A single mother moved in downstairs, living a life of hardship. Initially, I didn’t sympathize with the mother and daughter, even taking a perverse pleasure in their plight. I couldn’t live, so I wished everyone else to suffer too. But the little girl from that family liked me, undeterred by my coldness, often coming up to offer me candy: “Mom says big sister’s injections hurt, but candy will make it go away.”
I scoffed at this. Until one night, a shocking tragedy occurred in our community. The single mother was raped and killed by three thugs, and her daughter was drowned alive. But because they had mental illness, the law couldn’t judge them. Listening to the police sirens downstairs, I nonchalantly went to the hospital to get my medication, a knife hidden in my bosom—
When one is about to die, I am not kind. The death penalty that the law cannot judge, I will.
I placed the moldy little cake on the table, feeling both irritable and helpless. I checked the surveillance, and this inedible cake was left at my door by the little girl days ago. But a month ago, I had left home for chemotherapy in City B and hadn’t returned for a long time. The little girl, accustomed to my unresponsive door, left the cake at my doorstep and bounced away.
This little girl, Yi Yi, moved to the floor below me last year with her mother. I heard her father gambled and was abusive, losing all their assets, and the two had no choice but to flee to City A after being beaten.
At first, seeing the single mother struggling to raise her little daughter, working from dawn to dusk, looking so haggard every day—I felt a twisted satisfaction. Look, it’s not just me who’s unlucky . There are others living just as miserably, in a mess.
But Yi Yi had an inexplicable kindness and curiosity towards me. When she met me waiting for the elevator, she would always press the button for me and let her stray dog rub against my pants. The dog, seeing me trembling and hesitant, would whine and shrink back into Yi Yi’s arms. I always muttered, “Silly dog.”
Although I was born a girl, I’m not short, with a face full of anger and a cold expression that’s often intimidating. I never expected to be liked by a soft and cute little girl, and for a while, I found it somewhat eerie. No, is her aesthetic sense a problem? Why could she like me?
But Yi Yi didn’t seem to mind my cold face and often brought the egg tarts her mother baked to knock on my door. Each time I opened the door irritably, I would see a little pink ball holding golden egg tarts, smiling softly at me:
“Tall Sister, here’s an egg tart for you.” I looked coldly at her: “I don’t have the surname Gao.” “But you’re so tall, so tall～” She stretched out her small arms to illustrate. I continued to look coldly: “But I don’t have the surname Gao.” “Okay, Tall—Height Sister.” “……”
Since then, I’ve been living a life where desserts are occasionally thrown at me.
I have cancer. Advanced leukemia. Often going alone for chemotherapy, my arms are covered with dense needle marks. Once, when I was throwing out the trash downstairs, the pain from the chemotherapy side effects hit, and I curled up in pain.
When I was seeing stars from the pain, I suddenly felt something hard being stuffed into my palm. It was two White Rabbit milk candies. The little ball of fluff looked worried at me, her eyes sparkling:
“Mom says big sister’s injections hurt, but candy will make it go away.” I scoffed at this. God is playing with my fate, thinking that letting a child show me some kindness would make me grateful to the world? Dream on!
I looked at the Lina Belle on the sofa, lost in thought. I bought it on a whim during this trip to City B for chemotherapy. I can’t owe them a favor.
My mother is a negative example for me. I can’t do that kind of cheap thing of taking without giving. But that night, I knocked on their door three times, and no one answered. I rubbed my eyebrows, feeling agitated, just about to throw the pink fox in my hand into the trash when a surprised voice came from behind.
“Xiao Gu, why are you here?” I turned around, and it was the retired uncle from upstairs. The uncle looked solemn: “You girl, what are you doing at 203, don’t you know something happened to their family?!” My eyelid twitched, and a sense of foreboding filled my heart.
On the evening of October 20th, not long after I left, a shocking murder case occurred in our community. Three college guys, drunk and possibly high, rushed into the home of this mother and daughter. The reason was that one day in the afternoon, the woman was setting up a stall at the school gate.
A guy was showing off in a sports car at the entrance, and the woman didn’t move her stall out of the way in time. After the car flattened the stall, the woman hadn’t said anything, but a group of angry college students surrounded the sports car, asking them to get out and apologize and compensate.
At first, the people in the car were still arrogant, throwing down some money and trying to leave. But the other students were furious, feeling insulted.
They were patting the sports car, telling them to get out and apologize. Seeing the situation escalating, the guy in the car gave in, got out, apologized, and compensated. But the woman was held a grudge.
A few days later, three drunken men, under the cover of night, rushed into the home of this mother and daughter, slapping the woman eighteen times and smashing everything in the house. The woman couldn’t resist, holding Yi Yi and shrinking in the corner:
“Smash anything you want, just please spare me and my daughter, please… My daughter is still young…” The leading man was the son of the richest man in City A, Zong Yuan. He stepped on the woman’s hand and ground it fiercely, laughing wildly:
“That day, you didn’t make way for me quickly enough, causing me to lose face. Now you know how to beg for mercy! Today, we brothers are here to teach you a lesson!” The three beasts finished smashing things and, smoking, perhaps not feeling satisfied, turned their gazes to the still charming woman. They dragged the woman into the bedroom and took turns violating her. Rape often comes with violence. In the struggle, the woman was beaten beyond recognition.
Listening to the uncle’s heart-wrenching description, I leaned against the corridor and silently lit a cigarette, my face hidden in the shadows. Well, I smoke, dye my hair, and drink; I’m never the good girl others talk about.
