Chapter 172 Xiaoxiao
As soon as the car stopped, Xia Mufan jumped out, picked up the pay phone at the entrance of the grocery store, and called Fang Yuan: "I'm calling from a grocery store. How's the situation over there?"
Fang Yuan's crisp and clear voice came from the other end of the phone: "There's feedback from the Qingyuzui Police Station in Xingbei District. The person in the portrait has been found."
Xia Mushige asked: "Who is it?"
Fang Yuan said: "His name is Ou Qingguo, he is 33 years old this year. He used to be a porter at the freight station. He returned home after injuring his left foot. He is now a taxi driver on the night shift. He got married five years ago and had a daughter. Her nickname is Xiaoxiao and her full name is Ou Baozhu. His wife is from another place and her name is Liuqin. It is said that she went out to work and no one has seen her for a long time.
Everything fits! This should be the person. Xia Mufan asked anxiously: "Where do you live?"
Fang Yuan read out the address on the other end of the phone, and Xia Mufan silently memorized it in his mind: No. 48, Qingyuzui, Shuguang Road, Xingbei District, 301, Building 3.
"Qingyuzui?" Xia Mufan was not familiar with Xing City and felt unfamiliar with the place name, so he read it out softly.
The female owner of the grocery store heard this and interrupted, "Qingyuzui, isn't that where we are?"
Is this the place?
Xia Mufan hung up the phone and looked at the female owner of the grocery store: "Sister, do you know where No. 48 Qingyuzui is?"
The female owner of the grocery store was a middle-aged woman with long curly hair. When she heard the beautiful Xia Mufan calling her "big sister", she couldn't help but smile. She pointed to the house number on the door of the grocery store and said, "Look, this is No. 43 Qingyuzui. No. 48 you mentioned is inside."
After that, she walked out of the store and pointed to a tube-shaped building in the north. She said, "No. 48 is that one. It used to be the family building of the freight station. But now the freight station has been removed and no one is taking care of the family building. The building has fallen into disrepair and the environment is getting worse and worse. Now the people living in it are all old, weak, sick and disabled. Anyone who has some ability has moved to the city to live in a big house."
After confirming the address, Xia Mufan shouted to the car, "Come down, it's right here."
Yu Jing parked the car and got out with Feng Xiaoyu. The parrot immediately flew out from the passenger seat and landed steadily on Xia Mufan's shoulder.
The female owner of the grocery store looked at the three young men in front of her curiously, her eyes fixed on the brightly feathered parrot on Xia Mufan's shoulder, her gossipy heart burning.
The female boss asked, "Who are you? What are you doing here? Why did you bring a parrot with you?"
Xia Mufan did not answer her question. He met up with Yu Jing and Feng Xiaoyu and walked straight towards the tube building. Now that we have the address, we must hurry to find Xiaoxiao and make sure she is safe.
The female owner of the grocery store kept watching their every move, muttering to herself, "Why does this parrot look familiar? I seem to have seen it somewhere before."
She thought about it again and again, and suddenly slapped her thigh and called out to Xia Mufan excitedly: "Hey, are you relatives from Xiaoxiao's mother's side? I remember the little girl also has a parrot at home."
Hearing the name "Xiaoxiao", the parrot squatted on Xia Mufan's shoulder and chirped towards the building: "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao."
[It’s right here.] 】
[I remember, this is my home. 】
Xia Mufan was anxious to leave, but the female owner of the grocery store was very outgoing. The old neighborhood of the freight station was full of old neighbors, and it was rare to see unfamiliar faces. Seeing the car driven by Yu Jing, with a license plate from another place, she became more and more curious, and did not care about Xia Mufan's cold eyes, and took the initiative to follow behind them, muttering as she walked.
"Why don't you lock up the parrot? At least put a chain on it. What if it flies away? It must have cost a lot of money, right? Let me tell you, Xiaoxiao's family also has a parrot. The little girl was born with a heart disease and can't run or jump. She seldom goes out. Once, she went out with her mother, holding a bird cage in her hand. There was a parrot in the cage. It looked quite similar to yours. But animals all look alike."
Xia Mufan was concerned about Xiaoxiao, so he ignored the overly enthusiastic female grocery store owner and came to the stairs of the tube building. He said to Yu Jing and Feng Xiaoxiaoyu, "Let's go upstairs."
The female owner of the grocery store came up to Xia Mufan and said with a giggle: "Are you looking for someone? Let me tell you, I know everyone here. If you want to find someone, just ask me."
Xia Mufan said silently in his heart: It’s not about looking for someone, it’s about catching someone.
