“I saw my mom kill my dad and grandma with a kitchen knife.
I was the only eyewitness.
My mom has fully confessed to the crime, but the police still won’t let me go.
They keep asking me over and over again, “What did you see? What did you hear? And what did you do?”
1
I stared at the interrogating police officer with hatred, my hands trembling.
I gritted my teeth, trying my best to control my emotions.
I didn’t understand. Why did they have to hear it from me?
Why did I have to say it with my own mouth?
“A woman, where did she get the strength to kill a strong man?”
“And what’s more, kill two people at once?”
The man had a so – called “impartial” look. Every word he said seemed to carry a chill, making me shiver all over.
“Your mom confessed so readily?”
“She described the crime process so perfectly, but she overlooked one detail.
“The water meter can not only calculate the water bill, but also record the time of water use, accurate to every second.”
The sound of rushing water instantly flooded my mind—swish, swish.
This formed a stark contrast with the sound of dripping blood, “tick, tick.”
“Chen Zhang, your mom is taking the blame for you, right?”
Although this was an interrogative sentence, the man said it with the tone of a declarative sentence.
“In your mom’s confession, when she swung the knife to kill, the water meter in your house was running. She said you were not at the scene at that time, so why did the water meter move?”
I had been silent for too long.
Since the crime happened, I hadn’t said a word.
Everyone thought I was scared silly. In fact, my mom specifically told me not to talk.
Because the more you talk, the more likely there will be loopholes.
But at this moment, I couldn’t bear it anymore.
I looked up and met the police officer’s eyes, asking calmly, “If I explain this problem, can it prove that my mom killed them?”
2
The police had been waiting for me to speak for a long time. When they heard me talk, they couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
But when they heard this sentence, their expressions became even more serious in an instant.
I told them, “My parents had a very bad relationship. Since I could remember, they often quarreled and fought. When it got really serious, they would shout about killing each other.
“Maybe this time it was really too much. My mom got so angry that she went to the kitchen and picked up a kitchen knife and hacked at my dad.
“My grandma must have wanted to save her son. Maybe my mom was so frenzied that she killed her too.”
I believed my mom had told the police the same thing.
The interrogator and the note – taker looked at each other, then asked in confusion, “Maybe?”
“Didn’t you see what happened?”
I shook my head and said, “I’m about to go to college. I did okay in the college entrance examination, but the school is too far from home. My dad didn’t want to support me, so I worked as a tutor outside to earn tuition fees.
“That student’s family went out for a trip that day, but they didn’t tell me. I went there and found no one, so I came back early.
“Who knew that as soon as I pushed the door open, my mom was hacking at them.
“My dad was covered in blood and lying on the ground, having no ability to fight back.
“My grandma was also hacked several times, but she still tried to rush over to block the knife for my dad. My mom got angry and kicked her away. Her blood splashed all over my face…”
Speaking of this, I couldn’t help but sigh again and again. I said with an indescribable emotion, “My grandma was very good to me. When I was a child, our family was very poor, but she still made me live like a little emperor. She took care of me and raised me with great hardship over the years.
“Finally, my mom stopped her violent killing. She gasped for breath and cried to me, ‘It’s them. They’re not human. They… Don’t blame me. Don’t blame me. Mom was forced.’
My mom pointed to the door and shouted at me, “You go. You go quickly. Pretend you didn’t see anything.”
I hesitated for a second and said nothing.
My grandma tried her best to grab my trouser leg, but I dodged.
I went into the house as if nothing had happened, entered the bathroom, and turned on the faucet.
I washed the blood off my face, listening to the sound of chopping meat outside.
At first, no matter how loud the sound of water was, it couldn’t cover their cries of pain. Slowly, I couldn’t hear anything.
When there was no sound outside, I turned off the faucet and came out.
My dad was dead.
My grandma was dead.
My mom threw away the kitchen knife and slumped to the ground weakly.
There was so much blood.
Everywhere I looked, there was blood.
At this time, the sound of footsteps came from downstairs. My mom immediately perked up and ordered me, “Call the police. Hurry up and call the police.”
“If someone else calls the police first, it will implicate you.”
Then, I called the police.
I looked up at them. Obviously, they didn’t believe me.
“You saw your mom hack your dad and grandma, but not only did you not stop her, you calmly went to the bathroom to wash the blood off your face?”
I nodded affirmatively and asked, “What crime is that considered?”
“Crime of non – rescue?”
I asked curiously, “Suppose I say I was so scared that I didn’t know what to do, and I went to the bathroom to wash my face out of nowhere. Will the police not pursue my crime of inaction?”
I sighed helplessly, “Actually, I’m in a difficult situation. The ones killed were my dad and grandma, and the one who killed them was my mom. Both are dear to me. Whether I say something or not, it’s like someone is sawing at my flesh with a saw.
I asked in confusion, “Why do you have to hear it from me?”
“I’m just a child who just finished the college entrance examination. Aren’t you worried that I’ll have psychological problems after witnessing such a thing?”
