Chapter 26 Tinglan
◎I'm going to die! Is that okay?◎
The next day, Zhao Qingyun was acquitted and went to find Zhao Xiangwan who was sorting out documents in the office.
"Xiangwan, thank you." Zhao Qingyun's gratitude came from the bottom of his heart.
Zhao Xiangwan waved his hands, with no expression on his face.
Faced with his own daughter's indifference, Zhao Qingyun was not upset this time. During the days of being locked up, he felt the warmth and coldness of human nature and thought a lot.
Wei Meihua and he had been through thick and thin together, but after coming to the Public Security Bureau once, she never came again, and her attitude was extremely cold. Even if they didn't get divorced in the future, it would probably be difficult for them to regain their past closeness.
His father-in-law had helped him get promoted and had high expectations for him. But his father-in-law was old and his abilities were limited, so the areas where he could support and help him would become less and less in the future.
Xu Juncai married his children to his in-laws, and he provided so many convenient conditions for his business, but he didn't even show up at the critical moment.
She personally brought the ten-year-old Zhao Chenyang to Xing City and raised him until now, and they have developed a father-daughter relationship. She never expected that this time she would get into trouble and she would disappear without a trace.
All the friends around him who had always treated him as brothers disappeared completely in an instant.
The only person who lent a helping hand and ran around to find out the truth for him was actually his own daughter, Zhao Xiangwan, whom he had always looked down upon.
No wonder rural elders mutter, "I don't know which loofah can be used for seeding." It is still uncertain whether their children are good enough or can bring benefits to them in the future. If they had known this earlier, why would they have neglected their own daughter for the sake of someone else's child?
Zhao Qingyun heard the city bureau leader talk about the details of the case investigation, and knew that if Zhao Xiangwan had not been careful and questioned Pan Guoqing's alibi, it would be difficult to arrest him. If Zhao Xiangwan had not staged a play with another female police officer to stimulate Pan Guoqing, he would probably still be stubborn and refuse to admit to the murder.
It can be said that Zhao Xiangwan helped a lot in enabling me to clear the charges quickly this time.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that he had not done enough before. Zhao Qingyun felt so ashamed that he ignored Zhao Xiangwan's indifference and continued, "Xiangwan, I used to..."
Zhao Xiangwan interrupted him and said, "I can only solve cases. I won't be of much help to you in the future. There's no need to have any contact with me anymore."
Zhao Qingyun's emotions, which had been brewing for a long time, suddenly got stuck, and his face suddenly turned red: "I, I, I just want to say thank you. You, you, why are you so heartless?"
Zhao Xiangwan's face turned cold. Without even a glance, he lowered his head and began to sort out the files.
Zhao Qingyun wanted to take this opportunity to improve the relationship between father and daughter, but she ignored him and showed no sign of compromise. He originally thought that Zhao Xiangwan helped him investigate the case because they were father and daughter, but now he found that it was not the case at all.
Zhao Qingyun left awkwardly after saying a few polite words.
As soon as Zhao Qingyun left, He Mingyu approached Zhao Xiangwan with a smile and knocked on the table: "Come, teach us, how did you recognize Pan Guoqing's disguise?"
Facing He Mingyu's smiling face, Zhao Xiangwan's mood improved. She closed the file, looked at her colleagues in the office who were eager to learn, and stood up.
She picked up a piece of chalk, drew a face on the blackboard, and drew a few mouth shapes next to the face.
"Among the five senses of human beings, the mouth is not only a tool for eating, but also a window for external communication. The mouth can convey a lot of valuable information to us."
Zhao Xiangwan's opening remarks immediately attracted everyone.
Ji Zhao, who was usually invisible in the crime squad, stood up, took the chalk from her hand, and re-drew a standard face. Although it was only a few strokes, it was vivid and clear.
Zhao Xiangwan smiled and said to Ji Zhao, "I'll talk and you draw."
The two worked in perfect harmony, one drawing the portrait while the other explained.
"The mouth has four basic movements: opening and closing, up and down, forward and backward, and loose and tight. By observing these movements and combining them with the personality traits reflected by the mouth shape, we can roughly judge his inner activities.
