Chapter 5

Chen Dachuan didn’t notice at all and continued, “After interrogation, Chen Daniu and his wife finally admitted that they put a sleeping pill in your water, and when you fell asleep, they hit you on the head with a hoe.”

“They only hit you once. When they saw you bleeding heavily but not reacting, they didn’t dare to hit you again, fearing they might deform your brain. They worried that when the man’s family came to see you, they’d reject the body for looking bad and refuse to keep you.”

“Chen Daniu’s wife said when they changed your clothes, she touched your nose and said you really weren’t breathing anymore, your body was cold. Somehow, just as they were about to put you in the coffin and finish everything, you woke up. Many relatives from the Chen family touched you and all said your body was already cold through. When you woke up inside the coffin, they thought it was a zombie rising, and got scared out of their wits.”

“As for the family that bought you, they are a bit tough—probably because they have connections—so they refused to cooperate and wouldn’t say anything no matter what was asked.”

“From Chen Daniu and his wife, we only got that the man’s surname is Zhuang. They’re from City A. The man is the director of the supply and marketing cooperative, and the woman is an accountant at some food factory. They have only one son who recently died in an accident. The Zhuang family doesn’t know the Chen family, so there was an intermediary involved.”

“The Zhuang family didn’t dare to hold a funeral in the city, so they arranged with Chen Daniu and his wife to give them an extra 100 yuan to help set up the funeral altar and handle the arrangements this morning. The Zhuang family only provided the people and money; the rest was left to the Chen family.”

The police still need to continue following up on the case. Chen Dachuan came only to inform Qiao Xinyi of the progress and handed her over to Fu Qingshan to take care of. Then he left in a hurry.

Since Qiao Xinyi was still injured and under medication, by the time Fu Qingshan brought Chen Dachuan back to the ward, Qiao Xinyi had already fallen asleep.

When Qiao Xinyi woke up again, the white clouds outside were already half dyed red by the sunset. As soon as she moved, Nurse Chen immediately noticed and smiled warmly.

“Hey, you’re awake! I’m the caregiver the PLA comrades arranged for you. My surname is Chen. I’ll be taking care of you until you’re discharged. If you need anything, just call me.”

Seeing Qiao Xinyi staring at the sack leaning against the wall, Nurse Chen explained, “The PLA comrades brought this this afternoon. They said it’s your clothes and things.”

“In a small place like ours, the entire village is basically one clan. Since you’re out now, you definitely can’t go back to the village. The Chen family relatives surely hate you to death. If you went back to get your things, you might get beaten just by showing up.”

Nurse Chen smiled, “The PLA comrades are kind-hearted and smart. They thought of this too, so they went to Gazi Village this afternoon and packed up your things for you.”

Nurse Chen thought to herself how truly pitiful this girl was. She had grown up and all the things that belonged to her fit into only half a sack. That even included her winter clothes. If it hadn’t been for the two winter coats and pants packed in, someone could have carried all her stuff in one hand.

Nurse Chen poured Qiao Xinyi a glass of water to soothe her throat and said she was going to the cafeteria to get some food. Just as she spoke, before she left, Chen Dachuan entered with a stranger.

“Silly girl, this is Zhuang Chunsheng, the grandfather on the man’s side,” Chen Dachuan introduced. “He came all the way from the city to represent the Zhuang family and apologize to you.”

After saying that, Chen Dachuan casually asked, “How do you feel after sleeping? Any better than at noon?”

“No,” Qiao Xinyi glanced at Zhuang Chunsheng and replied, “At best, I can still feel that I’m alive. My head’s buzzing, and my heart’s still beating.”

Chen Dachuan opened his mouth to say something about calling a doctor to check on her but then thought of Zhuang Chunsheng being there and considered another possibility, so he closed his mouth.

“Silly girl comrade, on behalf of the Zhuang family, I apologize to you for what happened today and deeply sympathize with your suffering,” Zhuang Chunsheng said, not wanting to waste time. As soon as Chen Dachuan finished speaking, he took the opportunity to speak.

“To be honest, it was my son and daughter-in-law acting rashly in their panic who let Chen Daniu and his wife trick us. They never expected someone would be so cruel as to kill the daughter they raised just to make five hundred yuan.”

As soon as Qiao Xinyi heard this, she immediately understood Zhuang Chunsheng’s intention. She scoffed and cut him off with a sarcastic expression.

“Listen to your crap! Even after I woke up, your son and daughter-in-law didn’t stop the Chen family from closing the coffin or from coming to capture me.”

“My body was so fresh. Your son and daughter-in-law—do they honestly think that after seeing my body they wouldn’t realize I just died?”

Qiao Xinyi asked, “It’s so hot, the difference between someone who just died and someone who died two or three days ago is obvious. Your son and daughter-in-law are quite old; do you think they couldn’t tell?”

Chen Dachuan felt weird hearing Qiao Xinyi talk about her “body” over and over. It wasn’t until Zhuang Chunsheng spoke up to correct her, “You didn’t die,” that Chen Dachuan slapped his thigh.

“Who calls themselves a corpse? No wonder I felt something was off.”

“Exactly! Moreover, since I didn’t die, your son and daughter-in-law, at their age, can’t even tell the difference between a dead person and a living one?” Qiao Xinyi sat up, supporting herself with her hands, her tone icy. “They were trying to bury me alive!”

“Chen Daniu and his wife are ruthless, but your Zhuang family isn’t exactly innocent either! As for my attempted murder, Chen Daniu and his wife are the masterminds, but your son and daughter-in-law can’t escape being accomplices!”

“So if you want to tell me your son and daughter-in-law were just unlucky and tricked, spare me. I’m badly injured—I don’t want to waste energy scolding you.”

After finishing, Qiao Xinyi held the small tea cup Nurse Chen had gotten for her and took small sips, not giving Zhuang Chunsheng even a glance.

Chen Dachuan thought the silly girl was right. Zhuang Chunsheng’s claim that they were tricked and that Qiao Xinyi wasn’t dead, trying to clear the Zhuang family of wrongdoing, was really treating people like fools.

So he stood behind Zhuang Chunsheng and quietly gave Qiao Xinyi a thumbs-up, then said, “The patient is seriously injured and needs rest. Zhuang Chunsheng, if you have nothing else, please leave.”

Zhuang Chunsheng was a leader and was used to people flattering him, but it was the first time he had been so bluntly mocked and resented. It took him almost a minute to calm down so he wouldn’t lose his temper and shout like at work.

“I came with sincerity to resolve this matter. No matter who is more at fault, my son and daughter-in-law did make some mistakes here. We can compensate you. Name your price—I won’t argue and will pay immediately. You just need to write me a…”

Qiao Xinyi looked up at Zhuang Chunsheng and said, “Fine, give me three thousand yuan, and I’ll write you a note.”

“How much?!” Zhuang Chunsheng was stunned, as if he misheard. “Three thousand? You’re asking for too much! Don’t you know your worth?”

Before coming, Zhuang Chunsheng had thought a girl who never went to school and never left the village could be bought off with three or five hundred yuan. It would be considered a charitable act by the Zhuang family.