Chapter 75: The Devil and the Good Child
Shoutout to nyanmaru for the commission!
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“Xie Junfeng, is he your father?” asked the police officer on the phone.
“…Yes.”
Xie Shiyu deliberately paused before answering.
The fact that the police were calling instead of showing up at the door meant they hadn’t obtained any crucial information, just routine inquiries.
“Has your father come back recently?” the police asked.
“…No.”
The police officer seemed to think that a thirteen-year-old boy couldn’t provide accurate information for their investigation.
“Is your mother at home?”
“She’s not.”
Xie Shiyu replied briefly, his tone extremely cold:
“What’s the matter?”
The police officer hesitated a bit. This child was showing too much composure.
But upon careful consideration, it made sense. A child who had been affected by a drug-addicted father from a young age, upon hearing the police inquire about the whereabouts of his drug-addicted father, would have become numb to it. They wouldn’t feel fear or worry like an ordinary child; they would just feel annoyed. It must be because his father had done something bad again, and that’s why the police uncle kept calling to inquire.
“It’s nothing, just have a few questions to ask,” the police officer softened his tone, not wanting to frighten the thirteen-year-old minor:
“Has your dad really not come back recently? Or have you seen him anywhere?”
—Immediately saying no would seem too deliberate. Suddenly mentioning a very specific time would also draw attention. Xie Shiyu was well aware of this. He deliberately thought for a moment, then said:
“..Last month,” replied Xie Shiyu.
“Can you remember the specific date? Where was he?”
“…He came back home, but I don’t remember the exact date.”
“Could you try to remember? Like was it on a weekend, at night, or when you got back from school?”
“It was after school.”
“Then it wasn’t a weekend. Can you remember if there was any school activity that day? It would help us recall the date.”
Xie Shiyu deliberately paused for a long time before replying: “It seems to have been around the 20th or so. Yes, there was a school sports meet at that time, probably around the 22nd or 23rd. I’m not sure about the exact day.”
“Okay, thank you for your cooperation.”
“What’s going on?” Xie Shiyu asked.
“Nothing,” the police officer said, “just routine inquiries. I found out that your father was… released from prison about six years ago for drug trafficking. Has he found a job now? Do you know what he’s doing?”
“I’m not sure about his affairs. He rarely comes back.”
“I see.” The voice of the police officer on the phone sounded somewhat regretful, as if he hadn’t found the information he was looking for:
“Well, sorry to bother you. Goodbye, go back to your homework.”
The call ended.
Xie Shiyu walked back to his room as if nothing had happened.
There were no windows in his small bedroom. In the living room, the sun had already set, leaving only a last trace of blood-red light shining through the window, casting long shadows on the corners of the table.
Outside the window, the night sky was a thin indigo color, faintly tinged with a pale translucent hue, with a small crescent moon embroidered on it.
The police officer had lied just now.
Thirteen-year-old Xie Shiyu laid on his small bed, thinking.
The police officer was obviously investigating a case related to drugs, suspecting his father, who had been released from prison, might be involved again. But he didn’t want to alert anyone, so he pretended it was just a routine inquiry.
If it was just a routine inquiry, they would have asked about his father’s job and current address at the beginning, and there would have been no need to ask about the date.
Birds returning home late fluttered outside the window, perching on the telegraph pole, calling and chirping.
The indigo sky in the west was dyed with a hint of red, like blood seeping into water. Xie Shiyu turned over, burying his head in his pillow.
The police were investigating a drug-related case and suspected that his father, who had been released from prison for drug trafficking, might have resumed his activities.
—It had nothing to do with his case.
The bedroom, without any lights on, grew darker and darker. Everything in the house was reflected in Xie Shiyu’s eyes, still very clear. His night vision seemed to be better than an ordinary person’s.
He lowered his head and looked at his hands, the lines of his palms intertwined. The lamp on the desk in the bedroom, under the sunset glow from the living room, cast ever-lengthening shadows. The dark shadows crawled onto the bed, over Xie Shiyu’s hands, like dried blood coughed up by the shadows.
The body had been disposed of cleanly, and the face had been burnt, so much so that the police were having a hard time confirming the victim was his father, let alone that they would call him.
Even if his father was still alive, if there was any drug trafficking case, it couldn’t have been him.
His dad had the strength to beat women and children and steal money from his mom, but he didn’t have the brains or guts to traffic drugs. There were scumbags in this world, who were worthless scum no matter which world they lived in.
Xie Shiyu sat up in bed, turned on the desk lamp, and opened his backpack and English workbook.
He started doing his homework with those hands.
Only he knew that six years ago, his drug-addicted father was imprisoned for drug trafficking, but he wasn’t really trafficking drugs.
It was a frame-up by him.
***
Six years ago, at the age of seven.
“Little Shiyu, did you know? People unconsciously do what they’re good at. Uncle’s first work was also my father.”
In the month before moving away, during the continuous rainy season, Uncle Ji Shiming sat behind the checkout counter in the convenience store, wiping his hands with lotion, smiling as he looked at Little Shiyu.
To an ordinary child’s understanding, his words might have sounded strange, but Little Shiyu understood. Uncle was recounting memories of his murders.
“There are such people in the world. They can’t be good, even if they try, and when they turn bad, they’re just the bottom of the barrel among bad people.”
Uncle Ji Shiming seemed to remember his father, his eyes fixed on the gloomy sky outside, where someone hurried by, as if just getting off work. Ji Shiming squinted, recognizing who it was:
“Like that one over there, in room 104. If you call him bad, being a child molester only gets you less than five years, much lighter compared to serial killers. But somehow, it just feels disgusting.”
Thud.
Little Shiyu piled up items on the counter:
“Checkout.”
He didn’t want to pay attention to Uncle’s ramblings. Today, he had bought a few extra things to help his mom, and Uncle deliberately checked each item slowly.
The computer next to him made mechanical sounds: 1 yuan 2 mao plus 3 yuan 9 mao… adding up…
Outside was the continuous rain, falling silently on the ground. The air was damp, like it was filled with damp mist. A vast expanse of white.
