Chapter 203, Chapter 203, Mother
The place where the man with the axe was found was not far from Huanghe Road. Chen Zhenzhu left the courtyard alley and searched for traces, but unfortunately the snow and mud made the suspect's footprints disappear.
Shen Zhenzhu arranged for the officers to continue the search and examination, and returned to the criminal investigation team with Teacher Fang and her husband to help recall the suspect's physical characteristics.
When I passed through Zayuan Lane again, it was already evening and time to get off work.
As Teacher Fang said, there are very few people with proper jobs in the courtyard alley. They live in a patchwork of disrepair, as if they were in another world.
As Chen Zhenzhu passed by the cat cage, she glanced at it and noticed that the plastic covering that had been in place seemed to have been moved, as there were faint swallowing sounds coming from inside.
Passing them were a few other people heading off work. Teacher Fang covered her mouth and nose with an old scarf in disgust and hurried through the alley, drawing frequent glances from others.
"If you're so crazy, then don't walk this way." The younger of the sisters in Courtyard No. 5 pouted and said to her companion, "Brother Jiang, remember what I said, or the boss will criticize you."
"Thank you, I won't do it again next time." Jiang Yuan'an smiled knowingly.
The younger sister said, "You said the same thing last time."
Jiang Yuan'an frowned, glanced back at the police officers who had rushed over, and said, "Has someone been robbed again?"
The younger sister thought he was changing the subject, so she glared at him and said, "I'm leaving."
The elder of the twin sisters glanced at Jiang Yuan'an again: "I'm going home too. See you tomorrow."
In courtyard number six, Dongbao was building a snowman. When she saw her beloved older brother return, she held up a handful of snow and threw it in front of him: "Ha, it's snowing white flour! Here, have some, lots and lots of white flour, let your older brother eat his fill."
Jiang Yuan'an took out a handkerchief from her pocket, inside which were two walnut cookies: "These were given to me by my workplace. Here's one, and the other is for Grandma Tong. Don't be greedy and eat them all yourself."
"Dongbao isn't greedy." Dongbao happily rubbed his hands on his pants, which weren't exactly clean, then grabbed the walnut pastry and strode into the north room, saying, "Grandma, Grandma, big brother gave me some!"
When Aunt Liu saw the snowmen piled up all over the yard, she sighed and said, "So many snowmen again, it's really creepy."
Grandma Tong came out, took the peach shortbread, and said to Jiang Yuan'an, "Thank you, Xiao Jiang."
"It's nothing." Jiang Yuan'an walked into her room.
Dongbao sat on the doorstep, munching on walnut shortbread, and pointed excitedly at the doors of four houses, saying, "1, 5, 9—"
Aunt Liu, being soft-hearted, smiled and said, "It's 1, 2, 3, not 1, 5, 9. The fool can't count and just counts randomly."
Dongbao retorted angrily, "Even an idiot can count!"
Aunt Liu teased him deliberately, "You can't count. If you can count, then count them."
Dongbao started counting, but he kept counting "1, 5, 9," making Aunt Liu laugh until her stomach hurt.
Old Jiang carried half a piece of pork leg into the yard, patted the snow off his shoulders, and said to Dongbao, who was sitting on the threshold, "Look, what is Uncle carrying?"
Meat is cheap at the market when it's about to close, but for the residents of the dilapidated courtyard with their meager incomes, it's not something they can afford to eat every day.
Dongbao shouted, "Cat!"
Old Jiang's expression changed, and Aunt Liu put away her smile and pushed Old Jiang towards the kitchen: "Fool, you speak without thinking, don't take it to heart. He's only eaten meat a few times since he was a child, what does he know?"
There were many idle people in the courtyard. Every household would keep their doors tightly closed when they ate something delicious, for fear that others would come over to freeload at mealtimes.
The four households and nine people in courtyard number six get along better than others. They care for and look after each other. They can't be considered a family, but they can be said to be closer neighbors than distant relatives.
"Don't say I won't give you meat today." Old Jiang pointed at Dongbao, took the meat to the kitchen, and said to Aunt Liu, "Yuan'an got his salary and gave me all the money. I was thinking of improving our lives, so this time I'm making dumplings with cabbage and pork."
"It seems Yuan'an's wages are quite good." Old widow Liu smiled more brightly than flowers: "That's great, I'll help you knead the dough."
Old Jiang didn't refute it, which shows he was quite proud of his son.
