Chapter Three: The Human Heart Is a Mystery

In short, during that period I felt I was doing quite well on my own without relying on anyone. It seemed that the so-called adult world and society weren't as tough as people said. I thought I'd go back to Jimo and show off a little, let them see I was somebody now—at least to some extent—ha.

The next day when I returned to Jimo, something unexpected happened. My stepmother, Zhang Songyan, wasn't there. My father was home alone, drinking. He finished his drink without saying much, just mentioned he was going out for some air, to take a walk.

I didn't think much of it and went to take a shower. The place we were renting was basic—the bathroom and toilet were both crude, draughty from all sides. While I was squatting down to relieve myself, Zhang Songyan came back, shiftily carrying several large bags. She took them out and handed them to a friend, then left with that person. About an hour later, I left too. As I was leaving, I tossed my cigarette butt into the trash can—never expecting that it would start a fire that burned down the entire courtyard!

That afternoon, my father called me over to the rented courtyard. The moment I walked in—my god—everything had been burned to ashes, still billowing with white smoke.

The police and fire department arrived. There were two groups of police, each for a different reason: one because someone reported a theft, the other because a neighbor reported the fire.

It all converged. The situation was strange, so they opened a case for investigation.

A police officer asked my father, “Did you rent this place?”

My father replied, “Yes.”

The officer asked, “Who was home today? Did anyone come by?”

My father said, “Just me and my son. I didn’t see anyone else.”

The officer pressed, “Are you sure?”

My father said, “I just had a meal and a few drinks. I was here for a couple of hours.”

The officer turned to me, “Did you see anyone come by?”

I answered, “Yes.”

He asked, “Who?”

I replied, “My stepmother. She came, took some things, and left.”

The officer asked, “Where did you see this?”

I said, “I was on the toilet and saw her.”

He asked, “Which one is your stepmother?”

I said, “Zhang Songyan.”

Right away, the officers sensed something was off. One said to the other, “Captain, this isn’t right—the one who reported the theft was also Zhang Songyan, and she said she hadn’t come back at all!”

The captain thought for a moment and said, “Maybe she’s playing both sides. That happens.”

He asked my father, “If her things were stolen, does she need to buy them again? Is she going home or leaving town? The report says she lost all new clothes, jewelry, and twenty thousand yuan in cash.”

My father replied, “We did have those things, but she was planning to go up to the northeast to see her daughter. Whether she’s coming back or not, I don’t know.”

At that moment, Zhang Songyan happened to walk in while talking on the phone outside. She asked my father, “What do you mean? What do you mean you don’t know if I’m coming back? Explain yourself!”

Two officers stopped her. “This doesn’t concern you. Don’t interfere with our investigation.”

My father lost his temper: “She’s seeing other men—more than one. She’s wanted out of this marriage for a long time.”

Before the police could respond, Zhang Songyan started yelling at my father like a shrew, throwing accusations as if she were the wronged party.

The police immediately restrained her and took her to the squad car.

Given the current situation, the main suspect, the one who reported the crime, the arson, and the theft—all the evidence pointed toward Zhang Songyan. Wanting to leave with as much as possible, she tried to ruin my father, burdening him with huge compensation, venting her resentment, and making sure he couldn’t trouble her again…

This line of reasoning made sense, but it was still just suspicion—the police needed more evidence. So I was also taken to the Tongji Police Station. After a long afternoon of questioning, it was nearly midnight before they finally let me go. It scared the hell out of me, to be honest. After all, the fire was probably caused by the cigarette butt I tossed. I almost got dragged down with it. That was close… God, that was terrifying…