“Equals…”
The computer beeped, and Uncle Ji Shiming also beeped:
“He never gave me a birthday present. He never cared about me since I was a child. So on my eighteenth birthday, I made him my first work to celebrate my birthday. Here, it’s a total of 79 yuan and 8 mao.”
Little Shiyu took out a green 50 yuan bill and a brown 20 yuan bill, placing them on the table:
“No need for the change.”
Uncle Ji Shiming: “9 yuan and 8 mao considered change? Just two mao short of 10 yuan!”
Little Shiyu put his hands in his pockets, as if to say, “This is all I have, deal with it.”
“Alright, let’s call it 70 then,” Ji Shiming wasn’t really relying on the convenience store to make money, “consider the remaining 9 yuan and 8 mao as payment for listening to me.”
“The second work was my girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. That guy was just too annoying, still babbling on even after they broke up, too good at clinging to people.”
After finishing the checkout, Uncle Ji Shiming began to leisurely help Little Shiyu pack the items into the shopping bag.
Little Shiyu glanced at him: “I never thought someone like you could have a girlfriend.”
Ji Shiming: “Don’t judge me by what you see now. I was quite popular when I was young.”
Little Shiyu didn’t say anything. One sign of middle age might be always talking about how popular you were when you were young.
“After that, the works just kept coming. She seemed to realize something and kept wanting to break up. She thought I didn’t know, but her daily fear and anxiety were written all over her face. Ordinary people’s disguises are useless in front of people like us.”
Little Shiyu snorted inwardly; he and Ji Shiming were not the same kind of people. He was convinced of that.
“The fifth work was her acquaintance, a senior in college who she seemed to trust a lot. She would talk to him, seeking his help subtly.”
The rain outside rushed in, and Little Shiyu felt a chill.
But he didn’t say anything.
Today, if he were an ordinary child, facing the nonsensical talk of Uncle Ji Shiming, who was about to move away, he should have felt numb, not saying anything more. It’s better to remain silent than to speak too much and make mistakes. Silence would keep Uncle from guessing his thoughts.
As long as he wasn’t discovered as an odd child before Uncle moved away, he would be safe. The blue ribbon could be his trump card in the future.
Ji Shiming casually added: “Of course, all these works were completed in front of her.”
Little Shiyu’s heart skipped a beat but he still didn’t say anything. Without knowing Uncle’s true nature, an ordinary child wouldn’t understand what Ji Shiming’s words meant, and wouldn’t be able to distinguish which ‘her’ he was talking about just by listening.
Ji Shiming continued, “I didn’t make her into one of my works, but she’s not far from that state. Biologically, she’s still alive, but socially and psychologically, she should no longer exist.”
Little Shiyu immediately understood what Uncle was saying. This person was truly a devil. His normal ex-girlfriend probably guessed his true nature and wanted to escape, but found she couldn’t.
She dared not tell anyone, fearing Ji Shiming’s retaliation, so she subconsciously sought help from others. However, Ji Shiming killed all the potential people she contacted, and in front of her, dismembered them, or even psychologically forced her, saying it was all because she went to them for help. These good people died because of her…
Little Shiyu could imagine that an ordinary person treated like this, even if not killed by Ji Shiming, would have completely gone mad. Even if they said something, no one around them would believe them anymore.
Swish, swish. The shopping bag was full.
“After that, I couldn’t stop. But I know very well, if I continue to make my works like that…”
“I’m leaving now.”
Little Shiyu interrupted him, picked up the bag full of things, and prepared to leave the convenience store.
“Wait.”
Uncle Ji Shiming reached out and grabbed Little Shiyu’s shoulder, stopping him from leaving.
The force was strong, and Little Shiyu couldn’t break free with his strength alone.
“You missed this.”
Kacha, kacha…
The old machine spat out a receipt. Uncle Ji Shiming, with a kind smile, picked up the receipt with his hand coated in cherry blossom hand cream and put it in Little Shiyu’s bag:
“You’re only seven years old. When you grow up, you’ll realize that people have limits. Some people are writing theories of relativity at 23, while others can’t even write their thesis. My limit is twelve works. Any more, and I’ll be exposed.”
“But you won’t stop, right?
“You might become a bigger devil than me…”
Tap, tap,
The sound of high heels.
“Yu Yu, why did it take you so long to buy things?”
Mom walked out of the residential building and stood at the entrance of the convenience store.
Seeing inside, her son was holding a bag, seeming to have finished checking out, and the convenience store uncle put the receipt into his bag, as if reminding him of the missing receipt.
She didn’t notice anything unusual.
Little Shiyu preempted, as usual, he would smile innocently like an ordinary kid:
“Just now, Uncle and I were chatting, right? Uncle.”
— But not now.
Such a question would make him appear too composed. Little Shiyu thought in his heart, that normal kids in the past month must have been scared and unsure how to deal with the strange middle-aged man saying strange things.
Little Shiyu deliberately let his lips twitch as if he wanted to say something but didn’t dare to, then swallowed it back quietly. His little hand gripped the shopping bag, fingers tightening, squeezing the white plastic bag rope into a thin strip, firmly grasping it in his palm.
— But still didn’t say anything.
Finally, it was Uncle Ji who spoke:
“Oh, I was just chatting with him. Isn’t it almost time for me to move out? We won’t see each other often anymore, this kid is very smart, I like him.”
“Haha, where’s he smart? His math scores at school are terrible. Ah, I can’t even be bothered to talk about it. Thanks, Xie Shiyu, let’s go.”
Little Shiyu lowered his head, exerted a bit of force, and pulled the bag filled with things away. The convenience store uncle also let go of him.
— Mom’s position was a bit far from him, and she wouldn’t notice his tiny movements and expressions, but the convenience store uncle was closer, and this distance could capture his performance.
Ji Shiming’s eyes frowned at the child in front of him.
Every time he couldn’t see Little Shiyu, his intuition was very strong, this kid must be a devil, or at least a devil embryo.
But every time he saw Little Shiyu, rational analysis seemed to prevail in his mind. This little guy’s every gesture and gaze seemed just like an ordinary child’s, and because of the family situation, this child must be sensitive, even a bit “autistic”, apart from Chu Feng, almost never seen playing with other kids.
