Lin An woke up shivering from the cold. He opened his eyes, but there was no innocence or purity expected for his age—only numbness and maturity. Ignoring the strange looks from street passersby, he tightened his tattered clothes and shrank back into the dark corner.
Rubbing his flat stomach, Lin An felt extremely hungry. Well, there was nothing he could do about it! Abandoned kids like him could only have a full meal one day and go hungry the next. As for why he didn’t go to an orphanage… Lin An refused that place full of lies.
"Gulp." In the dark alley, Lin An stared intently at the beggar wrapped in a ragged coat. The beggar was wolfing down a white steamed bun. He had messy, dirty black hair like Lin An’s, and the grime-covered part of his face visible looked about Lin An’s age. In his other hand, he clutched several more buns. Seeing this, Lin An swallowed hard, gripping tightly a sharp stone he’d picked up from the roadside.
Lin An knew hunger or cold could kill him, but he didn’t want to die yet—he still clung to this world. The beggar before him could give him what he needed—food, clothes… Thinking this, his gaze turned sharp. When survival isn’t guaranteed, no one can predict what a person might do, driven nearly mad by the will to live… Lin An was exactly like that.
"Want to eat together?" Just as Lin An hesitated, the beggar suddenly spoke. He flashed a big smile, revealing white teeth that clashed with his beggar appearance. They gleamed brilliantly in the winter sun, dazzling Lin An.
Carefully taking the steamed bun, Lin An wolfed it down.
The beggar watched with a smile as Lin An finished. Just then, a tiny snowflake drifted down and landed in his hand. He looked up: countless snowflakes danced like fallen sprites in the gray sky, then landed on the city, melting into water.
"Ah, it’s snowing," the beggar said, gazing blankly at the flakes. Noticing Lin An’s body trembling slightly, he pulled a tattered, patched coat from his bag and handed it over. "If you don’t mind, take it and wear it?"
Lin An stared at the coat. Remembering how he’d just wanted to kill the beggar and take everything, his face flushed. The coat felt almost hot, but driven by his freezing body’s instinct, he put it on. In a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, he whispered, "Th-thank you. But why are you so kind to me?"
This question echoed Lin An’s doubt. They hadn’t known each other, and the beggar didn’t seem well-off himself. In this cold-hearted society, could pure, selfless kindness really exist?
Hearing this, the beggar’s expression dimmed slightly. He answered softly, "You remind me of my younger brother. If not for that incident back then… he’d probably be just like you now…"
Seeing the beggar’s gloomy look, Lin An knew his brother was likely gone. He felt even more guilty, bowing his head. "Sorry… I brought up your painful memories…"
The beggar just laughed heartily. "It’s fine! I brought it up myself! It’s been so long, I’m not that sad anymore. If you don’t mind, call me brother from now on! Oh, right! I’m Li Mo!" He extended his dirty hand toward Lin An.
Lin An stared at the palm, then chuckled softly and reached out. "Nice to meet you. I’m Lin An! Um, brother!"
By now, the sudden heavy snow had blanketed the land. After the ground donned its white coat, the temperature dropped sharply. The city looked desolate, streets nearly empty—yet two beggars in ragged coats trudged through the biting wind.
"I’ll take you to my humble place!" Li Mo said, his face showing embarrassment. "To be honest, as your big brother, I don’t have anywhere better for you."
Lin An shook his head. "Brother, just taking me in is already a huge help!"
And so, the two young beggars struggled to survive in this materialistic city. Whether scavenging trash or doing manual labor at construction sites, they did it all. They gave their all just to stay alive.
One day, after finishing hard labor, their bodies aching, they headed back to the dilapidated house left by Li Mo’s deceased grandmother. But halfway there, a group of thugs blocked them in a dark alley. A green trash can reeked of mixed rot. A stray black cat, a small rat in its mouth, leaped nimbly along the walls.
"Hey, kid! We’re broke. Hand over your money!" The leader, a thug with dyed yellow hair, sneered. "I’ve seen you two working construction sites every day!" He shoved Li Mo. Due to long-term malnutrition, Li Mo was weak; one push knocked him flat. The thug stomped hard on his chest.
Seeing Li Mo’s pained face, Lin An rushed to help him up. But a laughing thug kicked Lin An down too. He turned to Li Mo. "Alright, where’s the money? You hand it over, or shall we help?"
Li Mo started to speak, but Lin An scrambled up, shouting, "No, brother! That money’s for your medicine! Your cold’s getting worse! If you don’t take it soon, you—" Lin An couldn’t finish; a red-haired thug kicked him away, slamming him to the ground again.
"Boys, teach this kid a lesson," the yellow-haired thug said with a cruel smile to the others. He leaned over Li Mo. "Alright, let’s talk about where the money is."
Yet Lin An, surrounded and beaten by three thugs, yelled, "Don’t give it to them! Brother!"
Li Mo, pale-faced, watched Lin An take the blows silently, his stubborn eyes fixed on him. Coughing weakly, Li Mo opened his mouth to speak—when Lin An did something no one expected.
