Chapter 175 Mei Yudong

Coincidentally, Mei Yudong's residence is within the jurisdiction of Anning Road Police Station.

Yu Jing had worked at the Anning Road Police Station for seven or eight years and was familiar with every area here. He drove to No. 138 Shuguang Road quickly.

This is the staff dormitory of the vehicle factory, built in the 1960s. After the restructuring of the vehicle factory in recent years, the efficiency has improved greatly and the income of employees has also increased accordingly. The dormitory building has just been renovated, the walls are clean and tidy, and the stairwells are freshly painted, giving a thriving feeling.

Following the instructions of the house number, Xia Mufan took Feng Xiaoyu to the third floor and knocked on the door gently.

This time they were looking for someone, not arresting anyone. Considering that the person they wanted to meet was a female, Gong Weiguo and the other three stayed in the car.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

There was a polite knock on the door.

After a while, a gentle female voice came from the room: "Coming, coming."

With a creak, the door opened.

A plump woman stood at the door. She quickly glanced at Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu and then looked away. She didn't dare to look them in the eye and her voice was timid: "Who are you looking for?"

Xia Mufan showed his police ID and said, "Hello, we are from the Criminal Investigation Team of the Hui City Public Security Bureau. We are looking for Mei Yudong. May I ask who you are?"

When Xia Mufan said she was a police officer, the woman shrank her neck, like a child who was suddenly called up by the teacher to ask a question in class. She didn't know where to put her hands and feet, and she began to stutter: "I, I am Mei Yudong."

Seeing that Mei Yudong was so timid, Xia Mufan softened his tone and asked softly, "Hello, Mei Yudong, do you have a friend named Liu Qin?"

"Liu Qin?" Mei Yudong's eyes lit up immediately when he heard the name. He changed his timid expression and quickly opened the door. "Yes, yes, yes, she's my friend. We grew up together and have a very good relationship."

Seeing Mei Yudong's reaction, Xia Mufan felt a little relieved. It seemed that Mei Yudong and Liu Qin's youthful friendship still existed, otherwise she would not be so happy when she heard Liu Qin's name.

Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu walked into the house together.

This is a very ordinary staff dormitory with two bedrooms and a living room. The floor is painted red, but the paint has peeled off a bit, revealing the blue-grey cement, which looks a bit mottled. The furniture was old and the furnishings were simple, but the house was very tidy and the floor was mopped clean.

Mei Yudong somewhat awkwardly asked them to sit down on the sofa in the living room, then went to the kitchen to pour tea and brought it to Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu.

She was worried about Liu Qin, so after pouring the tea, she asked anxiously, "Comrade police officer, how is Liu Qin now? Is she doing well after marriage? Did she have a child? Is it a boy or a girl?"

She asked several questions in succession, but Xia Mufan didn't say a word.

Mei Yudong seemed to realize something. His body became a little stiff and his voice became difficult to speak: "You, you guys tell me, what happened to Liu Qin?"

Xia Mufan sighed softly and had to tell Mei Yudong the bad news: "Liu Qin is dead."

Dead? Mei Yudong was stunned on the spot, his face turned pale and he couldn't utter a word.

After a while, Mei Yudong finally came to his senses. He stared at Xia Mufan intently: "Liu Qin was only 30 years old, how could she die?"

Just as Xia Mufan was about to speak, an old and sharp voice came from the bedroom: "Mei Yudong! Mei Yudong——"

Hearing this voice, Mei Yudong stood up hurriedly: "My mother-in-law is calling me, wait a moment."

After saying that, Mei Yudong hurriedly left Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu and ran to the bedroom.

As the bedroom door opened, an unpleasant smell wafted out. It was a foul smell emitted by someone who had been bedridden for a long time.

Xia Mufan and Feng Xiaoyu exchanged glances. It seemed that Mei Yudong had an elderly bedridden person at home who needed her care, so she was afraid that she would not be able to take care of Xiaoxiao.

It's a rare sunny day today, and a ray of sunlight is shining on the sofa from the balcony of the living room. The coal ash in the backpack made a meowing sound and pushed open the lid on the baby's head, revealing a little head that looked out.

