Chapter 113 The Glacier is Melting Slightly, and His Daughter is Actually Taking the Initiative to Care About His Health...
Xu Cheng, his hands cuffed, sat in the interrogation room, head bowed, waiting for someone to come in.
A male comrade was sitting in front of him, organizing the interrogation records. Just then, the door to the interrogation room rang. The young comrade quickly got up to open the door and saw that it was Qiu Xiaoman. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief: "Comrade Qiu, he insists that you lied to him and wants an explanation. He also said that unless you come, he won't reveal any key information. He's so stubborn and infuriating. You should try to persuade him."
Qiu Xiaoman nodded, sat down, and asked, "What do you want to say? Just get straight to the point. I don't have time to waste with your nonsense."
Xu Cheng looked up, staring blankly at Qiu Xiaoman, who had already changed into her uniform: "Are you really a police officer?"
"You've already been arrested, what are you still asking?" Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to waste time arguing with him, clearly showing her impatience.
Xu Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "You lied to me. You said you would take me to live a good life, and I actually believed you."
"You can report me for deceiving your feelings. As long as you have evidence." Qiu Xiaoman said indifferently.
Xu Cheng fell silent, recalling the moment he met this woman on the mountain path. The sun was just rising, the morning mist hadn't yet dissipated, and she claimed she was being forced into marriage by her family and had run away. She spoke so convincingly that she had completely fooled him.
Even after he wanted to deal with the traitor, he still considered the potential danger of her being with the fat man and chose to let the fat man handle it, while he personally took her to find the boss and the others. Who would have thought...
That damned woman! She pretended to be so weak and pitiful, so in need of protection, but beneath that sweet exterior lies a ruthless tiger that eats people without blinking an eye.
He was speechless, only wanting to ask one question: "What do you plan to do with me?"
"I'm sorry, I'm not a local police officer, I'm just here to provide support. Your specific case will be decided by the court." Qiu Xiaoman didn't want to waste any more time and urged, "Do you have any more clues to provide? If you do, you can be treated leniently; if not—"
“Yes, I’ll tell you, write it down.” Xu Cheng hadn’t expected this woman to be from out of town. He had miscalculated. He wanted to ask her where she was from, but when their eyes met, he was deterred by her impatient and sharp gaze. He had no choice but to honestly tell her the specific details of their boss’s crimes along the way and the several victims he had hidden.
Qiu Xiaoman noted down the information, stood up and said, "Thank you for your cooperation. It seems unlikely that you will be sentenced to death. If the judge spares your life, you must reform yourself and not harm society again."
After saying that, she turned and left without waiting for Xu Cheng to speak.
The interrogation room door slammed shut, and a gust of cold wind extinguished the tiny spark of thought that had just begun to form in Xu Cheng's mind.
He looked at Mao Jun sitting in front of him and asked, "Where exactly is she from?"
"No comment." Mao Jun handed him the statement, had him sign it, and then left.
He had planned to ask Qiu Xiaoman about the specific details of the case, but unexpectedly a truck arrived at the door. Qiu Xiaoman was busy talking to the aunt driving the truck. And who else could that aunt be but his aunt?
Mao Jun thought for a moment and decided not to disturb them. When his aunt and Qiu Xiaoman came to the yard to catch the cats and dogs, he came over to help. While Qiu Xiaoman went to the car to settle the cats and dogs, he whispered to his aunt, "Auntie, remember to get her number for me. It's a mobile phone number."
His aunt laughed and slapped him on the back: "Look at you! Alright, I'll take care of it."
*
When Qiu Xiaoman returned to the capital, it was raining.
The sky was overcast, and everything felt damp and sticky. It really was spring; things were different.
Once the plants sprout in a while, this drab city will look a bit better.
When the car stopped at the factory gate, she saw Shen Qinghuai, leading a dozen or so strong, unfamiliar men, who came to help her settle the cats and dogs.
After feeding the poor little fur babies and tidying up the bedding and mats in the factory, it was already completely dark. Shen Qinghuai asked, "Should we leave someone here to look after them for the night?"
“Alright, I’ll pick a few talented ones to train as police dogs in a while. You can make the arrangements.” Qiu Xiaoman didn’t refuse; she wouldn’t refuse Shen Qinghuai’s offer of help.
In the end, a bald man named Ahai stayed behind, set up a bed in the factory's guard room, lit a stove, and became a gatekeeper.
