Chapter 144 Brave

◎Can you really catch bad guys?◎

The past that had been hidden in his heart for six years was suddenly revealed by Zhao Xiangwan, and Yun Dehou's heart beat frighteningly fast.

If he didn't control himself, he felt like his guts would fly out of his throat.

At this moment, the gurgling sound of bubbles coming out of the rotten mud in his heart became louder and louder, and more and more frequent.

[Covering up something shady... What does she mean? What does she know?! ]

[No one ever doubted that countless eyes in the community watched the jerk leave with a big suitcase.]

[Kyoto is so big, there is no place to bury your body! ]

[I'll make you go abroad! I'll make you get divorced! You bastard!]

Yun Dehou's thoughts gave Zhao Xiangwan another clue about the case.

——Xie Lin did leave Yao City, but was killed by Yun Dehou on the way to the airport. Her body is still somewhere in Kyoto.

However, Kyoto is so big, and six years have passed, how can we find Xie Lin's body?

Zhao Xiangwan's silence gave Yun Dehou a chance to adjust his mentality.

He clenched his fists and dug his nails into his palms. The pain sobered him up.

Yun Dehou took a big step back, putting some distance between him and Zhao Xiangwan.

After withdrawing one meter from the psychological distance, the tightness of the skin and the stiffness of the neck disappeared, and Yun Dehou's pupils, breathing, and heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

The bubbles swirling in the mud disappeared.

The beach was filled with foul-smelling, sticky mud and became lifeless.

Yun Dehou raised his hand and pushed the black-framed glasses on his nose, narrowed his eyes, and his attitude became very sharp.

"Comrade police, what are you doing? Are you interrogating me?! Xie Lin disappeared as soon as she went abroad. Do you know how many rumors I have endured? Some scolded me for being useless, some laughed at my incompetence, and most of them felt sorry for me. It was pitiful that I sold my parents' house to send her abroad, but she threw me away like a rag!

Let me tell you, I am also a victim, a poor man who was deeply hurt by my ex-wife.

How would I know who spread the rumor? There are so many bad people in this world! They have nothing to do all day long, and after dinner they gossip about other people's sad things, and make some imaginary scenes look very detailed.

Although Xie Lin did not call or write to me, she wrote to her parents after she went abroad. You can ask her parents about this. You asked me if she was alive... How could I know if she was still alive after she went abroad? As for who said that she settled abroad and married a foreigner, I don't know! If you are so interested in our family affairs, go check it out! Go check it out!

Yunjie is my daughter. How I treat her is a family education issue and has nothing to do with you so-called experts! Who allowed you to keep harassing me and my daughter? Go away! Leave the hospital and don't bother us again!"

Hearing Yun Dehou's calm analysis, Zhao Xiangwan secretly said what a pity.

She knew that Xie Lin had written a letter to her family after she went abroad, and Xie's parents burned the letter in front of everyone and claimed that they would never contact their daughter again. However, Zhao Xiangwan wanted to catch Yun Dehou off guard to see if she could get some useful clues.

Unfortunately, Yun Dehou is very strong-willed. Continuing to ask about Xie Lin's whereabouts now will only arouse his vigilance and make him build a high wall in his heart, which will bring difficulties to the subsequent interrogation.

Lei Ling stepped forward and said in a cold voice: "Yun Dehou, the neighbors called the police and reported that you were abusing their daughter. We, the police, intervened to protect the child. If you do not cooperate with our investigation, we can only issue a personal restraining order against you, not allowing you to approach Yun Jie."

A personal restraining order is a legal order that requires the restrained person not to approach or harass the victim. Yunjie is still young, so her close relatives, public security organs, women's federations, residents' committees, and relief management agencies can apply for it on her behalf.

Zhao Xiangwan turned his head and looked at Lei Ling: "Okay, let the Municipal Bureau apply for it, the reason is long-term psychological abuse."

Lei Ling was stunned for a moment.

Are you really applying?

It is 1996, the Anti-Domestic Violence Law has not yet been promulgated, and there are no written standards for identifying violence and abuse between members of a domestic violence family. At this time, personal restraining orders are usually used in economic disputes.

In Yaoshi, a county-level city, people's ideas are relatively conservative.

——When a father scolds and punishes his daughter, how can that be considered abuse?

——Just a few scoldings, a few beatings, and a lock in a small dark room. That's nothing.

