In the quiet, deserted corridor, Shen Baolan bent over and took a newly bought iron chain out of the burlap sack he carried with him, wrapping it round and round the Zhou family's burglarproof barrier gate.
The clinking sound of the chains colliding merged with the laughter and cheerful voices inside the house, as if part of a symphony.
"A family should be together, complete—missing even one person is unacceptable."
Staring at the locked chain, Shen Baolan's face revealed a satisfied and bizarre smile, and then he took out a plastic jug from the burlap sack.
He twisted off the cap and poured the liquid through the gap underneath the door.
As he did this, a strong, pungent smell of gasoline began spreading throughout the corridor.
"You all are much luckier than my brother. You get to die together and be a family even underground. My brother, on the other hand, is all alone over there."
