Part Seven

Ji Ya lay blindfolded and bound in the car’s backseat. Shi Bi drove silently, eyes fixed on the road. The car stopped by a ditch in a remote area. Shi Bi dragged Ji Ya out and shoved her into the ditch. As she struggled at the bottom, she heard the car drive away. Ji Ya managed to remove her blindfold and used sharp rocks to cut her bonds. She tore off the tape on her mouth and called for help, but no one responded. After freeing her legs, she tried to climb out, falling back several times.

A truck’s headlights approached the highway. A couple drove the truck, with the woman at the wheel and the man sleeping in the back. Suddenly, Ji Ya ran into the headlights, waving frantically. The woman slammed on the brakes, startled. The truck screeched to a halt, and Ji Ya stood before it, arms raised and eyes closed. The couple jumped out.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed?” the woman shouted.

Ji Ya fell to her knees, begging, “Please save me!”

The couple took Ji Ya to the police station. She looked disheveled and exhausted.

The police asked, “Did he leave you a phone number?”

Ji Ya nodded. The police had her call Ji Dashun to arrange a meeting. Ji Ya made the call.

Ji Dashun saw an unknown number and didn’t answer. A text followed: “It’s Ji Ya.”

Ji Dashun immediately called back. Ji Ya answered quickly, “Brother Ji.”

“You’ve got a conscience, remembering me,” Ji Dashun laughed.

“How could I forget? If you hadn’t spoken up for me, I might not have made it home,” Ji Ya replied.

“How will you thank me?” Ji Dashun asked.

“I’ll treat you to a meal,” Ji Ya offered.

“I’ll choose the place,” Ji Dashun said, hanging up.

The night market was bustling. Ji Ya sat in a corner, standing out in the crowd. Ji Dashun watched her from afar, seeing no suspicious figures nearby. As he approached, Ji Ya’s gaze became evasive. Ji Dashun hesitated, his instincts alert. He walked slowly, just a few meters from Ji Ya when three waiters emerged from the kitchen, their eyes sharp and unlike typical servers. Ji Dashun realized the trap and fled, with the three in pursuit. Familiar with the area, Ji Dashun escaped through the alleys.

Ji Dashun told me, “Deng Ligang slapped me, breaking two teeth. We fled to Shaanxi that night. This lesson made him ruthless; after that, we left no survivors in our kidnappings.”

Song Hongyu proved difficult to interrogate, behaving docilely during questioning. We couldn’t get anything out of her, and Deng Ligang, Shi Bi, and Ji Dashun all claimed she hadn’t killed anyone. The three accomplices’ testimonies were consistent, seemingly trying to spare the life of this woman with a child. Without direct evidence of her killing anyone, we had to investigate bit by bit.

Back in her cell, Song Hongyu transformed. In the crowded dormitory, she was assigned a small space at the end of the bunk. Instead, she sat at the head, ignoring the cell leader’s instructions. When the leader tried to forcefully move her, Song Hongyu slapped her. As other inmates gathered to teach her a lesson, Song Hongyu sprang into the center like a lioness.

“I’ve taken more than one life and I’m not afraid to die. Who dares to come at me?” she shouted sharply.

The cell leader was shocked.

Song Hongyu threatened the others, “If any of you act up, I’ll make sure you close your eyes tonight and can’t open them tomorrow.”

The inmates backed off, seeing the cell leader’s hesitation. Song Hongyu arranged her pillow and lay down, eyes closed. The guard was too frightened to sleep, watching her all night.

Before bed, inmates were ordered to sit cross-legged on their bunks for half an hour, reflecting on their crimes. During these times, tears would silently flow from Song Hongyu’s closed eyes as she thought of her son, whom she had never left since his birth. She wondered how desperately he must be crying for his mother now.

Unable to sleep under the constant light, Song Hongyu stared at the ceiling.

A fellow inmate turned to her and whispered, “How many times have you been interrogated? When will you be sentenced?”

Song Hongyu remained silent.

The inmate continued, “I’m in for fraud. My lawyer says I’m not the main culprit and the circumstances aren’t too severe. I won’t get a heavy sentence, two years at most.”

“Do you have children?” Song Hongyu asked.

The inmate paused, “No.”

Song Hongyu said, “I’ve never been apart from my son since he was born. I don’t know how he’s looking for me these days.”

“You haven’t been eating or drinking. The guards told us to watch you, worried you might take a ‘short road,'” the inmate said.