——Are there any bad parents in the world? Children today are too psychologically fragile.

Even someone as enthusiastic and kind as Grandma Fang, while condemning Yun Dehou, would give him a chance to reform, believing that as long as he corrects his mistakes, he will still be a good father.

Yun Jie and Yun Dehou depend on each other for survival and have no close family members. The public security agency applied for a personal restraining order to prevent Yun Dehou from getting close to Yun Jie, so who will take care of the child?

After all, the public security organs are not welfare institutions and have their own functional attributes. It is unrealistic to ask criminal police responsible for solving cases to give up their jobs and take care of a nine-year-old child for a long time.

Facing Lei Ling's stunned state, Zhao Xiangwan urged calmly: "Go quickly."

Lei Ling reacted and realized that Zhao Xiangwan must have seen something, so he replied, "Okay," and left in a hurry.

Yun Dehou was a little flustered when he heard what Zhao Xiangwan said, and he started to yell, "What on earth do you police officers want to do? My daughter is still in the hospital, and I have to take care of her! You are depriving me of my power, I will sue you!"

Zhao Xiangwan looked at him coldly: "Go ahead and sue me. I'll wait."

Having said that, she turned back to the ward.

How could Yun Dehou dare to sue the public security organs? He ran forward in a hurry and grabbed Zhao Xiangwan's arm: "Hey! You..."

Zhao Xiangwan raised his hand and swung it back suddenly.

A great force attacked and Yun Dehou was quickly thrown away. He staggered back a few steps until he reached the wall of the corridor, with his back pressed against the wall before he could stand firm.

Zhao Xiangwan turned around, his face as cold as frost: "Get lost! Otherwise I'll sue you for assaulting a police officer."

Yun Dehou rolled his eyes, wanting to make a fuss and use public pressure to force the police to give up their application for a personal restraining order.

He raised his voice, echoing in the corridor: "What's wrong with the police? Can the police disregard human ethics and force a father and daughter to separate?"

Hearing the noise, doctors and nurses rushed over.

The doctor said sternly: "What's going on? Stop making noise in the corridor!"

The nurse was also a little unhappy: "What if the children are frightened?"

Yun Dehou pointed at Zhao Xiangwan, his face full of worry and sadness. "Doctor, you came at the right time. This person is a police officer. She doesn't allow me to have contact with Jiejie. She said she wants to put her under personal restraint. It's ridiculous! I am Jiejie's biological father. She is sick. If I don't take care of her, how can I let these big-talking police officers take care of her?"

The doctor frowned and walked up to Zhao Xiangwan: "Are you a policeman? I've never seen you before."

Zhao Xiangwan showed his police officer ID.

The doctor looked more carefully and questioned: "You are from the Xing City Public Security Bureau, why are you here to take care of the affairs of our Yao City?"

Zhao Xiangwan responded calmly: "I am a psychological expert invited by the Yao City Public Security Bureau."

The doctor looked at Zhao Xiangwan and said in a negotiating tone, "Yun Jie's psychological problems have been resolved. She can eat, dress, and sleep on her own. Her health is also recovering. She will be discharged tomorrow. What are you police going to do then? Are you going to take her to the Public Security Bureau dormitory?"

The doctor pointed at Yun Dehou and said, "This parent has been taking good care of the child. He went to the cafeteria to get food, boil water, wash clothes, talk to the child, and take walks with the child... His previous education method may have been too rough, and the child is relatively introverted, so the child has a strong psychological reaction. I have talked to this parent several times, and he also said that he will change his methods in the future and be gentler and more patient with the child. The winter vacation is over and school is about to start. Even the neighbor who called the police has withdrawn the lawsuit. You police should stop pestering him and let him take the child out of the hospital."

Zhao Xiangwan knew that this would be the situation.

When it comes to family conflicts, most Chinese people think that they are just "conflicts".

If it's none of your business, just ignore it.

——When a husband beats his wife, it is of course because the husband has a bad temper, but the wife's unreasonable behavior and sharp tongue are also the fuse that leads to the "conflict".

——When parents scold their children, it is of course because the parents' educational methods are wrong, but the children's inability to appreciate their parents' hardships and being too self-centered are also factors that lead to them being scolded and beaten.

The way to resolve family conflicts is usually to give both sides a slap on the wrist.

If it really doesn't work, just say "Home is a place for love, not a place for reason", and use the word "love" to smooth things over, and everyone will be fine.