Such a child, hearing him always saying inexplicable things, would feel that he was sick in his heart, but he didn’t know how to deal with it, and running away would be caught by him forcibly, forcing him to stand still and continue listening.
This state lasted for a month, and the child became somewhat numb. It was better to treat these nonsense words as if they were blowing in his ears, but he seemed to feel afraid of these words with obscure meanings.
Little Shiyu’s performance was exactly like what Ji Shiming imagined an ordinary child’s performance to be.
Drip, drip…
“Oh, it’s raining?”
Little Shiyu’s mother raised her head, the leaden sky pressing heavily overhead.
“Little Shiyu, come, let’s go home quickly.”
“Okay.”
Little Shiyu took the initiative to carry the shopping bag, his small figure quickly running to his mother’s side, disappearing into the damp rain curtain.
Behind him, Ji Shiming stared at the young Little Shiyu, watching his small shadow swallowed by the pouring rain.
****
Back home, Little Shiyu hid in his room, opened the wardrobe, and stared at that blue ribbon.
Bang—!
“Xie Shiyu, what are you doing? Making such a loud noise.”
His mother, in the living room, walked to the door of Xie Shiyu’s room. That sound just now seemed like the wardrobe door slamming. She wanted to see why her son was slamming the wardrobe door.
“Nothing,” Little Shiyu answered from inside.
He had made all the preparations. He could no longer endure his father’s beatings of his mother and himself. He planned to act within a year or two. The physical disparity between him and his father could be bridged with drugs. With modern medicine being so advanced, a little sedative or sleeping pills could fill the gap. Moreover, the blue ribbon had become his trump card.
—Everything was going smoothly. Until this past month, when the convenience store uncle’s “nonsense” began.
Every word Ji Shiming said annoyed him because, in part, the uncle was right. Little Shiyu knew he was different from ordinary children, and it seemed, indeed, that compared to those addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems that Chu Feng handled effortlessly, he struggled.
—He was more skilled at other things, things children wouldn’t normally do, things that others couldn’t even imagine a child his age doing. It was like an innate talent, lighting up in the darkness.
Little Shiyu was confident in his plan, but now it was all messed up, not because of a lack of meticulous planning, but because… if he went through with it, it would be like fulfilling Ji Shiming’s precise prediction.
He didn’t want to be a devil. He wasn’t the devil the convenience store uncle described.
Little Shiyu was determinedly thinking this in his heart.
***
Six months later
“There! Don’t run!! What’s going on? Didn’t I tell you not to run?”
In the old residential building, Little Shiyu held his head with a wound on it, standing at the window of Room 404, looking out.
Below, police cars roared, the wailing red lights making everyone in the building feel scared, afraid that their past misdeeds would be exposed under the sunlight.
Today, Mom wasn’t at home, the stolen goods in the house were also disposed of last time. Dad just came back and got nothing, he beat him up and then left.
Xie Shiyu’s father, Xie Junfeng, just walked to the downstairs when he heard the police cars roaring from the back alley. Two or three policemen jumped out and chased him. He reflexively ran…
But he couldn’t run a street, two policemen came up and subdued him:
“What’s going on? What are you guys doing? I didn’t do anything!! Let go of me—”
The policemen came up from behind and pressed Xie Junfeng to the ground. Shiny handcuffs were brought out:
Click!
Xie Junfeng’s hands were tightly cuffed.
“What have you done? If you have nothing to hide, then let’s search him!”
“He must have something on him!”
Two policemen approached Xie Junfeng to search him.
“I don’t have… I don’t have anything! Oh, officers, you must have the wrong person…”
“What is this!”
Xie Junfeng was still struggling, and the policeman quickly found something from the inner layer of his clothes.
Policeman: “You even sewed it up, and it’s sewn pretty tightly!”
Xie Junfeng was dumbfounded, not yet realizing the seriousness of the problem. He kept struggling and cursing.
15 seconds later, the police found a package of white powder from inside his coat.
— Drugs.
Xie Junfeng’s face turned pale instantly.
“This… this is impossible… this really isn’t mine, it’s not me, officers, you have to investigate clearly, this must be someone framing me!”
Xie Junfeng knew clearly that usually, for drug use, as long as it wasn’t a group gathering, so many people wouldn’t come. The number of police officers and the lineup, seemed to know that someone was going to have a rendezvous and catch someone in the act.
And he was the unfortunate “caught person.”
Xie Junfeng understood that drug use and drug trafficking were not in the same category at all in terms of sentencing.
Could it be… Could it be that when he went to buy drugs recently? Was he set up by someone? Did someone swap his coat? What on earth is going on! He couldn’t figure it out at all:
“I really! I didn’t… really not me! This must be someone framing me, officers, it really wasn’t me, I have never…”
“Don’t bother arguing, don’t think we don’t know about your affairs, come on, go to the police station and talk, take him away—”
The police pushed Xie Junfeng onto the police car, passing by with sirens blaring. He was pushed into the police car with handcuffs on, feeling confused about what was going on. He kept recalling whether he had fallen into any traps recently when buying drugs or socializing with people…
He never expected that, in the residential building, the child he saw as still immature, was standing behind the curtains of Room 404, staring at him.
Little Shiyu smiled slightly.
The convenience store uncle had moved away, and no one bothered him every day. Little Shiyu, full of energy, expanded his focus to the entire residential building.
Before long, he discovered a problem with Room 403, across from his.
Probably because of the presence of the smuggling aunt before, this person was still relatively low-key in his actions, just a drunkard who got drunk every day.
After investigating, Little Shiyu found out that this person was trafficking drugs.
Of course, he was just a low-level drug mule, with little power. Out of the spirit of not biting the hand that feeds him, the drunkard in Room 403 had known for a long time that Little Shiyu’s father was a drug addict, but he never did business with him.
Until one day, he found that his goods always seemed to be a little short.
— Each time, it was a very small amount, but as the frequency increased, he noticed it. Moreover, every time it was missing, it was basically when the father from Room 404 came back.