[Xia Xia, let me out for some fresh air.] 】

Xia Mufan touched Meihui's little head and nodded.

The coal ash jumped out of the bag, and its little paws rested softly on the sofa. The whole cat curled up in Xia Muchan's arms, squinting its eyes and enjoying the rare winter sunshine.

But this leisurely mood was soon broken by the noise in the bedroom.

Ouch, ouch,

From the bedroom came an old man's painful groaning, accompanied by irritable curses.

"Look at you, you eat so much, you're as fat as a pig, and you're clumsy when doing things. What's the use of you?"

"It's because my son has a good heart and a good temper that he married you, a parentless girl, home. If you continue to be so clumsy, I will let my son divorce you!"

"Hurry up and clean yourself up and change your pants. If anyone comes outside, send them away immediately and take good care of me first. That's the important thing to do. I'm telling you, if you don't take care of me, I'll go to the neighborhood committee and sue you for being unfilial."

“Clang clang clang—”

That was the sound of a glass cup breaking when it hit the ground.

Xia Mufan couldn't sit still anymore, so he stood up holding the coal ash, walked to the bedroom door, and watched what was happening inside.

The bedroom faces south, and a white-haired old lady is lying on a wooden bed.

The old lady was covered tightly with a quilt below her chest, and her upper body was leaning against a heavy pillow in a half-sitting position.

There was a puddle of water on the ground. Mei Yudong said nothing and was quickly cleaning up the broken glass on the ground.

Xia Mufan asked softly: "Do you need our help?"

The old lady suddenly raised her head, her eyes full of resentment and vigilance: "Who are you? Why are you in my house? Let me tell you, as long as I am alive, I am the master of this family. Mei Yudong cannot go anywhere, she has to serve me at home."

Seeing her being beaten and scolded by her mother-in-law, Mei Yudong stood up with embarrassment on her face. She stood beside the old lady's bed and responded to every word she said: "They are the police, they came to investigate. I'm not going anywhere. I'll get you some water to change your clothes."

The old lady had dealt with the police several times since she was paralyzed in the car accident. She had no fear of the police. When she saw the police appear at home, she didn't even say hello. She just snorted, raised her hand, picked up the alarm clock on the bedside table, and smashed it to the ground.

Bang——

The alarm clock was made of plastic, and although it didn't break, it made a crisp sound.

The old lady had thin cheeks and a mean look on her face. She ordered Mei Yudong around, as if only in this way could she show her authority.

"It's standing there like a piece of wood. It makes me angry just looking at it!"

"I'm hungry, hurry up and cook for me! If you make me hungry, I'll beat you to death, you freeloader bitch!"

The old lady's vicious curse did not make Mei Yudong angry. She seemed to have long been accustomed to such bullying. Mei Yudong picked up the alarm clock expressionlessly and put it back where it was. He lowered his eyebrows and said in a pleasant manner, "Okay. I'll cook right away."

After getting her daughter-in-law's assurance, the old lady finally felt relieved. After glaring at her, she continued to direct her daughter-in-law to work: "Penghai will be back from get off work soon. You should clean up the house quickly. Don't make a mess. It will make Penghai feel uncomfortable."

Mei Yudong nodded obediently, cleaned up the mess in the house, and then walked out of the bedroom. He said to Xia Mufan embarrassedly: "I'm sorry, this is my mother-in-law. She has been paralyzed for seven or eight years. She lies in bed all day and is in a bad mood. She has a bad temper. Please bear with me."

Xia Mufan waved his hand: "It doesn't matter."

Mei Yudong ran back and forth to the bedroom several times, changing her mother-in-law's wet pants, washing her body, and bringing the warm rice porridge and side dishes from the kitchen to the room for her mother-in-law to eat.

The old lady felt dry and had delicious food, so she felt a little happier and stopped torturing Mei Yudong.

An hour later, Mei Yudong finally caught his breath and started talking to Xia Mufan in the living room.

Mei Yudong's face was full of apology and he kept saying sorry.

Xia Mushige asked: "Where is your husband?"

