Chapter 77: Beating Animals with Sacks
Master Qiu's hands, which were holding the child, trembled. "My mother and my younger brother went to find Jiali's family?"
She couldn't help but stand up, her brow furrowed. "Are you sure? My mom and the others are outside too?"
Seeing her nervous look, Uncle Qiu quickly waved his hand.
"No, no, your mother and the others are not outside."
He pulled his wife down to sit, glanced at the baby girl in her arms, and his tense jaw relaxed.
“It’s Didi, that child. After you went into the emergency room with my mom at noon…”
He briefly recounted what had happened at noon, and Master Qiu looked at him with suspicion.
"Did Didi really say this?"
"Yes, I was there at the time and heard the child say it with my own ears."
Seeing his wife stunned, Uncle Qiu sighed.
“Didi is a bit petty sometimes, but isn’t that because her parents don’t care about her?”
"This child is precocious and thoughtful, so he tends to overthink things, but he's not a bad person."
"When you see her in the future, don't always speak coldly to her."
Master Qiu glared at her husband, "When have I ever spoken coldly to the child!"
Uncle Qiu was silenced by her scolding, but the commotion outside grew louder and louder.
Holding the baby who was whimpering softly in her arms, Master Qiu's heart pounded.
“Hey,” she tugged worriedly at her husband’s sleeve, “Should we hide? I’m so worried they’ll try to take the child…”
Uncle Qiu nodded emphatically, gritting his teeth:
"When I came back, I heard they were going to find the child and sell him."
He and his wife weren't afraid of giving money, but they were afraid of getting involved with those people, which would affect their child's upbringing.
Master Qiu shared the same thought: "We absolutely cannot let them have any contact with Shuangshuang!"
"Okay, let's not stay in the ward for now."
The two people, carrying the child, planned to find a place to hide.
However, as soon as they opened the door, they saw several uniformed police officers running past them.
They protected the child and watched as the officer ran off in the direction from which the commotion was coming from.
People in the next ward were also watching the commotion with their babies, whispering among themselves:
"This hospital is pretty bold; they actually called the police. I thought they'd only try to break up fights!"
"No, didn't you see that the two officers who just passed by had guns? This shouldn't be a simple disturbance."
"Having a gun doesn't guarantee you'll use it. Which officer doesn't carry a gun?"
While observing their surroundings, Uncle Qiu and his wife listened intently to the conversation of the family next door.
Knowing that Jiali's family members who came to cause trouble might be arrested, the two of them didn't dare to run around with their child.
After standing at the door for a while, I saw the police arrest a father and son, and escort them toward the elevator.
Seeing the two men who looked alike, they suspected that the father and son might be Wang Jiali's stepfather and brother.
Master Qiu hugged the child tightly, turning her head away and not daring to look them in the eye.
Only after they were put into the police car did she dare to poke her husband's waist.
"Go to the phone booth downstairs and make a call to tell the master about this!"
The husband nodded quickly, "Yes!"
Chu Ci had just returned from the hospital where Wang Jiali worked when she received Uncle Qiu's call.
Hearing Uncle Qiu's voice on the phone, she frowned slightly:
"Okay, I understand. Tell Master Qiu that Wang Jiali is fine and that she shouldn't worry."
"By the way, is the child alright?"
When the topic turned to children, Uncle Qiu's usually bitter and resentful voice suddenly became cheerful.
"It's nothing, she can eat and sleep well. The doctor said all her indicators are much better than they were a couple of days ago!"
Chu Ci listened to him rambling on about the child, then glanced at the time; it was already quite late.
Suddenly, she heard a very soft meow.
Because the sound was so faint, she listened intently for a while before she was sure she hadn't misheard.
As she searched for the source of the sound, the cat's meows grew louder and louder.
For some reason, she felt that the cat's meowing was a bit frantic.
After walking around the store and confirming that the meowing wasn't coming from inside, she went to check the doors and windows.
