Do you know birds? I want her to fly away.
The jeans were heavy with wet mud. Wen Dai looked at her white sneakers, which were soaked in yellow mud, and a sigh rolled out of her throat. Her hand, which was holding the pant leg, was also covered in mud, with mud stuck under her fingernails. Her bare arms were not spared either.
If those trafficked women were to enter Kamu Village, they would have nowhere to escape; it wasn't a matter of collusion between local officials and villagers, but rather that they simply couldn't get out. Just now, she watched helplessly as Yongzha, Zhagang, and the village chief rode their motorcycles up a nearly 90-degree slope, while Duolan led her around the mountain road beside them.
The mountain road wasn't much better than the dirt slope; it was at least 60 degrees, if not 90, and it was winding upwards. The branches of the low bushes planted along the mountain road were all prickly, and her arm almost got cut.
The mountain road she traveled on the motorcycle was so steep that she thought she was going to fall off several times. Moreover, she had to cross an extremely turbulent river, but there was only a wooden suspension bridge across the river, which was not even wide enough for two motorcycles to pass side by side.
When we arrived at Kamu Village, it was already pitch black. The branches rustled in the night wind, and the chirping of insects could not dispel the lingering sense of unease in our hearts.
The village chief, walking at the front, was holding a flashlight. The dim light reflected on his deeply lined face. When he turned around and smiled, Wen Dai felt as if she were filming a horror movie about an old monster in the deep mountains.
"Never walked on a road like this before, have you? You delicate little girl." The village chief's voice, hoarse as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat, carried an inexplicable air of pleasure that sent chills down one's spine.
Yongza supported Wen Dai's arm, his other hand carrying the fruit he'd bought at the market. The plastic bags rustled incessantly. He deliberately raised his voice: "Dai Dai, take a bath and rest when we get back. It's too late today. Tomorrow we'll make some wine and invite everyone in the village over for dinner so everyone can get to know each other. I'll go back and boil some water for you." His eyes, hidden in the night, swept over the village chief's back a few times before turning away as the man was about to turn around.
The village chief turned his head, his upturned lips giving off an inexplicably strange feeling. "You young people don't shy away from these things. Ah Yong's girlfriend is a good find—generous, beautiful, and doesn't mind that our place is remote. It's rare to find such a delicate young girl who can walk the whole way. I wonder if my good-for-nothing son can find me a girlfriend as reassuring as you. Ah Yong, when you're done with your work, tell me about that app you and your girlfriend used to meet. I'll let your brother Ah Zhuang try it out too."
As soon as the name "A-Zhuang" was uttered, Zha Gang, who had been silent all along, clenched his fists and his breathing became heavier. He walked along the edge of the path, stomping fiercely on the weeds that stretched across the muddy road.
Dolan, who was standing next to Zhagang, grabbed his fist and shook it, then grabbed his wrist and pulled it down a few times, shaking her head slightly to signal him to calm down.
Wen Dai heard Yongzha's breathing clearly. She turned her eyes away and saw the boy's eyes overflowing with hatred. Then she heard his low voice say, "Okay. But these things depend on fate. Brother Zhuang, he will meet the person he is meant to meet."
Each word was practically ground out from between his teeth.
…
Dolan's house was located on the inner side of the village, not far from a stream. Compared to the homes of other villagers, their family was considered to be in a better position.
The small shower stall was only two square meters in size, and the door was a latched wooden door, but there was still a gap big enough to fit an eye, so Yongza stood guard outside the door for her.
The hot water was boiled before being poured into the bucket, and Wen Dai washed up in a hurry. It was getting late, and boiling water would take time, so she didn't want to keep others waiting.
The sound of water stopped in the small, tiled bathroom, followed by the rustling of clothes being put on. Yongzha, standing outside the door, rubbed his burning ears and glanced around—the village was poor, and almost all the girls married out; there were many bachelors, all desperately seeking love.
The wooden door creaked open, and the mountain breeze, unlike the sweltering heat down below, carried a coolness that clung to her arms. Wen Dai, carrying a bucket of dirty clothes, smiled at Yongzha and said, "Thank you! You go wash up, I'll go wash my clothes by the stream."
Yongzachu'er, still shy, changed color and couldn't stop his voice: "No!" It was as if the air itself vibrated, echoing in the empty space, making the stillness even more pronounced.