For half a year, Little Shiyu sowed discord among them, and ultimately led to the occurrence of today’s incident.
Xie Junfeng was sentenced to 6 years in prison for drug trafficking, due to the small quantity and being a first-time offender, with a sincere attitude of confession.
The “drunkard” in Room 403 also felt that he couldn’t stay in this building anymore, wanting to escape. He was arrested by the police at the highway exit, and a week later, the news reported that the police had traced the drug ring, and a major drug trafficking case was cracked.
On the day when Little Shiyu’s father was officially sent to prison, Little Shiyu sat in a chair in the living room. In the twilight, flocks of birds stopped on the utility poles, becoming dark notes, playing a melody.
Little Shiyu leaned against the window, humming a nameless song softly. When Mom came back, she smiled:
“You’re so happy today. By the way, Mom found a job at a restaurant.”
— Doing odd jobs at the restaurant.
Little Shiyu nodded, indicating that it was fine. Uncle Ji Shiming had stopped being the in-between, and the wind was blowing harder recently. Mom couldn’t rely on theft for a living forever.
Mom: “I might not come back at night starting tomorrow, it’s the night shift. Will you be okay sleeping alone at night?”
Little Shiyu: “Okay.”
Mom: “Are you scared?”
Little Shiyu hesitated for a moment. For a child his age, being afraid of the dark seemed normal, but for him, the night might be where he belonged.
But Little Shiyu still bowed his head, looking a bit scared, as his mom expected:
“A little… scared.”
Mom came over and touched his head: “If you’re scared, you can sleep with the lights on, and remember to lock the door properly. Hmm… and a while later, I want to go submit the divorce agreement.”
Little Shiyu nodded.
His dad had already gone to jail, and their marriage had been dead for a long time. Mom got a proper job, and there wouldn’t be police or other people coming to investigate anymore. Of course, the salary from the proper job was meager and hard-earned, and their family might become even poorer in the short term.
But Uncle Ji Shiming had left, his dad, the drug-addicted devil, had left, the smuggling aunt in Room 401 had been killed, the cat-abusing man in Room 402 had also died, the “drunkard” in Room 403, the drug mule, had been arrested. The pedophilic man in Room 104 was scared away. For young Little Shiyu, there was no longer any threat in this residential building.
Little Shiyu looked at the peaceful residential building, recalling the scene when his father was taken away by the police that day.
The night had already darkened, and he gazed at his hands:
He was not an ordinary, normal child.
But also not a…
Devil.
*
Ding ling, ding ling, ding ling
In the living room, the only landline phone rang again.
Thirteen-year-old Xie Shiyu sat up from the bed, it was completely dark now. Nothing could be seen, not even the last trace of the sunset’s blood-red color, as if plunged into pitch-black darkness where one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face.
Xie Shiyu listened to the sound and walked to the phone.
“Hello.”
“It’s me.”
Thirteen-year-old Chu Feng’s voice came from the phone:
“Do you have time this weekend?”
Upon hearing Chu Feng’s voice, Xie Shiyu suddenly felt calm, like the surface of a lake being gently brushed by a breeze.
In any case, Chu Feng was always by his side. They would grow up together until they reached the fork in the road where they had to part ways. For example, entering a prestigious high school or a top university.
But at this moment, Xie Shiyu, a first-year junior school student, didn’t want to think about those unpleasant futures:
“I’m free. What’s up, are you asking me out?”
Ignoring Xie Shiyu’s teasing, Chu Feng said seriously:
“Wasn’t there a school sports meeting last month? Those who won prizes in the running events have to go to the city to participate in the competition. It’s happening this weekend at the gymnasium, and they need volunteers. Do you want to go with me?”
“Okay.”
Xie Shiyu replied.
Chu Feng was a member of the school student council. They would be the first to know about city-level competitions or large-scale events, and they needed to participate. This way, when they ran for positions in the future, they would have plenty of activities and awards to list on their resumes.
Chu Feng: “Then meet at the gymnasium gate at 7:30 on Sunday morning.”
“I’ll just come to your house to pick you up.”
“…!”
Chu Feng’s hand holding the phone tightened suddenly, looking as if… they were a couple going to pick each other up.
He shook off this thought, held the phone a bit further away, and made his voice sound less cheerful:
“Okay, let’s make it earlier, 7 o’clock.”
“Okay.” Xie Shiyu said, “I’ll make breakfast for you.”
“Great.” Chu Feng said, “I want a soft-boiled egg.”
“No problem. Oh, can I copy your English homework tomorrow?”
“When did I not let you copy mine?” Chu Feng said, “Can’t you do it yourself? Look at your last English test…”
Xie Shiyu laughed and covered up the past. When God closes a door, he opens a window. His window led to the night, but the door to studying was firmly closed, and whenever he saw those letters and formulas, he would feel drowsy.
Chu Feng: “Then I’ll wait for you downstairs at my house. Bye, hanging up.”
“Okay, bye.” Xie Shiyu said.
Click.
After Chu Feng hung up the phone, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. When he dialed the phone, he had thought of a question, but fortunately, Xie Shiyu didn’t ask him.
On the other end of the phone, the dark living room fell silent again.
When Xie Shiyu answered Chu Feng’s call, he also thought of a question.
—They still had to go to school tomorrow, Chu Feng could have told him tomorrow, but he chose to call him today.
Xie Shiyu didn’t make fun of Chu Feng, he took it as an unexpected sweetness of the day and kept it to himself.
It was almost six o’clock.
Chu Feng glanced at the wall clock. His parents would be back soon, so he carried his school bag and went to the study on the second floor to start studying seriously.
At dinner time,
His mother shouted from downstairs, “Chu Feng—Feng Feng—dinner’s ready.”
Chu Feng slowly closed his math workbook. He didn’t like eating dinner, or rather, he didn’t like every moment of eating at home.
He had to listen to the rapid English chatter on TV, then be forced to listen to his parents arguing again. He never found the food at home tasty, and the happiest thing for him every day was being able to sleep at night. The second happiest thing was waking up the next day to find breakfast brought by Xie Shiyu in class, either a soft-boiled egg or a glutinous rice ball.
