Chapter 23: Two Madwomen

“Why do you think the village chief did this? Without a word, he locked his wife and daughter in a sealed dark room. Inside, there were also some pangolin carcasses and the remains of unknown animals. Uncle Tao invited Grandpa Dong over. Could it be that he confined his wife and daughter in that dark room all to try and cure his youngest son's mental disability?”

Jiang Cha pursed her lips, her eyes growing colder.

Song Yingjie had rushed back this morning, and before he even had a chance to sit down and have a drink, he was told about the village chief’s deeds.

Without pause, Song Yingjie hurried to the village committee office.

He saw the village chief tied up tightly and thrown on the ground, while Tao Zhiyong and several others comforted two women, both clearly disoriented.

Song Yingjie was stunned. He looked at Fei Xiaqing, his face full of surprise.

He still remembered when he first became a sent-down youth, he had met Fei Xiaqing a few times.

Back then, Fei Xiaqing was in her early twenties, in the prime of youth, beautiful and kind, always smiling at everyone.

But within just a few years, the village chief said Fei Xiaqing had run off with Feng Ruilin and some wild men.

After so many years, seeing Fei Xiaqing again, she no longer possessed her former radiant appearance.

“What… what’s going on here?”

Tao Zhiyong sighed and pulled Song Yingjie aside to speak quietly.

“Don’t mention it. Last night, I received a report from Song Bo and rushed over immediately. I saw the village chief almost chopping several kids. After I caught him and searched his house, we found a secret room where these two women were kept, along with piles of animal bones.”

Tao Zhiyong gestured toward the various bones laid out on the table.

Besides the pangolin carcasses, which seemed to have died not long ago, the rest were only white bones, probably from animals dead for a long time.

Dong Zhengyu was expected to arrive soon. Unexpectedly, just a few days after he left, trouble arose again.

“Uncle Tao! Uncle Tao! What’s happening?” Song Yang shouted as he stepped inside.

Pushing open the door, he was startled at the sight of Fei Xiaqing and Feng Ruilin, looking neither fully human nor ghostly, which made his heart jump.

He cautiously approached to within ten paces of them.

Fei Xiaqing’s eyes were vacant, muttering to herself, while Feng Ruilin’s gaze was unfocused, showing no interest in anything.

Jiang Cha knew immediately—these two had lost their sanity.

Looking again at the white bones on the table, a dark suspicion crept into her mind.

***

Not long after, Dong Zhengyu appeared hurriedly, supported by a young man, with Zhong Jialin and Deng Yixiang rushing in behind.

They were shocked by the scene and clung tightly to Jiang Cha.

Song Yingjie saw that almost everyone had gathered.

The most urgent matter now was to identify the bones on the table.

They didn’t look like human bones but more like those of various animals.

Song Yingjie stepped forward to steady Dong Zhengyu. “Please, take a look and tell us what these bones are.”

Dong Zhengyu was dusty and weary from travel. He had returned to the provincial capital just days ago, planning to fly back to Beicheng.

His plane ticket was already booked but a phone call summoned him back.

There were still research projects awaiting him in Beicheng, so he sent everyone else home and had his young grandson escort him here.

The call from Tao Zhiyong was urgent and frightening; Dong Zhengyu didn’t trust anyone else with this matter.

Supported by his grandson, he made the journey himself.

Now, seeing the stark white bones and some pangolin carcasses on the table, he took out his reading glasses and examined them carefully.

“Don’t worry, let me take a look first.”

Suddenly, Feng Ruilin grew agitated, waving her arms wildly and shouting, “Peacock… eating peacock… eating pangolin… eating tiger…”

Jiang Cha was startled and quickly stepped back.

Tao Zhiyong stepped forward and, without much effort, restrained Feng Ruilin and pressed her into a chair.

He then turned around, looking troubled as he addressed the group. “These two are mad—probably traumatized by something.”

Then, with a harsh glare at the bound village chief on the ground, he demanded, “Do you have anything to say? Did you imprison your wife and daughter?”

The village chief lay on the floor, sneering contemptuously. “That shameless woman, consorting with wild men outside, never repenting, utterly disgraceful!”

“And Feng Ruilin? She’s your own daughter!” Song Yingjie asked coldly, disbelief on his face.

Could anyone really be so heartless?

Hearing this, the village chief writhed wildly on the ground.

“She’s not my daughter! She’s that woman’s bastard with another man!”

What?

The crowd was shocked. How could that be? Feng Ruilin was clearly his spitting image.

“How do you know she’s not your daughter, but born of Fei Xiaqing and another man?”

The village chief sneered, stubbornly turning his head away and refusing to speak.

Seeing his defiant attitude, no one knew what to do.

Jiang Cha made a bold guess and looked at the village chief. “Is all this because of your son’s mental disability?”

Song Yang chimed in confidently, “Think about it—eating peacock can’t possibly cure mental illness. If you don’t die from it, that’s already a miracle.”

The village chief lay still, but a cold smile curled from the corner of his mouth.

“You children don’t understand. It’s not just eating peacock—there’s a secret recipe…”

“What secret recipe?” Jiang Cha pressed on.

Realizing he had said too much, the village chief immediately shut his mouth, closed his eyes, and feigned death.

“I’ve examined them!” Dong Zhengyu spoke up, taking off his glasses.

Song Yingjie hurried forward. “Well? What are they?”

Dong Zhengyu’s face grew grave and serious.

“Except for these pangolin bones, which have been dead for over a month, the rest have been here for over a year. This one is a peacock bone. This is a tiger’s leg bone. That one is a snake bone. These tiny bones probably belong to some kind of bird, but to determine exactly which, we’d need precise instruments.”

Everyone was dumbfounded, but seeing how unrepentant the village chief was, Tao Zhiyong decided to take him back to the provincial capital for thorough interrogation.

Fei Xiaqing and Feng Ruilin were placed by Women’s Federation director Qi Yu in an empty house, with caretakers checking on them from time to time.

Song Yang whispered, “I have a feeling the village chief isn’t simple. Someone must be behind this, pulling the strings.”

Jiang Cha nodded coldly, but before the truth came to light, it was best to act cautiously.