Seeing Crime Scenes in My Sleep

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Madwoman Yu Shuzhen

"Aunt Yu, Aunt Yu, it’s me, Xiao Li!"

Jiang Li pounded relentlessly on the wooden door in front of her, shouting for the person inside as tears brimmed in her eyes.

The next second, the door was suddenly pulled open. A stooped Yu Shuzhen stared at the girl before her, her eyes sunken.

"Xiao Li?"

Jiang Li nodded furiously, gripping her wrinkled hand as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. "It’s the name you gave me. Don’t you remember?"

Yu Shuzhen’s cloudy gaze gradually focused. As the image of the girl before her merged with the little child from all those years ago, her whole body began to tremble. In the next instant, she yanked Jiang Li inside and, shaking with rage, slapped her across the face.

"Didn’t you leave? What are you doing back here? Didn’t you promise me you’d go far, far away—the farther the better?!

What are you doing back here?!"

Her eyes red, Jiang Li stepped forward and clung to her. "Aunt... Aunt Yu, Jiang Dewang’s been executed. I... I’m back to take you with me."

Yu Shuzhen froze. A tear of despair trickled from the corner of her eye. Ever since the day she sent Jiang Li away, she had never planned on leaving herself.

Jiang Li let go of her, wiped her tears, and pulled a bank card from her bag, stuffing it into her hand. "Aunt Yu, I got into university. I have money now, enough for us to live on for the rest of our lives. Let’s leave tomorrow, okay?"

Yu Shuzhen didn’t speak. Her deeply wrinkled hand caressed Jiang Li’s cheek, and her trembling lips curved into a smile. "You’ve grown up. Just like I imagined."

"Aunt Yu..."

Jiang Li looked at Yu Shuzhen and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. ’Why? Why has she become like this? She’s only in her forties...’

Yu Huannian came out and saw the woman sobbing in his mother’s arms. He stepped forward, peered through the crack of the door, and saw a crowd of people outside, still watching the spectacle.

"Who is she, anyway?"

Zhang Shufang watched Jiang Li run inside, grinding her teeth in frustration. Hearing the surrounding chatter, she snapped, "Who? Who else but that worthless money-pit of Jiang Dewang’s. Why didn’t she just die out there!"

"Jiang Dewang’s daughter? That little psycho? What bad luck. Let’s go home, let’s go."

"Right? She was always so weird and spooky as a kid. Can’t believe she came back."

Hearing it was Jiang Dewang’s daughter, the crowd scattered as if she were the plague.

Back then, Jiang Dewang had brought the little girl back intending to raise her and sell her for a good price. But the very next year, the girl insisted she could see a child.

At first, they didn’t think much of it. But then they saw Jiang Li always playing by herself, happily interacting with someone ’opposite’ her, and it made their skin crawl.

In a poor place like this, what family hadn’t lost a child...?

"Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry! Before she latches onto us."

Yu Huannian watched the crowd disperse, then glanced back at the woman behind him. ’Jiang Li? She’s really Jiang Li.’

"Don’t cry. The fact that you came back to see me already makes me very happy. Now you listen to me—leave tomorrow and never come back here again as long as you live."

’To think I’d get to see a living Jiang Li before I die.’

"Aunt Yu, I’ve made some very good friends, and they’re police officers. They’ll help me. After we get to the city, I’ll buy you a house, get you medical treatment, and take care of you in your old age..."

Yu Shuzhen pressed her hand down and shook her head. "Be good. You shouldn’t have come back. Jiang Dewang has already been executed. You should be living your own life now."

Yu Shuzhen suddenly thought of something and looked at her. "Is your little sister still around?"

’So many years have passed. She must be cured by now, right?’

Jiang Li nodded and pointed to Aunt Yu’s leg. "Little Li is on your leg. She was injured, so she was gone for a very long time."

With a complicated look in her eyes, Yu Shuzhen looked down, her hand hovering over her leg to pat the empty air. "Good child. They’re all good children."

’She’s been to university. How can she still not tell the difference?’

Yu Shuzhen sighed silently. ’After all these years, she still hasn’t moved on.’

Yu Shuzhen wiped her tears, composed herself, and looked at her with a smile. "That’s Yu Huannian, my son. You used to hold him, you know."

Hearing his mother’s words, Yu Huannian looked awkward. "Ma, keep an eye on Little Rou. Don’t let her run out. I’m going to make dinner."

With that, Yu Huannian headed for the kitchen.

"Little Rou? Was she... bought?" Jiang Li asked, looking at Yu Shuzhen.

Yu Shuzhen nodded. "When she was first brought here, she fell and hit her head, which made her simple-minded. I had no choice but to buy her. The beasts in this village were watching her every day.

The last time, she ran out when I wasn’t paying attention. If Xiao Nian hadn’t found her in time, I’m afraid the girl would be gone. To ward off those beasts, we could only say she was pregnant..."

As Jiang Li listened to Yu Shuzhen, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. The signal was poor in the mountains; she had no bars right now.

She opened a photo. "Aunt Yu, is this her?"

Yu Shuzhen looked down at the photo on the phone, then looked up at her excitedly. "You know her family?"

"Her brother asked me to keep an eye out for her. Aunt Yu, I’d like to go see her."

"Go on, go on. If you could just... Never mind. You’re leaving tomorrow," Yu Shuzhen said, swallowing her words.

Jiang Li got up and walked to the room Yu Shuzhen had pointed to. She opened the door. Ning Rou was huddled in a corner, her feet bound, wearing a large, oversized shirt. Her eyes, indeed, seemed off.

"Ning Rou," Jiang Li called out. The person on the bed stiffened and turned her head to look at her.

"You... you know me?"

Hearing her speak so clearly, Jiang Li looked at her. "You’re not simple-minded?"

Ning Rou said nothing more, just watched her. Jiang Li walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. The bedding was very clean, and a few of Yu Huannian’s clothes were hanging in the room.

"I know your brother, Ning Sinian. He told me you disappeared two years ago, and that they’ve been searching all this time without a trace. He asked me to keep an eye out."

Jiang Li gave her a friendly smile.

Certain now that Jiang Li hadn’t been sent by the villagers, Ning Rou lowered her guard. "At first, I was pretending to be simple-minded. Later, they told me to keep pretending. My brother... is he okay?"

As she spoke, tears streamed relentlessly down her face.

"He’s doing great. But my phone is dead. Tomorrow, I’ll go up the mountain and tell your brother the news."

Ning Rou shuddered, a look of terror on her face. "You can’t go up the mountain! If you go, they’ll beat you to death!"

Jiang Li’s hand tightened. ’How could I not know that?’

"Can you... can you tell me about my brother?"

Jiang Li nodded and moved closer.

Outside, Yu Huannian glanced at the room, then at Yu Shuzhen.

"Ma, why did Jiang Li suddenly come back? Is she going to ruin our big plan...?"

Yu Huannian tightened his grip on the spatula in his hand. His mother had been preparing for this day for so many years. He absolutely would not let Jiang Li ruin it!

"She won’t. I’ll make that child leave tomorrow. Besides, Little Rou is almost at her due date. When the time comes, just say you’re taking her to the town hospital to give birth.

And when that time comes, don’t you two come back, either."

Yu Huannian lowered his head, his heart aching. He swallowed, his throat dry, and asked, "Ma, back then... how did you manage to send Jiang Li away?"