All Living Things
The two tattooed men on the sofa, who had been sitting still, could no longer sit still. They stood up simultaneously. They were used to resolving problems through intimidation and harassment. In their world, calling the police was something only cowards and those who didn't understand the rules would do. This young man's actions undoubtedly turned the tables on them.
The hyena-like man in the lead twitched his face. He was clearly the most intelligent of the group, and he immediately realized that things were taking a turn for the worst for them. He took two steps forward, attempting to step past Lu Yu to speak to the limp man, but Lu Yu simply leaned aside and stood motionless like a mountain, blocking his path.
The man's expression turned extremely grim. He stared at Lu Yu, forcing a smile uglier than tears. His tone softened, "Little brother, what are you doing? Our dispute with Boss Chen is purely financial. If you call the police, it'll complicate things. It won't benefit anyone, do you understand?"
Lu Yu didn't even raise his eyelids. In this suffocating confrontation, a faint chirping sound penetrated everyone's ears.
The sound was faint at first, like the hum of a mosquito. But after just a dozen seconds, it grew closer, becoming clearer and sharper, eventually converging into an unstoppable wave that tore through the quiet afternoon sky above the old residential building.
It's the sound of a police siren.
The sound meant completely different things to different people in the room.
For the three debt collectors, this shrill call was like a death knell. The color drained from their faces at a visible rate, and they exchanged panicked glances. The leading man glared fiercely at Lu Yu, then glanced at the slumped □□ on the ground. Finally, he cursed under his breath and began to rapidly plot a way to escape.
For the slumped-over aunt, the sirens were like a bucket of ice water, instantly chilling his alcohol-fueled brain, leaving only an endless chill and fear. He feared not the law, but the shame of his own actions. To have his family scandal escalate to the point of requiring the police to come to his house was, in his pathetic self-esteem, more painful than even killing him.
Soon, the sirens stopped downstairs, followed by a rapid, heavy sound of footsteps, rapidly ascending the dark staircase. Finally, accompanied by a knock on the door, a steady male voice rang out: "Police! Open the door!"
Lu Yu turned sideways and opened the door that was already ajar.
Outside the door, two uniformed police officers appeared before the crowd with an air of inviolable righteousness. As their gazes swept over the mess inside the house and the scars on Shi Guang's mother's face, their seriousness immediately turned into sharp alertness.
The blue and red lights of police lights shone in from the windows at the entrance of the corridor, spinning silently and illuminating the faces of everyone in the room.
"Everyone, don't move! Stand against the wall!" one of the younger policemen shouted sternly.
The three debt collectors raised their hands reflexively, plastered on their faces with flattering and innocent smiles, and shouted: "Comrade police, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
□□ also hurriedly got up from the ground, staggered against the wall, his eyes evasive, and mumbled incoherently: "I... I just drank a little too much..."
Another older policeman walked towards Shi Guang's mother and spoke in a much softer tone, "Ma'am, are you okay?"
His professional eyes quickly scanned the scars on her face and the mess in the house, and he had already made a rough judgment in his mind.
The situation was quickly brought under control. The police divided the people at the scene into three distinct groups: □□ and the three debt collectors were asked to remain in the center of the living room to be questioned by the young police officer; Lu Yu, accompanied by Shi Guang, still in a daze, and his mother, were led by the older police officer to the relatively quiet bedroom door.
"Tell me, what happened?" The young policeman took out the law enforcement recorder and pointed it at those ruffian-looking men.
The leading debt collector immediately put on an aggrieved expression. He pointed at □□ and claimed to be the victim: "Comrade police officer, you have to stand up for us! He, □□, owes us half a million yuan and won't pay it back. We came here today to negotiate repayment. Who knew he got drunk and went berserk, smashing our house like this and even trying to assault us? This is a legitimate debt relationship, and we have the IOU to prove it!"
The police turned their skeptical gazes at □□, a man who had perfectly portrayed the image of a scoundrel. At times, drunkenly, he would shout and claim he had no memory of what had happened. At other times, he would point at his wife in the corner and insinuately accuse her of being unfaithful and having affairs, attempting to justify his violent behavior by casting aspersions. His account was a chaotic mess, filled with lies and excuses, revealing his inner cowardice and despicable nature.
At the same time, the older policeman at the bedroom door was also quietly asking Lu Yu.
"Who are you? Did you call the police?"
"Yes, officer." Lu Yu nodded. "I'm a classmate of his son Shi Guang. My name is Lu Yu. We just got back from school."
"Tell us everything you saw and heard." The policeman's tone was calm, but his eyes were sharp as he carefully observed every expression on Lu Yu's face.
"We arrived around 3:15 in the afternoon. When we opened the door, we saw the living room in its current state, a mess. This aunt, Shi Guang's mother, was curled up in the corner crying, with obvious scars on her face."
He paused, glanced at the debt collectors not far away, and continued, "At the time, these three gentlemen were sitting on the sofa. The leader of them clearly stated that □□ owed them half a million yuan, and if they didn't pay up by today, they would use this house as collateral. They also threatened that if they didn't get paid, they would live here and there, and there was no guarantee what would happen."
