Chapter 126 Soft Spot
◎She calls me mom, and I can't bear to leave her…◎
Lei Ling walked out of the serious crime team office with Zhao Xiangwan and Zhu Kang. They met their colleagues in the corridor. They all knew the news and came over to congratulate them one by one.
"Congratulations! The fake plumber case was successfully solved."
"Taipei Qian committed suicide? No matter how you look at it, it's a great achievement."
"A painting forced the murderer to hang himself. Haha! That's awesome."
Zhao Xiangwan had been sorting out information today and had no time to inquire about Lei Ling's actions. When he heard everyone's congratulations, he looked at Lei Ling with some confusion.
Lei Ling was very proud and kept the question secret. He looked behind Zhao Xiangwan and asked, "Where is Officer Ji?"
Zhao Xiangwan said: "I was invited to Fang Taokai's studio."
Lei Ling laughed and said, "I'll treat you guys to dinner later."
[It's amazing. Ji Zhao became famous in one battle. If this matter were to get out, I'm afraid the entire public security system would be shaken.]
Zhao Xiangwan did not ask any further questions, but just looked up at Lei Ling, waiting for his answer.
Sure enough, seeing that Zhao Xiangwan did not ask any further questions, Lei Ling could not hold back any longer.
"Qian Caifeng committed suicide. Can you believe it? Judging from the situation at the scene, he probably saw the wanted poster posted in the alley and found that the portrait on it was too similar to himself. He panicked and so... committed suicide out of fear of crime. You know what, after meeting Qian Caifeng, I really admire Ji Zhao. They are so similar, so similar!"
The murderer committed suicide out of fear of punishment? Zhao Xiangwan felt a little surprised.
When most people see a portrait that looks like them, isn't their first reaction to run away? For example, Gou Weiping, the murderer of Wen Qianyu, fled as soon as he saw the portrait because he would be recognized wherever he went, so he had to run into the mountains to hide.
Tailor Qian committed suicide after seeing the portrait. Was it because he felt the portrait was too similar to the real person and was afraid he couldn't escape?
Lei Ling said: "The forensic doctor is performing an autopsy and will have a conclusion soon. In any case, you have helped a lot in solving this case. Thank you very much."
Zhao Xiangwan smiled and said, "It's good to be able to help."
Lei Ling was beaming with joy as he spoke: "Let me tell you, we should thank Ji Zhao for the portrait that we drew for catching Hu Die. It's so similar! Although Hu Die was dressed in disguise, with a headscarf, a red birthmark painted on her face, and a hunched back holding a little girl, but... Ji Zhao's painting was really great, really! The key is the resemblance. I recognized her disguise at first sight and shouted: Hu Die! Her backened stiff at that time, and she looked like she was going to run away, and I knew it was her."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "She has a little girl?"
Lei Ling nodded and said, "Yes, she was about six years old, very thin and small. Hu Die wanted to run away, but the girl called her mom, and she couldn't bear to abandon the child, so I caught her."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "Is the little girl Hu Die's daughter?"
Lei Ling waved his hands and said, "We asked the residents nearby. That little girl was not Hu Die's daughter. She was an abandoned baby picked up from a garbage dump by a lame woman. The lame woman was blind in one eye and made a living by picking up scraps. She raised the little girl with great difficulty. In February this year, the lame woman died. No one took care of the little girl. She is barely alive today thanks to the help of a kind-hearted person nearby."
I don't know why, but after hearing Lei Ling's description, Zhao Xiangwan felt very heavy in his heart: "The child is so young, why didn't you ask the Civil Affairs Bureau for help?"
Lei Ling sighed: "The people in the shantytowns are all poor, many of them are illiterate and don't know how to ask for help."
Zhao Xiangwan asked: "And then?"
Lei Ling replied, "The little girl lived alone in a dilapidated shed at the northernmost end, which was leaky and drafty. Hu Die must have been hiding in that shed to avoid being hunted down, and I don't know how she got to know the little girl. I heard from people around her that Hu Die wanted to leave several times, but the little girl chased after her and called her mom, so she didn't leave."
After hearing this, Zhao Xiangwan was 70% sure that Hu Die was Min Jiadie.