Pan Guoqing has a typical lip shape, with a short upper lip and a protruding lower lip. People with this shape are usually suspicious and defensive, but at the same time they are also very patient.
I wonder if Sister He has noticed that Pan Guoqing would bite his lips unconsciously when answering questions. This shows that he is carefully analyzing every question from the police and is in a state of mental defense for a long time. If he loves his wife, he should actively cooperate with the police to find the murderer. If he has done nothing wrong, he would not be so defensive against the police.
He Mingyu exclaimed, "Yes, yes, Pan Guoqing has this little problem when he speaks. I thought at the time that he was a self-abuse man, but I didn't expect it to be a sign of psychological defense."
Zhao Xiangwan nodded and continued to talk about what he had summarized from this case.
"When we asked him where the money had gone, he pursed his lips into a square shape, which means he is very stubborn and will never look back once he makes a decision. But when the stimulation accumulates, he will temporarily lose his mind, which leads to his radical behavior of pulling the curtains, opening the closet, and throwing clothes."
Zhu Feipeng tried hard to recall the scene, but he only remembered that he jumped up in anger and pulled open the curtain with annoyance. As for his lip shape at that time... I really didn't pay attention.
"In the interrogation room, Captain Xu is in charge of the interrogation. I wonder if you have noticed Pan Guoqing's lip shape." As soon as Zhao Xiangwan asked this question, the office fell silent.
Xu Songling's voice suddenly rang out: "When I asked questions, his lips were tightly shut. Unless he had to speak, he would keep his mouth shut, as if he was trying hard to hide his mouth and was determined not to say a single word."
Zhao Xiangwan smiled and nodded: "Captain Xu should be very experienced in this. When the pressure on the suspect reaches a certain level, the phenomenon of hiding lips will appear, and the brain refuses to express itself in this way. If the pressure reaches the limit, his lips will not only be tightly pursed, but the corners of his mouth will bend downward to form an inverted U shape. Captain Xu applied pressure based on this change in expression, and I just took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire."
There was a moment of silence in the office.
Three seconds later, there was thunderous applause.
"Junior sister, you are very observant!"
"I never thought people would have so much to say with just a mouth."
"Take notes, take notes quickly."
"We solved a major case in less than half a month. What an efficiency! This is incredible. Junior Sister is our lucky one. She must be given an excellent grade for her internship results!"
Amid the applause, Zhao Xiangwan's mouth corners slightly turned up, and his eyes sparkled with joy. Being able to combine mind reading with micro-expressions and organize effective theoretical knowledge will definitely help improve criminal investigation techniques!
This time, Ji Zhao was not disturbed by the applause. He took a step back and looked at the face drawn on the blackboard, with a straight mouth, tightly pursed lips, and resisting eyes. The expression on his face became richer.
He looked around, gently put down the chalk, and imitated everyone else, clinking his hands together, making a slight "pa! pa!" sound.
Everyone laughed.
Zhu Feipeng was extremely surprised and said loudly: "Oh, Master Ji can applaud!"
Ji Zhao stopped what he was doing.
Zhao Xiangwan glared at Zhu Feipeng and said to Ji Zhao, "Applause means praise. Please continue."
Ji Zhao is not stupid, in fact he is very smart, but he used to be closed-minded and unwilling to interact with others, so he appears clumsy.
Now that he stays in the serious crime squad every day, Zhao Xiangwan can understand and hear what he is thinking. The unprecedented smooth and free communication gradually makes Ji Zhao let down his guard, and he gradually integrates into the team and has a bit of a sense of the world.
Ji Zhao clapped again.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
Although it was just a few gentle sounds, Zhao Xiangwan saw the skylarks dancing in the wilderness. It was a great sense of accomplishment to be able to make Ji Zhao enjoy himself little by little in that lonely wilderness world.
In a blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year. People in the south celebrated the Little New Year on the 28th. Zhao Xiangwan bought a train ticket for the 27th to return to Luo County. Even though her colleagues in the serious crime team were reluctant to let her go, they felt embarrassed to keep her any longer. They had to reluctantly send her off on the train, carrying a bunch of gifts.