Taking care of the elderly is strenuous work, especially Mei Yudong's mother-in-law, who is greedy and keeps asking for food and drink. She tends to have diarrhea after eating, making her pants and bed a mess. Mei Yudong changed the bed sheets, changed clothes, and wiped the old lady's body. He was so tired that he couldn't even lift his arms.

Even though she is so exhausted, Mei Yudong has no complaints when she talks about her husband: "He is now a teacher at the vehicle factory staff school. He is very busy every day and has no time to take care of his mother. I don't have any skills and I don't have a job. I just do housework at home and take care of my mother-in-law."

It was someone else's family affair, so Xia Mufan didn't know what to say and just said "hmm" softly.

Mei Yudong was worried about Liu Qin, and asked whenever he had the chance, "What happened to Liu Qin? Did she have an accident?"

Xia Mufan briefly recounted everything that had happened in Liuqin's home.

After hearing what Xia Mufan said, Mei Yudong sat on the sofa in a daze, unable to utter a word for a long time.

After a long while, Mei Yudong choked up and started crying: "How could this happen? I thought Xiaoqin would be happy when she had her own family, but I didn't expect her life to be so miserable."

The more he thought about it, the sadder he became. Mei Yudong covered his face and burst into tears.

"After we left the orphanage, we went out to work. At first we were both in Xing City, but later I married Peng Hai and followed him to Hui City. I wanted to take Xiao Qin with me, but at that time Peng Hai and I were not capable enough, and she didn't want to drag me down, so she stayed in Xing City alone."

"The day I left Xing City, Xiaoqin held my hand and was so reluctant to let me go. She cried and told me to remember to write to her and tell her everything."

"When I first arrived in Hui City, Xiaoqin and I corresponded frequently, two or three times a week. But later, for some reason, Xiaoqin's letters became less and less frequent. Then I moved, and we never contacted each other again. I thought about going to Xing City to find Xiaoqin several times, but I couldn't leave."

"I am an orphan and have never enjoyed the warmth of a family. After I got married, I had a mother and a husband, so naturally I had to focus on my family. You have all seen my mother-in-law, she can't live without someone around her. If I had known that the man Xiaoqin married was a piece of shit, I would have taken her away. She is only thirty years old..."

Mei Yudong and Liu Qin grew up together and supported each other. Their youthful friendship is the most beautiful emotion in her heart. Upon hearing the sad news of Liu Qin's death, Mei Yudong was overwhelmed with grief and could not control his emotions at all.

The old lady's cursing was heard again from the bedroom.

"Where are the people? Where did they go? I've finished my meal, come and clean up the dishes!"

As soon as he heard the old lady's voice, Mei Yudong stood up immediately like a soldier hearing the charge horn.

Mei Yudong was about to go to the bedroom when he suddenly stopped and looked at Xia Mufan: "Xiaoqin's daughter has a congenital heart disease and is now staying in the hospital alone?"

Xia Mushige nodded.

Mei Yudong felt very upset: "What's the name of Liu Qin's daughter?"

Xia Mufan said: "My nickname is Xiaoxiao, and my real name is Ou Baozhu."

When Mei Yudong heard the name, he couldn't stop crying and started to cry.

"Baozhu, Baozhu, what a nice name. When we were little, we often sat on the rooftop of the orphanage to look at the stars and imagine the future. Xiaoqin said that if we have children in the future, we must treat them very well and make them the happiest and most blessed children in the world. If it's a girl, we'll name her Baozhu, precious like a pearl, and if it's a boy, we'll name him Jiabao, the treasure of the family."

Mei Yudong became more and more sad as she spoke: "What sin did we two sisters commit? Why do we both have such a miserable life? Xiaoqin died, leaving Baozhu lying alone in the hospital; and I have been married for so long, but I don't even have a child."

The old lady's curse could be heard from the bedroom again. Her voice was sharp and piercing because of her irritability: "Mei Yudong, where have you been, you stinky woman? Get out of here right now!"

But this time, Mei Yudong did not rush to the bedroom as quickly as usual. She stood there, looking at Xia Mufan, and said firmly: "I can't watch Xiaoqin's daughter become an orphan. I will raise Baozhu!"