Jiang Yuan'an changed her clothes inside the house. She only had one set of decent clothes for work, which she had to wear to match her work uniform. When she got home, she had to change into her old clothes.
He walked to the wardrobe, saw his mother's photo pinned to the wall by his father, and reluctantly took it down and put it in the drawer. As he buttoned it up, he said, "Dad, how many times have I told you not to think about Mom so much? She's doing fine, and your life should get better too, right?"
Old Jiang was engrossed in cutting pork, probably distracted by Dongbao's "cat" meow, and almost cut his hand. He turned around and said, "I didn't mean to. If your Aunt Liu hears this, she'll laugh at me again."
Jiang Yuan'an shook his head and went back into the south room to change his shoes. He had gotten quite muddy on his way back, so he took them outside to shake them off.
"Xiao Jiang, clean up the snowman later, because it'll be dark when you need to go to the toilet," Aunt Liu instructed.
"Hey." Jiang Yuan'an glanced at the snowman and said to Dongbao, who was sitting on the doorstep, "Did you hear me? Come and help."
Dongbao was reluctant, but Grandma Tong urged from inside the house, "You should clean up your own mess. If outsiders see this, they'll talk badly about you."
As he spoke, Jiang Yuan'an picked up a shovel and began shoveling the snowman.
"Kill!" Dongbao suddenly flew into a rage, baring his teeth and letting out a low growl as he charged toward Jiang Yuan'an!
"Dongbao, stop!" Jiang Yuan'an picked up a shovel and barely managed to block Dongbao's fist.
Punches rang out against the metal, but Dongbao seemed oblivious. Even when Grandma Tong rushed out and grabbed him around the waist, he continued to hit Jiang Yuan'an. Grandma Tong had no choice but to stand in front of Jiang Yuan'an. Dongbao raised his fist high, staring at Jiang Yuan'an's shovel: "Don't touch it! Don't touch it!"
Dongbao stammered, "Don't touch Second Brother!"
"Stop! You're going to kill your brother!" Old Jiang quickly hid the kitchen knife and ran to Dongbao, forcefully separating him from Jiang Yuan'an. Aunt Liu ran outside again, shouting, "The idiot's gone mad again! Come help!"
Dongbao and the others got into a scuffle, and in the chaos, someone knocked over one of the snowmen. The school children who were watching the commotion screamed, "Dead cat! Dongbao killed the cat again!"
The sound carried to every corner of the alley, and people would occasionally come to watch.
Grandma Tong stamped her feet anxiously, preventing anyone else from entering, and repeatedly said, "Our Dongbao wouldn't do that, don't talk nonsense!"
"What nonsense! He definitely did it!"
"Who else could it be but him?"
Everyone knows he's both stupid and crazy!
Dongbao was once again subdued by the crowd. Like a raging black bear, he was powerless against the force of unity and shouted towards Lao Jiang's house, "Mother—! Save Dongbao, save Dongbao!"
Among the people who helped Guan Dongbao yesterday, some were complaining: "He's getting crazier and crazier, how come he's been released again!"
Aunt Liu helped Grandma Tong up and, amidst the chaos, managed to say, "We didn't put it there. He just ran out on his own."
Everyone's attention turned to Grandma Tong. Everyone knew that Dongbao was picked up by Grandma Tong and raised by her. If she hadn't taken him in, how could she be so kind?
"Don't lock Dongbao up, Dongbao is good!" Dongbao shouted, "Dongbao is good!"
These people wouldn't listen to him; they grabbed him by the arms and legs and threw him into the hut.
Grandma Tong wiped away her tears without saying a word, followed them into the small house, and locked Dongbao inside again: "Dongbao, listen to Grandma, don't shout anymore. You...you don't have a mother."
Dongbao saw people outside constantly knocking down the snowman, searching for any dead cats inside. He almost tore the cage apart, making a huge noise, and screamed at the top of his lungs, "Snowman! It'll break! It'll break!"
"I think you're the bad one." Someone said before leaving, "Who knows how many cats you've killed, maybe even a human somewhere already."
"I think we should release the cats he caught."
"Who dares? If you keep saying that, why don't you go and put it out yourself?"
"If I dared, I would have released him long ago. Isn't this just because they're afraid that mentally ill people can kill without being prosecuted?"