Luoxian is a small station and you can only take a slow train.
During the Spring Festival travel rush, the green trains were so crowded that there was no room to even put down one's feet. Zhao Xiangwan, with a large army green shoulder bag that had faded from washing slung over his left shoulder and a navy blue canvas handbag in his right hand, found his seat and sat down with difficulty.
The reason why it was difficult was that five people were squeezed into the seats that were originally for three people.
Zhao Xiangwan sat in the aisle seat, turned her head and looked around, the luggage rack above her head was already full, so she had to bend down and put her handbag under her feet. When she stood up, she felt a little uncomfortable with the bodies touching her left and right, but there was nothing she could do at the moment, so she had to endure it.
Sitting by the window was a woman with a melancholy look on her face. Her frail body was wrapped in a large navy blue cotton jacket, which made her look empty. She stared blankly out the window with her right hand resting on her chin, her lips tightly pursed. Her hands, cheeks, and ears were all covered with frostbite, and were abnormally red.
Next to the woman sat a plump middle-aged woman wearing a light blue double-breasted woolen coat and with curly hair. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling, and it was obvious that she was trying hard to hold back.
"Bang--"
When the train stopped again to wait for another express train to pass, the fat woman finally couldn't control her temper and started cursing through gritted teeth.
"What kind of crappy train is this? Stop, stop, stop! It keeps stopping! I am doing this for nothing. It's almost New Year and I still have to take a debt collector like you home. It's so cold and train tickets are hard to buy. Are you going to kill me?"
The thin woman didn't say anything, but her eyes were filled with despair.
【被拐一年，好不容易被警察解救，以為回到家就能感受溫暖，沒想到媽媽一不問我有沒有受傷，二不問我有沒有吃苦，只是看着我的肚子一臉的嫌棄，不停地訴說着她的辛苦。從小到大，爸媽就是這樣，只要我考試成績不夠好，就罵我不努力、不認真，然後不停地說着他們為了我怎麽省吃儉用，好像他們所有的苦都是因為我。在他們面前，我永遠就是個罪人！】
原來，這名女子是剛被警方解救的被拐婦女，而和一起的中年婦女則是她的媽媽。母親埋怨、女兒失望，母女關系并不好。
聽到胖女人發脾氣，坐在對面的一個穿中山裝的男子好意勸了一句：“大嫂你們這是要回家吧？過年過節的莫發脾氣嘛。”
聽到有人搭話，胖女人的情緒迅速找到了宣洩口。
“回家過年，回家過年！盡遇到些糟心事過什麽年！你說我這死妹子，丢人啊……”她看一眼坐在車窗邊的女兒，目光停留在女兒臉頰的凍瘡上，不知道為什麽又煩躁起來。
胖女人撇了撇嘴：“女人的臉多寶貴，你不知道嗎？凍瘡長在臉上，我真是服了你！你這個樣子，将來怎麽嫁人。”
汀蘭終于開口說話，不過她的聲音冷得像一坨冰：“嫁人，您覺得我還能嫁得出去？”
胖女人一聽到女兒的聲音，不知道為什麽就開始煩躁起來：“怎麽不能嫁人？你好歹上了一年大學，有文化、有模樣。讓你爸在老家農村給你找個死了老婆的、或者老單身漢，難道人家還能嫌你？”
汀蘭忽然笑了起來，笑聲浸着濃濃的自我厭憎。她對着車窗呵了一口氣，伸出手指在白氣上畫了個大大的“X”。
“把我嫁到農村去，找個沒文化的老男人，那和拐到山溝溝裏有什麽區別？您可真疼我。”
胖女人被女兒的話語刺得跳了起來：“你這個死妹子！你以為你還是以前？你知不知道這一年我掉了多少眼淚、跑了多少趟派出所？我和你爸的臉都被你一個人丢光了！”
上過大學？派出所？這對母女倆的對話透露了太多細節，衆人的好奇心被勾了起來，悄聲議論着。
“不會是讀了一年大學然後私奔嫁人了吧？”
“不像是嫁人，能夠進派出所的，難道是犯罪坐牢了？”
“這個妹子看着快三十了吧？瘦得可憐喲~”
一名老婦人試探着詢問：“大妹子，這是你女兒？看着挺受罪的，你們這是怎麽了？”
胖女人張了張嘴，到底還是要臉，沒有說出真相，只是狠狠瞪了女兒一眼，嘟囔着說：“都是她自找的，我可沒臉說，唉！丢臉啊。”
【女大學生在火車上被拐賣，還不夠丢臉嗎？原本汀蘭長得好、讀書好，89年考上京都對外經貿大學，當時我們單位哪一個不羨慕？哪裏知道她大二暑假回學校的路上被拐了呢？傳出去多丢臉啊，白讀了那麽多書，大學生還能被人拐了去。】
89年考上大學？趙向晚聽到這話，再一次打量這個瘦弱女子。比自己早兩年考上大學，今年最多21歲，可是她看上去風霜滿面，沒有半點年青姑娘應該有的朝氣。
女大學生被拐的案子，趙向晚也曾在報紙上看到過，當時大姑還拿着報紙對自己和表姐範秋寒耳提面命。
“女孩子一個人出門一定要小心謹慎，不要和陌生人說話，不要跟陌生人走，陌生人給的東西絕對不能吃，也不要把自己的名字、住址、學校什麽的告訴別人。不然要是被人算計了，拐賣到窮山溝裏去，叫天天不應、叫地地不靈，看你怎麽辦！”
現在，被拐賣的女大學生就在眼前，雖然一年之後被警方解救出來，但她受過的傷、吃過的苦卻像一道刻在心上的疤，怎麽也愈合不了。