Hu Die knew that the Yao City police had issued a wanted warrant and that hiding in Yao City was the most dangerous, but she was held back by this little girl and did not escape.
Because you were abandoned once, you can't bear to see the little girl being abandoned, right?
In the interrogation room, Lei Ling, Dalü, and Lao Xue were standing by, staring at Hu Die, who had been captured three months ago.
Zhao Xiangwan and Zhu Kang, as bystanders, sat quietly in the back without saying a word.
After finally seeing Hu Die, Zhao Xiangwan felt as if everything had settled.
There is almost no difference between the portrait painted by Ji Zhao.
The only difference is that Hu Die had a red dye applied to the right half of her cheek, covering most of her face and making it impossible to tell what she originally looked like.
Lei Ling knew what Zhao Xiangwan was most concerned about, and the first thing he asked was: "Min Jiadie?"
Hu Die's shoulders and neck were stiff. It took her a long time to raise her head. She met Lei Ling's eyes, smiled sarcastically, but said nothing.
[I changed my name when I was six years old. I almost forgot the name Min Jiadie. These green-skinned police officers could even dig this out. It's really fucking annoying.]
Lei Ling looked at Zhao Xiangwan.
Zhao Xiangwan nodded and mouthed: "Thank you."
After it was confirmed that Hu Die was Min Jiadie, Zhao Xiangwan felt an indescribable emotion in his heart.
On the one hand, it verifies Ji Zhao's "time-based portraiture", which gives me a great sense of accomplishment. This means that in the future, simulated portraits will have one more thing: inferring the changes in a person's appearance based on the changes in time, providing scientific and powerful evidence for the search for missing people.
On the other hand, I watched Min Jiadie go from a child with thriving vitality to a criminal in the past 34 years. What happened to her? Why did she commit a crime? Why did she kidnap children?
Lei Ling asked Hu Die several questions, but she kept a cold face and didn't say a word.
With her handcuffed hands placed on her legs and her head turned to the side, Hu Die's attitude was extremely resistant.
Lei Ling asked: "Your accomplices have already confessed..."
Hu Die had an impatient look on her face, her eyes fixed on the white wall above her left side, as if a flower had bloomed there.
[Since I've confessed everything, what else are you asking me? Idiot.]
Lei Ling asked: "Where were the other children sold to?"
Hu Die pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.
[Where can I go? Boys are expensive, I can afford them, so I can go and enjoy myself.]
【Why should I tell you? How old are you?】
[I've been caught. I admit it. I'll just go to jail.]
Hu Die, who was determined to resist to the end, suddenly thought of something. She turned her head and glanced at the faces of all the police officers in charge of the interrogation. Finally, her gaze fell on the face of the only woman, Zhao Xiangwan: "Where is Zhenzhu?"
Lei Ling finally heard Hu Die speak, but he didn't expect her to start with a question. Hu Die ignored everyone and just looked at Zhao Xiangwan, which made him feel ignored. He frowned and asked, "What is a pearl?"
Hu Die said nothing, but stared at Zhao Xiangwan intently.
It seems that Hu Die has a natural sense of defense against men.
Five policemen sat opposite Hu Die, and she was only willing to deal with Zhao Xiangwan.
Zhao Xiangwan could only repeat Lei Ling's question: "What is Pearl?"
Hu Die said, "That little girl, the little girl I brought with me."
Zhao Xiangwan turned to Lei Ling and asked, "Where is the little girl that Hu Die was holding before she was arrested?"
Lei Ling said: "We wanted to send her to a social assistance center, but she didn't want to go. She fought back violently when someone approached her. One of our colleagues was scratched by her. For the time being, we can only let her stay in the shed area."
Zhao Xiangwan looked at Hu Die, and Hu Die let out a long sigh.
【Fortunately, they didn't take me away. 】
[Pearl will definitely not go with you. Who knows where you will send her? ]
Lei Ling looked at Hu Die's reaction and seemed to be very glad that the police did not take Zhenzhu away. He felt very upset: "We are police officers and we will definitely take care of the child properly. But you, you treat her like this, where are you planning to sell her to?"
Hu Die closed her eyes and chose to ignore it, but the corner of her mouth that was tilted to one side fully revealed her inner ridicule and distrust.
