Su Jianguo looked at her and suddenly asked.
"If you could do it all over again, would you still do it this way?"
Li Hongmei raised her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her tearful eyes, and then slowly shook her head.
"No more...it really won't happen again..."
"Why?"
Su Jianguo pressed for an answer.
"Because he was arrested?"
"no."
Li Hongmei's voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
"Because every time I finish selling vegetables and get home, I can't sleep... I'm always afraid, I always dream about..."
Su Jianguo remained silent for a long time before finally standing up.
"Officer Li, may I speak to you in private?"
In the corridor, Su Jianguo took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.
"If I don't pursue this case..."
Officer Li raised an eyebrow.
"You want to drop the case?"
"It's not a withdrawal of the case."
Su Jianguo exhaled a puff of smoke.
"It's about giving her a chance to change. The money must be returned, but her mother's situation is indeed special..."
Officer Li pondered for a moment.
"Theoretically, as long as you, the victim, provide a letter of forgiveness, have a good attitude in admitting guilt, and are a first-time offender, you can try to get a decision not to prosecute."
Su Jianguo nodded.
"Let's do it that way then. But there's one condition."
"You said."
"She has to continue working in my shop."
Su Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette.
"The wages will be used to offset the compensation until it is fully paid off."
Officer Li looked surprised.
"You'd still like to use her?"
Su Jianguo looked out the window; the sunlight shone directly on the old locust tree in front of the police station, casting dappled shadows.
Everyone makes mistakes.
He said softly.
"The important thing is whether one can correct their mistakes."
When Su Jianguo told Li Hongmei about this decision, she was stunned, then knelt on the ground and wept uncontrollably.
The old lady repeatedly bowed, saying that Mr. Su was a great benefactor to their family.
...
at the same time.
Meanwhile, at Su Mingqiang's home.
At five o'clock in the morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Mingqiang sat on a wooden chair in the living room, his eyes bloodshot.
He sat there blankly all night, Li Jinhua's cold words of "divorce" echoing in his ears.
The bedroom door was tightly closed, and the occasional sounds of a child crying and Li Jinhua's soft soothing voices could be heard from inside.
Su Mingqiang rubbed his face, and his joints made a slight "crackling" sound when he stood up.
He tiptoed to the bedroom door, pressed his ear against it, and listened; it was quiet inside.
He sighed, turned around, picked up his coat hanging behind the door, and decided to go out and call Sujiatun to ask for leave.
The morning air was slightly cool, and Su Mingqiang hunched his shoulders and hurried toward the public phone booth at the alley entrance.
A thin layer of fog covered the glass of the phone booth. He wiped it with his palm and then took out a few coins from his pocket.
"Hello, this is the Sujiatun Vegetable Base."
The voice of the duty officer, still half asleep, came from the other end of the phone.
"It's me, Su Mingqiang."
Su Mingqiang tried his best to make his voice sound normal.
"I have some family matters to attend to today and would like to ask for a day off."
"Mingqiang? Why does your voice sound so hoarse?"
The duty officer seemed to have regained some of his senses.
"What happened?"
Su Mingqiang's Adam's apple bobbed.
"It's nothing, just... I had some things to take care of at home. I arranged for someone to water the cucumbers in greenhouse number three yesterday; the logbook is in the second drawer of the tool room."
After hanging up the phone, Su Mingqiang stood in the phone booth for a while longer, as dawn gradually broke.
He recalled Li Jinhua's hysterical outburst last night, how she said he was useless, that she couldn't live a good life with him, and that she couldn't take it anymore...
Every word felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.
"Let's try again."
Su Mingqiang muttered to himself.
"For the sake of the children."
When I got home, the kitchen light was on, and Li Jinhua was already up, busy at the stove.
Hearing the door open, she didn't turn her head or say a word.
"Jin Hua..."
Su Mingqiang called out softly.
Li Jinhua did not respond, but simply made a clattering sound with the pots and pans.
Su Mingqiang took a deep breath and walked to her side.
"I'll make breakfast, you go and rest for a while."
"Need not."
Li Jinhua said coldly, and put the fried eggs into a plate.
"After we finish this meal, let's have a proper talk about the divorce."
Su Mingqiang's hand hung in mid-air, and finally fell limply to the ground.
He thought about it and decided he still wanted to appease Li Jinhua.
Immediately, Su Mingqiang began looking for some ingredients, intending to cook something that Li Jinhua liked to eat.
Perhaps a hearty breakfast can ease the tension?
He remembered there was still half a bag of flour in the cupboard, enough to make a few scallion pancakes...
As he was rummaging through the items, a blue folder slid off from the pile of clutter on top of the cabinet.
It fell to the ground with a "thud," scattering the papers inside all over the floor.
"Can't you be more careful!"
Li Jinhua shouted irritably.
"I'm sorry, I'll clean up right away."
Su Mingqiang squatted down and picked up the papers one by one.
Electricity bills, water receipts, hospital examination reports...
Suddenly, his hand stopped.
It was a photocopy of a birth certificate, with the child's information clearly printed on it.
Su Xiaoming, blood type B.
Su Mingqiang's breath hitched.
He and Li Jinhua both had type A blood, something he had known for a long time.
How can two parents with type A blood have a child with type B blood?
His brain raced, trying to find a plausible explanation.
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