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墨書 Inktalez
Wei Shufen's sudden scream startled us all; no one expected that a dog would run down, prompting such a reaction from her. At that moment, the man had already stood up, leaping forward to scoop the dog into his arms. He quickly placed the dog on the bed and handed it to Wei Shufen.
Wei Shufen caught the dog, and only then did she begin to calm down. She sat up, cradling the little dog in her arms, swaying it gently as she softly said, "Baby, baby, don’t run around, do you understand? You mustn’t run off; what if a car hits you?"
We stared at Wei Shufen in disbelief. At that moment, her face wore a kind expression, as if she were holding not a dog but her own child. She covered her dog with a blanket, telling it bedtime stories like a mother would to her child.
The dog whimpered twice, seemingly aware that it couldn't escape and settled back down.
The man glanced at us and said slowly, "She thinks that dog is her child. It’s been like this for a long time; there’s nothing we can do about it. Besides eating and going to the bathroom, she just holds onto her dog son."
Seeing all this left me feeling helpless. Here was a cheerful rural woman who had been preparing for childbirth, yet now she found herself in such a situation. After ten months of pregnancy and the moment of delivery, everything was wasted because of one child—an eight-year-old child.
As we saw Wei Shufen calming down, we too began to relax. The man covered his wife with a blanket; his movements were slow, as if he were performing some delicate task. His eyes were filled with sorrow that he tried to hide from us outsiders.
He tucked the blanket around his wife and turned to look at us, explaining somewhat apologetically, "The doctor said she’s weak; she can’t get cold."
This deep affection hidden in every detail could not be concealed no matter how hard he tried. For this farmer, what lay before him was everything he had; yet it had crumbled away, leaving this thin man to bear it all alone.
I sighed and said slowly, "So you really don’t know what happened back then? Why did that child act like that?"
The man lit a cigarette, his brow furrowed in worry. After a long pause, he finally spoke up: "When my wife came back, she wasn’t like this at all. At first, she was quite clear-headed. It was only after hearing they compensated just a few tens of thousands that she became like this."
"Alright," I nodded. "Since you know this much, I hope you can tell me about the reasons behind it."
The man began to explain: "After my wife returned from the hospital, she rested at home for a while. I asked her what exactly had happened."
Through the man's narration, we finally learned what had happened. I looked at Wei Shufen, who was still lying on the bed with a blissful expression, and felt a sense of irony in reality. She should have been cradling her own child, but instead, she was holding a dog—her dog son.
The incident occurred over two months ago when Wei Shufen went to the hospital for a prenatal check-up. That was supposed to be her last visit, as her due date was approaching, and soon she would have a child of her own. At twenty-five or twenty-six years old, she was considered to be having a baby later than most women in the countryside, while her husband was already thirty.
Her husband loved her deeply, and in this regard, she felt very fortunate. Her parents had actually disapproved of her marrying him because he did not have a stable job and could not provide her with a comfortable life. However, what mattered most to her was his ambition and the effort he put into their life together; that was enough for her.
With these thoughts in mind, Wei Shufen boarded a bus after her check-up. She needed to hurry home; her husband was likely still working in the fields at that hour. The bus was crowded during rush hour, and she couldn't find a seat, worrying that she would have to stand.
At that moment, a middle-aged man in his thirties said, "There’s a seat available. Hey friend, give this pregnant lady your seat."
This man was Li Jun. However, when he first spoke, he turned his face toward the window, showing no intention of giving up his seat.
The middle-aged man grew angry and said, "What school are you from? Didn’t your teachers teach you to give your seat to pregnant women? Get up or I’ll hit you."
Reluctantly, Li Jun stood up.
Wei Shufen was the kind of woman from the countryside who preferred to avoid trouble. She initially wanted to refuse but feared the middle-aged man, so she sat down. The ride continued peacefully with Li Jun standing next to Wei Shufen without saying anything.
After a few stops, the man got off the bus. At that point, Li Jun began to curse at Wei Shufen with vulgar language filled with sexual innuendos now that the imposing man had left. Wei Shufen ignored him; she couldn’t believe how students in City had become.
