Complete Metamorphosis Manual

Chapter 8

"Really?" Wang Xiaofeng placed the blood bag on the dining table and smiled awkwardly.

"Hmm~ Hmm~" Ding Yan's "Hmm" sounded very cartoonish. "I wonder if a person's cheeks taste good!"

"Do you want some?" Wang Xiaofeng also ate a piece of pig's head meat.

"Hehe, I'm just thinking about it, I wouldn't actually eat it, would I?" Ding Yan looked up and met Wang Xiaofeng's gaze, then quickly looked away. She felt that Wang Xiaofeng's gaze was strange, so she decided to get straight to the point so she could leave as soon as possible. "By the way, does your hospital have a drug called clozapine?"

"Clozapine? It seems to be an atypical antipsychotic drug. Why are you asking about it?"

"Oh, I'd like to buy some," Ding Yan said casually, as if she wanted to buy pig tails instead of medicine.

"That's an over-the-counter drug, it can't be sold casually, why are you buying it?"

"Oh...it's nothing!" Ding Yan chuckled awkwardly. "I have a friend who has some mental issues and is terrified of going to the hospital. You know, most mental hospitals are like hellholes. He's especially afraid of being locked up, so he asked me to buy some."

"I see..." Wang Xiaofeng pondered.

"It's alright! If you can't buy it, that's fine! I'll find someone else!" Ding Yan said hurriedly.

"Don't worry, I will find what you need no matter what!"

"You're a true buddy!" Ding Yan patted his shoulder across the table, smearing his lard-covered clothes with his own.

11.

Yu Wei said that even at Ding Yan's house, he often heard the conversations of his pursuers. They were looking for him but couldn't find him, which made Yu Wei feel safe there. Although he felt safe, he still armed himself fully every day, wearing a coat and hat, maintaining a posture as if he could leave at any moment, carefully observing and listening to anything he considered suspicious. Da Mi felt that his hearing was even more acute than that of A, B, C, and D.

Aunt Mei, who had some knowledge of psychiatry, believed that Yu Wei was likely suffering from paranoia and auditory hallucinations. However, during an internal meeting, Lao You insisted that Yu Wei might indeed have some secret or have heard something, such as ghostly language. Lao You firmly believed in the existence of ghosts, and that he himself was proof of it.

Even so, Ding Yan still asked Wang Xiaofeng to get some clozapine, and had Aunt Mei put it in the food that was specially prepared for Yu Wei. If his symptoms improved, it would at least prove that he did have a mental illness.

That day, Yu Wei suddenly said that they had decided to kidnap his daughter because they couldn't find him, and he had to go to the kindergarten to visit his daughter; he couldn't refuse.

"Wouldn't you fall into their trap if you went out?" Ding Yan said calmly, drinking his fresh blood. "They just want you to leave. Why don't I go check on your daughter for you?"

Yu Wei nodded, trembling, and said solemnly, "You must save my daughter! They might kill her!" He rubbed his hands together, pacing back and forth like a caged lion, "I have a feeling that my daughter... is going to be killed..."

"Don't worry!" Ding Yan said these three words with particular seriousness, only in this way could he gain Yu Wei's trust.

When Ding Yan saw Yu Zijiang, she was sitting on a little boy and slapping him across the face, saying viciously as she did so, "Will you dare to say that again? Will you dare to say that again?"

The little boy kept saying, "I won't do it again," "I won't do it again," but the girl's blows became increasingly violent. The children around him huddled together in fear, while a few secretly ran to the school building to tell the teacher.

A moment later, several teachers ran out, grabbed Yu Zijiang by the ear, and pulled her up: "Why did you hit someone again?"

“He called my father a madman!” Yu Zijiang said confidently.

"Your father is crazy, are you crazy too?" the teacher snapped.

The little boy got up from the ground, stood behind the teacher, and made a face at Yu Zijiang: "See? The teacher said your dad is crazy."

“My dad isn’t crazy!” Yu Zijiang puffed out his little chest, looking a bit like a martyr who would rather die than surrender.

Ding Yan sighed. Over the years, the level of kindergarten teachers in our country has not improved at all. Looking at the stubborn Yu Zijiang, she couldn't help but think of herself as a child.

Loneliness, insecurity, a longing for power, a desire to be protected, and a need for acceptance.

