I See Murders Before They Happen

Chapter 97: Chapter 95: The Nailed Skeleton

They had New Year’s Eve dinner at her grandparents’ house.

Su Miaoyi, along with her uncle and aunt, were staying there.

Her other uncles all had houses in the village too.

After midnight, everyone headed back to their own homes.

Su Miaoyi and the others also prepared to get some rest.

Ge Yu and Su Miaoyi shared a room, while Cheng Yong and Cheng Jue shared another.

They only slept for a few hours before getting up again, well before the sun rose.

The first day of the Lunar New Year was for visiting relatives to offer greetings.

Su Miaoyi never went out on these visits, but every year she would get up early with them, eat breakfast, and then go back to sleep for a while after they left.

This year, however, she didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, she wrapped herself in a thick cotton-padded jacket and sat by the stove, roasting sweet potatoes.

By the time they returned from their visits, the sweet potatoes were just about done.

Su Miaoyi set aside some for her uncle, aunt, and Cheng Jue, and divided the rest among the other children.

They all had lunch together again.

After lunch, Su Miaoyi played with the children for a bit, but she was getting really sleepy, so she went back to her room for a nap.

She had no idea how long she slept.

She could vaguely hear the sounds of conversation and the children’s mischievous shouts from outside the whole time.

After a long while, it finally grew quiet.

But then Cheng Jue came and shook her awake.

"Sis, Sis." Cheng Jue shook her arm.

Su Miaoyi opened her eyes to look at him, then closed them again. "What’s wrong?"

"Something happened next door." Cheng Jue didn’t tell her the details right away, worried he’d startle her since she wasn’t fully awake.

"Next door?" Su Miaoyi thought for a moment with her eyes still closed. "Isn’t that place empty? It’s been abandoned for what, seven or eight years now?"

"A little while ago, a few of the kids ran into their yard to have a snowball fight," Cheng Jue said. "Then one of them fell into the cellar."

Su Miaoyi’s eyes snapped open. "Is he okay?"

Cheng Jue pulled her to her feet. "After he fell in, the other kids started crying and shouting, so the adults rushed over. They quickly found a ladder, went down into the cellar, and brought the boy up. It’s probably nothing major, but it looks like he broke his arm. He’s been taken to the hospital."

"Whose kid was it?" Su Miaoyi asked.

"Our Second Grand-uncle’s little grandson," Cheng Jue replied.

Su Miaoyi rubbed her eyes. "And on New Year’s Day, of all times."

"There’s something else, something really serious," Cheng Jue added.

"What is it?" Su Miaoyi pulled the quilt tighter around herself.

The house wasn’t lived in often, so even with the fire going and the heat on, it was still cold.

"They found a skeleton in the cellar," Cheng Jue said.

Su Miaoyi stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Second Uncle saw it when he went down into the cellar to get the kid. It scared him half to death," Cheng Jue said.

Su Miaoyi threw off the quilt, grabbed a down jacket, and started putting it on. "Did anyone call the police?"

"They did." Cheng Jue watched her. "Where are you going?"

"I’m going to see the skeleton," Su Miaoyi said.

Cheng Jue just kept staring at her.

Su Miaoyi reached out and tapped him on the head. "Don’t ask so many questions."

Cheng Jue stopped asking, but still said, "It’s not just our relatives out there; half the village has come over to gawk. How are you going to get a look? They’ll definitely stop you. And what would you even say?"

Su Miaoyi paused.

Cheng Jue continued to watch her.

Su Miaoyi finished putting on her clothes and then her shoes. "I’ll go take a look from the outside first."

The two of them went outside.

The house next door had been abandoned for seven or eight years.

Some of the weeds in the yard were taller than a person, but now in winter, they were withered, dry, and pressed down by the snow.

The main building looked like it was on the verge of collapse.

She’d heard that a bachelor used to live here. After he passed away, the house fell into ruin.

Outside, it was indeed packed with curious onlookers.