“What short road?” Song Hongyu asked.

The inmate looked at her silently.

Song Hongyu understood, “I wouldn’t commit suicide. That would be too easy, wouldn’t it?”

The inmate said, “If it were me, knowing I’d face execution eventually, ending it myself might be easier to accept.”

“How do you know I’ll be sentenced to death?” Song Hongyu’s face turned cold as ice.

The inmate replied, “Didn’t you say you killed someone?”

Song Hongyu said, “The court relies on evidence. Do you have any? If I said I gave birth to an alien, could you bring it here?”

Intimidated by the coldness in Song Hongyu’s eyes, the inmate turned away to sleep.

After her rescue, Qiu Feng went to Thailand. With the four criminals caught, she returned to China for a family visit and to testify in court. She met with Zhen Zhen at a coffee shop in the Qingtan Building.

Arriving early, Zhen Zhen took the escalator to the basement. The counter still displayed the large wooden cruise ship model. Zhen Zhen examined it closely: one meter long, five decks high, intricately carved with window frames as thin as toothpicks and lifelike figurines on deck. She felt the smooth walnut in her pocket, self-mockingly shaking her head. Du Zhong, the carver, had been a fleeting presence in her life, never to appear again.

As the appointed time arrived, Zhen Zhen found Qiu Feng already seated in a corner of the coffee shop. Qiu Feng had filled out, exuding an indescribable charm. She barely recognized Zhen Zhen, who had transformed into a tall, slender embodiment of youth. The two friends, far from the awkwardness they had anticipated, embraced like long-lost relatives, tears flowing endlessly.

Qiu Feng sat beside Zhen Zhen, clasping her hand tightly.

Zhen Zhen said, “You haven’t changed at all. I recognized you instantly.”

Qiu Feng replied, “You’ve changed so much, grown half a head taller.”

“It’s been seven years since we last met. How have you been?” Zhen Zhen asked.

Qiu Feng explained, “After being rescued, I was too scared to stay at home. I went to Thailand as a migrant worker, married an overseas Chinese there, and had a son and a daughter. Only when I heard the criminals were caught did I dare to come back for a visit. The court wanted me to testify, and I agreed. Another important reason for my return was to see you.”

“I wanted to see you too,” Zhen Zhen said.

Qiu Feng smiled, “This is opposite to our agreement seven years ago to never see each other again.”

Zhen Zhen replied, “Back then, we were both afraid. Now that the criminals face judgment, we have nothing to fear.”

“Will all four criminals appear in court tomorrow?” Qiu Feng asked.

Zhen Zhen said, “Ji Dashun died of cancer in the prison hospital a month ago.”

Qiu Feng fixed her gaze on Zhen Zhen’s face, “Zhen Zhen, I consider you my closest family. Without your life-risking rescue, I wouldn’t be alive today.”

“Sister, we saved each other. If you hadn’t carried me to the window, how could I have escaped from such a height?” Zhen Zhen responded.

“The past decade or so was wasted on my part. My laziness brought catastrophe upon me and hurt you too,” Qiu Feng said.

Zhen Zhen replied, “Everything has two sides. Without that ordeal, I wouldn’t have become a police officer or caught the murderers myself, ridding society of evil.”

They talked until nightfall, then walked arm in arm under the streetlights. Zhen Zhen accompanied Qiu Feng to her hotel.

Qiu Feng invited Zhen Zhen up, but she declined, “You need to rest for court tomorrow. Sleep well.”

At the trial, Liu Liang and his wife, Qiu Feng, her brother, Ji Ya, Zhen Zhen, and her parents, along with Huang Laoqi and Zhang Ciyun, sat in the gallery.

Deng Ligang, Shi Bi, and Song Hongyu were brought in shackled and seated in the dock. Deng Ligang and Song Hongyu exchanged glances. Shi Bi hung his head and slumped in his chair like a lifeless doll.

Qiu Feng testified, her words filled with blood and tears, denouncing the criminals’ atrocities.

She said, “During my captivity, I was bound hand and foot. They deprived me of sleep, food, and water. At the slightest disobedience, Song Hongyu would straddle me, ramming her elbow into my chest. She feared pain, so she never used her hands to hit. She stabbed with needles and slapped with spatulas.”

Qiu Feng lifted her bangs to show the court the dent in her skull.

