Mrs. Chen had a kind and gentle demeanor. She lightly nodded and smiled at Yan He, "Hello, Teacher He."
Although it was almost noon, it was still cold outside, not a place for conversation. Yan He quietly asked for her opinion, "Mrs. Chen, let's find a place to sit down and chat, shall we?"
Mrs. Chen declined and said with a smile, "No, let's stay outside, my legs are not agile, and it's inconvenient to go anywhere. I haven't been out for a walk for many days. Teacher He, can you push this old lady around the campus for a bit?" Then she looked at her granddaughter, "Guoguo, you were going to play with your classmates, right? You should go. I'll chat with Teacher He, and when it's time to leave, I'll call you."
Chen Heguo seemed unwilling to leave, yet didn't dare to disobey her grandmother, pouting reluctantly, then handed the wheelchair to Yan He. She walked away looking back three times. [I'm not sure about the last sentence, as the phrase "一步三回头地走了" is a metaphor indicating she left with reluctance or afterthought.]
He Yan smiled, pushing Chen's mother forward and asking her, "Mom Chen, how about we take a walk by the lake? It's the best scenery on our campus, but there might be a little wind. Are you okay with that?"
"No problem. Old ladies dress warmly," Chen's mother laughed.
An open space with good visibility, but it's windy in the winter. However, today the weather was clear, the sun intense, and though there was a slight breeze by the lake, it wasn't sharp, giving a hint of early spring. He Yan pushed Chen's mother along the lakeside path and said, "I've been wanting to visit you these past few days. It's just a coincidence that I was just talking to Guoguo on the phone, and you came first."
Chen's mother also smiled and after a moment of silence, said, "Teacher He, Guoguo told me everything you said to her. I understand your meaning. I came to tell you that you're overthinking. The old lady is not someone who can't distinguish right from wrong."
He Yan was about to explain, but Chen's mother gestured to stop her, and continued, "My son is a cop. With or without you, he has to catch the bad guys. It's his job, his duty. In other words, whether Fu Shenxing killed my son out of revenge or because he was afraid my son was going to investigate him because of you, it's all Fu Shenxing's doing, not yours. Teacher He, who is guilty and who is innocent, this old lady is not confused."
He Yan's throat choked up a bit and after a while, she said softly, "Thank you, Mom Chen."
Chen's mother still smiled, pointing to a nearby bench, "Let's go over there and bask in the sun."
He Yan pushed her over, locked the wheelchair, and both sat facing the lake. There was a moment of silence, the sunlight was perfect, serene and peaceful, as if all the evil and harm in the world did not exist. After a while, Chen's mother looked at He Yan, her eyes filled with pity and asked, "What are your plans?"
He Yan continued to gaze at the lake, shaking her head with bitterness and said softly, "I don't know, it's like waking up to suddenly find a huge mountain blocking the way, impossible to climb over or move away from. There's nothing I can do except knock my head bloody against it."
"What if you step back?" Chen's mother asked again.
He Yan smiled bitterly, "There's a bottomless cliff behind me, stepping back means certain death."
This was her current situation, which might be even worse, because "that mountain" could move, it could decide whether to push her off the cliff to her death, or to take a few steps back and watch her struggle to survive, like a fight against a trapped beast.
Even if she was a trapped beast, she couldn't just give up. He Yan looked at the lake, her lips unconsciously pursed, her gaze becoming determined again and said, "I can only go forward, even if it breaks my bones, I have to find a way out!"
Chen's mother nodded approvingly, asking her, "What can this old lady do for you?"
He Yan was silent for a long time, then said, "Mom Chen, whether it's Fu Shenxing or Shen Zhijie, they are both very dangerous people. Maybe you should step back, you and I are different. I have no choice but to act, but you can take care of yourself and wait for them to receive retribution. I believe in karma, he will have retribution one day."
A wise smile appeared on Chen's mother's face as she looked at He Yan with gentleness and said, "My dear, there's a bottomless cliff behind you, and there's the bones of my son behind me, I cannot step back either. I believe in karma too. However," she pointed to the sky, speaking slowly but with firm resolve, "the heavens need us to be their instruments of justice, not to stand by and watch."
The old woman's words stirred He Yan, filling her with additional respect. She stood up and squatted in front of the old woman, grasping her hands and said solemnly, "Mom Chen, I want to know about Shen Zhijie's situation in prison, the more detailed the better."
Chen's mother nodded, "I'll find a way. My son has been a cop for a lifetime, though he hasn't gotten rich, he has made a few friends."
He Yan hesitated for a moment, then reminded her, "Please be careful, Fu Shenxing is very cunning and vengeful. You should be mindful of your safety, especially in Guoguo's case, she is still too young. If possible, I suggest she study abroad first, away from here. I have friends abroad, maybe they can help."
Although Chen Heguo's departure would leave the old woman without care, they needed to prepare for the worst in their battle against Fu Shenxing. It couldn't be denied that Chen Heguo was a brave and clever girl, but she was also impulsive and reckless, such as going to meet Fu Shenxing to ask for an autograph. If she did it a few more times, it would undoubtedly raise his suspicion.
"I understand your good intentions, I will consider it," the old woman replied seriously, adding, "You are a thoughtful girl, whatever else you think of, tell me. I'm old and there will be many things I can't consider."
He Yan thought for a moment and said, "I suggest you hand over Chen's notebooks, especially the recent one, to them. And don't forget to destroy the piece of paper I wrote."
The old woman couldn't help but smile at this, lightly patting He Yan's hand and said, "A few days ago, I had the police come and take the notebooks away. As for this," she took out the note He Yan wrote from her pocket and placed it in He Yan's hands, "I'll give it back to you."
Mrs. Chen nodded solemnly and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the old lady's son is a policeman, so he knows what to do."
Hesitating for a moment, He Yan said, "Please don't tell Guoguo about the phone. It's not that I don't trust her—"
"I won't tell her," Mrs. Chen interrupted, "I will try to keep her from getting too involved in the future."
They exchanged a smile and unexpectedly felt a sense of mutual understanding. Mrs. Chen looked deeply at He Yan, as if she had already anticipated her intentions, and instructed, "Be careful, my dear. That's a dangerous wolf, a wolf that eats people."
He Yan nodded and said in a low voice, "I understand."
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