Chapter 163 Jinjiang Debut
As he spoke, the man smashed the stone hard on Cao Yuhan's left leg, once, twice... countless times, leaving his left leg completely numb. The heavy rain was still falling, and the bone-chilling cold ran through his whole body. Blood continued to flow out, dyeing the street red. He struggled to look at his left leg and saw the broken bone directly.
Unable to bear the severe pain, Cao Yuhan finally fainted. Before he lost consciousness, he heard the suspect say:
"Brother, this guy seems to be dead, let's go!"
Then he completely lost his hearing. When he opened his eyes again, he saw the glaring lights of the hospital. He was rescued and the doctor reconnected his broken leg. As long as he recovered well, he would be able to walk again, but running was obviously impossible. His future was completely cut off.
That day, Cao Yuhan cried so heartbreakingly that his cries could be heard throughout the whole building.
Before he could calm down, the police entered the ward and began to question him about the situation. It was Xu Hongdou who called the police. After Xu Hongdou escaped, she went to the nearest police station and reported the situation. When the police arrived at the alley, it was too late. The two suspects had already escaped. Cao Yuhan was lying unconscious on the ground. They had no choice but to send Cao Yuhan to the hospital first.
Although Xu Hongdou was also a party involved, the clues she could provide were very limited. She only knew that the other party was two people, both very tall. The two men wore masks throughout and did not speak. Xu Hongdou could not see their appearance clearly, nor did she hear their accents.
The security environment was very poor at that time, and cameras were not yet popular. There were no cameras in that alley, and it rained heavily that day, which washed away all traces left by the suspect. The police went to the scene to investigate, but found nothing, so the biggest breakthrough now is Cao Yuhan.
But Cao Yuhan just lay on the hospital bed with his eyes closed and rested. No matter what the police asked, he didn't say a word. The police thought he was frightened and decided to ask him again later. However, after a while, he still reacted the same way. Due to his extreme uncooperativeness, the police did not get any clues, and the case could not be investigated, so it eventually became an unsolved case.
After that, no similar cases occurred in Qingshui Town. Some people said that the two murderers were dead, while others said that they fled to other places.
When they first learned about the case, Cao Yuhan's family was shocked. They didn't understand why their son was beaten like that. He was the best student at long-distance running, and as long as he wanted to run, he could definitely run. After learning the truth, his family sighed repeatedly, but they were unable to change the outcome.
After this incident, Xu Hongdou and Cao Yuhan disappeared from the class. The other students in the class took the college entrance examination as scheduled and moved towards their own future, but no one could contact Xu Hongdou again. Cao Yuhan stayed at home recuperating. At first he still had hope, until his leg injury was completely healed. He saw himself limping in the mirror. That day he smashed everything he could in the house and completely gave up his life.
He stayed at home depressed for several years. Later, in order to reduce the burden on his family, he had to go out to find a job. It was difficult for disabled people to find jobs in society. He hit a wall several times and finally came to Ci Xin Tang. Weng Xuhua gave him a job. He was very content and never thought about changing jobs. He worked here for several years, but no one remembered his name anymore. Everyone called him "Crippled Brother".
Bai Mian looked into Que Ge's eyes and said, "You concealed the truth from the police. Actually, you knew some clues back then."
At this point, Lame Brother simply laid his cards on the table. He took off his mask, lit a cigarette, and smiled in the firelight: "Yeah, I heard them say something. Judging from their accents, they should be locals. If I'm right, they should be brothers. The one who threw stones at me is the older brother, and the one who shouted at him to run away is the younger brother. That younger brother——"
Lame Brother stretched out his hand and gestured on his right wrist: "There is a tattoo of a snake at this position, but the tattoo artist's skills are very poor. He tattooed one eye big and one eye small. It looks very funny. Also, when we were fighting, I fought back. When my brother wasn't paying attention, I bit his right little finger and broke it. Even if he can reattach it later, I think it will leave a big scar."
"So, you clearly have so many clues, why didn't you tell the police? Only you know these clues. If you had been willing to tell the police back then, maybe the two suspects would have been caught long ago!" Bai Mian asked.
Lame Brother sneered and smoked half a cigarette in one breath: "I told the police, and the police caught them. Then, can they sentence them? The heavy rain that day washed away everything. I am the only witness, and there is no other evidence. I am afraid that they can't be sentenced at all. Besides, even if they are sentenced, it won't be too heavy. This is not a murder case. At most, they will serve a few years in prison. When they get out, they will still retaliate against me and my family. So, I don't want to rely on the police to solve this problem."
He finished smoking, threw the butt on the ground and stomped on it. "Also, this is not just a case, it's also a personal grudge between us. Because of the two of them, my fate has been completely changed. I almost went to Beijing Sports University! But now? Look at me, a high school graduate, a lazy guy, and nothing. It's all their fault!"
