so good."

In Mr. Wang's eyes, Chen Mo was the epitome of a model student. He not only had excellent grades but was also very sensible.

Because Chen Mo always rushed out of the classroom first after school, Mr. Wang had once asked him why he was in such a hurry. Chen Mo had answered with a sensible expression, "Teacher, you know my family situation. My father is old and has a bad leg, so he can't do much. My mother has to work so hard. I rush home to help her!"

From then on, Chen Mo's story spread among the teachers, and many used him as an example to encourage other students, "Why don't you learn from Chen Mo? You're about the same age, yet he is so sensible and has such good grades, while you are so unmotivated!"

From then on, every time the school bell rang, Chen Mo was always the first to rush out of the classroom. Even if other teachers saw him, they would only praise him for being a sensible child, never thinking there was anything wrong with his behavior.

With the teachers' praise, Chen Mo did quite well at Jiangkou Middle School and became a well-known figure in the school.

At this moment, this well-known figure, praised by teachers and admired by classmates, was running on a path in the woods behind the school. If his classmates from the same village saw him running in this direction, they would find it strange because this was not the way Chen Mo usually took to go home after school.

Chen Mo, holding his schoolbag, ran quickly along the path, thinking to himself, "I should still make it today. I can't miss the last bus!"

After running for about ten minutes, Chen Mo, drenched in sweat, saw a brick wall ahead. On the side of the wall near the road, a slogan was written in white lime: "Fewer births, better quality, a happy life!"

Chen Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and panted, "I should still make it... I'm so tired... If I don't succeed today, all my hard work these past days will be for nothing!"

Before he could catch his breath, Chen Mo walked along the wall. Turning a corner, he saw a sign that read, "Jiangkou Town Milk Factory" in large black letters.

Chen Mo looked around and, seeing no one, a sly smile appeared on his face. He stuffed his schoolbag into the grass and picked up an old quilt from the ground near the wall, walking to a slope not far from the milk factory's entrance.

Chen Mo stopped halfway up the slope, confirmed that no one was around, and placed the old quilt on the gravel road at the bend. He then picked up two stones, one large and one small, and squatted in the grass.

After hiding, Chen Mo turned to stare at the entrance of the milk factory and muttered to himself, "Who will be driving today? Old Liu or Old Li?"

His words, combined with the two stones in his hands, might make someone think he was planning to take revenge.

The only thing that was hard to understand was why he had placed an old quilt on the slope. Was he planning to spend the night there to take revenge?

Chen Mo squatted in the grass for about three minutes, but no one drove out of the milk factory. His legs were starting to ache, so he sat down in the grass and thought, "School ends at five. It takes me about thirteen minutes to run here, and I spent about two minutes preparing. That's about fifteen minutes in total. I've already waited for three minutes, so it's been about eighteen minutes. It should be no later than 5:20 now. I'll wait two more minutes. If no one drives out, it must be Old Liu, the slowpoke. In that case—"

Chen Mo looked at the two stones in front of him and chuckled, "In that case, I should use the larger stone. Old Liu is not only slow in his work but also drives very slowly. I wonder how he got a job at the milk factory. Maybe he has connections?"