Hailuo was sent off to school.
He didn't understand why his father had been so agreeable.
Not until they passed the next house.
They had only just walked by when they saw the people inside beating a child.
A group of them rushed over, clubs in hand.
A few minutes later, the child had joined their group.
Well, now Hailuo understood.
It was an order.
In places where education levels were lower and conditions were harsher,
parents were less likely to send their children to school, whether they were boys or girls.
It wasn't until much later, when Hailuo became a Poverty Alleviation Office worker in another region, that he understood those words.
He also understood why the government had initially resorted to forcibly visiting people's homes.
The Grand Commander had developed a textbook case of mental illness.
Narcissistic personality disorder.
He thought too highly of himself, believed he was entitled to special treatment, craved attention, and lacked empathy for others.
He was so kind, such a good person—just look at how awful the people who bullied him were.
He was stubborn, and he deceived himself and others.
He believed he was entitled to special treatment from anyone beneath him, looked down on them, and verbally abused and belittled them.
He was an expert at turning right into wrong. He was always contradicting himself and applying Double Standards, twisting everything into whatever shape he wanted.
He was skilled at emotional manipulation, and had methods much like Slavery, conditioning slaves: slap someone three times, then give them a date—or slap them three times and give them nothing, just saying, "Who do you think I'm doing all this for? I'm only doing it for your sake!"
He would never apologize. Everything was always someone else's fault.
He couldn't stand seeing other people