[Where could the police place her? Not just an orphanage? They let her live with a bunch of other children, snatching food and clothes, and then wait to be adopted and bullied, and they still have the nerve to call it a proper placement! ]
Lei Ling didn't know where Hu Die's resentment came from: "The government has welfare institutions to help these abandoned children, raise them, send them to school, and let them have the ability to support themselves. Isn't this better than her living alone in a shanty town, waiting for kind people to give her a meal?"
Hu Die opened her eyes and stared at Lei Ling.
[Even if she was alone in that shabby shed, at least she was free! ]
[Although she was cold and hungry, at least no one would beat or scold her, and no one would send her around like an animal.]
Even though her heart was filled with anger, Hu Die still chose to remain silent.
Lei Ling had the illusion that he was talking to the air. No matter how good-tempered he was, he could not help it. He slammed the table and angrily shouted, "If you confess, you will be punished leniently. If you resist, you will be punished severely. If you take the initiative to confess your crime and tell us the whereabouts of the kidnapped child, you can still fight for a reduced sentence. If you keep silent, severe punishment will be waiting for you!"
Judging from the confessions of the three accomplices who were arrested earlier, Hu Die was the main culprit in the child trafficking and the only one who had information about the trafficking. The Yao City Public Security Bureau spent so much effort to finally arrest Hu Die and bring her to justice. Of course, the mission will only be successful if the whereabouts of the abducted children are found.
Hu Die turned her gaze to Zhao Xiangwan and said the second sentence she had said in the interrogation room today: "I only talk to women."
Zhao Xiangwan looked towards Lei Ling with inquiring eyes.
Lei Ling saw that Hu Die completely ignored all his questions and only spoke to Zhao Xiangwan during the entire interrogation. He could only sigh and said embarrassedly: "Officer Zhao, please say a few words to her."
Zhao Xiangwan originally just wanted to sit in as an observer, but now he has been pushed to the position of chief judge.
Zhao Xiangwan leaned forward, his expression gentle, his voice clear and slow: "Min Jiadie?"
Hu Die looked at her steadily: "How do you know?"
Zhao Xiangwan took out a photo of Qiao Hongyu and pushed it in front of Hu Die: "This is your sister, Qiao Hongyu. She has been looking for you."
Hu Die's neck seemed a little stiff as she moved slowly over, staring blankly at the photo.
[My sister?]
[I have a sister? ]
[She is looking for me? Does she still remember me? ]
Zhao Xiangwan did not mention the child trafficking case, but talked about Qiao Hongyu's hard work in finding her.
"Qiao Hongyu is six years older than you. You were born on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month in 1961, the Dragon Boat Festival. Your mother died of dystocia right after you were born, and it was your sister who raised you with rice soup until you were one month old. 1961 was the three-year difficult period. The rice in the countryside was not ripe in May, and it was really hard to support you at home. I heard that the Luo County Charity Hall took in orphans, so your father had to send you to the charity hall to give you a chance to survive.
The next year, your father passed away, and your sister was adopted by your uncle and aunt, and her life was very difficult. But she always remembered that she had raised you for a month, that you were as thin as a kitten, and that even your cry was very small, and that your mother had a heavy hemorrhage after giving birth, and before she died, she held her hand and asked her to take good care of her sister..."
Hearing this, Hu Die reacted a little, her lips slightly opened and her hands clenched together.
【My birthday is on the Dragon Boat Festival. 】
【It turns out that I have a father, a mother, and a sister. 】
【My parents don’t come to see me because they are dead.】
"Qiao Hongyu got married at the age of nineteen and finally had her own family. She began to look for your whereabouts. She found the Luo County Charity Hall, but the church had been demolished long ago and all the children inside were missing. A long time had passed and there were no records. She went to the police station to report the case, but they couldn't file a case because it was too long ago. But she always remembered it and kept looking for people to ask.
Qiao Hongyu said that you have a red butterfly birthmark on your shoulder blade. Based on this clue, we found the children of Luoxian Charity Hall. Two of them were named Min Chenghang and Min Jiahuai. They are married and have a daughter. They both remember you.
Min Jiadie now felt like a person dying of thirst, walking in the desert. Suddenly, a bowl of water appeared in front of her, giving her an unexpected sense of happiness.
Happiness came too suddenly, Min Jiadie couldn't believe it.
