When I was young, my family raised a monkey named Binbin.
It was very smart and could imitate people’s actions.
Later, my mother gave birth to my younger brother.
In the countryside, children usually took a bath in a bathtub placed in the patio.
One evening, my mother took me out to pick vegetables, leaving my several-month-old brother at home alone.
When we came back, there was a steaming bathtub placed on the patio.
My brother was lying in the water, his skin torn and bruised, with patches of red and purple all over his body.
My mother screamed and rushed over to pick up my brother.
I saw his tender skin seemed to be sagging, as if it had been melted by the hot water.
My mother knelt on the ground and wailed loudly.
I was so scared at that time that I didn’t know what to do at all.
I turned my head and saw that Binbin was not in the cage.
It was playing on the roof beam and winking at me.
Its expression was very much like that of a human.
It even pulled out a strange smile.
I was completely frightened.
I could also guess that it was it that imitated my mother to bathe my brother and scalded him to death.
Aunt Wu, our neighbor, heard the crying and came to check. She was also scared by my brother’s tragic appearance.
She immediately went to call the village head for help.
But it was too late, because I saw that my brother in my mother’s arms…
Didn’t move at all and should be completely dead.
Later, the village head came, and the police also came.
However, they took my mother away!
My mother had to take full responsibility for my brother’s death.
I understood from the police that—
Maybe my brother…
Was deliberately killed by my mother, and then she blamed it on a monkey.
Because Binbin disappeared and no one could find it.
It seemed to have human-like intelligence and didn’t know where it hid.
They didn’t even believe that there was such a monkey in my family.
They said that Binbin didn’t exist.
After my mother was taken away, I was alone at home, and I was a little scared.
Fortunately, Sister Miao, Aunt Wu’s daughter, saw my panic.
She offered to come and accompany me tonight.
She was a very gentle elder sister, bold and careful.
But after coming to my house, she was a little nervous.
Especially when her eyes glanced at Binbin’s cage, there was always a trace of fear in her eyes.
At night, Sister Miao accompanied me to watch TV.
But she was always restless.
It was not until she asked this question that I knew the reason—
“Xiao Lin, that cage… isn’t it for raising monkeys?”
I was also curious: “It’s for raising Binbin. Why isn’t it?”
Sister Miao stammered: “There are clothes and bowls in that cage…”
“Do we need those things to raise a monkey?”
“And those clothes and bowls… I remember, it seems that they were all used by you…”
I also explained to her: “Yes, they are the clothes I don’t want, and the bowls too. My mother didn’t want to waste them, so she gave them to Binbin for use.”
But she still looked worried and hesitant to speak.
Until finally, she asked me carefully again: “Do you remember… when you were a child, you had a baby name…”
“Was it Binbin?”
“Was Binbin also my name?”
I thought for a while before shaking my head: “I don’t remember… Maybe because the name was useless, so my mother gave it to the monkey?”
Sister Miao didn’t say anything after hearing that.
She just looked at me with strange eyes from time to time.
I didn’t know what she was thinking.
If she thought that the cage was used to lock me up instead of Binbin…
That would be too ridiculous.
Because when I turned off the light to go to bed…
I saw Binbin again.
At that time, Sister Miao was still washing up in the bathroom. I turned off the light in the hall.
Only then did I find that it was hiding on the roof beam.
But it was too dark, and I could only see its green glowing eyes and its white teeth.
It seemed to be baring its teeth, and also seemed to be…
Smiling with its mouth open.
I was a little scared and hurried into the room.
Sister Miao didn’t stay in the same room with me. She lived next door to me.
Before going to bed, she also pushed the door open and told me that if I had something, I could call her and she could hear me.
However, in the middle of the night, I was woken up by a nightmare.
I thought of her and called out to her.
But she couldn’t hear me at all.
I could only get out of bed, turn on the light, and grope my way to the next room.
Then I found that—
Sister Miao, she was dead.
She died on her bed, her eyes wide open, as if she had seen something terrifying.
However, her mouth was open, looking like a smile.
Just like the smile of Binbin that I saw before going to bed.
I rushed out of the hall and turned on all the lights that I could.
