There wasn't much money left from what Pei Haishan had sent, only more than 200 yuan, which was enough for a family in the small town to eat and drink for a year.
Sheng Chengan had no choice but to accept it, and then he rounded up 500 yuan and left it to Chen Tiezhu, asking him to pass it on to the two elderly people: "Give this money to them after we're gone. They'll have more places to spend money when they're older."
Chen Tiezhu was still quite enthusiastic: "No problem, you can take Pei Nuo away without worry, I will definitely take care of them here."
Speaking of which, the two old people are also pitiful. Their son-in-law died and their daughter was in prison. As for whether they have other children, he doesn't know because he has never seen them, let alone heard the old people mention them.
It was not until the next morning, when they were preparing to leave, that Pei Nuo woke up slowly. He rubbed his eyes, and his eyelashes fluttered several times like small fans before he slowly opened his eyes.
After a few seconds of silence, he immediately turned his head in panic to look for Sheng Chengan.
Sheng Chengan smiled as he watched her movements, as if he saw An An waking up. He stretched out his hand and pinched her cheek: "Can I still leave you behind? What are you afraid of? Are you feeling better now?"
Pei Nuo stared at Sheng Chengan, the corners of her round eyes tinged with bloodshot, as if she was about to cry. Suddenly, she reached out and climbed up into Sheng Chengan's arms, calling softly, "Brother."
Sheng Chengan patted Pei Nuo's back in surprise: "That's great. You woke up from a nap and still called for help. Okay, we are going back to Beijing now. On the way back, let's learn to talk, okay?"
Pei Nuo nodded obediently, sat on the edge of the bed, and let Sheng Chengan put on her clothes and shoes. She kept her eyes on him, looking at his serious and focused look, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a faint smile.
Sheng Cheng'an went to get a towel and wiped Pei Nuo's hands and face carefully. He had gotten used to combing Pei Nuo's hair recently, so he was much more skilled in braiding the pigtails.
Zhou Luancheng turned around and saw a flash of tears in Pei Nuo's eyes. When he confirmed it again, he saw Pei Nuo smiling obediently with bright eyes, as if it was just an illusion.
He frowned, wondering if he was really dazzled.
In a hurry to leave, Sheng Chengan didn't have time to say too much to Pei Nuo. After packing up, he took his things and hurried to the bus station. There was only one bus to the city a day. If he went too late and missed it, he would have to stay another day.
Chen Tiezhu was very enthusiastic and insisted on taking them to the bus station on his motorcycle.
The station was not far away, so Zhou Luancheng and Sheng Chengan declined Chen Tiezhu's enthusiasm. The town was not big, and the station was not far away, only ten minutes' walk.
There's no need to trouble Chen Tiezhu to make a trip.
Chen Tiezhu was still very persistent: "I have nothing to do this morning, so I just happened to send you there. Comrade Zhou, please let me show my hospitality. I have learned a lot from you these past two days."
What's more, he has a lot of admiration for Zhou Luancheng, and he has learned a lot from him. Before, no one was professional here, and he didn't have the opportunity to study further. Even if he wanted to improve himself, he didn't know where to start.
The most important thing is that he is not very literate, but even so, he is considered educated in the town.
That’s why I met Zhou Luancheng, and that’s why I want to spend more time with him.
Zhou Luancheng could naturally see what he was thinking and patted him on the shoulder: "When you have nothing to do, read books carefully. I will send you some books on criminal investigation when I get back. Study more when you have nothing to do."
Chen Tiezhu touched his head in a simple and honest manner, nodding continuously: "Okay, okay, thank you very much, Comrade Zhou. I will still take you there."
Zhou Luancheng waved his hand: "Okay, let's not waste time, it's not far if we walk there."
Seeing that Zhou Luancheng insisted, Chen Tiezhu simply stopped riding the motorcycle and rushed over to help carry the luggage. Zhou Luancheng did not insist anymore.
When the group arrived at the station, it was time for the bus to depart, but there were few people on the bus. The driver was standing on the side of the road chatting with people, and it was obvious that he would not be able to leave for a while.
Chen Tiezhu explained: "Although it's time, there are too few people and the bus won't leave. At least half of the people have to be there, and sometimes the bus won't leave until noon."
Sheng Chengan frowned. He didn't expect it to be like this. He thought he would leave on time.
He whispered to Zhou Luancheng, "No, I should buy a few more tickets, so that we can start the trip, right?"
Zhou Luancheng shook his head: "No, wealth should not be exposed. If something happens on the road, it will be inconvenient for us to take Pei Nuo with us."
It's not uncommon to see robberies on the road these days.
Sheng Chengan could only bear it. Seeing that no one showed up at the station for a long time, he was also angry: "How long will this last?"
The so-called station was located in a corner of the yard of the town supply and marketing cooperative, with a dilapidated minibus and an office that was leaking air everywhere.
There are several long benches along the wall for passengers to rest.
Sheng Cheng'an was holding Pei Nuo's hand and preparing to sit down when he saw Grandpa Li and Grandma Li walking into the yard, supporting each other.
Overnight, the two seemed to have aged a lot, especially Grandma Li, who walked with a weak look as she staggered towards the group.
Grandpa Li handed a basket to Sheng Chengan: "Here is the bacon that Xiaonuo likes to eat, and some dried bamboo shoots. She doesn't like vegetables, but she can eat a lot of stewed dried bamboo shoots. Take them back for her to eat."
Sheng Chengan could only take it over: "Don't worry, I will definitely take good care of Xiao Nuo."
Grandpa Li sighed: "It is definitely better to be with you than with us. We are relieved."
Grandma Li looked at Pei Nuo with red eyes and choked up, "Xiao Nuo..."
He called out Pei Nuo's name, but the rest of the words got stuck in his throat.
Sheng Cheng'an turned his head to look at Pei Nuo, and saw the little girl looking down at her toes, her lips tightly pursed, refusing to look at the two old people.
No one knew what Pei Nuo was thinking, and it was not easy to force her to do something she resisted, so they just stood there quietly for a while.
Finally, the two old men left with heavy hearts. When they reached the gate, they looked back and saw that Pei Nuo was still with his head down. They could only sigh and turn around and continue walking.
The journey back to Beijing was very smooth.
When I got home, it was dinner time.
Sheng Anning and Zhou Shixun had just put the three children on the dining table when they heard their aunt exclaim, "Luancheng is back."
Sheng An Ning was surprised. She didn't care that her son hadn't eaten yet and ran to the door of the living room. She hadn't slept well these days and was thinking about this matter every day. She wondered if Pei Nuo was feeling better and whether their investigation of the case was going smoothly.
Sheng Cheng'an walked into the room holding Pei Nuo's hand. Except for Pei Nuo's messy hair, her face was still fair and soft, and she did not look tired at all from the long-distance bus ride. On the contrary, Sheng Cheng'an and Zhou Luancheng both had unconcealable fatigue in their eyes.
He quickly went over and took Pei Nuo's arm: "Thank you for your hard work along the way. I was thinking that you would be back in a few days."
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