“Song Hongyu made this dent with a hammer. Just as it scabbed over, she’d break it open again. Seeing me bleed, she’d grab my hair and rinse it with tap water. When I said it was cold, Deng Ligang rushed over and kicked me hard, saying, ‘Complain again, and I’ll boil you alive!'”

Song Hongyu remained silent, eyes downcast.

Deng Ligang looked up at Qiu Feng, gritting his teeth, “Why didn’t we finish you off then?!”

Qiu Feng stood firm, drawing strength from Zhen Zhen’s encouraging gaze.

With a trembling voice, Qiu Feng said, “Heaven is just. Now it’s my turn to watch you meet your end.”

Qiu Feng’s brother spat, “A single execution isn’t enough.”

Huang Laoqi glared at him.

Qiu Feng’s brother shouted, “What are you looking at? Your family is no better!”

Huang Laoqi retorted, “Don’t think my limp will stop me from taking you down, boy!”

“Old man, if you’ve got the guts, let’s settle this outside,” Qiu Feng’s brother challenged.

Huang Laoqi said, “You’re a son of a bitch if you don’t show up.”

The courtroom erupted in chaos. Deng Ligang smiled slightly, finding balance in Huang Laoqi’s anger.

Zhen Zhen led Huang Laoqi out of the courtroom. I followed, saying, “Let me handle him.”

I hailed a taxi and gave the driver twenty yuan. As Huang Laoqi got in, he gave me a thumbs up, “Xinqiao’s second brother, you’re a man of principle, true to your word.”

Back at the courtroom, Zhen Zhen was waiting for me at the door.

She asked disapprovingly, “Chief Peng, why do you indulge Huang Laoqi so much?”

“How am I indulging him?” I asked.

“He comes to the station every few days asking for favors, and you always receive him warmly,” she said.

I explained, “If it doesn’t violate principles, I’ll certainly help him. I have to acknowledge his help. If he hadn’t supported me back then, the case would have taken many detours. He helped me analyze the Deng family’s relatives, social connections, and classmates, pointing out who to find. He showed me shortcuts, saving us a lot of trouble. That’s what helped the case progress.”

Knowing I spoke the truth, Zhen Zhen fell silent.

Qiu Feng wrote a letter to the court, which read: “In the Luancheng kidnapping case, Song Hongyu was a main conspirator, on par with Deng Ligang, Shi Bi, and Ji Dashun. Song Hongyu’s crimes are heinous and innumerable. Based on the principles of having laws to follow, strictly enforcing laws, investigating all violations, using facts as the basis and laws as the criterion, and combining punishments for multiple crimes, I strongly urge the Xuecheng Intermediate People’s Court to sentence Song Hongyu to death, with immediate execution. Let the deceased Liu Xingyuan and Huang Ying rest in peace! Let the victims find solace! This will demonstrate the fairness of the law!!!”

Qiu Feng was about to leave Snow City without receiving an answer. Zhen Zhen came to the airport to see her off. Qiu Feng asked Zhen Zhen when the verdict would be announced. Zhen Zhen replied, “We haven’t found some of the victims’ families yet, so the case can’t be closed immediately.”

When asked if Song Hongyu would be sentenced to death, Zhen Zhen said, “We still haven’t found Huang Ying’s family, so there’s no conclusive evidence.”

Qiu Feng insisted, “She admitted it herself when we were imprisoned.”

“She said that to frighten us. It was just a story; she never actually killed anyone,” Zhen Zhen explained.

“She must pay with her life, or Huang Ying will have died in vain,” Qiu Feng argued.

Zhen Zhen reasoned, “No one’s death will be in vain. To prevent acquittal due to insufficient evidence, we need ample testimonies and physical evidence to charge her with murder. Only then can we ensure a conviction.”

Qiu Feng, visibly dissatisfied, retorted, “If she dares say she’s never killed anyone, I might as well say I’ve never eaten.”

Zhen Zhen reassured her, “Sister, don’t worry. I’m still doing my best to find the victims’ families. As long as I’m alive, I’ll make sure Song Hongyu receives the punishment she deserves.”

Qiu Feng paused, her gaze lingering on Zhen Zhen’s face.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Zhen Zhen asked, uncomfortable under her stare.

Qiu Feng stroked her hair. “You’re so beautiful. Don’t any men pursue you?”

Zhen Zhen explained, “That kidnapping incident left me with severe psychological trauma. I’m still recovering and find it difficult to get close to men.”

“You could date someone you’re familiar with,” Qiu Feng suggested.