Then I used the landline to call Aunt Wu.
I didn’t know how to tell her that Sister Miao was dead, so I just said: “Something happened to Sister Miao!”
Aunt Wu panicked and said that she would come right away.
I was almost crying anxiously.
So after hanging up the phone, I called the village head again: “Sister Miao, she, she’s dead! It was Binbin who did it. I, I just saw it again…”
The village head immediately responded to me: “What? Don’t worry… I’ll come right away!”
I also said: “I, I’m afraid Binbin is still in the house… It must have become a demon!”
I said this because I kind of wanted to run out of the house.
Unexpectedly, the village head said in a serious tone: “No! Don’t go out of the house! Don’t leave home!”
Then he added: “It’s too dark outside. It’s too dangerous for you to go out… Just wait for me at home! I’ll be there soon!”
From the way he spoke…
It didn’t seem that he was worried about me, but rather that he was afraid that I would…
Run away.
Before long, they all arrived.
What made me feel strange was that Aunt Wu and the village head arrived at the same time.
Obviously, she lived so close.
And the village head also brought another person—
Grandpa Jiu.
He was an elder in the village. Whenever there was something important in the village, they would tell him.
Especially for some strange things…
Like funerals, moving graves, burning incense in the ancestral hall and so on.
But why did he come with the village head and the others at this late night?
And when he saw me, he asked a strange question at the very beginning: “Xiao Lin… How long have you been awake?”
I was confused. Was it that important?
“Well… About… Half an hour?”
While answering, I found an even stranger thing—
Aunt Wu, she was still standing behind Grandpa Jiu.
She wasn’t in a hurry!
Since she came with the village head, she must have known that “something happened” meant that Sister Miao was dead!
Why wasn’t she worried?
I was so worried!
“No… Come in and have a look!”
I turned around and ran, leading them to the room where Sister Miao slept.
However, when I rushed into the room, I was shocked myself—
The bed was empty!
Behind me, Grandpa Jiu’s voice also came—
“Your Sister Miao died when you were a child… Don’t you remember?”
“Impossible, impossible. Obviously…”
I was completely stunned.
“Obviously, just now, I still saw…”
Grandpa Jiu just said calmly:
“You often do this, always forgetting things… Come out, and we’ll tell you slowly.”
I was full of doubts, but I could only slowly back out of the room.
When I returned to the hall, I saw that the village head was closing the door and locking it.
Aunt Wu was standing in the hall, looking very worried.
After calming down, I realized that they all looked a lot older.
Grandpa Jiu first said a word to them: “It’s okay, it’s okay… It’s not an evil thing. It’s just him… His old problem has recurred…”
Old problem?
Was he talking about me?
What old problem did I have?
This made me even more confused.
Aunt Wu then let out a sigh of relief. She looked at me and walked towards the TV cabinet.
I still wanted to argue: “But, Aunt Wu, Sister Miao just…”
Aunt Wu immediately interrupted me: “You, don’t mention your Sister Miao’s matter again… She, she has been gone for ten years. Don’t you remember?”
Ten years?
My head was buzzing.
“Sit down first and listen to me tell you slowly.”
Grandpa Jiu said beside me.
I sat numbly on the chair, my mind blank.
“Do you think… Today is the day when your brother died?”
I nodded.
Grandpa Jiu sighed and then said slowly: “In fact, your brother’s tragedy also happened ten years ago…”
I got anxious as soon as I heard that.
But Grandpa Jiu reached out his hand to signal me to be quiet before continuing: “Don’t be excited. Listen to me slowly. It’s not the first time I’ve told you this again.”
“It has indeed been ten years. After the tragedy happened that year…”
“The police released your mother because they judged that your brother’s death was an accident.”
“But everyone knew that it wasn’t an accident. Maybe it was just because you were still young at that time and the family couldn’t be without an adult.”
“Of course, there was no monkey, because your family didn’t raise any monkey at all…”
“However, after your mother was released, she wasn’t normal either…”
“She went crazy and later… committed suicide.”
“And then you also… Until today…”
“Over the years, it was the village head and Aunt Wu who took care of you…”
After hearing what Grandpa Jiu said, my head buzzed even louder.