“Just because I’m an adult, over 18 years old, I don’t need to be protected anymore?”
“Is the difference between the day before and the day after 18 years old really that big?”
I even felt a bit of hatred.
Hating all of them.
If I had known this, why didn’t such a thing happen earlier?
At least, as a minor, I could have gotten away scot – free without having to endure the police’s endless questioning.
3
Maybe I was too calm.
The police officer interrogating me looked at me more and more sharply.
“Do you look like you’re in shock?”
I retorted, “Do I have to be crazy to be considered overly stimulated?”
“Someone is dead, and someone has admitted to killing. Can’t the police close the case quickly?”
“Take care of the aftermath, and let the court judge. I don’t have much time. In half a month, I’m going to report to college.”
Hearing me say this, the police officer was almost furious.
Even though he tried to control his emotions, he was still very dissatisfied and slapped the table, making a dull sound.
“Do you know who the dead people are?”
“Do you know who the murderer is?”
“They are your closest relatives. How can you say such cold words?”
I asked indifferently, “So what do you want me to say?”
“Say that my dad was extremely evil, deserved to die, and got what he deserved? Or say that my mom is a murderer and you should execute her as soon as possible?”
I had a numb face, “I clearly didn’t want to say anything, and I shouldn’t have said anything, but you insisted that I speak?
“I said it, but you don’t believe me.
“You think I’m cold – hearted? Aren’t you cold – hearted?”
“If I were to cry my heart out, worshipping heaven and earth at this moment, what would you think of me?”
“Most likely, you’d think that since I’m already an adult, I’m still crying like a child, and there must be something fishy going on, right?”
I taunted them.
They seemed to be unable to find any words to refute, so they had to change the topic and ask, “I heard that your dad had a tendency to domestic violence and often beat your mom. Is this true?”
4
It was such a true thing, yet they had to come to me to confirm it. It was really interesting.
“It’s true.”
“Old wounds on my mom were always covered by new ones.”
I said, “The neighbors all know about this. If you don’t believe me, roll up her sleeves and take a look. The bruises from the last beating should still be there.”
The police officer asked in surprise, “You know all this?”
“Of course I know!”
I was also surprised. Why did they think I didn’t know?
“If I didn’t know, who would clean her wounds? Who would apply medicine to her? Who would send her to the hospital in time when she was at the verge of death?”
Hearing this, several police officers felt very uncomfortable. They wanted to say something but seemed unable to.
Finally, they asked accusingly, “You’re so tall. When your dad was hitting her, didn’t you know how to stop him?”
Stop him?
How could I stop him?
I wasn’t born this tall.
When I was very young, when I tried to stop him, my dad kicked me away.
My mom could originally resist, run, and hide.
As soon as I went over, my mom was like a hen spreading its wings, protecting me tightly in her arms.
Then, she just stood there motionless, letting my dad beat and kick her.
When I grew up a little bit and became more sensible, every time my dad beat her, she would close the door by herself, not letting me see.
My grandma also covered my eyes and said to me, “Your mom made a mistake. Your dad is teaching her a lesson. Isn’t that what your teacher taught you at school? When you make a mistake, you should be beaten.”
When I finally had my own sense of right and wrong and was taller than my mom, and I could spread my arms and stand in front of my dad like her, I shouted at him, “Don’t hit my mom. If you hit my mom again, I’ll kill you.”
This trick worked.
Then, I didn’t see my dad beat my mom again.
I could only see the scars on her body and her tear – streaked face.
I took a stick and chased him to the place where he was playing cards. Without saying a word, I hit him with the stick.
I wasn’t afraid of hurting him. Several adults couldn’t pull me away. I beat him until his head was bleeding.
I thought he would never dare to do it again.
But guess what happened?
My mom knelt in front of the door and begged him for three days and three nights before he reluctantly threw the household registration booklet to me.
Otherwise, I couldn’t even go to high school.
5
I called the police.
But what could the police do?
He was so tough. He wasn’t afraid of the police either.
He shouted at the top of his voice, “I beat my own wife. Do you care? I sleep with her. Do you care?”
The police didn’t want to talk to this scoundrel. They asked my mom, “Do you want to go for an injury examination?”
My mom didn’t understand.
The police said, “As long as the injury report is identified as minor injury, he can be sent to prison.”
My grandma was so scared that she waved her hands repeatedly, “What prison? I’ve never seen a man go to prison for beating his wife. If he goes to prison, who will take care of me, this old woman?”
He pointed at the police officers who came to the scene and asked, “Do you dare to control me?”
“Or you?”
“If you arrest my son, I’ll go to your house and eat, drink, and live there.”
“Which woman would send her man to prison just because he beats her a few times?” My grandma pointed at my mom and cursed, “You’re really a disaster. What good will it do you to send your man to prison? Is it convenient for you to have an affair?”
More and more people were watching the excitement, but none of them were helpful.
Finally, the police would say, “You don’t want to go to the hospital for an injury examination? Then we can’t do anything about it. It’s your family’s business. Solve it yourself. Don’t always waste police resources.”