Xia Mufan never expected that Mei Yudong would take the initiative to take the responsibility of taking care of Xiaoxiao. For a moment, he felt mixed emotions and didn't know what to say.

Obviously Mei Yudong can hardly take care of himself now. He has to take care of a paralyzed and tricky mother-in-law 24 hours a day and he is overwhelmed with tasks, but he is so determined to take care of Xiaoxiao.

She is really a very kind and good woman.

However, Xia Mufan couldn't bear to put the responsibility of taking care of Xiaoxiao on this kind woman, and said softly: "Xing City has sent people to contact Ou Qingguo's sister. If her sister doesn't want to be a guardian, the government will not leave her alone. The surgery and hospitalization fees will be borne by the government, and the Children's Welfare Institute will also send someone to take care of her."

When Mei Yudong heard the word "orphanage", he immediately became excited: "No, no, no! Xiaoqin and I swore that if we have a child in the future, we will definitely take care of her like the apple of our eye and will never let her go to an orphanage and live a life without a father or a mother."

Mei Yudong stepped forward and grabbed Xia Mufan's arm: "Please, give me some time. Peng Hai and I will talk it over. Let me take care of Baozhu. Xiaoqin is gone, and I am her mother!"

Before Xia Mufan could reply, there was a noise at the door and a gentle man wearing glasses pushed the door open and walked in. When he saw Xia Mufan and Mei Yudong standing in the middle of the living room, he was stunned for a moment: "Are there guests at home?"

Natsuki Shigeru introduced himself once again.

The man was Mei Yudong's husband, Zhao Penghai. He raised his hand, pushed up his glasses, and said very politely, "Hello, police comrades. May I ask what can I do for you?"

When Mei Yudong saw her husband, tears kept falling like pearls from a broken string: "Penghai, Liu Qin is dead!"

Zhao Penghai had met Liu Qin when he was dating Mei Yudong. When he heard the news of her death, he frowned and said to Xia Mufan, "Liu Qin was my lover's childhood playmate, but the two of them haven't been in touch for seven or eight years. Her death should have nothing to do with my lover. What do you want to know?"

Mei Yudong had only one thought in her mind at the moment. When she saw her husband, she couldn't wait to say, "Penghai, Xiaoqin is dead. Her husband killed her. Her daughter Baozhu is now an orphan. We don't have any children anyway, so why don't we adopt her?"

Zhao Penghai frowned even more tightly and said impatiently, "You are just a friend of Liu Qin, and you haven't been in touch for a long time. It's not appropriate to adopt her child, right? We are still young and we will have our own children in the future. Besides, with my mother's health, you can't spare the time to take care of other people's children."

Mei Yudong felt a tightness in his chest and opened his mouth to breathe heavily.

Before Mei Yudong could think of words to persuade her husband, a sharp curse came from the bedroom: "Mei Yudong, you bitch, are you deaf? I called you for a long time and you didn't come!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a "clang" sound, which was the sound of a porcelain bowl hitting the ground and shattering.

Zhao Penghai turned his gaze to Mei Yudong, with a hint of condemnation in his eyes: "Yudong, how did you take care of your mother? Why did you let her get so angry? Even if the police comrades have something to do, you have to take care of your mother first."

Mei Yudong's face suddenly turned red after hearing what her husband said. She tried to defend herself: "Penghai, I just cleaned Mom, fed her water and sent her food..."

Zhao Penghai interrupted her: "You don't have to tell me this. This is what you should do. You don't go to work every day. Staying at home to take care of your mother is your job. If you can't even do this, what value do you have in this family?"

Mei Yudong was not good at speaking and didn't know how to express what he was thinking. His lips were trembling and his hands were twisted together, until his fingertips turned white.

After holding it in for a minute, Mei Yudong only said one sentence: "But Xiaoqin is dead."

Zhao Penghai felt nothing about Liu Qin's death. He said unhappily, "Her death has nothing to do with us. You should take care of your own family affairs and stop thinking about it. Mom is calling you in the room again. Go and clean up."