It was too absurd!
And just then, Aunt Wu got something from the TV cabinet and walked over.
“Xiao Lin, take the medicine. After taking it, you’ll be okay.”
Aunt Wu was holding a bottle of pills in her hand.
I was dumbfounded.
The medicine was real. Could it be that what they said was all true?
Grandpa Jiu also explained: “Remember to take the medicine first when you wake up in the future, okay?”
Only then did I understand why Grandpa Jiu asked me how long I had been awake!
And I also understood what he had just said in that long paragraph—
Our family didn’t raise a monkey at all.
It was my mother who went crazy and killed my brother.
Then she took her own life with guilt.
I also went crazy and survived until today only by relying on medicine…
As long as I didn’t take the medicine, I would have those hallucinations that I saw before!
Was reality really so cruel?
My tears couldn’t help flowing down slowly.
I was just about to reach out to take the pills from Aunt Wu…
But at this time, I suddenly glanced at the corner of the hall—
A cage!
Wasn’t that the cage where we raised Binbin?
I hurriedly pointed at the cage and shouted: “Since we didn’t raise a monkey, then, what’s that?”
Grandpa Jiu turned his head to look at the cage and then looked back.
Still with a face full of worry… or rather, sadness.
At first, I couldn’t understand, but then what he said…
Made me fully understand.
“Alas… Tell me, what’s the name of that monkey?”
I subconsciously replied: “Binbin?”
Grandpa Jiu nodded, with pity in his eyes: “That’s… your name.”
“Your family really didn’t raise any monkey. The one locked inside… was you.”
“Your mother, she didn’t go crazy after your brother’s accident. She had gone crazy long before that.”
“She locked you in the cage and raised you like a monkey!”
“This is also an important reason why you’ve become like this now…”
Grandpa Jiu’s words hit me right in the heart.
I remembered that Sister Miao had also had such doubts…
So her suspicions were also true.
Was reality really like this?
The more I knew, the more I understood the cruelty in it…
I couldn’t hold back my tears anymore.
Because in my memory, my mother was the gentlest and loved me the most.
My father seldom appeared in our lives. He came back less than a few days a year.
After my mother got pregnant with my brother, he never came back.
It was my mother who worked hard to support this small family.
So, I couldn’t accept such a cruel reality…
Grandpa Jiu saw what I was thinking.
He said: “Take the medicine and have a sleep. You’ll be okay.”
Aunt Wu handed the medicine and water to me.
I took them and swallowed all the medicine in one gulp.
Then I stood up, said nothing, and went back to my room alone.
After lying on the bed, my tears finally burst out…
My consciousness gradually became unclear.
Just between half asleep and half awake, I saw again—
On the roof beam, there appeared a monkey!
Its eyes were shining, baring its white teeth, with a terrifying smile…
Especially the light from its eyes seemed to have the power to control people’s hearts…
This was the last scene before I lost consciousness.
However, when I opened my eyes, I saw—
Sister Miao!
“Ah!”
I screamed strangely and huddled in the corner with the quilt in my arms.
Sister Miao burst out laughing and gently scolded me: “Silly child, you were just having a nightmare. I heard your voice and came to check on you…”
I stared blankly at her delicate face.
She was still laughing brightly: “Now that you’re awake, it’s okay.”
The light was on, and my fear in my heart disappeared instantly.
But, Sister Miao, wasn’t she dead?
What’s going on here?
Seeing that I was still in a daze, she continued to comfort me: “It’s okay. Your mother will be able to come home tomorrow. I promise!”
My mother?
She’ll be home tomorrow?
But Grandpa Jiu clearly said that my mother committed suicide.
Could it be…
I stammered and asked: “Today, is it… the day when my brother had an accident?”
Sister Miao’s brows wrinkled a little, but then immediately relaxed.
She showed a warm and healing smile and said: “It’s all in the past. Don’t take it to heart. It’s not your fault. Don’t overthink it, and you won’t have nightmares, you know?”
I nodded numbly.
Sister Miao definitely wasn’t a ghost. She must not be dead.