After checking the tightly closed windows, I finally walked to the transparent glass door.
In the corner of the glass door, a half-grown tabby cat squatted by the door, baring its teeth and glaring angrily at her.
Seeing that she had finally found her, the little tabby was so angry that she pounded on the door with her paw pad.
"Meow!"
Where are you looking?! You just noticed me!
It was about four months old, not very big, with a round face and a huffy expression.
With his teeth bared and his beard twitching, he had a fierce look despite his young age.
Chu Ci opened the door, and the little tabby cat walked in with its tail held high, patting her foot with its paw.
"Meow~"
Seeing that Chu Ci was still looking at it, it turned around and tried to walk out the door, looking back at Chu Ci as it went.
"Meow~"
Seeing that it seemed to be taking him somewhere, Chu Ci was taken aback.
"Something's come up on my end," she explained to Uncle Qiu on the phone. "Please contact me if anything comes up."
"Alright, alright, Master, you're busy."
After hanging up the phone, Chu Ci quickly pushed open the heavy glass door.
The kitten, its tail held upright like an antenna, squeezed through the crack in the door and walked towards the park with tiny, cat-like steps.
He would take two steps and then turn back to see if Chu Ci was still there.
Seeing that Chu Ci was following it, it raised its tail and ran two more steps quickly.
About ten minutes later, it led Chuci to a corner of the park.
There was a bench in the corner, and a person in a police uniform was sitting on it.
Upon seeing the person, the kitten, its antenna-like tail held high, ran over and happily snatched a piece of meat from her hand.
It ran into the bushes with a "meow" sound.
Wu Jiangxue watched the kitten run away happily, but her face remained expressionless.
His gaze remained vacant, fixed on the direction the kitten had left, and didn't return until it disappeared from sight.
Noticing that something was wrong with her, Chu Ci lowered her eyes and remained quiet for a moment before turning around and going to the convenience store next door to buy two cans of beer.
Hearing the sound of the plastic bag rubbing together, Wu Jiangxue's eyes darted around.
Looking up, I saw Chu Ci walking over carrying a bag.
The cold beer foamed out of the can, and Chu Ci handed the opened can to Wu Jiangxue.
He only sat down at the other end of the bench after seeing her take it.
"You seem to be in a bad mood. Is something on your mind?"
In the sweltering, humid weather, people are prone to feeling down, but a couple of sips of ice-cold beer can clear your head considerably.
She took two sips of beer, while Wu Jiangxue next to her held her beer but didn't drink it.
She looked down at the open mouth of the beer can, as if watching the bubbling bubbles inside.
Chu Ci chuckled, "It's so dark, how can you see anything?"
She took a bottle of Coke out of the plastic bag and handed it to her.
"If you can't drink alcohol, how about a Coke?"
Wu Jiangxue looked at the Coke in her hand, which was covered in condensation, took it, opened it, and took a sip, but still didn't say anything.
Chu Ci didn't care whether she spoke or not. She sat on a park bench, drinking her wine and enjoying the rare leisure she had after transmigrating.
"Wang Jiali is such an unfortunate child."
Wujiang Xue Leng suddenly spoke.
Chu Ci paused in her drinking motion, but didn't speak, waiting for her to continue.
But Wu Jiangxue only said that one sentence before she started chugging cola into her mouth.
After finishing the cola, she poured herself a beer, which made her face turn red from choking.
"Cough cough cough..."
She lowered her head, coughing violently, even coughing up tears.
"Did you find out something?"
Seeing that she was hanging her head and looked like she was about to cough up her lungs, Chu Ci patted her back to help.
Wu Jiangxue's shoulders stiffened, and she slowly suppressed her cough.
He looked up, his eyes red from coughing, tears welling in the corners.
Under the illumination of the streetlights nearby, a layer of water glistened in his dark eyes.
She stared at Chu Ci silently for a while, then looked away and remained silent.