For children who have experienced too much bitterness, their first reaction when seeing sugar is caution, not joy.
But Zhao Xiangwan mentioned the names in detail, especially the birthmark on the shoulder blade, and the two names Min Jiahuai and Min Chenghang sounded so familiar that Min Jiadie was half-believing and half-doubting.
Min Jiadie raised her head, looked at Zhao Xiangwan, and said in a hoarse voice, "Really?"
Zhao Xiangwan: "I don't tell lies."
Min Jiadie shook her head: "No, the police can lie too."
Zhao Xiangwan took out two portraits from the data bag.
One is a portrait of six-year-old Min Jiadie based on Min Jiahuai's description; the other is a portrait of Min Jiadie as an adult, which Ji Zhao inferred based on the growth patterns of human facial bones and muscles.
Zhao Xiangwan said, "I am a police officer from the serious crime unit of Xing City Public Security Bureau. I came to Yao City this time just to find you. Because we found that you on the wanted warrant are very similar to the portrait of Min Jiadie that we speculated."
Min Jiadie looked at the portrait of herself when she was six years old. She felt something blocking her throat and her heart was filled with countless thoughts.
【Is this my childhood?】
【In the past, I really loved going barefoot. 】
【It turns out that someone still remembers me! 】
After a long while, Min Jiadie looked at Zhao Xiangwan and said stubbornly, "I want to see Qiao Hongyu."
Zhao Xiangwan looked at Lei Ling, asking for his opinion.
Lei Ling asked: "If Qiao Hongyu comes, will you tell us the whereabouts of the children?"
Min Jiadie smiled strangely: "I said I can speak, do you believe me?"
Lei Ling nodded seriously: "I believe it!"
Min Jiadie pursed her lips, turned her face away and said nothing.
【No man is good! 】
【The police are also a bunch of liars. 】
Zhao Xiangwan signaled Zhu Kang to go out and call Qiao Hongyu, and took this opportunity to ask a question: "You clearly had the opportunity to escape, why did you stay for Pearl?"
Min Jiadie was silent for a while, and suddenly spoke. Her expression was disgusted, but her voice was filled with an unspeakable sadness.
"Pearl is also a child abandoned by her parents."
"She was even more miserable than me. She was thrown into a garbage dump when she was born. I guess her biological parents never thought of letting her live."
"The lame and blind woman who adopted her is Min Yejiao, who grew up with me in an orphanage."
"I saw the wanted order and wanted to leave Yao City. I planned to meet Jiaojiao before leaving, but I didn't expect that she died, leaving such a burden behind."
"This child calls me mommy whenever she sees me. It makes my heart ache. As soon as I stand up, she follows me and shouts, 'Mom, don't go, Mom, don't leave me.'"
"What a damn child! Who is her mother? Her damn mother is a sinner. She didn't want her and didn't raise her. She just threw her into the garbage. How could there be such a black-hearted mother!"
She was cursing a lot, but when it came to Pearl, Min Jiadie's eyes showed tenderness and reluctance.
"But I was stopped by the pitiful calls of 'Mom' from this damned child."
"I bought her new clothes, I took her to the hospital, I cooked delicious meals for her, I took her to the playground, and I felt so happy when I saw her smiling like a flower."
"I guess no one did this for her before. Jiaojiao is lame and blind in one eye. How much money can she make by picking up rags? Nowadays, a penny can make a hero fall, right? Without money, you can't buy anything. It's shit! I don't trust anyone but money."
"She is also a smart person. As soon as I think about leaving her, she will cry heartbreakingly, tearing my clothes and begging me not to abandon her."
"She looked at me so pitifully and called me mom. I couldn't bear to leave her..."
Zhao Xiangwan understood.
Whether it is Min Yejiao or Min Jiadie, they are all children who were once abandoned by their parents.
They lack the guidance of the correct concept of good and evil, and are vain and greedy, making mistakes and embarking on the road of crime.
However, conscience allows them to retain a gentle place in their hearts, and in that gentle place lives a tiny pearl.
——The self who was once abandoned by parents and longed for their love.
Adopt pearls, embrace pearls, take care of pearls, and give pearls the best things.
In fact, it is the warmest, most selfless and most sincere motherly love given to myself who was once afraid to cry.
