Following an argument between his parents, Guan Zu’s father performed his usual morning wake-up call with a pillow—swinging it heavily while shouting verbal abuse, his movements exaggerated and violent.
After a few thuds, his father ripped the quilt off the bed and threw it onto the floor. Guan Zu got up without a word. His father didn't let up, however; he struck the back of Guan Zu’s head repeatedly from behind, each blow so forceful that it sent the young man stumbling forward.
Guan Zu was only in his early twenties, yet the fact that he could remain so calm and silent while enduring his father’s beatings and insults was simply because he was used to it. It had become his new normal. For various reasons, he didn't dare fight back; he had reached a state of numbness.
Chapter 117