And then?
After closing the door, my dad beat my mom again.
This time, they both learned to be smart.
My dad didn’t hit my mom’s face.
My mom also endured without making a sound.
Seeing my hateful look, my dad would smile at me, a very strange smile.
He dragged my mom in front of me and ordered her, “Look at your son’s eyes. This is the good son you gave birth to and taught. He dares to look at me like this today. Someday, he’ll dare to look at you like this.”
He would pat my face and say, “Son, you’re still young. You don’t understand. Women are all bitches. If you don’t beat them, they won’t be obedient.”
He also said triumphantly, “Beating is a sign of love, scolding is a sign of love. Without beating and scolding, there’s no love.”
He asked my mom to reason with me. My mom earnestly said to me, “Xiaozhang, your dad just has a bad temper. Mom just needs to be more submissive. You study hard and don’t worry about these things.”
Later, I went to live in the school dormitory.
Even though she hid everything from me, I knew she was beaten again.
I said to my mom, “You should divorce him!”
“I’ll go with you.”
My mom shook her head and said, “Just bear it. Study hard. It will be okay when you get into college.”
6
Those painful past events were like nails in my head. If I didn’t think about them, it was okay. But once I thought about them, it was really painful.
I said in a low voice, “I’m used to it. I got used to it a long time ago.”
I sighed one after another, “I have no hope. I can only bury my head in my studies. I want to go to college. Only by going to college can I take my mom far away from this bad person.”
I unconsciously raised my hand and wiped my face. My hand was wet. Only then did I know that I was crying.
“So, I’m not surprised at all that my mom killed my dad. I believe that she must have imagined killing him thousands of times in her mind before she could do it without hesitation when she held the knife.”
“You ask me why I’m so cold – hearted?”
“Because if I’m not cold – hearted, as long as my dad finds a chance to fight back, it will be my mom who loses her life.”
The police officer thought for a while and asked, “Your mom has endured for so long. Why did she suddenly lose her patience when you were about to go to college?”
“Assume she has been waiting for you to go to college and then divorce. Then she should have mentioned divorce to your dad the moment you got into college. Why didn’t she?”
“You should have received the college admission notice long ago. Instead of mentioning divorce, she killed your dad and grandma at this time. Just the motive of domestic violence alone doesn’t seem to be enough to explain it.”
“After all, your dad’s domestic violence is not the first time.”
Domestic violence?
Just domestic violence?
Not the first time?
Look, what cold – hearted people they are.
He summed up someone’s lifetime of misfortune with just the two words “domestic violence.”
“How would I know?”
“My mom didn’t have time to tell me.”
“Didn’t she tell you in the interrogation room?”
Facing my continuous rhetorical questions, the police officer hesitated for a moment and then said, “Your mom said that at lunch, your dad picked a fight, saying the food was too salty and tried to hit her again. So she got angry and went to the kitchen to get a knife.”
I continued to ask rhetorically, “You don’t believe it?”
The police officer was speechless again.
Since they were so persistent, there must be doubts in the case.
But I couldn’t figure out exactly what the doubts were.
“You can take a break.” The interrogating police officer stood up and said.
I asked, “Can’t I leave? Where are my dad and grandma’s bodies now? Don’t I need to prepare for the burial?”
“Their bodies are still with the forensic doctor. As for when you can take them away, it depends on the progress of the case.”
I asked again, “What about my mom?”
“She still needs to be interrogated.”
“What about me?”
“You wait. We still have some things to ask you later.”
In short, I was not allowed to leave.
7
About two hours later.
They came to question me again, “We just met some of your neighbors. They can all prove that your dad often domestic – violence your mom, but they also said that it was because your mom had an affair, so your dad did this.”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but clench my fists.
I looked at them without speaking.
They urged, “Is it true?”
I asked, “What is true?”
“Your mom had an affair?”
“Who is the lover?”
“Was there no one else present when you got home?”
I asked coldly, “What do you suspect?”
“Suspect that your mom and her lover jointly killed your dad and grandma?”
The police officer didn’t seem to like my rhetorical questions. He snorted and said, “You kid, why are you so argumentative? There’s a possibility. Your dad is 180CM tall, and your mom is 160CM. Is it reasonable for her to directly chop at your dad’s neck with a knife?”
“It’s quite reasonable,” I replied indifferently. “With this height difference, raising her hand can just reach the neck, right?”
“But that place was hacked to a pulp. Was your dad just standing there like he was acupunctured, letting her chop?”
Well, it’s hard for anyone to judge. Because my mom was too angry. After my dad fell, she hacked at him many more times. Given a bit more strength and time, it’s not impossible for her to chop him into minced meat.
“Aren’t you worried that your mom’s lover killed them, and then your mom took the blame for the lover?”
I said firmly, “My mom didn’t have an affair, nor did she have a lover.
“This is all Chen Dalong’s false accusation against her.”
Previously, our family lived in the countryside. The houses were far apart from each other.
