That afternoon, Xu Huo planned to catch up on some sleep, so he asked the mute girl to wake him at dinnertime.
She hadn't even finished making dinner when the boy from downstairs came knocking. The mute girl had just woken Xu Huo and went to answer the door on her way out.
The boy stood ramrod straight despite his frail frame. "I want something to eat. I can work for you—clean the house, cook, run errands, anything."
The mute girl immediately panicked. Her instinct for survival made her worry that the boy's arrival would get her kicked out, but her human nature kept her from harboring any ill will toward him. In her confusion, she could only point toward the kitchen, indicating that dinner would be ready soon and she would go dish it out.
Xu Huo invited the boy inside and asked the mute girl to cook all the groceries they had bought that day.
In the cramped living room, Xu Huo asked the boy a few questions.
The boy looked small and scrawny, but he was already ten. In the West District, ten-year-olds were considered old enough to work and contribute to the household. It was easy to see why he was so frail: his irresponsible father had probably left him to fend for himself.
"Why don't you leave?" Xu Huo asked at last.
"I'm not leaving. I'm going to grow up right under his nose. I'll watch him grow old, then torture him and kill him." The boy made no attempt to hide his malice. He looked at Xu Huo and added, "I'm the seed of an evil man, so I'm evil too."
Xu Huo said nothing more. When the food was ready, he invited the boy to eat, then told him to take the few