However, everyone has overlooked one thing: family conflicts are often the most complicated and difficult to resolve. If you only talk about "love" and not "reason", the conflicts will only become more and more serious and more and more difficult to resolve.

What's more, the conflicts in the Yun family are not a problem of education methods at all.

Rather, Yun Dehou is a mentally twisted pervert!

Just as Zhou Rulan guessed, he transferred his hatred for his ex-wife to Yun Jie.

Perhaps because Yun Jie looked like his ex-wife, Yun Dehou regarded his daughter as a tool to vent his anger, and abused her both mentally and physically. He had no love for his child, only hatred and endless mental torture.

Killing people is not enough.

And he wants to continue to destroy the next generation. Zhao Xiangwan will never allow such a scum to get even a step closer to Yun Jie!

Zhao Xiangwan raised his eyes and met the doctor's gaze.

"Doctor, are you married?"

The doctor was a little confused and nodded: "Yes, my son is six years old."

[What did the police mean? I told her to let the parent pick up the child from the hospital, but she avoided the question.]

Zhao Xiangwan asked: "So when you approached your son, how did he react?"

Out of respect for the police profession, the doctor answered Zhao Xiangwan's question seriously: "Very happy. I am usually busy with work, but when I get home from work, he runs over to hug my legs, kisses me and calls me daddy."

Zhao Xiangwan said meaningfully: "But Yun Jie is very averse to any male approaching her, including her father."

The doctor was stunned.

Children's hospitals in the 1990s did not pay enough attention to psychological issues. After Yun Jie was sent to the hospital, she underwent a thorough physical examination, but no signs of sexual assault, precocious puberty, or beatings were found. Apart from malnutrition, there were no organic lesions, so the doctors did not have any ill feelings towards Yun Dehou.

Thinking of Yun Jie's silence and stiffness during his daily ward rounds, the doctor hesitated.

Yun Dehou was so angry that his face turned red. He shouted through his teeth: "You are shameless! Have you police officers seen too many bad people? Do you think I am so dirty and hateful? Jiejie is my child! She is my own flesh and blood. What can I do to her?"

He looked at the doctor with a sincere attitude and a pleading voice: "I am a man with a rough heart. I didn't notice that she became more sensitive and introverted due to long-term lack of maternal love, and I didn't care and love her well enough. This time, because she didn't complete her winter vacation homework, I was angry and punished her, which led to the neighbors calling the police. Jade cannot be made into a useful thing without being polished. When we were children, didn't our parents beat us when we were disobedient? Why do the police insist on identifying me as an unforgivable bad person when it comes to me? Please, don't let the police take Jiejie away. She is my only child and my life!"

Although Zhao Xiang was late just now, Yun Dehou was already aware that the police must not be allowed to intervene again.

Who are the police? If the police suspect the truth about Xie Lin's trip abroad, and the truth is exposed, she will be sentenced to death! Yun Dehou now has only one thought: to keep things quiet and take Yun Jie away from the police's sight.

After hearing what Yun Dehou said, the doctor's emotions began to waver again.

Sometimes he felt that there were no signs of abuse on the child's body, and Yun Dehou usually showed great concern for the child. It might be that Zhao Xiangwan had seen too many criminal cases and was overthinking things. Sometimes he felt that the child was indeed sensitive and nervous, and when he was nervous he would convulse and vomit. He might really have a mental or psychological illness, and should continue to be hospitalized for observation.

Zhao Xiangwan knew that if he didn't show some strength today, it would be difficult to stop Yun Dehou from getting closer to Yun Jie.

"I'm going to start treatment. Please don't disturb me." She walked into the ward in front of the doctor, turned around and closed the door.

Yun Dehou wanted to push the door open, but Zhao Xiangwan warned him in a low voice: "Get out!"

Sometimes, what people compete with each other is momentum.

Zhao Xiangwan's attitude of not being afraid of causing trouble and vowing to handle this family conflict to the end made Yun Dehou timid.

He glanced at the half-closed ward with a guilty conscience and bit his lip: "Well, I'll wait in the corridor until you finish your treatment."

Zhao Xiangwan had a cold face and gently closed the door.

This bastard was planning to use the "delay" tactic to fight against him. Yun Dehou must have thought that the police had their own things to do and it was impossible for them to stay in the ward all the time. As long as he could find some free time, he could take Yun Jie home.

