Chapter 78 She was never a likable child
Zhou Mu looked timidly at Zhou Chenglong, closing his eyes as he reached out. But instead of receiving a punch or kick, he was pushed from behind. "Hurry up and cook me another bowl of noodles. This one is way too salty."
Zhou Mu stared blankly at him, but Zhou Chenglong said, "Did you think I was going to hit you?"
"Um."
"I'll hit you after you've cooked the noodles for me, hurry up! I'm starving."
But Zhou Mu didn't get the beating even when he went to bed that night. Zhou Chenglong knew that Zhou Yue couldn't get out for the time being, so he directly occupied Zhou Yue's bedroom, and Zhou Mu went back to sleep on the small bed with curtains in the living room.
The next day, Zhou Mu got up early to make breakfast. Zhou Chenglong slept until dawn. As soon as he got up, Zhou Mu took the white rice porridge and eggs out of the pot. When Zhou Chenglong drank the porridge, she even peeled the eggs for him. "I'm sorry, Uncle."
Zhou Chenglong took the egg and ate it in two bites. "Since you feel sorry, continue to wash my clothes and cook for me, and take good care of me."
He is not a good person; he is a selfish, cowardly, and bullying person who preys on the weak and fears the strong. But he is not a heartless and insane person.
Before Zhou Chenglong went to work, Zhou Mu gave him the IOU written by Zhou Chenglong that she found in a hidden compartment of Zhou Yue's drawer.
"What is this?"
When Zhou Chenglong saw that it was an IOU, his eyes lit up. He had searched high and low last night, but he didn't expect Zhou Mu to find it.
He tore the IOU to shreds in a hurry, then grabbed Zhou Mu's head and shook it. "Good girl, thank you, Uncle. Don't worry, you'll never go hungry again."
Zhou Mu didn't believe it. She only hoped that Zhou Chenglong really wouldn't direct his hatred for Zhou Yue at her. He didn't need to be too nice to her; just ignore her. She could continue doing the laundry and cooking.
After Zhou Chenglong left, Zhou Mu packed up Zhou Yue's personal belongings and sent them to the police station. Zhou Yue would be transferred to prison the next day.
Watching Zhou Yue's figure disappear behind the heavy iron gate, Zhou Mu's eyes finally reddened.
Officer Li, just like yesterday, took her home. "Did your uncle give you any trouble?"
Zhou Mu shook her head. "No, Uncle has already gone to work."
"That's good. I discussed it with my colleagues at the bureau yesterday. We will take turns visiting you from time to time. If your uncle makes things difficult for you, you must tell us. I will also go to the neighborhood office today to remind them to take good care of you."
Zhou Mu was touched by the stranger's unsolicited concern. "There's no need to go to such trouble..."
"It's no trouble at all. It's just a small matter of us asking and making a trip. It's worth it if it can make your life a little better."
Zhou Mu's childhood was no secret; they already knew everything when they came to the Zhou family to investigate. Officer Li felt very sorry for Zhou Mu.
"And this too," Officer Li pulled out a wad of cash. "This is money pooled together by more than a dozen of us in the bureau, a total of 3,400. I know you started earning money when you were 6, so you're sure you can keep it safe and distribute it properly, right? Don't tell your uncle."
"No, sister, I really can't accept it. I have money, I can earn it myself. I really can't accept it." Zhou Mu put her hands behind her back and refused to take it no matter what.
“Zhou Mu, you are only 8 years old. You still need to go to school, and your mother will not be out for another six years. If you don’t accept the money, where will you get the money to go to school?” Officer Li stuffed the money into Zhou Mu’s hand.
“There’s 1,000 for the bureau chief, 800 for Captain Chen, and 100 for each of us. We just want to express our feelings. Captain Chen also asked me to apologize to you. He said he’s very sorry that you lost your mother.”
Zhou Mu shook her head with red eyes, "My mother committed a crime, she did something wrong, you can't blame the police officers, I really don't blame you, and I can't accept your donation."
Her mother is a criminal, not a hero. How could she possibly accept this money, even if she really needed it?
Officer Li saw through her thoughts and advised, "Zhou Mu, you are still young, still a child. Don't bear the burden of crimes that don't belong to you. No matter what crime your mother committed, she is the one who should be punished, it has nothing to do with you."
Zhou Mu's tears fell completely. After Zhou Yue was arrested, everyone around her distanced themselves from her. Their pointing and whispering gazes felt like needles pricking her. Even Aunt Sun's gaze towards her was no longer as kind as before. She pulled Xia Mingyang away from her, and the children even called her the daughter of a convict.
She has never been a likable child, and now she seems to be disliked even more.
She was also very worried about Feifei's attitude. Feifei was her only friend. If Aunt Yan knew what her mother had done, would she also think that she was the daughter of a convict and must be just as bad as her mother, so she wouldn't let Feifei be her friend anymore?
She threw herself into Officer Li's arms and cried her heart out, trying to let out all the grievances in her heart. She had never received her mother's love, but she had to bear the harm and misfortune that her mother brought her.
Officer Li gently patted her back, "It's okay, just cry it out."
Zhou Mu cried all the way home, but he never expected to see Feifei at his doorstep.
She wore a sky-blue dress, a matching bow headband, and white leather shoes. Standing in the sunlight, she seemed to glow, completely out of place in this dilapidated alley.
Zhou Mu was a little scared, fearing that she had come to break off their friendship, and hesitated to step forward.
Feifei's eyes lit up, and she came running over, "Mumu, you're finally back!"
Zhou Mu stared blankly at Feifei, all her emotions soothed by her sweet smile. How could she miss Feifei so much?
Feng Yu greeted Officer Li but didn't intend to interfere in the two girls' relationship. Fei Fei was worried about Zhou Mu after seeing the news, and he couldn't resist Fei Fei's request to come with her.
Ring ring—
It was Yan Songyu calling. He was probably worried about Feifei. He nodded slightly to Officer Li and watched Officer Li and the two girls go into the house before walking aside to answer the phone.
"Yes, we've arrived."
"Yes, after waiting for a while, Zhou Mu has returned."
"Okay, I understand."
"merciful."
"The construction site is desolate. Don't go too far alone. Take Qian Senmu and Xu Yue with you. Make sure to wear your safety helmets and pay attention to safety."
Even though Yan Songyu herself knew these were minor matters, Feng Yu still couldn't help but remind her again. But just as he was getting into it, he suddenly heard Yan Songyu exclaim in surprise, and then the sound on the phone stopped.
Feng Yu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lost control. "Hello? Song Yu!"
"Hello? Hello! Hello!"
He looked at the ended call and, unwilling to give up, dialed again, only to be immediately hung up.
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