Because she was by my side, and I felt her warmth.
But, was it really all just a nightmare?
What about ten years later? What about me going crazy…
Was that the real nightmare?
If so, that would be great.
Maybe when day breaks, my mother will come back…
But just then, Sister Miao said a strange thing.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t spoken all the time, and she wanted to break the silence.
But what she said happened to be: “Ah, there’s one more thing. I misunderstood you. I saw that hidden monkey too!”
“Binbin?” I asked in astonishment.
Sister Miao nodded cutely and replied: “Yes, it’s very naughty. It’s been running around on the roof beam and in the attic and doesn’t want to come down.”
I suddenly realized that things were definitely not that simple.
I remembered that in that [nightmare], I called Aunt Wu and the village head…
But they brought Grandpa Jiu with them.
And Grandpa Jiu blurted out a word: [Evil thing].
So, was Binbin an evil thing?
I quickly told Sister Miao: “It’s very dangerous! It… must be it that hurt my brother!”
Sister Miao frowned a little and first comforted me: “Don’t get excited, don’t get excited… Monkeys can’t do so many things. Don’t overthink it.”
I was still very excited: “No, Binbin is not an ordinary monkey! It, it’s an evil thing!”
“Evil thing?” Sister Miao seemed to think for a moment.
But then immediately denied what I said: “Impossible. When I saw it, it wasn’t dangerous at all…”
I was about to explain, but Sister Miao seriously told me again: “Believe me, it’s impossible.”
We looked at each other, and I could feel—
She said this sentence very seriously and earnestly.
As if she knew some inside story.
“If you have nightmares because of this, then I have a good idea!”
Immediately, Sister Miao showed a warm smile again.
“I’ll take you to find it. As long as you see it clearly, you won’t be afraid anymore!”
After saying that, she had already turned around to go out.
“Follow me. I’ll take you to find it!”
I quickly got out of bed.
Sister Miao also walked out first.
It was brightly lit outside, not so scary, and I quickly followed.
But Sister Miao seemed to walk very fast. In the corridor outside the door, I didn’t see her.
But there was a sound in the hall.
I walked out quickly and found—
There were three people sitting in the living room!
At that moment, I was dazed again.
It was like a dream, as if a lifetime had passed.
Because these three people were—
Grandpa Jiu, the village head, and Aunt Wu!
I stood there for a full ten seconds.
Then Grandpa Jiu noticed me and stood up to ask me: “What’s the matter? Can’t sleep?”
His voice was so real, but I felt that everything was so illusory.
I really couldn’t figure it out, and what I blurted out was: “Where’s Sister Miao? She, she just walked out…”
Aunt Wu stood up abruptly, her face livid.
She snapped at me: “Don’t mention her again!”
“Since you’ve forgotten, then I’ll tell you…”
“She disappeared ten years ago that night when she came to accompany you!”
“She, we couldn’t even find her body…”
By this time, the village head had gone to stop Aunt Wu, but Aunt Wu was already crying.
My head was even more dizzy.
Because it seemed that everything could be explained now—
Sister Miao thought Binbin wasn’t dangerous and was going to take me to find it.
Then, she became the victim.
Binbin was really an evil thing!
Did it kill Sister Miao too?
I was trembling all over.
After a while, I managed to say: “I’m sorry… I, I… I’ll go to bed…”
Back in the room, back on the bed,
in my mind, Sister Miao’s warm and healing smile flashed by again.
It turned out that reliving the scenes from ten years ago wasn’t going back in time, but…
I was recalling memories.
Binbin must be an evil thing.
Otherwise, Grandpa Jiu wouldn’t have come, right?
When Sister Miao was killed that year, Grandpa Jiu must have sensed the aura of the evil thing at the scene.
So he had been keeping it in mind until today, and that’s why he came here on his own initiative tonight…
Wait.
Just now, Aunt Wu said that Sister Miao was dead.
But, at this moment, why did she just say that she disappeared?
I got out of bed again, planning to go out and ask clearly.
Even if I got scolded, I had to ask.
Because this wasn’t a small matter.
Being dead and disappearing were completely different things.
I needed to confirm whether they had made a mistake.
