On the morning of the twenty-seventh of the twelfth lunar month, Chen Wanqing was in the kitchen with Mrs. Zhao, steaming flower buns for ancestral worship and offerings, when Chen De’an rushed in from outside.

He called out as he entered the courtyard, gave Mrs. Zhao a quick greeting, and then grabbed Chen Wanqing to pull her outside.

"Sister, hurry! Grandmother isn’t going to make it."

The news left everyone, including Chen Wanqing, utterly stunned.

Mrs. Zhao steadied herself against the doorframe. "But didn’t someone see her yesterday? The old lady was taking her family to the county seat. She was perfectly fine then. How could she be at death’s door just one night later?"

Chen De’an clearly knew something, his expression a mask of complex emotions, but there was no time to explain.

His grandmother was on her deathbed. His sister was the eldest granddaughter, and having married into the same village, it would be improper for her not to go.

Chen De’an said, "Mrs. Zhao, as for the details, I’ll have my sister tell you when she gets back. It’s chaos over there right now, and my mother sent me to get her. It’s cold out, so you should stay here. Please, go back inside and finish your work."

But how could Mrs. Zhao stay behind? Not only did she follow them out, but she also raised her voice to call for Zhao Jing. "Jing! Jing...!"

Zhao Jing, having heard the commotion, was already at the door. "Mother, I heard. I’ll go with her."

"Sigh... yes, you should. After all, the old lady once saved my life."

Even though the two families had their share of friction, who could dwell on such things at a time like this?

There had been an agreement that Zhao Jing would not attend any weddings or funerals at the old Chen residence. But that was one thing to say; to actually stay away at a moment like this would be far too heartless.

The three of them left together, heading for the old Chen residence. Along the way, they ran into many village elders, all of whom were rushing about in a panic.

Upon seeing Chen De’an and the others, they immediately started asking, "What happened? How is she dying? With her constitution, that old lady could have easily lived to be eighty or ninety."

"Was it a sudden illness, or did she have a fall? Falls are the worst for the elderly. If you hit yourself in the wrong place, you can be gone in an instant."

Chen De’an had planned to tell his sister and Jing about the bizarre business at the old residence on the way over. But with so many people around, he couldn’t speak freely. He just sighed and offered vague, noncommittal replies until the group arrived at the old residence.

The atmosphere at the old residence was somber. In the courtyard, a crowd had gathered around Chen Dachang and Chen Lin.

Chen Lin’s leg was in a splint and his face was covered in scratches. A patch of skin had been torn from Chen Dachang’s cheek, the wound slathered with purple antiseptic, making for a ghastly sight.

In the main room, Chen Mei knelt by her mother’s bed, wailing at the top of her lungs.

Even after the old lady had tried to promise her to two different families, making her life with her in-laws unbearable and causing her to hate her mother so much she vowed to disown her—now that it had come to this, it was Chen Mei who cried the hardest.

She slapped her own face, one strike after another, her voice cracking and hoarse from weeping.

"Mother, I was wrong! I’ll never be angry with you again. Mother, please open your eyes and look at me! It’s me, your Mei’er!"

Chen Wanqing glanced toward the bed, and a single look at her grandmother sent a jolt of horror through her.

The old lady was lying on her side, a white cloth wrapped around her head. She must have injured the back of her head, and badly, for the blood had seeped through, staining the bandage and half the pillow crimson.

Perhaps from the blood loss, her grandmother’s face was ashen and her lips a ghastly white. She was a terrifying sight. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Chen Wanqing looked once and couldn’t bring herself to look again.

Zhao Jing, walking beside her, sensed her fear. He squeezed her hand and led her back outside.

In the courtyard, the crowd of villagers was still clamoring, firing questions at Chen Lin and Chen Dachang.

"What on earth happened? How could she be dying after just one trip out?"

"Where on earth did you all go yesterday? I was just remarking that you still weren’t back after dark. I figured you’d just been delayed on the road."

"You weren’t robbed, were you? If that’s what happened, you need to report it to the authorities. Chen Song works at the government office. If he takes the case seriously, he’ll surely be able to catch the culprits."

Chen Dachang just puffed away on his dry pipe, not saying a word. He was an elder of a senior generation, after all; if he chose to remain silent, no one could force him to speak.

Besides, he was known for being a quiet man. The crowd hadn’t held out much hope of getting any answers from him in the first place.

So, the villagers focused their questions on Chen Lin. He kept his head bowed, refusing to speak. But how long could he keep up his silence?