The Missing Daughter – CH 002

Chapter 2. Look After 2

During the preparations for my mother’s funeral, I lived in the place where she died.

Every corner bore traces of her life.

If ghosts truly existed, I hoped it was her returning.

It was 2:21 AM. The outside was deserted.

I opened the door. A cold wind blew in, stinging my face.

The hallway was silent. No lights were on; I could only vaguely make out clothes hanging in the hallway and a few potted plants on the table.

The clothes fluttered in the night wind, like shadowy figures standing there.

The next moment, a chill crept up my legs and down my spine, making my scalp tingle.

This wasn’t an illusion.

The chill came from a hand.

A cold hand gripped my leg tightly.

I looked down and saw a twisted, dark figure crawling on the floor.

The withered hand, like that of a demon, seemed to be nothing but pale flesh covering bone, devoid of any real meat. Three fingers gripped my leg tightly, nails digging deep into my skin.

This disheveled, hell-crawling demon had only three fingers.

The demon suddenly raised its head, revealing an even more horrifying pale face.

I was so terrified my mouth gaped open, but I was frozen in place, unable to utter a sound. My whole body was cold, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar, until I recognized the owner of that face—it was Zheng Yurou, who lived next door.

I looked to the side. The door next door was ajar, creaking slowly in the night wind. Then, the girl on the floor reached out her other hand, put it in her mouth, and bit down hard!

I watched as blood flowed from her mouth, staining her thin chin crimson, half her face a gruesome red, a stark contrast to the pale, bloodless upper half.

My hoarse throat finally managed a scream.

She wasn’t a ghost, but her appearance was more terrifying than one to me.

Then, she twisted her arms and upper body grotesquely.

As she twisted, her bleeding fingers left streaks on the ground.

The next moment, the door next door opened, and Zheng Feng, dressed in pajamas and barefoot, rushed out. She glanced around, then looked at me and her daughter on the floor. Her expression changed drastically, and she rushed over, crying, “Yurou, Yurou, what happened?”

She helped the girl up and apologized to me first: “I’m so sorry; the child must have had another episode. I’m so sorry she scared you tonight.”

I didn’t know what to say, only belatedly responding, “No, it’s okay. Should we call 120?”

Zheng Feng checked Zheng Yurou’s condition, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at her fingers with a pained expression. “No, no need. It’s nothing serious. I can bandage the wound on her hand. Can you help me carry her back?”

She said she often treated wounds like this and always kept a first-aid kit at home. Zheng Feng didn’t want to call 120, probably because she was worried about the expensive ambulance and medical expenses.

I helped Zheng Yurou back inside. Zheng Feng boiled some water in the kettle, went inside to get the first-aid kit, and then carefully treated the girl’s bleeding finger. “Thank you so much. Please sit down. There isn’t much space in the house, but you can rest for a while. Oh, and could you please watch the water for me?”

I nodded, giving a polite smile.

Although I’d been to their house before, I’d never lingered or looked around closely. The furniture was very simple, even more worn than what my mother used. After a brief glance, my gaze returned to Zheng Yurou.

Before, when I saw her, her legs were always covered with a blanket, so this was the first time I’d seen them. Because she was wearing a simple nightgown, I could see that the muscles in her calves were atrophied and the skin was wrinkled, looking like two bamboo joints.

I overheard other residents downstairs playing cards, mentioning that Zheng Yurou had self-harm tendencies and had attempted suicide more than once, even breaking her leg with a hammer and burning her throat with boiling water, rendering her unable to speak.

If it weren’t for her mother’s tireless and meticulous care day and night, I really wouldn’t know how she survived.

After hesitating for a moment, I suggested, “Given her condition, shouldn’t we take her to a big hospital to get her checked out? Maybe it’s a mental health issue?”

Zheng Feng sighed, “We don’t have that kind of money. This child has had a hard life; she’s been fatherless since she was little… I have to work odd jobs everywhere and can’t take care of her. She was bullied at school, but she wouldn’t tell me when she got home. I was the one who found the bruises on her body, but I’m useless as her mother. Even so, people say they can’t prove which child hit her; maybe she fell and hurt herself. When we ask her, she still won’t say anything.”

Finding someone who hadn’t heard her story before, Zheng Feng poured out her heart. “I transferred her to different schools and moved, but it was all the same. I’ve never seen her happy. I had no choice but to withdraw her from school. At least at home, I can keep an eye on her, and that gives me some peace of mind.”

