Chapter 186 Shu Lan
After organizing Fan Lingwei's confession, Xia Mufan led the team to the next location.
Yuanyan County is a well-known poor county in eastern Hunan. The traffic conditions are very bad. Cars driving on the yellow mud road raise large clouds of dust and the car windows are covered with mud and sand.
It was winter, and the sycamore trees on the roadside stretched out their branches. There is not a single leaf on it. Crows flew overhead, making a wailing sound, which was somewhat sad.
As the car drove into the small village, it immediately attracted the attention of the villagers. Seeing that the road ahead was narrow and difficult to travel, Yu Jing stopped the car. As soon as the car door opened, a group of snotty-nosed kids ran over and stretched out their hands to ask for candy.
Xia Mufan took out a handful of candies from his pocket and distributed them to the children. The children immediately cheered: "Oh! The police are handing out candies! The police are handing out candies."
Surrounded by children, Xia Mufan came to Shulan's house.
Against the backdrop of the earthen brick houses in the same village, Shulan's new blue-tiled house looks very impressive.
As soon as they saw the police, Shulan's elder brother Shu Yuanchang blocked the door and said in a bad tone: "We have closed the case and Shulan has returned home. What are you doing here?"
Xia Mufan still used the same excuse: "We can't close the case without seeing the person himself."
Shu Yuanchang thought for a moment and said, "Then you wait in the main hall. I'll go and bring my second sister out. When you see her, leave quickly. Do you hear me?"
Xia Mufan stared at Shu Yuanchang with a sharp gaze. "I heard that Shu Lan was taken to the city by her uncle to work as a nanny, and she sent all the money she earned back home. When you went to Xing City to look for her, you had a big fight with Shu Yonggang and got 2,000 yuan in compensation. You used her money to build a house and get married, so why are you imprisoning her like a prisoner now that she's back?"
Shu Yuanchang was very unhappy after hearing this: "What nonsense are you talking about! We didn't restrict her personal freedom, it's just that my second sister doesn't want to see outsiders now."
Xia Mufan was just trying to provoke Shu Yuanchang, and didn't care if Shu Yuanchang was angry or not: "We are not outsiders, we are the police. We must know who Shu Lan met and what she did in the past three years. We are responsible for her personal safety."
When Shu Yuanchang heard what Xia Mufan said, he was furious: "Responsible? What responsibility can you take? Where were you police officers when my second sister disappeared? What did you find when I went to the police station to report the case? Now that the person has been found, you are being proactive, but what's the point?"
Xia Mufan also felt a little sorry about Shulan's disappearance. The Public Security Bureau’s population management system was imperfect, which allowed New Hope Housekeeping Company to exploit a loophole and send people to Shenzhen without anyone noticing.
Xia Mushige said: "At least it can serve as a warning to those who come after us."
Shu Yuanchang looked at her with some confusion: "What do you mean by latecomer?"
Xia Mufan put his hand on Qiu Xue's shoulder: "Like Shulan, a young girl like her who came to the city to work was also spotted by the New Hope Housekeeping Company. Her family is in debt now, her brother wants to get married, the house needs to be renovated, and she wants to go to college. All of these must be solved with money."
Shu Yuanchang looked Qiu Xue up and down, and his eyes gradually softened. The girl in front of him was somewhat similar to his sister. They both wanted to work hard to make money to help their family. If it was to warn this girl, then...
Shu Yuanchang sighed: "It's not easy to make money these days."
He advised Qiu Xue like a brother: "You can keep the debt and not repair the house. If your brother doesn't have money to marry, you can let him stay single. These are not things you should bear as a girl. If you want to study, then go to the city to work for a year and save money. That should be enough. I hope you don't have to suffer the same thing my second sister suffered."
Shu Yuanchang's words were earnest and sincere, and every word touched Qiu Xue's heart.
Yes, her family always scolds her for being a money-loser. But why is it that when she really needs money, those male descendants who carry on the family line and support the family all stay away, leaving her, a money-loser, to sell her body?