“丢臉、丢臉，你只知道丢臉！我丢了你的臉，我去死！這總行了吧？”
汀蘭受了刺激，不管不顧地喊着。一肚子的憤怒、委屈，在這個滿是陌生人的火車上盡數爆發出來。
汀蘭這一聲喊引來火車人所有人的目光。
她的喊聲裏充滿着絕望，聽得人心裏沉甸甸的，原本存着看熱鬧心思的衆人，都有些于心不忍，開始一邊倒地勸汀蘭的母親。
“大妹子，你別逼孩子。你看孩子都瘦成什麽樣了？回家做點好吃的，讓她好好養養。”
“是啊，嬸子，我雖然不知道你們家裏出了什麽事，但是別在火車上罵您女兒嘛，什麽丢臉不丢臉的，人活着比什麽都強！”
“明天就是小年了，難得一家人團聚在一起。大家健健康康、和和氣氣的多好啊，其他的就別計較了。”
汀蘭的母親聽到衆人的勸說，臉上有些挂不住，偏過頭哼了一聲：“你這死妹子，尋死覓活的給誰看？好不容易把你接回來，你就不能老實點？”
汀蘭的情緒卻沉浸在自暴自棄之中。
她忽然站起，雙手使勁，猛地将窗戶往上推。寒冬臘月，一股凜冽的寒風刮進來，車廂溫度陡然下降，所有人都打了一個寒顫。
“哪個神經病把窗戶打開了？凍死了。”
“你要幹什麽？開窗做什麽！”
一陣驚呼聲中，汀蘭将頭伸出開了一半的窗外，伸展開雙手，迎上那寒風，瘋了一樣笑了起來：“哈哈哈哈……回來了又怎麽樣？一樣被嫌棄！”
原本她坐着還沒看出，現在一站起來，寬大的棉襖也掩不住她微微突起的腹部。
【我懷了仇人的崽子，現在已經五個多月，打胎有危險，我該怎麽辦？上次逃跑右手被拉扯，肩關節嚴重脫臼，天天挨打、打到頭破血流，到現在還沒養好。我才二十一歲啊，走路都感覺像踩在棉花上一樣。我媽嫌棄我、我爸不肯見我，他們都巴不得我死了吧？這樣的日子，活着有什麽意思！】
汀蘭母親猛地一把将她拉回來，擡手就是一巴掌，狠狠扇在她臉上。
“啪！”地一聲脆響，聽得衆人不由自主地打了個寒顫。這個母親，對自己的女兒下手可真狠！
汀蘭母親打完這一巴掌依然不解恨，一下一下地拍打着她胳膊，一邊哭一邊喊。
“我打死你這個死妹子！你到底要讓我和你爸操多少心？你還沒盡過一天孝呢，你敢先死？你知不知道以前化肥廠的同事背後怎麽嘲笑我們的？你知不知道出事之後你爸中了風差點死過去？
為了找你，我們把房子賣了，現在只能租個破屋子住着，你還想要我們怎麽樣！好不容易找回來了，你卻變得像只刺猬一樣，動不動就尋死覓活，哪裏還有小時候聽話？要是知道你會變成這個樣子，還不如死在外面！”
汀蘭沒有動，麻木地承受着母親的怒火。
被拐的這一年，汀蘭受過很多苦。從天之驕子淪落成鄉村媳婦，從單純少女變成鎖在床腳的發洩工具，從善良女孩變成生育機器，被欺騙、強迫、淩.辱，種種磨難足夠讓人崩潰。
這些苦，汀蘭都熬過來了。
可是今天，來自母親的責罵、否定，卻像鞭子一樣抽打着汀蘭的靈魂，讓她痛得說不出話來，她覺得熬不下去了。
【我是個罪人，我就是個罪人。】
汀蘭一遍一遍地在心中重複着這句話，眼淚一顆一顆地滴落在大棉襖上，被藏青色的衣服吸收，一絲痕跡都看不到。她沒有再掙紮，垂着頭任由母親捶打，整個人的精氣神全都被抽掉。
不知道為什麽，看到這個被母親打的汀蘭，趙向晚的心被牽扯得一抽一抽地疼痛，那些不愉快的童年回憶浮現在腦海中。
養母錢淑芬為了不讓趙向晚有出息，免得壓了趙晨陽的風頭，平時對她沒有一句好言語。不管趙向晚取得什麽成績、不管趙向晚做了多少家務，她都只會高聲責罵：“我生你這個死妹子做什麽，你就是個賠錢貨！”
趙向晚清清楚楚地記得，小學畢業的時候她央求母親讓自己讀書，得到的卻是一頓笤帚，還有無情的嘲諷：一個女孩子讀那麽多書做什麽？有空不如多喂幾只雞，還能下蛋吃肉咧。
想到這裏，從來不喜歡多管閑事的趙向晚擡起頭，認真地看着汀蘭的母親：“不要打了！她的頭和手受過很嚴重的傷。”
汀蘭母親愣了一下，揚起的右手陡然停住。
趙向晚轉過頭看向汀蘭：“不是你的錯，不怕。”
汀蘭緩緩擡起頭，看着趙向晚，被淚水模糊了的雙眼裏升起了一絲微弱的光芒。
