Zhouzhou blinked her bright black eyes and nodded her little head gently.
Zhou Qiqi quickly turned to Teacher Fei and said, "Teacher Fei, could you please bring me some paper and a pen?"
"Paper and pens? For drawing?"
Teacher Fei looked up at her, "It's right on my desk!"
He turned around quickly and took out a piece of sketch paper and a box of brand-new colored pencils from the drawer.
Zhou Qiqi's gaze froze.
What Teacher Fei took out was a beautifully packaged box of 36 colored pencils, which was imported and had Japanese characters and cherry blossom symbols printed on the box.
When Zhou Qiqi bought art supplies for Zhouzhou before, she saw them in a department store. They were locked in a separate glass case, marked as costing 15 yuan, and you needed foreign exchange certificates to buy them.
Not only was she stunned, but Director Li also raised an eyebrow and glanced at her, and Teacher Fei blushed a little.
“I also enjoy drawing in my spare time, and I use all my salary to buy these things.”
As she spoke, she unpacked the package and shoved it into Zhouzhou's arms, saying, "Zhouzhou, draw whatever you want."
Although Zhouzhou didn't know the prices, she knew they must be expensive when she saw that the pencils came in so many colors and the packaging was so nice. She looked at Zhou Qiqi nervously.
Zhou Qiqi patted her shoulder reassuringly.
"It's okay, just use it. Your uncle is rich; he can pay for it if you break it."
The little girl was relieved, picked up a black pencil, and curled up in front of Teacher Fei's desk to draw earnestly.
When she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes cast delicate shadows under her eyes, and the expression on her small face was surprisingly focused. There was no trace of the timid "little mute" she had been before. Her whole being seemed to have been illuminated, radiating a kind of spirituality.
The adults in the office looked at each other, none of them saying a word. Even Jiang Xiangyang, who was usually the most restless, stared wide-eyed.
Only the Liao brothers, Xiaolei and Xiaofeng, in the back row, had snot bubbles hanging from their noses and were frantically tugging at Li Hongjuan's clothes.
"Mom, what should we do?"
Li Hongjuan took a half step back in disgust, glanced at Zhouzhou, and her fingernails almost dug into her palms.
"What's the panic? She's a mute with mental problems, what kind of art could she possibly create! You two remember this, no matter what we ask you later, deny everything!"
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the scratching of the pen tip across the drawing paper.
Ten minutes later, a "painting" appeared before everyone's eyes.
Zhouzhou has never learned to draw. The only books at home are simple line drawing books. The lines she draws are messy and chaotic, and the whole page is full of black and gray mixed blocks of color, like a tangled dark cloud.
Everyone crowded around to look, but they couldn't quite understand what the painting depicted; they were completely baffled.
Director Li frowned deeply.
"It looks rather depressing, and you can't make out what it's about at all."
Teacher Fei tilted his head, tapped the paper twice with his fingertips, but didn't say anything.
Seeing this, Li Hongjuan curled the corners of her mouth, her voice carrying a hint of smugness.
"I told you not to waste time! She can't even speak properly, how can anyone understand what she's drawing? She's clearly lying!"
Director Li and Teacher Fei exchanged a helpless glance.
Deng Cuixiang also lost her spirit, and Zhouzhou's originally bright eyes gradually dimmed.
"Who says nobody understands? I do!"
Zhou Qiqi suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed.
From the moment Zhouzhou stopped drawing until now, she has been staring at the drawing paper without saying a word, her lips pressed together until they turned white. Even Li Hongjuan thought she was about to give up, but unexpectedly she suddenly spoke.
Deng Cuixiang quickly grabbed her arm, "Qiqi, tell me quickly, what did you figure out?"
Zhou Qiqi held the painting up in front of everyone, her expression somber.
"Zhouzhou drew a small house on the ground. The outside was shaped like a human figure, and the inside was triangular! There were also trees inside!"
"Zhouzhou has been locked inside by those two!"
Li Hongjuan's throat tightened, but she forced a laugh.
"What nonsense! Human shape, triangle shape, and a tree in the room! Zhou Qiqi, are you and the little mute both out of your minds? What are you saying..."
Before he could finish speaking, Teacher Fei suddenly opened his eyes wide and pointed into the distance.
"Human shape, triangle, tree... I know! It's the small warehouse south of the school playground!"
"Let's go! Let's go take a look!"
Without saying a word, Deng Cuixiang dragged everyone towards the playground.
It was a bust of Lei Feng, with a small storeroom set up next to the base, hidden in a grove of trees by the playground, rarely visited by anyone.
When everyone arrived, Grandpa Huang, who cleans the school, was struggling to pry open the lock.
Upon seeing Director Li, he immediately began to complain, panting heavily.
"Director, you've come at the right time! I have something to report to you. I lost the key to this warehouse a long time ago and never lock it, but when I came over just now, it was locked!"
Director Li's expression instantly darkened.
"Sir, did you see who it was?"
"I saw it!"
Grandpa Huang wiped his sweat.
"Just after school let out, those two boys from Section Chief Liao's family brought over a little girl! Wasn't she the one who got first place in the placement test? She's really pretty, her surname is Chen... Chen..."
"Sink the ferry!"
Deng Cuixiang quickly responded.
"Yes, yes, yes! That's the name!"
Grandpa Huang nodded vigorously.
"But I watched the three of them go in, and then I only saw two boys come out; the girl had vanished without a trace..."
Although the small warehouse only contained some brooms, dustpans, and the like, Grandpa Huang took his tools very seriously. Whenever someone approached, he would carefully take a closer look.
Even after finishing their meal, they were still worried and came over to check on things.
As he spoke, he finally managed to pry open the lock.
The wooden door creaked open, revealing the cramped space inside.
The wall and the floor were indeed triangular in shape, with a broom as tall as a person leaning against the corner, and several small stools stacked next to it, facing an open window.
The dust that had accumulated along the edge of the window frame had been wiped clean, indicating that someone had climbed out from there.
No wonder Zhou Qiqi had noticed that Zhou Zhou was walking with a limp earlier. She had assumed it was from a fight and sprained ankle. But when she lifted the girl's skirt, she saw several scabbed abrasions on her knees, mixed with mud and embedded in the flesh.
This is the only way to have real witnesses and physical evidence, and the facts are clear.
Grandpa Huang doesn't know what's happening outside, so he won't lie.
The others, having seen this, probably understood what was going on.
It turned out that the Liao brothers had bullied Zhouzhou first, locking him in a dark room. Zhouzhou was clever enough to escape through the window, chase after them, and pushed the two brothers into a mud pit.
Deng Cuixiang was furious and started cursing at the Liao brothers.
"Well, you two little rascals, you're so young and already full of mischief!"
Li Hongjuan felt a little guilty and wanted to refute but didn't know what to say. Just as she was trying to find the right words, she heard Zhou Qiqi slowly walk over and speak first.
"They're just kids, why are you, an adult, yelling at them?"
Li Hongjuan nodded quickly.
"Exactly! You're a grown man, how can you scold a child like that? Aren't you ashamed...?"
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Qiqi suddenly swung her arms, striking with both hands.
"Slap! Slap!"
Two crisp sounds rang out, and five finger marks immediately appeared on Liao Xiaolei and Liao Xiaofeng's faces!
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