"Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there was a 60-year-old single man. Due to an illness he had when he was young, his intelligence was slightly lower than that of an average person. He raised a cat named Shanliang, and they relied on each other for survival. The villagers bullied and insulted him, but he did not get angry or cause trouble. He still treated them with a smiling face.

"The villagers did not stop because of his retreat; instead, they became even more unscrupulous and intensified their actions.

"One day, they collectively killed the cat Shanliang. The old man could no longer bear it. After suppressing his emotions for sixty years, they suddenly erupted, and overnight, he butchered the entire village..."

During my time in the village, I would go under the banyan tree every day to tell the children the story of 'The Old Man and the Cat'.

I would tell the children that whoever could narrate the story to their parents or others in its entirety would receive a lollipop and milk as a reward.

After that, every day, children would come running to me, reciting the story of 'The Old Man and the Cat'.

"It's my turn! It's my turn!"

The children eagerly lined up under the banyan tree, reciting ancient poems with innocent and pure smiles.

"Today, let's talk about what we have learned from this story."

"We should be kind to others and not bully them indiscriminately!"

"We should help and care for vulnerable groups!"

"Children should... study hard... and help those in need..."

I handed out lollipops and milk. In an instant, Dazhuang's silly, smiling face enlarged in my pupils, and I was startled, feeling nervous.

Time had passed, but when I saw him, I couldn't suppress the boundless fear in my heart.

"Is it me you're talking about in your story?"

Dazhuang smiled foolishly at me, his sunken eyes clear and without malice.

I tightened the hand hidden in my pocket and calmed my emotions before grinning, "How could it be you? The story is about a single old man. Don't you have a wife now? Here, for your wife."

I took out two lollipops and handed them to him, saying, "I wish you both have a chubby baby next year!"

Dazhuang took the lollipops, treasuring them, and once again gave me a silly smile, saying, "City girls are different; they speak so nicely."

As I looked down, I saw him holding a black plastic bag, bulging. I suddenly remembered that it was the bag he used to carry poison, and a bone-chilling coldness swept over me.

But unexpectedly, he took out a small bag of pastries from the bulging black bag, wrapped in a simple red plastic bag. He handed it to me, his face full of joy, saying, "Little one, these are the wedding pastries for me and Achun. Try them."

Then, he murmured, "Dongge told me that he miscalculated the wages that day and compensated me with two thousand yuan. Achun was happy and said to buy some pastries for everyone to try."

"Thank you!" I received the pastries with both hands, feeling their weight.

Then, I pointed to his black bag and said with a smile, "For happy occasions, let's use a red bag for good luck."

"Okay, okay, I'll go change it."

Saying that, Dazhuang called out to Xiaozhuang, the dog not far away, and walked away with a light step, distributing a bag of pastries to everyone he met.

"Congratulations, Dazhuang, you have a wife now!"

The friendly neighbors greeted him as they passed by.

I stood alone under the banyan tree, gazing into the distance.

That person and the dog walked along the rural road, their steps light. The burly man in his fifties seemed much younger, and the scene was beautiful.

"Congratulations, Dazhuang!"

The story has come to an end...