Just as Chu Ci was about to be bitten to the point of exhaustion by the mosquitoes, she suddenly heard her hoarse voice speak:
"The baby girl you found is not Wang Jiali's first child."
Chu Ci's movement to scratch the itch suddenly froze.
"What?!"
Her eyes widened, her pupils contracted, and her voice suddenly turned somber.
"Wang Jiali is only 16 years old."
Wu Jiangxue turned to look at her with red eyes, "I know."
"But the baby girl you found was indeed not Wang Jiali's first child."
Wu Jiangxue's voice was hoarse: "She is 16 years old this year, but she was forced to have an abortion at an illegal clinic when she was 14."
"Her mother took her there back then."
Chu Ci: "..."
She felt something explode in her head with a "bang," and a piercing ringing sound kept coming from her ears.
Only when the ringing in his ears gradually faded away did Chu Ci hear his own voice ask:
"Whose was the first child?"
"It's from her previous father,"
Wu Jiangxue squeezed the beer can in her hand, making a crunching sound.
Golden beer spilled from the can and landed on her hand holding the can.
"This one belongs to Wang Jiali's older brother."
Her lifeless eyes looked over, and she twitched her lips.
It was hard to tell whether it was mockery or something else, but as she lowered her gaze, a fleeting glint of tears appeared in her eyes.
"Chu Ci, you are right."
"You're right, her older brother isn't as good as the neighbors say at all."
"Even those neighbors...it's a long story."
She squeezed the beer can and took a swig, only calming down after she had emptied the deformed can.
She put the empty beer can at her feet and told Chu Ci about her experiences that day.
After finishing her work this morning, she used work as an excuse to go to the vicinity of Wang Jiali's home.
Wang Jiali lives in a relatively remote area, surrounded by many stray cats and dogs.
Fortunately, the presence of these stray cats and dogs sped up her investigation.
Wu Jiangxue: "Stray cats and stray dogs have very short lifespans. At first, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get any information about Wang Jiali from them."
"But my sister told me that Wang Jiali had fed most of those cats, especially a lame black and white cat that was raised by Wang Jiali when it was a kitten."
"My sister and I went through a lot of trouble to find this cow cat."
"Just as it was getting dark, a little tabby cat suddenly appeared..."
She pointed in the direction of the bushes, "That's the little tabby cat that just came to find you. It came to see your sister and said that the black and white cat has returned from hunting."
"My sister and I rushed over there. My sister contributed two days' worth of snacks before we finally became friends with that cow cat."
When Wu Jiangxue recounted how she solved cases using her special abilities for the first time, Chu Ci listened intently.
"My sister told the black and white cat that Wang Jiali was in danger, and she easily got the cat to tell her about Wang Jiali's past experiences."
Wu Jiangxue suddenly turned to look at her, "Do you remember what I told you before, about Wang Jiali's mother taking her to marry her stepfather?"
"Remember."
Chu Ci nodded.
"But her mother fell ill and died less than two years after she married into the family."
"Yes, I also thought her mother died of illness, but that black and white cat said no."
Wu Jiangxue narrowed her eyes, her voice becoming deep.
"Wang Jiali secretly took that calico cat home to raise as soon as it was born, and it lived with her for more than three years."
"It wasn't until Wang Jiali's mother remarried that Wang Jiali's stepfather disliked cats and even wanted to kill one, which left Wang Jiali with no choice but to kick it out."
“At that time, Wang Jiali’s mother had already had an accident.”
Seeing that Chu Ci was listening attentively, she asked, "Do you know about the Azure Dragon Gang?"
"The Green Dragon Gang?"
Chu Ci felt the name looked familiar, and it took him a moment to remember.
Wang Qiang's elder brother apparently died in a power struggle between the White Tiger Gang and the Green Dragon Gang, but she later realized it was an internal power grab within the gang.