趙向晚年紀雖小，但面孔一板，嚴肅的态度讓一向在乎旁人看法的汀蘭母親感覺到了壓力。她哼了一聲，收回手沒有再打汀蘭，別別扭扭地坐了下來。
車廂中的氣氛明顯平靜了許多。
汀蘭沒有再折騰，一直安靜地坐着，汀蘭母親也沒有再罵她，只是臉色依然陰沉着。
六個小時之後，綠皮火車終于到了羅縣。趙向晚拿着行李起身，坐在身邊的汀蘭母親也開始準備下車。
趙向晚看一眼呆坐一旁的汀蘭，想到一路上聽到她的內心低語。
【火車上那個老婦人裝可憐裝得可真像，說什麽兒子在京都工作，現在生了重病在醫院住院，她現在從農村過來要去看望兒子，可是她第一次出遠門什麽也不知道，想讓我帶她到第一醫院去。
我怎麽就信了呢？因為她那可憐巴巴的眼神，讓我想起外婆。如果我有一天生病了，在農村從來沒有出過遠門的外婆也會像她現在這樣茫然無措吧。因為心疼，所以我一直陪着她，帶着她下火車。沒想到剛剛走出站，就從停在一邊的小貨車上下來兩個人，然後……就被迷暈賣到了深山裏。】
女大學生之所以被騙，與智商、學問無關，就是因為年輕天真、太過善良。拐子往往以弱者的姿态出現，尋求她們的幫助。有心算無心，誰能躲得過？
想到這裏，趙向晚沖汀蘭善意地笑了笑，正要說話，不料汀蘭母親有些警惕，看她靠近女兒，立馬攔住，瞪了她一眼：“你要做什麽？”
趙向晚看不到汀蘭的表情變化，只得轉身離開。
羅縣火車站雖小，但春節返鄉人不少。順着擁擠的人群出了站，再往南步行半小時，趙向晚終于來到大姑趙大翠家。
大姑離婚後在縣城老城區買了個老房子，距離羅縣中學不遠，是早期居民搭建的私房，只有一個卧室、一個雜物間、一個小小的廁所。
卧室裏大約十六、七個平方米，兼着飯廳、客廳、書房功能。飯桌、書桌、衣櫃、床、沙發、茶幾和兩把椅子，把屋子塞得滿滿當當。
因為沒有廚房，趙大翠花錢請人把卧室的屋檐往外推了一米，在檐下搭了個簡易的竈臺，放上一個煤爐、一個炒鍋，再加上撿來的舊桌子當切菜臺，雖然簡陋，但好歹淋不着雨，也夠用了。
趙大翠是個眉目慈祥的中年女子，半年不見侄女，笑眯眯地将她迎進屋，一邊往搪瓷臉盆裏倒熱水一邊念叨。
“來來來，先洗把臉。坐了這麽久的火車，累吧？半年時間不見，好像又長高了一點。你們學校有食堂不？吃飯吃不吃得飽？你說學校還給發衣服對不對？怎麽沒穿回來給大姑看看？向晚個子高、身材好，穿公安制服肯定好看。”
屋子裏升了炭盆，比外面暖和許多，趙向晚解開外套，露出裏面穿的豔綠色套頭毛衣。
“學校食堂挺好，還發飯菜票，我吃得挺好的。發的制服都是一式兩套，我一般只在校園裏面穿，出門都穿自己的衣服。大姑你看，你織的毛衣我一直穿着，特別暖和。”
趙大翠看到這件毛衣笑得更開心了，雙眼眯成了一條縫，眼角的細紋更加深刻：“好好好，你喜歡就好。本來還想給你姐也織一件，她非說這毛衣顏色太土，不肯要。還是我家向晚丫頭好，給什麽穿什麽，穿什麽都好看。”
趙向晚掬一盆熱水洗了洗手，再将熱毛巾敷在臉上：“我姐呢？她今天值什麽班？”
“你姐今天值白班，等下就能到家。向晚，你洗完臉把臉盆擱着別管，到門口菜地掐一把蒜葉來，大姑今晚炒臘肉給你吃。”
趙向晚應了一聲，推門出去。老房子是個老平房，門口有一畦小小菜地，勤快的趙大翠在裏面種了些大蒜和白菜。
剛剛彎腰扯出幾根大蒜，就聽到一陣笑聲：“是哪個小偷，敢到我家來偷大蒜！”
趙向晚擡起頭，一個身材嬌小、紮着辮子的年青姑娘映入眼簾，趙向晚微笑着打招呼：“表姐，你回來了。”
範秋寒個子雖不高，但行動間頗有些男兒氣。她大踏步而來，幫着扯了幾把大蒜，一邊扯一邊埋怨母親：“我媽也是的，你好不容易回來，幹嘛指揮你幹活？等我回來嘛。”
趙向晚笑了笑，沒有接表姐的話。範秋寒的性格她很清楚，刀子嘴、豆腐心，脾氣來了不由人，但心地最是柔軟善良。
範秋寒與她并肩而入，趙大翠高興地說：“秋妹子你回來得正好，趕緊擺桌子，給向晚倒杯熱茶喝。向晚坐了這麽久的火車，肯定累了，路上吃不到熱乎的，我得快點做飯。”
範秋寒一邊做事一邊和趙向晚說話，兩姐妹親密無間的模樣讓趙大翠心裏美滋滋的，忍不住嘆了一口氣：“現在這日子才是過日子，以前……”