The eldest brother is already in his twenties and is ready to get married. Does it mean that when the mother is sick, the money for him to get married should be paid by his younger sister? If you only care about yourself, studying does not require much money. You can earn the tuition by working for a few months. There is no need to take the risk of having a child for someone else.
At this moment, Qiu Xue felt as if a window had opened in front of her.
It turns out that as long as she puts down the burden that she couldn't bear on her shoulders, she can walk fast and steadily.
Xia Mufan heard that Shu Yuanchang was kind-hearted, and his expression softened a little: "Can we meet your sister? Don't worry, we police officers have the obligation to keep secrets for the victims. We will not make public what Shulan experienced."
After hearing what Xia Mufan said, Shu Yuanchang nodded and said, "Okay, then follow me."
Shu Yuanchang led Xia Mufan and Qiu Xue to a side room next to the kitchen, the door of which was closed. Shu Yuanchang knocked on the door, but there was no sound from inside.
"Shulan, it's me."
A muffled voice came from the room: "I don't want to see anyone."
Shu Yuanchang said: "It was the police. The police said they had to see the person in person to close the case."
The voice inside became much louder, and it sounded very irritable: "I said, I don't want to see anyone!"
Shu Yuanchang did not force the door open, and continued to persuade his sister gently: "The police brought a girl, a nanny from the New Hope Housekeeping Company. Why don't you meet her and talk to her, and don't let her follow your old path again."
A sneer came from the room: "Why, that crappy company hasn't closed down yet? Are there still fools who continue to be fooled?"
Shu Lan's voice rose a little, sounding more relaxed than before: "Tell that idiot not to be fooled, and spend your own money. Why leave money to those ungrateful people?"
Hearing the word "ungrateful", Shu Yuanchang felt a little embarrassed and coughed: "Shulan, what are you talking about? How have I ever let you down?"
Through a thin door, Shu Lan snorted coldly: "Are you worthy of me? If you are worthy of me, give me all the money I earned as a nanny that year, and the money Shu Yonggang paid you."
Shu Yuanchang touched his nose and blushed slightly: "You were not at home in the past few years. Your parents died of illness, your elder sister got married, your younger brother went to school... Everything needs money. How can there be any money left?"
Shu Lan said angrily in the house: "If you don't pay me back, what else can you say! Can you just let me stay at home for a few days? I told you, I will leave when the weather warms up, and I promise not to bother you."
Shu Yuanchang smiled helplessly and looked at Xia Mufan: "She doesn't want to see anyone now, and there is no need for you to waste time here. Listen to me and leave quickly."
Xia Mufan was very persistent: "It won't do if I only hear the voice but don't see the person. If you insist on not letting me see Shulan, then I can suspect that you have harmed her. The person talking to me now is not Shulan at all. If you still insist on not opening the door, then I will use my police power and break in."
Hearing Xia Mufan's words, Shu Yuanchang couldn't help but be dumbfounded: "What are you talking about? How could I possibly harm my own sister?"
After a moment of silence from inside the door, a faint voice was heard: "I really admire you policemen! Okay, okay, I'll open the door."
With a creak, the wooden door opened inward.
A heavily made-up girl stood inside the door, looking Xia Mufan up and down with a vigilant look: "I am Shulan, what do you want?"
Xia Mufan looked at the other person seriously.
This girl doesn't look anything like Shulan in the photo.
Shulan has delicate eyebrows, timid eyes, a smile on her lips, and a long, shiny black braid wrapped around her chest. She looks simple and gentle.
The girl in front of me had eyeliner and eyebrow tattoos, her hair dyed burgundy, and she was wearing a pink down jacket. She looked like a fashionable city girl, without a trace of rusticity. However, even such heavy makeup could not hide the deep dark circles under her eyelids and the bloodshot eyes. It seemed that she had not had a good sleep for several days.
Xia Mufan narrowed his eyes: "Are you Shulan?"
