Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Suspicion of self-inflicted suffering

People were rushing in and out of the police station, almost all of them busy. Liu Mianmian and the others, including Yu Guoliang, had already completed their statements and provided all the clues they could, fulfilling their civic duties, and were ready to leave.

When they reached the door, Ding Mingxia rushed over again: "Liu Mianmian, you can't be so selfish. How could you stand by and watch someone die? You clearly have the ability to help Jinshi, you can't be so cruel!"

She wanted to grab Liu Mianmian, but was gently pushed away by Shen Weizhuo who was walking beside Liu Mianmian.

Ding Mingxia was stunned. Without time to think, she rushed forward again, but this time she was stopped by Yu Guoliang. Ding Mingxia didn't care for this disheveled country bumpkin. Her eyebrows raised and she cursed, "Where did you come from, begging for food? Can't you see where you're going?"

Seeing her acting like this, Liu Mianmian thought to herself, "So this is what the real Ding Mingxia is like." It's true, Ding Mingxia and Liu Jinshi had a deep bond as mother and daughter, and Liu Jinshi's abduction had forced Ding Mingxia's true identity to be exposed.

Yu Guoliang glared at her, "Are you Mianmian's biological mother? What did you tell my mother on the phone? You said you would raise both children well. You also said that as their biological mother, you would treat Mianmian well. And this is how you treat her?! You don't want this daughter, but our Yu family does!"

Ding Mingxia was stunned for a moment, then said, "How could I have been bad to her? I provided her with food and clothing, and even found her a good husband. I even returned all the betrothal money I had given her!"

She suddenly realized and grabbed Yu Guoliang: "Are you a member of the Yu family?! Did you hear it just now? Jinshi was kidnapped. She is your biological sister. Ask Liu Mianmian to help find her, find her, otherwise she will suffer... wuwuwu..."

Yu Guoliang frowned. "Even a country boy like me knows that the police are the police and the army is the army. Asking the army to do police work is just nonsense. You asked Mianmian to do something nonsense, and when she refused, you called her a selfish and ungrateful person. I think you are the selfish and ungrateful person."

Ding Mingxia was about to say: "You..."

Liu Mianmian interrupted her: "Ms. Ding, let me introduce you. This is my eldest brother, Yu Guoliang. He's the one who writes letters, sends things, and travels around the house. So, when facing him, shouldn't you have something else to say? For example, why didn't I receive any of the letters he wrote to me before? For example, why didn't I receive any of the things he sent to me before?"

She looked at Ding Mingxia indifferently: "Taking letters and packages privately is considered theft. We are at the police station right now. Do you need the police to help investigate?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Ying Xiaofen coldly. Seeing the other party's face froze, Liu Mianmian curled her lips sarcastically. It seemed that everyone else in the Liu family knew about this, but they just kept it a secret from the original owner.

Yu Guoliang was shocked: "Youngest, you didn't receive the things that your family sent you before?"

The way he looked at Ding Mingxia was as if he was looking at an old witch. He never expected that people in the city were so cunning and could do such a thing.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Guoliang said anxiously, "Youngest, you didn't even receive the red scarf Mom gave you?! You didn't even get to eat the bacon we saved by cutting down on our expenses?!"

Liu Mianmian laughed sarcastically. "Two red scarves, one for Liu Jinshi and one for sister-in-law Ying Xiaofen. They said they bought them together at the supply and marketing cooperative, but they're all sold out. I want to buy one but it's out too."

Yu Guoliang cursed: "How can you be so shameless!"

Liu Mianmian said lightly: "Yeah, how can you be so shameless."

The original owner was indeed not a good person, but at least she had never done anything to harm the Liu family. On the contrary, she had always tried to please and integrate into this family.

Ding Mingxia was so anxious that she hadn't thought about this matter before, or rather, in her heart, she didn't think it was a big deal. Now that Liu Mianmian had exposed her, she stammered and opened her mouth to defend herself, but was interrupted by Liu Mianmian again.

