Once Xiao Furen made his decision to go, he left with remarkable speed. He was given leave on Tuesday afternoon to go home and pack his bags, and by Wednesday, he had boarded the train to the city.
Meanwhile, at noon that same day, Li Mubo showed up at his mother's place.
"Mom, please, you have to help me. I'm really at the end of my rope." Seeing his mother, Li Mubo resorted to the dramatics of a desperate country man—squatting down and clutching his head. He wasn't wailing yet, but his whole demeanor was one of distress and misery.
"Don't come begging me. What's the use? You have your wife, that's all you need in this life. What do you need your old mom for?" Others might have felt a pang of pity seeing a son in such a state, but when the old lady looked at him, all she felt was resentment.
