Before I had really even said anything, Abing began to shake his hands about wildly, claiming, ‘Nope. He isn’t from our village.’ His voice seemed muffled, as though it emanated from a wooden chest.

To tell you the truth, it wasn’t because of this incident that I realized that Abing’s hearing ability was truly one of a kind. After all, Shanghainese isn’t my native tongue, and even if the difference was not all that great, there was still a difference. I thought, if it were me, if I were to close my eyes, if I were to be like Abing, I would probably be able to make out different accents, however slight the variations might be. I am sure I could determine whether a person was from Shanghai or from somewhere else. This is really a simple matter, when you think about it. I began to wonder if this was all he was capable of. Just when my suspicions had reached a crescendo, the situation went from bad to worse. I had already discovered this particular child was rather mischievous, and now he decided to tease Abing, lying to him with a perfectly straight face.

‘Ha ha, Abing, you’re wrong, this fellow here is from our village!’

‘Impossible …’

‘How is it impossible? He’s my uncle who works in Beijing.’

‘Impossible!’ Abing grew agitated and angry – as his anger grew he began to grind his teeth. In the end, much like a madman, he shouted out: ‘Impossible! Absolutely impossible! You … you’re a liar! A liar! A liar! You … you … everyone here is a liar! You’re all bad! All of you! Liar! Liar! …’

As he cursed his face became increasingly ashen, sweat poured down his brow, his body began to convulse almost uncontrollably.

The bystanders to this scene began to gather round. An elderly man who looked as if he came from the big city attempted to console Abing, while a woman brandished her hands in imitation of chopping off the ears of the young rascal who had caused the ruckus in the first place. Her meaning was plain: apologize or else. The boy finally said he was sorry, though it was clear he was putting it on. Calm was restored and after much difficulty, Abing settled down.

To me, the whole situation seemed unreal – indeed, it was totally surreal. If I had first thought that Abing was a fool, it was now I who felt foolish. In the span of a few minutes, I had seen this young man turn from a child to a madman: laughable, pitiful, rude and fragile.

It all seemed very bizarre.

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