Chapter 245 Rough Treatment

She looked up at the corridor again. The doors to the rooms of the three brothers, Zhou Jianguo, Zhou Nuli, and Zhou Anguo, were all tightly closed. Not a single door was opened for her, and not a single one of them came out to ask, "Mother, you're back?"

No one mentioned Zhou Liguo's matter.

The whole house was like a silent tomb, with only her standing alone at the door, bearing this mess by herself, without even anyone to talk to.

Shen Cuifen noticed that her face was ashen and her forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat. She quickly reached out and took her arm, whispering, "Mother, don't worry, let's go back inside and rest for a while. Liguo's situation can't be explained in a short time. We'll try to persuade him again tomorrow. If all else fails, I heard there's an old house in town that's available for rent. Renting a place for Liguo is better than him sleeping on the streets. He can't take the wind and sun."

Zhao Lin nodded slowly, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Okay...we'll head out tomorrow morning. Get some rest early tonight."

She moved her feet slowly, as if she were walking on cotton, feeling weak and powerless, as if she would collapse if she couldn't hold on any longer.

As dawn broke, a pale blue light appeared in the east, dew still clung to the tips of the grass blades, and the village road was quiet except for a few sporadic crowings of roosters.

Zhao Lin had already gotten up early, without disturbing anyone, gently woke up the still-sleeping Shen Cuifen, and pulled her out the door.

Shen Cuifen rubbed her sleepy eyes, thinking she was going to town to look at houses, but as she walked, she realized she was going the wrong way.

She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Mother, where are we going?"

Zhao Lin didn't say anything, but kept walking, leading her into the county's morning market.

The two stopped in front of a pancake stall on the street. The griddle sizzled, and the aroma of scallions and eggs wafted through the air.

The vendor skillfully brushed on the sauce, sprinkled on the seasonings, cracked an egg, added a fried dough stick, rolled it into a golden and crispy roll, and handed it over.

Zhao Lin took it and handed half to Shen Cuifen, taking small bites himself. The hot pastry warmed his hands and soothed her fatigue from a sleepless night.

After finishing the pancakes, she led Shen Cuifen into a small, inconspicuous coffee shop next door.

The shop was simply furnished, but clean and tidy, with faded landscape paintings on the walls.

She ordered two cups of hot tea, sat by the window, and slowly sipped them while blowing on the steam.

Shen Cuifen was restless, her hands almost sweating as she gripped the teacup.

She finally couldn't help but lower her voice and say, "Mom, shouldn't we be helping Liguo find a place to stay? The village chief said he'd come to our house this morning. What if we can't find him and things get out of hand?"

Zhao Lin gently put down the teacup, and the tea rippled outwards.

She gazed at the gradually bustling street outside the window, her tone calm yet undeniably firm: "Yun Zhonglei's 'break his leg'? It's just a bluff. What era are we living in? Does he really dare to lay a hand on him? Let alone break his leg, even a shove would blow up. If the Zhou family files a complaint, he'd immediately lose his position as village chief. He might even end up in jail, paying compensation and damaging his reputation. Is he stupid?"

She paused, her gaze falling on the old watch on her wrist, the hands almost pointing to eight o'clock.

She stood up, took out some change and placed it on the table to pay the bill. Then she grabbed Shen Cuifen, who was still in a daze, and said in a tone that left no room for argument, "Come on, we should go to the police station."

Shen Cuifen was pulled so hard she stumbled, her heart pounding with anxiety, but she didn't dare ask any more questions and could only follow her quickly outside.

When they arrived at the police station, the police officers had just finished their shift change. They saw Zhao Lin walking towards them with a cane and recognized her as the old lady who had reported the case a couple of days ago. They quickly invited her into the inner room, asked her to sit down and wait, and said, "Don't worry, we'll check the situation right away."

The room was very quiet, with only the ticking of the wall clock.

About twenty minutes later, a young police officer came in, holding a notebook, and said politely, "Sir, we understand the situation. Your son, Zhou Liguo, helped us take down a gang that had been making fake documents in the suburbs for a long time last night. They rented a house near the train station and forged ID cards, driver's licenses, and educational certificates, involving a considerable amount of money. Your son provided crucial clues, which enabled us to make the arrests in one fell swoop. Now—as long as you pay a bail bond, the formalities will be completed and you can take him out."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lin's eyes lit up instantly, and he seemed to float up from deep water, his breathing becoming much easier.

She immediately stood up, gripping the police officer's sleeve tightly with both hands, her voice trembling but incredibly resolute: "I'll pay! I'll pay any amount! I'll sell everything I own to get him released!"

The police officer smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, it's only two hundred yuan, not much. Just go to the window over there and fill out a form."

Shen Cuifen quickly helped her over, and the two entered another service hall.

She flipped through the documents in front of her, then leaned close to Zhao Lin's ear and whispered, "Mom, two hundred yuan... it has to be paid in cash."

Zhao Lin didn't speak, but instead lowered his head and slowly unbuttoned his inner shirt, pulling out a faded blue handkerchief with frayed edges from the innermost layer.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she carefully peeled back the layers, as if they contained a priceless treasure.

Finally, two brand-new 100-yuan banknotes were revealed, the banknotes as smooth as new, clearly having been prepared for some time.

She gently placed the money on the windowsill, her eyes resolute.

Shen Cuifen signed the document and affixed her fingerprint on her behalf.

The police officer took the money, checked it, and nodded: "Okay, all the paperwork is complete. Please wait a moment, the person will be here soon."

After saying that, a police officer made a phone call, gave a few instructions, and then said after hanging up, "I've already notified the detention center. They'll deliver it within two hours."

Two hours later, the sun was high in the sky, and the police station gate was pushed open.

A police auxiliary officer led Zhou Jianguo in.

His hair was a mess, his beard was unkempt, and his clothes were wrinkled and clung to his body, clearly indicating that he hadn't had time to tidy himself up when he was hastily brought here.

His eyes were bloodshot and his eye bags were puffy, clearly indicating that he hadn't slept all night and was extremely stressed.

The police officer handed over a document: "Sign here to confirm your identity, and you can leave."

Zhou Jianguo lowered his head and signed his name on the paper with slightly trembling fingers.

His gaze lingered on the paper, and when he saw the words "deposit of two hundred yuan," his heart suddenly ached, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He could no longer hold back, and suddenly raised his head, turned his face to Zhao Lin standing to the side, and cried out in a broken voice, "Mother! That place..."

That place was no place for a human to live! I didn't sleep well all day, couldn't even get a hot meal, and my body... my whole body was a mess!

His face was covered in bruises, with an abrasion on his forehead, a torn corner of his collar revealing scabbed bruises on his shoulder, and a tear at the elbow of his clothes with jagged edges. It was clear that he had been roughly pushed or beaten, and had obviously suffered a lot inside.

Zhao Lin slowly reached out and gently patted his back. The movement seemed gentle, but his eyes were calm and undisturbed.