Before the kind aunt left, she specifically asked Qiu Xiaoman for her phone number. Qiu Xiaoman had no reason to refuse, so she wrote it on the aunt's husband's cigarette pack, paid the delivery fee and the money for the pork, and watched them leave.
It was getting late, past eight o'clock in the evening. Qiu Xiaoman looked at Shen Qinghuai, who was holding an umbrella for her behind her, and asked curiously, "Have you eaten?"
"No." Shen Qinghuai smiled. He knew what she wanted to say, but still considerately said, "Let's skip it today. Your parents are still in the hospital. Shall I take you there to see them?"
"Okay, let's go to town and buy a roast duck to eat then." Qiu Xiaoman was easygoing; as long as it filled her up, she didn't care where she ate.
Shen Qinghuai nodded, and halfway there he had the driver stop the car in front of an old roast duck restaurant: "This one is better than Quanjude's."
Qiu Xiaoman wasn't picky. After Shen Qinghuai bought the roast duck and got in the car, she started to struggle with it.
Shen Qinghuai didn't eat roast duck. He was particular about his image and didn't want to get his mouth all greasy outside, so he bought a steamer of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and used disposable bamboo chopsticks to eat them one by one in a refined manner.
Qiu Xiaoman occasionally glanced up at him and teased, "You still have to maintain a certain image in front of me?"
"I need to be even more mindful of my image in front of you." Shen Qinghuai sat in the passenger seat, looking at his eldest daughter in the rearview mirror with a sigh. He asked curiously, "Did you solve the case? Or..."
"We solved it together." Qiu Xiaoman was telling the truth. If it weren't for the local police's search operation the day before, the robbers wouldn't have run into that area. They thought they were being clever, but they ended up walking right into a trap. Moreover, when she found the main group of robbers, she really couldn't have done it without the timely support of the local police. Otherwise, she might not have been able to hold out for so long. In short, everyone was indispensable in solving the case.
Shen Qinghuai said with deep emotion, "It's okay that you didn't say it. I know you must have been a great help. You did the right thing by not taking credit or being arrogant. Your colleagues will all like you."
"Thank you, it's rare to hear President Shen praise me, I'm flattered," Qiu Xiaoman said jokingly.
Shen Qinghuai became embarrassed: "It's my fault. I didn't know how to appreciate your strengths before."
"It's okay, I don't mind." Qiu Xiaoman continued to gnaw, enjoying the delicious food. Suddenly, she remembered that the first roast duck she ate here was a gift from Wu Shirong, and now that he was injured, it would seem a bit cold-hearted of her not to go and see him. So she simply picked up her cell phone, asked for his address, wrote it down, and then hung up.
Shen Qinghuai was very curious. It was truly rare for someone to receive such care from her daughter, so she couldn't help but ask, "Who is it?"
"That guy who paints, he's so tall and thin, like a clothesline pole. I don't know how a grown man can get so skinny," Qiu Xiaoman commented objectively, then glanced at Shen Qinghuai. "You've lost weight too. Is your stomach problem acting up again?"
Shen Qinghuai was very touched. See, it worked that he was being ignored. His daughter was actually taking the initiative to care about his health. That was wonderful.
But he couldn't bear to worry Qiu Xiaoman, so he quickly reassured her, "No, the doctor said I have a bit of alcoholic liver disease and told me to quit drinking. I'm not used to it right now, and my appetite isn't very good. I'll get used to it in a few days."
Unexpectedly, Qiu Xiaoman looked disgusted and said, "How old are you? You already have alcoholic liver disease. This won't do. If you die, don't expect me to take care of those burdens for you."
Shen Tenglong, who was driving, chuckled. Shen Qinghuai's face burned, but he couldn't refute it and could only admit his mistake: "It was my fault. I will definitely pay attention to health in the future."
Qiu Xiaoman rolled her eyes, wrapped up the unfinished duck, wiped her hands and mouth, got out of the car, and went to the ward to visit her parents who raised her.
When they arrived at the inpatient department, they learned that Shen Qinghuai had arranged a special care ward for her adoptive father, and there was even a dedicated caregiver. Her adoptive mother could go back to the courtyard house every day to cook some nutritious soups and bring them over.
Qiu Xiaoman was relieved and told her adoptive parents about what she had seen and heard. Around ten o'clock, Qiu Yinghe felt sorry for her daughter's back and forth and kept urging her to go back. In the end, Shen Qinghuai took Qiu Xiaoman out himself.
After the father and daughter left, Qiu Yinghe couldn't help but sigh, "This Xiao Shen had a good attitude. Let's give him a nicer look in the future."
