Chapter 14: Getting rid of the old (5)
Bai Tianjin: "According to trace evidence analysis, that human head has been there for over 30 years. 30 years ago, she didn't have dementia. Do you think she wouldn't know about such a large human head being kept in her home for so many years?"
Qin Yuechuan frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing circles on the table: "I just don't quite understand her logic."
If it were an accident, she wouldn't need to act like this.
If it's murder, it's reasonable to initially stage it for the sake of those around you. But is it really necessary to keep acting for 50 years? Wouldn't it be a better choice to take the children to live somewhere where nobody knows them?
Bai Tianjin: "Have you read any of Li Bihua's novels?"
Qin Yuechuan was taken aback: "Which one?" He doesn't usually read books by Hong Kong and Taiwan authors.
After a long silence, Zhang Mo finally spoke, her voice soft but clear: "The Woman Who Eats Braised Goose?"
Bai Tianjin's lips slowly curved into a faint smile, and an undisguised admiration bloomed in her eyes. She nodded gently and uttered a single word: "Yes."
"The Woman Who Eats Braised Goose" is a short story by Li Bihua included in her collection of short stories, "Dumplings".
The protagonist, Xie Yueming, grew up in a family that ran a braised goose business. His mother, Chen Liuqing, was famous for her unique braising sauce, which was said to be made with a 47-year-old recipe. As a TV food program explored the family, secrets were gradually revealed: Xie Yueming's father had an affair and wanted to leave home. His mother murdered him, chopped him up, and mixed him into the braising sauce. She covered up the truth with the lie that "her husband eloped with his mistress." She supported the business with this braising sauce, which was steeped in love and hate, and also spent half her life brewing secrets and obsessions.
In short, this is a story of a woman killing her husband.
Bai Tianjin put down her chopsticks, her fingertips tapping lightly on the edge of the table, as if questioning that long-forgotten era: "You just said that she could take the child and live somewhere else."
Have you forgotten the year? That was 50 years ago.
That was an era when women were not allowed to be single.
Unmarried women are being pressured to get married.
A woman whose husband has died is being forced to remarry.
Women move from one family to another, but the resources like children, houses, and money don't truly belong to them; they themselves are part of those resources.
Just like the case of the woman who killed her husband in Jiangyuan Lane, the lower-class woman chose to kill her husband because of the constraints of the marriage system, economic dependence, harsh social criticism, and lack of legal recourse. It was a desperate counterattack against systemic oppression.
Bai Tianjin: "Of course, under normal circumstances, I don't recommend killing people."
Zhang Mo looked up at her: "Unless... you can't help it?"
Bai Tianjin nodded approvingly, as if he had found a kindred spirit: "That's right."
Qin Yuechuan: "..." What a terrifying conversation; it sent chills down his spine.
Zhang Mo: "In short, whether it was intentional or accidental, after the man died, with nowhere else to go, Ma Qiuhe chose another path. She disguised herself as a defender of feudal marriage."
From the few words she utters now, we can already glean fragments of her life.
When her family wanted to force her to remarry and collect another dowry, she said no, she would wait for Deshun to come back.
When her in-laws wanted to give the house to another man to get married and tried to persuade her to leave, she said no, she would wait for Deshun to come back.
She stood rooted to the spot, unshakable by anyone.
In that era, women were not allowed to have resources, but a woman was allowed to protect a man's resources, and was even respected and treated well.
Thus, Ma Qiuhe, who had seen through the true nature of marriage after years of beatings and domestic violence, hid the man's gradually rotting head, waved a non-existent archway of chastity, and raised her daughter in the most dignified manner amidst the praise of others, whether sincere or feigned.
Zhang Mo's short comment: "He's kind of handsome."
This turn of events left Qin Yuechuan speechless.
Just then, Bai Tianjin's phone rang.
She answered the phone and simply said, "Coming right down," her voice concise and crisp. Then she said to Qin Yuechuan, "The takeout is here, go get it."
Qin Yuechuan looked bewildered: "Should I go?"
He subconsciously looked at Zhang Mo.
Zhang Mo also looked at him, her eyelashes trembling slightly.
It's a little embarrassing to say, but if she were alone with Bai Tianjin, she would really feel at a loss, as if her armor, which she usually wielded with such composure, had suddenly cracked, revealing a softness that had never been shown to anyone before.
Bai Tianjin looked at the silent exchange between the two and said coldly, "Are you two a couple in the throes of new love? You can't bear to be apart for even a moment."
Even though they prided themselves on having seen it all, the two were so shocked by this question that their pupils dilated in disbelief.
Qin Yuechuan almost knocked over the water glass next to him.
Zhang Mo was so startled that she dropped her chopsticks on the ground.
Qin Yuechuan hurriedly waved his hand: "Of course not!"
Zhang Mo replied firmly, "Absolutely impossible!"
Seeing their slightly disheveled appearance, Bai Tianjin said calmly, "That's good. Why don't you go quickly?"
Having said all that, Qin Yuechuan gave him a helpless look, quickly got up and ran off, his steps as fast as if a scalpel was chasing him, afraid that if he were even a second later he would face an even more embarrassing situation.
Zhang Mo and Bai Tianjin were left alone in the rest area for a moment, and the air seemed to freeze.
To make matters worse, Zhang Mo dropped her chopsticks, so she couldn't use eating to avoid the problem anymore.
She could only pick up a disposable cup and pretend to drink water, but even after three sips, she couldn't drink a drop.
Bai Tianjin slowly took a sip of soup, her gaze falling on Zhang Mo as if examining an interesting specimen: "Would you like a new pair of chopsticks?"
Zhang Mo: "No need, I...I'm full."
"The dishes you brought are all my favorites. Did Xiao Chuan give you the recipes?" Bai Tianjin asked.
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