Wang Ya shouted, “Second Uncle!”
Wang Chengwei said, “Grandma’s chickens, ducks, pigs, and the family dog are all dead. Grandma’s missing too. Your dad’s searching everywhere. Looks like burglars hit your place. I’m heading over with some guys right now. Don’t panic—family’s got it. Grandma might’ve hidden from the thieves. You know your grandma; back in the day, she kicked Grandpa from the yard right into the field outside!” He half-jokingly comforted her.
Wang Ya said, “Second Uncle, I offended someone here recently. The rental contract was stolen a few days ago. I suspect they got my ID info and tracked us home.”
Wang Chengwei cursed on the phone: “Son of a bitch!” Then hurriedly added, “I’m taking men over now. I’ll keep Cheng’an at the Police Station!”
Wang Cheng’an was her mentally disabled dad’s name. Wang Ya replied, “Okay. Thanks, Second Uncle.” She felt it was safer to leave her dad at the Police Station than at Second Uncle’s house.
Fortunately, there were many flights to Chengdu. Wang Ya bought a ticket for the next one.
Check-in, security, and baggage fees took time, and the flight was delayed. By the time she reached Chengdu, it was afternoon. It was still several hours’ drive from Chengdu to her hometown. Chengdu taxis only agreed to take her to the County Town, not the township. Wang Ya took a taxi to the County Town first, arriving in the evening. She switched to another taxi and reached the Nearby Town around nine at night.
She kept in touch with Second Uncle the whole time and got bad news: Grandma was missing. They’d searched the entire village without finding her. Her house looked ransacked like by thieves, and the yard was covered in blood. The Police Station had collected samples and sent them to the city for testing.
Wang Ya had the taxi stop at the Police Station entrance. She rushed inside straight to the lit room on the second floor, where she saw a clean-cut man hunched over his desk eating noodles, with a woman in her thirties sitting beside him.
Wang Ya called out, “Second Aunt!” and walked toward the man eating noodles.
The man jumped up joyfully at the sight of her and shouted, “Yaya!” The 1.78-meter-tall man spread his arms and bear-hugged her, bouncing happily as he squeezed tight. Though her dad had the intellect of a seven- or eight-year-old due to his disability, he was naturally strong. The hug nearly crushed her bones and squeezed half the air out of her.
Wang Ya’s face turned red from being squeezed. She yelled, “You gonna finish those noodles or not? If not, I’ll dump them!”
Wang Cheng’an quickly let go and dashed back to his chair, clutching the bowl and devouring the noodles like someone might snatch them away.
The woman in the room said, “Good thing you’re back, Yaya. Your Second Uncle and the village folks insisted I stay here guarding Cheng’an in the office instead of taking him home. Have you eaten? Come on, I’ll cook you a bowl of noodles.”
Wang Ya said, “Second Aunt, I need to head home now. Help me call a motorcycle taxi.” As she spoke, she saw her cheap dad had finished the bowl and proudly lifted it to show her the empty bottom without a drop of soup left. “Yaya, look! Bowl for you—take it and dump it! Hehehe!”
Wang Ya snatched the bowl from his hands and said, “Let’s go home.”
Folks in the township went to bed early. By nine-something at night, almost everyone was asleep. The streets were deserted with no motorcycle taxis running. Second Aunt made a few calls and got one for her.
The driver was local too and seemed to have heard about the incident. He said several police from town had gone over and asked what happened at their house. He’d heard from villagers that all the livestock died, and it was revenge because Wang Ya had offended someone outside. He curiously asked who she’d offended.
Wang Ya shot back, “Have you ever seen someone out for revenge who doesn’t kill you on the spot but goes to your hometown to harm your family instead?” She had Wang Cheng’an get on the motorcycle. He complained he wasn’t full and wanted two more bowls of noodles.
Wang Ya snapped, “I’ll cook when we get home.”
Wang Cheng’an haggled, “With two eggs!”
Wang Ya roared, “Three!”
Wang Cheng’an agreed instantly, climbed on happily, and yelled, “Drive fast!”
Wang Ya’s eyes welled up with angry tears, on the verge of crying.
The motorcycle sped along. The 2.5-kilometer road to the village took just two or three minutes. Since her house wasn’t on the village road, it struggled over a few dirt paths between fields to reach them.
No lights were on at home, only faint candlelight from the yard and murmurs of conversation. Police tape cordoned off the yard. A tall, burly man paced outside it. Spotting Wang Ya, he approached and said, “Ya’er, you’re back! I heard your Second Aunt was murdered—no body even found. House ransacked too. Robbery? Your Second Aunt saved a lot of money her whole life. Do you know where she kept it?”
Wang Ya bellowed in fury, “Get lost!” Then the yard gate opened, and Second Uncle emerged with a young man in police uniform.
Second Uncle Wang Chengwei shouted at the sight of her, “Yaya’s back!” Then roared at the man who’d spoken to her, “Big Brother, aren’t you going home to sleep?”
From afar, a shrill woman’s voice rang out: “Oh, my daughter’s back!”
Wang Ya felt a surge of blood to her head, nearly spitting up old blood. Her silly dad Wang Cheng’an shot the man a glare, spread his arms to block the gate, and declared, “Wang Chengzhi, Mom said you’re not allowed in our house!” He stood there in a big X shape, determined not to let the man in.
☆、
