Nightmare

Chapter 13

The Village Chief’s grandson was suffering from a common digestive issue, so Ming Wen prescribed some medicine for children.

“This is the prescription. Have someone go to the town to get the medicine,” Ming Wen said to Sha Niu’s mother.

She assumed the Village Chief, who was standing behind them, could not speak Mandarin.

The Village Chief said, “Our village has a clinic with medicine inside. Go take a look and see if there is anything you need.”

His Mandarin carried a heavy accent, but Ming Wen could understand him.

Ming Wen replied, “I will go take a look first.”

She found it a bit strange. If the village had a clinic stocked with medicine, why did Li Qingqing’s family have to run all the way to town before?

The Village Chief walked ahead to lead the way, while Sha Niu’s mother and Ming Wen followed behind. Because Ming Wen’s leg was injured, she walked slowly, creating a small distance between them and the Chief.

Sha Niu’s mother estimated that the Village Chief could not hear her, so she whispered to Ming Wen, “Don’t use the medicine in there. Someone was treated to death before.”

Hearing this, Ming Wen understood why the village had a clinic yet Li Qingqing’s family still went to the town for medicine.

Ming Wen still said, “I will go take a look first.”

This clinic had been established a year ago. At that time, there was a national policy, and when the Village Chief went to the town for a meeting, he was required to set up a clinic.

Since the government provided the funding, the clinic’s doctor received a monthly salary, and the state subsidized part of the cost for the medicine.

With a clinic, the difficult part was not the medicine, but the doctor. It was unlikely that a place like theirs would have a doctor specifically dispatched from the city.

The best solution was to train someone from the village to be the doctor.

The state had considered this as well, so they organized a training session in the city, asking each village to send one person to learn.

Originally, the person from Xinghua Village was supposed to be the second son of the Li family, who had finished primary school. That boy was quite clever. However, the only problem was that the Village Chief’s youngest son was his rival. Once the son heard that the other boy was going to the city to learn medicine and would become a doctor with a monthly salary and subsidies upon his return, he was unwilling to let it happen. He told his father that he wanted to be the doctor.

The Village Chief had always been frustrated by his youngest son’s lack of ambition, as the boy spent his days idling around and causing trouble. Now that his son showed such initiative, he sent him to the city instead.

Upon his return, the Village Chief’s youngest son became the clinic’s doctor. He looked the part, prescribing medicine and giving injections without much issue.

The Village Chief had always felt that the Immortal Lady was truly protecting them, as his most wayward son had become the most successful.

Who would have thought that after only one year, something would go wrong. In truth, the Village Chief still did not know exactly what happened. A village loafer named Zhang had a fever and felt unwell, so he came to the clinic for an injection.

The Village Chief’s son did what he usually did and gave the man an anti-inflammatory shot. The man initially said he felt a bit uncomfortable, but the Village Chief’s son thought he was joking and told him to go home.

“Go back and drink more water. You will be fine after a nap.”

Since he was the doctor, the man went home. When he arrived, he told his family that the medicine felt wrong today and he felt like he could not breathe. When his family looked at him, the man had puffed up like a balloon.

They rushed him toward the clinic, but this time, he died before they even arrived.

This! Was this not treating someone to death?

In the Village Chief’s eyes, it was definitely a problem with the medicine! That was what he told the public as well.

Although the villagers accepted this explanation, they still gossiped behind his back that his youngest son had killed a man. Later on, they preferred to call the barefoot doctor from the neighboring village rather than visit the clinic.

Since then, his youngest son did not dare to give anyone injections anymore. He refused to stay in the clinic no matter what and insisted on going out to find work, claiming the villagers were all talking about him behind his back.

The Village Chief had no choice but to let him go to the city.

The village clinic had been closed ever since. The Village Chief was so anxious that he had blisters on his mouth. What should he do now? If the town officials came to inspect and found the clinic was not operating, they would surely withdraw the funding. If the superiors investigated further because of this, they might even look into the matter of his son causing a death.

This was a major concern that weighed heavily on him. The Village Chief could not sleep well at night, praying every day for the Immortal Lady’s protection.

A while ago, on the Immortal Lady’s birthday, his family had offered ten catties¹ of sesame oil, praying only for the Immortal Lady to help him through this crisis and ensure no more trouble occurred.

In the past two days, he happened to hear about Li Qingqing being saved. Only then did he learn that the Trafficked Bride married to the Zhang Family’s madman used to be a doctor in the city.

It was like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

A great doctor from the city had actually come to their village.

This! This! This was surely the Immortal Lady sending help!

Even though he was certain she was sent by the gods to help him, he still planned to test her abilities. Conveniently, his grandson fell ill, so he called her over. If she was truly capable, he would put her in the clinic.

