Chapter 23 I Want to Try

Seeing him say it in a self-deprecating way, Lin Jianyan felt a deep pain in his heart. He stepped forward and held his hand, only to find that it was extremely rough, covered with old knots and cracks, with protruding joints. It hurt when he applied a little force.

"How could that be? Uncle Zhou has always been tall and brave in my mind."

Uncle Zhou looked at the white palm tightly holding his rough hand, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. The white palm was soft and warm, forming a sharp contrast with his weathered hand.

He twitched twice but didn't pull out, fearing that using too much force would hurt the delicate hands. He could only lower his head and said anxiously, "Yanzi, my hands are too rough, don't hurt you."

Hearing him say this, Lin Jianyan not only did not let go of his hand, but held it even tighter, "No. Uncle Zhou, you see, I finally came here, why don't you invite me in and sit down?"

Uncle Zhou looked at the person behind him and hesitated, "This..."

Zhao Huafeng reacted and said quickly: "We won't go in. We'll wait outside."

Uncle Zhou hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded, "Okay, come in."

Lin Jianyan walked in, and a faint scent of fabric hit her face. The house was not big, but it was tidy and organized. From the door, one could see the layout of the entire house.

The living room was small, and was occupied by some tables and stools. Sunlight shone through the window onto the wooden workbench, on which were placed spools of various colors, scissors, and rulers. There was an old wardrobe next to the wall, with the door half-open, revealing several unfinished clothes hanging inside.

Lin Jianyan: "Why don't I see Auntie?"

Uncle Zhou quickly closed the door after bringing him in, and wiped his hands on his clothes awkwardly, "Your aunt went to town to deliver clothes, she's not home."

"These are your aunt's tools. Since I injured my leg, I can no longer do heavy work. Now I rely on your aunt and Wanwan to help people mend and make clothes so that I can earn some money for groceries."

Lin Jianyan turned around and suddenly saw a pile of soft bamboo strips and dry straw in the corner, with two unfinished bamboo frames next to them. "What is that?"

Lin Jianyan walked over and looked carefully at the soft bamboo strips and the unformed bamboo frames. The bamboo strips were cut very evenly, showing Uncle Zhou's care. He gently picked up a bamboo strip and felt its texture.

Uncle Zhou said a little embarrassedly: "Although my legs are not good, I still have a pair of hands. I can't do the sewing work they do. So I found some straw and bamboo strips, softened them, and wove them into baskets. I asked your aunt to sell them in town. Although I can't make much money, at least I can help this family."

"See, I'm just talking. Please sit down and I'll get you a glass of water."

Seeing that he was limping and wanted to go to the kitchen to get some water, Lin Jianyan quickly stopped him and moved a stool for him to sit down. "Uncle Zhou, I'm not thirsty. Let's sit down and chat."

Uncle Zhou sat down as he was told, looking at Lin Jianyan's eyes filled with endless emotion, "When we moved away, you were still a child, and you have grown so tall in the past two years. I wouldn't have recognized you if you hadn't spoken."

He sighed and said in a sad tone, "Actually I know why you came today. Those sirs came two days ago. Your aunt and Wanwan reacted strongly. We have suffered too much in the past year. Wanwan..."

Lin Jianyan asked nervously, "What happened to Wanwan?"

Uncle Zhou looked sad and said slowly, "Wanwan has been mentally ill since that incident. She cannot see outsiders and trembles all over when she sees outsiders. Your aunt and I feel so distressed when we see her, but we don't know what to do."

"We have consulted a doctor, but he said she will have to recover on her own. All we can do is stay with her and give her some time."

Lin Jianyan was feeling a little depressed. "Such a big thing happened back then, why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you."

Uncle Zhou smiled bitterly and waved his hands, "It's not easy for you either. Every family has its own problems. Our biggest mistake is that we were born into a poor family. We have no place to complain when we are wronged."

Lin Jianyan wanted to say something to comfort him, but she heard a commotion outside the door.