Each word pierced Grandma Tong's heart. She sat on the bench in front of the iron cage, repeatedly saying to Dongbao, "Good boy, don't run out. Stay here. Grandma doesn't want to lock you up. Grandma wants to protect you."
This time, Dongbao seemed to understand her. Sitting on the cushion sewn from tattered clothes, she looked through the small window and began counting again: "1, 5, 9... 1, 5, 9..."
Time passed by, and the earlier commotion became the topic of conversation again.
Jiang Yuan'an applied some medicine outside; his lip was slightly purple from being punched by Dongbao. He carried a plate of pork and cabbage dumplings to the small house and knocked on the door.
There was no movement inside, which made Jiang Yuan'an a little worried.
He pushed open the small door and saw Grandma Tong crying. He quickly went over and squatted down in front of her: "Grandma Tong, I'm fine. We've been fighting since we were little, it doesn't hurt."
"I know you're good, but being good isn't a reason to be beaten." Grandma Tong's tears fell again as she listened to Jiang Yuan'an's words of comfort. "He's the only person I care about in this life. But he's becoming more and more irresponsible. What will he do after I die?"
Knowing Grandma Tong's unease, Jiang Yuan'an didn't know how to comfort her. Although they could occasionally help and take care of the grandmother and grandson, he knew he wasn't capable of taking on the responsibility of caring for Dongbao.
"Have some dumplings. Later, I'll call a few people to keep watch in the alley and see who killed the cat!"
Grandma Tong said gratefully, "Thank you so much. I have some money here, please take it and buy some food for everyone."
How could Jiang Yuan'an accept Grandma Tong's money? He patted his chest and said, "I have a job now. You keep your money safe and use it to buy meat for Dongbao in the future."
Grandma Tong patted his head: "Okay, I'll thank you on Dongbao's behalf."
Jiang Yuan'an handed the chopsticks to Grandma Tong, then turned his head and saw Dongbao fast asleep. He urged Grandma Tong, "These are what I bought with my salary. Please try them."
Jiang Yuan'an has no formal education, so finding a job is no easy feat. It's already quite remarkable that he didn't idle around or commit petty theft like the others in the crowded courtyard.
Grandma Tong shook her head: "I'm too ashamed to eat your dumplings. You two eat them."
Jiang Yuan'an then urged, "My dad made all the meat into filling. We'll eat it tonight, and we can still make pancakes for tomorrow morning. Don't be stingy, there's enough for us, so you can have it."
Grandma Tong still wouldn't eat: "You should leave, or he'll wake up and start bothering you again."
Jiang Yuan'an knew that further persuasion would be futile, so he simply helped Grandma Tong up and said, "Then I'll help you back inside. It's freezing cold, so don't get sick again."
Grandma Tong turned around and looked at Dongbao, who was curled up in a ball, and stood up and said, "Okay... Lock the door too, so he doesn't run away again."
Jiang Yuan'an nodded: "Yes."
In the pitch-black night, a pleasant scent wafted to my nose, then gradually faded, and the noisy sound of a radio filled my ears.
Dongbao scrambled up from the ground, wiped the narrow window with his sleeve, and saw his neighbors cleaning and tidying up the yard.
His stomach rumbled loudly, and he mumbled, "1, 5, 9... 1, 5, 9..."
He didn't know how long he had been reciting, but the noise in the courtyard gradually subsided. Suddenly, he snapped out of his daze: "1, 5, 10... 1, 5, 10..."
Dongbao gripped the iron cage with both hands and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Mother! Mother!"
Everyone had gotten used to his shouting, and before they knew it, Dongbao's voice had become softer, but he was still shouting in a hoarse voice: "1, 5, 10!"
Aunt Liu, who was washing her hair in the courtyard, ran to the small window and scolded, "You idiot, I told you it's '123', where did you get '1510' from!"
Dongbao shook the iron cage, making whimpering sounds. He pointed to the small window and cried out, "People! People!"
Aunt Liu looked back and saw that everyone who had helped in the yard had long since left. Frustrated, she slammed her fist on the window and said, "Your grandma said we'd let you go hungry tonight, let's see if you'll still have the energy to make a scene tomorrow."
The hut where the mentally challenged man was kept was filthy and smelly. The man himself was unhygienic, and Grandma Tong didn't have the energy to clean it. Every time Dongbao was locked up, everyone went about their own business. Once he stopped making a sound, it meant either he had been let out or he had fallen asleep.