But just as I quickly walked into the living room…
What greeted me was Sister Miao’s warm smiling face.
I was shocked again!
“You’re so slow.”
Sister Miao’s voice was so real and kind.
But it made me even more confused.
“But it doesn’t matter. You’re just in time. Look!”
She didn’t notice anything wrong with me and pointed at the roof beam and said.
I looked in the direction she pointed—
Sure enough, behind a pillar on the roof beam, a tail was exposed!
A monkey’s tail.
It was Binbin!
Without hesitation, I rushed forward, grabbed Sister Miao’s hand and ran:
“Don’t look at it! Run!”
While running, I accidentally bumped my arm against a pillar.
But I didn’t stop. Instead, I struggled to pull Sister Miao into the room.
After closing the door, I let out a sigh of relief.
Sister Miao exclaimed in surprise: “What are you doing! I told you that monkey isn’t a monster!”
“Ah! Your hand!”
I looked down and found that my arm was bleeding non-stop!
Sister Miao didn’t think twice. She pushed me aside, opened the door, and said:
“Don’t move! I’ll go get the medicine and bandages…”
After saying that, she ran out.
I looked at my bleeding arm, hesitated for a few seconds…
Then I pressed it hard with my hand!
It hurt! It hurt terribly!
But I didn’t wake up.
The pain was so real.
Then I chased after her…
But as soon as I returned to the living room, things became subtle again—
Yes, Sister Miao disappeared again.
And Grandpa Jiu and the other two appeared again!
But this time, I wasn’t panicked.
I quickly looked down at my arm.
At the place where I bumped into the pillar, sure enough—
There was only a faint scar left.
I figured out what was going on!
The injury I got ten years ago, although it had healed after ten years, still left a little mark.
So, there was no nightmare at all tonight!
Everything was real. Everything was real.
That question from before also got an explanation.
Maybe, ten years ago, if I hadn’t woken Sister Miao up…
Then she would have been killed by Binbin in her sleep.
I woke her up, so later, she became ‘disappeared’.
Tonight, in this room, for some unknown reason…
I was constantly jumping between two time periods!
Since my injury could be passed on to this ‘future’.
Did that mean that I could change the past?
Although I couldn’t go back earlier to save my brother…
Maybe I could save Sister Miao, and I could also prevent my mother from committing suicide…
Just as I was lost in thought, Aunt Wu noticed me, and she stood up abruptly.
But she just stared at me and didn’t say anything.
Grandpa Jiu and the village head also stood up and turned around to see me.
The village head asked me: “What’s going on? Still can’t sleep?”
Instead, I turned to Grandpa Jiu and couldn’t help asking him: “Grandpa Jiu, did you know all along that Binbin was an evil thing?”
Grandpa Jiu quickly said: “Don’t talk nonsense. It’s been so long. How could you…”
However, halfway through his words, he stopped and stared straight at me.
I also looked at him.
At the moment our eyes met, I also noticed something strange—
Grandpa Jiu’s eyes seemed to be able to see through something.
Because he actually asked this question: “Xiao Lin, how old are you?”
The village head and Aunt Wu were both extremely surprised and turned to look at Grandpa Jiu.
I didn’t dare to answer. I was afraid that they would think I was crazy.
“I understand…”
Grandpa Jiu lowered his head, thought for a few seconds, and then slowly walked up to me.
He leaned over and whispered to me: “Be careful. Everyone… might have been killed by you… including your mother… Maybe she didn’t commit suicide… But considering your condition at that time… there was no in-depth investigation…”
I was shocked and felt a chill run down my spine.
But when I thought about it carefully, it really made sense.
Because I was the one who was most likely to be controlled by Binbin.
The reason why Grandpa Jiu noticed my abnormality was that he saw the evil aura on me, right?
So, was I the murderer?
Maybe I was the one who killed my brother.
Maybe I was the one who killed Sister Miao.
Finally, even my mother was killed by me.
So…
If I wanted to save Sister Miao and my mother…
I just had to die.
Thinking of this, I suddenly let out a breath.
Even if I couldn’t save my brother, as long as I could save Sister Miao and my mother…
It would be worth it.
