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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 008: The Woman Who Hanged Herself
Whether it is the Yin House or the Yang House, there is a proper order to follow. A new soul entering the Cemetery must observe certain etiquette.
Once the etiquette is observed, one can proceed without worry. Upon entering the Cemetery, I spoke up; the Host Family needed to seal a Red Envelope, and the amount in the Red Envelope depended on how well the Host Family performed their duties. Thus, I recited, "Borrowing light, borrowing light, may you be well, may we all be well, spreading wealth for peace." There were designated individuals responsible for scattering Joss Paper, who hurriedly tossed large amounts of it into the Cemetery as a form of payment for passage.
When we reached the site, the coffin was placed into the grave.
The timing was just right for filling in the earth. I murmured, "Filial Piety kneels; upon entering someone's grave, one knows their family. The eldest son is on the left, and the second son is at the next gate... Scatter gold into the fight, receive it well." After scattering rice, the Filial Piety members rushed home. The first thing they did upon returning was to check the money in the incense burner; whoever found more meant they would enjoy a lifetime of prosperity.
As the wreaths burned, I silently gazed at the accumulated Tomb and whispered, "Rest assured, I will fulfill my promise to you. Go peacefully to where you need to be; that place knows no suffering. Hold on well and wait for another chance at reincarnation; in your next life, be a good person."
On my way back, I picked up my phone to call the police—
Soon enough, they arrived.
The Peng Family brought in police officers to investigate the truth behind Peng Wealthy Lady's death.
Based on the evidence I recorded on my phone, Peng Caifu had to be punished.
Peng Yan responded to the police's inquiries with disjointed answers.
Finally, under intense psychological pressure from the officers, she burst into tears and said, "Actually, I was afraid that my mother's illness would drag us down because I just started dating someone. If our family runs out of money, there would be no dowry... I'd have to suffer after getting married."
"So you assisted your father in forcing your mother to hang herself?" one of the police officers asked bluntly.
Peng Yan shook her head. "I never wanted her to die; I just thought she was a burden dragging us down. We spent so much money and still couldn't cure her illness; there was really no need for treatment. I... just couldn't stand it and said a few harsh words."
"How does your brother treat your mother?"
"My brother is playful and doesn't study; he just plays games. It costs money to go out, and he... he also does drugs... and stole the money my mom saved to buy medicine to buy drugs. My mom ran out of money and asked my dad for some, and my dad hit her..."
Peng Caifu was dragged out of a pit by the police.
He shrank back, his hands and feet at a loss, his eyes filled with panic.
"Are you Peng Caifu?" The police officer asked sternly, causing him to shudder, his legs shaking uncontrollably.
"You have a serious tendency for violence. In your youth, you were fond of drinking and would beat your wife. Even during her illness, you didn't stop until you left her in this state, even forcing her to hang herself."
Peng Caifu was stunned as if struck by lightning. He was bewildered. No one knew about all this when it happened; there were no traces left at the scene. How could the police know all this?
What he deserved was still on his mind when the police pulled out a piece of rope: "There are your fingerprints on this."
Fingerprints!
This time, Peng Caifu truly felt like a deflated balloon, collapsing onto the ground, his head spinning as if he had been struck by a sudden blow. He muttered, "I didn't mean to kill her; I just wanted to scare her a bit. I didn't expect to forget about it and go to the construction site. It wasn't until I came back at night that I remembered she was already dead."
The police taking action saved me a lot of trouble; I trust them to do their job, and they trust me to do mine. We understand each other without words; we are invisible, occasionally helping out. Only a few key figures in the Station know we exist; the others are oblivious.
The fingerprints on that rope weren't just his; mine were there too.
Before calling the police, I wiped down the parts of my fingers that had touched it. And then there was the recording on my phone, capturing what his family did in front of the deceased.
Peng Caifu honestly confessed everything, signing documents in front of everyone, only to end up being detained.
Peng Yan was lacking in manners, showing great disrespect to her mother, which led to her boyfriend immediately calling off their engagement.