The same thing happened tonight, except that although Dongbao didn't eat, he kept shouting "1510" for quite a while.
After washing her hair, Aunt Liu lay on the bed and muttered to herself, "He built nine snowmen; he'll never be able to count them in his entire life. Oh well, never mind, time to sleep."
The sewing factory where she works has a private owner who has taken on jobs, including sewing zippers, which are available for extra work at the end of the year. Sewing zippers doesn't earn much, but at least it's enough to support oneself.
The people in courtyard number six went to bed early and gradually drifted off to sleep. Grandma Tong leaned against the bed, facing the small house, and gradually fell asleep as well.
Someone was getting up in the courtyard, walking around, going out and coming back in. Occasionally, the sounds of two sisters chatting and laughing could be heard from the neighboring courtyard; everyone was used to it.
Dongbao, with his bright, piercing eyes, stared at the person getting up in the yard at night.
Aunt Liu makes three trips a night, he can count them clearly. Sometimes Grandma Tong goes once, Old Jiang goes once, and then they go to his sister-in-law's house where she takes care of the child to use the small chamber pot. They don't go out at night.
The snowman that had been shoveled up was piled up in a corner of the yard, casting a long shadow under the bright moonlight, as if someone were standing there.
"Mother, Mother," Dongbao called softly, "Dongbao misses Mother."
......
Shen Zhenzhu's desk was covered with files on missing persons, and she studied the suspicious points of their disappearances without looking up.
"It's almost ten o'clock, the cafeteria is already closed." Director Liu came over and urged, "I asked you to solve the case, not to ruin your health. Tomorrow a forensic artist will be looking for witnesses to draw their portraits. I'll keep watch for you. Go back and have some food first. Health is the foundation of everything."
Shen Zhenzhu knew that Teacher Fang hadn't seen much. With her glasses fogged up and her emotions in disarray, even though Shen Zhenzhu spent a lot of time getting Teacher Fang to recall, she couldn't remember much useful information.
"Thank you, Director Liu." Shen Zhenzhu stood up, understanding Director Liu's good intentions: "Uncle Wu might call back later, Brother Aye is still out running around."
Director Liu waved his hand: "Understood."
Xiao Bai stood up, stretched, and said, "Let's go to Sixth Sister's shop then, there's nowhere else to eat."
"good."
There were still pedestrians walking around on Tiesi Commercial Street. The shopkeepers had cleared the snow in time, and the street was clean with only a few damp spots.
The streetlights were bright, and the shops were nearing closing time.
Chen Zhenzhu pushed open the restaurant door, greeted Hu Die at the counter, and said with a smile, "Hi, what day are you going home?"
"You're back," Hu Die said shyly. "I'm working until the end of the month, then I'm taking leave to go home and prepare for the wedding."
Shen Zhenzhu pursed her lips, happy for her: "Be sure to tell me when the date is set."
"That's for sure." Hu Die nodded and said, "Have you not eaten yet? Shall I ask the kitchen to make you a bowl of beef noodles?"
Xiao Bai glanced into the kitchen and saw that it was already being cleaned up. She casually said, "Even a bite of the leftovers would be fine."
Hu Die pointed to the back door and said, "The extra leftovers were all vegetables; the person in the back ate them all."
Just then, Shen Liuhe came out carrying a bowl of rice and called to Xiaobai, "Come eat in the back. We'll be cleaning up the place soon."
"Hmm." Shen Zhenzhu followed her over and found that there was only one "customer" in the backyard, wolfing down his food while holding a large rice bowl.
He was about the same size as Lu Ye, but his eating habits were even more savage; he would pick up the rice grains that fell on the ground and put them in his mouth.
Brother Leng, who was standing to the side, grabbed the other person's hand and said, "If it falls on the ground, it's dirty. You're not allowed to pick it up."
Who knew the other party wouldn't listen to Brother Leng, still picking up the rice grains from the ground and stuffing them into his mouth, then swallowing them with large mouthfuls of bland vegetable soup.
Shen Zhenzhu asked Shen Liuhe, "Who is this person? Is he a relative of Brother Leng?" He seems a little dim-witted.
Shen Liuhe pointed to her head and said, "He's not a relative of mine. He just suddenly started wandering around the shop entrance. There must be something wrong here. I gave him food, but he said, 'No work, no food.' Later, he helped your Brother Leng carry firewood a few times before he came over to eat."