“Those three beasts humiliated and tortured the child’s mother for two hours… Her lower body was severely torn, and she was covered in blood.” “They also pressed burning cigarette butts into the child’s mother’s eyes and face; she was scalded… beyond recognition and was soon tortured to death.”
“Yi Yi was crying in fear, and later, breaking free, she rushed up to bite their legs but was kicked by them, flying backward and hitting the wall. The forensic doctor said… there was already a blood clot at the back of her head…” But the three men still didn’t feel satisfied. They picked up Yi Yi, like a chicken, and tied her in the bathtub, turning on the water valve.
They watched as the water gradually filled the tub, slowly covering Yi Yi’s chest, and finally, her hair. Yi Yi went from struggling and crying to losing her voice. The three men laughed wildly and even recorded the whole process. In the end, they posted the video under their real names on a private forum:
“See! This is the下场 of offending me!” Below the forum, a group of flatterers and second-generation children all flattered:
“Brother Zong is awesome!” “Who doesn’t want to live! Daring to provoke our Brother Zong!” In the end, someone on the forum who couldn’t stand it called the police, and the police found our community based on the IP post.
When the police arrived, the three beasts had not left yet. The bodies of the mother and daughter were casually thrown in the bathroom. The three men were playing cards and taking drugs in the living room, even ordering takeout Australian lobster, making the house a mess.
It was the neighbor from 201 who just came home and saw the police, only to find out that Yi Yi and her mother had been killed.
I took out my phone and searched, finding the forum where the three beasts had posted.
The post by the three beasts has been banned.
But I found screenshots of the forum post elsewhere.
The video has also been saved, and for a bit of money, it can even be seen on a certain disk.
I watched the video expressionlessly.
My head felt a little dizzy.
In the video, Yi Yi cried her heart out, lying on her mother:
“Please don’t bully my mom, ugh… you are bad people… mom…”
The once lively and lovely little girl was kicked around like a toy ball by them.
And the stray dog that Yi Yi raised had its head cut off and was thrown in front of Yi Yi, dripping with blood.
Listening to Yi Yi’s screams and the woman’s cries, the three beasts seemed to be ignited, laughing more wildly.
I couldn’t help it, my teeth rubbed against each other, making a creaking sound.
Uncle became more and more excited:
“In the end, the three beasts were taken away by the police, still grinning and giving the middle finger to the surrounding onlookers!”
“It’s outrageous! The beasts! God has no eyes, and he didn’t strike them dead with lightning!”
I took a deep drag of my cigarette and exhaled the white mist, hoarsely:
“What happened to those three? Were they sentenced to death?”
When it came to this, Uncle sighed heavily:
“Alas! They were released in perfect condition!”
The words “released in perfect condition” I repeated in my heart, feeling that the world is really messed up.
My biological mother was a mistress.
My biological father didn’t acknowledge me.
At the age of seven, after being abandoned by my mother, I fought with wild dogs for food.
At ten, in the orphanage, I bit off half of a bully’s finger.
At sixteen, because I stood up for justice, I was beaten almost deaf in my left ear.
I thought that when I grew up, I could live a bit of a human life.
But at 21, I was diagnosed with leukemia, shattering all my inner defenses.
I can’t live anymore.
But some people, even if they commit the greatest evil, don’t have to bear the consequences and still live arrogantly and freely.
Like those three beasts.
They killed two lives, and they can be released perfectly, escaping justice!
Uncle sighed:
“There’s no way, one is the son of the richest man, one is the nephew of a powerful family, and the other is a lackey who followed them, and was only detained for 15 days and released.”
“They have mental proof, saying that all three of them have severe mental illness, so they don’t have to bear legal responsibility, just compensate for some money…”
My voice was unusually calm:
“How much compensation? Who did it go to? Are there any other relatives of this mother and daughter?”
Uncle was so angry that his beard stood up.
“Don’t even mention it, those beasts! Misfortune seeks the poor.
“Yi Yi’s gambling father was killed by debt collectors.
Her grandmother is in her hometown, and she got a compensation of more than a million, and an apology that doesn’t mean anything.
The old man is almost blind from crying, but there’s nothing she can do. I thought it was over.
Unexpectedly, they gave fake money! It’s only a layer of RMB on the outside, and it’s all hell notes inside!”
Later, Yi Yi’s grandmother went to the village to sue, and the village paid to send her to the city court.
But the three families of Zong Yuan all insisted that they gave real money.
“They said it was all given in front of the old lady! If there was really a problem, why didn’t she say it at the time!”
They also turned the tables and said that the old lady must have changed it herself! They scolded her for being a black-hearted old woman who is not afraid of retribution!”
Yi Yi’s grandmother fainted from crying:
“You will be retribution! You return my daughter and granddaughter to me! I don’t want your dirty money, fake money! You don’t have to give me hell notes to curse me, an old woman!”
Everyone can see the truth.
But the three families of Zong Yuan have strong relationships and ignore it.
Yi Yi’s grandmother, unable to seek justice, could only return to the village with hatred, crying day and night.
Hearing this, I silently returned home.
I didn’t turn on the light, casually threw the shell wind chime aside, which was given to me by the little girl.
The sound of the wind chime is not worth much, and I despise it.
But my home is too empty, and the clear sound of the wind chime can temporarily make me forget the pain of chemotherapy.
This matter was lightly lifted.
Such a heinous murder case, the media in City A was as if it was mute, there was no report about this matter.
The community was in a state of panic, and everyone was sighing about this matter.
I could still hear people whispering in the elevator:
“This 203 provoked the people they shouldn’t have, it’s a sin!”