The clinic was not large, consisting of a few cabinets, but the medicine supply was fairly complete. Ming Wen looked around the room.

On the way there, Sha Niu’s mother had already quietly told her about the Village Chief’s son giving an injection that killed a man.

“The medicine in here must be cheap, low-quality stuff they bought to save money,” Sha Niu’s mother had whispered, sharing the views of the other villagers.

Ming Wen examined the medicines; there was nothing wrong with them. They were all legitimate drugs.

She roughly understood that the man’s death was likely due to an allergic reaction.

She picked out the medicine needed for this occasion and said, “These medicines are still usable.”

The Village Chief took the medicine and asked how it should be administered. Finally, he gave Ming Wen a dozen or so eggs, saying he would come back to thank her properly once the child recovered.

In fact, the child was fine by that evening, and the Village Chief formed his plan.

The next day, he brought two bundles of noodles to the Zhang Family home to discuss the matter of Ming Wen becoming the clinic’s doctor.

Of course, he did not intend to discuss this with Ming Wen, the Zhang Family’s wife; he had to negotiate with the Zhang family.

It was the first time the Zhang family had received a gift of noodles from the Village Chief. The whole family was beaming with joy, their hearts swelling with pride at being shown such respect by a prominent figure in the village.

The Village Chief quickly explained the purpose of his visit.

“That daughter-in-law of yours is quite something. I heard she was a doctor in the city, and the village happens to be short on doctors right now. With her, everyone won’t have to go to other villages to find a medic anymore.”

The Zhang family was happy at first, but soon, the Zhang woman whispered, “A stroke of luck like this won’t fall on us. If she really goes there, can she keep living a peaceful life with our family?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the others immediately objected. “That won’t do! We went through so much trouble to get a wife. If you let her go to the clinic, she’ll be even less willing to settle down and live properly with my son.”

“Exactly. You don’t know her. She looks honest on the outside, but in reality, she looks down on our family and thinks we’re poor. She fights with my son every day. If you let her be a doctor, she’ll think she’s too good for us!”

“This isn’t just your family’s business; it’s a village matter. You should take a longer view. If she becomes a doctor, won’t it bring honor to your family as well?”

The Zhang family wanted the benefits, so they came up with a clever idea. “How about this? Let my son work in the clinic too.”

As the Zhang woman spoke, she poked her son, signaling for him to show some initiative.

Her son just sat there sullenly, unwilling to speak.

The Village Chief’s brow furrowed. The son was a notorious madman. He seemed fine when he wasn’t acting up, but once he lost it, he started hitting people. Putting someone like that in the clinic… if the higher-ups came to inspect and he went crazy and beat someone…

Wait!

The Village Chief thought of a solution. “Normally it’s fine, but the two of you can only receive one salary. Madman Zhang cannot prescribe medicine or give injections. If someone comes to inspect, you must say he is there for treatment. Ming Wen is the doctor; you can’t say he works at the clinic too.”

Madman Zhang, who hadn’t spoken until now, felt a surge of anger. “No. I’m not going, and my wife isn’t going either!”

The Village Chief wanted to argue further, but seeing signs that the man was about to have an episode, he could only give up.

When the Village Chief came out, Sha Niu, who had been eavesdropping, quickly pretended as if nothing happened and slowly retreated to her Immortal Lady’s side.

Her Immortal Lady was nearby digging in the soil, and Sha Niu’s mother was helping.

The Village Chief passed by the field and watched the doctor from the city digging. He had heard she went to a medical university, but now, with a crippled leg, she was slowly digging the earth.

The Village Chief sighed. How did a family like Madman Zhang’s end up with such a treasure?

As soon as the Village Chief left, Sha Niu told Ming Wen everything she had just overheard.

Ming Wen just listened, falling into deep thought.

Sha Niu’s mother listened along. She had expected Ming Wen to be angry, but she wasn’t. She truly looked like the Immortal Lady from the temple; no matter what others said, she just listened without any expression.

At first, Sha Niu’s mother had worried that Ming Wen would ask the Village Chief for help because she had saved his grandson.

But she looked at the Village Chief the same way she looked at anyone else in the village, with no expression at all.

When some trafficked brides first arrived, they always thought the Village Chief was an official. They thought if they explained clearly that they had been kidnapped by human traffickers, the Village Chief would help them.

The result of such actions was always a brutal beating from the husband, followed by being forbidden from leaving the house.

Sha Niu’s mother looked at Ming Wen. This young woman couldn’t be more than twenty years old, yet she seemed to know everything, while also appearing to know nothing at all.

Sha Niu’s mother couldn’t understand Ming Wen. She couldn’t see through what this young woman was thinking beneath her calm exterior.

