The sun beat down on the winding mountain path, its heat radiating off the dusty earth in shimmering waves. Wang Dongdong trudged forward, one hand gripping the handle of his rolling suitcase, the other mopping sweat from his brow. The wheels clattered and jolted over rocks and roots, a stubborn protest against the rugged terrain. Ahead, the village of Shangshuitun sprawled in a shallow valley, its gray-tiled roofs huddled together like tired old men. Smoke curled from a few chimneys, and the distant bark of a dog echoed off the hills.
He smiled despite the ache in his shoulders. This was it—the start of something real. No more cramped classrooms in the city, no more pressure from parents and teachers. Here, in this forgotten corner of the province, he would teach children who truly needed him. He imagined their eager faces, their gratitude, their laughter. The application essay had practically written itself: *Bringing light to the mountains*. His chest swelled with a pride he had never allowed himself to feel before.
The path narrowed as he approached the village entrance. An ancient locust tree stood sentinel there, its thick branches casting a patchy shadow across the road. Wang Dongdong barely glanced at it as he passed, his eyes fixed on the cluster of buildings ahead.
Behind the gnarled trunk, five men pressed themselves against the bark, their breath coming in short, ragged gasps. Zhang Qiang raised a pair of battered binoculars to his scarred face, adjusting the focus with trembling fingers. The lens found the boy—no, the *prize*—and locked on. He watched the sweat-darkened fabric of the white T-shirt cling to a slender torso. He watched the way the hips swayed with each step, the natural grace of youth.
"Fuck me," he whispered, his thick tongue sliding over cracked lips. "Look at that little bitch."
Li San crowded beside him, his bushy beard brushing Zhang Qiang's shoulder. "Let me see. Let me see the feet."
Zhang Qiang passed the binoculars, and Li San aimed them downward. The white sports shoes were spotless, pristine, untouched by the mountain mud. They lifted and fell with a dancer's lightness, the leather creaking softly with each step. Li San's breath hitched. The soles, when they flashed briefly in a slant of sunlight, seemed impossibly smooth.
"Virgin feet," Li San growled. "Never been touched. I can tell."
Liu Hu wiped sweat from his bald head and grinned, his round belly jiggling. "And the nipples. Bet they're pink. Tender like flower buds."
Wang Mazi sniffed loudly, his bulbous nose twitching. "Stop drooling. We gotta get him settled first. Then we play."
Chen Gou said nothing. He merely watched, his pockmarked face expressionless, his eyes fixed on the boy's crotch as if memorizing every fold of fabric.
Wang Dongdong felt a prickle at the back of his neck. He glanced over his shoulder, but saw only the locust tree, its leaves rustling in a lazy breeze. He shook his head and continued walking. *Just nerves*, he told himself. *First day jitters.*
The village liaison—a stooped old woman named Auntie Zhao—met him at the communal well. She clucked her tongue when she saw him, her eyes scanning his city clothes with open disapproval. "You the teacher? You're just a baby."
"I'm sixteen," Wang Dongdong said, trying to sound confident. "I graduated early. I have my certificates—"
"Never mind that." She waved a gnarled hand. "Come. Your place is this way."
She led him through winding alleys, past houses with peeling paint and yards full of scraggly chickens. The smell of cooking oil and pig manure hung thick in the air. At last they stopped before a crumbling brick house, its windows boarded, its door hanging crooked on rusted hinges.
"This is it?" Wang Dongdong's voice cracked.
"It's what we got." Auntie Zhao pushed open the door. Inside, a single room greeted him: a narrow wooden bed with a thin straw mattress, a rickety table, a kerosene lamp. Cobwebs draped the corners like lace. "Water's from the pump outside. Latrine's behind the shed. Lights go out at nine, so don't waste the oil."
She left without another word.
Wang Dongdong stood alone in the dim room, his suitcase at his feet. *This is fine*, he told himself. *This is character-building*. He unpacked his clothes, arranged his textbooks on the table, and tried not to think about the rust stains on the walls.
