The fact that my mom had killed someone was discovered two years ago.

At first, I didn't believe it and even grabbed onto the police car, refusing to let it go.

My younger brother has a slight communication disorder, but he is not mentally ill as others say. That day, he was crying and calling for mom just like I was; he was just a normal kid.

However, every time he went to school, he was called mentally ill.

Over time, we even noticed the marks of beatings on his body.

When my mom was around, if she saw my brother being bullied, she would go to school to talk to the teachers. Those who bullied my brother each had been taught a lesson by my mom.

My dad was useless; he used to have a mental illness, so no one took his words seriously and often deceived him.

After my mom was taken away, my brother stopped going to school, and I took over tutoring him.

As for my dad, people said he was sick and avoided him.

Later, there was a labor-intensive job in the village, and someone called my dad to help.

My dad was very happy, saying they asked him to help, considering him a friend. He went joyfully and never came back.

The truck malfunctioned, and he was crushed to death under it.

The person who brought him back said it was because his mental illness relapsed. He didn't pull the handbrake when parking, and the truck rolled back, dragging him under. Because my dad was considered mentally ill, they didn’t seek compensation for the load that was lost.

My dad was not an unmarried woman nor a child who died young, yet he wasn’t cremated and was casually buried on a hillside.

It was a "feng shui treasure spot" chosen by a so-called witch.

I

took my brother, clutching twenty yuan, and after several bus transfers that took a whole day, we went to the prison to visit my mom.

At first, my mom didn't want to see us.

She agreed to come out only after she heard my dad was dead.

She asked me how my dad died.

My brother haltingly told her.

After listening, my mom didn't say much, only repeated "the witch" twice.

I asked her if she really killed someone.

She admitted it very straightforwardly and then told me that she had killed a bad person. She said if we didn't believe her, she would be released soon.

She also reminded me that since my dad was dead, I was the family’s pillar now and should take good care of my brother.

I was a bit confused and asked her, "Can a girl also be the pillar of a family?"

My mom cursed first before continuing, "Of course! In our family, the pillar is also a woman; it’s me, your mom! Look at your deadbeat dad; can he hold up the sky?" Her eyes reddened as she spoke, but she quickly turned her head, so I couldn't be sure if she was crying.

Later, my mom was really released.

Maybe she indeed only killed bad people.

If she killed bad people, she should be a hero.

But why was she still taken away?

If she had come home earlier, maybe my dad wouldn't have died, and my brother's condition wouldn't have worsened.

I'm not strong enough to be the pillar of the family.