Xue Tingtao sat at the dining table, holding his bowl as he looked at the plate of twice-cooked pork before him, yet he simply could not bring himself to pick up a piece.
His eyes remained fixed on the empty seat to his right.
Only when his mother tapped his head with her chopsticks did he finally snap out of his daze.
After letting out an "Ow," he stretched out his arm, but his chopsticks stopped above the slices of meat without descending.
Deep confusion filled his innocent face as he looked at his mother and pointed to his right.
"Mom, why is someone missing here?"
With a canvas schoolbag on his back, Xue Tingtao jogged home, anticipation on his face as he kicked a small stone out of his path.
He was thinking about how he had ranked first in his class on the mock exam. As promised, his father should buy him one of the latest CD players.
But when he reached his doorstep, he found a crowd packed tightly around the courtyard gate, their chatter as they watched the spectacle filling the air.
Xue Tingtao hurriedly pushed through the onlookers, only to see several burly men carrying clubs trapping his parents inside the house.
The home he had once known had been utterly wrecked, with broken pieces and debris everywhere.
"Xue, I'm giving you three more days. If you still can't repay that money, I'm taking one of your legs!"
Xue Tingtao stared blankly at the scene. Although he excelled at school, his naturally slight build and timid disposition left him at a loss for words at the sight of these men.
All he could do was watch them swagger past him, shooting him vicious glares.
Xue Tingtao ran to his parents' side. Seeing the timidity