Judging from the time, Ou Qingguo should still be sleeping at home. If we just go to his house, we can block him and catch him red-handed.
Xia Mufan changed his mind and suddenly stopped.
This is an old neighborhood with a lot of communication among residents, so any incident in someone's home would be widely known soon after. But Xiaoxiao was abused and Liuqin was killed, but such big things didn't cause any waves at all. I'm afraid Ou Qingguo usually disguised himself very well.
What if Ou Qingguo doesn't open the door?
Or maybe he opened the door but ran away in the chaos. What should I do then?
Or what if he resists stubbornly and incites the masses to confront the police? How should we deal with him?
Comrades from Qingyuzui Police Station are on the way. How can we confirm Xiaoxiao's safety as soon as possible without causing unrest among residents? We really need someone who is familiar with the environment to deal with it.
Thinking of this, Xia Mufan looked at the grocery store owner and said, "Sister, do you know Ou Qingguo?"
Seeing that Xia Mufan finally stopped frowning and was willing to talk to him, the grocery store owner couldn't help but feel happy and nodded repeatedly, "I recognize him, I recognize him. Xiao Ou is an old resident in our community. He is an honest and decent person. When he was in good health, he helped to load and unload goods at the freight station. Later, one of his legs was broken by the goods. He limped a little and retired from the station. What, you want to look for him? I said, his girl Xiaoxiao has a parrot, and you also brought a parrot, so you must be a relative, right?"
Xia Mufan continued her story, "I'm Liu Qin's cousin. I haven't contacted her for a long time, so I wanted to come over to see her. I heard from my sister that Ou Qingguo works the night shift every day and sleeps at home during the day. Now I don't know if I can wake him up if I go over there."
The grocery store owner immediately patted his chest and said, "It's okay, I'll go and call him for you. I have a loud voice and I'm familiar with him, I guarantee I can wake him up."
Xia Mushige smiled: "Thank you so much, big sister, you are such a good person."
The female owner of the grocery store felt a little embarrassed by the compliments: "Hey, look at your thin arms and legs, you must be gentle people. Let me tell you, in Qingyuzui, if you are too gentle, you will not be popular."
Xia Mufan looked up at the tube building.
There is only one unit in the tube-shaped building, with four households per floor and each household has a relatively small area. Ou Qingguo lived on the third floor, about six meters above the ground. There were no big trees near the window, so if he jumped down directly, his legs would be broken. If he wanted to escape, he could only go down the stairs.
The female owner of the grocery store was the type of person who became more courageous as she faced more setbacks. Seeing that Xia Mufan didn't say anything, her desire to speak became stronger, and she kept talking nonstop.
"Let me tell you, Ou Qingguo used to have a smiling face a few years ago, but since his leg was broken, he has been downcast every day, and has become estranged from us old neighbors. In the past, he would take the initiative to say hello to me and call me Aunt Lu when he saw me from a distance, but now, except for coming to my store to buy wine and salt, he doesn't even say a word to me at other times."
After Xia Mufan confirmed that Ou Qingguo only had one escape route, the front door and the stairwell, he walked into the slightly dark stairwell.
The walls in the corridor were dirty and covered with all kinds of small advertisements. Electric wires were stretched everywhere and there were spider webs everywhere. There were several pieces of missing cement railings on the rest platform, giving the place a dilapidated look.
The voice of the female grocery store owner continued to ring in Xia Mufan: "But we all know that he has a hard time. His parents were in poor health and died early, leaving him alone in the family. He has been unable to find a partner even though he is already an adult. He finally met a girl from another place, and they got married and had a child. Unfortunately, the child is also in poor health, and it costs a lot of money to treat the disease. The family is so poor that they can't even afford to eat."
"In order to make money, Xiao Ou works as a night driver. He goes out at night and comes back during the day. His wife Liu Qin takes care of everything at home. Some time ago, he told people with a wronged look on his face that his wife went out to work. It was so funny. What kind of work? I think she just couldn't stand the hardship and ran away, otherwise there would be no news for several months. Poor Xiao Xiao, she was in poor health and stayed at home all day long. Now her mother has run away, and her father is also a dull person. Alas, how pitiful."
Feng Xiaoyu added, "Why didn't Xiaoxiao go to kindergarten?"
The female owner of the grocery store sighed, "The child has a heart disease and cannot do strenuous exercise. Which kindergarten would dare to accept him? If he suddenly dies, who will take the responsibility?"
Feng Xiaoyu frowned, "Mom is not at home, Dad is driving at night, and Xiaoxiao is alone in the house? Is there no one to take care of her?"