Mei Yudong stood straight, looked at Zhao Penghai steadily, without moving.

For some reason, Liu Qin's death gave Mei Yudong a great shock. She now felt an indescribable anger in her heart, which made her no longer as submissive as before.

She and Liu Qin grew up together. They have similar personalities. They are both honest people who are good at speaking but kind-hearted, and only care about their work. They all believe that if they give to others sincerely, others will naturally treat them well, and it doesn't matter if they suffer some injustice.

But what did Liu Qin get in the end?

She endured her husband's beatings, thinking that as long as she was more understanding and tolerant, she could move her husband and maintain the family, but in the end she was beaten to death by her husband.

Even her child was orphaned, lying alone in the hospital, preparing to undergo major surgery. The child who was once treated as a treasure by Liu Qin now has no relatives around him.

If kindness is rewarded with humiliation, then what's the point of being kind?

If tolerance results in even more severe exploitation, then why should we be tolerant of them?

The more he thought about it, the more unwilling he felt. For the first time, Mei Yudong felt a sense of resistance in his heart.

Zhao Penghai couldn't help feeling annoyed when he saw that his wife wasn't as available as usual. The intermittent smell of feces and urine from the bedroom wafted over, making him nauseous. He began to urge Mei Yudong: "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up."

Mei Yudong still didn't move. She looked up at her husband, her eyes gleaming with a light she had never seen before: "What are you going to do?"

Zhao Penghai raised his voice and said impatiently, "Don't play dumb there. Mom is calling you. Hurry over."

Mei Yudong asked back: "Whose mother?"

This was the first time Mei Yudong asked Zhao Penghai a question after all these years of marriage. Zhao Penghai looked at his fat, plainly dressed, ordinary-looking wife in disbelief, and he couldn't hide the disdain in his eyes.

"She is my mother and also your mother-in-law! Isn't it natural for a daughter-in-law to serve her mother-in-law? What kind of word games are you playing with me here! When we got married, we agreed that you would take care of the housework and take good care of my mother at home, and I would work outside to earn money to support the family. What? Now that you have grown up, you think it is too hard to take care of the elderly and don't want to do it anymore?"

Mei Yudong's body was shaking and he clenched his fists as if he was cheering himself up.

Suddenly, she shouted loudly: "Liu Qin is dead, did you hear me? I tell you Liu Qin is dead, dead!"

Mei Yudong's anger seemed to be the magma that had been accumulating under a volcano, quiet and silent.

But today, Liu Qin's death ignited the dead magma, and it suddenly erupted.

It was the first time that Zhao Penghai saw Mei Yudong lose his temper so much. He didn't know how to respond for a moment. Even the old lady who had been making trouble in the bedroom suddenly shut up.

Xia Mufan saw this from the side and really wanted to applaud Mei Yudong.

She walked up and took Mei Yudong's arm: "Please come with us to the police station to talk about Liu Qin's death."

Mei Yudong followed Xia Mufan out without saying a word.

Zhao Penghai hurriedly stopped Mei Yudong and said, "What will happen to Mom if you leave?"

Xia Mufan looked at Zhao Penghai with a half-smile: "Mei Yudong has served your mother for seven or eight years, can't you take care of her for a few hours?"

Zhao Penghai felt a little embarrassed by Xia Mufan's contemptuous look, and looked at Mei Yudong with a sullen face: "What about dinner?"

Feng Xiaoyu couldn't help herself and shouted back, "What should we do? Just let it cool! Don't you have hands and feet? Can't you go to the kitchen and cook? If that doesn't work, go buy some outside. Is that too hard? You have to let Mei Yudong take care of everything. Are you dead?"

After saying that, he pulled Mei Yudong and walked out.

Two female police officers stood on Mei Yudong's left and right. Zhao Penghai wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth, he finally closed it dejectedly and walked towards the bedroom in a huff.

The moment she closed the door, Mei Yudong heard her husband complaining from inside the room: "Mom, I told you not to throw things on the floor all the time. How many things are there for you to throw at home? Also, eat less. You poop after you eat, you poop after you eat. It's so annoying!"

Close the door and block out all the sounds.

