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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: Searching for Someone (Part One)
"I don't know." I was so tired that I really didn't want to talk much. The car drove away from the gas station, heading straight for the county town. It would take another four or five hours to reach the city, so I could comfortably fall asleep.
As we entered the county town, Qin Jian called for me to get out of the car and prepare for a meal.
I got out and followed him to a restaurant.
The restaurant looked nice, clean, and the waitstaff were all quite young. Watching them walk with such lightness reminded me of the Seven Fairies from "Journey to the West," as if they were floating.
Although the restaurant seemed decent, the food didn't quite suit my taste.
Not only was it unappetizing, but there was also a couple at the next table with a child who seemed to be causing a scene. The child cried incessantly, and the father looked frazzled while the mother tried her best to soothe him, but nothing seemed to work.
The child wailed loudly; it was my first time seeing such a crying child.
I couldn't help but glance over at their family.
The child's father wore a frown, his brows knitted together with frustration as he showed extreme impatience towards both the child and the mother.
The mother spoke sweetly, but the child continued to cry.
The father snapped, "Crying? You scared your grandmother away! Now we can't find her anywhere, and you're still crying!"
So this family was searching for someone? I exchanged glances with Qin Jian and suddenly remembered the old woman at the gas station. Without thinking, I stood up and walked over to them.
"Hello," I said. Qin Jian and I were dressed in plain clothes, and to others, we didn't look like bad people. However, approaching someone like this could easily raise their guard.
"You are..." Child's Father asked, looking quite wary.
The child suddenly stopped crying at our appearance, snuggling tightly against their mother's embrace. The child seemed to be just over a year old, no wonder they didn't understand and were crying.
Mother was also very young, her face etched with worry.
"Don't worry, we're not bad people. I heard you were looking for someone, and I actually saw an Old Woman. She was a bit crazy, about this tall, very haggard, neither fat nor thin. By the way, she resembled you somewhat."
Upon hearing my description, Child's Father was taken aback and exchanged a glance with Mother, then quickly asked, "Where? What did she say?"
"Nothing... Is she the person you're looking for?"
Child's Father nodded while Mother lowered her head. The child had tears welling up in their eyes but didn't dare to cry.
"She should be; she's my mom," Child's Father said weakly.
"Is she still over there?" Mother asked anxiously. The child's lips quivered as if they wanted to cry again, turning their head away from me as if afraid.
"Do you want us to go take a look together?" I offered.
Child's Father: "Would that trouble you?"
Qin Jian seemed surprised by my suggestion but nodded helplessly. "It's no trouble; let's go look together. It's easier with more people."
If I hadn't seen that moment of resentment in the child's eyes, I might not have bothered to get involved and seek out someone unrelated to us. But out of goodwill, we thought we might as well do a good deed; after all, as long as it's not a bad thing, any good deed is worth doing.
As we were about to turn back, the father of the family introduced himself: "My name is Zhang Wang, this is my wife Mo, and our son A Bao."
"I'm Ma Qi, and this is Qin Jian..." I was about to mention that he was from the police station when I caught myself, silenced by a glare. The other party warmly shook our hands and expressed their gratitude. Then they explained the reason behind Old Mama's disappearance.
It turned out that Old Mama had a tendency to favor boys over girls. Mo's first child was a daughter, and she was the apple of her parents' eyes. They were overjoyed with their daughter, showering her with love and affection. Both of them worked in the city while their mother-in-law was a farmer back home.
Mo's maternity leave soon came to an end, and she wanted her mother-in-law to come help take care of the baby. After discussing it with her husband Zhang Wang, he wholeheartedly agreed. The couple happily brought Mo's mother-in-law to the city. However, the mother-in-law had never been fond of her daughter; she had hoped for a grandson to carry on the Zhang family name. When she learned that her daughter had given birth to another girl, she couldn't be bothered to help during the postpartum period. Now being asked to care for this granddaughter was like rubbing salt into an old wound.
However, the mother-in-law was quite calculating and wanted to discuss with her daughter-in-law whether they should have a second child. This was why she had traveled all the way from her hometown to A City to take care of her granddaughter.
Unexpectedly, after five months of caring for her granddaughter, the child tragically fell while going downstairs and died.
This incident created a deep rift between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Mo couldn't believe that her daughter had died from a fall. Her husband believed it was a significant matter of life; he knew his mother well enough that despite any disdain she might have for her granddaughter, she would never directly harm her. This led to many arguments between the couple.
"So how did your mom go crazy afterward?"
Noticing that time was running short, Zhang Wang grew anxious and said to me and Qin Jian, "Ah, it's a long story; let's wait until we find my mom!"
The return journey was quicker than expected; the gas station was just around the corner, but there was no sign of that frantic old woman from before. Qin Jian, Zhang Wang, and I approached a staff member to inquire about her whereabouts. She pointed in a direction: "She ran that way."
Where exactly was that? Zhang Wang looked confused. Qin Jian and I knew very well that it led down a narrow path flanked by steep cliffs on one side and towering mountains on the other. If one continued down that path, there would be no signs of habitation; further down lay a natural cemetery area in the mountains.
Could it be that this old lady had gone mad from longing for her granddaughter?
"There's a question that has come up," Qin Jian said, shaking his head. "Zhang Wang's son has issues."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't rush. Once we find the grandmother, the truth will be revealed."
Qin Jian pouted and frowned. "When did you learn to be so secretive?"
"Shh! Be careful. We're now in an area where accidents can easily happen."
"Come on, I know my skills." Qin Jian was not boasting; I knew his driving skills well. However, I had something on my mind, and no matter how much he provoked me, I really didn't want to jump to conclusions too soon. That child was young, but his eyes were filled with resentment; he must have hated someone.
The person he hated couldn't be Zhang Wang or Mo. Their family consisted of four people, including the grandmother. Besides himself and his parents, there was only the grandmother left. Why would a child hate an already senile old woman? This was also a question I didn't understand, and it was what Qin Jian wanted to ask as well; it was the answer I wanted to know too.
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