I continued to live my life as usual, as if nothing had changed, but something seemed to have changed.
Sometimes I even hallucinated that someone was knocking on the door, shouting:
“Tall Sister, I brought you the tiramisu my mom made! Open the door!”
The police came for another investigation three days later.
It is said that Yi Yi’s grandmother took out her last savings and came to the city again, demanding a retrial.
The police went through the motions and brought the three murderers to the scene again.
Zong Yuan was casual, and the armed police followed behind, as if they had become his bodyguards.
It seemed not to escort a murderer, but to accompany a young master to watch a play.
I closed the window, went to the kitchen, took a sharp knife and put it in my clothes, and went downstairs silently.
But by the time I got there, Zong Yuan and the other three were ready to get on the police car.
This trip’s investigation still didn’t yield much.
Zong Yuan and the other three were proud and complacent, winking at the crowd as if they were triumphant heroes.
I held the knife handle, pushed through the crowd, and rushed over.
Zong Yuan’s arrogant and deserving a beating face became clearer and clearer in front of me, and I felt that I could punch him as soon as I raised my hand.
The whispers in my ears auditory perception gradually blurs.
My world seemed to have lost its voice.
I slowly took out the knife from my bosom and moved forward half a step.
In my mind, I was crazily outlining how to stab to ensure that none of the three beasts would be missed.
If I missed one, I would be unwilling to die.
“Gu Xiaofeng! Are you crazy! What are you doing!”
Just before I took the last step, I was grabbed by the arm and forcibly pulled back.
The familiar voice brought me back to my senses.
The person who came was Lin Shengnan, who can be considered a friend.
She is my sister’s personal assistant.
She snatched the knife from my bosom and hid it under her coat, her voice terrified:
“What are you doing?!”
My voice was indifferent: “I’m going to stab those three beasts, the death penalty that the law can’t judge, I will.”
Lin Shengnan frowned fiercely:
“What do you think the consequences will be if you stab them in broad daylight like this?”
I sneered, “I’m a dying person, what do I have to fear?”
“Why are you here?”
Lin Shengnan exhaled deeply, “I knew you were back. Hearing that something happened in your community, your sister couldn’t rest easy and sent me to check on you. Fortunately, I came today.”
I was stunned. I have no parents, alone in the world. I didn’t expect this half-sister to still care about me.
“Go back and tell my sister, I’m a dying person, even if something happens, it won’t involve the Gu family.”
I tried to pull the knife from Lin Shengnan’s hand, but couldn’t, so I let go. Hey, she’s taking advantage of my weakened strength.
Lin Shengnan chattered in my ear, urging me not to do something foolish. Watching the police car leave, I gave up and pulled the most gossiping auntie in the community to ask a few questions. Then I shook off Lin Shengnan, went out, hailed a taxi, and went to Yi Yi’s grandmother’s place.
Grandma, in order to seek justice for her daughter and granddaughter, temporarily rented a basement in the city. When I arrived, grandma was struggling with the judgment documents given by the court, trying to find a loophole.
The basement had no windows, dark and damp. I hunched over, frowning, and barely squeezed in.
Seeing me, grandma’s eyes flashed with tension: “Who are you?! Are you sent by those beasts! I tell you, I’m not afraid of you!”
I twitched at the corner of my mouth. I might have forgotten how to smile, always with a stern face, plus wearing a duckbill cap, I did look a bit like a killer from the movies, which made the old lady misunderstand.
“You’re mistaken, I’m not a bad person, I’m your daughter’s neighbor.” “I live in 303.”
The old lady took off her reading glasses with trembling hands and suddenly remembered something: “You’re the tall Miss Guo that Yi Yi mentioned to me?”
I was a bit surprised. The old lady sighed and continued: “She called before. Yi Yi said there’s a tall sister upstairs who helped Yi Yi hold a cabinet when they first moved in, and saved her.”
I suddenly remembered that someone in the community was moving. I happened to pass by, and a cute little girl walking her dog passed by the moving truck when a solid wood cabinet tilted and almost crushed her. I happened to hold up the cabinet.
I didn’t expect such a small favor to换来小女孩’s kindness.
The old lady talked and choked up: “My daughter and granddaughter had a tough life, they met that abusive man a few years ago, and now that they finally got away from the suffering and wanted to live a good life, how could this happen…”
I listened indifferently. Maybe it’s because I’ve never felt the warmth of family, so I’m not touched by what she said.
When she cried enough, I asked, “Has the Zong family approached you?”
The old lady wiped her tears and said, “They came to me right after it happened, asking me to settle actively. They gave me a lot of money, but I didn’t agree, so they smashed everything in my house and left.”
“I thought there would be retribution for the wicked, but I didn’t expect that having mental illness could exempt them from responsibility!”
“Later, they triumphantly brought me compensation, but it was almost all hell notes!”
The Zong family was showing off, telling the old lady: If you don’t settle, it doesn’t matter, I have many ways.
As she talked, the old lady became more and more excited.
“My old lady can’t live much longer, I don’t want a penny, I just want an explanation!”
I listened quietly.
Before leaving, I left the suitcase I brought to the old lady.
It’s all money, about one or two million.
I’ve never been recognized by the family.
But my half-sister is very generous.
The old lady refused again and again:
“Young lady, I’m very grateful that you can come to see me at this time, I don’t want your money.”
I was silent for a moment and said, “You live in this kind of house, your joints will go bad soon, and you may not live to see the day when the wicked are repaid.”
“You have to live to see the retribution of the evil.”