The man nodded: "That's right. It's always better for Xiaoman to stay here and work, with a powerful father protecting her."
"Okay, go to sleep." Qiu Yinghe drew the curtains in the ward, turned off the light, and lay down on the cot.
Outside the hospital, in the car, Qiu Xiaoman looked at Shen Qinghuai and said, "You don't need to come with me. You're getting old and your health isn't good. Go back and rest. I'll have my older brother take me."
"Alright, Tenglong, you can take me home." Shen Qinghuai didn't want his daughter to be unhappy, so he listened to whatever she said.
Shen Tenglong didn't offer any further opinions and quickly sent Shen Qinghuai back, then took Qiu Xiaoman to Wu Shirong's apartment building.
"Big brother, come up with me. Oh, and help me carry the roast duck." Qiu Xiaoman had already put her hands in her pockets because they were cold outside.
Shen Tenglong took the half-eaten roast duck with him and laughed, "You're giving away what you've already eaten?"
"Just chop off the half that wasn't eaten." Qiu Xiaoman didn't think there was anything wrong with it, since she hadn't touched the other half and there was no saliva from her.
When Qiu Xiaoman got upstairs, she was about to knock on the door when the door creaked open.
Wu Shirong stood at the door, pale-faced and embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were coming. I haven't cleaned this room for days. Why don't you come another time?"
Qiu Xiaoman laughed: "Did Mimi cause trouble? But that doesn't make sense, didn't you find it a foster home?"
"That bastard thought Mimi was too noisy, so he climbed in through my neighbor's window and brought Mimi back." Wu Shirong looked embarrassed; the smell in the house was truly suffocating. He didn't understand, "I clearly spayed her, so I don't know why she's peeing and pooping everywhere again."
Qiu Xiaoman peeked in and said, "It's nothing. It's just anxious because we were separated. It'll be fine once you're back. Don't be embarrassed about the mess at home; everyone has messy moments."
But the more understanding Qiu Xiaoman was, the more embarrassed Wu Shirong became to let her in. He stood firmly at the door, blushing, and said, "Come again next time, otherwise I won't be able to sleep well tonight."
“Okay, I was going to give you a roast duck, here—” Qiu Xiaoman brought over the roast duck she had half-eaten, “I ate a little bit, you can chop this side up for Mimi, the other half is edible, I didn’t touch it.”
"Okay, thank you." Wu Shirong's hands were dirty. He was about to reach out, but then he was afraid of getting the roast duck dirty. In the end, he leaned over and used his neck to hold the oil paper bag that wrapped the roast duck between his fingers, which looked quite comical.
Qiu Xiaoman was both amused and exasperated, but not wanting to put him in a difficult position, she turned and left.
Wu Shirong watched her retreating figure and breathed a huge sigh of relief. At least he had saved face as a man, otherwise...
He quickly closed the door and continued cleaning.
Downstairs in the car, Shen Tenglong asked, "Are we going to see anyone else? Or are we going back?"
"Let's go back. Mango's belly is big; I need to check on her."
At the same time, Liu Kun, who had learned that Qiu Xiaoman had returned, kept his phone line open, but received no response.
In the end, he could only sigh silently, staring at the white ceiling and the dazzling light bulb, before drifting off to sleep.
For the next few days, Qiu Xiaoman was busy treating the cats and dogs in the factory. She hired a professional veterinarian and spent her time at the factory after work helping out. She could also talk to the furry kids and help them adapt as quickly as possible. She ate bread and sausages for lunch and dinner.
After eating, I went to the hospital to visit my parents. When I got back to the courtyard house, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
After all the cats and dogs' treatments were finished, she vaguely remembered someone, but unfortunately she was too busy lately. Starting today, she also had to practice driving for two hours every day after get off work at the driving school, so she could only talk to her when she had time.
After returning from driving school that day, she called Liu Kun to inquire about his health.
Liu Kun said plaintively, "I thought you had forgotten me."
"No, I've been too busy lately. This Sunday, I'm going with my older brother to the reservoir to look for my missing second brother. You take good care of your injury, and I'll come see you when I have time." Qiu Xiaoman hung up the phone before he could say anything and went straight to sleep.
That's how people are when they get busy; they forget everything else and only know how to fall in love with their pillows.
The weekend was a beautiful day. After feeding Mango and the others, she set off with Shen Tenglong.
*
In the village beside the reservoir, the handsome young man calculated with his fingers and exclaimed excitedly, "Master! She's here!!"
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