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墨書 Inktalez
Leader Zhang was flipping through some papers in his office when he finally wrote down an address on a piece of paper for us. Gu Chen glanced at the note in his hand and said to me and Chen Bo, "Let's go. This village is over an hour's drive away, and by the time we return, it will likely be late."
Leader Zhang spoke up, "Yes, that's true. It hasn't been too long—almost three months now. She must still be in that village."
We got into the car one by one, with Gu Chen driving us toward the village. As we traveled, I pondered while watching the dark clouds above. It hadn't rained yet, but the heavy clouds suggested that rain was imminent.
The roads in this village were much better than those in Zhi Li Village. Although there were some potholes, at least they were paved. By the time we arrived and got out of the car, darkness had already fallen. The clouds overhead were gray and oppressive, making it hard to breathe. Gu Chen casually parked the car in an open area and pointed to a house ahead, saying, "This is the address written here. I saw a woman's name—Wei Shufen."
I nodded and followed Gu Chen as we walked forward.
The house was surrounded by a low earthen wall about one and a half meters high, allowing us to see directly into the yard. It was an ordinary farming household; beside the wall were several rooms, while the other side was piled high with straw.
In the yard, a large patch of land had been cultivated with various crops—cucumbers, green beans, cabbage, tomatoes, and grapes among them. On the tomato trellis, many red and green tomatoes could be seen; some had ripened and fallen to the ground, indicating that they hadn't been tended to for quite some time.
However, with recent rains, watering wasn't necessary.
Gu Chen gently pushed open the door and stepped inside. We noticed that the main door of the house was tightly shut, with no sounds coming from within. Just as Gu Chen was about to call out to anyone inside, we heard several barks from within. Then, a man opened the door.
He was a thin man with dark skin and appeared to be in his thirties. Bare-chested and looking somewhat weary, he held onto the door with one hand while resting the other on his chest in a defensive posture. He asked, "Who are you?"
Chen Bo took out his identification and replied to the man, "I'm Officer Chen from the town. We're here to inquire about the case involving Wei Shufen from over two months ago."
Upon hearing Chen Bo's words, the man nodded slightly, looked at us, then opened the door wider and sighed, "Come in."
His voice was shaky and lacked strength. He didn't invite us in but instead turned back into the house first. We exchanged glances; I said to both of them, "This incident hasn't happened long ago; I think these people are still grieving for their lost child."
Both nodded in agreement.
We stepped into the room, and as soon as we entered, we saw a woman lying on a large bed facing the door. Her hair was disheveled, and she wore a very dirty outfit. She was wrapped in a blanket, from which the head of a dog was sticking out.
The air was still quite stuffy. The dog, wrapped in the blanket, had its tongue hanging out and was panting lightly. Upon seeing us, it barked a few times. The woman heard the dog barking and immediately spoke in a gentle tone, stroking the dog's head as she said, "Don't be afraid, don't be scared. Mommy is here."
We exchanged glances, each of us sensing confusion in the others' eyes.
It seemed that this woman must be Wei Shufen, and she appeared to be in a rather unhealthy state.
I looked at the man sitting by the edge of the bed. He remained silent, his head lowered, not looking at us as if he were waiting for us to ask something. The room was dimly lit by the faint light coming from outside. An oppressive and awkward atmosphere filled the space; it felt lifeless and stagnant.
Even the dog lay on the bed with its tongue out, no longer barking.
Gu Chen slightly shook his head and turned to switch on the light. With a click, the room brightened instantly.
Chen Bo cleared his throat softly and asked the man, "What’s wrong with your wife?"
The man seemed somewhat dull-witted; it was clear he was an honest person who struggled with communication.
After a moment, he slowly replied, "After we lost our child, my wife has been like this since she came back. We sought medical help, but there are issues with her mental health. We don’t have money for treatment at home. The doctor said she could just stay home; sometimes these things don’t necessarily get better with treatment. It might just take time."