Chu Feng adjusted his tone and responded to his mother. He came downstairs, sounding very happy, like a good child looking forward to dinner.
Sitting at the dinner table, tick-tock, Chu Feng’s father turned on the TV:
“The police have now found all the body parts. Currently, they are investigating the identity of the victim, hoping to solve the case as soon as possible. Now let’s take a look at Deputy Director Lin’s response from the police station—”
“We attach great importance to this case at our police station. The perpetrator’s methods were extremely cruel, and the impact was extremely severe. We will definitely solve the case and give everyone an explanation. Due to the need to protect the crime scene and the case, we are unable to disclose the process of solving the case and more details. Please understand…”
The following scenes showed reporters chasing after cars, but with no results.
“Alright.” The microphone was handed back to the host: “Thank you very much. Although we can’t know more information, it is reported that the crime scene was extremely gruesome, marking the first such heinous dismemberment case in our city and even our province in nearly ten years…”
Thirteen-year-old Chu Feng took a bite of his food quietly. He listened to the news; this seemed to be the dismemberment case that Xie Shiyu and others talked about at school. Although a dismemberment case had occurred six years ago and remained unsolved to this day, it seemed that the TV station had collectively forgotten about it now.
However, Chu Feng wasn’t particularly interested in such things, nor did he have a sense of justice to pursue the truth. Although this case happened not far from their school on the outskirts of the city, Chu Feng felt nothing in his heart, as if separated by a screen, he would never encounter it in reality.
Chu Feng’s father was very interested in criminal cases like this. He stared at the TV without blinking: “Ah, cases like this dismemberment, I guess it’s going to become a cold case, very difficult to solve. The body was broken into so many pieces, the scene was chaotic, and there are no clues. The pressure on the police station must be immense…”
Di Di.
Chu Feng’s mother snatched the remote control and changed the channel to an English channel. Chattering English burst out of the TV, like bees buzzing into Chu Feng’s ears, buzzing.
Chu Feng was used to it. He had to endure this bee torture before dinner every day. He calmly picked at his food, feeling no appetite, as if he were chewing on white wax.
But he couldn’t frown…
Before Chu Feng had a chance to adjust his facial expression, his mother scolded him:
“Why are you frowning? I work hard to cook for you, and if you don’t appreciate it, fine, but don’t make a face every day for who to see! Is today’s food not good?”
Chu Feng had to adjust his facial expression. He made himself look more gentle, cute, and obedient, and took a bite of fish, reluctantly saying:
“It’s delicious.”
Chu Feng’s father couldn’t bear it and made a sarcastic remark:
“If you let him listen to this bird language before every meal, even the most delicious delicacies would taste like wax! And your cooking is too salty, put less salt next time.”
Chu Feng’s mother said, “You big man who just sits there and waits for food, you always complain about my cooking, if you don’t like it, then do it yourself, or hire a maid with your money. Oh, did you finish your professional title evaluation?”
“Why do you always talk to me about this during dinner?” Chu Feng’s father looked displeased. He probably had no hope for the professional title evaluation this year. A vice professor five years older than him would probably be promoted to a full professor first. He was feeling annoyed:
“Alright, you pick on me every day during dinner, is that it? No cozy days for dinner at home anymore!”
Chu Feng’s mother said, “What do you mean? I work so hard to cook for you guys every day, changing the menu every day, and one son always sits there with a sour face while the other says there are no cozy days in life. Fine! From now on, whether you eat it or not, forget it!”
Chu Feng’s father didn’t want to say more, he picked up the remote control and changed the channel directly to the news:
“I just want to watch this today, I don’t want to listen to any bird language, chattering. How many years has he been listening to it? Hasn’t his English improved? What was his score on the last English test? Only 91, missed 9 points for nothing, that Sun Bing even got 96, didn’t he, Chu Feng.”
Chu Feng could only nod. His English performance had indeed faltered because he had a stomach ache that day. He didn’t want to mention it, but he didn’t like his father using Sun Bing to belittle him.
“I had a stomach ache during the English exam.”
“Why would you have a stomach ache out of nowhere? If you did poorly, then you did poorly, stop making excuses.” Chu Feng’s mother mocked him.
Chu Feng was a bit angry too. He really did have a stomach ache that day, not because he was making excuses. Normally, his English grades were around 98 or 99, sometimes even perfect scores. His parents knew this clearly. Why did they have to treat him like this just because of one exam?
“I really did have a stomach ache that day.” Chu Feng emphasized again. “Maybe it was because of something I ate two days ago…”
“What can’t you eat?! What are you implying? Wasn’t the dinner two nights ago what I cooked? Neither of us had a stomach ache, why did you have one?” Chu Feng’s mother retorted.
“Yeah, and you didn’t say anything after the exam, now you’re bringing it up after the fact. You didn’t perform well on the test, so now you’re making excuses! If you have stomach pains for no reason during the college entrance exam, what then? Whatever score you get is what you get. We’re not blaming you for scoring 91 points, but if you’re wrong, you have to admit it. You can’t handle a little criticism, always making excuses. How are you going to survive in society like this in the future?” Chu Feng’s father chimed in.
Chu Feng was about to say something, but suddenly he fell silent. He lowered his head and took a bite of his food, choosing not to speak anymore.
Chu Feng’s father took the opportunity to continue his attack, turning to Chu Feng’s mother: “And you, your cooking isn’t that good to begin with. It’s either too salty or the seasoning is off. I had a stomach ache the last time I ate at school too.”
“Yeah, my cooking is poisonous, is that it? Then let’s not eat anymore!” Chu Feng’s mother retorted.
Ignoring her, Chu Feng’s father grabbed the remote control and changed the channel to the news channel he wanted to watch. The host was still discussing the dismemberment case.
Chu Feng’s mother hated watching these cases. It frightened her to the point where she couldn’t sleep. She immediately switched back to the English channel:
“Don’t watch it! Chu Feng, come on, your English test score was so poor last time, you need to study more this time. You have the high school entrance exam in two and a half years.”