"Don't tell me that you're afraid I'll miss my old home. Do you believe it?" Liu Mianmian sneered. "Paying back a debt is only natural. I see the police are all very busy, so there's no need to bother them. You should pay my brother two hundred yuan for the lost items and emotional compensation."

The original owner is no longer with us, so this compensation can only be given to the Yu family.

Hearing the price of two hundred yuan, Ying Xiaofen couldn't help but say: "Liu Mianmian, why don't you just go and rob it? It's just a few mushrooms, bacon, and two torn scarves, and you want two hundred?" Twenty is the maximum he can give.

Ying Xiaofen actually didn't want to conflict with her sister-in-law who married into a wealthy family, but two hundred yuan was really not a small amount of money. Liu Yongjie was the only male in the family, and all the money in the family would belong to them in the future.

Liu Mianmian raised her eyebrows slightly. "If you don't want to pay, then let the police handle it. Those who stole things should be arrested and sentenced, and those who need to be fired should be fired. Then you will know whether the two hundred is worth it or not."

She said nonchalantly, "I have nothing to do anyway. I can go to the military factories, textile factories, and the family compound every day to report the situation. I believe that gossip about my own mother and sister-in-law stealing letters and things should be of interest to many people."

Not to mention that the people in the factory were interested, as soon as they started arguing, several hooligans who had just been arrested stretched their necks to look in their direction.

Ying Xiaofen was like a duck with its neck pinched, unable to make a sound.

She knew that her sister-in-law was shameless and capable of anything. If she really made a scene at work, how could she still live her life there?

Ying Xiaofen is like this, not to mention Ding Mingxia, who cares the most about her reputation and image.

Even though she showed her true colors in the police station today, it was because she didn't know anyone here, and she knew that as a family member of the victim, it didn't matter if she went too far. Others would only understand that she was a mother who was so anxious that she lost her composure.

But if the incident got to the factory, Ding Mingxia would feel like she couldn't live at the thought of being pointed at and criticized. What's more, if the incident really got out of hand, it would be impossible for her husband Lao Liu to move up the ladder.

Ding Mingxia suddenly burst into tears: "Mianmian, I am your biological mother, I am just afraid..."

She wanted to say that she was afraid that Liu Mianmian and her adoptive parents would get too close, but then she remembered that Liu Mianmian had told her not to say such nonsense. She choked for a long time and could only say, "I just had a wrong idea for a moment."

Liu Mianmian interrupted her again and again: "Just know that you are wrong. Go back and give the money to Jiang Hongmei and ask her to bring it to me. There is no need to say anything else."

Seeing that Ding Mingxia wanted to say more, she said bluntly: "If you say one more word, I will go directly to the factory to distribute flyers."

Ding Mingxia was like a duck with its neck pinched, unable to make a sound.

Only after the three of them had gone far away did Ding Mingxia sit down on the bench and cry, "What an injustice! How could she do this to me? If I had known earlier..."

Ying Xiaofen couldn't help but complain: "Mom, you shouldn't have asked her to help find Jinshi today." If her mother-in-law hadn't stopped Liu Mianmian again and again and asked her to help find Liu Jinshi, how could she have angered Liu Mianmian and caused so many troubles?

Ding Mingxia paused in her tears and stared at Ying Xiaofen: "What do you mean?"

Ying Xiaofen curled her lips and said nothing, thinking that her mother-in-law was really strange. She had no feelings for her own daughter, but she had a lot of feelings for Liu Jinshi. It seemed that she was not as affectionate as her own son.

Yu Guoliang still had to go back to the entrance of the fertilizer factory to queue up. Liu Mianmian wanted to ask him to go back to Qiuzhi Lane to have a meal together, but he firmly disagreed, saying that the three of them who came together were taking turns, and the other two might not be able to handle it if he was not there.

Liu Mianmian didn't force him and went to a nearby state-owned restaurant to buy some steamed buns and vegetables and sent them to him. She even borrowed the lunch box for the vegetables from the state-owned restaurant by paying a deposit.

"We brought some dry food and pickles, so we have some food." Yu Guoliang saw the snow-white, soft steamed buns in the paper bag, and the braised pork and celery fried tofu in the lunch box. He couldn't help swallowing, but still pushed the food out and said, "Take it home and eat it."

