Chapter 115 Unresolved Family Ties 2 Bringing back a pale, emaciated, and... well...
Liu Kun had no reason to lie about such a thing. He thought about it carefully, then frowned and said, "Of course it's true, but his name isn't Shen Yuehu."
Qiu Xiaoman looked bewildered: "Not Shen Yuehu? Could it be that he has amnesia?"
“I guess so. He must have been old enough to remember things when he disappeared, right? If he remembers who he is, he’ll definitely come back to find his parents.” Liu Kun couldn’t think of any other possibilities, and he had other information to corroborate his statement. So he added, “He must have amnesia, because when I asked him how old he was, he said he didn’t know. I thought he was just trying to work illegally and that’s why he didn’t dare to tell the truth. So I didn’t press him further.”
"What's his name now? Where does he live?" Qiu Xiaoman quickly took out her mobile phone, ready to find Shen Qinghuai to verify the information.
Liu Kun glanced at his shoulder, which had been massaged, and tried to calm himself down. He said, "He said his name was Zhu Ziwen, but he didn't have an ID card, so I don't know if what he said is true. He lived in Shanxi two years ago, and I don't know if he's still there now."
"Shanxi again?" Qiu Xiaoman was a little surprised. She might have to make another trip to Shanxi. She pressed on, "Do you know his exact address?"
"I know, I personally took him back, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to find him. There's demolition and construction going on everywhere lately. You should be prepared." Liu Kun was stating an objective fact; the demand for housing in a major coal-producing province wouldn't be low.
Qiu Xiaoman understood. She went to the east room to get paper and pen, and had Liu Kun write down the detailed address. Then she made a phone call to Shen Qinghuai.
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghuai was stunned: "Really? I'll send my bodyguards over right now to find them."
“Bodyguards alone probably won’t be enough. What if the area is being demolished? You should try to find out if you know anyone in Shanxi and inquire whether that address is slated for demolition. We’ll talk once we’re sure.” Qiu Xiaoman really wanted to go there herself. This was a missing person case, and if the police in Shanxi were willing to ask for her help, she could go there legitimately. But then again, it wasn’t certain. After all these years, the smell could have changed a lot, so her trip wouldn’t be very effective.
Of course, all of this will have to wait until Shen Qinghuai verifies the information.
Shen Qinghuai understood and instructed, "Don't make a fuss yet, wait for my news. By the way, give the phone to Liu Kun."
Qiu Xiaoman handed over the mobile phone. Liu Kun took the call and immediately stood up, looking awkward and embarrassed. Although he didn't like Shen Qinghuai, he still forced a smile: "President Shen is looking for me?"
"Are you sure you haven't misjudged him?" Shen Qinghuai also disliked Liu Kun, his tone cold and distant.
Liu Kun replied curtly, "Well, if you don't believe me, that's fine. Anyway, I only said he looks like him, I didn't say he's your nephew."
Shen Qinghuai remained silent. After all, Liu Kun was only brought back to the Liu family after he grew up, so it was normal for him not to recognize the missing children from the Shen family. Now that Liu Kun said he had seen someone who looked similar, the credibility of his claim was quite high, since Liu Kun had no reason to lie.
Thinking of this, he asked, "Is your injury healed? If necessary, you should go."
"It's not fully healed yet, but walking around shouldn't be a problem." Liu Kun understood Shen Qinghuai's subtext. In any case, he would do his best for Qiu Xiaoman's sake.
Shen Qinghuai breathed a sigh of relief: "Call my Xiaoman."
Qiu Xiaoman took the phone: "Is there anything else Mr. Shen wants to tell us?"
Having long been accustomed to this form of address, Shen Qinghuai was able to face it calmly. He instructed, "Don't tell your aunt yet, lest she get her hopes up for nothing."
Qiu Xiaoman rolled her eyes: "I know. You can tell your older brother, and have him come along."
Shen Qinghuai, however, remained worried and asked, "Are you with Liu Kun now?"
"No, he's here in the courtyard." Qiu Xiaoman guessed what he was going to say and rolled her eyes so hard they almost flew to the sky.
Sure enough, the next second Shen Qinghuai started nagging: "It's so late, let Liu Kun go back. It's not appropriate for a man and a woman to be alone together."
Qiu Xiaoman sighed, composed herself, but still said with a hint of complaint, "I know you're so long-winded."
Shen Qinghuai thought she wouldn't listen to his advice and got anxious: "Of course I have to nag you. You're only eighteen years old. You mustn't be fooled by some random guy outside!"
Qiu Xiaoman chuckled: "Just like how you tricked Chen Baihui back then, right?"
Shen Qinghuai's face burned with embarrassment, and he was sweating profusely: "You child, what nonsense are you talking about? Me and her, we were in love, it was a free love relationship, and we got our marriage certificate."