In Yun Dehou's opinion, which stranger would be willing to take on the trouble of a child who is not related to him by blood? Neighbors may worry temporarily, call the police out of indignation, or help take care of the child occasionally, but who is willing to take on the responsibility of raising the child in the long term?

If you help others take care of their children and do it well, it is what you should do. If you do not do it well, you will be criticized by everyone.

What happened to the police? The police are not charity workers. They are very busy.

Yun Dehou understands the ways of the world.

I understand the psychology of most people very well.

However, this time, Zhao Xiangwan was going to disappoint him.

After locking Yun Dehou out, Zhao Xiangwan looked at the three colleagues in the ward and said, "From now on, we will work in groups of two to take care of the child in shifts. Zhu Kang and I will be in one group, and Zhou Rulan and Zhu Feipeng will be in another. Rulan and I will be responsible for accompanying the child, while Zhu Kang and Zhu Feipeng will be responsible for contact and protection. If Yun Dehou dares to get close to the child, kick him out immediately."

Zhu Kang asked: "What if Yun Dehou insists on coming in? After all, he is not a criminal. Can we really drive him out by force?"

Zhao Xiangwan said: "Lei Ling went to apply for a personal restraining order."

Zhou Rulan's eyes lit up: "That's good."

As long as we have a personal restraining order signed by the court, we can kick Yun Dehou out of the hospital with good reason.

Yun Jie did not show any reluctance to her father's departure. She quietly ate the rice, vegetables and eggs on her plate, put the spoon back on the plate, and reported weakly: "I'm done."

Zhao Xiangwan walked over, took the plate away, handed it to Zhu Kang, then removed the small table and put it back to its original place.

Because Zhao Xiangwan helped her throw away the disgusting meatballs, Yun Jie did not reject Zhao Xiangwan's approach. Instead, she had a superficial trust in him.

Turning around and putting the pillow down, Yun Jie obediently crawled back into the quilt and lay down quietly.

Go to bed right after dinner?

Although doing so is not good for the body, Zhao Xiangwan did not stop the child's spontaneous behavior at this moment. Instead, he took a stool and sat next to her, looking intently at the thin and obedient little girl.

Long-term psychological abuse made the little girl very sensitive. Her survival instinct told her that she must be obedient, so as to reduce her father's disgust and make her life better.

Zhao Xiangwan stretched out his hand and gently placed it on the edge of the bed.

This distance neither makes Yun Jie nervous nor disgusted, but also enhances the familiarity between the two.

Zhao Xiangwan had a faint feminine fragrance on her body, which made Yun Jie feel at ease.

It’s like returning to my mother’s arms.

Mother?

Yun Jie's pupils shrank and he slid into the quilt.

Under the clean white quilt, the small figure was trembling slightly.

Zhao Xiangwan once again "saw" the scene in Yun Jie's mind.

A graceful figure, wearing a beige windbreaker, was walking in front of me, dragging a suitcase. The wheels of the suitcase rubbed against the ground, making a gurgling sound.

"Mom, Mom..." Yun Jie cried out in tears.

Xie Lin didn't hesitate at all.

"Mom, Mom..." Yun Jie continued to chase, shouting as she ran.

Xie Lin suddenly stopped and slowly turned her head.

A delicate face appeared, with two lines of tears on her face.

Xie Lin finally stopped for her child.

Yun Jie ran over, Xie Lin squatted down and hugged her tightly.

A faint sweet fragrance hits my nose, this is the smell of my mother.

Xie Lin's voice was choked with sobs, and she was reluctant to leave. "Jiejie, wait. Once mom settles down overseas, she will try to bring you out. Then, we can be together forever."

Yun Jie obviously didn't understand and continued crying: "Mom, don't go."

Xie Lin said a few more words, and finally made up her mind. She pushed Yun Jie away and left without looking back.

The scene changes.

Yun Dehou had a ferocious look on his face as he held up a stainless steel bowl with two round meatballs in it. He scooped up the meatballs viciously with a rice spoon and put them into Yun Jie's mouth.

Smelling a strong smell of blood, Yun Jie closed his mouth tightly and shook his head desperately.

Yun Dehou narrowed his eyes and threatened in a low voice: "Don't you always miss your mother? Then eat it. After you eat it, you two will be together forever and will never be separated again."

Yun Jie burst into tears and shouted desperately: "I don't want to eat! I don't want to eat!"

