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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 07: Indulgence
Once everything was settled, we called for an ambulance to take away Chief Zhang, and now I needed to find someone.
Qin Jian opened his mouth to ask me something, but I waved him off. "Don't ask, we're going somewhere."
With the Soul Absorbing Talisman having absorbed a wisp of unwilling spirit, Qin Jian and I took the unconscious Chief Zhang to Zheng Kai's house.
To our surprise, we found no one there.
Zheng Kai had gone to the hospital, and we were greeted by an elderly woman with graying hair and a face full of wrinkles.
She was Zheng Kai's mother.
Not finding Zheng Kai was unfortunate, but his mother would do.
I began asking her some relevant questions based on what I had seen earlier. Before diving into those questions, I decided to use my skills to coax her into sharing her story willingly.
"Auntie, I'm a friend of Zheng Kai's and have a knack for reading people. Please don't take offense at my bluntness, but it seems your home has been troubled lately with one incident after another. Would you like me to read your fortune?"
Fortune-telling may seem like superstitious nonsense to many today, especially those born in the '80s and '90s, but Zheng Kai's mother firmly believed in it. Given the troubles at home, she was eager for me to provide some insight.
"You've had two marriages, haven't you?"
Zheng Kai's mother looked surprised but nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I've been married twice. My first husband passed away when Zheng Kai was young, and then I remarried."
"Auntie, your first marriage had its ups and downs; it wasn't entirely good or bad. However, your second marriage has brought you much suffering."
Zheng Kai's Mother fell into deep thought, as if recalling those unwilling memories. After a moment, tears streamed down her face as she lamented, "What a miserable life! My life is so hard..."
"Auntie, it's not that you have a miserable life; fate is in your own hands. It's your indecisiveness that has caused you suffering, and it has also hurt your family."
During my conversation with Zheng Kai's Mother, Qin Jian was left confused and unable to grasp the situation.
"Ah, when Zheng Kai was seven years old, his father passed away from rheumatic heart disease. Someone introduced me to a Retired Worker who worked at a Reform Farm, earning about thirty to forty yuan a month. The matchmaker spoke so highly of him, and since I truly needed a man to support our family, I agreed to meet him."
This Retired Worker that Zheng Kai's Mother mentioned was the old man who died in the deep pit foundation of the restroom on Fruit Street. Qin Jian finally understood; he remained silent, furrowing his brows as he listened intently to Zheng Kai's Mother's story.
This so-called Retired Worker was actually a former labor reform convict. His reputation and actions had made him detested by everyone. The people in his hometown were unwilling to accept him back after his release from prison, so without a place to settle, he ended up at the Reform Farm.
This man had ulterior motives; in his youth, he engaged in petty theft and later became involved with women, even flirting with Young Educated Women before being arrested and sentenced by the Station.
Now he had been brought into Zheng Kai's home by someone with ill intentions.
This man had many issues—he drank excessively, was prone to violence, and sought out women. These were things that Zheng Kai's Mother only discovered later on, but by then it was too late for regrets.
In the Zheng Kai household, there were two older sisters along with their mother, making four of them.
Although the two sisters were not exceptionally beautiful, they were still quite charming. This Step-father couldn't help but develop inappropriate thoughts towards them, eyeing their developing bodies and sneaking glances at them from behind. He even concocted schemes to demand that their mother switch bedrooms with the daughters in the middle of the night.
Zheng Kai was young but mature for his age; he was filial towards his mother and could not tolerate the Step-father's bad behavior. The Step-father was tall and strong; if it came to blows, Zheng Kai knew he wouldn't stand a chance. So all he could do was silently endure the Step-father's actions while keeping his anger bottled up inside.
Eventually, both sisters married off early.
At home, only Zheng Kai, his mother, and his stepfather remained.
Then there was the daughter-in-law.
Zheng Kai's wife was Bao Hui.
When Bao Hui came to Zheng Kai's home, she had a touching story behind her.
Bao Hui's family background was not good; her family looked down on her for being a daughter, and her parents were not kind to her. Therefore, she vowed that as long as she met someone who treated her well, she would follow him without hesitation.
In his youthful charm, Zheng Kai successfully captured Bao Hui's heart, and soon they were living together. Without taking any precautions, they found themselves expecting a child. When the baby came, Bao Hui was scared to approach her mother-in-law.
Zheng Kai's mother did not like this daughter-in-law. Her old-fashioned views were quite severe; she felt that with Bao Hui in the picture, Zheng Kai no longer listened to her. She wished for Zheng Kai to part ways with Bao Hui so that her son would still be hers. She had little faith in this marriage that had come about unexpectedly but was still tempted by his modest salary.
As Zheng Kai's mother recounted this, tears streamed down her face, filled with regret—
Under her suggestion, Bao Hui went to the hospital, but the child was lost. She returned home weak and pale, trembling as she entered Zheng Kai's house.
This was her first experience with a miscarriage.
Zheng Kai was working far away; without him by her side, who could treat her well?
Zheng Kai's mother despised Bao Hui even more and certainly did not show her kindness. The meals were simple, and she treated Bao Hui like a servant, making her do all the chores.
Unable to endure it any longer, Bao Hui eventually returned to her parents' home but could not withstand their scolding. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to seek out Zheng Kai again.
At that moment, Zheng Kai returned.
The two of them were together again. Then she became pregnant, only to have a miscarriage. After several attempts, Bao Hui's health deteriorated further. Zheng Kai's mother grew increasingly disdainful of this girl named Bao Hui. If it weren't for their own poor circumstances, she would have long since chased this idea away.
What she needed to do now was to incite her son to dislike this daughter-in-law. Only by making her feel unwelcome could their family receive a sum of money from Bao Hui when she voluntarily called off the engagement.
But unexpectedly, Bao Hui not only refused to call off the engagement but also, out of spite, transferred her household registration to Zheng Kai's family. This infuriated Zheng Kai's mother, who stormed off to her sister's house in a fit of rage.
As for the stepfather, this old lecherous man came home from work and, not seeing his wife, found "his daughter-in-law" alone in the house. He felt secretly pleased and, after drinking and having dinner that night, went to bed. Bao Hui finished all her chores before returning to the bedroom she shared with Zheng Kai.
The so-called bedroom had nothing in it—just a bed and a pile of rotten sweet potatoes.
She looked at everything before her, tears streaming down her face, wishing that Zheng Kai would treat her better in the days to come.
Just then, cries came from the bedroom of her mother-in-law and stepfather; it sounded like the stepfather was calling out. She hurriedly stood up and walked to the door to listen. She heard the stepfather complaining of stomach pain and asking her to come take a look.
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