Run Fast

Chapter 55

When Li Dongcai arrived, Ming Donglai quickly pulled her inside, glancing left and right to ensure no one was watching.

“Someone from the gas company came by earlier saying they needed to replace the pipes.” She pulled Dongcai toward the kitchen; there were listening devices in the living room.

Li Dongcai was still wearing her food delivery uniform. Though the person pulling her along was currently disheveled, those fair, clean hands made it obvious she had never suffered a day in her life.

Life had left no marks upon her.

In the kitchen, Ming Donglai took out the slip of paper and whispered to her older sister, “The police came to see me just now.”

Li Dongcai felt her temples throb with a sudden urge to pry her sister’s brain open to see what was inside.

It seemed life had not only failed to leave a mark on her body, but it hadn’t left a mark on her intelligence either.

Li Dongcai couldn’t understand it. The girl clearly knew she was working with Wu Jie and the others, yet she still dared to tell her about this.

“Sister, what do we do now?”

Since when were the two of them on the same side? And what did she mean, “what do we do”?

She looked at this so-called biological younger sister. The girl’s face bore the look of someone who had never known hardship.

It was a level of sheltered innocence that surpassed even the happiest girls in her class back when she was in school.

Back then, she probably would have avoided someone like this.

But now, this person was her own sister, and she felt that she ought to feel hatred in her heart.

Ming Donglai didn’t consider her sister’s complex emotions at all. Her mind was entirely occupied with the idea of saving their mother together.

“That police officer was very nice. She asked about the situation and then left secretly. You haven’t been exposed on your end, have you?” She no longer felt that anything was amiss.

“Sister?”

Dongcai had never imagined she had a sister in this world, let alone that this sister would truly treat her as one.

Dongcai sighed and said, “First, see when the death certificate can be issued.”

“I’m pushing for it,” Ming Donglai said. “The police also asked me how that family of three died. I didn’t dare say anything.”

Dongcai gave a noncommittal grunt. “Wait for the death certificate. I’ll keep an eye on the situation over there.”

“You’re leaving so soon?” Ming Donglai was truly frantic with anxiety. She had no way to tell anyone else about this.

The person in front of her was her sister.

To Dongcai, Ming Donglai was a biological sister she had only learned about a few years ago.

But it was different for Ming Donglai. She had known since she was a child that she had an older sister. She was told her sister had gone to heaven to serve as a Child Attendant for the Immortal Lady.

Because of this, whenever she encountered something frightening as a child, she would pray for her sister in heaven to help her.

Now that her sister was alive, she was someone who could save her and her mother with just a word.

In her current state of high anxiety, she naturally hoped the other woman would stay and keep her company.

“I still have deliveries to make.” Dongcai’s face remained cold as she headed out to continue her work.

Because Ming Donglai had called her over, she was already on the verge of being late for this order.

She ignored Ming Donglai’s pleas for her to stop working as a delivery rider. As she rode her electric scooter, her mind was still calculating whether she would be late.

When she was a child, she actually had thought about the question of her parents.

But once she grew old enough to understand things, once she realized the way people looked at her was different and that the red birthmark on her face terrified people, she stopped thinking about them.

She knew why they had abandoned her.

When Wu Jie found her and told her the truth, he thought he was breaking news to her, but in reality, he was merely confirming her suspicions.

“The day you were born, something came up at my shop and I couldn’t get away. I didn’t know you’d be born that day. By the time I got back, your mother was crying, saying you were stillborn.”

“I only found out this year that when you were born, you had such a large red mark on your face. Your mom asked the nurse how much the surgery would cost. The nurse told her it would be forty thousand yuan. Your mom is a penny-pincher; she couldn’t bear to spend that money. She thought that if she left you in the city, someone wealthy would find you and give you a good home. She figured they would be able to pay for your surgery.”

Wu Jie wiped away tears as he spoke, then handed her ninety thousand yuan.

She didn’t say a word. She took the money and said, “I understand.”

She wasn’t curious about why he had suddenly sought her out, nor was she curious about how a man who supposedly never knew she existed could accurately describe the psychological state of the mother who abandoned her.

She needed money. Her grandmother’s illness required better treatment. He offered money, she took it; it was as simple as that.

After that, Wu Jie came to see her often. Every time, he brought money and food, often accompanied by a silent, middle-aged man.

Dongcai had been exposed to all kinds of malice since childhood. She sensed a certain danger emanating from that middle-aged man.

But she didn’t care. Her grandmother only had a few months left anyway. If she lived, fine; if she died, that was fine too.

Dongcai couldn’t say for sure how much time passed before Wu Jie seemingly began to treat her like a daughter. He came to discuss a matter with her.

“I found your mother. She’s come into money over the years. I went to see her, hoping she’d give a little to help your grandmother, but she refused.”

“And then?” Dongcai waited for him to reveal his true goal.

“Your Uncle Li and I are furious. We’re thinking of getting a sum of money out of her.”

“And then?”

“Come with us. Then you’ll have the money to help your grandmother. Don’t worry about getting caught by the police. If it comes down to it, I’m her husband and you’re her eldest daughter. Even if the police show up, it’s just a family matter¹.”

Dongcai knew that whether she agreed or not, they were going to do it.

She went along. She couldn’t say for sure if it was for the money or to see the woman who had given birth to her.

Perhaps it was for the money. She needed money now; she was desperate for it.

The first time she saw the woman, the woman was inspecting green beans at a farm.

The restaurant the woman owned had its own farm.

The two of them didn’t exchange a single word. She, Wu Jie, and the taciturn Li Hao passed by the farm on a tricycle like three beggars.

