Chapter Twenty-One: A Web of Doubts

“Grandma Yang, do you still remember me?”
Grandma Yang’s neck lifted slightly; perhaps it was pain, perhaps surprise. Her face twisted into a complicated expression as she looked at Yin Nian, her eyes wide open. The murky gaze seemed to recede like a tide, allowing a glimmer of light to appear.
“Grandma Yang, my name is Yin Nian. I was the one who saved you on the mountain road. Do you remember?” Yin Nian read a hint of compassion and sorrow in Grandma Yang’s eyes—not hatred or anger—which gave Yin Nian hope. It seemed Han Duoduo’s investigation was correct: Grandma Yang was not a “bad person.”
A raspy “ah ah” sound rumbled from Grandma Yang’s throat. She pointed to her neck, then to her mouth.
“You… can’t speak?” Yin Nian was a bit shocked. Han Duoduo’s investigation hadn’t mentioned Grandma Yang being mute, and the police had recorded her statement; did she speak sign language, or write?
“Uh… uh…” Grandma Yang struggled to make a sound, but still no words came.
“You’re injured? Your throat is hurt, isn’t it?” Yin Nian asked tentatively.
Grandma Yang nodded, her anxious expression easing.
“I’m Yin Nian. Do you know me?” Yin Nian could only communicate through simple questions now.
Grandma Yang nodded, her eyes fixed on Yin Nian.
“I was driving at the time. You were lying on the mountain road, covered in blood. I saved you and took you to the hospital. Do you remember?”
Grandma Yang stared blankly for a moment, her gaze drifting away to the other side.
“Then your children came. They said I hit you, demanded compensation, and wanted me jailed. Do you know about this?” Yin Nian pressed on.
Grandma Yang’s gaze wandered into emptiness, unfocused, as if her thoughts were drifting somewhere far away.
Yin Nian sensed something was wrong with Grandma Yang’s state. She raised her voice: “Grandma Yang, what’s wrong? Can you hear me?”
Grandma Yang’s eyes slowly returned to Yin Nian, her expression tangled. A series of “uh uh” sounds escaped her throat. Her back arched, arms twisted as she struggled to sit up, but it was clear her lower body was injured and she couldn’t manage it. Yin Nian wanted to help, but Grandma Yang suddenly relaxed, gasping for breath, her face flushed red.
Yin Nian felt Grandma Yang had something to say and was emotionally agitated, but it wasn’t anger—it was a pain that could not be spoken.
“You know I didn’t hit you, right?” Yin Nian asked.
Grandma Yang stared fixedly at Yin Nian, motionless, as if the earlier burst of energy had drained her completely.
Grandma Yang’s silence made Yin Nian increasingly anxious. She thought desperately: Just nod, please nod…
But Grandma Yang neither nodded nor shook her head. She simply stared at Yin Nian, her gaze gradually losing focus, as if her consciousness was receding, as if she herself was fading away.
“What’s wrong?” Yin Nian, desperate, shook Grandma Yang’s shoulder. Accidentally, she dislodged the needle on the back of Grandma Yang’s hand. Hastily, she tried to reinsert it but failed, and a small stream of thick blood seeped out from Grandma Yang’s vein.
Perhaps the pain brought Grandma Yang’s awareness back. Her eyes suddenly fixed on a water cup on the table, half-filled. Her expression was complex, filled with suffering, panic, and fear, as if she saw not a cup but a ravenous beast.
Yin Nian looked at the cup as well, not understanding Grandma Yang’s intent. She thought Grandma Yang was thirsty and handed her the cup. Suddenly, Grandma Yang’s wrist flicked, sending the cup crashing to the floor where it shattered. Grandma Yang let out a hoarse cry, forcing out several indistinct syllables: “Don’t… don’t…”

