I never knew his real name. I only knew that when his grandmother brought him to our courtyard, she called him Shen Yu. Shen Yu’s arrival shattered the peace of our courtyard. He was a violent, rebellious boy. At first, his cruelty was confined to vandalism, but soon he turned on me, secretly locking me in the cellar or shoving me into the pond. None of it seemed like a big deal at the time. He wo