Chu Ci: "Wang Jiali's mother got into trouble, and it's related to a gang? Was she killed by the Green Dragon Gang?"
“No,” Wu Jiangxue said with a mocking laugh, “but it’s close enough.”
She sighed and began to tell the story of Wang Jiali's mother.
Wang Jiali's mother worked in the red-light district many years ago, and later became pregnant with an older brother's child, who is Wang Jiali.
In order to curry favor with that big brother, Wang Jiali's mother insisted on giving birth to the child.
Before the child was even born, the man died.
At this point, Wang Jiali's mother regretted her decision and wanted to abort the child, but the pregnancy was too far along to terminate, so she had no choice but to give birth.
After giving birth, she originally planned to sell the child for money, but unexpectedly, she met a hoodlum who liked her.
Perhaps wanting to return to a normal life, or perhaps it was a sudden surge of maternal love, she didn't buy the young Wang Jiali, but instead, she haphazardly started a family with her.
But a marriage between a hostess working in the red-light district and a hoodlum who idles around with gangs is unlikely to be stable.
When Wang Jiali was a child, she and her boyfriend argued every day. After they got tired of arguing, one of them would go out and find a man, and the other would go out and find a woman. They each went their own way.
As Wang Jiali grew older and more beautiful, her father, who was always out looking for women, started to focus his attention on her.
No one except Wang Jiali knows when that beast did it.
The truth only came to light when she became pregnant.
Wu Jiangxue's expression turned cold. "Wang Jiali's father is a beast, and her mother isn't much better."
"Knowing that her daughter had encountered such a thing, she didn't confront the man about the problem; instead, she directed the blame at her daughter."
"She scolded her daughter for lacking a man and wanted to send Wang Jiali, who was still in junior high school at the time, to the red-light district."
"But the red-light district doesn't accept pregnant women, so she could only curse and grumble as she took Wang Jiali to get an abortion."
"As a result, Wang Jiali had an abortion, her beastly father died, and her mother remarried."
After saying this, Wu Jiangxue paused.
Chu Ci vaguely heard her grinding her teeth, pursed her lips, and boldly guessed:
"Given her mother's personality, there must have been a greater benefit preventing her from sending Wang Jiali to the red-light district."
Wu Jiangxue glanced at her and nodded, "You're right again."
She took a deep breath and looked at the open space not far away.
As darkness fell completely, the streetlights overhead dimmed, illuminating only their small patch of open space.
The distant grass and trees appeared ghostly, struggling and flailing about in the wind.
"Wang Jiali's mother became addicted to gambling, and Wang Jiali's stepfather used to be a manager at a casino."
"Wang Jiali's mother's marriage was less a remarriage and more a pretext to give Wang Jiali to that father and his three sons..."
Wu Jiangxue gripped the bench tightly with her fingers, so hard that she left shallow nail marks on it.
She closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
His waist suddenly bent over, and his voice was muffled.
“I’ve been in this industry for several years now, but sometimes when I see those children’s parents…”
"I still can't tell if they are human or ghosts."
How could you bear to treat your own child like this?
Chu Ci had already gone through this stage herself, so she didn't comment on her sentiments.
After sorting out her somewhat incoherent words, I asked:
"How did Wang Jiali's mother die? What was her connection to the Green Dragon Gang?"
"And what you just said about Wang Jiali's neighbors is also a complicated matter..."
Wu Jiangxue pursed her lips, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
But in the end, he let out a long sigh, his elbows pressed against his thighs, his whole body bent into an arc.
"It's kind of ridiculous," she said, rubbing her hair haphazardly. "Wang Jiali's mother was killed by Wang Jiali's stepfather."
"She gambled away a lot of money and wanted to share the spoils with Wang Jiali's stepfather. When he refused, she said she was going to call the police."
"But Wang Jiali's stepfather had been a member of the Green Dragon Gang when he was young, so he had someone take care of Wang Jiali's mother, who was about to call the police."