It turned out that Zhao Penghai also knew that his mother was a trouble, but he always let her endure and understand. Why can't he bear it when it's his turn to take care of it?

Mei Yudong silently followed Xia Mufan into the police car.

A furry thing suddenly crawled into her arms, and Mei Yudong looked down, seeing a black and gray tabby cat lying obediently on her legs, rubbing its furry little head against her palm and meowing, sounding delicate and soft.

Mei Yudong was stunned for a moment, but did not dodge the cat's touch. She stretched out her palm and gently stroked the cat's fur. The warm and soft touch gradually calmed her heart.

The car started moving, and the dormitory building of the vehicle factory was gradually left behind. Looking at the constantly changing scenery outside the window, Mei Yudong suddenly spoke: "Xiaoqin has always said that she wants to have a cat."

She stretched out her hand and continued to stroke the coal ash in her arms, muttering to herself: "If Xiaoqin was still alive, if Xiaoqin was still alive..."

As he spoke, Mei Yudong's voice became lower and lower, and he was lost in endless memories.

Yu Jing drove into the Anning Road Police Station with a familiar look, and as soon as he parked the car, he shouted, "Captain Wei, Captain Wei!"

Wei Yong came out of his office holding a teacup. Seeing them, he laughed and scolded, "It's a rare visit to come back. Why are you yelling?"

Xia Mufan got out of the car and looked at Wei Yong walking towards him, feeling extremely friendly. She was assigned to the Anning Road Police Station right after graduating from university. It was Chief Wei who taught her the ways of the world and led her step by step onto the path of criminal investigation. In her mind, Wei Yong was kind and gentle, like a father.

Xia Mufan smiled and called out, "Wei Suo, long time no see!"

When Wei Yong saw Xia Mufan, he immediately smiled and said, "Xiao Xia, I heard that you are doing well in the Criminal Investigation Team. You are a good team leader and have solved several major cases in a row. You have brought honor to our Anning Road Police Station Chief. Not bad."

For a moment, Anning Road Police Station was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Mei Yudong stood there stupidly holding the coal ash, not knowing what to say. All her attention was now on Liu Qin and Xiao Xiao, and she was completely unaware of the joy around her.

After a few pleasantries, Xia Mufan said, "Director Wei, can you please borrow your office for a while? We'll chat with Mei Yudong."

Wei Yong said nonchalantly: "No problem, you can just use my office. Stay for dinner tonight, I'll ask the cafeteria to prepare extra meals."

Xia Mufan was not polite: "Okay, then cook for the six of us. I haven't eaten Chef Hu's cooking for a long time, and I miss it a lot."

Mei Hui huddled in Mei Yudong's arms and called out to Wei Yong, a familiar figure.

Director Wei looked at the increasingly plump Meihui and couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Oh, Meihui has grown so fat? It seems that the food at the Criminal Investigation Team is pretty good."

Coal Ash rolled his eyes at Wei Yong.

What's wrong with gaining weight? I don't eat your rice. 】

[This is not called fat, this is called strong.] 】

Director Wei looked at Coal Ash who rolled his eyes and said to Xia Mufan, "Why do I feel like Coal Ash is scolding me?"

Xia Mushige smiled and nodded: "Your feeling is right, Meihui doesn't like people saying that she is fat. I think she is pretty and not fat at all."

The issue of being fat caught Mei Yudong's attention. She hugged the coal ash in her hand and looked at Xia Muchan again, and said to herself: I don't like people saying that I am fat either.

At home, her mother-in-law and husband always complained about her being fat. Her mother-in-law was even more vicious, saying that she was as fat as a pig and that she was lazy and greedy. Her husband never looked at her with appreciation. When they were intimate with her at night, he was somewhat reluctant and muttered that she should lose weight.

Over time, Mei Yudong lost all confidence in his figure.

However, the cat in his arms taught Mei Yudong one thing.

——It turns out that if someone says you are fat, you can just give him a roll of the eyes and tell him you don’t like it.

Only people who don't like her would think she is fat. If they really like her, they would just think she is pretty and not fat at all.

Maybe, it's time to make a change.