I decided to go to Xilong.

The next morning, I took leave from school and set off. To get to Xilong, I had to first

take a high-speed train to Qinghe. After a series of travel methods including high-speed train, long-distance bus, and motorcycle, I arrived at Baimen Village around four in the afternoon.

Baimen Village is nestled among the mountains and comprises three natural villages; Fengshuzui is the deepest one. The entire village was in ruins, with nine out of ten houses abandoned. The motorcycle taxi driver who brought me to the village entrance left his phone number, saying I could contact him for the return trip.

I identified the house numbers one by one, occasionally passing elderly residents. The surroundings were very quiet, with only the rustling sound of leaves in the wind. My heart was pounding quickly, and sporadic azaleas were blooming alongside the road.

The village path meandered with the mountain's contour, and after passing a half-collapsed mud house, my eyes were greeted by a sea of blazing red azaleas—it was like a dream.

The red-tiled brick house at the base of the hill was No. 8 Fengshuzui. The house stood there, solitary and dilapidated, looking like an old woman in her twilight years. The wooden door was ajar; I pushed it open and was instantly enveloped by a damp, moldy smell—it must have been uninhabited for a long time. The square table in the main hall was covered in dust, and there was a portrait set on it. Was it my grandfather?

A small cup was filled with alcohol, accompanied by three incense sticks, burning slowly with tendrils of smoke. I moved silently like a cat, passing through each room. There was no one inside, but the back door was open. Not far away stood a small wooden house surrounded by blooming azaleas. My grandfather was a butcher, and that must have been his workplace.

I took a deep breath and walked toward the house, feeling for a moment that I had stepped into my own dream. A dream that had haunted me for years—of bones, azaleas, and endless sorrow.

But this was reality! Stripped of the dream's filter, only terror remained.

Faint voices came from inside the house.

"... They should... die... Jun is mine... you all deserve to die..."

I wanted to turn and run, but I couldn’t control my legs. The door was open, so I walked in.

My mother had her back to me, holding something in her hand and muttering to herself. Aimo lay on the ground, barely breathing. Blood was everywhere, shocking to the eyes and suffocating me with its stench, making me tremble all over.

At that moment, my mother turned and saw me.

"Yuqing? My sweet daughter, come help your mom! There's too much blood." My mother's hair was disheveled, her face almost frenzied, her hands covered in blood, dripping onto the floor. I saw clearly that she was holding a lighter.

My stomach convulsed, my scalp tingled, and my hair stood on end. I rushed straight to Aimo. She was soaked, and it was alcohol. Only then did I notice the open barrels of wine near the wooden shelves. There were nearly ten such barrels around the room.

"What are you trying to do?" I screamed.

"There's too much blood. I can’t handle it… ever since that day… you know human skin is so thin, really thin! My hands tremble when I hold a knife, I'm afraid of cutting you! I'm afraid I'll kill you!" My mom said.

Aimo wriggled, groaning faintly.

"Mom—what are you talking about? Aimo just wanted to find her mom!"

"She seduced Jun, she deserves to die! She came here herself! Of course I can help her meet her mom, of course!" My mom suddenly let out a shrill laugh, her eyes crazed and fierce. "When she's dead, mother and daughter will be reunited! Look," she gestured toward a short table behind me, "Bai Yien died right there."

"Does Bai Yien also deserve to die?"

"She brought it on herself." My mom's tone was cold, "I didn’t ask her to comfort me nor did I plead for her to take me back to Xilong. That woman, so naïve and foolish! She went to Qinghe train station herself, said she was afraid I might kill myself after fighting with Jun. Ha! How could I? How would I! Nobody can separate us, not even death!”

"You didn’t go back to Xilong because of a fight with Bai Jun!”

“My dear daughter, your mom worked so hard to get you. It was extremely hard." My mom approached step by step, the lighter in her hand clicking.

“Why did you kill Aimo’s mom?” I shielded Aimo behind me, my whole body trembling, as was my voice.

“Do you know how hard it is to take care of a 35-week preemie! You stayed in the incubator for 20 days, almost dying, but I couldn’t let you die. You know what the Bai family people were like, I had no choice. I had to have a child! It’s easy to fake a pregnancy for over two hundred days! But the belly has to turn into a child! Every minute and every second of those two hundred days, I thought of every way—stealing, robbing, buying, you think I never tried? They were all impossible! I almost gave up, but then Bai Yien appeared, ha ha ha… She returned to the village with me, her belly big. God gave me one last chance, I had to have a child! I had to—”

My mind was in disarray, feeling like I was in the darkest nightmare.

“Get the baby out of her belly!”

My vision turned black, I nearly fainted, swaying to stand firm, crying out loud for Aimo, but there was no response. At that moment, my mom had already ignited the lighter, and I gathered all my strength and rushed at her.

We struggled together, crashing into the wooden shelves by the wall, items scattering on the ground, a heavy iron pot hitting us hard. The pain in my shoulder and back made me gasp, but there was no time to rest. I heard the shattering of the wine barrels, the strong aroma of alcohol filling the air instantly.

My mom laughed hysterically, “Jun is mine, she deserves to die—” The lit lighter flew towards Aimo, and I screamed as I saw the flames engulf her in an instant.

“No—” I rushed over madly, trying to put out the fire with my jacket, but the entire room filled with alcohol made the blaze uncontrollable. The flames roared, smoke filled the room, everything burned—wine, the wooden table, shelves, my jacket, Aimo, and my mom.

I fled the wooden house in a panic, flames soaring, hearing my mom’s screams faintly amidst the crackling sounds.