"How old were you two when you got your marriage certificate?" Qiu Xiaoman struck at the heart of the matter.
Shen Qinghuai was instantly speechless. How could his daughter be so good at hitting him where it hurts? She's so cunning!
It's true that he resembles him, but when that same similar spirit is used to deal with him, why does he become so pathetic?
Helpless, he had no choice but to surrender: "Times have changed. Now everyone talks about eugenics. You're still a child. You're only eighteen. It's not too late for you to get married even if you wait another seven or eight years. Listen to me, child. I won't hurt you."
Qiu Xiaoman stopped teasing him and said in a deep voice, "I know what I'm doing. I was just teasing you. It's quite amusing to see you get so anxious."
Shen Qinghuai stood there, dumbfounded, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He could only sigh and say, "You know what's good for you. It's getting late, don't let the neighbors gossip."
Qiu Xiaoman was exasperated. This person was really something. She said she knew what she was doing, but then she started nagging again. Was she goldfish brained? She forgot what she had just said.
She ignored him and hung up the phone.
She looked at the cake on the octagonal table and shrugged: "Go back, the old man is upset. He never liked you anyway."
Liu Kun was a little hurt. He turned his head to look at the courtyard outside. Spring had arrived, and the camphor trees were budding. The night sky was clean and clear, dotted with a few twinkling stars. It was so beautiful that one would doubt that this was the night sky of the capital.
Unfortunately, Shen Qinghuai treated him like a thief. He had no doubt that if he didn't leave soon, Shen Qinghuai would come after him.
He smiled and turned around to look at the empty main hall. It turned out that while he was in a daze, Qiu Xiaoman had already gone inside to keep Mango company.
He walked to the doorway and peeked inside: "May I come in?"
"Come in." Qiu Xiaoman had already told him to leave, but since he was here to help Mango produce fruit, she decided to let him see Mango.
Liu Kun walked in slowly, but stood a little over a meter away from the mango, no longer daring to cross the line.
Qiu Xiaoman smiled and turned around: "It's okay, I'm here, they won't bite."
Liu Kun knew that it was a difficult hurdle to overcome, but he was also clear that if he wanted to deal with Qiu Xiaoman, he couldn't bypass these dogs.
You have to get used to it eventually, you have to adapt eventually, so why not give it a try?
He clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and forced himself to pull his leg off the ground, one step, two steps...
He eventually stood next to Qiu Xiaoman, but showed no intention of squatting down. Unexpectedly, Qiu Xiaoman got annoyed and grabbed his sleeve, making him squat down next to her.
The moment he nearly bumped into the dog, Liu Kun's heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Seeing how pathetic he was, Qiu Xiaoman was both annoyed and amused. She simply grabbed his hand and gently pressed it onto Mango's stomach.
Mango, lying on its side in the basket, squinted contentedly at the guest and let out a soft "ooh," as if asking Qiu Xiaoman, "Master, is he your friend?"
Qiu Xiaoman nodded: "He's my friend. You guys should be more polite to him in the future."
Mango barked to indicate that it understood, while Little Flower and Little White, standing to the side, also breathed out warm air and nodded, trying to get closer to Liu Kun.
Liu Kun closed his eyes in despair, suppressing his fear, and let the two enthusiastic dogs surround him, one licking his cheek and the other rubbing against his neck.
Qiu Xiaoman forcibly pressed her palm onto Mango's swollen belly, feeling the pulse of new life.
Over time, it seems that the hurdle was overcome without anyone even realizing it.
When he opened his eyes, he found Qiu Xiaoman smiling at him.
He looked away, embarrassed: "You've made a fool of yourself again."
"It's okay, I won't tell anyone." Qiu Xiaoman let go of him, whistled, and Xiaohua and Xiaobai got up. She instructed, "You should go back now. I'll have them take you."
Liu Kun nodded: "Okay, you should get some rest."
"Thank you for tonight. If my second brother is found, you will be a benefactor to my aunt's family." Qiu Xiaoman did not mention that she was a benefactor, after all, she only remembered this matter because of her kind-hearted aunt, and she herself did not have any relationship with Shen Yuehu.
Liu Kun understood and stood up, saying, "I'll call you when we arrive."
"Hmm." Qiu Xiaoman didn't see him off. It's no big deal for a grown man to walk alone at night. She couldn't possibly see him off and then come back by herself, only for him to get upset and then he would see her off again, and she would see him off again. It would never end, would it?
Let's just have Xiaohua and Xiaobai run an errand for us.
Liu Kun had only been gone for less than five minutes when Shen Qinghuai rushed over, having ended his social engagements early. He looked so anxious, as if his daughter would have been snatched away by some random man if he hadn't arrived any later.