Feeling the wind was choking outside, Shen Zhenzhu walked up to the man and said, "Why don't we go inside and eat?"
Unexpectedly, the man thought Shen Zhenzhu was trying to steal his food and reached out to push her away forcefully.
Shen Zhenzhu instinctively blocked with her backhand, but the other person put down the rice bowl and raised his fist to smash it down!
"Hey, hey, why are you guys fighting?" Brother Leng, clutching his rice bowl, dodged to the side. "What are you fighting about?"
Shen Liuhe also shouted, "Stop hitting her! She's my daughter!"
Shen Zhenzhu exchanged several blows with her opponent, who was completely disorganized and engaged in a chaotic fight with her.
Shen Liuhe and the others had never seen such a scene before. They wanted to rush up to help but knew they couldn't be a hindrance, so they could only shout from the sidelines, "Stop fighting! Pearl is a good person, she's a police officer!"
But the man ignored him, his eyes growing bigger and brighter: "Hehe, I'll hit you!"
"I'm the one who'll beat you up!" Chen Zhenzhu's little hammer was no joke; she punched directly at the opponent's face.
Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu's fist was small compared to his own, the other party realized that a blow from her could hurt terribly. In the end, he even bared his teeth, picked up a stone from the ground, and was about to smash it over Chen Zhenzhu's head!
Xiao Bai, who was hesitating with his hand on the gun, heard Chen Zhenzhu shout, "Don't move!"
In a flash, Chen Zhenzhu also squatted down to pick up the bricks!
"Don't throw it—!" Before Shen Liuhe could finish shouting, a brick suddenly flashed into her eyes and was thrown at the man!
"Ah! Uh... Mother, Mother!" Dongbao grimaced and covered the back of her hand that had been hit, and started to sob. The stone in her hand was snatched away by Brother Leng.
Chen Zhenzhu's brick successfully hit Dongbao's hand. Standing in front of him with disheveled hair and hands on hips, she ruffled her messy bangs and said with a sneer, "Do you admit defeat?!"
"Oh." Dongbao pretended not to care and picked up her rice bowl again, eating heartily. But her eyes kept glancing at Chen Zhenzhu.
He thought he was invincible as long as he could pick up bricks, but today he finally understood a lesson: don't mess with short people, because she can pick up bricks much faster than him!
Chen Zhenzhu was sweltering and took off her cotton-padded coat, revealing a red scarf underneath. Dongbao glanced at it and whispered, "Mother...Mother."
"What mother? It's a girl." Chen Zhenzhu took off her red scarf and stuffed it all into Xiaobai's hands. She turned around and said, "Where do you live? I'll take you home after dinner."
Dongbao fell silent again, frantically picking at his chopsticks as he ate.
Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu had bruised the back of Shen Zhenzhu's hand, Shen Liuhe thought for a moment and said, "What else would you like to eat? I'll make it for you."
Dongbao said, "Let's eat tofu."
Shen Liuhe hesitated for a moment: "We're out of tofu now, is it okay to freeze it?"
Dongbao had never eaten frozen tofu before, and shook her head: "I won't eat it."
Shen Zhenzhu was also hungry. When Hu Die brought over the beef noodles, she stood on a stool and slurped them down like a hero from Liangshan, while staring at Dongbao with her eyes wide open.
Brother Leng chuckled upon seeing this: "He may be a bit simple-minded, but he knows right from wrong. See, he's become obedient now that he understands he can't beat you."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I'll ask around later if anyone has lost a fool."
Shen Liuhe asked worriedly, "What should we do tonight?"
Brother Leng said, "I'll sleep with him in the shop, and Pearl can pick him up tomorrow. He likes playing with wood, and he's well-behaved with me... If he's obedient, I'll give him a bath; he's too dirty."
It was almost eleven o'clock by then. After thinking for a moment, Chen Zhenzhu said, "Alright, I'll pick him up tomorrow morning. If he causes you any trouble, just tell me."
Brother Leng laughed and said, "There are plenty of people living on the street. Just shout and someone will come. There's no need to send Captain Chen."
"What do you mean by 'fees'? Your business is my business." After finishing her beef noodles, Chen Zhenzhu wiped her mouth and said, "Hey, what's your name?"
Dongbao said, "My name is Dongbao, and it also means 'idiot'."
Chen Zhenzhu laughed: "Dongbao sounds better, it's like a baby in winter. The person who named you must love you."