The old lady’s turbid eyes suddenly lit up for a moment, and she asked me what the method was.
I didn’t reply and left by taxi.
What method?
Violence is the best solution.
I can’t solve the problem.
But I can solve the person who makes the problem.
I went to the school where the three beasts were.
A private three-day school, most of which are paid to get in.
Zong Yuan and his group are notorious in the school.
I’ve heard that anyone who offends them ends up very badly.
I staked out for three days, and I didn’t mean to ask the students about the three people.
“They have harmed many people! Last time a girl refused Zhang Kehao’s pursuit, they P-ed her naked picture and made yellow rumors about her, forcing her to jump off a building!”
“And the three people’s group, the thug, took the financial aid spot of a poor student who lives on financial aid, causing the student to go insane and have a car accident on the side of the road…”
“They were racing before, and they killed an old man, but they said the old man was pretending to bump into them, and in the end, they just compensated with some money…”
Just half a year in college, the three people have done a lot of evil deeds that can be counted in a basket.
Seeing me asking, the uncle who was selling starch sausages at the school gate shook his head:
“There’s no way, they can’t be cured, their family has power and can always protect them.”
“This time the incident was so bad, they could become mentally ill and not be responsible, it’s really no way…”
On the fourth day.
I found the bar where the three people often go.
I waited until late at night and finally waited for the three to come out of the bar.
The opportunity came.
I went to see my sister specially.
I picked a cool sports car from her garage and deliberately parked it in front of them.
The three people were a bit drunk and saw my sports car, they couldn’t help but stop.
Zong Yuan squinted and said:
“This car is really handsome! It’s been a long time since I played with the car, my hand is itchy. This girl is also…”
He looked at the car logo and suddenly shut up.
Zhang Kehao took over in a casual manner, looking at me with naked eyes, implying:
“I also want to play, but my dad said these days let me be quiet, otherwise he will lock me at home and never let me out to play.”
Zong Yuan waved his hand directly:
“We won’t cause trouble, right, let’s go drive for a few laps!”
The three got on their respective sports cars and roared on the streets, not slowing down at intersections, even running two red lights.
I followed them all the way, even I, who doesn’t care about life, almost couldn’t keep up.
The three drove all the way to the mountain road.
They drove away the other people who were playing with the car:
“Get out of here! Today, I’m hosting this place!”
So when I drove up the mountain road slowly in my car, ignoring them, they were very angry.
“Didn’t you hear what I said! I just said, this place, I’m hosting!”
I rolled down the window and looked at him as if he were a dead dog.
Zong Yuan looked at my car, his momentum was weak for a while, but then he raised his voice to boost his morale:
“You’re deaf, can’t you hear what I said? I said this place is taken by me!”
I tapped on the steering wheel, looking at them as if they were dead dogs.
“Zong family’s little master, of course I know who you are, a few masters who can kill without paying the price.
But so what? My family is not bad either, you want me to back off?
Well, let’s have a race, if I lose, you can do whatever you want with me.
If you lose, kneel down and apologize to me, and stop showing off in front of me in the future.”
The three of them instantly became furious and cursed my ancestors for eighteen generations.
I took out my ears and listened to their curses: “Just say if you dare or not.”
Zong Yuan spat on my car: “Okay, bitch, today I will accompany you to play! If you lose, you kneel down and lick my feet!”
Zhang Kehao still had some concerns:
“Nothing will happen, right? This woman looks menacing.”
Zong Yuan looked at me with a sinister face.
“A woman而已, what are you afraid of? Even if we lose… we just lose.”
His voice was not loud.
But I was born with amazing hearing and heard it clearly.
When the race command was given, I rushed out with the fast start of the car, leaving the three chickens behind.
The three of them exerted all their strength to catch up, only a few car lengths behind me.
Looking at the three cars in the mirror, I sneered.
My goal is not to play a make-believe game with you.
Rushing to the deceleration zone of the bend, I tail-swiped and blocked their way, with a mountain cliff on one side.
The three cars behind me reacted quickly, slamming on the brakes and slowing down, but they still couldn’t avoid a close contact with me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The moment of impact, the airbags popped out.
My sports car has been internally modified, and with my early preparation, I protected my head, so I quickly got out of the dizziness.
The three people behind me were not so lucky.
I got out of the car and checked them one by one, all of them were unconscious.
Zong Yuan, who was following me the closest and at the fastest speed, had the worst collision, his head was all blood.
I pulled the three of them out one by one.
I took out the knife from my waist.
I stared at them for a long time.
The little milk voice of Yi Yi rang in my ear: “Eat candy, and it won’t hurt, sister.”
I gestured with the knife on them for a while.
In the end, I still put away the knife and dragged the three of them to my car and drove away.
I took the three of them to an abandoned chemical plant.
The surroundings are all dilapidated walls, with colorful paint splashed everywhere.
The old incandescent light is flickering, making it particularly gloomy.
I brought a few buckets of water and poured them on their heads one by one.
“Ah! Who…”
“Hiss… My head hurts…”
Zhang Kehao woke up first, shaking his head and shivering.
I wrapped myself in a windbreaker, lit a cigarette, and enjoyed their current predicament.
After Zhang Kehao regained consciousness, he looked around and realized their situation, and immediately shouted:
“Who did this, who did it! Let me go! Do you know who my dad is!”
He struggled and kicked, waking Zong Yuan and the sidekick.
“I know, the son of the powerful and the son of the richest man in City A.”
Zong Yuan also woke up, with ice-cold water mixed with blood flowing down his face, shivering from the cold.