Sha Niu’s mother began to wonder what kind of family Ming Wen had back in the city. What were her parents like? In what kind of environment did she grow up? How could she be so young yet so calm and steady?

Sometimes, Sha Niu’s mother felt that nothing in this world could hurt Ming Wen.

She was like a deity with a youthful appearance.

A wild thought grew in Sha Niu’s mother’s heart: perhaps she really was an immortal descended to earth.

Perhaps everyone in the world was blinded, and only her foolish daughter, only her Sha Niu, saw the truth.

Ming Wen was the Immortal Lady.

In Ping City, Yun Song had another nightmare.

In this dream, she had become a seven or eight-year-old schoolgirl. She was sitting in the study doing her homework. In the kitchen, her father sat on a small stool preparing vegetables while her mother washed rice. She could hear them talking intermittently about the credit union…

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

The sound was like a signal that pulled her out of the little girl’s body, and she became a spirit floating in mid-air.

She came out of the inner room, and the scene began to shift like an old photograph, the colors fading and everything blurring into fragmented images. She couldn’t see clearly what was happening.

With several loud bangs, the young couple who had been cooking collapsed to the floor. Blood pooled everywhere, and the entire house began to bleed incessantly.

Yun Song saw the little girl run out of the room. Seeing her parents, she tried to save them, but she only had two hands. She would plug one wound, only for blood to spurt from another. The little girl was too panicked; she didn’t even realize that the best solution at that moment was to run outside and find help…

Yun Song desperately wanted to help her, to stop the bleeding, but she was floating in the air and couldn’t touch them.

Captain Yun snapped awake from the dream, the feeling of distress and despair still lingering in her body.

She rested for a moment. She knew she was having these nightmares because she was too anxious, a combination of aging and the pressure of an unsolved case.

It was the same as the last nightmare; these were all vents for her internal emotions.

As soon as Captain Yun returned to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, someone immediately called out to her.

“Captain! The Hongshi Road Police Station reported a double homicide involving a husband and wife!”

The local police had already gone to secure the scene.

Yun Song immediately rushed over with her team.

The case occurred at the Scrap Recycling Station under the yellow jasmine tree in Guang Alley.

When Yun Song arrived, the surrounding residents were three or four layers deep, with many people taking photos.

“I heard the couple is dead.”

“An elementary schooler found them. That kid must be scared to death.”

Yun Song instructed the police officers inside, “Disperse the crowd. Make it clear to them that they are not to post photos or videos on the internet or in group chats.”

While the others began clearing the crowd to ensure that photos of the scene did not leak and cause panic among the residents, Yun Song went inside to examine the scene.

A police officer from Hongshi Road came over to report the information they had already gathered.

This Scrap Recycling Station was run by an elderly couple who made a living by collecting recyclables. They also had a middle-aged daughter who had moved back home after divorcing her husband two months ago.

The husband worked at a car wash and had a prior record of domestic violence and alcoholism.

Half a month ago, the family of three vanished. No one paid much attention to it at the time, as they had mentioned before that they wanted to go away for a while.

Last night, an elementary school student got into an argument with his parents and ran away from home in a fit of rage. With nowhere to go at night, he had snuck into the Scrap Recycling Station.

The young boy had intended to stay there for the night. After entering, he found a blanket and fell asleep on the floor. Being at an age where he was still growing, he woke up in the middle of the night feeling hungry and started rummaging around for something to eat.

Waste cardboard, plastic foam, plastic water bottles…

After searching around, he finally spotted a large chest freezer behind some plastic foam.

A child of that age didn’t understand the difference between a chest freezer and a regular refrigerator, so he opened it directly.

The fifth-grade student fainted from terror the very next second.

A few hours later, the child woke up. Thinking he was at home, he scrambled up in a daze, only to nearly faint again. Fortunately, this time he stayed conscious. The child crawled out while crying, screaming that there were corpses, that there were dead people…

Only then did a passerby call the police.

Although it was a Scrap Recycling Station, there were no unusual smells inside other than the stuffy air typical of a room that had been closed for too long.

The two victims were stuffed inside the large chest freezer. Their injuries were nearly identical, with fifty-five incised wounds on their faces and heads caused by a sharp instrument, making their features unrecognizable.

The elderly couple both had defense wounds on their arms caused by a blunt object.

The cause of death for both was repeated blows to the head with a blunt object, resulting in intracranial hemorrhaging.

A general sequence of events formed in Yun Song’s mind.

The old couple had defense wounds from a blunt object, meaning the killer had used a blunt weapon at the start.

After they were dead, the killer used a sharp instrument to stab their heads and faces. The killer seemed to harbor an immense hatred toward them.

Translator’s Notes