92 The Benevolent Butcher (1/2)
Chapter 92: The Benevolent Butcher
“I don’t want to see it, I don’t want to see it. Brother, I don’t want to see it…”
A five or six-year-old boy with a fair complexion and welling tears hid behind a young man with black hair. He peeked his head out to look at a tied, white pig lying above a wooden platform not far away. Beside it stood a burly middle-aged man. As the boy’s tiny mouth shriveled, his tiny head shook like a rattle.
The young boy was both sad and afraid. Although the white pig wasn’t considered cute, it appeared very pitiful to be slaughtered under a butcher’s knife. Furthermore, not only did his father want to kill it, but his father had also insisted on him witnessing the process. His father was too vile.
“Dad, Xiaobai is still young. Why don’t we wait till he is older?”
The black-haired youth rubbed the small boy’s head. His eyes were soft and loving.
The burly man stared at the little boy and said with a straight face, “We cannot wait. Our Shi family has slaughtered pigs for generations. Back when I was three years old, I watched your grandfather kill three large boars. You were only four when you began learning how to slaughter pigs. This little bastard is already five years old this year, but he hasn’t even seen a pig-slaughtering process before!”
The black-haired youth’s face turned stiff as he said softly, “Xiaobai is a bit more timid. Besides…The Shi family trade can just be inherited by me. As for Xiaobai, let him choose his own life, alright?”
The burly man fell silent for a moment after hearing this. Finally, he broke his silence with a sigh as he said, “I can’t wrench my heart to let an outstanding Tsinghua University graduate become a pig-slaughtering butcher. You…”
“I’m fine.”
The black-haired youth smiled gently like the warm spring breeze in March. “So what about a butcher? A butcher’s child can still become an outstanding student! Although we kill pigs, we have never harmed anyone. Even if we are butchers, we are benevolent butchers. Most importantly, Xiaobai doesn’t like killing pigs. We should let him do what he likes.”
The burly man opened his mouth but was unsure of his words. His eyes turned soft but gloomy as his cleaver-holding hand trembled slightly.
“I like killing pigs!”
Suddenly, a crisp voice shouted out. The boy walked out from behind the youth. As he used his hands to wipe the tears from his eyes, he said with a childlike voice, “I don’t want Brother to become a butcher…I like killing pigs. I…I will be the butcher!”
The black-haired youth and the burly man was stunned. The expression on the boy’s pink face was extremely serious, so serious that it made it hard for people to believe that he was a five-year-old child.
But the boy’s face suddenly cringed as he shriveled his mouth, “But the big white pig will be in pain, can you not kill it?”
The burly man squatted down and said gently, “Don’t worry, Daddy will not make it feel any pain.”
The boy was stunned before he asked, “It won’t…be in pain?”
The burly man laughed heartily and patted himself on the chest. “Our Shi family does not have ruthless butchers. Your Grandpa always says that although we kill pigs, we can never forget how to be benevolent. Never letting the white pig depart in pain is a principle we must never violate.”
The boy opened his mouth and lowered his head. His eyes were filled with sadness. “But…the big white pig…it will still die, right?”
The burly man was stupefied before he let out a bitter smile. No matter how benevolent a butcher was, he was still a butcher. With a cleave of the knife, regardless of how peaceful its life was robbed away from it, it was still a death that deserved sadness.
The black-haired youth patted the burly man on his shoulder and whispered, “Dad, don’t force Xiaobai any further. I know you do not wish the Shi family trade to end in your hands. I know you do not wish to let down Grandpa who is in heaven…Dad, I understand, so I will shoulder this responsibility. For me, I don’t really like those complex cities. I like the air here, I like this village that has you and Xiaobai.”
The burly man patted the slender hands resting on his shoulder and said gently, “Your hands were naturally born to hold a pen. How can I make you hold a knife? Forget it, forget it. The benevolent butcher. It’s already enough. It’s time to end this joke with me, the joke only serves to fool ourselves. If I were to meet your Grandpa in the future and get scolded, I will just scrunch up my face and suffer the beating. Haha.”
The burly man’s laughter was bold and unforced. The youth widened the corners of his mouth, but he could not laugh.
The boy looked up to take a glance at the youth before he turned to glance at the burly man. Suddenly, he let go of his hands that were tugging on the youth’s trousers. He ran up to the wooden platform and stared at the large white pig tied there. He said loudly, “I want to see the pig being killed. I…I’m not scared!”
His shiny black eyes were obviously welling with tears, and the way he bit his lower lips looked miserable and pitiful, but his resolute expression was moving.
The burly man’s eyes turned slightly moist as he walked forward. As he walked, he said, “A long, long time ago, our Shi family ancestors pursued the ability to slice a throat in one strike. However, that would result in the pig dying in agony. So after countless years of improvement, our Shi family has now chosen—piercing of the heart!”
The burly man approached the large white pig and pointed to the pig’s left chest. He said, “This is where the big white pig’s heart is. However, a pig’s fat is very thick, so it is rather difficult to stab straight into the heart. If you aren’t careful, you will instead bring more pain to the large white pig.”
“However, this is a responsibility we as men from the Shi family have to shoulder.” This knife has to be accurate and without hesitation or mercy. It cannot be benevolent, because as butchers, it is the only remaining benevolence we have!”
The moment the burly man finished saying that, he suddenly lifted his hand and cleaved downwards. Instantly, he stabbed right into the white pig’s left chest.
“Oink!”
The large white pig whimpered once with a twitch before it closed its eyes immediately and stopped moving. There was no time for the fresh life to even struggle before it died completely.
The strike was fast and sudden. It was so fast that the boy could not close his already widened eyes in time.
“Wa!”
The boy was dumbfounded for a moment before he pounced into the youth’s embrace with a yelp. He then burst into tears.
The burly man sighed deeply.
Didn’t he too cry in such a heartbreaking manner so many years ago?
The youth hugged the boy tightly, his eyes sorry for the boy.
“After I graduate next year, I will return to slaughter pigs.”
“This year, when we visit the tombs, I will tell your Grandpa that we will not slaughter pigs in the future.”
Despite simultaneously saying words that had different meanings, what the two people said were both equally meaningful.
…
…
In a black cupboard, a black-haired youth and a young boy were huddled together. The young boy was trembling as the black-haired youth constantly stroked the boy’s back.
“Don’t worry. Daddy will be fine. Those bad guys…someone will take care of them.”
The youth appeared as though he was holding back something. It made his voice tremble slightly.
The boy’s eyes lit up as he hurriedly said, “Hero… Brother, heroes will finish the bad guys, right?”
The youth was slightly surprised as he gave a humorless laugh. He forced an affirmative tone and said, “Of course, those heroes Xiaobai see on TV, they are the ones dedicated to finishing bad guys. Heroes will definitely save everyone. Daddy will definitely be fine.”