“The doctor said it was something like… depression, and that many children have this disease now. He prescribed a lot of medicine, but it didn’t work; instead, the child complained of feeling unwell every day.”

I sighed along with her and asked, “Haven’t you considered… abandoning her? Or finding someone to share the financial burden?”

Zheng Feng shook her head. “Seeing me with a child, especially like this, even if others had ideas, they would give it up. I’d rather work harder to earn money than find her a stepfather. What if he bullies her?”

“I’m her only family in the world. If even I abandon her, how will Yurou live? She’s still my daughter; what kind of mother abandons her own child?”

Zheng Feng’s movements were practiced; she had clearly treated the girl’s wounds many times before, better than many doctors and nurses. I originally thought I could help with this, but now it seemed I did not need to.

“The nurses in those hospitals might not have much patience for her either; not to mention, good nursing homes are too expensive.”

I heard the sound of water boiling, so I got up to help pour hot water to soak the towel. Just as I reached for the kettle, Zheng Yurou, who had been quiet, suddenly went berserk again.

Her eyes were fixed in my direction, a mixture of madness and fear in her gaze.

Strange, what was she afraid of me for?

Then, ignoring the wound on her hand, she overturned all the medicines and bandages nearby, which rained down on Zheng Feng, scattering medicine bottles everywhere.

“Don’t be afraid; don’t be afraid. Mommy’s here.”

Zheng Feng, however, disregarded being hit herself and immediately tried to calm Zheng Yurou down.

After a while, Zheng Yurou seemed to have lost all strength and finally calmed down.

Zheng Feng took the warm towel from my hand and carefully wiped the blood from Zheng Yurou’s body. I got up, said goodbye, and went home.

“Thank you so much for your help tonight.”

“It’s nothing; neighbors should help each other.”

At the door, I hesitated for a moment before telling Zheng Feng that I was leaving. “I don’t know if the landlord will rent the house next door to someone else; then I won’t be able to look after her anymore.”

Zheng Feng turned to look at me, her eyes filled with reluctance and gratitude. “You’ve already gone to so much trouble for me. You’re a good girl, really; Auntie likes you very much.”

I nodded to her. Zheng Feng didn’t say much; she knew she couldn’t keep me, so she turned back to taking care of her daughter.

Back home, as I was about to close the door, I looked down and saw bloodstains on the floor near the door.

By the light of my phone, I could vaguely make out the bloodstains, which strangely intersected to form a blood-red “十¹.”

**

I was supposed to fly back tomorrow, but unexpectedly, I received news in the afternoon that my flight was delayed by three days due to the weather.

The weather in Chuzhou City had indeed been bad these past few days.

I sighed and could only ask for another day off from work.

The private investigator sitting across from me immediately asked, “What’s wrong? Got into trouble again? We not only help find people, but we are also good at handling other disputes…”

I had little patience for him. I handed him the cash in the envelope. “No need; I’ll be leaving this city in a few days.”

Having taken the money, our relationship was now completely over.

He seemed a little annoyed by my cold attitude, but after taking the money, he pursed his lips and left.

After the private investigator left, I sat in the coffee shop, stirring my coffee with a spoon, lost in thought, watching strangers come and go, my mind replaying the events of that night.

Zheng Feng said, “No mother abandons her child.”

But my mother abandoned me…

Leaving me alone in this world.

Leaving the coffee shop, I planned to go home to retrieve my mother’s belongings. After all, the landlord would be taking back the house, and those things couldn’t stay in this cramped little room.

A crowd had gathered downstairs. I overheard their whispers and realized the ambulance had been there again.

I didn’t need to guess; it was someone who had called for emergency help.

“So pitiful.”

“That child has mental health issues. I don’t think it’s curable.”

“This constant torment is making Zheng Feng suffer, too.”

“Even if she were my own daughter, I couldn’t bear this constant back and forth. She’s really had a tough time.”

Back upstairs, I saw a potted plant lying on the floor in the hallway, untouched. I picked it up and found it withered and shriveled, trampled on several times, and long since lifeless.

I opened my door, went home to retrieve my mother’s belongings, took them to the riverbank, found a rocky beach, and burned them along with the withered flower.

The tattered dress, the shattered digital watch, and all the traces of her life that she left behind.

All turned to ashes.

I hoped my mother could wear beautiful dresses in the other world.

Although I never heard her say she loved me afterward, I thought Zheng Feng was right; how could any mother not love her child?

She just never expressed it to me.

**

The next night, there was noise next door again.