Taking advantage of her opening her mouth to cry, Yun Dehou forced the meatballs into her mouth and said sinisterly, "If you don't eat it, I'll chop you into meatballs too!"

Yun Jie spat out meatballs while shouting, "Mom, Mom, I want Mom..."

Yun Dehou smiled, but his smile was malicious: "The mother you wanted was vomited by you."

Yun Jie started vomiting.

The body convulses violently.

Boundless fear enveloped her entire body.

Zhao Xiangwan clenched his hands tightly. This should be the memory of Yun Dehou feeding him meatballs for the first time.

Yun Jie's psychological trauma probably stems from this.

Regardless of whether Yun Dehou really chopped up Xie Lin and made meatballs to feed his daughter, or whether he was just threatening and deliberately scaring Yun Jie, he had achieved his goal anyway.

From then on, Yun Jie didn't dare to ask for her mother anymore, and didn't dare to say that she missed her mother anymore.

Likewise, she developed a phobia of meatballs.

The mere sight of meatballs would send her into agony.

And Yun Dehou must be enjoying this result.

Next, the scene changed, and Zhao Xiangwan saw Yun Jie being locked in a small dark room.

Her little house had thick curtains hanging on the windows all year round, and the ivy outside the window blocked out the sun, so the light in the room was very dim.

Yun Dehou said, "If you don't listen, you will stay alone. Just like your shameless mother, you will stay in that deep reservoir forever. No one will respond no matter how hard you try. Even if you die, rot or stink, no one will know."

In a deep reservoir?

——This is the second important clue.

Zhao Xiangwan couldn't bear to let Yun Jie fall into pathological recurrence again, so he patted her pillow gently with his palm.

The clean and fluffy bedding makes a slight "flutter, flutter" sound when you tap it with your palms.

Zhao Xiangwan's movements are gentle and rhythmic.

The even, crisp and simple repetition is just like a mother patting her baby's back to put him to sleep.

Yun Jie's mood gradually improved.

The picture kept flashing and then disappeared.

Zhao Xiangwan's voice was three parts pity, three parts tenderness, and four parts affirmation: "Jiejie, you are a brave child."

Yun Jie began to shake her head in the quilt, her voice muffled: "No, I'm not brave."

Zhao Xiangwan said: "Do you know what true courage is?"

Yun Jie was obviously attracted by her voice and asked softly, "What is it?"

Zhao Xiangwan said softly but firmly: "True courage is not about not being afraid of anything, but about moving forward despite being afraid."

The quilt was stirred.

A pair of small hands reached out from under the quilt, pulled it down, revealing a face full of tears.

Yun Jie looked at Zhao Xiangwan and asked with a trembling voice, "Really?"

Zhao Xiangwan nodded without hesitation: "Of course. We are police officers, and we will be afraid when facing criminals. Some colleagues who have just joined the company don't even dare to raise their guns. But does this mean that we are not brave? No, no matter how scared we are, we will still rush forward to stop the bad guys from hurting the good people."

Yun Jie's tears flowed quietly, sliding down her temples and onto the pillow.

She turned her head and looked at Zhao Xiangwan intently: "Can you really catch the bad guys?"

Zhao Xiangwan's eyes were peaceful, yet filled with great power, as if a mountain stood there, not far away nor near, but making people look up to it.

Zhao Xiangwan raised his hand and gently wiped the tears from Yun Jie's eyes.

The sudden physical contact made Yun Jie shrink.

Zhao Xiangwan smiled and said, "The job of the police is to catch bad guys and protect good people. Jiejie is a good kid, so we will protect you."

A nine-year-old child is already sensible.

Yun Jie had been mentally abused by his father for many years and had accepted his fate and became increasingly silent.

She didn't dare to resist, fearing that she would be chopped into meatballs;

She didn't dare to speak out, fearing that her father would find out and lock her up in a dark room.

From childhood to adulthood, the education she received was: you must be obedient, otherwise I am your father, and I can kill you if I give birth to you.

In such an atmosphere, Yun Jie did not go crazy. She continued to study and live quietly, and was praised by all the neighbors around her. How could this not be considered brave?

What Zhao Xiangwan needs to do now is to cultivate Yun Jie's self-confidence first.

Praise is a must.

To make your child no longer timid, first put the crown of "bravery" on her. Through constant psychological hints, let her regain her confidence and have the courage to say "no" to bad people and bad things.