By helping others, you redeem yourself.
Zhao Xiangwan lowered his head.
My heart was filled with bitter and sad emotions.
Zhao Xiangwan was also a child abandoned by the unscrupulous parents Zhao Qingyun and Wei Meihua. She also longed for her parents' love. She had dreamed countless times of going back to the past, hugging the poor child who was scolded and beaten by her adoptive mother Qian Shufen, and telling her not to be afraid and to be strong.
Zhao Xiangwan also wanted to hold her younger self’s hand, take her to buy a flowery dress and a new schoolbag, fry her an egg every morning, send her to school, buy her a birthday cake, celebrate her birthday with her, hold her to sleep, tell her countless fairy tales, let her see Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, the Daughter of the Sea in her dreams…
Because I suffered when I was young, I want to make up for it.
At this moment, Zhao Xiangwan is extremely grateful for the fact that she met her aunt Zhao Dacui, her teacher Mei Xinhui, and the village chief during her growth... so many people helped her, gave her warmth, allowed her to continue her studies, and kept her just and kind in her heart.
Min Jiadie didn't cry either. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed instead: "Who could have known that you police would show up in that shabby place? Tailor Qian rarely goes out and loves to smoke. The whole house is filled with cigarette smoke as soon as you enter. His business is not very good. People in the shanty town have trouble eating. Who would ask him to make clothes? I guess he must have committed a crime somewhere and is hiding here to avoid the police."
Lei Ling was a little anxious and signaled Zhao Xiangwan with his eyes.
[Zhao Xiangwan, ask her. Take this opportunity to ask about Qian Taixiu's situation. She has lived in the shanty town for several months, so she must know something.]
Zhao Xiangwan nodded to Lei Ling and asked him about the case: "Did Tailor Qian really commit suicide?"
Min Jiadie nodded: "It must be suicide. Who else could have killed him? The people in your Public Security Bureau are getting more and more powerful. The portrait you drew is simply amazing. It's so like him. Yesterday I heard someone say, oh, Qian Taixiu killed people, he killed seven or eight people, his hands are stained with blood, can he run away? Someone else said, where can he run away? He came from a small city in the south, he spent all his savings to buy a brick and tile house, and lived there for ten years. I heard that he has no wife and no children, and no one in his hometown cares about him, and they all hope he is dead.
He must be tired of running around, right? Changing from one place to another, a completely unfamiliar place, everything has to start all over again, and Qian Taixiu doesn't have the energy to bother anymore. His liver and lungs are not good, and it seems that his stomach is not good either. Anyway, he has to take medicine every day, and he won't live long. Besides, a bad guy like him who kills the elderly and children should just die. It's better to die cleanly! Otherwise, you police will catch him and waste food and energy to judge him. This bastard, if he dies, he will cause me to be arrested, damn it!"
After venting for a while, Min Jiadie felt a little tired and stopped.
Zhu Kang just walked in and whispered in Zhao Xiangwan's ear, "I've contacted Qiao Hongyu. She said she'll buy a ticket and come over right away. She'll definitely be in Yao City tomorrow."
Zhao Xiangwan lowered his voice and asked, "What was Qiao Hongyu's reaction?"
Zhu Kang did not answer the question immediately, but looked at Min Jiadie.
Min Jiadie sneered and curled her lips.
Zhu Kang looked at Min Jiadie and said word by word: "Qiao Hongyu asked me to tell you that no matter what you have done, you are still her sister. She will rush to Yao City tomorrow. Tell her about any grievances and hardships you have suffered, and she will help you vent your anger."
Min Jiadie's body became stiff again.
After the interrogation, Zhao Xiangwan stood up and looked at the silent Min Jiadie, his eyes narrowed slightly, with mixed feelings in his heart.
Min Jiadie is a complex and contradictory person.
She kidnapped children, causing countless families to suffer loss and separation. Her crime is extremely heinous.
Her heart is as hard as iron.
But in fact, she still has desires in her heart, desires for her family and family affection.
This desire is her weak spot.
However, at this moment, Zhao Xiangwan did not want to attack her weak spots with lightning speed like he had done in previous interrogation methods.
Where does it hurt? Where should I poke?
No, this time, Zhao Xiangwan wanted to try another method.
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