Dongbao stared intently at Chen Zhenzhu: "Mother, Mother named it, it was Mother."
Unaware of what was happening, Shen Zhenzhu said, "Then your mother loves you very much."
Dongbao stared straight at Chen Zhenzhu: "Mother."
Shen Zhenzhu corrected, "Girl, speak to me, girl."
Dongbao didn't say anything.
Chen Zhenzhu raised the small hammer.
Dongbao: "Girl."
Shen Zhenzhu: "Hey, that's more like it."
Xiao Bai couldn't bear to watch her Pearl Sister bully the idiot, so she sneaked into the kitchen, grabbed two cucumbers, and went back to slice them to make a face mask.
After finishing their beef noodles, Chen Zhenzhu and Xiaobai returned to the criminal investigation team to work overtime.
The next morning at seven o'clock, Chen Zhenzhu returned to the commercial street and knocked on the door of Brother Leng's shop.
Even through the door, you can smell the sweet and sticky aroma of roasted sweet potatoes from the backyard.
Dongbao was already wearing the ill-fitting cotton-padded jacket that Brother Leng had made; he could barely put his arms down.
"The bear is clean now, that's good," Chen Zhenzhu said, then asked Dongbao, "Who am I?"
Dongbao said happily, "Mom!"
Chen Zhenzhu raised the small hammer.
Dongbao pouted: "Girl."
Chen Zhenzhu was satisfied.
"Looks like he's not completely stupid yet." Brother Leng patted him on the back, and Dongbao obediently squatted down. Brother Leng put a cotton hat on him: "Don't lose it, it's a gift for you."
Dongbao touched his cotton hat, then threw it away without thinking, exclaiming, "It's hot!"
Chen Zhenzhu was delighted.
Brother Leng picked up the hat and put it on the shelf. He said to Shen Zhenzhu, "By the way, I found an address sewn into the collar of his cotton-padded jacket. Wait here, I'll get it for you to see."
The fool's cotton-padded coat was so dirty that he only noticed it after washing the man's coat and scrubbing the collar.
"This saves me a lot of trouble. I was thinking of checking it out myself." Chen Zhenzhu was delighted with the result.
"Courtyard number 6," Brother Leng said. "Look."
Chen Zhenzhu scratched her head: "Courtyard 6?"
Dongbao looked at Chen Zhenzhu as if she were an idiot and said, "Number 6 in the tenement. 1, 5, 9! I am 9!"
Shen Zhenzhu suddenly realized: "That's the courtyard alley! I went there yesterday, how come I didn't see you?"
Dongbao hadn't seen the pearl either, so how would she know? She just kept her head down, picking at her nails.
The road was icy, and Chen Zhenzhu had never driven on the ice before. Plus, it was rush hour, so we decided to walk back with Dongbao.
There were already many people going to work at the bus station not far from the commercial street. Dongbao was being stared at by Chen Zhenzhu, and he kept staring at Chen Zhenzhu as he walked with all his might.
As they approached the vicinity of Huanghe Road, Dongbao suddenly said, "Mom."
Chen Zhenzhu turned around: "Mother?"
Dongbao watched the woman in the red scarf leave around the corner, and wanted to follow her but stopped. Hesitantly, he looked at Chen Zhenzhu and suddenly pointed at her, saying, "Mother, I have a secret."
Shen Zhenzhu actually saw a hint of ingratiation in the fool's eyes. But she had no interest in prying into the fool's secrets, so she replied perfunctorily, "Mm."
The pedestrian light turned green, and Chen Zhenzhu shoved Dongbao across the crosswalk. Weaving through the throng, Dongbao suddenly exclaimed, "My secret is, there's a crack in my butt!"
A few laughs came from the crowd.
Chen Zhenzhu almost tripped over herself, slapped Dongbao's arm, and, feeling the stares of passersby, quickened her pace: "Shut up, let's go."
Seeing that Chen Zhenzhu had no interest in his secret, Dongbao shouted, "Mother! I have a crack in my butt!"
"Shut up."
Shen Zhenzhu pretended not to recognize him and hurried forward a few steps.
Dongbao followed closely behind her and said, "Mom, I have another secret!"
Chen Zhenzhu said angrily, "Secrets shouldn't be said out loud!"
Seeing that Shen Zhenzhu finally reacted to his secret and even stopped, Dongbao happily bent down and whispered in Shen Zhenzhu's ear, "Mother, I have another secret."