Even if someone was almost beaten to death, maybe not many people would hear the shouts.
But later, our family bought a house in the county town.
With such frequent beatings, the neighbors surely had opinions.
But my dad would ask, “This slut cuckolded me. Doesn’t she deserve to be beaten?”
“Damn it, she’s flirting with men all day long. Doesn’t she deserve to be beaten?”
If a male neighbor stepped forward to stop him, he would ask, “Is that the adulterer? Are you the one?”
Without waiting for the other person to defend themselves, he would directly threaten with a knife, “I’ll chop you to death.”
Over time, everyone thought my mom was having an affair.
The women distanced themselves from her, gossiping and spitting on her behind her back.
The men also stayed away from her, for fear of getting involved and getting into trouble.
I said, “If you don’t believe me, you can go and investigate in our hometown in the countryside.”
8
The police still have the ability to handle things.
They didn’t need me to urge them for such a small matter.
While they were interrogating me, the investigators came back and placed the relevant materials on their desk.
The man flipped through them and asked in surprise, “Your dad has never had a proper job. Where did the money come from to buy the house in the county town?”
“After your family moved to the county town, it seems that your parents didn’t find jobs either. Where did your family’s expenses come from?”
I tried my best to stay calm. “Didn’t your colleagues investigate clearly?”
“Will you believe what I say?”
“Since you don’t believe me, why ask me?”
“Chen Zhang,” the police officer shouted loudly, “now we’re asking you, not you asking us. Please cooperate.”
I thought for a while and said, “I don’t know.”
“When I was young, I remember my parents went out to work. Later, because my grandma’s health was bad, they had to come back to take care of her. Subsequently, my mom went out to work on and off, while my dad stayed at home all the time.
“Later, when I grew up, my dad probably made a living by playing cards.
“Most of the money was won at the poker table.”
The police officer snorted and said, “Making a living by playing cards? That’s gambling.”
Probably!
After a short pause, the police officer softened his tone and said, “Do you know what kind of work your mom did outside?”
I shook my head and said, “I don’t know.”
“Are you sure?”
I said calmly, “I’m sure I don’t know.”
The police officer held up a testimony and said, “This is the testimony from your old neighbors in the countryside. They said that when you were 7 years old, your mom brought a man back from outside and wanted to divorce your dad. Do you have any impression?”
I still shook my head and said, “I don’t.”
The police officer shouted loudly, “You’re lying.”
“Did your dad ever beat you?”
I still shook my head and said, “No! When I was a child, my grandma protected me very much. When I grew up, he couldn’t hit me either.”
“Lying again.” The police officer’s voice got even louder. He pointed at me and ordered, “Take off your shirt.”
Actually, he wasn’t really asking me to take it off myself. As soon as he finished speaking, someone directly came over and pulled up my shirt.
“My God.” A police officer exclaimed.
The other police officer rushed over to take a look and was also shocked. He asked me, “How did these marks on your back come about?”
I said indifferently, “I fell.”
“Such obvious whip marks, which haven’t faded in over ten years. How could it be from a fall?”
“Did he also beat you?”
After talking for so long, this was the first time I felt that the police had a little bit of sympathy for me.
That summer, Chen Dalong tied me to the stairs and whipped my back with a big cattle – driving whip.
My grandma cried out, “Dalong, you’re going to beat my precious grandson to death.”
“If I don’t beat him, that slutty mother of his won’t come back.”
He grabbed my hair and ordered, “Talk to your mom. Tell her to come back. Tell her to get back here.”
I stubbornly refused to open my mouth, but a woman’s heart – rending howl came from the other end of the phone, “Xiaozhang, Xiaozhang, what’s wrong with you?”
“Chen Dalong, what are you doing?”
Chen Dalong roared, “I’ll give you three days. If you don’t come back, I’ll beat him to death.”
“And my money. If there’s even one cent less, I’ll skin him alive.”
Mom argued, “That’s not your money. It’s my hard – earned money. Every bit of it is my hard – earned money.”
Chen Dalong stopped talking and started whipping me again.
Finally, I couldn’t hold back and let out a painful howl.
Mom compromised. She said, “Don’t beat him. I’ll come back. I’ll come back right away.”
I hated myself so much.
Why couldn’t I hold on?
If I hadn’t made a sound, would mom have escaped?
I raised my hand to wipe my tears and said indifferently, “For a man who commits domestic violence, beating his wife and children is normal. If he beats them and they don’t die, no one will care.”
They put my clothes down and got back to the point, saying, “So, since he treated you and your mom like this, it’s normal for you to want to kill him, right?”
I avoided this topic and sneered, “Aren’t you going to ask me who my mom’s lover is anymore?”
9
My mom didn’t have a lover.
That man was her salvation.
I only saw that man once.
He was an ordinary man from another place.
My family members wouldn’t tell me about these things, but the old people in the village always liked to talk about some old stories to pass the lonely and cold time.
Actually, that man was not at fault.
Because he thought my parents were already divorced.
Why?
Because Chen Dalong sold his wife.
