A família é tão pobre que faz barulho, e os pais precisam sustentar o filho que estuda.

The Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hexi Village, fifteen miles east of Pinggu County.

At noon, the spring sunshine was pleasant.

Cheng An squatted under the old elm tree in the courtyard, idly shaping clods of earth. Before long, he had piled up a small mound the size of a bowl. He then took three small wooden sticks and stuck them into the ground.

In his heart, he muttered...

*Rest in peace.*

*May you be reborn into a better life next time.*

Just then, his mother, Lady Liu, poked her head out of the kitchen. She waved at him stealthily, like a thief.

"Little Six, come here quickly."

Cheng An stood up, brushed the dirt off his clothes, and walked to the doorway.

"What is it, Mother?"

"Keep your voice down, don't let your grandmother hear..."

Lady Liu fished a piece of fatty pork, still bristling with a few hairs, out of the pot. After blowing on it quickly a few times, she pinched his chin with one hand and shoved it into his mouth.

"Go on, find a quiet spot where no one can see you."

"Mmh!"

Cheng An nodded indistinctly. He seemed long accustomed to this method of feeding. With practiced ease, he slipped into the haystack behind the house, spat the fatty meat out with some effort, and then began to chew it, bite by tiny bite...

The pork fat was greasy and cloying. Yet Cheng An savored it with endless relish. Even when it reached his throat, he could not bear to swallow it, squeezing it back up to chew it some more.

In an era of