Qiu Xiaoman sat in the main hall holding a book, glancing at him with narrowed eyes: "I'm soaking my feet, what did you think I was doing?"
"I'm worried it's not safe for you to live alone, so I'll sleep in the east wing." Shen Qinghuai closed the door directly.
Qiu Xiaoman had nothing to say: "Don't lock the door, Xiaohua and Xiaobai haven't come back yet."
"Oh, okay. I'll leave a crack." Shen Qinghuai opened the door to the east wing, tidied up, and lay down. Anyway, it wasn't his first time here, and his bedding was all ready.
After a while, Xiaohua and Xiaobai returned. Qiu Xiaoman poured out the foot bath water, locked the courtyard gate, and asked as she passed by his door, "What will happen to your children now that you've come to my place?"
"Your aunt is with them, it's alright." Shen Qinghuai hadn't even washed her feet, her toes were ice cold as she huddled under the covers.
Qiu Xiaoman walked over, lifted his blanket and glanced at him, then silently poured him a basin of hot water to wash his feet: "Pour it out yourself when you're done. I'm going to sleep. I have to train the dog tomorrow."
"Thank you, my child." Shen Qinghuai was deeply moved. Heaven knows that of all his children, only Xiaoman had ever poured him water to wash his feet. Indeed, his eldest daughter was the most considerate.
I was so moved, so incredibly moved, that after washing my feet, I felt a warm sensation spreading from my toes to the top of my head.
I slept very soundly all night.
When he woke up the next morning, it was already past eight o'clock. He was woken up by a phone call from Manager Zhao urging him to attend a meeting.
Shen Qinghuai was stunned. He hadn't slept in for a long time, so why couldn't he get up when it came to Xiaoman? It was really strange.
He quickly washed up and went back to his room to get his briefcase before noticing the note on the table: "Old man, the kitchen has left you some millet porridge and boiled eggs. The pickled vegetables are in the malted milk powder container next to you. Help yourself."
Heaven help me, Shen Qinghuai ate this meal while crying, and even washed the dishes afterward so as not to cause trouble for his daughter.
When he arrived at the company, Manager Zhao was dumbfounded: "President Shen, your hair is sticking up, why didn't you comb it?"
Shen Qinghuai wiped his face with a spirited expression: "That's not important, let's go, let's start the meeting!"
After the meeting, he quickly asked his friends in Shanxi about the address. Sure enough, it had been demolished. The original residents had all moved to resettlement housing. Some went south to work, and some went to work in the mines. There were not many people living in the resettlement housing.
It seems this matter isn't so simple.
Never mind, let Shen Tenglong report the case first. If the local police request the assistance of police dogs, then Xiaoman will have a legitimate reason to act.
Qiu Xiaoman ate lunch at the factory again. The animals she had taken in were in much better spirits. Some had gained a little weight, some had their fur shaved to treat skin diseases, and some, like monkeys in the dark, had formed cliques and even started a fight. They were quickly scolded by Qiu Xiaoman. Forming cliques was fine, but fighting deserved a reprimand.
After treating the wounds of the two unfortunate injured dogs, she returned to the base to work. She had just trained the dogs for a while when Captain Meng came to the training field to find her: "Xiao Qiu, I have something to tell you. Your older brother reported to the police that he wanted to find your second brother and requested police dog assistance. The base assessed the situation and found that police dogs couldn't help much with this, and the procedure wasn't legal, so I had to refuse you. Don't have any ideas about it."
"Okay, I know, it's fine." Qiu Xiaoman was reasonable. There was really no need for police dogs in this matter, since the chances of the scent remaining unchanged were too small. As long as the police in Shanxi conducted more investigations, they could find the person.
Therefore, she must be reasonable, otherwise she would be being unreasonable.
Captain Meng breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, then you go ahead and get busy. I heard you're learning to drive, good luck!"
"Okay, Captain Meng." Qiu Xiaoman smiled and waved, continuing to train the dog. Even police dogs on official duty need to maintain a high level of training intensity, not to mention that new dogs are coming to the base, so her task is not easy.
Fang Jiadong rolled his eyes and said sarcastically to Lu Zhiqiang, "I thought it was something important that Captain Meng would personally come all the way here. Is this all?"
The easygoing Lu Zhiqiang smiled and didn't get involved. He only reminded him, "You should focus on your training. Spring is here, and summer isn't far behind. Once there's a flood in the south, these dogs will come in handy. You won't have to worry about not having a chance to make a name for yourself."
Fang Jiadong is still rational, though not much.
He turned his head away, blew his dog whistle, and went to get down to business.
A week later, Shen Qinghuai returned from Shanxi with Shen Tenglong and Liu Kun.
They brought back a young man who was sallow-faced, thin, and indifferent.
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