They were working outside together. A small – business owner who ran a sand – trading yard fell in love with my mom.
My dad, in a fit of desperation, asked my mom to set up a honey – trap for the small – business owner.
Unexpectedly, the small – business owner fell in love for real. He promised to give my dad a sum of money as long as he was willing to divorce my mom.
This sum of money was enough to pull his seriously ill mom back from the jaws of death and was also enough for him to live a good life for a while.
So, he and my mom had a fake divorce.
My mom exchanged her body for money from the small – business owner, and my dad promised to use this money to raise me well.
His idea was that the small – business owner wouldn’t really love a rural woman. When he got tired of her, mom could come back.
But he didn’t know that there was such a thing as love in this world.
The small – business owner was determined to marry my mom despite all difficulties.
My mom wanted to come back for a real divorce. She gave all the money the small – business owner gave her to my dad, only hoping that my dad would divorce her and give up my custody.
My dad panicked completely.
However, he had a trump card.
First, legally, they were still a real couple.
Second, there was me, his son.
Third, he could act like a scoundrel.
He took a knife to my grandpa and grandma’s house and severely scared my two little cousins. He threatened them that if they dared to agree to my mom’s divorce, he would kill those two little kids and make the Li family have no descendants.
Since then, my grandpa, grandma, and uncles completely cut off relations with my mom and forbade her from coming to their door again.
Later, when the small – business owner saw that my mom didn’t come back, he came to look for her.
He really loved my mom. He didn’t mind her deception and even didn’t care that she had a son.
He helped find a lawyer to file a lawsuit.
However, he didn’t know that some people are worse than pigs and dogs, and even their own sons are just bargaining chips to achieve their goals.
Chen Dalong threatened my mom with my life.
At that time, mobile phones didn’t have a video function. He beat me every now and then, making me let out miserable cries.
My mom could have escaped and no longer lived this hell – like life.
It was me!
It was all because of me that she came back to endure this man.
The small – business owner was kind – hearted and righteous. Worrying that my mom would suffer when she came back, he gave my dad a large sum of money, asking for nothing in return but for my dad to treat my mom well.
So, our family had a house in the county town.
In the eyes of the people in the village, this was like a carp leaping over the dragon’s gate.
But my mom’s life became even more difficult.
She couldn’t go out to work. She had to stay at home to take care of the children and the elderly.
She had no money and had to be more cautious in front of Chen Dalong.
He didn’t remember that the two biggest sums of money in his life were both obtained by my mom.
He only remembered that my mom had been with another man during their fake divorce.
When he was happy, he thought she was unlucky and beat her.
When he was unhappy, he cursed her for having an affair and beat her again.
Whenever she showed the slightest sign of resistance, he would beat me.
My mom could only endure it in order to make us suffer less.
She regarded being beaten as a common occurrence.
She didn’t fight back or cry out.
She just hoped that each beating process would end quickly.
She naively thought that as long as she was obedient, life for our mother – son would be better.
She was looking forward to and waiting for me to grow up.
Unfortunately, it was just a little short.
I sneered and asked, “Didn’t Chen Dalong deserve to die?”
“Didn’t my mom deserve to kill him?”
“Wasn’t my mom’s behavior considered ‘justifiable defense’?”
“Even if it’s not considered ‘justifiable defense’, at most it’s ‘excessive defense’, right?”
“My mom asked me to call the police. She didn’t run away after the incident. This is considered surrender, isn’t it?”
“Are you so persistent that you have to sentence her to death?”
I almost gritted my teeth as I said these words.
The police officer asked in a deep voice, “If it was just like this, of course it would be considered ‘justifiable defense’. Even if it’s ‘excessive defense’, it wouldn’t be severely punished. But what about your grandma?”
“Your grandma was so old. With a knife in your mom’s hand, she didn’t pose any threat.
“Why did she still hack your grandma?”
“Your grandma’s head was…”
The police officer couldn’t bear to say it.
Yes!
Grandma’s head was hacked until there was only a layer of skin left.
However, there was some good news. The police already believed that my mom was the murderer.
10
I told the police, “Actually, my mom also hated my grandma very much.”
When my mom first became a daughter – in – law in the Chen family, she was set many rules by her.
In autumn and winter, my grandma liked to soak dirty clothes in cold water the night before and then ask my mom to wash them the next morning.
The water was already cold, and after a night, a layer of ice formed on the surface. As soon as my mom put her hand in, her fingers would turn red from the cold immediately.
The day after my mom gave birth, she was required to get out of bed and cook.
My grandma said, “Women can’t be delicate. Which woman doesn’t give birth?”
When I was a child, the old people in the village often said that my grandma was very powerful and had her daughter – in – law under control.
My grandma was very smart.
As soon as I was born, she knew that I was a bargaining chip, a hostage, a chain to make my mom work like an ox.
Every time I called “Mom,” she would add a “bad” after it.
Every time I called “Grandma,” she would happily respond with a “good.”
When I was chubby and healthy, she would ask, “Grandma takes good care of you, right?”
