"That family cursed Zuo Xiaoduo first! They said some really vile things. Only then did Zuo Xiaoduo blow up..." a nurse bravely testified.
"Exactly. That family went far too far, bullying him like that. How could any human being do something like this? They have no decency..." a patient in the same ward testified.
"The young man seemed to have been drinking... ah, who wouldn't be troubled by something so awful? Drowning your sorrows in drink only makes them worse." Another nurse said, "If something this rotten happened to me, I might just go mad."
But this time, Zuo Xiaoduo seemed to have struck a little too hard. Two members of that family had actually suffered broken bones, and in more than one place. Judged solely by sentencing standards, it was already enough to constitute a crime.
In light of this, the inspection squad continued investigating and gathering evidence.
As the incident escalated, the media became involved, and reporters began interviewing those connected to the case.
When interviewed, a neighbor of that family stepped forward. "The day it happened, that young man came all the way to their house specifically to deliver money. They weren't home, so he went to the hospital to deliver it instead. I remember it very clearly. He said a man cannot stand without keeping his word. What a fine young man... and they still cursed him? Does that family have any conscience at all? Pah, that whole family lost their consciences long ago. They got beaten up? Serves them right! If you ask me, he still went too easy on them. Even beating them to death wouldn't have been excessive. He'd have rid the public of a scourge!"
"I'm their neighbor. By rights, I shouldn't be making trouble for myself, but after seeing that poor young man and hearing those words, my conscience wouldn't let me stay silent. That family is nothing but a whole pack of scum!"
The investigation reached the hotel where Zuo Xiaoduo worked.
"The young man worked very hard, all so he could earn more money and get free of that family sooner..." the proprietress said.
"Ah, he'd been getting more and more downhearted this month. Several times, he cried in secret... but he always rushed to do the work, never turning his nose up at dirty or exhausting jobs... you couldn't fault the way he treated people or handled things," a coworker said.
"He had a little to drink before going out, but he was fairly calm... he hit someone? That can't be. He was very calm then. Was he bullied and belittled again, pushed past the limits of his endurance? An honest boy like him wouldn't hit anyone unless he was driven into a corner. Besides, even a rabbit bites when cornered. If someone else went through something like this, never mind beating someone up, I think even killing someone would be understandable," the owner said.
"Before leaving, the young man even said to me, 'Why is it so hard to be a good person in this world?'"
The owner looked into the reporter's camera, his face full of regret. "Yes, I'd like to ask that too. Why is it so hard to be a good person in this world? He saved someone out of kindness, only to be scammed and extorted, forced to bring money to their door, then insulted and bullied... should good people have to suffer all this?"
"Everyone has a limit to what they can bear. Once they can endure no more, how can they keep enduring?"
"Although hitting people is wrong, this time, I support that young man for doing it!"
"I support him too!"
"So do I!"
"He wasn't wrong to hit them!"
"Well done!"
They spoke with one voice.
After learning what had happened, passersby voiced their indignation one after another.
"So what if he hit them? Good for him! He went too easy on them!"
"They deserved a beating!"
"I'd like to ask too: what has happened to this world? Why is it so hard to be a good person?!"
Soon, the reporter organized the material gathered, wrote an article, and had it published.
Right on the front page of the local newspaper was a large, heavy, bold headline: "In this world, is being a good person really so hard?!!!"
The three enormous exclamation marks after the question mark were especially striking.
Below it were three photographs.
The first showed Zuo Xiaoduo looking utterly broken, murmuring to himself, "I only wanted to be a good person. Why is it so hard?!" The caption read: A kind young man extorted after saving someone.
The second showed a pretty young nurse surrounded by a group of angels in white, facing the camera and asking in bewilderment, "In this world, is it really so hard to be a good person?"
The third showed the owner with a sigh written all over his face. "What has happened to this world?!"
Below them was an account of the entire incident.
At the end of the article, the reporter wrote: "Now, Zuo Xiaoduo, who saved someone's life, is still being held at the Inspection Bureau for assault. We do not know what fate awaits this young man. Nor do we know how this incident will ultimately end. We will watch and wait for further developments, because we believe that goodness still exists in this world, that justice still exists. More than that, we believe being a good person is not as hard as we imagine!"
"We await a verdict! A just verdict!"
The moment the article appeared, it stirred up a towering wave of outrage!
Something so ugly had actually happened openly, in broad daylight, beneath the clear heavens, in a civilized society. Worse still, even now, the kind young man who had saved someone's life was the one locked up!
Public outrage surged, and resentment boiled over!
"This is a disgrace to our entire city, an unspeakable disgrace!"
"Please give this kindhearted person justice!"
"Please tell us that being a good person in this world isn't hard!"
Many people simply went to the gates of the Inspection Bureau to protest.
"Why should those scumbags get to roam free outside the law? Why lock up a good person?"
"What kind of world gives good people no chance?"
"Release him at once!"
"Don't leave good people bitterly disillusioned, shedding tears as well as blood!"
The swelling tide of public outrage grew fiercer and fiercer, finally alerting the local government authorities, who actively intervened to investigate.
Although more than two months had passed since the incident, with the forceful intervention of the relevant authorities, it took no more than two short days for the truth to emerge, like rocks revealed as the waters receded.
Even the person truly responsible for the accident was found.
All the evidence showed that Zuo Xiaoduo had originally saved someone out of kindness, only to be extorted by that family, until matters developed step by step into the situation they were in today.
The public felt the sincerest sympathy for this kindhearted young man. Even his emotional collapse and frenzied assault on people in the hospital aroused no anger in them, not even any aversion.