“What’s there to be afraid of in the high school entrance exam?” Chu Feng’s father interjected. “With Chu Feng’s grades, he’ll definitely be admitted to a top school without any problem. Isn’t that right?”
Chu Feng remained silent.
“Admission is one thing, but the foundation of English language must be established from a young age. You read the news every day, don’t you? Is there any need to argue about your son’s time here? Everyone is studying hard. While others are eating, we’re listening to English. That’s how it’ll be different when it comes to the college entrance exam.”
The incessant bird-like chirping and the daily arguments between his parents made Chu Feng’s ears feel like they had been pierced by two hornets’ nests, with many hornets burrowing into his ear canals, stinging his eardrums, and trying to penetrate his brain. Chu Feng felt a sharp pain, and suddenly, it seemed like there was no feeling at all, just exhaustion.
“I’m full.”
Chu Feng put down his bowl and chopsticks.
“Oh, no, you can’t waste food! Come back! Sit back down.” Chu Feng’s mother said, “There’s still so much left, what am I going to do if you don’t eat it? Just throw it away?”
Chu Feng’s Dad: “That’s not allowed in our house. We never waste food. Come on, Chu Feng, eat it.”
Chu Feng’s father joined in, recalling the great famine of his childhood, the hunger, and the times when they couldn’t even eat their fill, with deep emotion:
“Come on, all these fish, spare ribs, and vegetables, they all go in. You can’t waste any!”
Chu Feng looked at his bowl, which was filled with a mix of all kinds of dishes—sweet, salty, spicy, colorful, all mixed together. His dad told him he had to finish it, and his mom told him he couldn’t leave the table until he did.
It had always been like this.
Since he was little, he had been forced to eat, forced to watch TV shows he didn’t want to watch, forced to listen to English, forced to practice piano, forced to attend various extracurricular classes he had no interest in, forced to participate in various competitions that brought him no sense of pride, becoming a prominent figure in school and the “model child” among relatives and friends.
Chu Feng looked at his bowl, filled with the juices from the garlic spare ribs, the tomato and egg soup, and the stir-fried vegetables, sweet, salty, spicy, all mixed together, each dish seeming fine on its own, but nauseating when mixed together.
His parents liked to eat like this, but he hated it.
But no one cared about his dislike. Either they thought he was being overly sensitive or picky. In the end, Chu Feng didn’t want to cause trouble and forced himself to finish it.
“I can finish it.”
Chu Feng said. Perhaps it was because he had talked to Xie Shiyu on the phone today, which gave him more courage, or perhaps it was for some other reason, he had endured for too long, and he didn’t want to continue enduring like this anymore.
He wanted to rebel.
“I want to watch the news. I don’t want to listen to English today.”
***
As he said this, Chu Feng himself felt a bit ridiculous. Perhaps after being a good boy for so long, his way of rebelling seemed too weak and even laughable.
Chu Feng’s father also wanted to watch the news, so he immediately aligned himself with his son.
Chu Feng’s mother frowned. Usually, if it weren’t for his father, she would have let Chu Feng watch a TV program in English without a fuss. She would occasionally let him off for a day.
But not today.
Absolutely not.
Once this precedent was set, it wouldn’t just be about watching a TV program. If her precious son tasted the sweetness, he would learn to ally himself with his father against her. Then her position in this family would decline, and her words wouldn’t carry weight anymore.
“No!” Chu Feng’s mother was very firm. “Eating is just eating, why talk about conditions? It’s already good enough if you can eat. During the great famine, where could you find spare ribs to eat? Your mother worked so hard to cook this meal. If you don’t finish it, you’re disrespecting the farmers and disrespecting your mother. You’re at the age where you’re growing, you need to eat this much! Hurry up and eat!”
Chu Feng didn’t move.
Chu Feng’s mother continued, “Letting you listen to English is also for your own good. You’ll thank me when you grow up. Look at your test score this time, only 91 points. If your listening skills were really good, even if you had a stomach ache, you could still understand, couldn’t you? When your stomach hurts, can’t you understand Chinese? Ultimately, it’s because your English hasn’t reached a higher level…”
Di Da.
For the first time, Chu Feng snatched the remote control and switched it to the news channel.
Even Chu Feng’s father was a little shocked this time.
“Chu Feng! Didn’t your mother talk to you nicely? You’re in your rebellious phase now, or have you grown wings? You must finish this bowl today. If you can’t finish it, don’t think about sleeping, and don’t bother doing your homework!”
Chu Feng retorted, “Fine! Then I won’t do it.”
“Say it again!” Chu Feng’s mother suddenly raised her voice by eight decibels. She didn’t expect her son to refuse to do his homework!
This sign was not good at all. Chu Feng’s father also became alert. His son seemed particularly unusual today. Normally, whatever they said, their son would immediately do, obedient and compliant.
Something was off.
Di Da. Chu Feng’s father turned off the TV.
“Well, let’s not watch TV then. Chu Feng, can you please finish what’s in your bowl?”
Chu Feng’s father turned to his mother, “You shouldn’t be so harsh. Our son seems unusually rebellious today. Be careful, if you make him unhappy, he might run away from home. Isn’t that right, Chu Feng?”
Chu Feng felt very uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable all over. He didn’t like this seemingly gentle but actually mixed message talk. He even began to regret a little. If he hadn’t said anything and just obediently followed along, quietly eating his meal, listening to the unpleasant English as usual, then everything could have ended.
—Why did he always have to eat what he didn’t want to eat, watch what he didn’t want to watch, listen to what he didn’t want to listen to, play the piano when he didn’t want to, all these interests were boring, boring, boring!
Chu Feng stood up without saying anything and went upstairs.
“What’s wrong with him today?” Chu Feng’s father asked.
Chu Feng’s mother frowned. Even though it was his rebellious phase, Chu Feng seemed too unusual today. He actually didn’t listen to them at all.
Her sharp gaze roamed around the living room, and suddenly, Chu Feng’s mother saw the phone, the landline phone in the house.
As if guided by some unknown force, she walked slowly towards the phone, di da—
She pressed a call record, and soon, a string of phone numbers appeared.