He also started to bluff:
“I’ve heard it! It was you who hit my car! You know my identity and dare to offend me! Believe it or not, I…”
I picked up the hammer nearby and walked towards them:
“Do you believe that even if it’s the king of heaven tonight, I can turn you into a pile of ash.”
With the words falling, I smashed it down.
The hammer slammed onto Zong Yuan’s right foot.
“Ah!”
The scream of a pig being slaughtered rang out instantly.
I still remember in the video, Yi Yi’s mom was holding Yi Yi and tried to run, but they were dragged back.
Zong Yuan casually stabbed a fruit knife into Yi Yi’s mom’s right foot.
After smashing it, I felt unsatisfied and ground it with the hammer.
Until Zong Yuan’s voice was hoarse and he could no longer scream.
Zhang Kehao and the sidekick’s faces turned as white as paper from fear, trembling:
“Spare our lives, grandmother! We have no grudges with you, what can we give you…”
“How much money do you want, I’ll let my dad bring it over right away! Spare us!”
I remained silent.
Lifting the hammer.
I gave the other two a blow as well.
The sounds of pigs being slaughtered rose one after another.
Zong Yuan, with blood and tears mixed, completely lost his usual arrogant appearance:
“Sister, big sister, I was wrong, I was wrong, please! Don’t kill me, don’t kill me!”
Looking at their miserable appearance, I felt a sense of pleasure rising in my heart.
Next to me, the big tank of cold water was already full.
I used a small crane to hook the three of them from the chairs, like hooking dead dogs, and threw them into the tank one by one.
The cold water instantly submerged their heads.
“Help! Help!”
The three of them, bound, could barely struggle in the water.
Zong Yuan, who I tied the tightest, couldn’t use his strength at all and was eventually stepped on by Zhang Kehao and the sidekick as a cushion.
At this point, Zong Yuan’s identity as a sister had no use.
All three of them just wanted to live.
Until Zong Yuan gradually lost his strength to struggle and was about to drown, I stepped forward, swung the hammer, and smashed the tank.
Death is the easiest.
But for these three beasts, death is the lightest punishment.
When the three coughed up and shivered uncontrollably from the cold, I asked:
“Do you remember the mother and daughter you killed in the house?”
Zong Yuan’s head seemed to be in a daze:
“You mean… that unwise bitch?”
Bang!
I smashed his other foot with the hammer again.
The force was a bit strong.
Click.
I clearly heard the sound of bone fracture.
“Ah! I was wrong, I was wrong, grandmother! Remember, remember!”
Zhang Kehao had already seen the trend and immediately sold out his teammates:
“Of course, I remember that poor mother and daughter, it was all Zong Yuan who instigated us to do it!”
“Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao were the main culprits who killed the mother and daughter… I only raped…”
Zong Yuan couldn’t believe it and turned his head, shouting in anger:
“Your mother, you’re stabbing me in the back!”
On the other side, the sidekick also quickly followed:
“Right, right, it was all forced by Brother Zong! I didn’t want to! Grandmother, please spare me!”
Looking at these two people shirking responsibility, I just sneered.
In the video of Yi Yi’s mother and daughter being harmed, it was Zhang Kehao who first had the idea to defile Yi Yi’s mother, and he was the one who suggested it with lustful intentions.
The sound of their chattering teeth was clearly audible in the silent factory, one after another.
I dragged the three of them to the door, and with the cold wind blowing, they shivered even more severely.
I kept pouring water on them, ignoring their pleas, until they were so cold they could barely whimper, then I said indifferently:
“Soon, you will die of hypothermia.
Want to live? Then let me see you dogs bite dogs.
Now, expose the dirty things you’ve done to each other. If you miss a word, you die here.”
“You can only live one.”
As soon as I said this, the sidekick’s mouth immediately started firing like a machine gun, selling out his teammates:
“The main culprits who killed the mother and daughter were Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao! I only raped, not guilty of death!
The psychiatric certificate was forged by Zhang Kehao’s mother! His mother is a psychiatrist!”
Zhang Kehao gritted his teeth and looked over, if he wasn’t tied up, he would probably pounce and bite people.
But soon, he turned his head to the other side:
“Zong Yuan, the girl who was forced to jump off the building back then, it wasn’t because she couldn’t stand the rumors. It was because Zong Yuan raped her!”
Zong Yuan immediately retorted: “You fucking didn’t enjoy it too?! We even recorded a video back then!”
He then added:
“Zhang Kehao’s dad is bribing, embezzling public funds! I heard him bragging about having hundreds of millions! Their family has already secretly applied for a green card in the States! The赃款 is hidden in a villa in the States!”
The three of them, one after another.
Afraid to speak slowly, becoming the one to be slaughtered.
I nodded with a curled lip, listening quietly.
Until the three of them talked until their mouths were dry and they couldn’t speak any more from the cold, I nodded.
“Kneel and kowtow a hundred times to apologize to Yi Yi’s mother and daughter!”
“I will randomly kill one who doesn’t kowtow loudly or quickly enough!”
The three immediately started kowtowing like crazy.
I made a video call to Yi Yi’s grandmother.
I wanted her to witness this scene.
“I’m sorry! I deserve to die! I was wrong!”
“We are beasts, we deserve to go to hell!”
“I won’t do anything outrageous in the future! I dare not anymore! Ţū́ⁱ spare our lives!”
In the video, Yi Yi’s grandmother was crying uncontrollably.
After kowtowing, I hung up the video and untied the three of them.
I also kindly threw them some leftover stinky clothes from the factory.
