Not a bad person

Even with nothing to do, waiting for someone to come home could bring happiness.

Ding Ding, physically impaired but strong in spirit, cleaned the house and fixed a slightly wobbly stool and a wardrobe whose doors would not close.

A cloth curtain hung over the bathroom doorway, the sort of thing that deterred decent people but not scoundrels, offering only psychological comfort.

The main problem was that Bai Congming really was...

When Ding Ding had showered the night before, Bai Congming had stood right in the doorway, staring straight at him, his gaze free of impure thoughts and filled entirely with appreciation for beautiful things.

He had stared until even an old lecher like Ding Ding grew bashful and flustered.

When the hour hand reached six, Ding Ding looked at the room, which did not look much different after his tidying, and clapped his hands in satisfaction.

Ding Ding went back to sit in the courtyard and decided to reward himself with a cup of flower tea.

Ding Ding had drunk plenty of tea over the years. When business owners visited the company, they could hardly just sit there staring at one another.

From Da Hong Pao to Taiping Houkui, from Broken Silver to Little Green Tangerine, whether expensive or rare, it was all wasted on Ding Ding's palate.

The dried flowers he drank at Bai Congming's place, however, had a flavor all their own.

Hongfang Street seemed to lack the bustle of everyday life. Ding Ding remembered the place where he had lived as a child, another long street like this one.

In the mornings, the adults from each household would take their children to school, then gather upon their return to chat about their families and everyday affairs.

At mealtimes, the aroma of cooking drifted through every corner of the long street, and children coming home from school could eat as soon as they washed their hands.

It was different here, perhaps because Bai Congming lived somewhere a little out of the way. Ding Ding watched the entrance and saw only two or three people hurrying past with groceries.

By the time he finished his bowl of tea, it was six thirty, and Bai Congming still had not returned. Ding Ding got up and moved to the doorway, leaning against the wall as he peered toward the end of the street.

At seven, there was still no sign of him. Growing restless from waiting, Ding Ding took the broom as a crutch and prepared to go looking.

Even the most playful child ought to be home by now...

He had just stepped outside when he spotted several people approaching in the distance. Ding Ding narrowed his eyes to look. Wasn't that his boy trailing behind them with his head hanging?

Ding Ding went no farther. Standing in the doorway with the broom in his hand, he looked like an enraged parent waiting for a child who had caused trouble to come home for a beating.

Of course Bai Congming would not cause trouble, and of course Ding Ding would not hit him.

When they reached him, Ding Ding glanced at the others and paid them no further attention, beckoning to Bai Congming.

"What happened? Weren't you fine when you went out at noon?"

Bai Congming pressed his lips together without a word.

Watching this, Auntie Zhou thought that this man was quite decent. At least he knew how to care about someone.

"Hello, we're from the Huachao District Police Station."

The two plainclothes officers in front showed Ding Ding their identification, then handed over the wallet in an evidence bag.

"This is the property that was stolen earlier. Please check that the amount is right."

Huachao District was where Ding Ding's former company was located. The police had received a report of a group gambling the day before, and when they raided the place, the worker who had stolen the money was there too.

Ordinary people could not help being frightened by such a scene. Before the police even questioned him, he had confessed everything himself.

That included robbing a man with an intellectual disability.

The police had quickly identified Bai Congming through surveillance footage and gone to his workplace to return his belongings and ask about what had happened the day before.

But once Bai Congming heard they were police officers, he refused to speak no matter what they asked. Auntie Zhou could do nothing either, so she had brought everyone back for Ding Ding to figure something out.

Ding Ding had not known Bai Congming had been robbed at all. He looked over in shock.

"Why didn't you tell me?!"

Bai Congming hunched his shoulders and clutched the hem of Ding Ding's clothes, panic written across his face.

Ding Ding could not bear to press him anymore. He nodded to the others and invited them inside.

There were only two stools in the house. Ding Ding took Bai Congming by the hand and sat down with him, leaving the two officers preparing to take a statement standing beside them along with Auntie Zhou.

This was hardly Ding Ding's way of treating guests. Clearing his throat, he stood up.

"How about..."

"No need." The officer seemed to know what he was thinking and tapped the notebook in his hand with his pen. "If everything goes smoothly, we'll be leaving soon."

Ding Ding looked at Auntie Zhou next and paused when she walked over and sat on the bed on her own.

"Ask him properly," Auntie Zhou said. "See if he'll tell you."

"...All right."

Ding Ding sat a little straighter and took Bai Congming's hand in his own, gently kneading it.

"Did someone bully you?"

The corners of Bai Congming's mouth suddenly turned down, and he stared at Ding Ding with reddened eyes.

There was something strange about that gaze, as though this were to be their final meeting. Every inch over which Bai Congming's gaze wandered was filled with reluctance to part.

A question mark arose in Ding Ding's mind, but his voice remained gentle.

"Tell the police officers. They'll help you catch the bad guys."

Bai Congming kept his head lowered, his eyes darting toward the two officers. Only after a long while did he look up and sniffle.

"I'm sorry..."

Bai Congming's voice was quiet, yet resolute as though he were going to his death. "I was thirsty. That's why I drank the water. Don't arrest me!"

"..."

The question mark in Ding Ding's mind grew larger. "What water did you drink?"

Perhaps because he was nervous, Bai Congming spoke disjointedly. It took quite some time to piece everything together before they understood what he meant.

An ache spread through Ding Ding's heart, so thick and close that he hardly knew what to say.

"They're not here to arrest you," Ding Ding said hoarsely. "The police arrest bad people. Drinking water someone else didn't want doesn't make you a bad person."

Bai Congming blinked, and the tears pooled in his eyes finally fell.

"Not a bad person..."

As it turned out, that night, the penniless Bai Congming had walked for so long that he had become unbearably thirsty.

Naturally, there were no rivers or lakes in the concrete jungle where he could quench his thirst. As Bai Congming passed a food stall, his steps grew slower and slower.

He had spotted an unopened bottle of water among the leftovers on a table by the entrance.

Taking other people's things without permission was wrong, but no one was at that table, and Bai Congming was terribly thirsty.

So thirsty that he felt he would die if he did not drink some water.

The food stall's owner was busy, and no one was paying attention to this spot. Bai Congming thought that quietly taking just one sip should be all right.

Who would have thought the police would come looking for him today?

When he learned who they were, Bai Congming grew very frightened-if he did something bad, he would be taken away and locked up.

Locked in a dark room without even a window, and without Brother Ding either.

Believing he had done something wrong, Bai Congming sank into immense sorrow. His eyes could see their mouths moving, but his ears could not make out anything they said.

Not until they brought him home and he saw Ding Ding.

Once he knew he would not be arrested, Bai Congming visibly relaxed a great deal and even tried to get up to make tea for the guests.

Although Bai Congming had never entertained guests himself, that was what his mother had always done when she was still around.

Ding Ding stopped him and patiently, gently coaxed him to speak.

"So tell us, what happened to you yesterday?"

"..."

Bai Congming spoke very slowly and without much order. Fortunately, Ding Ding was there to extract the key details from his words and relay them to the police.

"Thank you for your help."

After recording everything, the officer looked at Bai Congming with eyes full of tender sympathy and told him very solemnly.

"If something like this happens again, come to the police. We can give you water, and we can take you home too."

Bai Congming pressed his lips together and thanked him in a tiny voice.