Zhen Zhen smiled.

“What’s so funny?” Qiu Feng asked.

“I have something in my genes that quickly turns any romantic pursuit into a brotherly relationship,” Zhen Zhen replied.

“I’m talking about feelings, and you’re bringing up genes?” Qiu Feng said, exasperated.

Another man briefly crossed Zhen Zhen’s mind. After Qiu Feng left, Zhen Zhen returned to the Qingtan Building. She took the escalator down to the basement level. Facing the elevator was a counter with a large wooden cruise ship model. This time, she unexpectedly saw the shop owner. He was sitting at the counter, facing away from her. Zhen Zhen stood motionless, staring at his back. The owner sensed her presence and turned around. It was indeed Du Zhong.

“See anything you like?” Du Zhong asked warmly.

Zhen Zhen remained silent.

Du Zhong looked up at her, puzzled.

Zhen Zhen smiled at him.

Du Zhong hesitated, “Are you…?”

Zhen Zhen nodded, “I am.”

Du Zhong’s eyes lit up, “Zhen Zhen?”

Zhen Zhen nodded again, smiling, “It’s me.”

“What a surprise! When did you return to Snow City?” Du Zhong grinned, revealing a set of perfect white teeth.

Zhen Zhen asked, “You knew I left Snow City?”

Du Zhong explained, “Your mother came here looking for you. Your classmate told her. The same classmate told me your family moved away. Have you been in touch with her?”

Zhen Zhen shook her head, “Did you make this ship?”

Du Zhong nodded.

“How long did it take?” she asked.

“Three years. In school, we studied an ancient text called ‘The Boat Carved from a Walnut Shell.’ That’s when I got the idea to make a ship like this,” he explained.

Zhen Zhen pulled out a well-worn walnut from her pocket.

“Remember this?” she asked.

Du Zhong examined it, “The carving is so crude. You still kept it?”

“I’ve always carried it in my pocket,” she said.

Du Zhong thought for a moment, “It’s been seven years.”

“Yes,” she confirmed.

“Where do you work?” he inquired.

“At the police station,” she replied.

Du Zhong was surprised, but his phone rang. He answered, “Yes? What? Which hospital? I’ll be right there.”

He hung up and apologized to Zhen Zhen, “I’m sorry, my son has a high fever.”

He closed the shop and ran out, but returned after a few steps.

“If you need anything, please come find me here,” he said.

Zhen Zhen watched as the elevator carried him away.

She put the walnut back in her pocket. From that day on, she never returned to the shop or looked at the cruise ship model again.

Deng Ligang and Shi Bi were ultimately sentenced to death, while Song Hongyu received life imprisonment. They all appealed repeatedly, but their appeals were rejected. They continued to appeal to higher judicial authorities. After five years of back and forth, the original verdicts were upheld.

Shi Bi, well-fed and rested in prison, had grown plump and fair-skinned, with a kindly appearance. Upon receiving the final verdict, he sighed deeply, saying, “Living like this, I’m just a walking corpse. Eating wastes food, and sleeping wastes space. Ending my life sooner is better for everyone.”

I asked him, “Reporters want to interview you. Will you accept?”

Shi Bi shook his head, “I’m sorry, but I’ll pass. At this point in my life, what’s left to say? There’s nothing. Let my life serve as a warning to others.”

“Is there anything you want to tell me?” I asked.

Shi Bi looked at me and smiled, “Let’s be frank. If you hadn’t caught me five years ago, I would have continued committing crimes. Fortunately, you arrested me, eliminating that threat.”

“Your appeal has been rejected again. How do you feel about that?”

“I’ve already lived an extra five years. I can’t be greedy. I value my dignity. With all I’ve been through, I’m mentally prepared. I’ll face this calmly.”

“Is there anyone you want to see?”

Shi Bi shook his head, “I no longer have any connection to anyone in this world.”

Song Hongyu reacted violently, howling like a caged beast, pacing in her cell, pounding the walls with her fists, and banging her head against them.

Deng Ligang sat motionless and silent in his cell after receiving the final verdict. The guards hadn’t figured out his personality even after five years. Whether by coincidence or fate, Deng Ligang and the others were arrested on November 3, 2011, and their execution date was set for November 3, 2016. I had mentioned that the number three was Deng Ligang’s lucky number, and it seemed to hold.