"Why are you here again? Didn't I tell you that you are not welcome? Hurry up! Get out of my house!"

Uncle Zhou heard the voice and stood up quickly. He almost fell down because he stood up so quickly. Lin Jianyan quickly supported him and said, "It's your auntie who is back."

The two hurriedly opened the door and saw a frail middle-aged woman with a haggard face, pushing Zhang Huafeng and the others angrily, "Get out! Don't come again!"

The woman was too thin, and the men didn't dare to touch her at all. They could only retreat under her force:

"Ms. Liu, listen to me, we are really here to help you! Don't hit us, don't hit us, we really didn't lie to you!"

Uncle Zhou saw this and quickly called her, "Ah Hui! Ah Hui, stop fighting. Look who's here?"

When Liu Ahhui heard Uncle Zhou's call, she stopped pushing and turned to look at Uncle Zhou and Lin Jianyan. There was still a hint of vigilance in her eyes, but more of confusion, "Who's here?"

Uncle Zhou took Lin Jinyan's arm and said to Ah Hui, "This is Yanzi, don't you remember? Yanzi is here to see us."

Liu Ah Hui focused her eyes on Lin Jianyan, looking him up and down, as if to confirm that the person in front of her was really him. "Yanzi? It's really you! Why are you here?"

Lin Jianyan opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he saw Liu Ahui staring at Zhang Huafeng and the others with sharp eyes again, "Wait, wait until Auntie drives these annoying flies away before I entertain you."

Seeing her raise the radish in her hand and want to hit him, Lin Jianyan quickly called her, "Auntie, don't hit them, they are with me."

Liu Ah Hui's hand holding the carrot stopped in mid-air. After hearing what he said, her kindness to him disappeared from her face. "Are you in the same group with these termites?"

Zhao Huafeng stepped forward and took out a folded newspaper from his pocket. "Ms. Liu, look, we really want to help you."

Lin said: "Wang Biao has been arrested, and the other evidence has been investigated. As long as you appear in court to identify Wang Biao and prove his crimes, he will be imprisoned for life and will never come out to harm people again."

Liu Ah Hui threw down the carrots and held the newspaper with her hands trembling slightly. She stared at the content of the newspaper closely, tears welling up in her eyes. The words on the newspaper seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and every word hit her heart hard.

Uncle Zhou also walked over to her side and looked at the contents of the newspaper with her. His eyes were also red, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to tell the turmoil in his heart. The two were silent, with only the sound of their breathing intertwining in the air.

Finally, tears could not help but fall from the corners of her eyes, dripping onto the newspaper and smudged a small piece of ink. She looked up at the encouragement in Lin Jinyan's eyes and murmured to herself, "What if...what if I fail?"

She was really scared, scared that it was all fake, scared that in the end, after giving so much, the result would still be despair.

Lin Jianyan looked at Liu Ahui, his eyes full of determination and warmth. He leaned forward slightly, gently held Liu Ahui's trembling hands, and said in a steady and powerful voice:

"Auntie, we won't fail. We have made so much effort, justice will definitely be on our side. Wang Biao's crime has been proven, and the law will give a fair judgment."

"But..." Liu Ahui still hesitated.

"Mom, I want to try it." A voice as thin as a mosquito suddenly came from behind the door.

Everyone's eyes instantly turned to the direction of the door. There was a thin girl, as thin as a willow branch swaying in the wind. She lowered her head slightly, with a few strands of hair hanging down by her cheeks. She was tightly twisting the corners of her clothes with both hands, and seemed a little nervous.

People saw several shocking scars on her wrists, as if they were ripped open by despair.

The blood on the wound had already coagulated, revealing a dark red scab, as if silently telling of the pain and struggle that had occurred.

Everyone who saw the scar was filled with grief. Lin Jinyan's eyes were like a pool of cold water, without a single ripple, yet emitting a chill that made people shudder.

Liu Ah Hui quickly walked to her daughter's side and gently held her hand, her eyes full of heartache, "Wan Wan, why did you come out?"