1 Is My Father a Monster?

Peach Blossom Town, Children's Day 1992.

A spring rain had passed, and the air was exceptionally clear. The town was filled with exuberant vitality, and lotus flowers were budding in the pond. Water droplets filled the surface of the lotus seed pods, and the sun rose in the east and shone brightly.

In the cool breeze, a woman carrying a bamboo basket walked down the mountain path. Her shoes stepped onto the limestone, stirring up a small muddy pool, which gently splashed onto the woman's pants.

After passing through a bush, a meandering river appeared in front of her. The woman put down her bamboo basket and walked to the riverside. She moved a few river stones to look for fish. After stringing a few carps with a blade of grass, she placed them into the bamboo basket and tidied her clothes. The woman switched to another path and headed straight for Peach Blossom Town.

…

At the crossroad, at a small stall, Aunt Gu was selling tofu pudding. When she saw the woman pass by the stall, she could not help but turn to look at her husband, who was picking up buns. The man's gaze followed the woman as he smiled.

Aunt Gu gave a knowing smile and the couple looked at the woman with an expression.

"Old man, Chen Ji has been gone for almost seven to eight years, right?" Aunt Gu said.

The man put the steamer away and said in a deep voice, "Yes, only more, not less. But I heard that he should be able to return from the army this year."

Aunt Gu's expression froze. She sighed and said, "Chen Ji has been gone for so many years. I don't know if it's a good thing that he came back this time."

"Don't worry. The best places to train people are the prison and the army, especially the army. No matter how bad their temper is or how capable they are, they are trained to be honest. Have you seen anyone from the army who isn't a good person?" The man rubbed his noodles and said.

After putting down the bowls and soaking the chopsticks in the basin, Aunt Gu said, "Not necessarily. It's easy to change a country but hard to change one's nature. We have seen Chen Ji's temper before. When his father died, his eyes didn't even turn red."

The man shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. People have to believe in fate. Chu Wei had a tough life. When she was still very young, her father went missing. She finally grew up but she married Chen Ji. She thought that Chen Ji would die on the battlefield and she would be able to live a good life after that. In the end, he was lucky and came back alive."

Aunt Gu gave the man a look. "Shh… the girl is here."

Chu Wei carried a bamboo basket and passed by the stall. She smiled and greeted Aunt Gu. They chatted for a while before Chu Wei walked towards the center of town.

…

Peach Blossom Town Experimental Primary School.

Chu Wei had just arrived at the school gate when she saw her elder daughter with her hair in a ponytail. She was squatting under a tree by the side of the road and holding a piece of orange candy in her hand. She looked gloomy.

"Chen Yan, Mom told you not to keep buying candy. Eating too much of this is bad for your teeth. Did you eat the jujube cake Mom brought for you this morning?" Chu Wei was concerned.

"Mom, does my dad really eat people?" Chen Yan looked up and asked seriously.

Upon hearing this, Chu Wei took a deep breath and shook her head. "Your father eats pigs, sheep, and cows, but he doesn't eat humans!"

Chen Yan asked again, "Then… is my father a monster? Will he beat us to death when he's angry?"

Chu Wei frowned and looked at Chen Yan, not knowing what to say. The fact that she could ask such strange questions meant that she must have heard something from someone else.

Through the fence, she could vaguely see a few women working and laughing in the melon fields. Among them, Zhao Jinli's voice was the sharpest. "Don't blame me for not reminding you. When Chen Ji comes back, you must hide as far away as you can. Before he went to the army, he was known as the little tyrant who was invincible in the entire town. Back then, during my family's one-month celebration, Chen Ji drank too much and went on a rampage. He defeated more than ten people in one go."

"Yes, yes. When I went to buy groceries that day, I happened to pass by your gate and saw more than ten men lying on the ground. Many of them were bleeding from their heads. At that time, I was extremely afraid. When I ran home, I accidentally fell down," a woman wearing a straw hat echoed.

Zhao Jinli wiped her sweat and joked, "That kind of person is born to fight on the battlefield. If he doesn't fight for a day, his entire body will feel uncomfortable. Who knows, he might have won this battle alone with a gun."

"Don't you think that Chu Wei is quite pitiful? She has lived alone for so many years. Although her days are dull, she is still living comfortably. Now that her man is back, I wonder how he will abuse Chu Wei and the two children," another short and fat woman said softly.

When they heard someone walking over, a few women subconsciously turned their heads and saw Chu Wei passing by with a bamboo basket. Zhao Jinli deliberately said in a high-profile manner, "If we're talking about living a good life, it has to be Chu Wei. Chen Ji has been in the army for eight to nine years and the military pay is sent home on time every month. It's enough to support the mother and daughter. However, it seems Chu Wei still feels that it's too little. She goes up the mountain to pick mountain goods almost every day and quietly becomes the little rich lady in the town."