The day before the execution, Huang Laoqi, representing the families, visited Deng Ligang in prison for the last time. Five years of imprisonment had whitened Deng Ligang’s skin, but his hair remained jet black without a single gray strand. Huang Laoqi opened some prepared food for him to eat. He ate, but without the arrogance he had shown during my interrogations.

His first words to Huang Laoqi were, “I’ve been wronged!”

Huang Laoqi looked up at him, “How have you been wronged? You’re my cousin; I’ve watched you grow up. You’ve never been a good person. You’ve always taken advantage of others, both in words and deeds. ‘Wronged’ is not a word that applies to you. You’ve killed so many people; that the government could execute you multiple times over. You’re only being sentenced to death once. What are you complaining about?”

Deng Ligang lowered his head and fell silent.

Huang Laoqi asked, “Does hearing this upset you?”

Deng Ligang wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. In a low voice, he said, “Brother, this is the last time we’ll see each other in this life. How could I not be upset?”

“You haven’t suffered in here. Your mother has been sending two to three thousand yuan every month for your account.”

“I can’t fulfill my filial duty to my mother anymore.”

“Your mother is my aunt. I can’t neglect her.”

Deng Ligang couldn’t eat anymore. He put down the sausage and said, “I had a dream last night. I was walking down the hallway of a foot massage parlor, and Peng Zhaolin was chasing me with a gun. I ran desperately towards the exit. Wherever I ran, the shutters came down, and everything went dark. The ground suddenly became soft; I could barely stand. There was a suction force pulling me down. I woke up gasping for air. Do you think this dream foreshadows the sky falling and the earth collapsing?”

Huang Laoqi sighed, “Brother, tomorrow is your final day. Do you need any foreshadowing?”

The prison guard entered, saying, “Time’s up.”

Huang Laoqi stood up, “I’ll come to see you off tomorrow.”

Deng Ligang spoke without emotion, his face solemn, “Brother, take care. We won’t have another chance to meet.”

As Huang Laoqi reached the door, he turned back and said, “Walk steadily tomorrow. Keep your eyes on the path ahead.”

Deng Ligang nodded slightly.

That evening, Deng Ligang firmly refused to be interviewed by reporters.

Learning of Deng Ligang’s impending execution, the women’s prison guards assigned two people to watch Song Hongyu closely. They followed her everywhere. Song Hongyu guessed what was about to happen from their unusual behavior.

She asked a guard, “Is Deng Ligang going to be executed?”

The guard looked at her without answering.

“The appeal was rejected, so execution was inevitable. You don’t need to hide it from me. Just nod if it’s true. We were husband and wife; let me mourn him,” Song Hongyu said.

The guard comforted her, “Don’t overthink it. Just focus on your work.”

In the cell, the female inmates went about their tasks, but Song Hongyu sat motionless like a clay figure.

She repeatedly wrote the character of “prisoner” on her bed. She muttered to herself, “Why put the character for ‘person’ inside four walls?”

She cried out, “I don’t want to be within four walls! I want to get out!”

A guard came in and told her to be quiet. Song Hongyu’s eyes were bloodshot, but she stopped shouting.

As night fell, Deng Ligang stared at a printed photo of his son. His eyes reddened, but he held back his tears.

The cell leader sat on her bed, using playing cards to tell her fortune. As she turned over the cards one by one, her furrowed brow suddenly relaxed.

She exclaimed, “Great fortune! I’m about to be released!”

The other female inmates immediately gathered around, asking her to tell their fortunes too.

Song Hongyu, her hair disheveled, huddled in a corner, crying silently. An inmate tried to console her, “Try to think positively. Don’t torture yourself.”

Unable to express her anger, Song Hongyu took the notebook issued by the prison and began tearing it page by page, then shredding each page into strips. A female inmate convicted of fraud, unable to bear the sound of tearing paper, shouted, “Can you stop tearing?”

Song Hongyu ignored her and continued. The fraud convict approached and tried to snatch the notebook. Song Hongyu grabbed her by the collar, and the two began to fight. The guards came in and handcuffed them separately. Song Hongyu collapsed on the floor, her voice hoarse and her eyes swollen. A guard crouched beside her, trying to reason with her.

Song Hongyu sobbed, “I was living to repay my family’s debts. After having a child, I pinned my hopes on him. I can’t die. If I die too, my son will lose both his father and mother.”

Shi Bi took off his jacket and pants, folded them neatly, and placed them beside his pillow. He lay down, covered himself with the blanket, and quickly fell asleep.