範秋寒白了母親一眼：“好了，媽，你就別老念叨過去的事，咱們得往前看。等我今年七月正式上班拿工資，你就別擺攤了，大冬天的吹寒風、大夏天裏曬脫皮，你就在家裏休息着，我養你。”
趙大翠一邊炒菜一邊嘟囔：“我休息做什麽？又不是做不動。每天有點事做，反而好，你讓我天天在家裏窩着，肯定得窩出病來。”
範秋寒作勢要踢趙向晚：“喂，你幫我勸勸我媽，她每天一大早推着個早餐攤子出去，賣米粉賣到上午十點才回家，病了也不肯歇着。我們家現在又不需要買什麽大件，賺那麽多錢做什麽。”
趙向晚往旁邊一讓：“表姐，大姑是勤快人，做事做習慣了，閑不下來的。”
趙大翠連連點頭：“是是是，還是向晚懂大姑。以前在村裏的時候，喂豬、喂雞、做飯、洗衣這些家務都是我，農忙時和男人一起下地幹活，我早就習慣了。來到城裏必須找點事，不然就廢了。再說了，要不是有這個米粉攤子，怎麽養活我們娘倆？你這個沒良心的丫頭！”
趙向晚提了一個建議：“姐，你要是心疼大姑天天日曬雨淋，要不盤家店鋪開米粉店，怎麽樣？”
範秋寒還沒表态，趙大翠拼命搖頭：“盤店鋪那得多少錢？我可沒那麽多錢。再說了，早餐攤位我辦了營業執照，不用害怕城管，不用交什麽租金，只做早上幾個小時，多自在！要是開店，水、電、氣、租金不算，一開就是一整天，我不得累死？”
趙向晚不懂經營之道，沒有強求，只說了一句：“大姑，要是需要錢，我也能幫點忙。”
趙大翠根本沒把趙向晚的話放在心上，剛上大學的她能有多少錢，還想幫忙？真是孩子話。她哈哈一笑，炒菜出鍋，遞給趙向晚：“你有錢自己留着，大姑不要。你上學不容易咧，大姑知道。”
趙向晚接過菜碗，放在飯桌上。臘肉炒大蒜葉香氣撲鼻，在這間擺滿了家具的屋子裏飄散開來。
範秋寒說：“好了好了，媽你總喜歡在高興的時候提這些不開心的事情。向晚現在上了公安大學，舅舅舅媽不敢再來折騰她的。公安大學不收學費，還管飯管衣服，多好啊。就算舅媽不給錢，也能把書讀完對不對？”
看着趙向晚一步步走過來，範秋寒太知道她讀書的不容易。
趙向晚擡眸看向大姑和表姐，笑着說：“你們放心吧，我在公安局實習，幫忙偵破了一起殺人案，局裏獎勵了我一千塊，這些錢足夠讓我讀完書，你們不用再給我寄錢了。如果大姑和表姐要錢，你們只管開口。”
“真的？”範秋寒、趙大翠驚喜地反問。
趙向晚點點頭：“真的。”
範秋寒的嘴張得老大：“啊呀，公安局裏的獎勵這麽多嗎？我以為當警察收入不高呢。”
趙向晚解釋道：“有企業家設置懲惡揚善基金，大案偵破的話會發獎金。”季錦茂變着法子改善警察待遇，這次翁萍芳被殺案偵破，一口氣給了一萬獎金。局裏論功行賞，很知趣地獎勵趙向晚一千塊。
趙大翠喜得連聲念佛：“阿彌陀佛，這可真是大好事。向晚有出息，能掙錢，以後再也不用求你媽了。”
趙向晚張了張嘴，最終還是沒有說出自己的身世。如果告訴她們自己不是趙二福和錢淑芬的親生女兒，那自己與她們亦沒有親緣關系。
趙大翠是趙向晚童年最溫暖的所在，趙向晚舍不得。
趙大翠現在的這個老房子雖然簡陋，可是卻溫暖而平和，能讓趙向晚感受到親人的呵護與關懷、長輩的唠叨與溫柔。
吃完飯，趙向晚從包裏拿出給大姑、表姐的禮物。送給大姑的是一條大紅色的羊絨圍巾，送給範秋寒的是一塊電子手表。
“大姑，過年了戴點紅的喜慶，出早攤的時候要是覺得冷可以裹緊點。表姐，你上班之後總得看時間，送你手表最實用。”
趙大翠撫摸着柔軟而厚實的圍巾，臉上帶着笑，眼睛裏卻盈滿淚水：“我家向晚出息了，過年了還知道給大姑買禮物。”
Fan Qiuhan put the watch on his wrist, punched Zhao Xiangwan, and laughed: "You didn't forget your cousin now that you have money. You have a conscience and I love you well!"