Moreover, Wei Shufen had always lived by the principle of avoiding unnecessary conflict. She didn’t want to cause trouble and just thought about getting home quickly; her husband might be waiting for her return. So throughout the journey, she paid no attention to Li Jun. When they reached Wire Factory, it was time for her to get off and take Bus 30 home.
Many people were getting off; they formed a line as they exited the bus. Wei Shufen followed slowly behind them since she was heavily pregnant and walked at a much slower pace. By the time she reached the door, most passengers had already disembarked. At that moment, Li Jun began hurling particularly crude insults at Wei Shufen from behind.
Wei Shufen was in a state of panic, thinking that getting off the car quickly would solve everything. However, she never anticipated that what happened next would affect her life forever. Just after she had walked a short distance, she suddenly felt a heavy kick from behind. Instinctively, she tried to grab onto something, but nothing was within her reach. The last image that flashed before her eyes was of Li Jun fleeing.
The man spoke with an unsettling calmness, as if this incident had nothing to do with him. Yet, from his suppressed expressions, it was clear to us that he was filled with sorrow and anger. But what could be done? Perhaps he had cursed himself a thousand times for not accompanying his wife at that moment.
On the bed, Wei Shufen seemed to be asleep, holding her dog tightly and remaining motionless. One could only wonder if she dreamed of that cruel scene.
"Alright, that's all we need to ask you. Thank you," I said.
The man remained silent, merely grunting in response.
As we stepped out of the house, darkness had already fallen.
Gu Chen said, "Although I'm not him, I can't help but wish to tear Li Jun apart. But since Li Jun is already dead, as a father facing the loss of his child, do you think it's possible he did it?"
We had exited the courtyard and closed the gate behind us. I said to Chen Bo, "Ask the village chief if this man has shown any unusual behavior lately. The key question is whether he has bought a car."
"Got it," Chen Bo nodded.
As Chen Bo went to inquire about this matter, I turned to Gu Chen and said, "I don't think this person is the Murderer. He likely doesn't own a car and therefore couldn't have taken both children away. Secondly, if he did it, where could he have hidden Hu Ningning? If he hid her in the village, that would be too risky. Given the Murderer's meticulous nature, it's unlikely."
"He and the Murderer have very different personalities," I continued. "It's highly unlikely to be him."
Gu Chen sighed and said, "But regarding Li Jun, I feel like the Murderer must have had a significant grudge against him. Otherwise, why would there be so many wounds on Li Jun's body? Those injuries suggest abuse. Who else could have such animosity towards Li Jun?"
I shook my head and said, "It's still unclear right now. The main issue is that Hu Ningning doesn't know where he is. We can understand that he has a grudge against Li Jun, but Hu Ningning doesn't have any animosity towards him. Moreover, I noticed that this courtyard is not very secluded; it would be difficult to mistreat a child without being noticed. Especially in the end, when he had to bathe the corpse, dress it, and dispose of it—those actions would be even harder to pull off."
Gu Chen frowned, resting his chin on his hand. "Then who do you think the murderer could be? Why would they do this?"
I shook my head again; it was still unclear. "The news of Li Jun's death hasn't been communicated to his parents yet. So, let's visit Li Jun's home tomorrow. We won't gain much more from Li Jun himself, but I wonder how his parents will feel when they see the autopsy report."
Gu Chen remarked, "For a child like this, although I shouldn't say it, his death is somewhat satisfying. Especially since this was clearly a murder, yet the police can't seem to catch anyone."
I replied to Gu Chen, "We can't definitively say it was murder yet. After all, Li Jun is dead, and we don't know if he intended to just kick him or if he meant to harm the child inside her. However, the former seems more likely; from what I've heard, that kick must have been quite forceful."
"That's definitely intentional murder," Gu Chen asserted. "There's no need to find any other reasons. An eight-year-old child should know better than that. If it were me, I certainly wouldn't believe he didn't understand the consequences; it was deliberate."
At that moment, Chen Bo returned.
As he walked back, he said, "I asked around; there were no cars available. If there were cars, wouldn't they just drive themselves to the hospital instead of taking the bus?"
"Let's go," I said. "The murderer isn't him."
Chen Bo suggested, "How about this: you two can stay at the town's police station for the night."
"Okay..."
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