I said to Grandpa Jiu: “I understand.”
Then, I turned around to go back to the room.
Grandpa Jiu didn’t stop me.
He should have known what I was going to do when he told me that sentence.
He probably hoped that I would do that too.
Because from his perspective, he was—
Punishing the murderer.
I didn’t know how I could travel through these ten years.
But it seemed that going to sleep was a good choice.
I lay on the bed, with my eyes slightly closed…
In a daze, I heard a faint sound.
Opening my eyes—
Sure enough, I saw Sister Miao’s face again.
She was still scolding me: “Look at you. Stop messing around. I told you Binbin isn’t dangerous… But you bumped yourself like this… How silly!”
I turned my head and saw that Sister Miao had already bandaged my arm for me.
There were gauze and scissors beside the bed…
I reached out to grab the scissors, then turned around and huddled in the corner.
“What are you doing?” Sister Miao was startled.
“Sister Miao, you’ll be okay… Remember to help me check on my mother…”
I opened the scissors and put the sharp blade close to my neck.
“No! What are you crazy about?” Sister Miao suddenly got angry. “You take care of your mother yourself! I won’t even look at you if you’re dead!”
She was really smart. Her words made me hesitate.
I had to explain to her: “I’m the murderer! I’m controlled by Binbin! I’ll kill you, kill my mother…”
She was startled for a moment, and then became even angrier:
“Nonsense! It’s definitely not true! You must believe me! I promise! I swear!”
Her extremely resolute attitude…
Made me suddenly realize that maybe she knew who the murderer was?
I remembered that when I suggested that Binbin had killed my brother…
Sister Miao had also firmly denied it without hesitation.
As if she knew some inside story.
If she really knew the inside story…
Then my determination to commit suicide wasn’t so firm anymore.
“Sister Miao, what are you talking about? Do you… know something?”
Sister Miao’s eyes flickered for a moment, and then she reached out her hand and said: “Put the scissors down first.”
I put down the scissors, but also threatened her: “You must tell me, or I can still find a way to die.”
She hesitated.
Why?
If she knew who the possible murderer was, why couldn’t she…
I suddenly understood.
So I continued: “Sister Miao, you must also believe me… That murderer will kill you tonight.”
Sister Miao suddenly raised her head, and her eyes were full of astonishment.
Her reaction made me certain—
“I know. You suspect that it’s your mother… Aunt Wu, she’s the murderer, right?”
Sister Miao was startled again.
But she also didn’t say anything.
She, acquiesced.
So that’s how it was…
But, why did she think so?
I thought of the only reasonable reason.
If that was the case, then everything made sense.
Even Aunt Wu’s agitated actions [ten years later] could be explained…
“Sister Miao, you came to accompany me overnight on your own initiative… Was it because you were worried that I was in danger of losing my life, right?”
“Because my brother was also killed by her.”
“So you were worried that something would happen to me too…”
Sister Miao sighed and lowered her head, still remaining silent.
Until I said this sentence: “Do you think that as long as you’re here, she’ll have some scruples?”
She suddenly raised her head again.
I suddenly felt so sad.
But, I also had to tell her this cruel truth.
“But the situation is that Aunt Wu has killed you too.”
Sister Miao was dumbfounded.
However, she quickly calmed down and retorted: “How can you talk such nonsense?”
But obviously, she wasn’t confident.
“What I said is true…” I paused and then asked her, “Why did your mother want to kill my brother?”
“Jealousy.” Sister Miao sighed again. “My mother wanted a son. She had abortions many times for this…”
“But unfortunately, when it came to the last step and she was about to give birth, she… gave birth to a stillborn baby…”
“What’s more important is that because of this, my mother could never have children again… So in my family, there’s only me, a useless daughter…”
“But your family already had you, yet… could still have a baby boy…”
I really couldn’t imagine that the reason for such a terrible tragedy was just this little jealousy!
It was quite a shock to me at that time.
I was stunned.
And Sister Miao said gloomily: “If I got in her way, maybe I… really wouldn’t matter…”
To hide what was in her bright eyes, she also gave a bitter smile.