"Mr. □□ then emerged from the bedroom, severely intoxicated and agitated. He first insulted Shi Guang and then attempted to assault me, but I subdued him. During this time, he admitted to the assault and attributed it to the anger he had inflicted outside. Considering the safety of everyone at the scene and the obvious violence, I chose to call the police."
Lu Yu's entire statement took only two minutes, but it was logically rigorous and clearly organized.
The older officer's eyes flickered with approval. He'd been handling cases for years, and had seen countless reporters speak incoherently or exaggerate in the midst of chaos. It was rare to find someone like Lu Yu, someone who could maintain absolute composure and clear logic in such a high-pressure environment.
He nodded and wrote down the details quickly in his notebook. He had already formed a clear judgment on the nature of the whole matter in his mind.
After completing the questioning of the key witness, the elderly police officer turned his attention to the most important victim of the storm. He half-knelt down in front of Mother Time.
"Ma'am, don't be afraid." The older policeman's voice was gentle and steady, like a cup of hot tea on a winter day, trying to dispel the chill on her body. "We are here to help you. Now, can you tell me about the injuries on your face and...any other injuries on your body? Was he the one who hit you?"
Time's mother trembled violently.
Her first reaction was to escape. Her eyes subconsciously averted, her lips trembling, but no sound came out. Decades of marriage had ingrained a terrifying survival logic into her: patience, compromise, and, most importantly, keeping family disgrace private.
Admitting she'd been beaten would have exposed the most awful side of her family, nakedly revealing it in broad daylight. She was terrified of the neighbors' gossip, the relatives' gossip, and even more so... the man's frantic revenge. That fear, like a vine, had entwined itself deeply within her, leaving her breathless.
Her eyes, with a fragile look as if asking for help, turned to her son standing beside her.
Shi Guang saw the fear and struggle in his mother's eyes, as well as the reliance on him buried beneath her despair. He knew this was the most crucial moment. He could no longer choose silence and avoidance like he had countless times before, just like his mother.
He met his mother's gaze and nodded firmly.
Shi Guang's mother took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to hold in half a lifetime of grievances and bitterness. Her chest heaved violently, and tears poured out like a flood.
She raised her hand, which looked a little rough from years of doing housework, and pointed with all her strength at the man not far away who was still trying to argue in a cowardly manner.
"yes."
When the word uttered clearly from his wife's mouth, □□'s face, flushed with alcohol and guilt, instantly turned pale. He jumped up from the wall like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, all his pretense and rationality completely collapsing at that moment.
"You're talking nonsense! You vicious woman!" He pointed at his wife's nose and roared with all his might, spit flying everywhere. "How dare you slander me in public? When did I ever hit you? Huh?! You're so dishonest, hanging out with questionable people, and now you dare to bite me back! I think you don't want to live like this anymore!"
The police officers present, including the usually gentle older officer, instantly fell in expression. They had seen too many domestic abusers like this: submissive outside, yet domineering at home. Once their lies were exposed, they would resort to this hysterical counterattack.
"□□!" The young policeman stepped forward and shouted, "Behave yourself!"
"Why should I be honest? This is my home! She is my wife! What does it have to do with you if I teach my wife a lesson?!" The alcohol and the humiliation of being exposed made him completely lose his mind.
The older policeman's eyes turned cold, and he winked at his colleague beside him, "It seems you won't cry until you see the coffin."
The young policeman immediately understood. Without any hesitation, he took two steps forward and used a standard grappling move to neatly and efficiently grab □□'s arms behind his back.
"What are you doing! Let me go! This is my home!" □□ struggled violently, still cursing obscenely.
But his little strength seemed so ridiculous in front of the professionally trained police. With a crisp metallic click, a pair of cold handcuffs firmly locked his wrists that had just been violent.
"□□, because you are suspected of intentional injury and domestic violence, you are now summoned back to the police station for investigation in accordance with the law."
Then, the police turned to the three debt collectors who had already fallen silent and said coldly, "And you three, you are suspected of provoking trouble and illegally trespassing. Come with us too!"
The three men's faces were pale and they waved their hands repeatedly, but they didn't dare to say another word.
□□The face filled with fear and resentment stared at his wife intently, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something threatening.
The police car's shrill siren sounded again, and it roared away with all the noise.
In the shattered living room, only Lu Yu, Shi Guang, and his mother, who seemed to have been drained of all her strength, remained. The threat was lifted, but the trauma was still exposed.
As if all the bones in Shi Guang's mother's body had been pulled out, she slowly slid down the wall and sat on the ground. She covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders shook violently.
Shi Guang stood there, bewildered. He wanted to go forward to comfort his mother, but his feet felt heavy as lead. He didn't know what to say, nor what to do. For the past eighteen years, he had witnessed this very scene, but never before had he become a disruptor like today. After the huge shock, his mind went blank.
Lu Yu turned silently and walked into the messy kitchen. He carefully avoided the broken porcelain pieces on the floor, filled the only intact kettle with water, and plugged it in.
Soon, the water boiled. He poured a cup of warm water and walked back to Shi Guang's mother, squatting down and gently handing the cup to her.
"Auntie, drink some water first to moisten your throat. It's all over."
Mother Time slowly raised her head, her tear-stained face filled with confusion and fragility. She stretched out her trembling hands and took it.
The warm touch came from her fingertips, and a faint warm current was injected into her cold heart.
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