Chapter 2: The Cursed Family

It was an extremely remote mining town with only a handful of households.

Whenever Chen Chengwu's grandmother was mentioned, the neighbors would give strange looks, some even cursing, "Serves her right!"

The Chen family was not well-liked.

This didn’t match the Chen Chengwen I knew—hardworking and honest.

I clearly remember one rainy day when he came back with two takeout meals, handing me one with a bitter smile. "The customer complained it took too long and canceled the order. Lost money again today. My little sister still needs medical treatment."

I found a small noodle shop and ordered a bowl of noodles, taking the chance to ask the owner about Chen Chengwu and his sister.

The owner snorted. "Dead. They’re all dead!"

I ordered the most expensive braised meat platter, sweet-talking the forty-something owner into sitting down with me.

Only then did she slowly begin to speak.

"That old hag from the Chen family was notorious for being vicious."

"Not only was she a thief, but she’d pick fights and beat people. If she couldn’t win, she’d throw a tantrum, rolling around screaming at their doorstep. Serves her right that her family line ended."

"She did have a granddaughter. At twelve, the old hag pulled her out of school and sent her off with relatives to work."

"But the girl was assaulted, went mad, and was locked up at home. She ran off when no one was looking—probably dead by now."

"Heard they got a lot of compensation money. That old hag actually seemed happy about it."

"Then the Chen boy stole his sister’s compensation and ran off. Karma, right?"

"Not even a few years later, the whole Chen family was wiped out."

"When the Chen daughter-in-law gave birth to the girl, the old hag and her family beat her while she was still recovering, furious she’d had a ‘useless’ girl."

"The daughter-in-law couldn’t take the abuse and fled to her parents, demanding a divorce. The old hag hid all three kids to force her back into servitude."

"The eldest grandson sneaked out to find his mom—got hit by a car and died."

"The Chen son lost his wife and eldest boy, had a heart attack, and dropped dead too."

"The two remaining kids grew up cursing their mother, praising their grandma for raising them."

"What else would you call them but ungrateful wolves?"

Chen Chengwu—a thief?

I’d never believe it.

When the owner heard I was Chen Chengwu’s friend, she unlocked his old house and let me look around.

With no one left, the property would soon be reclaimed by the village.

The owner mentioned Chen Chengwu was six years older than his sister. He’d left home at eighteen.

The Chen house was an old brick structure, noticeably shorter than the surrounding homes.

The yard was a mess, cluttered with junk the old woman had scavenged—or stolen.

A rundown side room stood in the corner. According to the owner, that was where Chen’s little sister had been locked up.

I pushed open the door, and a musty stench hit me. The room was barely ever opened.

There was no bed—just a pile of scattered straw.

A heavy iron chain was bolted to the doorframe. My stomach twisted. What kind of grandmother would chain her own granddaughter like an animal?

The room was pitch-dark. As I crouched, my foot hit something hard. Using my phone’s light, I saw a collar with a copper lock—the kind used to tether dogs.

I was about to toss it aside when I noticed scratch marks on the collar.

Wiping off the grime, I could barely make out the word "Mom" carved repeatedly into it.

The collar matched the chain perfectly.

It was a set.