The female owner of the grocery store glanced at her and said, "You seem to be kind-hearted. In charge? How? Whenever someone comes to Xiao Ou, he makes a sad face and asks everyone to donate money for Xiao Xiao's treatment. We are all poor, who has spare money to give him?"
The female boss's voice echoed in the corridor, sounding particularly loud. An old man with white hair and wrinkles on the second floor opened the door. Seeing Xia Mufan and the other three unfamiliar faces, he asked the female owner of the grocery store with some caution: "Xiao Lu, who is this?"
Lu Miaoju, the female owner of the grocery store, who was called "Xiao Lu" by the old man, smiled and replied, "Old Wei, it's Xiaoxiao's mother's family's relatives who said they came to see the child."
Old Wei snorted, "I've never seen any relatives come to visit me in all these years. But now the sun has risen from the west. Liu Qin has run away, but someone from her mother's family has come."
Xia Mufan didn't reply, but Feng Xiaoyu couldn't help but reply: "Who told you that Liu Qin ran away? We couldn't contact her, and we wanted to come to Ou Qingguo to ask for her."
Old Wei on the second floor obviously had a good impression of Ou Qingguo. He said angrily: "Liu Qin thinks our family is poor and the child is a burden, so she ran away without saying goodbye. How dare you come to ask for her?" After saying that, he slammed the door shut.
Feng Xiaoyu looked at Xia Mufan with anger in her eyes.
Why are everyone here speaking well of Ou Guoqing? It is obvious that this man beats and kills his wife and children at home. He is worse than an animal.
Xia Mufan shook his head gently, signaling Feng Xiaoyu not to act rashly. The most important thing right now was to save Xiaoxiao. As for Ou Guoqing's disguised face, it would be torn off sooner or later!
Xia Mufan took two steps at a time and quickly arrived at the door of 301.
“Knock, knock, knock!”
Xia Mufan raised his hand and knocked on the door.
There was no movement from inside the door.
“Boom boom boom!”
Xia Mufan raised his hand again and knocked on the door more heavily.
However, there was still silence inside the door, and no response came.
Xia Mufan was about to knock on the door, but Lu Miaoju pulled him away: "I just told you, you can't be so polite. Who will open the door for you if you knock so politely? Watch me."
After saying that, Lu Miaoju walked to the door, raised her hand, and slammed it heavily on the wooden door.
"Bang, bang, bang! Bang, bang, bang!"
The loud knock on the door echoed in the corridor.
People upstairs and downstairs were startled by the sound. They opened their doors and stuck their heads out to look around curiously.
Lu Miaoju heard no movement from the door and became annoyed. She opened her voice and shouted, "Ou Qingguo, Ou Qingguo, don't sleep anymore. Open the door! It's me!"
This time, there was finally a response from the room.
There was a sound of footsteps coming from inside the door, followed by a man's muffled reply: "I'm coming..."
Xia Mufan's heart suddenly rose to his throat and he quietly took a half step back. Put your right foot in front, your left foot behind, bend your knees slightly, block with your right hand, and make a fist with your left hand, assuming a defensive posture. It would be fine if Ou Qingguo surrendered obediently, but if he dared to resist, Xia Mufan would definitely beat him until his face was covered with blood.
The operation was urgent this time and Xia Mufan did not have time to apply for an arrest warrant, but she was the captain of the special operations team, and it was normal for her to take special actions under special circumstances.
The door opened with a creak.
The doors of the old communities are not equipped with anti-theft doors, but are just ordinary wooden doors. The iron parts connecting the wooden doors to the wall have rusted, and they make a loud noise when they are opened.
The door was opened only a crack, and Ou Qingguo's head popped out. He was disheveled, sleepy, yawning, squinting, looking at the four people standing at the door.
When Feng Xiaoyu saw Ou Qingguo's face, her eyes suddenly widened. He has a big face, one big eye and one small eye, a big and thick mouth, and a scar on his face. My God, he looks exactly like the portrait drawn by Expert Bai. No wonder the police from Qingyuzui Police Station were able to recognize him quickly.
Seeing Lu Miaoju, Ou Guoqing relaxed his guard a little, but he still didn't open the door: "Aunt Lu, what's the matter? I need to sleep during the day, you know that."
Lu Miaoju was enthusiastic and pointed at Xia Mufan who was standing next to her and said, "Xiao Ou, this is Liu Qin's cousin. She said she wants to see you for something."
