The Filthy Hand
Before the sound of Lin Feng and his two companions' footsteps had completely faded on the empty path, another series of hurried and light footsteps approached from afar.
A girl carrying a light blue backpack jogged and turned into this back street. Her name was Lin Nuannuan, a third-year student at a teachers' college.
This afternoon she had a tutoring job, and seeing that she was a little short on time, she took this shortcut. Sunlight shone on her smooth forehead, revealing a layer of fine beads of sweat, and a few strands of hair clung to her cheeks, making her look energetic.
Her gaze inadvertently swept across the road ahead, and she abruptly stopped.
She saw an old man a few meters away! He had fallen to the ground, his body curled up, groaning in pain!
The old man's pained expression reminded her of her deceased grandfather, which instantly tightened Lin Nuannuan's heart. Almost without hesitation, forgetting her worries about being late for her tutoring session, she immediately quickened her pace and rushed over, her backpack bouncing behind her.
"Grandpa! Grandpa, what happened? Where did you fall? Are you alright?" She crouched down, her voice urgent and full of concern, and reached out her hand carefully to help the old man's arm. Her eyes were clear, filled with the pure worry of someone who had never experienced the world, completely unaware of the fleeting glint of light in the old man's cloudy eyes.
The old man's groans grew louder, as if he were enduring immense pain. He let Lin Nuannuan help him up, half-pushing and half-reluctantly, with most of his weight resting on the girl's slender arms.
Just as Lin Nuannuan breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the old man was simply unsteady on his feet, a sudden change occurred!
That thin, weak hand, covered in age spots, suddenly snapped back and gripped Lin Nuannuan's wrist with a speed and strength completely out of character for its age, like a venomous snake that had just awakened!
"Ouch--!"
The old man's previously pained and listless expression vanished instantly, replaced by an agitated, even ferocious, look. His voice suddenly rose in pitch, sharp and piercing, remarkably loud in the quiet path:
"It's you! Why were you running so fast, young man?! You knocked me down! Ouch... I'm in pain all over now, my bones are definitely broken! You can't leave! You have to take me to the hospital! For a full checkup! Pay up! Pay up!"
Like being doused with ice water, Lin Nuannuan froze completely. The sharp pain from the gripping sensation on her wrist brought her to her senses instantly, but also plunged her into even greater confusion.
"Grandpa! You... you mustn't be talking nonsense!" Her face flushed crimson, blood rushing to her head, her voice trembling with shock and grievance. "I only came to help you up because I saw you fall! I didn't bump into you at all! I was several steps away from you!"
She tried to break free, but those withered fingers were like iron hoops, firmly locking her wrist, the nails even digging into her skin, bringing a stinging pain.
"Bullshit!" The old man spat as he spoke, his cloudy eyes wide and bulging, and began to wail, "You're the one who hit me! I was walking along perfectly fine, and you ran up from behind and 'thump!' knocked me down! How can young people these days be so heartless?! You hit someone and won't even admit it! Everyone come quick! A college student hit an old man! Trying to run away?!"
He shouted as he slapped the ground with his free hand, stirring up some dust, trying to attract the attention of any pedestrians who might be nearby.
Sure enough, several pedestrians who had been hurrying past stopped and looked over curiously. Faint whispers and pointing could be heard.
"What happened? Did you hit someone?"
"The old man said it was the girl who hit him..."
"It's hard to explain, these days..."
"Tsk, this girl's in trouble..."
These stares and whispers pierced Lin Nuannuan like needles, making her feel incredibly embarrassed and helpless. From childhood, she had always been a model student in the eyes of her teachers and a beloved daughter in the hearts of her parents; she had never experienced being publicly slandered like this before.
"How... how could you do this!" She was both anxious and angry, tears welling up uncontrollably in her eyes, her voice trembling with sobs, "I really didn't hit you! Let go of me! I still have to go to my tutoring class!" She struggled again, but her wrist was gripped even tighter, causing her to gasp in pain.
"Home education? I don't care about your education!" Seeing her struggle, the old man became even more unreasonable, even moving his head closer to hers, his breath reeking of cheap tobacco. "Hmph! You say you didn't hit her? Where's the evidence? Who saw it? Let me tell you, you're not leaving today without five thousand... no, ten thousand yuan for medical expenses, check-up fees, and nutrition fees! Otherwise, I'm lying here and won't get up! I'll have your school leaders come and take you away! Let's see if you can still go to school!"
"Ten thousand yuan?!" Lin Nuannuan exclaimed in shock. This amount was astronomical for her, a student who relied on part-time jobs to earn her living expenses. "You... you're extorting me!"
"Extortion? You're saying I'm extorting you?" The old man's voice became even sharper, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "You hit someone and you still think you're right? My old back! My legs! They must be broken! Ouch, it hurts so much..." He started to howl exaggeratedly, deliberately leaning his body against Lin Nuannuan, trying to pull her down with him.
One or two more people gathered around, and some took out their phones to film. But no one stepped forward, no one spoke. That silence, like a cold wall, trapped Lin Nuannuan inside.
"I really didn't... Can anyone help me prove it..." Lin Nuannuan pleaded, looking at the passersby holding up their phones, but all she got were evasive glances or even more focused filming. Her heart sank deeper and deeper into a cold abyss.
The pain in her wrist, the old man's constant spittle spraying on her face, the indifferent stares around her, and the threats of "ten thousand yuan" and "finding a school" weighed on her tender shoulders like mountains. Resentment, anger, fear, helplessness... all these emotions intertwined, almost threatening to engulf her.
Tears finally broke free, streaming down her flushed cheeks and dripping into the dust. She stopped trying to argue, realizing how utterly powerless words were in the face of such blatant malice. She tried in vain, again and again, to pull her hand away, but that filthy hand, like a leech, clung to her tightly, determined to drag her into this quagmire of trouble.
Looking at the girl's tears, the old man felt no pity whatsoever; instead, a sly smile of triumph flashed across his face. He acted out his suffering even more vigorously, his howls growing increasingly shrill, as if he were truly on the verge of death.
The sun still shone brightly, but its rays shone on this path, leaving only a chilling despair and a kind, helpless heart tightly gripped by filthy hands.