Cang Xu nodded slightly and was silent for a while, as if choosing his words carefully.
Then, he spoke in a desolate tone, "My name is Cang Xu, and I was born into a farming family, originally a farmer's son."
"When I was about five or six years old, I started to work. My main job was cleaning horse dung. Our family had a short-legged nag mainly used for plowing."
"Once when I was cleaning the manure, the nag suddenly became angry and kicked me with its hind legs. I fell headfirst into the dung and nearly suffocated to death. Although I was lucky to survive, such a close encounter with death filled my young heart with fear that I could not easily let go of."
"I became very timid, afraid of any type of horse, even things that resembled horses in shape. I even dared not go near the stables. My parents assigned me other tasks, but I was still trembling and cautious, hiding at any sign of the 'Grass Movement.'"