Ou Qingguo's pupils shrank, and he quickly glanced at Xia Mufan, saying impatiently, "What cousin? I've never heard of her! Liu Qin doesn't even want her own daughter, and she's running away to enjoy herself. Go find her yourselves."
After saying that, he raised his hand to close the door.
Xia Mufan was quick-witted and raised his hand to hold the door. Yu Jing cooperated with her tacitly. Without saying a word, he leaned forward with his right shoulder and hit her hard.
With a loud "bang", the door was knocked open.
Ou Qingguo was startled, with a flash of panic in his eyes: "You, what are you going to do?"
As the wooden door was pushed open, Xia Mufan stepped forward and entered the house, his eyes quickly scanning the furnishings in the room.
The parrot Guoguo, who had been squatting on his shoulder, flew up and circled low over the house, screaming, "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao."
Ou Qingguo then noticed the parrot. His face turned pale and his eyes became hesitant. Why was the Guoguo that he sold here? Liu Qin has never had any contact with her mother's family. Why did three of them suddenly come today? Could it be that...
Feng Xiaoyu quickly stood guard at the door, watching Ou Qingguo's every move, to prevent him from escaping.
Lu Miaoju was stunned by the smooth movements of Xia Mufan and the other three. She looked at this one, then that one, and murmured, "What's going on? Didn't they say they were relatives?"
The noise in Room 301 was so loud that the neighbors upstairs and downstairs all ran to the door to watch the excitement. They grabbed Lu Miaoju and asked, "What's going on? Are these robbers breaking in?"
Everything happened so fast. Ou Qingguo had just gotten up from the bed in a daze when suddenly several strangers broke into his house. One of them brought the parrot he had sold. Ou Qingguo, who was already a little confused, could not react at all. He could only stare at them blankly, but did not dare to reach out to stop them. He just said, "You, what are you doing?"
"Smile, smile--" The parrot circled in the air, making a sharp cry. It seemed to remember something and crashed into a closed bedroom door.
“Boom——”
The parrot was hit so hard that it felt dizzy and fell to the ground, with some of its beautiful feathers falling off.
A faint voice came from the room. Xia Mufan listened carefully and heard a little girl calling: Guoguo, Guoguo...
Fortunately, Xiaoxiao is still alive.
When he arrived at the bedroom door, Xia Mufan wanted to open it, but found that it was locked and could not be opened at all.
Xia Mufan turned his head and stared at Ou Qingguo with sharp eyes: "Where is the key? Open the door quickly, Xiaoxiao is inside."
Ou Qingguo put his hands in his pockets and did not move. He was wearing a pair of cotton slippers and an old cotton jacket. He stretched his neck forward and spoke like a quail, looking both honest and pitiful.
He wrinkled his face, glanced at Lu Miaoju and the neighbors standing at the door and looked out, and shouted in panic: "Who are you? I don't know you, get out quickly, or I'll call the police!"
Lu Miaoju also noticed something was wrong at this time. She walked forward and tried to pull Feng Xiaoyu, who was closest to her, and shouted at the top of her voice: "What are you doing? Are you trying to break into the house and rob it in broad daylight? Get out now!"
The neighbors standing at the door also shouted: "Yes, they said they were relatives, but I don't think they are relatives at all. Get out of here quickly, or we will call the police."
Amid the shouting, Feng Xiaoyu showed her police officer ID. The shining golden badge stung Ou Qingguo's eyes and successfully shut up the noisy person standing at the door.
"We are the police. We received a report of child abuse here and we are here to investigate. Ou Qingguo, please cooperate with the police to open the door. We need to make sure Xiaoxiao is safe."
When Ou Qingguo saw the police, he immediately became scared. His shoulders slumped and he curled up into a ball, looking like a poor quail.
Ou Qingguo trembled as he took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, walked slowly to the door, and whispered, "What child abuse? Xiaoxiao is my daughter, she's still young, I was resting during the day and I was afraid she would run around, so I locked the door. Aren't you police officers meddling too much?"
Under the pressure of Xia Mufan's strong gaze, Ou Qingguo quickened his movements and finally found the key to open the door.
A pungent smell hit me in the face.
The stench of rotten food, urine, and a faint smell of blood fermented in the house that had been unventilated for a long time, mixed together, and was nauseating to smell.
The parrot struggled to get up from the ground, flapped its wings and flew in, flew straight to the head of the bed, and shouted at the top of its voice: "Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao."
Xia Mufan walked quickly into the room and saw a thin quilt on the wooden bed. Under the quilt was a shivering little person.
Hearing the parrot's voice, the shivering child poked his head out from under the covers and called out weakly, "Guoguo?"