Whenever I had a headache or a stomachache, she would blame my mom, “How do you take care of the child?”
When I grew up, grandma seemed to be a bit more reasonable.
She often comforted my mom after she was beaten, “Which woman doesn’t go through this? Endure it. When your son grows up and you become a mother – in – law, everything will be okay.”
“Your life is much better than mine. When I was in confinement, I said I wanted to eat eggs, and Dalong’s dad directly smashed the raw eggs on the wall and told me to lick them.”
“I, as a mother – in – law, still take the trouble to take care of your child. My mother – in – law made me carry the child to the fields to transplant rice seedlings.”
“Men are like trees, and women are like vines. You have to rely on your tree to live. If your tree dies or gets bad, can you be okay?”
“Look at me. Dalong’s dad died, and I’ve been widowed for him. Everyone praises me. Unlike you, you were with another man and still alive.”
“Your family doesn’t even associate with you anymore, and our family still keeps you. Your man has been laughed at as a cuckold. What’s wrong with him beating you a few times?”
My grandma often said to me, “Your mom, she’s just lucky to be in our open – minded family. Otherwise, she would have been drowned in a pig cage long ago.”
“You’re a descendant of the Chen family. The future of the Chen family depends on you. Persuade your mom not to cause trouble. She doesn’t even think about her son.”
“When you were young, she left you and eloped with another man.”
“Now that you’ve grown up and are sensible, she still doesn’t stop making trouble.”
“Can your dad really beat her to death?”
“Your dad is not an unreasonable person. Who would beat her for no reason?”
“Your dad has it hard. Your mom just doesn’t know how to be content. You should be filial to your dad in the future.”
I said to the police, “My mom must have hated my grandma in her heart. So, since she wanted to block the knife, it’s okay to hack her.”
Speaking of this, I couldn’t help but smile and ask, “Anyway, with the surrendering – oneself – to – justice situation, she shouldn’t be sentenced to death, right? And as the only family member, I will definitely sign the letter of understanding.”
The police were shocked.
They couldn’t understand how I could say such things.
“Your grandma has two daughters.”
I said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter. I’m my dad’s son. I’ve inherited some of his ways. I’ll take a knife and threaten them. If anyone doesn’t sign the letter of understanding, I’ll kill them. If my mom dies, no one will live.”
I threatened so calmly.
The police officers didn’t react for a while.
However, at this moment, someone came in and said, “Captain Yang, Li Xianglan committed suicide.”
11
Li Xianglan was my mom’s name.
They said she couldn’t stand the police’s repeated interrogations and tried to bite her tongue to commit suicide.
Unfortunately, she didn’t succeed.
Her tongue was bitten through, and her mouth was full of blood.
But she didn’t die.
Not only did she not die, but it didn’t even have a big impact on her speech.
After she was discharged from the hospital, she still needed to be interrogated.
I asked in confusion, “What exactly are the doubts in the case? Do you have to wait until she dies before you stop asking?”
The police were in a mess.
They were also very afraid. If my mom committed suicide successfully, they would also be responsible.
At that time, the case wouldn’t be solved, and there would be an additional death.
It would be even harder for them to handle.
Soon!
I left the police station.
A few days later, I also received a notice to go and claim my dad and grandma’s bodies.
Of course, they were no longer complete bodies.
Grandma’s head was hacked until there was only a layer of skin left.
Dad’s body from the neck to the abdomen was basically rotten.
However, I wasn’t afraid at all.
As long as I send their bodies to the crematorium, burn them into ashes, and sprinkle them down the sewer, everything will be over.
Captain Yang, who came with me, said with regret, “I sympathize with the experiences of your mom and you, but killing is killing. Considering the actual situation of your family, our police station will bear the cremation costs of your dad and grandma.
“But it will take a long time for this case to go to court. You can go to college to report first and keep your phone unblocked. You may need to testify in court then.”
I nodded and said, “Got it.”
He asked again, “Have you collected enough tuition fees for college?”
“According to your situation, you should be able to apply for a student loan.
“After your mom is sentenced, the house in your family should be inherited by you. But after all, it’s a homicide scene. It’s not easy to sell or rent it. So, our police station organized a fundraising and collected some money for you as living expenses.”
As soon as he finished speaking, I refused and said, “I’ll figure out a way to get my living expenses myself.
“What I want to do most now is to cancel the household registration.
“I want a household register that only has me and my mom.”
Captain Yang “hmm”ed and said, “As for the specifics, I’ll write you a note later. Just follow the procedure.”
I thanked him and said, “Thank you!”
However, at this moment, a policewoman came over excitedly and said, “Captain Yang, there’s a reversal in the case. We found that there was a problem with the Chen family’s electrical circuit. This wasn’t a crime of passion but a premeditated murder.”
12
The policewoman’s eyes fell on me.
She took out a supermarket receipt and handed it to Captain Yang, saying, “This is a bottle of wine that Chen Zhang bought near his tutoring place three days before the crime. It costs 600 yuan, far exceeding the normal consumption level of his family. But this bottle of wine wasn’t found at the crime scene.