The three of them didn’t disdain it, scrambling to put on the clothes and shivering:
“Sis, can we go now?
I swear we’ve really changed, we won’t do bad things anymore!
We’ll go back and pretend this never happened, we won’t call the police.”
Looking at their shifting eyes, I threw them a phone to call for help, picked up the hammer, and left leisurely.
But in reality, I hid in the attic that could see them, watching them wait for their rescue.
After changing into thicker clothes, Zhang Kehao arrogantly shouted at the people who came:
“Get me a check, I want this bitch to die!”
Zong Yuan also shivered and said:
“I will play her to death.”
I leaned against the attic and silently lit a cigarette.
I originally wanted to kill these three beasts and be done with it.
But then I thought, how is that enough?
The nest behind them that supports their evil deeds is nowhere near clean.
Since I’m avenging, everyone who deserves retribution, none can escape.
So I changed my mind, let’s play the long game to catch the big fish.
After they left, I went home.
Quickly changed out of my dirty clothes, took a shower.
I don’t have much time, those three beasts will surely come looking for me soon.
I dialed the phone number that I hadn’t called for a long time.
It rang four times before it was answered.
“Hey? Why are you calling me now?”
The woman’s clear voice came through.
Her voice was very pleasant, like a lark.
“Sis, help me out.”
Gu Ye, my half-sister.
She was born to the first wife, but I was raised by a mistress.
I often envied why we both have the same surname Gu, but my sister is the one who is the center of everyone’s attention.
Later, my mom gave birth to me, this money-losing product, and felt like there was no hope of being promoted, so she seemed to hook a new meal ticket and ran away with me.
But on the way, she felt I was a burden, and left me in the wilderness.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t bitten to death by wild dogs; instead, I killed a few and roasted them for food.
I survived on garbage for half a year, then was sent to an orphanage.
It wasn’t until I was almost deaf from standing up for justice and made the news that she found me and said:
“I’m your sister.”
As for my biological dad, he’s dead.
But since then, my life seemed to get better.
My sister had taken over the Gu family and has been very helpful to me.
But I also seldom contacted her.
Since I was diagnosed with cancer.
I hid in this community now, with a bit of a self-destructive mindset.
That day, I was thinking about whether to use a rope, a knife, or sugar-free cola mixed with parathion when a sweet, soft little girl knocked on my door.
She gave me candy.
Suddenly, I didn’t want to die.
So I’ll try again?
Maybe I can be cured?
But I didn’t get better.
There were three beasts that crushed my candy.
08
I told my sister about my request.
My sister was silent for a long time:
“I’m a bit surprised, why do you want to help that mother and daughter get justice?”
I paused:
“To right a wrong.”
The other side was silent for a long time.
I can imagine my sister’s speechless expression over there.
“Be safe, I’ll find out about this.”
“Do you need me to visit you when you’re detained?”
I twitched the corner of my mouth and hung up the phone:
“No need.”
Sure enough, the police came to me soon.
“Ms. Gu Xiaofeng, you are suspected of a kidnapping case, please come with us.”
I carefully peeled a White Rabbit milk candy and put it in my mouth.
I don’t have much stock left.
When I arrived at the police station, Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao were also there, each in a wheelchair.
Zhang Kehao smiled smugly:
“I didn’t expect to meet so soon.”
Zong Yuan’s feet had been bandaged and he looked at me with a sinister face:
“Bitch, didn’t expect you to fall into my hands so soon.”
“Now kneel down and kowtow to me, and I can consider letting you die a decent death.”
I smirked:
“You guys were shivering with fear yesterday, your faces pale as death, kowtowing and begging for mercy, it wasn’t like this, was it?”
Zong Yuan became enraged and lunged at me, trying to strike, but was restrained by the police.
Zhang Kehao also darkened his face:
“Don’t be hasty for temporary satisfaction, she can’t run away.”
I was detained on the spot.
Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao’s families joined forces to sue me.
As for that lackey, he didn’t have the qualifications.
Soon, I sat in the defendant’s seat.
Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao sat in the plaintiff’s seat, looking at me as if I were an ant.
Until they saw the lawyer sitting next to me, their faces changed:
“Lawyer Zhao! How could she afford to hire Lawyer Zhao!”
My defense lawyer, oh, this was hired by my sister.
It is said to be the top criminal defense lawyer in the country, so eloquent that he could send the judge to jail.
Zong Yuan hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation:
“We have evidence of her kidnapping and assault, even if the heavenly king comes today, she can’t run!”
I gave a faint smile.
Let’s see.
As the trial began.
Faced with the charges against me.
My lawyer was not in a hurry to defend.
He just confirmed that today’s trial would be open to the public and broadcast live.
Then he played a trump card.
He counter-sued Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao for murder, rape, intentional injury, and other crimes.
Also, the Zong family for tax evasion, and Zhang’s father for bribery and embezzlement.
The words fell, and the audience was in an uproar!
Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao’s fathers sat in the plaintiff’s seat, their faces black with threats:
“Miss Gu, do you know what you are saying?
You first kidnapped our sons, and now in court, you let your lawyer speak nonsense and slander us. Do you know what the consequences of this are?”
Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao looked disdainful, as if they were watching a good play.
I smiled disdainfully:
“I know you two are looking at me like an ant.
But I have something to regret.”
Zong looked arrogant.
“You know regret is good. If you plead guilty now, maybe you can get less sentences, and when you come out in the future, you must turn over a new leaf and start anew…”
I knew where Zong Yuan got his annoying look from.
Before he finished, I interrupted.