No, it couldn’t be.
I wouldn’t let her succeed.
However, we were just children and definitely couldn’t beat her…
“Let’s go, Sister Miao. Let’s go make a phone call!” I jumped off the bed and rushed into the living room.
But when I picked up the landline at home, I found that—
There was no sound from the receiver at all.
The phone line should have been damaged!
“Oh no.”
I was so angry that I threw the phone.
Then I turned around and rushed straight towards the door.
But the door was locked from the outside!
We were trapped!
And at this time, there were some noises from the roof beam in the living room.
I looked up and saw—
It was Binbin.
Its eyes were still glowing, staring at me fixedly.
This time, I didn’t avoid its eyes.
Because I already knew that it wasn’t an [evil thing].
And along with the light in its eyes, I also recalled a scene—
Before my brother was born, my mother and I went up the mountain to pick vegetables and happened to come across the injured Binbin.
At that time, its leg was broken and it was lying pitifully in the wild.
My mother said she would take it home, otherwise it would be eaten by wild animals…
…
I understood.
It turned out that all the strange things that happened tonight were indeed because of it!
It might indeed be an [evil thing].
But it didn’t mean to hurt me at all.
On the contrary, it probably wanted me and Sister Miao to survive.
It was repaying our kindness.
So that’s how it was.
However, at this time, I found that Sister Miao didn’t follow me out!
Was there any danger in the room?
Since Aunt Wu locked the door from the outside before coming into the house…
Then it was very likely that she came in through the roof.
The roof had a window that could lead to the attic, and there was also an attic in my room…
Although I knew that I couldn’t beat Aunt Wu, I still rushed in.
But the lights were off inside?
I quickly turned on the light switch…
The room was empty.
What was going on?
I looked up to check the roof beam and the attic. There was no movement above either.
I then realized—
This was my room ten years later.
It was Binbin that made me come back to this time and space again.
I calmed down.
Because I realized that extremely serious problem again—
Even if Sister Miao and I joined forces, we couldn’t beat Aunt Wu.
She was a peasant woman and could easily kill both of us.
But, why… was I able to survive?
That was the key!
The reason why I could survive might be…
The reason why we could all be saved.
And this point might be found from Aunt Wu ten years later?
This was probably what Binbin had been trying hard to achieve.
So, I must do it!
I thought carefully for a while…
Finally, I came up with a good idea.
Then I walked out of the room.
In the living room, Grandpa Jiu and the other two were still there.
As soon as I walked out, Grandpa Jiu stood up and stared at me closely with his deep eyes.
“Why are you still you?”
I immediately understood why he asked that.
When Grandpa Jiu asked me how old I was before, he already knew that I wasn’t the me from ten years later.
And if I stopped the murderer, I wouldn’t come back here.
Even if the murderer was really me…
It would be a completely different future.
So he asked the question “Why are you still you”.
And just right, my plan was also related to Grandpa Jiu knowing my situation.
I quickly replied: “Grandpa Jiu, I… I need your help…”
Grandpa Jiu nodded without hesitation and said: “Just say it. Don’t waste time.”
I glanced at Aunt Wu and said: “I want to know what Aunt Wu’s son’s name is!”
Aunt Wu’s face turned livid as soon as she heard this, and she angrily said: “I don’t have a son!”
Grandpa Jiu frowned and looked at me.
I also immediately explained: “Grandpa Jiu, I’m not joking. It’s about Aunt Wu’s… son.”
Grandpa Jiu thought for a while, then turned to ask Aunt Wu: “Have you ever thought about what your son’s name would be if you had one?”
Aunt Wu was stunned, and the anger on her face instantly turned into confusion.
Grandpa Jiu emphasized sternly: “I’m really asking you. Answer me properly.”
Aunt Wu didn’t react at all and just stammered out two words: “Junqiang…”
After hearing that, I immediately turned around and walked towards the room.
I just needed this name.
With it, there was hope.
I quickly walked back to the room. The moment I pushed the door open…
I saw Aunt Wu!
And the situation was extremely critical—
She was pressing Sister Miao on the bed, choking her neck with one hand while scolding: “You little bitch… siding with others, right… slut…”
I rushed forward and bumped into her with all my strength.
