"Did you offend someone? Did you tell them they'd never be able to afford four dishes in their life?" Jiang Cheng let go of the boy and stopped frightening him. When all was said and done, the boy was a poor soul.
The boy wiped his tears with the back of his hand, shaking his head as he cried. "No, really, I didn't. It was the people from the police station. They insisted I knew about the students' unrest and tried to force me to identify the ringleader. I told them I didn't know, so they threatened to let me go only if I paid them five silver dollars. Otherwise... otherwise they'd throw me in jail. But how could I possibly come up with five silver dollars?"
Seeing the boy dressed in rags, his shoes caked with mud, looking just like a little beggar, the Fat Man couldn't help thinking of the little beggar. He comforted him, "Don't be afraid. We won't hit you. Meeting here must be fate. By the way, have you eaten?"
The boy looked up. At the mention of food, his stomach growled.
The Fat Man immediately understood. He and Jiang Cheng took the boy to a street stall selling flatbreads and ordered him five flatbreads and a bowl of mutton soup.
When he saw the food, the boy didn't reach for it right away. Instead, he cautiously glanced at Jiang Cheng, then at the Fat Man.
"Go on, eat," the Fat Man said, pushing the flatbreads toward him.
"I don't have any money," the boy said quietly.
"My treat. I can only afford to buy you this, though, because I can't even afford four hot dishes myself." Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair and spoke to the boy in a carefree manner.
Once he