He glanced around warily, took two steps closer, bent down and whispered in Wen Dai's ear, "It's taboo here to go to the stream to wash clothes at night, especially for women. There was a widow who went to wash clothes at night, and the next day when others went there, they found her body, naked."
The implication was clear. Wen Dai frowned, her lowered eyelashes concealing her heavy emotions. "...I understand. I'll go again tomorrow morning."
Returning to the bedroom only required going up the stairs and a few more steps, but Yongza insisted on personally escorting Wendai upstairs. At the corner of the stairs, there was a hollow square pit filled with dry branches. As he passed by, Yongza lingered in the pit for a while before continuing to escort Wendai upstairs.
The wind cannot climb the stairs; the mountain breeze on a summer night is powerless.
The dry branches rubbed together, making a crisp "tap-tap" sound. The thin moonlight shone on the corners, and two points of reflection flashed in the dark pile of branches.
The small balcony on the second floor was rather cramped, allowing only one person to stand at a time. Yongza unlocked the door. He first reached in and turned on the light, then looked around the room, took a few steps further in, and stopped in front of the cabinet. There were scratches on the lids of the tin cans on the cabinet.
He put his bag on the wooden chair, and Wen Dai, who had come over and was standing beside him, glanced at the lid, then looked at Yongzha, who had relaxed his shoulders, and guessed, "Is this a mark you made?" Her voice was very soft, and could only be heard between the two of them.
Yongza nodded, his eyes sweeping across the open doorway. The radiant light emanating from inside refracted into irregular trapezoidal shapes, silently.
His lips moved, but he stopped for the moment because of something. Yongza turned his head to Wendai and said in a low voice, "If you are not sleepy, please wait a little longer and go to sleep. My father, mother and I will come up to talk to you about something after we take a bath. I'm going down now, so please don't open the door."
Wen Dai hummed in agreement and watched him leave. The sound of the door being locked again came through the thin door.
She turned her head and looked around the small room. The bedding on the bed was neatly folded, and there were some dried fruits on the coffee table that looked more like decorations. The photos on the wall included a family portrait. She walked closer. In the photo, the girl standing between the Dolan couple and leaning against Yongza had a bright smile. Her features were very similar to Yongza's, but her contours were more delicate, and her dark skin made her look healthy and full of life.
Wen Dai stared intently at that face, several images flashing through her mind, accompanied by sounds—
The bushes in the woods, the way he fell close to the soil, the sound of tearing cloth, the desperate emotions bursting forth from the shouts, the bruises and spurts... a suffocating feeling.
She gasped for breath, clutched her chest, and took a few steps back until she hit the back of the wooden chair.
In the final moment of perception, what unfolded before her eyes was a disfigured face, beyond what could be easily described as bruises and swelling; it was a complete disfigurement.
The heavy thoughts weighing on her mind were evident in her brows. Wen Dai lowered her head, silently walked to the wooden chair, and bent down to take out her phone from her bag.
The screen displayed Chen Sizhe's reply to the message she sent him.
[Chen Sizhe: My time is precious. I told you not to go, but you insisted. Wasn't it just a coincidence? Aren't you stubborn?]
[Chen Sizhe: I'll be there in three days at most. You figure out how to compensate me for my lost time. I make eight thousand per hour.]
"Hiss... It's charged by the hour, eight thousand per hour, that's practically robbing someone out of their bag." Tuanchengtuan's thoughts were temporarily set aside, and Wen Dai tapped on her phone screen—
【When you come, you should bring a detective with you. There are quite a few problems in this village, and the detectives in town might not be able to help. When you come, tell your superiors in advance that there are more than two murder cases in Puletikamu village, neither of which have been solved yet.】
She turned off the screen and took her phone to the bedside table to charge.
The bed was placed against the wall, and above the single bedside table was a window—a blue glass window. Wen Dai remained bent over; she could feel a pair of eyes watching her through the undrawn curtains. Luckily, she possessed supernatural abilities.
The scene outside the window entered her mind. The light streaming in from inside the window illuminated the silhouette of the man crouching outside, a short, stout oval shape. From behind, it was hard to ignore the layers of flesh on the back of his neck, his two thick, short legs spread wide, and his broad back resembling the back of a grown boar.