"From the moment I woke up in the hospital, I swore to myself that I would find them both and end their lives with my own hands. I would not be a human being if I didn't take revenge! So I didn't tell the police about the clues. I wanted to investigate on my own."
"Over the years I have not told anyone my real name. I have asked everyone to call me Cripple Brother, just to remind myself to never forget the hatred I carry!"
Bai Mian couldn't help but ask, "You insist on investigating it yourself and not letting the police get involved. Then let me ask you, what have you found out?"
Lame Brother looked deep into the food court: "Look, do you see it? The last store, the two of them are in there."
"I started my investigation from tattoos. My brother has a funny snake tattoo on his wrist. It must be a mistake by some tattoo artist. They are from Qingshui Town, and the tattoo was done there, so I went to every tattoo shop in Qingshui Town, including those that had closed down. I became friends with all the shop owners, and then I asked them if anyone had seen a tattoo like that."
"I kept asking like this for a few years, and I finally got the answer - a guy said that he got the tattoo. He used to be an apprentice in a tattoo shop, but later changed his career because the tattoos were too ugly. He remembered that two brothers came together that day. The younger brother wanted to get a tattoo of a snake. It was noon, and he was sleepy. He accidentally gave the snake a tattoo with one eye bigger than the other. As a result, he was beaten by the brothers and his nose was broken. Later, he called the police and the brothers compensated him with a sum of money. He has been afraid ever since and dares not to tattoo people anymore."
"After calling the police, both parties were called to the police station to register. That's when the boy saw the brothers' personal information. One of them is called Zhao Dabao and the other is called Zhao Erbao. They live at No. 78, Wuhua Street, Qingshui Town."
"After receiving the news, I took action immediately. I went to the address in the middle of the night and looked through the window, but I was disappointed. There was only an old lady living in the house. I later asked the neighbors and found out that the old lady was the mother of the two brothers. The brothers went out to work and had not returned for several years."
"Of course they didn't go there to work. I guess they hid away. That incident caused quite a stir back then, and they were afraid of being caught by the police. I made many inquiries, but no one knew which city they went to. If I want to know, I might only be able to ask their mother."
"The old lady lived alone in that house, so it was easy to attack her. I thought about kidnapping her, but in the end I didn't. I changed my strategy and set up a small stall on the street where they lived, selling some fruits and vegetables grown at home. Every day after get off work, I would go to the stall after dinner. Of course, the stall was fake, I just wanted to monitor the old lady."
"I thought my son would come back to visit his mother, and as soon as they came back, I would have the chance to kill him. But who knew they were so cruel? They have been hiding away for all these years and have never come back once."
"Recently, just last month, the old lady finally made some moves. I noticed that she started going out more frequently, always hanging around in front of some of the sublet shops. I guess this has something to do with the two brothers. They probably think that the case from that year has been forgotten, so they plan to come back."
"The old lady looked around for a few days and soon rented the last store on the street. She didn't touch the decoration inside the store, but changed the sign and changed the name of the store to 'Brothers Barbecue'. The second day after the new store opened, the two brothers showed up in the store. I hired someone to secretly shoot a video for me. One of the two men had a dragon tattooed on his wrist, which obviously covered up his previous tattoo. There was also an obvious scar on his right little finger. It was definitely the two men from that year!"
"I looked up their store's phone number online, then called them and used a voice changer to talk to them. Their store is a fake. Although it says it's a barbecue restaurant, they actually sell cat, dog and rabbit meat. They are all other people's pets. They steal them from everywhere and sell them to customers at high prices. If you want to eat, you need to call in advance to make a reservation. I paid a high price to reserve a table, so they didn't close the store tonight and were waiting for me."
Lame Brother looked at the end of the street with deep hatred in his eyes. Bai Mian asked again: "You have found their address, then what are you going to do?"
"Everything will end tonight," Lame Brother sighed deeply, "I want them to disappear from this world."
"Bai Mian, you always ask me why I want to make a lot of money. Now I can tell you that I am not greedy for money. I don't make this money to spend on myself, but to leave it to my parents. After doing this, I will definitely not have a good ending. No matter what the result is, I will not be able to fulfill my filial piety to my parents. I can only try to leave them as much money as possible."
"Also, please help me go back and tell my boss that I'm sorry for disappointing him. I know he never needed an employee like me. He took me in so that I could continue my life, but my life was ruined many years ago. Now there is only one way left for me. Only by killing them with my own hands can I relieve the hatred in my heart."
The rain was still so heavy, just like that night more than ten years ago. The heavy rain poured on Lame Brother's face. He opened his mouth slightly and let the rain flow down his throat. He felt very refreshed. He had been suppressing his anger for so many years and finally he could vent his anger today.