After a while, Zheng Feng knocked on the door.

I was startled when I opened it.

Zheng Feng’s face was much uglier than before. Even though she was busy and tired before, her face always radiated an optimistic and warm smile. Even when her daughter was ill, she only showed worry, never such dejection.

Her eyes were sunken, the skin around them dark, and when she occasionally laughed, it was a bitter smile, a forced, strained laugh. “I remember you’re leaving in a few days, right?”

I remembered what I’d told her last time. “Yes, my flight was delayed, but—”

Zheng Feng. “Um… could I invite you to my place?”

I hesitated. “You need something? Do you need to borrow money?”

Zheng Feng shook her head, a bitter smile on her face. “I won’t spend any more money.”

She looked up and saw my expression, realizing she hadn’t been clear, and explained. “Yurou was taken to the hospital yesterday, but this time, she couldn’t be saved… she…”

Zheng Feng turned away, silently wiping away her tears.

Neither of us spoke, but I could hear her suppressed sobs.

I knew Zheng Feng needed someone to confide in or lean on at this moment, and I might remind her of her daughter, so I replied. “No problem, I’m free tonight.”

Zheng Feng, as usual, kept bowing and thanking me.

Her home was the same as every time I visited, except this time the wheelchair was empty, except for a blood-stained blanket.

Zheng Feng was somewhat incoherent, and it took me a while to understand what she meant.

Before the accident, she had prepared chicken soup for her daughter. She had bought the chicken and other ingredients long ago, but now her daughter would never drink it again, and I was about to leave. She wanted to made the soup as a farewell gift.

I knew she was transferring her grief to me, wanting me to drink this last bowl of chicken soup for her daughter.

I didn’t refuse.

Seeing that I agreed, Zheng Feng finally cheered up and turned to the kitchen to busy herself, muttering, “This soup will take a while to make. Please sit anywhere in the house. You can watch TV if you’re bored. Yurou used to love watching TV; the remote is on the table…”

I responded, turned on the TV, and turned up the volume.

“In this lottery draw, a total of three first-prize winners were issued nationwide. One of the winning tickets was sold at a lottery outlet in this city. The winner has recently appeared to claim the prize…”

“Kepler-452b Cygnus is the closest Earth-like planet to Earth. Astronomers say this planet may become a prime target for future human migration…”

I flipped through a few channels, but there was nothing interesting to watch, so I started looking around the room.

The layout of this room was similar to the one my mother rented next door: two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. It sounded like many rooms, but the spaces were actually quite small.

I stood up and walked around casually.

Zheng Feng’s bedroom door was open. I pushed it open and went in. The master bedroom was simply furnished: a bed, a bedside table, and a wardrobe. That was all.

I opened the wardrobe. There weren’t many clothes inside, and most of them were badly worn.

I looked up at the head of the bed. Several certificates of merit were pasted on the wall above the bed, all from elementary school, bearing Zheng Yurou’s name.

It seemed Zheng Feng was very proud of her daughter, which was why she displayed her daughter’s certificates on the bedroom wall.

I calculated the time; these were certificates from twenty years ago.

Then, my gaze fell on a glass jar on the bedside table.

Inside, several fingers were soaking.

In that instant, I seemed to hear the click of the front door locking from the inside, and I understood the bloodstains the girl had left on the floor that night.

Those weren’t accidental wipes; they were words she wanted to write.

The character wasn’t “十,” but a character she hadn’t finished writing…

“救².”

Zheng Feng’s voice suddenly rang out behind me.

“The chicken soup’s simmering; it’ll be ready soon. I really like you. Stay and be my daughter; I’ll take good care of you.”

Her voice was gentle, seemingly filled with endless love, and it was precisely this love that had transformed the girl into the person we saw today.

I didn’t refuse; I just gripped the stun gun in my pocket.

How could I refuse?

I’d always envied her unwavering love for her daughter.

My mother tore the dress I gave her, smashed the watch I gave her, left me, and lived alone in a strange city, living like a rat in this cramped, filthy rented room to avoid me.

Now, she’d won. She’d gone to a place I could never find as long as I lived.

I smiled, turning to look at the woman behind me.

Zheng Feng’s face showed a moment of surprise. She hadn’t expected me to be different from all her previous daughters. Looking into her eyes, there was no panic or rejection, but the same smile as hers.

Of course, I wouldn’t refuse her. We had the same needs; I also needed a mother to look after me.

A mother who wouldn’t run away.

【Look After Chapter/End】