Peng Hai was sent to a juvenile detention center for rehabilitation due to drug-related charges.
In the end, only Peng Yan remained from the Peng Family.
After handling the Hanging Woman incident, I no longer dreamed of those suspended feet.
Returning to the Funeral Home, Grandpa and Fatty had not yet returned.
Sigh! The motorcycle was at the repair shop, and since there were occasional business matters to attend to, I couldn't go out looking for them. I decided to take a long nap and wait until the bike was fixed before checking on their situation.
The Funeral Home was open for business, and I lay sleeping behind the separated curtain.
When someone arrived, they would ring the bell on the Counter.
In my drowsy state, sometimes I heard Grandpa talking to me, and other times Fatty rushed in saying that Grandpa was missing—my dreams were a chaotic mix.
It left me unable to distinguish between night and day.
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
"Who is it? Who needs something?" I rolled over and got up, pulling aside the curtain and stepping out with my eyes still half-closed.
A person stood in front of the counter.
She looked familiar.
Upon closer inspection, she smiled slightly and said, "Ma Qi, don't you recognize me?"
The unexpected guest was her. I found it strange and casually asked, "Peng Yan, what are you doing here?"
Peng Yan feigned shyness and looked at me with a puzzling smile. "I wanted to ask when my mom's situation can be resolved."
"You’re still thinking about that? Ah..." I yawned and stretched, feeling quite comfortable, then ignored her. "It's not a big deal; it can be done anytime."
"You’re lying, aren’t you? All your words are just tricks. Also, you made that report call, didn’t you?"
"What makes you say that?" I crossed my legs and glanced at her nonchalantly. This girl was not simple; she came here to ask about resolving her mother's situation and had even put on makeup for it. Her eyebrows were drawn too long, her lips painted too red, and her foundation was applied too thickly—her face was as pale as a ghost.
She really looked better without makeup.
"Why don’t you have fingerprints on the rope you’re holding? And someone saw you take my mom's shoes and bring them into my room. Also... are you trying to scare me?"
This girl must have taken a liking to me and used the excuse of resolving her mother's situation to come here. What was the point of bothering me like this? I didn’t want to see her for even a minute; she wasn’t the woman I needed to protect in my life. She didn’t deserve it.
Cursing in my heart, I noticed she seemed less spirited than before, like a deflated balloon. With a mournful expression, she said, "Actually, I thought it was interesting to set you up as a ghost in there... I found it quite amusing."
What was amusing about that? I was busy enough without wasting time pretending to be a ghost! Damn it, if I had no ghosts in my heart, why would I fear any? Suddenly standing up, I pointed at her and said, "You can go back where you came from. This place is only for dealing with the dead. If your father has passed away, then we can collaborate again; otherwise, let’s not discuss it. Goodbye."
The matter concerning the Peng Family was far from over.
As Peng Caifu was taken to the station for questioning due to his violent tendencies, it became clear that he had physically abused his terminally ill wife, Lin Aizhen, ultimately driving her to take her own life. Not only that, but he had also forced her to hang from the beam in their home. Although it was unintentional, it still resulted in a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Peng Caifu never imagined that his moment of carelessness, compounded by years of domestic violence, would lead to such a tragedy. He did not understand what involuntary manslaughter meant until his lawyer explained the details to him. Filled with regret, he sought out Peng Yan to plead with his wife's family for their forgiveness, hoping for leniency.
Peng Yan knelt at his grandmother's doorstep, crying and pleading with heartfelt words, expressing remorse and desperation. His grandmother and uncle softened and agreed to forgive him, even attending the court hearing. However, their forgiveness could only be considered for leniency; it held little weight in the eyes of the law. The verdict came swiftly: he was sentenced to less than three years in prison.
Initially, Peng Caifu maintained a semblance of normalcy; he was frightened but felt compelled to accept the judgment.
However, as days passed, he began to exhibit strange behavior.
He became unable to take care of himself and would eat whatever was given to him.
It was quite disgusting!
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