12.

The teacher and the children all returned to the classroom, but Yu Zijiang sat alone by the slide, tears still streaming down her face. She had promised herself that if she really had to cry, she would cry secretly.

Ding Yan stood at the kindergarten gate and instructed the four brothers, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding: "Listen up, all of you! When you get inside, you'd better behave yourselves!"

The four brothers immediately withdrew their protruding tongues, puffed out their chests, and nodded.

As Yu Zijiang cried, he suddenly found himself shrouded in a huge shadow. When he looked up, he saw an aunt and four uncles.

"Who are you people?" The little girl stood up warily, ready to run away at any moment.

Ding Yan smiled, extended her hand, and wore Yu Wei's ring on her hand.

"Dad's ring? Where's my dad?"

“Your dad has important things to do right now, so he asked me to come see you!” As she spoke, she handed a huge plush toy to Yu Zijiang, then pointed to the large and small bags in the hands of Jia Yi, Bing, and Ding, “He also brought gifts for your classmates and teachers!”

"They always bully me, so why does Dad still give them gifts?" Yu Zijiang asked, holding his plush toy, puzzled.

Ding Yan squatted down, picked her up, and said, "Do you know? Most people's hearts in this world have a price; they can be bought."

Yu Zijiang was even more confused; she didn't understand Ding Yan's meaning. But when she saw her teacher and the other children receiving gifts from their fathers, she stopped crying and started smiling.

This child saw recognition in everyone's eyes.

Before leaving, Ding Yan told her, "Don't go with anyone except Dad, Grandpa, and me!"

Yu Zijiang nodded obediently: "Okay! Take this to my dad!" She handed Ding Yan a piece of paper.

It was a picture of the whole family having a picnic, including Dad, Mom, Yu Zijiang, and Grandpa. The family was sitting happily in the countryside, a scene of happiness that made others envious.

Ding Yan felt a lump in her throat; this was the kind of happiness she had longed for since childhood.

She squatted down and said very seriously to Yu Zijiang, "Let me tell you, although most people's hearts in this world have a price and can be bought, the hearts of parents and loved ones are priceless, understand?"

Yu Zijiang shook his head, then nodded.

13.

Yu Wei has been feeling drowsy lately. He yawns constantly after meals, and once even fell asleep while talking. Aunt Mei says it's a side effect of clozapine, but Lao You is very worried. Lao You says that it's normal for a normal person to feel sleepy when taking clozapine.

Old You increasingly felt that Yu Wei wasn't mentally ill at all, and that someone might really be hunting him down.

Old Mail has spotted suspicious people at the apartment several times. For example, the tenant across the hall hasn't shown up for several days, people wearing sunglasses are often seen walking by downstairs, and recently there has been static on the phone at home, as if someone is listening in.

Aunt Mei joked that he had caught Yu Wei's delusions, because it turns out that mental illness can not only be inherited, but also contagious.

Of course, the old postman already had delusions.

Just then, Yu Zijiang really ran into trouble; she went missing.

That day, Yu Wei had just finished eating and was dozing off on the sofa when Aunt Mei turned on the TV while applying a face mask. A local news report was playing on the TV.

In the news, Yu Zijiang looked very stubborn. She left a note and ran away from home.

The note from Yu Zijiang read: "I have learned the secret that my father forgot. I must find my father and tell him the secret."

Upon seeing this news, Yu Wei was instantly wide awake. He sprang up from the sofa like a spring and roared, "Yu Zijiang!"

Aunt Mei, puzzled, said, "We're out of caviar at home. We'll have to wait until tomorrow!"

But Yu Wei stared wide-eyed at the TV, his mouth half-open, yet he couldn't utter a single word.

Aunt Mei continued laughing, "Oh, this child's name is Caviar? That's a strange name." Suddenly, she seemed to realize something, "They share the same last name as you, could they be related?"

Yu Wei said, word by word, "That's my daughter!"

This is a serious problem.

If it weren't for the four brothers, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding, stopping him, Yu Wei would definitely have rushed out. Aunt Mei immediately called Ding Yan, Lao You, and Da Mi, who were at the suicide scene, to come back.

Things are getting a bit out of control.

14.

However, things really went out of control when Ding Yan and Da Mi found the fish roe can.