The prison guards occasionally opened the observation window to check inside. Deng Ligang sat cross-legged on his bed, motionless like a clay figure, staring at the opposite wall.

Snowflakes danced outside, while people and vehicles on the streets moved as usual.

Early in the morning, I arrived at the execution site to witness Deng Ligang and Shi Bi being brought out for their execution. Huang Laoqi arrived on time as well. Shi Bi, wearing handcuffs and shackles, was escorted out of the detention center by prison guards. The sunlight made him squint. Four inmates pushed Deng Ligang out in a wheelchair, also in handcuffs and shackles. Deng Ligang’s head drooped, his body limp in the chair.

Surprised, I asked, “What’s wrong with Deng Ligang?”

The detention center supervisor explained, “It’s strange. His fierce spirit just vanished. He’s lost all strength; he can’t even stand, let alone walk.”

Huang Laoqi, shocked and angry, scolded, “He was such a tough guy. How did he become such a coward overnight?”

The execution supervisor verified the identities of Shi Bi and Deng Ligang before they were loaded onto the execution vehicle. The guards laid them on the execution beds, securing their limbs. The executioners connected heart rate monitors, which showed Shi Bi’s heart rate as normal, while Deng Ligang’s was accelerated. The execution began as the lethal injection was administered into their veins.

Both heart monitors flatlined. Deng Ligang and Shi Bi’s evil lives had finally ended.

The Biishui Garden dismemberment case occurred in 2002, and Deng Ligang was executed in 2016 – a full fourteen years later. I had transformed from a 30-year-old young man to a 44-year-old middle-aged man.

Snow fell silently and heavily in Snow City. Outside the window was a sea of white, while inside, it was as warm as spring. Christmas cacti bloomed on the windowsill. It was the Winter Solstice, and I was at home, chopping meat in the kitchen as instructed by Cheng Guo.

Hearing my wife return, I walked to the kitchen door with two cleavers in hand, standing with one foot inside and one foot outside, looking out.

Cheng Guo brought in a small cart full of vegetables and fruits.

She frowned and asked, “Are you chopping meat or splitting the cutting board?”

I put down the cleavers and carried the cart into the kitchen. “Why did you buy so much?” I asked.

“It’s the Winter Solstice. We’re making dumplings, stewing chicken soup, and I’m going to braise a fish,” she replied.

“Weren’t we just eating dumplings? Why the change of plans? Can we eat all this? Should I invite my colleagues over?”

“Stop! Zhen Zhen called and said she was coming over. I bought this for her.”

“She’s back?”

“Yes.”

Speak of the devil, the doorbell rang, and Zhen Zhen and Qiao Zhi entered with smiles on their faces.

This was quite unexpected. I exclaimed, “Oh! Qiao Zhi! What a rare guest! When did you come to Snow City? Why didn’t you tell us?”

Qiao Zhi said, “We came straight here after getting off the train.”

Cheng Guo sensed something in that “we” and gave Zhen Zhen a meaningful look.

Qiao Zhi explained, “I adjusted my schedule to accompany Zhen Zhen on a long-distance assignment. We searched high and low and found the person she was looking for.”

Cheng Guo said, “Sit down, let’s talk while we eat.”

As the food and drinks were set on the table, Peng Cheng sat next to Zhen Zhen, constantly putting food in her teacher’s bowl.

I took a sip of beer and asked Zhen Zhen to tell us what she had been up to on this trip.

Zhen Zhen said, “The silver bracelet left by Huang Ying was handcrafted, with materials and style typical of ethnic minorities. After extensive research, I learned that Dai women like to wear such bracelets. I decided to go to Yunnan.”

Qiao Zhi added, “I volunteered to go with her. We went to Dehong in Yunnan, and through introductions, we found the most famous old silversmith there.”

The old silversmith was over 80, with dark skin and a wrinkled face. Zhen Zhen took out the silver bracelet and showed it to him. The silversmith took one look and said, “I made this bracelet. I made two of them.”

“Do you remember who you sold them to?” Zhen Zhen asked, controlling her excitement.

The silversmith said, “I didn’t sell them. I made them for a woman I loved and gave them to her personally. She didn’t marry me; she married someone else.”

“What was her name?”

“Yan Xiang. She lived in a town ten miles away. She died last year; you can’t meet her anymore.”

“Did she have any children?”

“Yes.”