“I regret that I didn’t flay these two beasts, Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao, alive, and today they can still appear in court intact.”
Zong Yuan was so angry that he lunged at me, but was stopped by the court police.
Judge knocked the gavel a few times and asked me:
“Gu Xiaofeng counter-sues Zong Yuan, Zhang Kehao, and others, do you have corresponding evidence?”
I was silent for a moment.
Looking at the opposite side, they looked at each other and showed a smug smile.
Yes.
In the past, there were many people who sued them.
But there was no substantial evidence.
No one cared.
No media coverage.
After three or five days, the world also forgot.
But this time, it’s different.
I nodded to the lawyer.
The lawyer calmly provided the video from the abandoned chemical plant that day.
What era is it now?
How could I not record audio or video?
Zhang Kehao, Zong Yuan, and the sidekick’s faces turned pale instantly.
Zhang’s father and Zong’s father’s expressions also solidified instantly.
“The main culprits who killed the mother and daughter are Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao… I only raped…”
“The psychiatric certificate was forged by Zhang Kehao’s mother…”
“The girl who was forced to jump off the building at school… Zong Yuan raped her…”
“Zhang Kehao’s dad…”
With every sentence played, their faces turned whiter.
Soon, they whispered to each other, and their lawyer spoke up:
“This video was said by our victim under duress and coercion, it’s not true, it can’t be used as evidence!”
I chuckled.
“Who said I only have this video?”
It’s ironic how the world can be.
They cover the sky with one hand, so they can do whatever they want.
Ants can’t seek justice.
I’m also an ant.
But I stand behind an elephant.
With the help of the video, in a short period of time.
My sister sent people to collect a lot of evidence.
Not much.
But enough to corroborate that some of the words in the video are true.
What about the other part?
The matter has come to light.
Investigate it.
The court was in an instant chaos.
In a panic, Zhang Kehao still didn’t forget to bite me:
No matter what, Gu Xiaofeng’s kidnapping and attempted murder are facts!”
In their sinister eyes.
My lawyer slowly threw out a certificate.
I’m sorry, I’m mentally ill.
Zhang’s father doesn’t have to worry about this, once this matter is exposed, the higher-ups will definitely investigate, and some political enemies will definitely not let the Zhang family turn over.
As for the Zong family, they still harbor illusions, but they didn’t expect the Zong’s biggest partner, the Gu family, to personally jump out and expose, and they already had evidence.
10
As the farce came to an end.
The Zong family and the Zhang family ushered in their doomsday, all of them went in.
Zhang’s father’s bribery and money laundering were true, and due to the huge amount, he couldn’t escape the bullet.
Zhang’s mother, who forged the certificate, was also settled together.
The Zong family, tax evasion was true, and there were other crimes that were pulled out with the radish and mud, twenty years of sewing machine work couldn’t run away.
Most importantly, my sister said, if you hit a snake, you must kill it, and not give them a chance to bite back.
So, while he is ill, you must kill him, he joined other business partners to continuously attack, in a short period of time, the Zong family’s industry was swallowed up.
The Zong family is already in the stage of bankruptcy liquidation.
As for Zong Yuan, Zhang Kehao, and the three-legged group.
Since the mental illness was fake, they were naturally arrested again.
A pile of things added up, the death penalty couldn’t run away.
Part of the property of Zong Yuan and Zhang Kehao’s families was again used as compensation and given to Yi Yi’s grandmother.
This matter was finally avenged.
Just as the court was thinking about how to deal with me, the online public sentiment exploded.
[Gu Xiaofeng is a righteous act! Should not be sentenced!]
[Yeah! Such beasts are not too bad to be killed! Gu Xiaofeng is merciful not to kill them!]
[Fine two hundred yuan, it’s just a formality.]
But I did break the law.
I admit it.
In the end, I was sentenced to two years in prison.
Due to mental health issues, the word “suspended” was added before my sentence.
Lawyer Zhao pushed his glasses and reassured me:
“Don’t worry, everything will be fine, you’re not the type to eat the food in there.”
I still live in the same community as before.
It’s just that life has become quiet and a bit boring.
I can no longer hear the knock on the door bringing pastries.
Nor will I see the little figure walking the dog in the morning.
Yi Yi’s grandmother came to see me.
Upon seeing me, the old lady wanted to kneel and kowtow, but I stopped her.
I can’t accept that.
“Miss, thank you, the old lady really has to thank you!”
“Good fortune will come to you!”
Good fortune?
I gave a mirthless smile.
I, a dying person, don’t seek any good fortune.
She stuffed a bank card into my hand:
“Little Gu, this is the money I gave you and the compensation from those beasts.
I don’t want money, I just want justice.
Now that this matter is settled.
Take a look at this money, can you help me donate it to the welfare home for those poor children, it’s also a virtue for my deceased daughter and granddaughter.
I’m going back to the countryside tomorrow, to take my daughter and granddaughter…
back home.
The old lady really appreciates you.”
Yi Yi’s grandmother left.
I held the bank card, feeling somewhat bewildered.
Does doing good really work?
Why do so many people do good deeds, hoping to accumulate virtue for the next life?
Is it because this life is too bitter?
I sneered, intending to throw away the bank card, but the little girl suddenly appeared in my mind, so I made a call to my sister:
“I have some money here, help me donate it.”
My sister scolded me.
“Why can’t you call Lin Shengnan for such a small thing!”
I didn’t argue.
I listened silently.
The empty feeling in my heart seemed to fill up a bit.
While scolding, my sister suddenly asked me:
“How’s your health recently?”
