Wu Jiaxin’s body trembled, her teeth clenched tightly. The warmth gradually faded, and she held back her tears, refusing to cry out loud, "I love you too, sister."
Zhao Yan walked over and gently patted her shoulder.
"Sister Zhao, my sister is gone," Wu Jiaxin hugged Zhao Yan tightly and sobbed.
"Your sister is still here. She has just changed her way of accompanying you," Zhao Yan said softly.
After comforting her for a while, Wu Jiaxin’s emotions stabilized, and then the two returned to their rooms to rest.
Around seven in the morning, Zhao Yan woke up. Seeing Wu Jiaxin sleeping soundly beside her, she got dressed and quietly went downstairs.
She went into the kitchen and started boiling noodles.
For her, a big eater, boiling noodles was an economical way to eat.
A bundle of noodles for 12 yuan was enough for her to eat for three days.
Looking at the hanging wind chimes, the talismans behind them had turned to ash.
She opened the drawer, took out nine wind chimes, and hung them up again.
She opened the window, and a gentle breeze blew, making the ten wind chimes ring out clear, crisp sounds.
Zhao Yan stretched lazily and said, "Today is a good day for drawing talismans. Ancestor, please bless me with a higher chance of success in drawing talismans."
As she was speaking, Wu Jiaxin’s voice came from upstairs, "Sister Zhao, what you’re cooking seems to be burning."
"Oh my gosh!"
Zhao Yan looked at the induction cooker. Black smoke billowed from the pot. When she got closer, she saw the noodles had turned into a clump. She quickly turned off the power.
She used the spatula to scrape vigorously a few times. The burnt smell was pungent.
She poured all the noodles from the pot into the trash can and had to start cooking noodles again.
"Sister Zhao, the driver from last night hit and killed the killer. Will he be held responsible?" Wu Jiaxin asked.
Zhao Yan said, "That driver was drunk driving. I was standing next to him, and I could smell strong alcohol on his breath when he spoke."
"Even if he hadn't hit the killer, he would have hit someone else. His fate indicated he was due for a disaster."
Don't drink and drive, don't drive after drinking. Irregular driving leads to tears for loved ones.
"So, he's not to be pitied."
As she spoke, seeing that the noodles were cooked, Zhao Yan took a large bowl, prepared the noodles, handed a bowl to Wu Jiaxin, and then began slurping them.
After they finished eating, Wu Jiaxin asked Zhao Yan if she could accompany her to the funeral home to see her sister, and then make arrangements for her sister's funeral in a few days.
She also wanted to go back to school.
She hadn't been to school since her sister had her accident.
Her sister was gone, and she wanted to fulfill her sister's dream of opening a photography studio.
"No problem," Zhao Yan nodded.
She rode her electric scooter with Wu Jiaxin to the funeral home and waited at the entrance.
When Wu Jiaxin came out, Zhao Yan looked at her expression, which was more relaxed than before.
"Let's go, Sister Zhao," Wu Jiaxin said.
Zhao Yan said "Okay" and rode her electric scooter with Wu Jiaxin back home.
They arrived at the entrance of Wu Jiaxin's house.
Two police officers were waiting at the door.
Seeing them, Wu Jiaxin's face showed panic. After a moment, she shook her head and regained a calm expression.
Zhao Yan followed behind, listening to Wu Jiaxin talk with the two police officers.
The killer had been in a car accident last night, and the police were investigating his identity.
Then, they went to the killer's home for interviews and investigations. During this investigation, they found long strands of hair belonging to the victims in a drawer.
And the murder weapon, a hammer.
Wang Jiahui was the last victim. Before her, there were three other girls.
They were all from poor families, working diligently after leaving home to find work.
The killer's real name was not Wang Yang, but Li Yang.
The killer was very cunning, specifically targeting isolated victims, and choosing older residential areas where elderly people lived.
Young people with slightly better financial conditions would not choose to live in such neighborhoods.
The absence of surveillance cameras made it difficult for the police to investigate.
The killer used to be a locksmith and could open any lock that wasn't a very difficult electronic lock.
Fortunately, he died, otherwise, there would have been more victims.
"This is your sister's phone, and this should be yours. We found them at the killer's house," the police officer said, handing two phones to Wu Jiaxin.
The reason they knew was that the wallpaper on the Wu sisters' phones was a photo of the two of them together.
"Thank you," Wu Jiaxin bowed.
"No need, no need," the police officer waved his hand and turned to leave.
After receiving the phones, Wu Jiaxin walked up to Zhao Yan and said, "Sister Zhao, please open your payment QR code."
"Okay," Zhao Yan opened her payment QR code.
Wu Jiaxin scanned it with her sister's phone.
Alipay transferred ten thousand yuan.
Hearing the phone's notification sound, Zhao Yan waved her hand, "You've given too much, too much."
"You bought five of my talismans, each costing five hundred yuan, totaling two thousand five hundred."
"Keep some money for yourself. You'll have to work while studying from now on."
Although Zhao Yan had a hard life, it was much better than being in the mountains. Moreover, she had a shop, an electric scooter, and a mobile phone.
She also had savings.
After much persuasion, Wu Jiaxin finally agreed to accept the transferred seven thousand five hundred yuan.
Looking at her balance of 12149 yuan.
Zhao Yan grinned, returning to the status of a "ten-thousand-yuan household."
"Hurry up and pack your things. I'll give you a ride to school," Zhao Yan said.
"Okay," Wu Jiaxin went back into the house to pack her belongings.
Zhao Yan drove her to Jianghua University.
"How many points do you need to get into this university?" Zhao Yan asked.
"Around six hundred." Wu Jiaxin replied.
"Wow, Xin Xin, you're amazing!" Zhao Yan exclaimed.
Seeing Zhao Yan looking inside, Wu Jiaxin smiled, "Sister Zhao, do you want to come in and take a look?"
"Can I go in?" Zhao Yan asked.
"I think so. I'll go and ask," Wu Jiaxin walked towards the security office.
Zhao Yan waited for a while, and then Wu Jiaxin beckoned to her.
They entered the school, and Zhao Yan found the environment to be very pleasant.
"Sister Zhao, how did you go to school when you were in the mountains?" Wu Jiaxin asked curiously.
"I had a master who taught me. Although he was sometimes unreliable, he was very strict with me."
"Is your master still on the mountain?"
Zhao Yan shook her head, "No, he's in prison."
"Ah!" Wu Jiaxin exclaimed in surprise.
Zhao Yan didn't explain much. She glanced at the time and said, "You go to class first. I'll wander around for a bit, and then I'll head back."
Wu Jiaxin shook her head, "The second class has already started. I'll go to the third class. I'll accompany Sister Zhao for now."
"That's fine too," Zhao Yan nodded.
After walking around for a while, Zhao Yan heard a "meow meow" sound.
She stopped and sniffed the air intently.
She quickly walked forward, with Wu Jiaxin following behind her.
They arrived at the bottom right corner of the teaching building.
Zhao Yan saw a calico cat, covered in injuries, lying under a tree. There wasn't a single good spot of flesh on its body.
Some parts were burned with a branding iron, and some had wounds from being clamped with pliers.
Even more places had large and small cuts.
The more she looked, the more unbearable it was. It was clearly tortured to this state.
"Poor kitty, meow," Zhao Yan reached out and stroked the cat's head.
"Sister Zhao, what meow?" Wu Jiaxin asked confusedly, looking under Zhao Yan's hand, but she couldn't see a cat.