After smashing the cup, Grandma Yang’s emotions grew even more agitated. She twisted her arms and tried once more to sit up.
Yin Nian sensed trouble and was about to step back when Grandma Yang suddenly reached out, grabbing her. Grandma Yang’s hand was thin and bony, like a dried branch, and exceptionally cold. The scene was eerily similar to the nightmare Yin Nian had, where Grandma Yang had grabbed her foot.
Yin Nian’s face turned pale with fear. She tried to break free but couldn’t; Grandma Yang’s grip was iron-tight, her nails digging into Yin Nian’s flesh. Yin Nian dared not struggle too hard for fear of hurting Grandma Yang, nor did she dare to retreat, lest Grandma Yang fall from the bed.
Grandma Yang’s eyes were wide open, blood vessels standing out, making her eyes look terrifying. She opened her mouth wide and managed to utter two words: “Save me…”
Just then, the ward door was abruptly pushed open. A nurse strode in, followed soon after by two doctors. They pressed Grandma Yang back onto the bed, but her agitation remained. Her whole body writhed, issuing deep, muffled roars, the bed creaking as if she were struggling between life and death. Yin Nian stood dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what was happening.
A nurse ushered Yin Nian out, scolding her: “The patient’s condition just stabilized. Why would you agitate her like this?”
Yin Nian felt wronged: “I didn’t do anything… I just came to talk to her. She suddenly got agitated, smashed the cup, grabbed my hand—look, my hand’s scratched…”
Yin Nian showed the nurse her wrist, red and marked as if by rope, with three broken fingernail marks oozing blood.
The nurse shook her head: “Her emotions have been unstable. Don’t provoke her. By the way, what’s your relationship with her? Where are her children? They were always here before; why aren’t they today?”
Yin Nian didn’t answer. As she showed the nurse her hand, she realized her fist was clenched tightly. She quietly opened it and discovered a crumpled piece of newspaper, palm-sized, bearing an interview with an entrepreneur on the front, humor snippets and ads on the back.
There were water stains on the paper, but no other marks or writing.
Yin Nian realized Grandma Yang must have slipped it into her hand during their grip.
Was Grandma Yang’s fierce grip meant to pass her this newspaper? But what did the scrap mean? There were no obvious clues on it.
Yin Nian was about to read the paper carefully when the nurse’s question interrupted her thoughts: “What’s this?”
Yin Nian pocketed the paper: “Nothing… Is Grandma Yang stable now?”
The nurse eyed Yin Nian suspiciously: “Hard to say. We’ll know when the attending doctor checks. Who are you, really?”
Yin Nian replied softly: “I’m a friend of her daughter… By the way, why can’t Grandma Yang speak? Did she lose her voice after the accident?”
Distracted, the nurse said: “Her vocal cords are damaged. Apparently, she burned her throat while drinking hot water, but it should recover soon.”
Yin Nian nodded silently, recalling Grandma Yang’s tense and fearful look when staring at the cup. Perhaps her fear of the cup stemmed from the throat injury, and smashing it was a way to vent her anger.
But why in front of Yin Nian? Why now?
Yin Nian couldn’t understand. Grandma Yang’s behavior was so unusual, not like someone receiving treatment, but as if she were suffering, wanting to escape.
Yin Nian remembered Grandma Yang had said two words: Save me…
Was Grandma Yang asking Yin Nian to take her away from the hospital? Or was she trying to express that Yin Nian had indeed saved her, not harmed her?
The more Yin Nian pondered, the more confused she felt. She had thought this meeting would be a turning point, but instead it only deepened the mystery and made things more complicated.

Yet Grandma Yang’s initial reaction upon seeing Yin Nian—the compassion and sorrow—made Yin Nian believe she hadn’t hit Grandma Yang. If she had, Grandma Yang’s expression would have been angry, not mournful.
Moreover, Yin Nian had asked repeatedly whether Grandma Yang knew she was being falsely accused for helping her, but Grandma Yang never responded directly, behaving as if she were enduring some inner torment.
According to Han Duoduo’s investigation, Grandma Yang was a simple and kind woman. If she knew Yin Nian had saved her, only to be falsely blamed by her children, her reaction would be understandable.
Yin Nian felt she had figured out some things, but others surfaced, obscure and confusing.
She set aside her tangled thoughts and asked the nurse, “How is Grandma Yang’s condition? Is it serious?”
The nurse looked at her paperwork without raising her head: “Her superficial wounds and fractures will heal with time. The tricky part is the intracranial bleeding. It was stable, but her emotional fluctuations caused setbacks, which is why she’s under observation here. Overall, it’s not too serious. As long as she cooperates, she’ll recover.”
Yin Nian asked, puzzled, “Why are her emotions so unstable?”
The nurse glanced at Yin Nian: “Who knows? They say she was hit by a car—the driver fled. Anyone would feel upset. And besides—”
Before she finished, a voice came from the ward. The nurse answered and hurried inside, leaving Yin Nian behind.
Yin Nian checked the time; it was already five forty. In the past half hour, Yan Ming had called her ten times. On her way downstairs, Yin Nian called Yan Ming back.
“What’s going on? Why haven’t you arrived?” Yan Ming’s voice was urgent.
“Something unexpected happened. I might not make it,” Yin Nian replied succinctly. She expected Yan Ming to be angry, but he simply said “Oh,” then asked, “What happened? Is it serious?”
“I’ll explain later. Are they still there?” Yin Nian changed the subject.
“They left ten minutes ago. They realized you were skipping out. Yu Weiran left a harsh message, saying she won’t negotiate anymore and will see you in court.” Yan Ming’s tone was tinged with regret; clearly, this outcome wasn’t what he had hoped for.
“Then we’ll meet in court—” Yin Nian decided to tell Yan Ming about her visit to Grandma Yang, as he needed all the information to help her win the case. Yin Nian trusted him. “Actually, I took the opportunity to see Grandma Yang. I just came out of her ward.”
“So that’s it…” Yan Ming let out a bitter laugh. “I thought your willingness to settle was odd. Did you see her?”
Yin Nian recounted everything that had happened in the ward: the strange events, the paper Grandma Yang slipped her, the smashed cup, and Grandma Yang’s plea for help. Yan Ming said this information was very important, suggesting Grandma Yang might be hiding something, and the hit-and-run incident was not as simple as it seemed.
Yan Ming advised Yin Nian not to act rashly, to gather all the information, and then look for another opportunity to communicate with Grandma Yang, believing she could be the breakthrough in the case.
Yin Nian agreed with his analysis; she felt the same way.
The sky was dark, thick with clouds, a storm brewing.
Yin Nian headed downstairs straight to the parking lot. As she walked, she suddenly felt she was being watched. She stopped, looking around, and finally spotted a black crow perched on a locust tree to the west, its violet-red eyes fixed on her, unblinking.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, the branches swaying. When Yin Nian looked again, the crow was gone.