The household that had been in turmoil finally quieted down. Her sister-in-law stood silently in mourning clothes before her mother’s memorial tablet, staring at her own toes and not daring to look at the photograph in front of her.
Jing Xin cast a cold glance, thinking how ridiculous it was for a murderer to play the role of a filial daughter. Did her conscience realize its mistake? Was she afraid or feeling guilty?
She had driven a living person to death for an extra apartment. Could she spend the rest of her life at peace? Jing Xin silently questioned.
She could not imagine the despair that had driven her mother to choose such a cruel death by drinking pesticide. The horrific scene in the morgue—her mother bleeding from her mouth, nose, and ears on the stark sheet—was etched in Jing Xin’s mind, a haunting recollection that plunged her into deep fear.
The mother who had loved her unconditionally left her with a terrifying memory.
How many years would it take to forget this?
Today marked her mother’s seventh day after death. Jing Xin extinguished the lights early and went to sleep. A neighbor had told her that on the seventh day, the souls of the dead would visit their homes one last time before drinking Meng Po’s soup to forget all memories, and thus the living must extinguish their lights to avoid disturbing the spirits.
Jing Xin was an atheist.
She knew this was just superstitious talk—when a person dies, their spirit dies too. How could there be a soul? Nevertheless, she went to bed early, exhausted physically and mentally, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Driving fast and almost running through red lights, Jiang Xiangyang looked at the time on the dashboard; it was already past two. He would only call her at this hour if he had no other choice. He sighed and punched the steering wheel. Damn Tian Jingxin! He would go crazy for her one last time, but from now on, he must stay away from her. Neither of them knew that love, once it arrives, cannot be escaped. A lifetime of entanglement stems from the word “love.”
