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"That day, I called the parents of the children together and said we needed to hold a meeting," the village chief said in a low, gravelly voice. "You’re right; we need to choose someone... choose someone to die."
"Sister Liu, usually... she..." Lu Wan couldn't finish his sentence.
But the village chief seemed to know what he was about to say. He nodded and continued, "Sister Liu is a widow, struggling to raise her children. Life is already hard for her. With no economic support, it’s even tougher. It’s not that we don’t want to help, but which family in this village isn’t living in poverty? Who has the means to assist? Sister Liu had no other way out; that’s why she resorted to doing things that shouldn’t be seen."
In truth, when Lin Mu Feng mentioned the story of Mianjiang Village, Lu Wan had already guessed—Sister Liu was forced by circumstances to engage in illicit activities. It was no surprise that she was ultimately chosen to die. In a rural area where feudal thinking was deeply rooted, Sister Liu was indeed seen as a disgrace.
"I know she did all this for Da Bao," the village chief said, cradling his head and squatting on the ground. "She wants to suffer herself so that Da Bao can have a better life."
Lu Wan felt a lump in his throat. "Is there really no other way?"
"Who doesn’t want another way?! I went to those entrepreneurs, hoping they would contribute money to help us build a road through the mountains. But what did they say? They told me not to be greedy, claiming that building schools was just for publicity. Now that they’ve gotten their publicity, they refuse to give us another penny." Tears streamed down the village chief's face. "I want to open up the mountains and create a path, but I can only use the 'Assistance Fee.' When they gave us the money back then, it was clear—it was just a reserve fund, and I can't use it without their consent. Would they agree? This is just a pretense."
As he spoke, the village chief pulled out a jar from under the bed and took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills stuffed inside. "This is what Sister Liu earned with her life—ten thousand yuan. No, Sister Liu's life didn't just earn this ten thousand. Once we open up the mountain road, not only can we sell our fruits and everyone will have a source of income; city folks will come to visit and see the legendary 'Demon God' ruins. This will create another source of income." He held the money close to his chest. "Sister Liu won’t die in vain; I promised her I would take care of Da Bao and provide him with opportunities for schooling in the county."
What an ugly transaction this was! Yet this is maternal love—she had long abandoned her own life for her child's future. Lu Wan struggled with the thought—if he revealed the truth, wouldn’t Sister Liu’s sacrifice be in vain?
"Even if... even if I wanted to let you off the hook, but..." Lu Wan hadn’t finished speaking when someone burst in. It was Lin Mu Feng—the last person Lu Wan wanted to see at that moment.
Lu Wan turned away; the stack of cash in the village chief's hands was more glaring than ever. Yes, Lin Mu Feng's appearance now still wouldn’t yield any evidence. However, those twenty thousand yuan could not be used by the village chief—more importantly, everything Sister Liu had sacrificed her life for would turn into nothing.
"...So someone used fishing line to create a locked room scenario. And I can assure you that this person is definitely not Liu Erhan as seen by Teacher Shu; it must be someone from outside the village who stole those twenty thousand yuan. As for who this person is, I believe that’s for the police to figure out," Lin Mu Feng stated amidst Lu Wan's astonished gaze, delivering a flawed deduction.
"Yes, that's right." Lin Mu Feng nodded in satisfaction. "I believe Lu Wan's reasoning aligns with mine."
"Ah—yes, indeed, it does," Lu Wan replied awkwardly with a smile.
After saying goodbye to the village chief, the two stepped outside.
"Thank you," Lu Wan said vaguely.
Lin Mu Feng raised a finger to his lips and said, "It's not a favor you owe me." Only then did Lu Wan smile, thinking to himself that he should have realized this sooner.
That time in Shu Huan's room, Lin Mu Feng had pulled Lu Wan out and led him to the open space in front of the village chief's house. He pointed at Da Bao, who was sitting alone at the door looking gloomy, and said to Lu Wan, "Teacher Shu mentioned that you have excellent reasoning skills. Yes, you have the right to stay out of it; you could also stop me from investigating to spare your beloved from recalling terrifying memories. But now, look at him—look at him as he becomes an orphan..."
Lu Wan gazed at him—his silhouette stretched longer by the setting sun.
"A detective is not just a tool for solving cases; they are human beings, right?" Lu Wan murmured with a smile.
"Xiao Huan, Xiao Huan," Lu Wan called softly.
Shu Huan lay with her back to Lu Wan, curled up on a rock, silent as if she were asleep.
Lu Wan looked up at the night sky, where the stars seemed to gather around the moon, quietly listening to a story. He felt a heaviness in his chest and took out a small harmonica. After a moment's thought, he began to play "In The World, Only Mother Is Good."
As the tune ended, he inadvertently caught sight of Shu Huan—her eyes were closed, and two glistening tears streamed down her face.
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