At five in the morning, I was woken up by the phone ringing.

The caller was my childhood friend, Lin Jiahao.

His sister had killed someone and he wanted me to defend her!

Lin Lan, I knew her, a genuine rural woman who hadn’t had much schooling.

In my impression, she was a very kind, filial, and gentle woman.

I remembered her parents were ill, and to better take care of them, she chose to stay in the village.

There were many elderly people left behind in the village;

She would often help them with whatever work she could manage when she had free time.

Whenever someone mentioned her, everyone would give her a thumbs-up.

If you told me she killed someone, I would be the first to not believe it.

But the fact was, she turned herself in right after the murder.

……

The incident happened on December 31, 2022, at 11 p.m.

The police received a report that there was a homicide in group 6 of Beijiang Village, and a local garment factory boss had been killed in a villager’s home.

When the police arrived at the scene, Lin Lan was holding a bloody knife, cowering in a corner, trembling all over.

Her eyes were full of fear and helplessness.

On the kang bed lay a person whose heart had been pierced. He was the boss of the garment factory, Jia Tianwei.

Jiahao and I went to the detention center and saw Lin Lan.

She did not show any fear but was eerily calm.

“Sister Lan, what on earth happened? How could you kill someone?”

“Is that you, Yuxuan? Will I die?”

She lifted her head to look at me.

I couldn’t help but shudder. Her eyes were lifeless, like ashes;

She did not seem to have any will to live.

“Yes, Sister Lan, tell me the truth, maybe I can help you.”

“He was a devil, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He deserved to die. What I regret is not killing him sooner.”

She became agitated, slapping the table and standing up, eyes filled with anger.

“Are you talking about Jia Tianwei? What grudges do you have with him?”

Her reaction surprised me.

“You should go home. You can’t help me. Jiahao, take care of my daughter for me. She’s the only one I can’t stop worrying about.”

A sorrowful smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

When she mentioned her daughter, her desolate gaze carried a sense of parting sadness and despair;

On her long eyelashes, a few tears hung, blinking a few times before reluctantly falling down.

“Jiahao, was it Sister Lan who asked you to find me to defend her?”

On the way, I looked at him.

“No, since my sister was detained, she became very quiet. I wanted to help her.”

“But judging by your sister’s appearance, she has completely given up on life, she doesn’t need my help!”

“No, Yuxuan, if there’s a chance to live, who would want to die, especially when she has such a lovely daughter. I beg you, help her.”

His words moved me. Yes, if given a choice, who would want to die?

“Don't treat me as an outsider by begging. But still, we need your sister’s cooperation; otherwise, we can’t do anything.”

“What should we do then?”

He became somewhat at a loss.

“Maybe your niece can help us.”

“Jiajia?! But she…”

“I saw from Sister Lan’s eyes that she cares deeply for her daughter. Maybe she is the only one who can get her to speak. Let's go, we have a few days before the trial, I’ll accompany you back to the village to meet her.”

We drove back to Beijiang Village.

When we arrived at her house, we saw a three or four-year-old girl playing games in the yard with a man;

The man had a lot of snacks in his hands, and every time the girl won, he would share the snacks with her.

They looked just like a family.