"As for the stolen goods..."
Chu Ci had already guessed it without Wu Jiangxue saying anything.
"It's Wang Jiali, right?"
As for why Wang Jiali was able to become the "stolen goods," we have to mention those neighbors.
In an instant, Chu Ci felt that feeling of being overwhelmed by anger return.
Accompanied by a loud ringing in her ears, she also felt nauseous and her stomach was churning, making her want to vomit.
Seeing her pale face, Wu Jiangxue nodded.
"Yes, you're right."
Chu Ci opened his mouth, but couldn't hold it in, and squatted down to the side to dry heave.
But when she thought of the child's cold, trembling hands and bloodless face when she took Wang Jiali to the hospital, her head started buzzing again.
My head was probably throbbing so badly that the nausea in my stomach wasn't as bad.
Once the discomfort subsided, Chu Ci stood up, leaning against a nearby tree.
"With so many people around, how can you be sure the second child is Wang Jiali's older brother's?"
"He admitted it himself."
Wu Jiangxue recalled the scene and gave a cold laugh.
"That beast acted like a loving father, wailing and saying he would take the child back."
But everyone knows that he was just putting on an act, hoping to get a reduced sentence.
After saying everything, Wu Jiangxue felt much better, and her head didn't hurt as much anymore.
She had originally planned to leave, but after thinking about it, she asked Chu Ci:
"Is there anything that doesn't commit evil but can make those beasts wish they were dead... like a talisman or something?"
Chu Ci rinsed his mouth with beer and shook his head.
"No. I'll send it to you as soon as I find it."
Wu Jiangxue curved her lips into a smile, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper to herself: "If only such a thing existed..."
Seeing that she was about to leave with her coat, Chu Ci followed her, carrying a plastic bag.
"Can I go see Wang Jiali's stepfather and his family?"
Meeting Wu Jiangxue's questioning gaze, she explained, "I suspect they have other cases on their hands."
Wu Jiangxue agreed without hesitation.
"Let's go, I'll drive you."
Unexpectedly, as soon as they arrived at the police station, they found a group of reporters blocking their way.
Seeing the person surrounded by the group of reporters, Wu Jiangxue's expression changed, and she rushed forward:
"Liu He! Who let you go!"
Her loud and unusually out-of-control voice immediately drew the attention of all the reporters.
Chu Ci glanced over and immediately recognized the man named "Liu He" as Wang Jiali's stepfather.
Facing Wu Jiangxue's roar, Liu He, who had just been arrested and then released, grinned.
He came from a hoodlum background and had a natural roguish charm.
He shrugged and walked up to Wujiangxue, smiling and spreading his hands:
"How I got out is none of your business, Officer Wu. Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself."
He suddenly raised his voice, as if afraid the reporters wouldn't hear him clearly, his voice getting louder and louder with each pause:
"Officer, arresting people without sufficient evidence? You Royal Police officers are so arrogant!"
"If everyone were like you, would the legal rights of Hong Kong citizens still be guaranteed?"
“You arrest people arbitrarily every day. Do you even care about the personal safety of Hong Kong citizens?”
"Is this the kind of police officer that Hong Kong citizens pay taxes to support? I demand that the police station fire her!"
As soon as the big hat was put on, the reporters swarmed around it like leeches smelling blood.
Microphones and cameras immediately engulfed Wujiangxue.
"Officer, do you have any explanation for what this gentleman said?"
"As a crime-solving genius of the Hong Kong Royal Police, did you solve the cases before by randomly arresting people?"
"Officer, according to insiders, you have a very bad reputation in the police station. Is that true?"
“Officer…”
“Officer…”
Amidst the flashing lights and a barrage of questions from reporters, Wu Jiangxue's headache, which had just subsided, flared up again.
His pale face appeared even paler under the flash of the camera.
She tried to walk toward the police station with a cold expression, but was stopped.
"Officer, please answer our questions!"
