Wu Fang, as a parent, knew exactly what words would hurt another parent the most. Sure enough, she saw Yan Aiguo and the others across from her blanch at her words.
Hmph. A woman whose chastity had been ruined, she wanted to see if anyone would still dare marry her.
As soon as Wu Fang spoke, the entire apartment building fell silent.
Most of the neighbors in the building had lived alongside each other for decades, seeing each other every day. Yan Sisi had grown up there; she was beautiful, sweet, and polite. Hearing her spoken of in such a way tugged at the hearts of many, though some who had never cared for the Yan family immediately agreed, saying, “Yeah, Sisi. Since you broke off your engagement with Xiao Xu, I have a relative back in my village, only forty years old, never married, and with a good house and everything you need. Have you considered it?”
Another neighbor quickly added, “What’s the rush? If we’re introducing someone, I go first. My relative is thirty-five, lives in the city, has a house and a job, and already has three children. You’d be married and have a husband and kids right away.”
Yan Sisi’s mother had been silent in her room the whole time; her husband usually handled matters outside the family. But now, hearing this relentless stream of vicious words, from her daughter’s misfortune to her husband’s troubles, her emotions finally snapped.
She bolted into the kitchen, grabbed a sharp kitchen knife, pushed past her husband blocking the door, and shouted fiercely, “You mouths are too loose! If you can say such cruel things, I’ll help you by cutting them off!”
Yan Sisi, hearing the neighbors’ voices one after another, suddenly felt her head ring and couldn’t hear anything. When she came to, she saw her mother charging out with the knife. Shocked, her whole body trembled. Realizing the danger, she hurried after her but didn’t dare wrest the knife from her mother. Instead, she clutched her mother’s waist tightly and shouted, “Mom, put the knife down immediately!”
This knife seemed to overlap with the one from her dream where she had attempted suicide. Could it be that her family was doomed to the same fate of death?
Father Yan was also startled by his wife’s actions. Afraid she might actually hurt someone, he chased after her and snatched the knife, shouting at Wu Fang, who was already trembling and collapsed to the ground in fear, “Hurry up and leave!”
Wu Fang, startled by his voice, scrambled to her feet, stumbling as she tried to escape this terrifying scene. She wondered how she had never realized before that this woman had such courage, to actually wield a knife against someone.
Before she could get far, she ran into Aunt Chen, who had squeezed through the crowd from behind.
Aunt Chen had spent a long time tracking down where Yan Sisi’s family lived. She had finally climbed to the third floor and saw the hallway and stairs crowded with people, not sure what had happened.
She tapped the person standing at the back and asked, “Comrade, do you know where Yan Sisi’s house is?”
A curious neighbor turned around, saw another person asking for the Yan family, and pointed forward, saying, “The very last apartment where the argument is happening, that’s their place. What are you here for? You’re not causing trouble too, are you?”
Aunt Chen, startled, thought another family was about to make a scene. She hurried into the crowd, only to bump into Wu Fang as she tried to leave.
Aunt Chen stood at the front of the crowd, her sharp eyes catching sight of Yan Sisi holding a woman, while a man nearby gripped a knife. Could someone have been hurt?
She looked around but saw none of the family here, so why was the knife drawn?
Aunt Chen didn’t dare approach immediately. She called out loudly to Yan Sisi, “Xiao Yan, what’s going on?”
Hearing a familiar voice, Yan Sisi turned and saw Aunt Chen. She released her mother from her embrace and asked, “Aunt, what are you doing here?”
Aunt Chen, remembering the main reason for her visit and noting the many neighbors present who could act as witnesses, immediately said, “The result from the Public Security Bureau has come out. I stopped by to tell you.”
“What Public Security Bureau?” Father Yan asked, puzzled, looking at his daughter. Since when did his daughter have anything to do with the police?
Wu Fang, who had been about to leave, froze when she heard “Public Security Bureau.” She turned and looked at Yan Sisi’s family, sneering, “She must have done something disgraceful and got caught by the police.”
Then she turned to the stranger who hadn’t finished speaking, intending to wait and watch the Yan family’s shame unfold.
Yan Sisi tugged at her father’s hand, stopping him from speaking out, and calmly responded, “Only someone with a filthy mind would think so badly of others.”
Aunt Chen gave Wu Fang, whose hostility was obvious, a cold snort, then smiled and walked to the Yan family’s door. She happily said, “The person who pretended to save you from the water has been sentenced. For impersonation and two counts of intentional injury, he got seven years in prison. In a few days, he’ll be sent to a remote farm for reform. You can rest easy now.”
Yan Sisi, hearing that the scoundrel who had tormented her family in her dreams had been convicted, couldn’t believe it and asked again, “Really?”
“Of course. The official notice will come out in the next couple of days,” Aunt Chen said, patting her chest confidently. “If it weren’t for someone I know on the inside, I wouldn’t have learned the result so quickly. Just wait at home for the police notice, and you’ll be fine.”