Aunt Wu was completely unprepared for me and was almost knocked to the ground by me.
I pulled Sister Miao up and quickly rushed out of the door.
Behind us came Aunt Wu’s furious voice: “You little brats! Let’s see where you can run!”
I actually knew that we were trapped in this house.
But it didn’t matter because I was looking for Binbin.
The last time I saw it was in the hall.
Aunt Wu had already chased after us.
I protected Sister Miao behind me and looked at Aunt Wu face to face, saying: “Don’t come over! You scalded my brother to death! Binbin told me everything! It’s a demon monkey!”
Aunt Wu walked over while growling ferociously: “It’s useless to scare me! There was no monkey in your family at all!”
Just at this moment, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black figure on the roof beam.
It was Binbin!
I took a deep breath and said: “Yes, Binbin isn’t a monkey… It’s a lonely ghost, and it’s your son!”
Aunt Wu was startled and then roared again: “I don’t have a son!”
I roared back: “Yes, you do! You just don’t know it! It told me! It’s your son! Its name is Junqiang!”
With that, Aunt Wu stopped completely.
She was dumbfounded, with an expression of disbelief on her face.
I stretched out my hand, pointed at Binbin’s position on the roof beam, and continued: “Look at its eyes! It can tell you the truth with its eyes!”
Aunt Wu turned her head and looked in the direction of Binbin.
And Binbin’s eyes also emitted a strange light…
Aunt Wu stared at it tightly, muttering: “My son… Are you really my son… Junqiang… My Junqiang…”
Binbin didn’t move at all, just kept looking at Aunt Wu.
Then at a certain moment—
Aunt Wu was like being frozen in place!
She couldn’t move at all.
“Let’s run while we can!”
I pulled Sister Miao and ran towards the room.
We came to the room, climbed up the ladder with difficulty, and finally managed to get into the attic.
Then through the window of the attic, we got onto the roof outside.
Finally, we found a climbing rope on the side of the house—
This was exactly how Aunt Wu got into my house.
Without Binbin buying us enough time, we definitely couldn’t have done it.
Just as we successfully got down and were about to run to the village head’s house…
Under the moonlight, a small figure appeared on the roof.
I stopped and looked over.
“Binbin?”
It also jumped down from the roof.
There was no light in its eyes anymore.
It was just like an ordinary monkey.
It ran towards me quickly, and I stretched out my hands—
It threw itself into my arms like it used to when I held it before.
“Let’s go! Let’s go together!”
I thought it wanted to go with me, so I held it and was about to leave.
However, I found that…
It was not only shivering but also getting lighter and lighter.
Looking down, I was shocked!
Its body was disappearing.
It was like sand being blown away.
“Binbin, what’s going on…”
It also raised its head and our eyes met.
It seemed to be expressing something to me.
Scenes flashed through my mind one after another…
The scene when it first saw my mother and me…
The scene when it first returned to my home…
The scene when my mother cooked a meal and asked me to feed it…
The scene when my mother took out my old clothes to keep it warm…
The scene when our family of two people and a monkey were having a happy time in the living room…
And then, there was also…
The scene when it saw Aunt Wu killing my brother!
And then, light began to appear in its eyes…
These lights were burning its own life.
These lights were freezing time.
It couldn’t save my brother, but it had been saving me all along.
Because after that, there was even—
The scene when Aunt Wu was going to kill me!
It turned out that on some timelines, in many possible outcomes, I was supposed to be dead.
But it used its own life to pull me, who survived in different timelines, back to today.
It had been saving me all the time…
So that’s how it was.
And after it did all this, it would die.
So, this was its goodbye to me.
I felt a lump in my throat and tears flowed down.
Binbin raised its little paw and wiped away my tears.
Then it completely disappeared.
Like a wisp of smoke made of sand, it flew up into the sky completely…
My tears flowed even more fiercely.
Until Sister Miao reminded me: “Xiao Lin, we should run!”
I nodded heavily, wiped my eyes with my arm.
Then I ran with Sister Miao.
As long as we ran out, we could…
Survive.