“The results of the test just came out. The old lady Chen did show signs of electric shock before her death.
“Subsequently, the injuries from the knife covered up the electric – shock wounds. The neck was hacked so badly that we preconceivedly determined that the cause of death was external injuries and ignored the invisible wounds. “
Captain Yang and the other police officers were all greatly surprised. Countless eyes were turned towards me in unison.
The policewoman continued, “Because of this bottle of wine, we discovered the electrical – circuit problem at the crime scene, and then we thought of checking if the body had signs of electric shock.
“I suspect that someone used this bottle of wine as bait, intending to make the deceased die from electric shock.
“The murderer should have wanted to conduct electricity with water.
“But there was blood everywhere at the crime scene, and the water was covered up.
“And the water from the faucet that was running when Li Xianglan was hacking was probably to deal with that bottle of wine.
“Neither damaging the electrical circuit, using the wine as bait, nor conducting electricity with water are things that Li Xianglan, a rural woman, could come up with. “
The policewoman’s sharp eyes finally also landed on me. “The one who could do all this is none other than Chen Zhang. Li Xianglan is taking the blame for her son.”
“How was the wine bottle disposed of?” Captain Yang didn’t want to believe it but had to.
He shoved the receipt in front of me. I asked coldly, “Can a receipt prove that I bought the wine?
“I paid in cash.
“I checked that supermarket. There was no surveillance.”
“There’s no surveillance in the supermarket, but there’s a bank opposite the supermarket. The surveillance outside the bank captured his face.”
Before I could ask, the policewoman directly answered my question.
“Also, on the day of the crime, the whole family of the student Chen Zhang tutored went out for a trip, and Chen Zhang went there to find no one. If Chen Zhang didn’t know about this until he arrived at the student’s home, then he really didn’t have the time to commit the crime. But what if he knew in advance that the student was going out to play that day?
“Or even, what if the whole – family trip of the student that day was designed by him?
“The purpose was to create an alibi for himself.
“That’s just an 8 – year – old primary – school student. Besides, the case has nothing to do with them. The police won’t specifically suspect that the child is lying, and the parents won’t let their child get involved in such a thing.
“And even if we’ve investigated this far, a child’s words can’t be used as evidence.”
The policewoman said, “He thought so thoroughly. It couldn’t have been a crime of passion. It was a premeditated and planned murder.”
How thorough was his plan?
Wasn’t there still a flaw that was discovered?
The bank was across such a wide road from the supermarket, yet it could still capture his face?
Even though everything at the moment was just the policewoman’s speculation and couldn’t be used as evidence, Captain Yang still said to me, “You can’t claim the bodies for now. Come back to the police station with us for further investigation.”
13
I rolled my neck, trying to relieve the pent – up emotions that had been building up for a long time.
“After investigating for so long, is it just to prove that I’m the murderer, not my mom?”
I asked in confusion, “Why is that?”
“Isn’t it okay if someone confesses? Why do you have to keep investigating?”
I asked curiously, “Are you police officers so free?”
“Chen Zhang…” Captain Yang shouted loudly, “Do you know what kind of case this is? This is a major criminal case. Two lives were taken, hacked to death with a knife. The circumstances are severe, and the impact is huge.”
“Domestic violence. Aren’t the circumstances severe? Isn’t it about human lives? Isn’t the impact huge?”
Finally, I lost my temper.
Moreover, before they could react at all, I snatched the gun from the policewoman.
I originally wanted to take her as a hostage, but the policewoman was professionally trained.
I didn’t have the chance.
I could only point the gun at my own head. I asked angrily, “Why do you have to keep investigating?
“When my mom was suffering from domestic violence, why weren’t you so serious and responsible?
“When my mom was wrongly accused of having an affair, why didn’t you pursue the truth like this?
“When my mom was beaten almost to death several times, why didn’t anyone seek justice for her?
“Was it because she wasn’t beaten to death?”
Captain Yang panicked and quickly tried to soothe me, “Chen Zhang, calm down.”
“I’ve always been calm. It’s you who made me lose my calm.”
I roared. I didn’t want to pretend anymore. I admitted it.
I shouted, “Yes, I’m the one who killed them.
“It wasn’t a crime of passion. It was a premeditated murder.
“It was a perfectly planned murder. If that old woman hadn’t gone to get the wine for him out of boredom, it would have been a perfect case of accidental death by electric shock. “
By this point, I was crying uncontrollably. “But how could a mother love her son so much?
“It was just to get a bottle of wine. At her age, she was still worried that her strong son would be tired?
“The voltage was enough to kill him, but the old woman’s hand was injured, and she happened to be wearing gloves. She just felt the electric shock but wasn’t electrocuted to death. Then her son knew what was going on.
“Should I wait for him to kill me if I didn’t kill him?
“Are you curious why I hacked his abdomen to a pulp? Because I kicked him twice in that place.
“My mom had to destroy this evidence to take the blame for me.
