Now in this car, driving smoothly on a country road, Policewoman Chen Jiuliang smiled and said something that gave me the shivers.
I had only known about her having a brother who was dead. She was bothering Fatso to save her brother. I used to think she was somewhat neurotic. Finding a person to save a dead person? Fatso was indeed a fortune teller, but he wasn't a god.
But now she was telling me that her brother, who was born dead, actually nursed. I trembled and said, "Are you sure what you're saying is true and not a made-up story just to comfort me, who is currently plagued by bad luck?"
Policewoman Jiuliang turned to look at me, "Do you think that this kind of thing is suitable for joking?"
I fell silent at once; what she said made sense. Pulling such a joke with her own family to console me, that would be insane, right?
But Jiuliang was now informing me of her family's private affairs; this was indeed out of good intentions to temporarily divert my attention. Since I had listened, I should also express my concern. So I asked, "And then what happened?"
Jiuliang laughed and said, "And then? At first, my mother said that after this child sucked on the breast, my father thought my mother had a mental breakdown due to giving birth to a stillborn. But when he saw the stillborn sucking, his mouth slightly opening, he was ecstatic. He thought there was something wrong with the hospital where my mother gave birth, that the death of my brother was a misjudgment. So he quickly had my brother transferred to a larger hospital."
"But at this time, the attending doctor treated my father as a fool. If not for my father's official position, he would have probably been sent to a mental hospital. Because at that hospital, not to mention the doctors, even the patients could tell at a glance that this child was a stillborn. Yet, also due to my father's status, my brother underwent a full-body examination at this hospital. The result was the same; he was a stillborn." The policewoman spoke slowly.
"So did my uncle not ask the doctor why a stillborn would nurse? Did he ask for an explanation? Fattie told me that not all things should be thought of from a supernatural perspective. What if your brother had a rare illness that was not present in medical science at that time?" I asked, showing concern.
"He couldn't, because of his status, because for the sake of his career at that time, a party member, an official, if he believed in feudal superstition, that would practically ruin his future. So uttering such terrifying words, things that even an ordinary person would say but he wouldn't, would be seen as mental illness or believing in feudal superstition. If a high-ranking official said such things, it would have a significant negative impact. So, after the diagnoses in the large hospital, he brought my brother back home."
"A child, right? Earlier, he could have terminated a lot of pregnancies just based on a palace table calculation, but since this child was so strange and bizarre, he was not wanted. However, my mother refused. Perhaps the sucking action of the child helped my mother, once quite resolute, to experience being a mother. She must have thought that her child was alive and would wake up sooner or later! At that time, my parents were at a huge impasse, but my mother finally found reasons why her child was alive."
"Or maybe, my brother, with his actions, proved that he had a reason to live. He still had no heartbeat or breath, no vital signs of a normal person, but every day my mother held him to breastfeed. Finally, from his full moon, his body began to grow."
"He was still a dead person, but he was slowly growing up."
This almost scared all those knowledgeable at that time. At my mother's insistence, my brother was 'buried,' but in secret, he has been kept at home, nurtured because he died young, and my mother, due to having too many miscarriages, had significant health issues, so she gave birth to me."
"Of course, the most ridiculous part is that according to the calculation of the palace table, I'm absolutely a boy. And my brother, that dead person, has been raised till now."
"He is almost the same age as us. Because I am living healthily, having given birth, they could no longer get rid of me, so my brother has become increasingly important in our family because he has a penis." The policewoman kept smiling as she shared her family matters.
Her last curse word exposed her unwillingness and helplessness.
When she finished speaking, I didn't even know how to comfort her. I wiped my face, then slapped myself, still unable to accept the fact.
"Later, with your family's influence, couldn't you find a way?" I asked.
"I tried, whether it was medical, or feng shui masters, I've tried many, but how many of those who claim to be grandmasters actually have real skills? Because of this, I've been deceived countless times, but I just can't stop. As my mother said, as long as there's a chance of salvation, I will pursue it, if not, it's truly lost," the policewoman said.
I was at a loss for words. I had always looked at the policewoman's illustrious family background, but after hearing this today, I felt truly terrified.
Indeed, there are many troubles in a wealthy family.
"So you asked Fatty to help save your brother?," I recalled the first time I saw the policewoman, Fatty had said, "You should still have a brother." I couldn't help but admire Fatty. It's no wonder the policewoman was so clingy to Fatty. If it were me, and someone had found out about my brother, I would have treated him like a deity!
"After thinking about it for a while, I'll ask Fatty for help. Of course, if he's really unwilling to help, I'll also ask my second uncle. He's a presence no less than Fatty. Of course, I can only try," I said to the policewoman after thinking for a while.
"You take care of your own affairs first. He's been lying there for more than twenty years, and he wouldn't care if he lies for a few more years," the policewoman said expressionlessly.
It was clear that she was deeply conflicted about her brother.
Blood is thicker than water.
And jealousy, yes, it's jealousy.
I could tell it wasn't jealousy of parents viewing their son as an heir.
She was jealous that a person neither dead nor alive had taken away her love.
In any case, the policewoman's story unexpectedly calmed my mood. It wasn't because I felt better off, but rather because seeing someone similarly miserable gave me perverse psychological balance. To be precise, it was the mutual support of two wretched souls.
So, we returned home.
At home, the door was locked from the inside. I called out twice, and my second uncle opened the door. After the two of us went in, he immediately closed the door again.
It was as if our family were doing something unspeakable.
"How's my dad?" I asked, and as I said it, my heart suddenly ached. I couldn't even ask, "How's my mom?"
A paper person, what could she be?
My second uncle glanced at Jiuliang, and with a glance, Jiuliang knew what to do. She nodded to the two of us and said, "I'll go see Uncle in the room, you two talk."
"Your dad should be fine," my second uncle sighed and handed me a note. I opened it and saw several lines of elegant handwriting.
"What you've given to me, I'll return it today."
"Since the first day we met, you've imposed too much on me, thinking it was for my good, but not realizing whether I wanted it or not."
"Without you, what's the point of my life?"
It was clear at a glance. This was a farewell letter my mother had written to my father.
"Uncle, I'm really confused now, and I really want to know a lot of things. Can you tell me?" I looked at my second uncle.
He looked at me for a long time, and we both stood in the yard.
This stand lasted for almost an hour.
Finally, he sighed and said, "Forget it, Xiaofan, it's fate. As for the details, you can ask your father when he wakes up. But from today, I can teach you to be a yin yang master."