As if suffering from some congenital disease, his face was prominent, much fuller than the back of his head, as if upside down.
This was the first time Wen Dai had ever seen such a face that made her feel nauseous at first glance.
She ignored it, sat down on the edge of the bed, reached out and grabbed the curtain, and yanked it towards the other end. Due to inertia, the curtain blocked the window completely.
She now understood why Yongza personally escorted her even for such a short distance.
This village probably has too many filthy things buried inside.
Just as Wen Daixian was idly leaning against the window at the other end, gazing at the night view, the sound of the door lock being turned prompted her to turn around. The Duolan family walked in, with Yongza at the head.
"Did nothing happen just now?"
Wen Dai walked around to the wooden chair and sat down. She shook her head and looked at the three people in front of her. "No, but... you all know my abilities. Just now, there was a short, fat man staring at me from outside the window, but he probably doesn't know that I discovered him."
Upon hearing the description of him as short and fat, Dolan's eyes widened suddenly, bloodshot eyes that had been lingering for a long time. She exclaimed, "It's him! I knew it... this bear! I really don't know how Yicai could have given birth to such a heartless beast!"
Zha Gang pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of his army-green cloth trousers, took one out, put it in his mouth, lit it with a lighter, and silently walked to the window across the street. The window was half-open, and he leaned against it, silently exhaling smoke.
Of the three, Yongzha was the only one who remained relatively calm. He sat down diagonally opposite Wen Dai, leaning forward with his arms bent and resting on his thighs, his hands clasped together. His eyes darted towards Wen Dai, and his tone began to turn sour: "The man you saw should be Zhuangfu, the village chief's son. He's almost thirty, unmarried, and has harassed women in the village more than once or twice. From aunties about the same age as my mother to little girls who have just started school, there's no one he doesn't flirt with. Actually... we've always suspected that he was the one who killed the widow who died by the stream."
"Didn't any other villagers point out this possibility?" Wen Dai asked incredulously. In such remote mountains, the simple and honest folk customs that should have existed have vanished, replaced by a domain where those in power can control everything.
“No, no one dares to discuss it. Even if they did, it would be done secretly with their families, because walls have ears. In the past, some people suggested to the village chief that we report the case to the police in the two days immediately after the widow's death. But the village chief said that reporting it would just allow outsiders to ravage our village at will. He said that those police officers would just grab someone randomly to complete their task, and if things got worse, none of us would escape. Some educated people believed the police officers, but as you can see, it's very difficult for our village to contact the outside world. Most of the villagers are uneducated, and we are outnumbered.” The voice was strained from his throat. Yongzha bit his lower lip, and a bitter smile appeared in his raised eyes.
“I’m the most educated person in our village, I graduated from high school and was originally accepted into university… My family is poor, and it would be difficult to support two people through their studies; moreover, if I leave, my sister might be in danger. I’m a man, it doesn’t matter whether I study or not, the most important thing is to earn money to support my family. I want my sister to study, whether I leave or not is fine, I’m not afraid. She’s a girl, and this place is not good for girls, I want her to escape. Do you know birds? I want her to fly away.”
The light hanging from the ceiling shone down, and in his eyes, he couldn't tell whether it was light condensed into points or a tear.
Dolan felt a pang of sadness. She raised her withered hand to wipe away her tears, sniffling incessantly from all directions.
It's like peeling a lemon; you take a bite and it's sour; then you bite deeper and it feels like there's a knife.
Wen Dai was about to burst into tears when Yongzha said, "I'm sorry to have put you in such danger, but we need your help. We want to find out who the real culprit is who bullied Na Duo. There are more terrifying people in the village than just the village chief and Zhuangfu. We also want to talk to Na Duo some more and ask her if she can provide us with any clues. We need evidence."
"It's alright, I'd be happy to help you. If you need it, I can actually bring Nado's soul over right now." Wen Dai leaned forward slightly, clenched her fists, looked up at Duolan, and then glanced at Yongzha again.
However, Yongzha refused. He shook his head and waved his hand, then looked solemnly at Wen Dai. "No, no, not today. You should rest today. Tomorrow we'll have a feast to welcome you. Everyone in the village will be coming. If they ask you to go somewhere, don't go with them. If they try to pull you, shake them off. Tomorrow will be dangerous, so you need to pack all your things carefully."
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