Chen Zhenzhu gave in, pulled him to the sidewalk, and whispered, "Speak."
Mother wants to hear his secret!
Dongbao excitedly shouted, "My butt really has a slit!"
Passersby laughed out loud, and a child shouted, "I have a gap too!"
"Go, go, go! No picking your butt in public! Put your hands down!" Chen Zhenzhu was exasperated. She regretted not driving. At least they could have discussed this private secret in a closed space.
Dongbao followed closely behind Chen Zhenzhu, who almost ran. Dongbao called out from behind, "Mother!"
Shen Zhenzhu turned around: "Did your mother say she wanted to beat you to death?"
Dongbao grinned foolishly and said, "I'm saying it now."
Shen Zhenzhu suspected that he did it on purpose.
Dongbao continued to flatter her from behind, saying, "Mom, my bottom is leaking a little air."
Shen Zhenzhu pinched her nose and said helplessly, "That's called farting."
After the humiliation, Chen Zhenzhu finally managed to take Dongbao back to Zayuan Alley through the back alley. When they arrived at Zayuan Alley, people saw Chen Zhenzhu in her police uniform and looked at Dongbao with a "we expected this" kind of look.
Dongbao's initial excitement vanished, replaced by a headlong scramble to kick at the pebbles on the ground. Occasionally, he would scoop up snow from the roadside and toss it far away.
As the children walked by, they chanted, "Dongbao, Dongbao, dirty and smelly. Dongbao, Dongbao, is a big bear."
Before they even reached courtyard number six, a gossipy old woman ran over, calling out to Grandma Tong, "Don't bother looking for her anymore, the police have already brought her back. What did I tell you—"
Shen Zhenzhu led Dongbao to the door: "I don't care what you say, I'll say it now, he didn't do anything wrong, he just didn't have time to come back last night, I just brought him back on my way."
Shen Zhenzhu's voice was clear and pure. Not only did Old Jiang and Aunt Liu at No. 6 of the courtyard hear it, but Grandma Tong, in particular, also heard it from a group of busybodies gathered outside the courtyard.
Grandma Tong, without even taking her cane, walked up to Dongbao and hit him a few times: "You're running around again! I told you not to run around, why did you run away!"
"Shut up." Dongbao covered her mouth with both hands, looking like she wanted to keep the secret to herself.
Aunt Liu also got dressed and, upon learning that Dongbao was missing, everyone got up at dawn to look for him.
Seeing Dongbao standing safely in front of her, having just taken a bath and wearing clean, warm cotton clothes, she rushed over and pinched his arm, deliberately saying loudly, "You got lost and had the police bring you back, why don't you hurry up and thank them!"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "No need to be so polite, I happen to have some business to attend to here."
Grandma Tong quickly grasped Chen Zhenzhu's hands and said, "Thank you. I'm just an old woman, I don't know what to do. I'm so sorry to have troubled you. He... he really didn't cause any trouble?"
Shen Zhenzhu also said loudly, "Dongbao behaved very well, and even helped others with their work. He didn't cause any trouble at all."
Dongbao secretly glanced at Chen Zhenzhu, his eyes wide open. He still thought his mother didn't like him; it seemed sharing secrets did have its uses.
Grandma Tong breathed a sigh of relief, her wrinkled face breaking into a smile as she said, "I always tell him to be a good person and not to do bad things, and he still remembers."
Ignoring what they said, Dongbao squatted down and started making snowballs, creating little snowmen at her feet.
After exchanging pleasantries with Grandma Tong for a while, Chen Zhenzhu looked down and saw the snowmen and asked, "Why are there so many snowmen?"
Seeing Dongbao making a snowman, Lao Jiang and the others exchanged glances, unsure whether to stop him. Hearing Chen Zhenzhu's question, they dared not interrupt.
Dongbao, looking rather silly, pointed at the people in the courtyard, then at the snowman and said, "1, 5, 10..."
After saying that, she pinched a tiny, cute snowman and held it in her palm, then pointed at Chen Zhenzhu and said, "You, Mother."
Shen Zhenzhu clenched her fist and sneered, "It's your mother."
Dongbao was overjoyed and nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, Mom! Mom!"
Shen Zhenzhu: "..." She suspected that she had fallen into a fool's trap.
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A note from the author:
See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see]
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