She furrowed her brow. No wonder Chu Feng was so unusual today. She knew whose phone number this was, Xie Shiyu’s.
That drug-addicted kid from the Xie family must have influenced Chu Feng!
“Chu Feng—Chu Feng—get down here!”
Chu Feng, sitting in his bedroom studying, stared blankly at the math problems in his workbook, mechanically calculating on the scratch paper…
He wanted to pretend to be focused and not hear—
Da da da, rapid footsteps came from downstairs.
Chu Feng’s mother didn’t knock on the door, she just opened it:
“Get out here!”
Chu Feng turned his head and said coldly, “I’m studying.”
Whenever it came to studying, his mother would unconditionally give in to him, but if it wasn’t about studying, it was absolutely impossible. It seemed like studying was their child, not him.
Chu Feng’s mother said, “Come to the living room.”
Her voice was also cold, and Chu Feng felt something was wrong.
He frowned and followed his mother downstairs. Each step of the stairs felt like it had no end.
Finally, he reached the phone in the living room,
Chu Feng’s heart skipped a beat.
Oh no!
He forgot to delete the call record with Xie Shiyu today.
As long as he pressed the redial button, he would find the call he made to Xie Shiyu’s house.
“You called Xie Shiyu today, didn’t you?”
Chu Feng’s mother raised her eyebrows. “What did you talk about?”
Chu Feng remained silent.
“Or did he teach you something? You’re so strange today, not eating, refusing to learn English. Didn’t I warn you before? Don’t associate with people like him. You’re stubborn and won’t listen! His family has a drug addict anyway. He’s like that, and now he’s influencing you! Do you have any sense? You’re in middle school now, the most critical time. You’re not in elementary school anymore, so immature…”
Chu Feng pursed his lips and didn’t speak.
When he was in first grade, he played well with Xie Shiyu, but as time went on, the truth came out. When he was in second grade, his parents found out. He was playing with a classmate named Xie Shiyu, who had poor grades and came from a broken-down old apartment building, where his parents were drug addicts.
Chu Feng’s parents were terrified and immediately asked the teacher to separate them. Little Chu Feng no longer sat next to Xie Shiyu. He sat next to the second-best girl in the class. Their main task every day was to discuss studying, collect and distribute homework, collect and distribute tests.
During breaks, he liked to play with Xie Shiyu, but despite Chu Feng’s mother’s repeated instructions, the homeroom teacher kept a close eye on them to prevent her son from being led astray by bad kids!
Chu Feng’s mother worked in the education bureau, and the teachers dared not be negligent. Their eyes were almost glued to Chu Feng.
During that time, the teachers tried their best to keep them apart, not letting Chu Feng play with Xie Shiyu anymore. So Chu Feng and Xie Shiyu used Morse code they learned from Conan to chat during breaks, standing far apart on the wall.
It took a long time to say a sentence, but it was also fun.
In the third grade, when they were split into classes. Chu Feng and Xie Shiyu happened to be in the same class again. The homeroom teacher of this class was the most experienced. His parents received the class list in advance and saw Xie Shiyu’s name. It was like seeing a flood beast. They wanted the principal to put Xie Shiyu in another class, so he wouldn’t affect their son.
Little Chu Feng cried and begged his parents not to do this, but crying was of no use. His mother made a condition: if he could get full marks in Chinese, math, and English on the final exam, a total of 300 points, and also pass the piano level test seriously to get the highest level during the summer vacation, and participate in the provincial piano competition, he must get the first place. If he could do all of this, they wouldn’t talk to the principal.
In third grade, little Chu Feng worked extremely hard and achieved a score of 300 on the final exam, excelled in his piano level test, and even won the first place prize in the provincial piano competition. His parents also felt a bit unfair asking the principal to kick someone else’s son out of the best class.
Most importantly, Chu Feng’s grades hadn’t been affected by playing with Xie Shiyu over these three years, so his parents stopped insisting.
At the beginning of the school year, they accompanied Chu Feng to school and even saw Xie Shiyu. Although appearances can be deceiving, that kid looked decent enough and didn’t seem sneaky. If it weren’t for knowing that his father was a drug addict, one might even feel sympathetic.
After elementary school graduation, when Chu Feng entered middle school, his parents stopped paying attention to Xie Shiyu’s affairs, and it seemed like their son never mentioned Xie Shiyu’s name again, nor did they see them hanging out. Chu Feng’s parents only instructed the middle school principal to place their son in the best class, without investigating who else was in his class. They even thought Xie Shiyu wouldn’t be admitted to this middle school at all.
In sixth grade, Xie Shiyu made a breakthrough in the entrance exam and barely got into the same middle school as Chu Feng. Coincidentally, they ended up in the same class again.
Because both boys were tall, and in middle school, boys and girls had to sit separately, Chu Feng and Xie Shiyu ended up at the same table again, becoming deskmates, seeing each other and talking every day.
Chu Feng was happy, but to prevent the elementary school incident from happening again, he didn’t mention Xie Shiyu to his parents.
Until one parent-teacher meeting.
Chu Feng’s mother was curious about how Chu Feng’s desk mate scored on the test, which definitely wasn’t as high as her son’s.
Upon opening the exam paper left on the empty desk, Chu Feng’s mother saw appalling scores and a name that wouldn’t go away:
Xie Shiyu.
From then on, Chu Feng’s mother became more vigilant. She didn’t reveal anything to Chu Feng when she got home, but she secretly memorized Xie Shiyu’s family’s contact number from the parent-teacher meeting and frequently checked the phone records at home.
Strangely, she never found her son dialing this number…
Until today.
Chu Feng’s mother: “Tell me honestly, what did you and Xie Shiyu talk about? Do you often secretly call each other?”
Chu Feng: “We didn’t talk about anything.”
Chu Feng’s mother: “If you didn’t talk about anything, why did you call him? Did he teach you something? Teach you not to eat, not to listen to English, and learn to argue with your parents?!”
No, no, no!!
Chu Feng felt annoyed. He wanted to tell them loudly that there was nothing, he just called to ask Xie Shiyu if he wanted to go to the gym together on the weekend, that’s all!