When Xia Mufan saw the child sticking his head out, tears almost fell from his eyes.
He had sparse yellow hair and a few bloodstains on his ears, which had just scabbed over.
The two hands she held onto the quilt were as thin as bamboo poles, and the backs of her hands were bruised and purple.
She was very thin, with a very thin neck, and her face was pale, but one could vaguely see the blood vessels and veins beneath her skin.
The little girl had difficulty breathing and was gasping for breath when speaking. She tried hard to force a smile and reached out a trembling hand, trying to touch the parrot.
As she moved, her sleeves slipped down, revealing scars on her arms, blue, purple and mottled.
Xia Mufan rushed forward, wrapped the little girl in a blanket, avoiding the wounds on her body, and said softly: "Xiaoxiao, I am a police officer, we are here to save you."
Xiaoxiao is only three years old and has never been to kindergarten. He has been kept at home for a long time. There is not even a TV at home. His only friend is the parrot Guoguo. She had little knowledge of the police profession and screamed in fear when she saw a stranger.
"Don't kill me, don't hit me!"
Hearing this familiar voice, Feng Xiaoyu and Yu Jing's hearts trembled. Yu Jing walked forward, raised his leg and kicked Ou Qingguo to the ground.
Ou Qingguo wailed, "Ah, my legs!"
His left leg was crushed by cargo and has never recovered. It hurts when it rains and he walks with a limp. This year he was in a car accident and fractured his right ankle. I finally recovered after a few months of rest, but today I was kicked down by Yu Jing. I couldn't bear the pain and screamed.
Xia Mufan knew that a child who had been beaten severely would lack a sense of security, so he pointed at the parrot Guoguo and said to the trembling Xiaoxiao: "We were brought here by Guoguo. It is your best friend, isn't it?"
Guoguo flew to the pillow and rubbed Xiaoxiao's face with his little head. The fine and soft feathers slid across the child's pale cheek, and Xiaoxiao finally calmed down a little. She raised her hands and held Guoguo in her arms, murmured.
"Mom, mom, red mom, stinky mom, so many moms." As Xiaoxiao said this, she was trembling and her face was full of fear.
Xia Mufan gently held Xiaoxiao in his arms: "Don't be afraid, we are police officers, and the police specialize in catching bad guys."
Xia Mufan's embrace was warm, and his voice was peaceful and calm, which made Xiaoxiao gradually feel safe. She raised her head timidly and looked at Xia Mufan: "Police, what is it?"
Looking at Xiaoxiao's white, almost transparent skin, her eyes that were surprisingly large because of her thinness, and the innocent look in her eyes, Xia Mufan felt so heartbroken that he couldn't breathe.
——What a beautiful child, how could Ou Qingguo have the heart to do that to her?
Xiaoxiao is only three years old, and Xia Mufan tried to explain in a way that the child could understand: "The police are there to protect the good guys and catch the bad guys. If someone hits you or scolds you, the police will arrest that person."
Hearing Xia Mufan's words, Xiaoxiao's big eyes were filled with tears. She raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the toilet: "Mom, mom is over there."
The door of Xiaoxiao's bedroom was facing the main entrance. The neighbors who were watching the fun saw everything and their faces changed.
"Didn't they say Xiaoxiao was in poor health and was being taken care of at home? How did she become like this?"
"Am I seeing things? I saw this child with many wounds on his hands and arms. Could it be that Ou Qingguo beat him?"
"Alas, how could you be so cruel? Even if the child is disobedient, you should teach her well. Why hit her? Xiaoxiao is only three years old."
"No wonder the police came to arrest people. It turns out that Ou Qingguo is a dishonest guy. He looks very honest at ordinary times. I thought he worked hard for this family, but after all this time, he turned out to be such a thing."
"Hey, did you hear what the child said? She said her mother was in the bathroom. Is the child mentally ill or... Didn't Ou Qingguo say that Liu Qin couldn't stand the hardship at home and ran away secretly? Is he lying?"
The more we thought about it, the more scared we became. All the neighbors fell silent. We looked at each other and saw fear in each other's eyes.
At this moment, sirens sounded downstairs and two police cars drove downstairs.
Yu Jing looked over to the window, his eyes lit up: "Captain Xia, Gong Weiguo and the others are here!"
Fang Yuan was very proactive. After notifying Xia Mufan, he immediately asked Xiao Yuanfeng to bring Gong Weiguo and others to meet up with the comrades from the police station, and they came to Ou Qing's country with the issued arrest warrant and search warrant.
This time, Ou Qingguo can't escape!
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