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 back stiffened 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.
趙向晚欠了欠身，表情柔和，聲音清晰而緩慢：“闵家蝶？”
胡蝶定定地看着她：“你怎麽知道？”
趙向晚取出一張喬紅玉的照片，推到胡蝶面前：“這位是你姐姐，喬紅玉，她一直在尋找你。”
胡蝶像脖子有些僵硬，慢慢地移動過來，眼睛直愣愣地盯着那張照片。
【我姐姐？】
【我有姐姐？】
【她在找我？她還記得我？】
趙向晚沒有提及兒童拐賣案，而是說起喬紅玉苦苦追尋她的過程。
“喬紅玉比你大六歲，你生于農歷1961年五月初五，端午節，你剛一出生，母親就難産去世，是你姐姐用米湯把你養到滿月。61年正逢三年困難時期，農村的五月稻米未熟，家裏實在養不活，聽說羅縣慈善堂收留孤兒，你父親為了給你一條活路，只得把你送到慈善堂。
第二年，你父親去世，你姐姐被叔叔、嬸嬸收養，生活得很艱難。可是她一直記得，她養過你一個月，記得你瘦得像一只小貓，連哭聲都很小很小，記得母親産後大出血，臨死之前拉着她的手，讓她一定要好好帶妹妹……”
聽到這裏，胡蝶有了一點反應，嘴唇微張，雙手緊緊捏在一起。
【我是端午的生日。】
【原來我有爸媽，有姐姐。】
【爸媽不來找我，是因為死了。】
“喬紅玉十九歲嫁了人，終于有了自己的家，她開始尋找你的下落。她找到羅縣慈善堂，但那個教堂早就被拆掉，裏面所有的孩子都不知所蹤。時間過得久了，什麽記錄都沒有。她到派出所報案，同樣因為時間太過久遠無法立案。可是她一直記得，一直在找人問。
喬紅玉說你後背肩胛骨有一個紅色的蝴蝶胎記。根據這個線索，我們找到當年羅縣慈善堂的孩子，其中有兩個人，一個叫闵成航，一個叫闵家槐，他們倆已經結婚生女，他們都記得你。”
闵家蝶現在就仿佛是一個渴得要死的人，行走在沙漠裏，突然，面前出現一碗水，讓她有一種猝不及防的幸福感。
幸福來得太突然，闵家蝶不敢相信。
吃過太多苦的孩子，看到糖的第一反應，是警惕，而不是欣喜。
可是趙向晚說得有名有姓，尤其是肩胛骨的胎記，還有闵家槐、闵成航這兩個名字那麽熟悉，讓闵家蝶半信半疑。
闵家蝶擡起頭，目光與趙向晚相對，啞聲道：“真的？”
趙向晚：“我不說假話。”
闵家蝶搖頭：“不，警察也會騙人。”
趙向晚從資料袋裏，取出兩張畫像。
一張，是根據闵家槐的描述畫出來的六歲闵家蝶畫像；一張，是季昭根據人類面部骨骼、肌肉生長規律推測出來的闵家蝶成年後畫像。
趙向晚說：“我是星市公安局重案組警察，這次來瑤市就是為了找你。因為我們發現通緝令上的你，與我們推測的闵家蝶畫像相似度很高。”
闵家蝶看着自己六歲時的畫像，喉嚨口感覺有什麽堵住，內心翻湧着無數念頭。
【這就是我小時候？】
【以前的我，真的很愛打赤腳。】
【原來還有人記得我！】
良久，闵家蝶看着趙向晚，聲音裏帶着執拗：“我要見喬紅玉。”
趙向晚看向雷淩，征求他的意思。
雷淩問：“如果喬紅玉過來，你會告訴我們孩子們的下落嗎？”
闵家蝶笑得很古怪：“我說會說，你們信嗎？”
雷淩很嚴肅地點頭：“我信！”
闵家蝶抿了抿唇，偏過臉去，沒有吭聲。
【男人沒一個好東西！】
【警察也是一群騙子。】
趙向晚示意祝康出去和喬紅玉打電話聯系，趁這個間隙問了一個問題：“你明明有機會逃跑，為什麽要為珍珠停留？”
闵家蝶沉默半晌，忽然開口說話，她的表情帶着嫌棄，但聲音裏卻透着一種說不出來的悲傷。
“珍珠，也是被爸媽抛棄的孩子。”
“她比我更慘，一出生就被扔在了垃圾堆裏，估計，她親生的爸媽根本就沒想過讓她活。”
“收養她的那個瘸腿瞎眼女人，是和我一起在孤兒院長大的闵業嬌。”
“我看到通緝令了，想離開瑤市，臨走之前打算和嬌嬌見個面，沒想到她死了，留下那麽個累贅。”