Liu Mianmian pushed the things back into his arms: "Brother, I found a job as a pianist in a western restaurant. I can earn a lot of money a month. Since you have come to South City with great difficulty, it is only right for me to treat you to a few meals, right?"

Yu Guoliang asked blankly, "Western restaurant? Pianist?"

Liu Mianmian glanced at Shen Weizhou, who was not far away, and said, "Yeah, didn't our old commune school have an old organ? There was a teacher who was sent down to play the organ very well, and I learned from him for a while. The piano and the organ are quite different, but he also drew the keys on paper and taught me, so I can barely learn them. It's just playing the piano while eating, so you don't have to be very good. My level is just okay."

The original owner had beautiful hands, and the teacher valued her talent and did teach her the organ for a while, but the original owner was not a stable person and soon gave up.

Yu Guoliang vaguely remembered that there seemed to be such an incident. He naturally didn't know what level the original owner was at, let alone the difference between the organ and the piano. He just thought that the "skill" he had learned randomly at the beginning could actually find a good job in South City. He was very happy for the youngest.

If you have a job, you don't have to ask your in-laws for money, and you have a strong backbone, you can live a comfortable life.

Knowing that Liu Mianmian could earn her own money and was not using her husband's family's money to buy food at a state-owned restaurant, Yu Guoliang felt much less psychological pressure. However, he still took out a carefully folded large note from his pocket and said, "Brother, how can I spend your money? Save your salary yourself. Take this money."

Liu Mianmian said with a fierce look: "Why are you talking so much? Hurry up and eat. If you don't eat, don't write to me next time or send me anything."

Then he turned around and said, "I'm leaving first. I'll come see you when I have time."

Yu Guoliang's raised hand froze in mid-air, and he sighed helplessly: "This little girl has a bad temper."

The comrade who came with him from the village laughed and said, "It's not good to have hot steamed buns and braised pork. Your sister is worried about you."

Yu Guoliang suddenly laughed innocently, took out the steamed bun and shared one with the other person, then put the lunch box in the middle: "Let's eat together. Only when we are full can we have strength."

He glanced at the ever-lengthening line and said, "I don't know when I'll be able to buy fertilizer."

Liu Mianmian and Shen Weizhou walked to the nearest bus stop to wait for the bus. It was nearing rush hour, and the platform was crowded with people. Liu Mianmian observed the people around her, quietly moved a little closer to Shen Weizhou, and whispered, "Do you think anyone is following us?"

Her eyes rolled around and she looked around carefully, feeling that everyone around her seemed like a bad person.

Shen Weizhou almost laughed at her appearance. He couldn't help but say, "I thought you weren't afraid?"

Liu Mianmian looked up at him, her face full of "What nonsense are you talking about?" "How could I not be afraid? Think about it carefully. If the old lady, the fierce man and the fat man are all in the same group, then even if they didn't follow us all the time, they at least followed us in sections. Otherwise, how could the fat man appear in front of the fertilizer factory? We don't usually go to the fertilizer factory. Think about it, if this is true, isn't it terrifying?"

Shen Weizhuo thought about it and felt that from Liu Mianmian's perspective, it must be quite terrifying, so he nodded.

Liu Mianmian nudged him again, her voice even softer: "If our speculation is true, I suspect Liu Jinshi was abducted. Maybe she had bad intentions and deserved it."

Shen Weizhou looked at her deeply.

"Jiang Hongmei told me that Liu Jinshi contacted Zhu Yongqi and instigated him to cause trouble in Qiuzhi Lane and the military compound, throwing dirty water on me and ruining my reputation. But Zhu Yongqi didn't show up at all during this period."

Liu Mianmian said as she sorted out her thoughts, "Zhu Yongqi isn't that stupid. He might not end up doing anything good by causing trouble in Qiuzhi Lane and the military compound. Besides, I've heard that he often hangs out with some shady people. Maybe he just thinks it's better to cooperate with human traffickers than to cause trouble. Liu Jinshi danced in front of him, so he naturally made her a target."