Bai Mian still stood in front of him and said, "You couldn't beat them both back then, how can you be sure that you can beat them today?"
Lame Brother stretched out his arms confidently: "I have not been idle these years. I have been practicing various fighting techniques. Although my lower body is weak, my upper limbs are very strong. As long as I have the opportunity to strangle his neck, he will not be able to run away, and--"
Lame Brother reached out his hand again and grabbed the shoulder bag: "I didn't have a weapon back then, but now I have one."
Bai Mian also pulled the bag hard, and the bag was lying across the two of them. It was eventually torn, and the zipper automatically opened, and all the contents of the bag fell out.
Machetes, boning knives, hammers... these things flashed coldly in the rainy night. Lame Brother looked at Bai Mian with increasingly sharp eyes.
"If you insist on stopping me, don't blame me for being angry." Lame Brother's tone changed, as if he had become a different person.
Bai Mian tried to persuade her from another angle: "Didn't you say you wanted to make money for your parents? Now that you haven't made any money yet, why are you in such a hurry to do it?"
Lame brother's eyes turned red and his face trembled. After a moment, he said, "Because I didn't expect to meet her again in this life."
"After that incident, I didn't dare to contact her again. I became a cripple and didn't dare to face her. I wanted to confess my love to her, but who would agree to a cripple? My life is ruined. I don't dare to ask for anything. I just hope she can live a good life."
"A few years later, I finally mustered up the courage to ask my classmates about her current situation, but to my surprise, no one knew anything about her. After that incident, her parents moved away with her overnight, transferred her to another school, and changed their contact information. Xu Hongdou completely disappeared from my world."
"I can understand. The social atmosphere at that time was very conservative. If a girl's reputation was affected, everyone would look at her with strange eyes. If Hongdou continued to live in Qingshui Town, she would probably be pointed at all the time. So it's better for her to move away, move to a place where no one knows her, and wait for the college entrance examination again next year. I think her academic performance is so good, she will definitely go to a very good university."
"I didn't think we would meet again in this life, but by coincidence, she saw your live broadcast and recognized me. Haha, I never dreamed that she would appear in front of me like that. She is so beautiful, exactly the same as she was back then."
"After seeing her, I became more certain that I still like her after all these years."
"But, how can someone like me be worthy of her? It's just a thought. I took her to Qingshui Town for a whole day today. I was really happy. This was the happiest day I've had in the past decade. Only today did I feel like I was living like a human being. Bai Mian, from this point of view, I want to thank you. Thank you for your live broadcast that allowed us to meet again."
"But it is also because of her that I must take action today. If I don't, I'm afraid I will be soft-hearted."
Lame Brother's tone became gentle: "When I was catching dolls today, I looked at her profile and suddenly thought of how we would be together in the future. Hum, what wishful thinking! If I indulge in fantasy, slowly, I won't even have the courage to kill anyone."
Bai Mian: "Have you asked her about her recent situation? You haven't even tried it, so how do you know it's just a fantasy?"
Lame brother snorted, "No, what's there to ask? She has such excellent grades, she must be a successful person now, maybe she's married already. If I ask these questions, it will only hurt my heart, so I didn't ask anything today. I just acted as a qualified tour guide and accompanied her around. That's enough."
"Maybe she is not married?" Bai Mian reminded.
Lame Brother was too lazy to continue. He picked up the knife on the ground, stuffed it into his bag, and walked away with the bag. Just as they passed by each other, Bai Mian called out to her:
"Your reunion with Xu Hongdou is not a coincidence. I asked her to come."
Lame Brother turned around, looking a little unhappy: "You called her? Why did you specifically ask her to come see me?"
Bai Mian: "Because I saw it when I took your pulse. She is the softest part of your heart and the only one who can save you. Only when you see her can you give up killing. In fact, I not only asked her to return to Qingshui Town, I also asked her to come to this place tonight."
Lame Brother took a breath and said, "You mean, she—she is here?"
Lame Brother's face changed color, and he was obviously extremely shocked. He kept looking around, hoping that Bai Mian was lying to him. He didn't want his beloved to see this side of him.
The result disappointed him. Xu Hongdou really came out from behind a car. She walked to Lame Brother in the rain and looked into his eyes seriously: "I heard everything you said just now."
The look in Lame Brother's eyes dimmed instantly, and he said resignedly, "Okay, I'll just listen to it. I'm just that kind of person. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no matter what you say, I'll still go."
Lame Brother insisted on leaving. Just as he was about to leave, Xu Hongdou hugged him from behind: "Don't you want to know how I've been living these years?"
This sentence made Lame Brother stop in his tracks. Xu Hongdou said in a tearful voice, "Actually, I'm not doing any better than you. After what happened, I didn't take the college entrance exam, and I had mental problems. My grades plummeted, and even though I repeated a year, I still didn't get into university. In the end, I only went to a junior college."