Indeed, Xiao Gu’s concern had been correct. If Xiao Yan hadn’t clarified the truth about the drowning, her reputation would have been almost completely ruined. The sooner she cleared things up, the sooner she could save her name. Yan Sisi had seen many girls’ reputations destroyed, some ended in suicide, some were married far away, and even worse, some were forced to death by their own families.
Wu Fang didn’t believe any of it and immediately shouted, “You’re lying!”
Aunt Chen shot her a glance and said, “I was the one who rescued the girl from the water. How could I not know if it was an impersonation?”
Yan Sisi looked at Aunt Chen in surprise, wondering why she would say that. Hadn’t she previously claimed that someone else had saved her?
Wu Fang still refused to believe it. “Just saying you rescued her doesn’t mean you actually did. Where’s the proof?”
“I have witnesses. If you don’t believe me, we can go to the Public Security Bureau and confront the officers. You’ll see for yourself whether what I say is true or false,” Aunt Chen said confidently. She wasn’t nervous at all. At the time, only four people were present, and Xiao Gu had already coordinated with the police, they wouldn’t release the full case details.
This time, she had come at Xiao Gu’s request. All the other arrangements had been taken care of by him; her main task was simply to clarify the situation in the residential compound where Xiao Yan lived.
Xiao Yan was the person directly involved in the incident. Being rescued by a woman versus being rescued by a man were two completely different situations, and in a case like this, she surely knew exactly what to do.
Aside from her, the only other person who knew the truth was Zhou Jiajun, who was still in the detention center. Who else would dare to go ask him?
Nowadays, it was rare to find someone as thoughtful and considerate as Xiao Gu. This matter had only come about because he had actively suggested keeping the identity of the real rescuer hidden, allowing her to play the “good guy” and protect a young woman’s reputation.
It had to be understood: for a young woman to fall into a river, being saved by a man versus being saved by a woman were completely different matters.
By now, Yan Sisi’s mother had calmed down. Seeing Wu Fang about to speak again, she glared at her and warned, “Aren’t you leaving? Do you want to stay here?”
Wu Fang met Mother Yan’s fierce gaze and remembered the knife from earlier, her heart trembling with lingering fear. Still, she forced a bold expression and said, “Hmph, just wait, you’ll be begging me someday.”
With that, she shoved through the crowd and stormed out.
Seeing the troublemaker leave, Mother Yan hurriedly dispersed the curious neighbors. Yan Sisi, meanwhile, pulled Aunt Chen back inside and asked about what had just happened. “Aunt, why did you say you rescued me? Wasn’t it that other person?”
“Hmm? Wasn’t it her who rescued you? What exactly is going on?” Father Yan, who had followed inside, looked bewildered. Moments ago, the one who rescued their daughter, Zhou Jiajun, had been an impersonator; then it was this lady; now it seemed to be someone else entirely. He felt like he was going to lose his mind, so much had happened while he wasn’t home.
As soon as Mother Yan stepped inside, she met her husband’s gaze and nervously said, “I’ve been so busy lately, I just forgot to tell you.”
Father Yan shifted his eyes toward his daughter. Under his father’s serious stare, Yan Sisi honestly recounted everything she had discovered about the incident with Aunt Chen and what had happened at Zhou Jiajun’s house. Once she finished, she obediently stood still, not daring to move.
Only then did Father Yan realize how much had happened to his daughter while he was away and wondered how she had managed to handle it all on her own. He wanted to say something more but noticed outsiders were present, so he just shot her a glance and then turned to the woman who had helped them in their time of need, warmly expressing his gratitude: “Aunt, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, our daughter might have suffered so much injustice, maybe even ruined her whole life.”
“It’s nothing, I was just carrying out someone else’s request,” Aunt Chen said modestly, careful not to take the credit herself. After all, it was Xiao Gu who had done most of the work; she had merely delivered messages.
Xiao Gu hadn’t wanted anyone else to know, so Aunt Chen didn’t elaborate.
Feeling a bit guilty about what had happened last time, Aunt Chen said apologetically, “The last time Xiao Yan came to my house to deliver something, my spoiled daughter said some impolite things. I rushed here this time, but next time I’ll bring her over so she can apologize in person.”
Yan Sisi replied, “It’s nothing, sister. You were worried about Aunt Chen; if it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have been hurt either.”
In her mind, she wondered about the “someone” Aunt Chen had mentioned, the one who had entrusted her with this task. Who could it be?
“Yes, really, sister, you’ve helped us so much. Thank you,” Mother Yan said, pulling out some treasured tea leaves and pouring a cup of tea water, shyly offering it. “We only have this one daughter, and her father has been injured and hospitalized lately, so we haven’t had a chance to properly thank you. I really feel terrible about that.”
“Oh, little sister, don’t be so formal. Anyone would have stepped forward in this situation,” Aunt Chen said, feeling a bit embarrassed to stay any longer. She thought of an excuse, stood up, and said, “I still have things to do, so I’ll be going now.”
“Going already? Sister, stay and have a bite to eat before you leave.”
“No, I really have to go. I still have things to take care of.”