Fu Lan walked ahead, feeling the gazes of the two people behind her. She pretended to be nonchalant, but her vest was already covered in a layer of white sweat from nervousness.
She only breathed a sigh of relief when she came out of the house and felt that the two men had looked away.
Upon hearing the children's laughter coming from the next room, Officer Zhang immediately turned around and asked, "May I go see the children?"
“If I say no, will you not go?” Fu Lan glanced at him coldly and asked.
Zhang Gong'an shook his head: "...No."
"Then why are you asking so many questions?" Fu Lan said irritably, and went straight to the next room.
Zhang Gong'an and Chen Hao exchanged a helpless glance and followed together.
In the next room, Grandma Qin was holding little Hongling, sitting cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), talking to Hongfei and Hongyu. She was talking about something that made the two little ones laugh heartily. Little Hongling didn't know what they were laughing at, but when they laughed, she laughed along with them, finding it extremely joyful.
As Fu Lan listened to the children's cheerful laughter, the heavy mood she had felt in the next room instantly dissipated.
She walked into the house with a smile and asked, "What are you talking about? Why are you laughing so happily?"
"Aunt Xiaolan!" Hongfei and Hongyu called out in unison.
"Grandma is telling us jokes," Hongyu said loudly.
"What joke is so funny? Tell Aunt Xiaolan about it," Fu Lan said with a smile.
Hongyu opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly saw Officer Zhang and Chen Hao entering behind Fu Lan. Especially when she saw Officer Zhang's uniform, the smile on her little face vanished instantly, and she hid behind her brother in fear: "Brother..."
Hongfei patted Hongyu's little hand reassuringly: "It's okay, your brother is here."
Hongyu nodded, looking at Zhang Gong'an and Chen Hao with continued caution and vigilance.
The smile that had just appeared on Officer Zhang's face instantly froze. Knowing that he was going to see two children, he had tried his best to appear kind and approachable when he came in. Why were they still so afraid of him? They were devastated.
"How is it, Officer Zhang? Have you checked the house? Have you found any trace of Chen Dachuan?" Old Mrs. Qin asked Officer Zhang with concern.
"We've only checked the next room so far. We'll check the rest of the room carefully. If he dares to come, we definitely won't let him get away," Officer Zhang reassured Old Mrs. Qin.
Fu Lan stood to the side and couldn't help but chuckle. It's all hindsight.
Zhang Gong'an looked at Fu Lan: "Miss Fu, what are you laughing at?"
"Can't I even just smile?" Fu Lan tilted her head and asked him back.
Zhang Gong'an hesitated for a moment: "...No, that's not it." This girl is a real pain.
Grandma Qin looked at Fu Lan, somewhat surprised. Why was Xiao Lan acting like she was covered in thorns today? Something was wrong.
Not daring to provoke Fu Lan, Officer Zhang's gaze quickly fell on Hongfei and Hongyu, and his face immediately darkened.
He discovered that not only Hongfei had bruises on his neck, but Hongyu did too.
"What happened to your necks? Who choked you?" Officer Zhang asked the two children seriously.
Before the two little ones could speak, Grandma Qin spoke up for them: "Oh, I just asked them about this. They pinched each other accidentally while they were playing."
Hongfei nodded: "That's right."
Seeing his brother nod, Hongyu nodded as well: "That's right."
"Did you pinch yourself while playing around? How did you pinch yourself?" Officer Zhang asked carefully.
They had already demonstrated it to Grandma Qin, and now, without any panic, the two little ones demonstrated it to Officer Zhang again.
Hongfei lay down on the kang, and Hongyu straddled him, her small hands lightly pinching his neck: "I was fighting with my brother just now, and in my haste I started pinching him like this, and he couldn't breathe. It scared me to death."
After saying that, he grabbed his brother's hand and put it on his own neck: "Then I let my brother choke me back."
"That's all." He said, looking at Officer Zhang, and asked seriously, "Did you understand?"
Zhang Gong'an nodded: "I understand, but..."
He paused, then gestured with his own hand across their necks: "But the bruises on your necks look like they were made by a single hand?"
Hongyu looked at her brother.
Hongfei remained expressionless and said, "You've misjudged."
Hongyu nodded in agreement: "That's right, you're mistaken."
Zhang Gong'an: "..."
Zhang Gong'an asked Hongyu with a smile, "Why do you always look at your brother when you speak?"
“Because he’s my brother.” Hongyu looked at Zhang Gong’an with disdain, as if to say, “How could you be so stupid as to ask such a stupid question?”
Zhang Gong'an: "..." I have absolutely no idea what kids are like.
Zhang Gong'an turned to Chen Hao for help. "Why don't you do it?"
Chen Hao quickly shook his head, indicating that he couldn't do it either; even his own child couldn't handle the situation.
With a helpless sigh, Zhang Gong'an had no choice but to give up for the time being.
He patted Hongyu's head: "Don't pinch him like that next time, it's dangerous, you know?"
Hongyu nodded obediently: "Grandma just told us off, and she won't do it again."
Children can be incredibly cute when they're well-behaved, but they can also be a real headache when they're difficult.
Zhang Gong'an couldn't help but pat Hongyu's head again before turning to look at Old Madam Qin and saying, "Let's go and see other places."
Grandma Qin nodded: "Thank you for your trouble. Please check carefully. There are still three children and Xiaolan at home. If Chen Dachuan really comes, it will be troublesome. Please catch him as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, we definitely will," said Officer Zhang, turning to leave with Chen Hao to conduct inspections elsewhere.
As he passed by Fu Lan, he suddenly stopped, looked at Fu Lan who remained expressionless, and asked, "Knowing that Chen Dachuan might come, you don't seem worried at all?"
Fu Lan glanced at Zhang Gong'an: "You're still here. What do I have to worry about?"
Zhang Gong's eyes flashed. Or perhaps, you already know he can't possibly reappear.
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