"But I didn't give up on life. I studied baking in college and became an independent cake maker after graduation. Private baking has been very popular in recent years and my income is not bad. I used to take orders online and then make cakes at home. Now I have some savings and plan to open my own studio-"
At this point, Xu Hongdou looked up at Lame Brother: "Would you like to accompany me?"
Lame Brother was stunned and began to stutter: "You, you, you, are you saying that you want me to open a shop with you, or..."
Xu Hongdou said softly: "I hope you can participate in my life."
At this point, even if Lame Brother was slow-witted, he understood what she meant. His mind went blank, and he subconsciously asked, "Will you not despise me in this situation?"
Xu Hongdou said nonchalantly: "You became like this because of me."
Lame Brother thought about it and refused: "Forget it, you don't have to sacrifice your whole life to thank me. I helped you voluntarily back then, I don't need any thanks, and you don't have to take it to heart."
Xu Hongdou looked at Lame Brother with a look of disappointment: "This is not a thank you. I have said so much, but you still don't understand? Why do you think I cared about your studies in the first place? Why do you think I allowed you to follow me, you stupid fool——"
Xu Hongdou was so angry that she couldn't continue talking, but Lame Brother felt ecstatic in his heart. He turned around in disbelief and looked into Xu Hongdou's eyes. Could it be that...all these years of his love were not one-sided?
Although Xu Hongdou did not say anything, her eyes betrayed her feelings. As Lame Brother watched, he could not help but kiss her. The two of them embraced and kissed. Bai Mian stood in the middle, feeling extremely embarrassed.
After the kiss, Lame Brother seemed to regain his sanity. He turned around and said, "No, that was the past. Now I am a disabled person. I am not worthy of you. And, and maybe you are just lying to me. If you really like me, why haven't you contacted me all these years?"
Xu Hongdou explained helplessly: "You also know that I was... Although they didn't succeed, the incident has been widely reported. My parents didn't care about anything else and just wanted to leave here. They smashed my phone and took me to another province overnight. Your and other classmates' contact information is in my phone. I can't contact you or others at all. I don't know your home address. I went back to school to find a teacher, but the teacher said that there has been no news about you for several years. I can't find out anything at all!"
"If Bai Mian hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known you were in Ci Xin Tang. As soon as I received her call, I turned down all the orders I had and flew over overnight. Even so, are you still going to blame me?"
Hearing about the twists and turns Hongdou had suffered, Lame Brother felt heartbroken. In order to avoid the two brothers from looking for him again, his family changed their contact information and address. He never thought that Xu Hongdou was also looking for him. Both of them had awkward personalities. They stood outside the door and didn't dare to knock. It took so many years to delay like this. How stupid.
After confirming their feelings for each other, Xu Hongdou extended her hand to Lame Brother: "I am your girlfriend now, I will confiscate the things in your hand."
What she was referring to was the bag of knives that belonged to Lame Brother. Lame Brother looked at the shoulder bag in his hand with a wandering look in his eyes: "Hongdou, I know you mean well, but don't get involved in this matter. This is my personal vendetta. They made me lame for half my life. You don't understand how much I hate them..."
Bai Mian suddenly said, "Want to hear about your future?"
Lame Brother was stunned, Bai Mian continued: "The day I took your pulse, I saw your past and your future. I can tell you about the future, just like I did with other patrons."
Lame brother smiled bitterly and said, "I, what future do I have? Well, you tell me, so I can be mentally prepared - death penalty or life imprisonment?"
Hongdou thought this was unlucky and quickly patted Lame Brother's hand. Baimian said slowly: "You will live a happy future."
"Huh?" Lame Brother was a little surprised. He smiled contemptuously, as if he didn't believe it.
Bai Mian added: "The premise is that you give up revenge tonight."
"As long as you give up your plans for tonight and go home with Hongdou, you will live a happy life. You will have a family of your own and a very cute child."
Hearing these words, Lame Brother was a little shaken. His pupils kept shaking as he stared at Xu Hongdou's face. To build a family with Hongdou, have a child, and spend the rest of his life together, isn't this what he has always dreamed of?
Bai Mian would not lie to her client, so Lame believed her. If laying down the butcher knife could bring all this, then it seemed possible...
"But," Cripple hesitated, "what about the two culprits? They are guilty of heinous crimes, are we just going to let them get away with it?"
Bai Mian said seriously: "Of course not, you can tell the police about this and let them arrest them. Law enforcement is the job of the police. You are just an ordinary person and you have no right to resort to lynching."
Lame brother said dejectedly: "I told you, there was no evidence preserved back then, only my confession, how can it work?"
Bai Mian raised his eyebrows: "It's not just you, there's me too. With me here, the bad guys won't get away. We're colleagues, are you willing to trust me for once?"
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