Rat was dead, but he was still taking care of Xiao Xuan.
If we helped Rat pass on, Xiao Xuan would find out he was dead.
For a child without parents or any family, that blow would be far too great. It would be devastating.
Besides, without Rat, Xiao Xuan would only have the blind old man. Although the old man treated Xiao Xuan well and had taken him in, at his age, and with his disability, he could hardly care for Xiao Xuan.
And if Rat was gone, who would protect Xiao Xuan when people bullied him?
Helping departed souls pass on was a good deed, but to truly do good, we had to think everything through. A gentleman was judged by his actions, not his intentions. If our actions didn't produce a better outcome, then we weren't doing good; we were merely satisfying our own desire to be kind. That was hypocrisy.
We had to figure out what would happen to Xiao Xuan's life from then on.
Song Xiaotian and I hesitated, discussing whether we should consult the Seventh Master again first and see if there was a better solution.
Just then, a few teenage boys walked over to Xiao Xuan.
With cigarettes dangling from their mouths, they didn't look like good kids. They came over and snatched the little bag of food from Xiao Xuan's hand.
"Hey, brat, got any money?"
"If you do, hand it over nicely. I'll buy you a lollipop after I get my cigarettes."
Grinning and joking, the group surrounded Xiao Xuan.
Xiao Xuan was terrified and immediately hid behind Rat.
They couldn't see Rat. Seeing Xiao Xuan acting strangely, they burst out laughing again. "This kid's acting like a lunatic. Is there something wrong with his head?"
"If he's a retard, he