They were on the wall of their own yard and at the gate of the house next door.

Even the house next to that one was crowded with people.

’People and their lifelong love of a good spectacle.’

Just as Su Miaoyi stepped out, a police car pulled up and parked at the neighbor’s gate.

The town’s police station was only a kilometer from Fuxiang Village, so they arrived quickly.

Su Miaoyi walked to the gate of the neighboring yard and peered inside.

An officer from the station went down the ladder into the cellar first, then came back up a moment later.

Several officers were talking about something by the cellar entrance.

Just as Su Miaoyi was about to walk closer, Ge Yu suddenly grabbed her.

She pulled her back home.

"Stop looking, it’s bad luck on New Year’s Day."

"Auntie, some of us aren’t superstitious," Su Miaoyi said.

"Even so, don’t look. I heard your Second Uncle say it’s terrifying in there. He said it was some kind of black magic, that the person was nailed to the cellar floor," Ge Yu said.

Su Miaoyi looked at her.

"Your Second Uncle said there were these long, black nails." Ge Yu gestured with her hands to show the length. "Several of them, pinning the person to the ground."

Su Miaoyi’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

’Why does that sound so familiar?’

"Who knows how long it’s been there? The person’s nothing but a skeleton now," Ge Yu said. "Don’t go rubbernecking. People who die like that become vengeful spirits; they can possess you."

"Auntie, don’t scare yourself," Su Miaoyi said. "Even if it really is a vengeful spirit, it would have a specific target. It has nothing to do with us."

Ge Yu said, "That’s true. But seeing how scared your Second Uncle was, my heart is still pounding. We should just hurry back to the old city district."

"Second Uncle took the car," Cheng Yong said as he walked in. "We’ll see in a bit. If we want to head back, we’ll just have to catch a ride with someone."

"Alright," Ge Yu said.

Su Miaoyi didn’t go out again. Instead, she sent a message to Zhuang Yanzheng.

’For something like this, the local station will surely report it up to the sub-bureau.’

’But... even if the sub-bureau came, I still wouldn’t be able to see the remains.’

’Not unless I have Zhuang Yanzheng put in a word for me.’

But... Zhuang Yanzheng didn’t reply.

Su Miaoyi sat by the stove waiting for his message. She didn’t get a reply, but she did get the unexpected arrival of Ji Sheng and Cai Qinglian.

A Maybach pulled up and stopped at the gate.

All the relatives rushed out to greet them.

Su Miaoyi didn’t feel like moving.

Cheng Yong and Ge Yu didn’t go out either.

Cheng Jue, sitting beside Su Miaoyi, said, "Why are they here?"

"Shut your mouth," Cheng Yong said. "That’s rude."

Cheng Jue fell silent.

Su Miaoyi exchanged a look with him. Neither of them spoke.

They were relatives in name, but they hardly ever saw each other.

Ji Sheng’s father and Cheng Yong’s mother shared a grandfather, making them paternal first cousins.

In reality, as time went on, the family ties had grown quite distant.

Back when Ji Sheng’s political career was taking off, he had cut off contact with almost all of these relatives.

Later, when he went into business with the Cais’ backing, he knew even less about who these relatives were.

’But now he remembers how to visit his relatives.’

Surrounded by the crowd of relatives, they were ushered into the house.

Cheng Jue stood up.

Su Miaoyi glanced at Ji Sheng and Cai Qinglian but didn’t move.

Cai Qinglian’s smile nearly faltered. She walked over. "Miaomiao, we agreed you’d come home for the New Year, and then we’d come visit together on the first. But look at you, you insisted on coming early. You’re still closer to your uncle and aunt."

"My uncle and aunt raised me for so many years. Of course I’m closer to them." Su Miaoyi didn’t even look up. "Besides, who agreed to that with you?"

Cai Qinglian was left speechless.

Su Miaoyi added, "I can’t help you with your problem. Please leave. And try not to ruin my grandparents’ floor with those high heels of yours."

...

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