“這孩子，見到我就喊媽媽，喊得我心裏發酸。我只要一起身，她就跟在我後頭喊，媽媽，不要走，媽媽，不要丢下我。”
“個死孩子，哪個是她媽媽撒！她那個死媽媽，作孽，生了不要，生了不養，把她扔垃圾堆裏，哪有這麽黑心腸的媽媽！”
嘴裏罵罵咧咧，可是一提到珍珠，闵家蝶的眼神裏卻多了溫柔與不舍。
“可是，偏偏我就被這死孩子那可憐巴巴的幾聲媽媽絆住了腳。”
“我給她買新衣服，我帶她去醫院看病，我給她做好吃的飯菜，我帶她去游樂場玩，看到她笑得像一朵花，我就覺得好高興。”
“估計以前沒人給她做這些吧。嬌嬌瘸了腿，又瞎了一只眼，靠撿破爛能掙幾個錢？這年頭，一文錢難倒英雄漢，是不是？沒有錢，什麽也買不來，狗屁都不是！我誰都不信，只信錢。”
“她也是個人精兒，我只要一動離開她的心思，她就會哭得撕心裂肺地，扯着我的衣服，哀求我不要抛下她。”
“她那麽可憐兮兮地看着我，她喊我媽媽，我舍不下她……”
趙向晚明白了。
闵業嬌也好、闵家蝶也罷，她們都是曾經被父母抛棄的孩子。
她們缺乏正确善惡觀的引導，虛榮貪婪、行差踏錯，走上了犯罪的道路。
可是，良知卻讓她們內心保留了一個溫柔所在，那個溫柔之地裏，住着一個小小的珍珠。
——那個曾經被父母抛棄、無比渴望父母之愛的自己。
收養珍珠、擁抱珍珠、照顧珍珠，把最好的東西都給珍珠。
其實，就是給那個曾經害怕哭泣的自己，最最溫暖的、最最無私的、最最真摯的，母愛。
通過幫助別人，救贖自己。
趙向晚低下了頭。
內心翻湧着又苦又澀的情緒。
趙向晚也是被趙青雲、魏美華這對無良父母抛棄的孩子，她也曾無比渴望得到父母的愛，她也曾無數次夢想回到過去，抱抱那個被養母錢淑芬責罵、毆打的可憐孩子，告訴她一定不要怕、要堅強。
趙向晚也想牽着年幼自己的手，帶她去買花裙子、新書包，每天早上給她煎一個荷包蛋，送她去上學，給她買生日蛋糕，陪她過生日，抱着她睡覺，講無數個童話故事，讓她在夢裏見到白雪公主、睡美人、海的女兒……
因為年少吃過苦，所以才會想要彌補。
此時此刻，趙向晚無比感謝她在生長的過程中，遇到了大姑趙大翠、老師梅心慧、還有村長……那麽多人幫助了她，給她溫暖，讓她能夠繼續讀書，讓她內心一直保持着正義、善良。
闵家蝶也沒有哭，她聳了聳肩膀，反倒是笑了：“誰能知道，你們警察會在那個破地方出現？錢裁縫平時很少出門，愛抽煙，一進去就一屋子的煙味。平時生意也不怎麽好，窩棚區的人吃飯都成問題，哪個找他做衣服？估計也是個在哪裏犯了事，縮在這個地方躲警察的吧。”
雷淩有點着急，用眼神示意趙向晚。
【趙向晚，問她啊，借這個機會問問錢裁縫的情況。她在窩棚區住了幾個月，肯定知道點什麽。】
趙向晚沖雷淩點了點頭，幫他問案情：“錢裁縫真是自殺？”
闵家蝶點點頭：“肯定是自殺啊，未必還有誰能殺得了他？你們公安局的人也是越來越厲害，畫的那個畫像簡直是神了，太像了。昨天我就聽到有人在說，唉喲，錢裁縫殺人了，殺了七、八個哦，手上沾了血，跑得掉不？還有人說，他能夠跑哪裏去？他是南邊一個小城市來的，花光積蓄買了間磚瓦房，一住就是十年，聽說他無妻無子，老家根本沒人惦記他，都巴不得他死了。
估計也跑累了吧？一個地方換到另一個地方，完全陌生的地方，一切都要重新開始，錢裁縫也沒力氣折騰了。他的肝不好、肺不好，好像胃也不好，反正天天要吃藥，本來就活不長久。再說了，像他那種殺老人、孩子的壞東西，死了就死了呗。死了幹淨，死了好！免得你們警察把他抓了，還要浪費糧食、浪費精力去審判他。這個狗東西，死了還連累我被抓，狗的！”
發洩了一陣，闵家蝶有些累了，停了下來。
祝康正好推門進來，在趙向晚耳邊道：“聯系到了喬紅玉，她說馬上買票過來，明天一定到瑤市。”
趙向晚壓低聲音問：“喬紅玉什麽反應？”
祝康沒有馬上回答這個問題，而是看向闵家蝶。
闵家蝶冷笑一聲，撇了撇嘴。
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.