Suddenly, after extreme frustration and anxiety, he felt a wave of exhaustion. He wanted to say everything and nothing at the same time.
If he honestly told his mother that he invited Xie Shiyu to volunteer at the city sports event on the weekend, his mother would definitely not allow it. She didn’t like him hanging out with Xie Shiyu.
Chu Feng thought quickly: “He failed his English quiz today and asked to borrow my quiz book for corrections. I forgot to ask for it back, he might have taken it home. I asked him to remember to bring it tomorrow.”
Chu Feng’s mother looked at her son suspiciously.
“Okay! You actually said that, let’s call and check.”
Chu Feng’s mother immediately pressed the redial button.
Ding—
The phone dialed directly:
Beep—Beep—Beep—
Each sound hit Chu Feng’s heart.
He hadn’t coordinated with Xie Shiyu’s story.
—He didn’t know how Xie Shiyu would respond. If he said something wrong…
Snap!
The phone was picked up.
“Hello, Chu Feng?”
Xie Shiyu’s voice came from the other end of the phone.
Chu Feng’s heart pounded. He had already lied to his mother, and if the lie was exposed, if his mother found out he actually made plans with Xie Shiyu on the weekend, it would be even worse. She might even take extreme measures and demand that Xie Shiyu be transferred to another class altogether.
“Um, hello.”
Chu Feng heard his mother change her tone, becoming gentle and sweet. He knew his mother’s principle: no matter how unbearable things were at home, one must maintain dignity outside.
Even if she looked down on Xie Shiyu, berating him as worthless in front of him, her voice had to be gentle, dignified, and polite when making a call.
Chu Feng’s mother: “Um… Because I saw an unfamiliar number on our phone, I called to check, sorry to bother you. May I ask if you are…”
Chu Feng’s mother deliberately asked.
On the other end of the line, Xie Shiyu immediately caught on from the moment he answered the call. He also spoke in a gentle, polite, and handsome voice:
“Hello, auntie, I’m Chu Feng’s classmate, Xie Shiyu.”
Xie Shiyu deliberately added:
“You should remember me.”
Chu Feng’s mother gritted her teeth inwardly. This brat. But she still maintained her sweet tone:
“May I ask if Chu Feng called you today… for any particular reason?”
Chu Feng listened anxiously on the side.
If he spoke up now to hint to Xie Shiyu, he would immediately arouse his mother’s suspicion.
If he didn’t hint, how would Xie Shiyu know what lie he had concocted?
Thinking from the other side, if Xie Shiyu’s mother suddenly called him and asked what Xie Shiyu had said during the call, he would have no idea what lie to come up with to cover it up and perfectly match the story.
One second, two seconds, silence.
In this quiet moment, Xie Shiyu immediately thought of the only excuse today: his English quiz.
But he deliberately didn’t explain it too much:
“Nothing, just asked me to remember to bring…”
He deliberately elongated his voice a bit, not finishing his sentence, testing the waters.
Chu Feng immediately took over the conversation and said to his mother, “See! Listen to what he said!”
His voice transmitted through the phone, and Xie Shiyu immediately understood that his guess was correct:
“It’s just… Haha, I didn’t pass my quiz today, so I borrowed his quiz book for corrections. I forgot to return it to him after school, but I’ll give it back to him tomorrow.”
Chu Feng’s mother still didn’t give up. She still felt that there was something fishy going on. But… How could these two possibly coordinate their stories so perfectly?
The call wasn’t over yet. Chu Feng wasn’t good with words and didn’t know how to talk to strangers, but Xie Shiyu was completely different. He talked to Chu Feng’s mother through the phone, praising Chu Feng sky-high from borrowing the quiz book for corrections, finding various ways to compliment Auntie’s excellent parenting, expressing gratitude to Chu Feng for helping him with his studies, showcasing the spirit of mutual assistance between classmates, and so on and so forth…
Chu Feng’s mother held onto the phone, initially trying to force something out but now racking her brains to end the call. However, this guy Xie Shiyu spoke so politely and nicely, and she was a woman who would never lose face in public. While they were chatting politely, she couldn’t just hang up for no reason.
In the end, Chu Feng’s mother reluctantly listened to Xie Shiyu praising Chu Feng for half an hour before finally saying goodbye.
Chu Feng’s mother was completely defeated. Although she still had doubts, she couldn’t find any evidence anymore and could only reluctantly hang up the phone. Chu Feng had already gone back to his room on the second floor to do his homework.
Chu Feng’s mother opened the door and tentatively said, “In the future, you should have less contact with Xie Shiyu. Tomorrow, I’ll contact the homeroom teacher to have you two separated.”
“No need.” Chu Feng replied calmly. Before the call, his mother referred to Xie Shiyu as “that kind of person,” but after the call, she called him Xie Shiyu. Chu Feng really wanted to know how Xie Shiyu managed to switch between sincerity and deceit so effortlessly. He was such a withdrawn child in kindergarten.
Chu Feng’s mother didn’t insist anymore. During the half-hour call, she inadvertently learned that Xie Shiyu’s drug-addicted father had been imprisoned six years ago, and now his family was considered normal.
Chu Feng’s mother: “Pay more attention to your grades! If you don’t come in third in your grade next time, I’ll have the teacher separate you two.”
“Understood.”
Coming in third in his grade was Chu Feng’s normal performance, and he didn’t feel any pressure.
After his mother left, the room was left with only him.
Chu Feng held his pen for solving problems, staring at the blank wall in front of him, once again feeling bored and tired.
Suddenly, he thought of the dismemberment news he saw today.
Normal people probably thought: The victim was so unfortunate to be dismembered; I hope the police solve the case soon; how terrifying; the murderer is lurking in this city… maybe even among us…
Or, even more indifferent, they didn’t think much, just treating it as another piece of news, something to pass by their ears.
But Chu Feng didn’t have any of these thoughts. He stared at the endless “solutions” in his workbook, the piano he would play after finishing his homework, and the row upon row of certificates on the wall…
Chu Feng suddenly wondered, the devilish murderer who dismembered people, at his age, he definitely wouldn’t be a well-behaved and bored little kid like him, right?
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