"Hong Kong citizens have the right to know. Please answer the questions we just raised!"
Chu Ci looked worriedly at Wu Jiangxue, who was being besieged by reporters, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Liu He looking smug.
He was chewing gum, and a boy who looked like a student was with him; he was probably his second son.
That is, the same-aged stepbrother who often led the bullying of Wang Jiali at school.
Seeing the identical smug expressions on the father and son's faces, she clenched her fists tighter and tighter.
These two beasts have absolutely no sense of reverence.
Whether it's the police, Wang Jiali who was abused by them, or even Wang Jiali's mother who was murdered...
They don't care, and they won't feel anything.
Unless the knife cuts them, they will only ever cheer as the blood of the injured splatters high.
They only feel pain when the knife falls on their bodies.
She clenched her fists and walked up, but before she could take two steps, someone pulled her back.
Chu Ci frowned and looked up, only to find Shen Zaikun, whom she hadn't seen for a long time.
He paused, looking at Chu Ci's angry expression, and then pulled her away from the reporters.
"Don't let those reporters see you. Your fortune-telling incident caused quite a stir among journalists recently."
"Let them see that Officer Wu is with you, and you two will both be on the front page of the newspaper."
Chu Ci was pulled to a secluded spot, but she couldn't hear what he was saying.
Watching Liu He and his son swagger away, her head was buzzing with anger.
"I'll go home first." Chu Ci walked around Shen Zaikun, who was blocking her way. "You go back first, and let Wu Sir contact me when he has time."
As she said this, she walked in the direction where Liu He and his son had left.
"Hey!"
Shen Zaikun wanted to call her back, but he was worried about being discovered by reporters, so he gave up.
Liu He walked on a road that was almost deserted. Seeing his son looking terrified, he slapped him on the back of the head.
"Useless! How did I give birth to two cowards like you?"
"Your brother is such a coward, he confesses everything when the police ask him. You're the same, your legs go weak when you see them."
"Your dad has handled things so thoroughly, how could those monkeys possibly have any evidence?!"
"If I ever see you so scared you wet your pants again, I'll chop this lump of flesh into pieces!"
His son was slapped, bent over, covered his groin, and ran away.
Feeling wronged: "I'm not afraid of them, I'm... I'm afraid of something else..."
"Others? What else is so scary?"
Liu He looked at his son, who was as weak as a crab, and felt disappointed and frustrated.
"How did I raise two good-for-nothings like you!"
He cursed and swore the whole way, and only when he stopped did he realize that his son hadn't kept up.
Liu He was furious: "You good-for-nothing! It's one thing to be scared of the police, but now you're even walking slowly?"
"Do you want me to buy you a wheelchair?!"
But the son just stood there, frozen, looking terrified.
"Dad? Did you hear footsteps?"
"Footsteps?!"
Liu He assumed he was terrified and stretched out his leg to kick him.
"Useless trash, I think you sound like footsteps!"
He lit a cigarette, pulled his son a couple of steps, then let go.
"Your brother is finished, that coward. Luckily, I knew you two cowards couldn't be trusted, so I didn't tell you anything."
"If you guys find out, I'll go in there too!"
He walked along, trying to light a cigarette with a lighter, but he couldn't get it to light.
The more he tried to light the candle, the angrier he became. "Damn it, were our Liu family's ancestral graves dug up? How did we end up with two worthless pieces of trash like you!"
Unable to light his cigarette, he reached out to his son, "You clueless brat, didn't you see my lighter is broken?"
"Where's your lighter? Let me use it right now."
However, he reached out to the side for a long time, but no one said a word.
"You brat?"
Liu He frowned and turned his head to look; the empty street was deserted.
His son, who had been following behind him, had disappeared, leaving only the quiet street behind him.
The thought that it was currently the seventh month of the lunar calendar suddenly sent a chill down his spine, and he cursed under his breath.
Damn it! He's been stuffed in a sack!
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