Night fell fast in the mountains. By eight o'clock, the sky had turned to ink, and the only sounds were the chirping of crickets and the occasional howl of a dog. Wang Dongdong poured water from a chipped basin onto his feet, sighing as the cool liquid soothed his aching soles. The white sports shoes lay discarded by the door, their laces undone.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his feet submerged in the basin, when the smell hit him. It was sharp, chemical, like paint thinner and rotting flowers mixed together. Before he could react, the room spun. The kerosene lamp flickered, died. His vision tunneled to a pinpoint of blackness, and then nothing.
He woke to pain. A sharp sting in his wrists, a burn in his ankles. His eyes fluttered open, and the world swam back in fragments: a bare bulb swinging overhead, casting jaundiced light across a room he did not recognize. He tried to sit up, but his body refused to obey. His arms were stretched above his head, tied with rough rope to the iron headboard. His legs were yanked apart, hoisted high on either side, bound to posts at the foot of the bed.
He was spread-eagled like a specimen on a tray.
"Wh—" His voice came out a croak. "What's going on? Who's there?"
Laughter. Deep, guttural, hungry. From the shadows, five shapes emerged. They were the men from the village, the ones he had seen loitering near the well, the grocery, the grain mill. Only now they looked different. Their faces were slick with sweat, their eyes glassy and bright. They moved around the bed, hemming him in, their breath creating a ring of fetid heat.
Zhang Qiang stepped forward, his scarred face splitting into a grin. "Wakey wakey, little teacher."
Wang Dongdong's mind screamed. He yanked at the ropes, thrashing his body from side to side. The bedframe groaned but held firm. His bare feet, still wet from the basin, kicked the air uselessly, the soles pale and vulnerable under the harsh light.
"Let me go! Let me go! I'll call the police! I'll—"
The slap came out of nowhere. His head snapped to the side, and white stars burst behind his eyes. Zhang Qiang's thick palm left a red imprint on his cheek.
"Shut your mouth, boy." Zhang Qiang's voice was calm, almost fatherly. "You're not calling anyone. You're not going anywhere. Tonight, you learn what a real man is."
Wang Dongdong's lower lip trembled. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, but he forced them back. He would not cry. He would not give them that satisfaction. "What... what do you want from me?"
Li San stepped up, stroking his beard. "Everything, little bitch. Every inch of that sweet young body." He reached out and took hold of Wang Dongdong's right foot, his calloused fingers wrapping around the arch. Wang Dongdong flinched, a gasp escaping his lips. No one had ever touched his feet before. The sensation was alien, electric, shooting up his leg like a jolt.
"Soft," Li San murmured, rubbing his thumb over the sensitive skin of the sole. "Like dough. Like silk. Never seen feet this nice."
Liu Hu moved to the head of the bed. He leaned down, his round face hovering inches from Wang Dongdong's chest. His long tongue darted out, wetting his lips. "Let's see those nipples. Bet they're hard as pebbles already."
"Don't—" Wang Dongdong tried to twist away, but there was nowhere to go. Liu Hu's thick fingers found the hem of his T-shirt and yanked upward, exposing his pale chest. The air hit his nipples, and they tightened instantly, shrinking into small, pink buds.
Liu Hu's tongue flicked out, licking one. Wang Dongdong jerked, a strangled cry catching in his throat. The touch was not painful—it was worse. It was *strange*, a ticklish heat that spread through his chest and pooled in his belly. He bit his lip, trying to hold still, but his body betrayed him. His back arched, pressing the nipple further into Liu Hu's waiting mouth.
"That's it," Liu Hu rumbled, his voice vibrating against the sensitive nub. "Give it to me."
Wang Mazi clamped his hands around Wang Dongdong's hips, pinning him to the mattress. "Don't fight, pretty boy. It only makes it better."
And Chen Gou, silent Chen Gou, knelt between Wang Dongdong's parted legs. His eyes fixed on the small, soft mound framed by the boy's underwear. With slow deliberation, he hooked his fingers under the elastic and pulled it down, revealing Wang Dongdong's half-hard cock—small, hairless, trembling.
Wang Dongdong squeezed his eyes shut. *This is a nightmare*, he told himself. *This is not real. I will wake up in the morning and laugh about it.*
But the hands were real. The mouths were real. And when Chen Gou took him into his warm, wet mouth, Wang Dongdong's eyes flew open, and he screamed.