When they found Yu Zijiang, it was several days later. She was by the river, her body swollen beyond recognition, and she had already lost her life.

Yang Xin said that she probably died on the same day her grandfather posted the missing person notice.

The cause of death was drowning, but she still maintained the stubbornness she had in life. Her lips were pursed, her mouth contained a mixture that looked like foam, and in her small hand, she tightly clutched a photograph.

The forensic doctor at the scene said the photo could not be removed because she was gripping it too tightly and because it had been soaked for too long. It was only vaguely discernible that the man in the photo was Yu Wei.

Yu Zijiang's grandfather knelt beside the body, seemingly having lost the ability to cry. He wanted to pick her up, but felt at a loss for what to do. His trembling, withered hands slowly stroked her face through the air.

Ding Yan hadn't cried in a long time. Her feelings were complicated. Believe it or not, amidst the extreme grief, there was a sliver of joy. She was glad that she still had the ability to cry; she had thought that nothing could make her cry anymore.

"Do you know her?" Yang Xin asked.

"Yes, I've only met him once. He's a friend's child." Ding Yan took the tissue that Da Mi handed her and wiped her tears.

Yang Xin glanced at Da Mi; clearly, he didn't like him.

The body was carried away, but the old man remained kneeling there, his hand suspended in mid-air, as if his beloved granddaughter were still lying there.

The forensic doctor said the child most likely fell into the water and drowned.

Ding Yan shook her head firmly: "No! Someone must have thrown her down!"

"Why?" Yang Xin asked, puzzled.

“Because…” Ding Yan looked at Yang Xin, unsure whether to trust him: “She might know about some conspiracy…”

Upon hearing this, Yu Zijiang's grandfather stood up resolutely, his face flushed with anger: "No! She knew nothing of any conspiracy! And no one would harm her! She drowned accidentally! She wasn't mentally ill! Are you trying to say that my granddaughter was mentally ill?!"

“No…that’s not what I meant…” Ding Yan shook his head.

The old man stopped looking at Ding Yan. His gaze swept through the crowd, as if searching for someone, but he couldn't find them. His eyes were filled with disappointment.

15.

There was no way to hide the truth any longer.

For the first time, Yu Wei stood up straight like a man, no longer shrinking back or looking around.

He said, "It's time to put an end to this."

He didn't say how he found out. For years, he had been playing hide-and-seek with a group of unseen, mysterious enemies, but now, he seemed to have run out of ideas and was prepared to perish together with them.

He walked out like a hero; he wept before Yu Zijiang's spirit, his emotions running high. He regretted that he had never held her, never cherished her, never even hit her since she was old enough to understand. He regretted not rushing to the kindergarten that day to pick her up and then pricking her with his beard until she begged for mercy.

He regretted that he had only cared about escaping and had been too selfish.

From the moment Yu Wei left the apartment, Lao You instructed his four brothers, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding, to protect him and to be wary of any suspicious people around them, including whispering neighbors and police officers with suspicious expressions.

Yu Zijiang's grandfather didn't cry when he saw Yu Zijiang's body, but when he saw Yu Wei, he cried uncontrollably. He hugged him and cried, "Son... I thought I would never see you again... I've finally seen you..."

Yu Wei's face could no longer hold a wide range of expressions; he was as expressionless as a wooden figure, like a wooden figure with two springs.

"Ding Yan, do you think this old man is suspicious?" Da Mi kept handing Ding Yan tissues while whispering in her ear.

"What's suspicious?" Ding Yan's eyes were already swollen from crying. Having a reason to cry freely was a kind of happiness.

“Son… say something… don’t be too sad… Xiaoyuer is dead, the dead cannot be brought back to life. From now on, let’s live well together…” Grandpa Yu Zijiang continued to cry.

“Son… what’s wrong?” He shook Yu Wei’s shoulder, but Yu Wei remained expressionless. “Don’t be too sad about a child you found… later… later you can have many, many more children…”

Yu Wei suddenly shoved his father away, licked his dry lips, and said coldly, "You traitor! You're all traitors! You've all been bribed! This is their conspiracy, this is a conspiracy! You all want to kill Xiao Yu'er! You can't stand her dependence on me! Conspiracy! Conspiracy! You don't like her!"