In fact, she remembered that the original owner in the original book was also sold by Zhu Yongqi in the end.

Liu Mianmian originally thought that Zhu Yongqi had gone to the south and had hooked up with the human trafficking gang, but what if he actually knew people from the human trafficking gang from the beginning?

Although Zhu Yongqi is a gangster, he is actually a gangster with ideals. He has always wanted to go to the south to make a lot of money, return home in glory after making a name for himself, and slap the faces of those who once looked down on him.

But whether you go south or make a lot of money, you need money.

Originally, Zhu Yongqi used the original owner as a source of funds. After she came through, the original owner's "blood bag" disappeared out of thin air. Zhu Yongqi knew that he could not get money from her, so perhaps he decided to take the risk and cooperate with human traffickers?

One is kidnapping, two is abduction. Since we have to do it anyway, we might as well get more.

As a time traveler who is familiar with the plot of the original book, Liu Mianmian feels that she may have guessed it almost correctly.

She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice that she was getting very close to Shen Weizhuo.

Just at this moment, the bus came and the people around rushed over, causing Liu Mianmian to lose her balance and fall into Shen Weizhuo's arms.

Liu Mianmian felt that Shen Weizhuo's whole body stiffened for a moment, and his hand seemed to push her away subconsciously. Then he immediately held her head and pressed it heavily into his arms, taking her two steps back.

The nose is filled with a familiar and refreshing smell.

“Mmmmm…”

Liu Mianmian struggled subconsciously, but soon Shen Weizhuo let her go.

"Someone almost hit your head with something in his hand." At the same time, Shen Weizhuo explained his behavior.

Liu Mianmian touched the back of her head which had escaped danger, not knowing what to say, and finally uttered a meaningless "ah".

"Let's go, get in the car."

Shen Weizhuo signaled Liu Mianmian to get in the car first, and he followed behind Liu Mianmian.

Even though she felt that Shen Weizhuo was sick and had little fighting power, Liu Mianmian still felt a lot more at ease with him behind her.

It's not that she's really afraid that someone will suddenly rush out and kidnap her, but the fear of being targeted or spied on in the dark makes her feel insecure.

Despite the large number of people, there were still a few empty seats on the bus.

Liu Mianmian sat down by the window, and Shen Weizhou sat to her left. He asked her, "What did you want to say just now?"

Just now?

Liu Mianmian recalled the moment and her face felt a little hot for some reason. He should be talking about the time when he hugged her, but she had actually forgotten what she wanted to say at that time.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Probably couldn't breathe or something."

Thinking of the reason why she couldn't breathe, Shen Weizhou's expression froze slightly. He cleared his throat, nodded, and said, "The Nancheng Public Security System is very powerful, and the traffickers will definitely be caught. The police will interrogate the whole story after they catch them. We have fulfilled our obligations, and we will leave the rest to the police."

This was a response to her previous speculation about Liu Jinshi.

Liu Mianmian glanced at him sideways and sighed, "If it's really what I guessed, then I can only say that it's karma that's paying off."

Shen Weizhou suddenly pulled out a small, dark object from his pocket and handed it to her: "This is an alarm. Press the middle button and it will make a sound several times louder than a gong."

Liu Mianmian stared at the small and exquisite alarm in front of her, unable to believe that this thing could make a sound several times louder than a gong.

She was distracted. She took the alarm, held it in her hand, looked at it, and was eager to try it out: "Is it really louder than a gong?"

Shen Weizhou grabbed her hand as she tried to move: "Don't move! If it makes a noise, no one in the car can stand it."

"Is it that powerful?"

Liu Mianmian said with a hint of regret, "Okay, I won't press it."

She felt a little uncomfortable being held, and her fingers couldn't help but move in Shen Weizhou's palm, reminding him: "You can let me go now."

A tingling sensation spread from the palm of his hand to every part of his body. Shen Weizhou hurriedly let go of his hand and even moved away.

Liu Mianmian: “…”

At the same time, in an inconspicuous courtyard in the city.

In the damp and cramped cellar, Liu Jinshi woke up slowly and opened her eyes.