I hesitated and told her the truth: “I haven’t had a check-up for a long time.”
My sister’s voice was amused:
“You rarely don’t hang up after finishing the matter.
So, when are you coming back… to see me?”
I sensed her exhaustion.
She was 19 when her parents died, took over the company alone, and has been busy with her career, childless, living a hard life.
It seems that in this world, I am her only blood relative.
I used to not want to see her.
I don’t know if I was running away from her or from myself.
I mumbled:
“Next week, I’ll be back next week.”
I don’t have many days left, I should go see her at the end.
Take a look at this sister who carries the heavy burden, although not close, but has always taken care of me.
My sister laughed again:
“There’s another piece of news, a bone marrow match for you has been found, it should be approved soon.”
“I didn’t tell you because I wanted to wait until it was settled, so as not to get your hopes up for nothing.”
This time it was my turn to be stunned.
Bone marrow found?
Am I… saved?
One second I felt like a dying person, the next I was told I had hope to continue living?
My hand holding the phone trembled:
“Okay, thank you, sister.”
“Don’t thank me, thank you,” my sister said.
“What you did for that mother and daughter was reported, and many volunteers came to sign up.
They said they can’t let a hero like you die.
The matching bone marrow is from one of the volunteers.
…It’s also the sister of the girl who was raped and forced to death by those three beasts.
So you see, doing good deeds really works.
I should also accumulate more virtue in the future.”
Four months later, I had a bone marrow transplant.
The surgery was a success.
After a long recovery period, I was discharged.
Passing by a dessert shop, I saw the golden egg tarts in the cabinet.
I bought a few and took them home.
It’s still the same community.
The aunts and uncles nearby greeted me warmly.
“Is our heroine back? How’s your recovery?”
I exchanged pleasantries with each one.
Turning my head, it seemed like I saw that small figure again at the corner of the community.
Epilogue.
October 20th, City B.
I sat up abruptly.
After a deep breath, I looked around.
White walls, the strong smell of disinfectant.
I realized, oh, this is the hospital.
I was here for chemotherapy.
I just had a nightmare.
In the dream, my illness seemed to be cured.
But why, it felt like a nightmare.
I tried to recall for a while, then gave up.
It’s just a dream, forgotten, forgotten.
Unlocking my phone, I glanced at the screen.
It’s only five in the afternoon, still early.
I lay back down, planning to doze off a bit more.
Turning over, in a half-asleep state, my head was filled with incessant prayers.
The voice of an old lady.
Seems to be praying to the gods to bless her daughter and granddaughter to a good place?
And a lot of men and women’s whispers.
Some say six points for driving license.
Some say I’m crying.
Some say it’s too tragic, asking for an extra chapter.
I don’t understand.
But it’s noisy in my head.
Why do I come up with these in my head?
Did chemotherapy hurt my brain?
Sighing, I opened my eyes.
I can’t sleep anymore.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Lina Belle on the bedside table.
I bought it when I first came to City B.
Well, on a whim, that’s it, on a whim.
I take my mother as a negative example.
I can’t do that kind of cheap thing of taking without giving.
So I have to return the favor to Yi Yi…
Yi Yi?
Suddenly a strong sense of unease welled up in my heart.
October 20th?
Today?
Night?
Did the dream appear with this date?
Did it appear with Yi Yi?
I sat up again.
Picking up the beier, I examined it carefully for a while.
Thinking, my mind went blank.
When I came to my senses, I found myself in a taxi.
I’m still wearing a patient’s gown, just with a coat over it.
The beier is pinched in my hand.
The driver is asking me where to go.
I opened my mouth want to say that I don’t know, but looking down at the beier, I blurted out:
“Go to City A! As fast as possible! Be there before eight, I’ll give you ten thousand!”
I don’t know why, a strong panic welled up in my heart.
It’s like the feeling of losing a candy forever.
I have to go back and see!
“Alright!”
The driver agreed loudly, stepped on the gas, and the car shot out.
7:50 PM.
The police sirens wailed, taking away three thugs who attempted a crime in the city, rape not accomplished.
After finishing the police report and returning to the chaotic house, the little girl with big eyes blinked and hugged my thigh, “Big Sister Gao is so awesome! Are you an immortal? You just appeared with a ‘Biu~’ and made the police take the bad guys away!”
Nose swollen and bruised, Yi Yi’s mom cried and thanked me, “If it weren’t for you arriving in time… I and Yi Yi… I really don’t know how to thank you…”
I kicked the dog that was rubbing against my pants and handed the Lingna Belle to Yi Yi, “No need to thank me, I just came by to give Yi Yi a doll… My mouth feels a bit bland, suddenly craving some candy.”
“But our house is such a mess, the candy is all spilled… It’s all because of those big bad guys.”
Yi Yi pouted, tears starting to fall from her eyes.
Looking around, I sighed, “Go upstairs, stay at my place for now.”
Yi Yi’s mom hurriedly declined.
I got annoyed, picked up the dog with one hand and led Yi Yi with the other, heading upstairs, “Stop with the nonsense! I won’t be around lately, let you guys help me watch the house!”
Yi Yi asked me, “Big Sister Gao is going out? But mom will bake egg tarts for us tomorrow.”
Recalling the three thugs’ threats as they were taken away by the police, and the dream becoming clearer in my mind, my face turned cold, grinding my teeth.
“Well, I have some business to attend to, I’ll be gone for a while.”
“The egg tarts… we’ll eat them when I get back.”
When one is about to die, I am not kind.
The death penalty that the law cannot judge, I will.
