After Marrying the Evil God - Chapter 23

April 23, Sunny

Today, Mom came home with a big brother and put him on the second floor. I wanted to go find him to play, but Sister slapped me across the face. Sister pulled two candies out from the big brother’s pockets and told me to eat them. The candies weren’t sweet at all, but Sister looked very happy when she saw me swallow them. I want to make Sister a little happier…

April 24, Overcast

Dad came home and got into a fight with Mom. Dad hit Mom. Sister went over to help, and Dad slapped her so hard her teeth fell out. I clearly wanted to go help them, but I felt happy seeing Sister get hit. What is wrong with me??

April 30, Sunny

I went to peak at the big brother today. He was crying the whole time. The room smelled like blood everywhere. Dad said the big brother is a servant we hired to help out at home, and he’s responsible for killing fish.

But why didn’t I see any fish? Dad said children can’t see them. I don’t quite understand, but the big brother just lay in the quilts without moving. The way he looked at me was so scary.

May 1, Sunny

I went to find the big brother to play again. His face is so white! He looks a bit frightening. After he saw me, he kept begging me—begging me to let him go.

I don’t understand. Dad prepared a room for him and gave him money, so why does he want to leave? If he leaves, where else will my family find someone to help? There are too many people in the restaurant and Mom works so hard every day. I want Mom to rest more, so I refused him.

The big brother kept cursing at me. It was a bit scary. Dad was drawn over by his shouting. Dad said he’s going to fire the big brother…

May 6, Rain

The big brother is gone. I heard Mom say business at home is very good. Today, I finally got to eat meat. I love eating chicken feet the most. I love Mom.

Mom was very happy to hear me say that and gave both chicken feet to me. I’m so happy. When Sister saw it, she was so angry she didn’t even eat. Lue lue lue—bad Sister, that’s what you get for bullying me.

May 7, Rain

I was beaten by Sister. It hurts so much. My head kept bleeding. Mom rushed over and used a cloth to bandage it for me. Sister seems to have gone crazy; she kept calling me a monster. I’m so sad.

I didn’t do it on purpose. Sister fell down, but luckily she’s okay. I went to see her, but she ignored me. She’s so petty.

May 8, Rain

Dad came back and brought home a new brother. The dinner table tonight was terrifyingly quiet. Dad cut his steak expressionlessly, and every time the knife came down, it made a “thump, thump” sound. Mom stared forward with hollow eyes; the food on her plate was barely touched.

Sister was shaking all over. Is she cold?

Dad didn’t speak, his eyes staring straight at Sister. Mom also slowly turned her head; her face looked snow-white under the lamp.

Suddenly, Dad slammed the dinner knife down heavily. The piercing sound made me shiver. He stood up and walked slowly toward Sister, step by step.

May 13, Rain

It’s been raining lately. It’s so annoying. Sister was beaten by Dad and has been lying in bed. I saw Mom crying.

The new big brother is still living in the same place. Dad won’t let me go play with him anymore. But, I want to eat candy…

May 29, Sunny

Sister’s illness got better. I asked her for candy, but she cursed at me and slapped me. My mouth bled, but it tasted just like candy! So it turns out Sister was letting me eat candy. Sister is so nice. From now on, I’ll be twice as good to her.

June 1, Sunny

Today is Children’s Day. Dad found the candy the big brother had been hiding and gave it to me as a gift. I couldn’t bear to eat it and wanted to save it for Mom, but why was Mom scared?

Mom ate the candy while crying. Dad said Mom was just too moved. I wanted to share it with the family, but I can only get two candies each time. Everyone is so good to me. Who should I give the candy to? It’s so hard to choose!

July 1, Overcast

The new big brother is gone. Dad said he was too tired from work and left. Is Mom going to start working hard again? Why did the big brother leave? Dad said it’s not something a child should worry about, then he served me a chicken foot.

The chicken foot this time was too thin—just skin and bones. It didn’t taste good. I want to eat chicken legs; chicken legs have more meat. Dad got angry when he heard that. He said Sister works very hard at school and needs to nourish her body.

But Sister clearly doesn’t like eating chicken legs. I hid under her bed before and saw her vomit right after she finished one. What a waste…

August 13, Sunny

Dad got angry and asked Sister if she disliked eating chicken legs. Sister acted like she was crazy and smashed the table. I’m so hungry; I haven’t eaten yet! But I didn’t dare speak because Dad hit Sister.

Dad hit her so hard. I saw Sister’s leg was broken. Who told her not to eat the chicken legs? If she had eaten them, she wouldn’t have been beaten. I’m not going to tell her that I was the one who told on her to Dad.

August 16, Overcast

So, I am a monster…

After that, the handwriting became increasingly chaotic. The force was so great it even tore through the paper. The following dozen pages only had two words written on them: “DROP DEAD!”

Countless bloody handprints covered the pages, still carrying the scent of blood as if someone had cut their palm and written with the fresh blood.

The entire diary came to an abrupt halt. Literally, it seemed like just a story written randomly by a bored child, but after reading it, Xie Chouzhuang felt a chill run through his entire body.

“Who wrote this diary? Are the ‘Dad’ and ‘Mom’ in there the Yuan family?” Shen Hanwu spoke with a trembling voice, shaking all over.

Xie Chouzhuang’s expression was grim. “It turns out the real maniacs are the Yuan family.”

By this point, Xie Chouzhuang had pieced together most of the information.

Father Yuan kept bringing people back from the outside, then subjected them to constant torture before finally murdering them cruelly. Directly beneath this room was the Yuan Family Restaurant. Countless people moved in and out of it every day, yet not a single soul discovered that a despairing young man was being imprisoned and tortured in every possible way upstairs.

“That candy… and there were two of them… they couldn’t be eyeballs, could they?”

“And the chicken feet, the chicken legs what exactly were they?”

“After the Yuan family killed people, they didn’t dispose of the bodies. Instead, they served them on the dining table as food.”

As the two analyzed this conclusion, an image involuntarily appeared in their minds—

Under the dim yellow light, a mother serves a basin of meat. Fingers have been stewed soft and tender inside. An ignorant child fishes a “chicken foot” out of the basin and feasts greedily. While chewing, dark red juice leaks from the corners of the mouth, mixing with saliva as it slides down the chin. A face full of satisfaction.

And then there was the plump “chicken leg” the father handed to the sister.

“Ugh—”

“Blech—”

The two looked at each other, felt a wave of nausea, turned their heads, leaned against the wall, and vomited until the world turned dark.