Zhen Zhen and Qiao Zhi went to the town ten miles away, asking around as they walked. They found a rose cake shop. A woman named Yu Jiao was kneading dough when she heard someone was looking for her. She looked up towards the door. Zhen Zhen was shocked when she saw her face, almost crying out. This face was almost identical to Huang Ying’s photo in the police files, just with slight signs of aging.

Zhen Zhen struggled to control her excitement as she took out the silver bracelet to show her.

“Do you recognize this bracelet?” she asked.

Yu Jiao took the bracelet and stared at it in surprise. “This belongs to my family. How did you get it?”

“Are you sure it’s your family’s?” Zhen Zhen asked.

Yu Jiao rolled up her sleeve, revealing an identical bracelet.

She said, “This is a pair of bracelets my grandmother brought from her maiden home when she got married. When my sister and I turned eighteen, grandmother gave them to us.”

Zhen Zhen took out her phone and showed her Huang Ying’s photo. “Is this your sister?”

Yu Jiao nodded, “Yes, that’s my sister. Her name is Yu Man. We’re twins.”

Zhen Zhen said, “Yu Man is Huang Ying. In 2002, Huang Ying left Dehong with a Malaysian man. Your parents always thought she had married him, had children, and didn’t have a chance to come back home. They never imagined that poor Huang Ying had been gone for over a decade, and died so tragically.”

Qiao Zhi said, “Yu Jiao came to Snow City three days later. She will actively cooperate with the police investigation.”

“We should drink to that,” I said, raising my glass.

Peng Cheng joined in, clinking his soft drink with everyone else’s glasses.

I said, “We need to do DNA testing quickly. If it highly matches the DNA from the internal organs found in Biishui Garden, Yu Jiao can file a new lawsuit against Song Hongyu for murder as the victim’s family member.”

Zhen Zhen said, “This burden has been weighing on my heart for so many years. I can finally let it go.”

Cheng Guo asked Qiao Zhi, “Where are you from?”

“Chengde, Hebei.”

“Is this your first time in Snow City?”

“Yes.”

“Is it cold?”

“I don’t mind the cold.”

I asked, “Do you like our Snow City?”

“I do!”

I said, “Then why don’t you transfer here?”

Qiao Zhi glanced at Zhen Zhen and asked me, “Does Snow City want me?”

I said, “Of course! We must have such a capable talent!”

Cheng Guo looked at Zhen Zhen, who smiled silently.

In the prison cell, the female inmates sat knitting, sewing buttons, and embroidering, trying to complete their work quotas. Song Hongyu was knitting with her head down.

A nearby inmate asked quietly, “You work silently every day without looking up. What for?”

Song Hongyu replied softly, “I’m working hard to reform, hoping my life sentence will be reduced. I want to reduce my sentence year by year, hoping to reunite with my son sooner.”

With a clang, the iron door opened, and a female guard entered, saying, “Song Hongyu, someone’s here to see you.”

Song Hongyu was startled and asked, “Who?”

The guard shook her head, indicating she didn’t know.

Song Hongyu sat in the reception room, looking out through the glass. She saw two women enter and recognized the one in front as Zhen Zhen, the female detective who had arrested her. One could say she was the woman Song Hongyu hated most in this world. The other woman was shorter and hidden behind Zhen Zhen, her face unclear. As they approached the visitation window, the woman stepped out from behind Zhen Zhen. Song Hongyu broke out in a cold sweat. This woman looked exactly like Huang Ying and was wearing the same clothes Huang Ying had worn when she was kidnapped.

No matter how strong Song Hongyu was internally, she feared being haunted by a ghost. She lost her composure, trembling all over, and shouted, “Impossible! Impossible! You’re dead!”

Yu Jiao said calmly, “I’m not dead!”

“You’re dead! Your flesh was flushed down the drain,” Song Hongyu yelled.

Yu Jiao replied calmly, “The person you killed wasn’t me.”

Song Hongyu broke down, screaming hysterically, “You’re still denying it, you bitch! I killed you!”

The female guard came in and firmly restrained her.

Zhen Zhen said, “You’ve finally admitted to the murder. She’s not Huang Ying; she’s Huang Ying’s twin sister, Yu Jiao. She has hired a lawyer and is filing a criminal lawsuit against you for murder. Your case will be retried.”

Song Hongyu’s head buzzed, and everything went black before her eyes.

The End

November 13, 2021, Saturday

Second Draft

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