She wanted to get a look at what the woman looked like, but she never got the chance.

After that, Li Hao wouldn’t let her go back.

Wu Jie always felt that Li Hao was beneath him. Every time he spoke, he would clap the other man on the shoulder like a boss dealing with a lackey.

Dongcai, however, felt that this man was dangerous, extremely dangerous.

She had a vague realization that she might have done something wrong. When Wu Jie and the others told her to stop tailing that woman, she complied immediately.

She returned to the hospital, handled the discharge paperwork for her grandmother, and transferred her to a different facility. She found a job delivering food to keep earning money.

Deep down, she was worried. She feared that her actions might eventually bring trouble to her grandmother.

One afternoon, Wu Jie suddenly called her. He told her to come over, claiming the plan was a success and asking her to bring some food.

What plan? A plan to get money?

She arrived at the location Wu Jie specified. She was half an hour early, a habit she had developed from delivery work.

It was a scrap recycling station, and there were no residents nearby. She vaguely recalled Wu Jie mentioning that they had discovered the woman visited a scrap yard every month, so they had partnered with the owner.

The gate was closed. From inside, she could faintly hear a woman’s cursing, followed by Wu Jie saying, “If you let her find out, I’ll kill her first.”

She waited outside for over half an hour before knocking on the door.

“You’re finally here. Daughter, your old man is about to strike it rich.”

She walked inside. The recycling station was a mess, with cardboard boxes, foam crates, and plastic bottles scattered everywhere, along with some iron rods.

Li Hao was currently stomping on cardboard boxes to flatten them, stacking them neatly together.

In the corner, that woman and her young daughter were tied up.

The scrap yard owner’s family of three was sitting at a table. Wu Jie hurriedly laid out the food and remarked, “The Fortune Teller is truly divine!”

Dongcai glanced at the so-called Fortune Teller, who said, “You two are husband and wife. It’s best not to let the relationship turn completely sour.”

Wu Jie replied, “Isn’t that exactly why I’m trying to avoid a fallout?”

As he spoke, he gestured for Dongcai and the Village Chief’s younger son to come over and eat.

“Everyone, come eat.” Wu Jie watched the Village Chief’s son organizing the scrap and felt it was hilarious. Why was he still tidying this junk? Did he actually plan to haul it out and sell it for cash? He felt the man truly lacked worldly experience.

The Village Chief’s son came over and sat down to eat.

Dongcai sat down as well, but she felt as though someone was watching her.

She didn’t look back. She knew it was that woman staring at her.

From the moment she entered, the woman had been watching her. Dongcai refused to meet her gaze.

She opened the food containers and separated her chopsticks. As she picked them up, her hands were shaking.

Dongcai felt a profound sense of discomfort. She wanted to snap, to tell the woman to stop looking!

When Wu Jie first approached her, he had given a long speech, weeping bitter tears and saying, “I’ve failed you as a father.”

At the time, she had just watched him, feeling very little. She hadn’t even felt the urge to get angry.

But now, this woman was looking at her, and the mere weight of that gaze made her feel miserable.

The recycling station smelled of rot, like a place that hadn’t seen sunlight in a long time. Her nose felt irritated, and she lost her appetite.

At the table, aside from Wu Jie, the owner’s family was eating happily. Dongcai noticed that the owner’s daughter seemed a bit strange.

The owner glanced at Ming Qingfu on the floor and said, “That’s just how she is.”

The owner continued talking about his own experiences. “For mortals like us, peeking into the secrets of heaven² brings punishment. My child was born without a soul³.”

“Then Boss Ming went looking for an immortal. As it turned out, that immortal descended to the mortal realm and took over my girl’s body. Now she’s like this.”

He began talking about the immortal. As Wu Jie listened, he asked, “Ming Wen?”

The girl nodded and said, “It’s me.”

And so, Wu Jie began chatting with her.

It really was Ming Wen.

While they were talking animatedly, the Village Chief’s son stood up.

He was a quiet person by nature, so no one paid him any mind. He stood up unhurriedly and walked back to where he had been organizing the scrap.

Wu Jie noticed but assumed he was full and had gone back to tidying the junk. He didn’t say anything.

The Village Chief’s son stood before the iron rods he had just sorted. He picked through them casually. They couldn’t be too light, nor too heavy.

A minute later, he walked back to the table holding an iron rod.

The rod was aimed straight at the Fortune Teller, who was still chirping away about his life story.

Blood splattered across the entire table. Everyone present froze. In that instant, it was as if their blood had turned to ice and their brains had stopped functioning. They couldn’t process what had just happened.

Dongcai only felt a force from behind dragging her backward. Immediately after, she caught a very pleasant scent.

“We have to run.” These were the first words her mother said to her as she grabbed her hand.

Her mother had secretly untied her ropes. Holding one child in each hand, she prepared to flee.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. family matter: Refers to the concept of ‘jiāwùshì’ (家务事). In Chinese culture and legal history, disputes labeled as ‘family matters’ were often treated as private issues for the head of the household to resolve, rather than crimes for the police to intervene in. ↩
2. secrets of heaven: A translation of ‘tianji’ (天机), referring to divine plans or the predestined path of the universe. In Chinese folklore and cultivation tropes, humans who use divination to uncover these secrets often suffer ‘heavenly retribution,’ such as physical disability or misfortune for their descendants. ↩
3. born without a soul: In this context, it refers to a body that is an empty vessel (lack of ‘hun’ or ‘po’). This is a common setup in xianxia/fantasy stories for ‘possession’ or ‘descending,’ where a powerful entity or immortal occupies a vacant human shell. ↩