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“Second Fool” opened his eyes and stared at the mud and thatch roof over his head. The quilt covering his body was a deep yellow color and had a musty smell. It was so old that its original color could no longer be distinguished. Next to him lay his second brother, Han Zhu, who appeared to be in a deep slumber. Snores intermittently floated over as he slept. Five feet from the bed was an earthen wall that had suffered from numerous cracks due to the passage of time. From the other side of the wall came the nagging voice of his mother and the occasional deep breathing of his father who was smoking his pipe. Second Fool slowly closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep. He knew that if he didn’t go to sleep now, he wouldn’t be able to wake up early the next day. If he woke up late, he wouldn't be able to go up to the mountains with his good friends to gather firewood. Second Fool’s real name was Han Li. This elegant name was not given to him by his parents. When he was born, his parents had offered two pieces of cornbread to the village’s Elder Zhang in exchange for giving the baby Han Li a second name. [1] When Uncle Zhang was young, he had attended school with the wealthy children in the city. As he was the only one in the village who knew how to read a few words, more than half of the children in the village were named by him. Han Li was called “Second Fool” by those in the village. Despite his name, he wasn’t stupid looking or foolish. On the contrary, he was actually the smartest person in the village. But just like the other children, aside from when they were home, nobody called him by his official name “Han Li”. Instead, they called him by his pet name “Second Fool”.