“I really don’t understand. I keep asking you, ‘Why do you have to investigate so carefully?’
“My mom wanted to commit suicide at that time, so I could be completely cleared.
“But I don’t want to lose my mom.
“We have no other hopes. She goes to prison, and I go to school.
“We just hope that during the holidays, we can still see each other through the glass window. Why can’t you even grant us this little wish?
“Are their lives the only ones that matter? Isn’t our life a life?
“Is Chen Dalong’s life so precious, while Li Xianglan’s life is so humble?
“Is a man who commits domestic violence the citizen you protect, while a woman who is a victim of domestic violence not?
“I ask you, why is it so difficult to get a divorce?
“With a broken relationship, you can’t get a divorce?
“Being a victim of domestic violence, you still can’t get a divorce?
“Even when we got to the civil affairs bureau, she was still beaten in full view of everyone. Where were the police at that time?
“She went to the hospital with a bruised face to get an injury examination, but the injury report didn’t even count as a minor injury?
“When we went to the police station, you said this was a matter for the Women’s Federation to handle?
“How can they handle it?
“They would just persuade, ‘Make up after a fight between husband and wife,’ ‘Young couples become old companions,’ ‘Think more about the children.’
“Think about the children? What kind of family environment do they want to create for the children?
“My mom and I had no other hopes. We just wanted to leave that home as far as possible after I got into college and never come back.
“But he didn’t even allow that.
“He tried to change my college application. He didn’t allow me to go to a city that was too far away.
“He said that wherever my mom went, he would follow.
“My mom had no choice but to say she wouldn’t go with me.
“But what did he say? He said that if I dared not come back after graduating from college, he would beat my mom like a punching bag. He would beat her three times a day, and if he had supper, he would beat her one more time. As long as she didn’t die, no one would care.
“That’s why I wanted to kill him. Only when he died could my mom be free.
“But I was wrong. The chain on my mom’s ankle was never my dad. It was me.
“I was the lock that prevented her from being free.
“So, even if my dad died, she still couldn’t escape. She still had to take the blame for her son.”
14
I was too excited and too hyped up.
I finally said everything that was on my mind.
“I only hate myself. Why didn’t I think of killing him earlier to end all this?
“If I had killed him when I first hit him with a stick, the police wouldn’t have questioned me again and again.
“If I had put rat poison in his rice bowl when I was young, my mom wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
Just then, my mom’s voice came from afar. She shouted, “Son, no, Xiaozhang, no, my son, you can’t…”
The police probably asked her to come and persuade me to calm down, but she was even more agitated than me.
“Son, you’re my life. You can’t do this.”
“It’s okay. The lawyer said I won’t be sentenced to death. Mom will go to prison with you. There will always be a day when we get out.”
“I just want you to live. As long as you’re alive, it’s okay.”
“Whether you’re a college student or a criminal, in mom’s heart, you’ll always be mom’s good son.”
She was crying and shouting, trying to come over, but two police officers held her back.
She wailed, “The sky hasn’t fallen yet. Mom is still alive.”
Captain Yang also tried to persuade me, “Chen Zhang, don’t be impulsive. The law is ruthless, but people are compassionate. The court will give a discretionary judgment.
“As long as you’re alive, there will be hope.
“The law will give everyone a chance to turn over a new leaf.”
Maybe!
But I had no “faults.” Why should I “turn over a new leaf”?
I raised my hand to wipe my tears and said to my mom, “Mom, don’t be sad. Even if I’m not here, you have to live well.
“I don’t want to go to prison.
“I don’t want you to watch helplessly as your son goes to prison and be powerless.
“I don’t want you to worry and endure humiliation for me anymore.
“I want you to fly, to go wherever you want.
“I want you to be free, to live for yourself, not to be threatened by anyone, and not to compromise for anything.
“I’m your son, but I’m also his son.
“But he doesn’t deserve to have a son. He deserved to die a violent death and have no descendants.
“I shout, “You’re Li Xianglan, a living person. You’re not anyone’s daughter, not anyone’s wife, nor anyone’s mother. You’re yourself.
“Live on.
“I’ll be with you in another form.
“I’ll turn into the wind, the rain, a small seedling, a flower, a puppy, a cat, and always be by your side.”
With a “bang,” everything came to an end.
As I fell to the ground, my soul was finally set free.
I seemed to see my mom smiling.
She was smiling so sweetly and happily, saying to me, “Baby, welcome to this world. I’m your mom.
“I’m your dearest person.
“I’ll protect you with everything I have.”
With a “wail,” I burst into tears.
If anyone could understand my crying, what I was saying was, “No! Woman, you should be yourself first, and then a child’s mother.”
**Epilogue**
I’m Li Xianglan.
Today’s wind is very gentle.
Today’s rain is very beautiful.
The small seedlings and flowers are growing well.
The kittens and puppies are very cute.
I’m free.
So, my child is also free.
I’m happy.
So, my child is also happy.
I’m smiling.
He’s also smiling.
(The End)