All three of them laughed.
Zhao Dacui hesitated for a long time, and finally asked Zhao Xiangwan: "Why don't you go home to see your parents when you come back this year? Your eldest brother came over a few days ago and said that he hadn't received any letters from you and didn't know when you would come back. Your second brother is working in Guangzhou and will be home tomorrow morning. They all miss you."
Zhao Xiangwan lowered her eyes and said, "Aunt, I just want to stay with you, is that okay?"
Zhao Dacui and Fan Qiuhan looked at each other, both feeling a little distressed, and said in unison: "Okay, okay, okay, why not?"
[Xiang Wan is such a pitiful child. Her brother and sister-in-law treated her badly. When she was little, they spoiled Chen Yang and ordered Xiang Wan around like a maid. Later, Chen Yang was taken away by her biological parents. Logically, her brother and sister-in-law should have treated Xiang Wan better, right? But not only did they not treat her better, they even ordered her around more. My sister-in-law went too far, tearing up her homework books, burning her textbooks, and doing all kinds of things to prevent her from studying.
If Xiangwan hadn't worked hard to make her a success, she would have been unable to finish her studies and would have stayed at home as a laborer, right? She would have been like me, feeding pigs and chickens, cooking, washing clothes, working in the fields during the busy farming season, and when she turned 18 she would find a young man in the village to marry, have children, and her life would all depend on the quality of the man she married.
However, this is not the life Xiangwan wants. This child has loved reading since she was young. She would hold a book and read when she had nothing to do. She was more serious than any other child when doing homework. She wanted to leave the countryside and see the bigger world. She should have a bigger world. She should live a better life than me, my sister-in-law, and everyone I know. 】
Zhao Dacui's heartfelt love and affirmation made Zhao Xiangwan feel mixed emotions.
In the eyes of the aunt, Zhao Xiangwan was just like her, being looked down upon, ignored, and oppressed in the countryside because she was a woman. However, the aunt did not know that the real reason why Qian Shufen disliked Zhao Xiangwan was that Zhao Xiangwan was not Qian Shufen's biological child.
Zhao Xiangwan said, "Aunt, my parents won't care whether I go back or not. I will go to the hospital where my eldest brother works to see him tomorrow."
Zhao Dacui smiled with relief: "Seeing that you brothers and sisters have a good relationship, I am very happy."
At night, Zhao Xiangwan slept in the new quilt prepared by Zhao Dacui, smelling the scent of sunshine emanating from the pillowcase, and heard Fan Qiuhan hugging Zhao Dacui's neck and saying coquettishly on the other side of the bed: "Mom, I haven't slept in the same quilt with you for a long time."
Looking up at the moonlight coming in through the window glass, Zhao Xiangwan's lips gradually curled up.
The next day, January 24th of the solar calendar, is the Little New Year in the South.
It was just daybreak.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" There was a series of rapid knocks on the door, mixed with a woman's hoarse screams.
"Help, help..."
Zhao Dacui recognized the other person's voice, immediately put on her clothes, got out of bed, walked over and opened the door.
A gust of cold wind blew into the room, startling Fan Qiuhan and Zhao Xiangwan at the same time and shuddering.
A fat woman with dishevelled hair stood at the door. She raised a pair of blood-stained hands and shouted like crazy: "Sister Qiu, you are a nurse, come and save people."
Upon seeing the blood, Fan Qiuhan hurriedly got up from under the quilt, quickly put on his coat, and walked quickly to the door: "Aunt Lu, what's going on?"
Aunt Lu was trembling all over: "Ting, Tinglan cut her wrists..."