He spoke softly, his hands moving from one to the other as if he didn’t want to confront us with these matters.
It seemed this man wouldn’t engage further with us. We didn’t mind and simply sat down casually.
I asked, "So you mean your wife has been like this for a long time?"
The man said, "It was like this when I came back."
I continued to ask, "What happened after your wife lost the child? Can you tell me about it?"
He glanced at me, his face showing some impatience, as if he didn't want to discuss the matter further. However, looking at me, this honest man took out a cigarette and lit it. After taking a few puffs, he finally spoke to us: "At that time, I was working in the fields in the village when a doctor called me."
As he smoked, he continued, "I had no idea what was happening. The call was to inform me that my wife needed surgery and that I should hurry to the Specialized Hospital. The doctor had already started emergency treatment. I took all the money I had and asked someone from the village with a car to take me to City."
"Then I went to the hospital." The man took a deep drag from his cigarette, his hand trembling slightly. "Once I arrived at the hospital, I rushed to find the responsible doctor. The doctor told me that under the current circumstances, they couldn't save the child and urged me to sign for the surgery. If we waited any longer, they might not be able to save my wife either."
In television dramas, we often hear doctors telling family members of pregnant women that they can only save one: the child or the mother. But in reality, such questions would never come from a doctor who is currently performing surgery. Doctors have their own considerations regarding these matters and assess risks carefully; generally speaking, they prioritize saving the mother.
The man continued, "The surgery lasted four hours. My wife was saved, but my child indeed did not survive."
"What happened next?" I asked again. "Did you pursue compensation afterward?"
He casually tossed the cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with his foot. "We did. The police found the surveillance footage quickly and identified the child who kicked her. My wife recognized him immediately as the one who had hurt her. We contacted their parents and explained what happened."
"And how did that get resolved?" I inquired further.
The man let out a bitter laugh and said slowly, "How did it get resolved? After covering medical expenses, we ended up receiving thirty thousand yuan."
Upon hearing this amount, Gu Chen frowned and said, "Thirty thousand? A human life is worth only thirty thousand?"
The man looked at Gu Chen and replied, "What else could it be? The medical expenses weren't high; out of pocket costs were around ten to twenty thousand. Then that child's family compensated us thirty thousand for everything else like nutrition expenses."
"Is this how it ends?" Gu Chen frowned and stood up.
The man replied, "This is how it is. What else can we do?"
"This is murder, this is intentional murder," Gu Chen's voice was laced with growing anger. "You think paying thirty thousand yuan makes it all right?"
The man slowly said, "Yes, what else can we do? That child was only eight years old. The police told us that children under thirteen are not criminally responsible; they can't be arrested. Besides, their family is wealthy and powerful. If we pursue this, it will take time and we might not get a good outcome. It’s better to just accept it."
"You would just accept it if your child died? Coward! Is that your child?" Gu Chen was furious.
I quickly pulled on Gu Chen's arm, and he finally stopped.
The man heard Gu Chen's words and his face showed some anger, but it was quickly masked. Seeing that expression, I shook my head helplessly. The man was just an ordinary farmer from the countryside; he had probably come to town only a handful of times. I could understand what he was thinking.
As a farmer without money, power, or connections, he was naturally intimidated by the police and even more so by a wealthy family that looked down on them. How could an honest farmer stand tall in front of such people?
Perhaps his life was simple: to farm, support his family, raise a child, send him to college, and live a peaceful life. Living day by day might have been his most basic wish. But at this critical moment, something like this happened.
Thirty thousand yuan for a life is certainly not worth it, but if he fought to the end, he might not even get that amount. This was a real dilemma laid out before him; whether to take the money or not wasn't just a simple decision—it was made after deep internal struggle, a decision stained with the blood of his child.
"You know..."
Before I could finish my sentence, the dog on the bed seemed to be overheated; it suddenly jumped off the bed and started running around chaotically. At that moment, Wei Shufen on the bed screamed sharply, her voice piercing our eardrums and tearing through the night...
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