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The title story, easily the most emotional account in the collection, depicts a wife's love for her convicted husband. The Shanghainese woman travels across half the country only to be told that her husband has recently died from starvation and was buried hastily without a tombstone in the desert. She stubbornly looks for his corpse, eating and drinking nearly nothing for days. When she finally locates his body, it resembles a mummy, with the flesh hacked off.
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2003年6月21日傍晚,成都市青白江区青江西路65号院一幢的居民和往常一样在院里聊天、打麻将。几天来他们一直闻到一股奇怪的“臭味”,令人难以忍受,于是,他们开始寻找来源。
找了许久,终于发现“臭味”来自三单元一楼25号。这里住着一名吸毒的单身母亲李桂芳和她三岁的女儿李思怡。他们想起已经有好长时间没有见到这母女二人了,于是立即向家委会主任反映情况。家委会主任赶到现场,感觉事态不妙,立即报了警。
接到报警后,青白江区公安分局团结村派出所民警立即赶到现场。民警从阳台进入厨房,再经厨房进入客厅。进入客厅后,民警发现主卧室的木门的明锁扣被绿色毛线绳拴着。民警将主卧室门上拴锁扣的毛线解开,接着民警试着推主卧室的门,感觉到有阻力,推开一半,发现门后有一具小女孩的尸体。
随后进行的尸表检验显示,死者“头发已大部分脱落……尸体高度腐败,腹部及四肢皮革样化,头面部、颈部及会阴部有大量蝇蛆附着……”
解剖检验也排除了李思怡因暴力打击致死和因中毒致死的可能性,警方、检察官和法官一致推断李思怡死于饥渴。
说到这里,看过现场照片的康晓光眼圈立刻就红了,他哑着嗓子嗓音颤抖:“惨不忍睹。”