The girl took out her ID card and put it in front of Xia Mufan: "Look, look carefully, I am Shulan and Shulan is me, absolutely true."
The ID card should be newly issued, and the photo on it is somewhat similar to the person in front of him. It seems that the person in front of him is really Shu Lan, but he has been in the city for three years, and not only his temperament is different, but even his facial features have changed.
Xia Mufan brought Qiu Xue into the house. Shu Lan had no time to stop them, so she could only move aside to let them in.
The room is located in the north and is very small. It only has a bed, a cabinet, a chair, and clothes are piled on the bed.
There were old newspapers and celebrity posters on the walls, and a yellowed mosquito net hung over the bed. The living conditions were very ordinary.
Shu Lan sat down beside the bed without even looking at Xia Mufan: "Tell me what you want to say, and leave after you're done."
Xia Muchan dragged over the only wooden chair with a backrest in the room and sat down. He took out his notebook calmly and took notes as he asked questions.
"Are you Shulan?"
"yes."
"How old are you this year?"
"twenty one"
"Where have you been during these three years of disappearance?"
Shulan pulled a smile from the corner of her mouth, which seemed both sarcastic and sad: "Work, what else can I do? Am I going to be a rich wife and enjoy the good life?"
Sensing Shulan's resistance, Xia Mufan frowned slightly and continued to ask: "Can you tell me a little more details? Where do you work, what kind of work do you do, and is it related to New Hope Housekeeping Company?"
Hearing the words "New Hope", Shulan's eyes flashed with hatred: "This company is so evil! They said they would guarantee the birth of a boy and give me 80,000 yuan after the fact. I thought it was a good deal, so I signed the contract with them. But I didn't expect that after I arrived in Shenzhen, they would lock me up."
"The old man would come to accompany me for a few days every month. Only during those days would I be happy. He would take me out to the mall to buy clothes and teach me to dance. But I got pregnant very quickly. My period didn't come in the third month, so the old man stopped coming. I was lucky. My first child was a boy. After the birth, they gave me money, but it wasn't much. After deducting the accommodation and food expenses, I only got about 50,000 yuan."
Qiu Xue couldn't help but ask, "Now that you have the money, why don't you go home quickly?"
Shu Lan sneered, "Go home? Why should I go home? My parents never loved me since I was a child. They sent me to Shu Yonggang to be a nanny when I was only seventeen years old. They sent all the money they earned back home every month, but when my uncle bullied me, none of them helped me. Why do you think my cousin deliberately framed me for stealing money? It was my uncle who bullied me, and she found out, so she had to find a way to get rid of me."
When talking about being bullied by her cousin, Shulan's body trembled unconsciously. That painful and humiliating experience is something that young Shulan does not want to recall.
Xia Mufan looked up at Shulan who was talking. The more he looked, the more he felt that she looked familiar, but for a moment he couldn't remember where he had seen her.
Shulan has changed a lot. The childishness between her eyebrows and eyes has long gone, and her eyes are full of sophistication. After losing that simplicity, the whole person looks like a kind of decadent beauty.
While searching his mind, Xia Mufan asked, "Shu Yonggang bullied you, why didn't you call the police?"
Shu Lan gritted her teeth and said, "What's the point of calling the police? My cousin is rich and powerful, and I'm just a bumpkin from the countryside. I might as well sleep on that comfortable Simmons mattress and let him give me pocket money and buy me new clothes and shoes."
Xia Mufan sighed secretly in his heart.
Shulan finally found an opportunity to vent all the complaints in her heart and began to talk incessantly.
"My family members always scold me for being a money-loser, but the money used to build a house, marry a wife, and send my younger brothers and sisters to school was all earned by me, a money-loser."
"They sent me out to make money, but I never had a good life. No one helped me when I encountered problems. I wrote to my family to complain, but my mother told me to just bear with it. She also said that this is the fate of women. Either I follow this man or that man. I can make money by following my cousin."
"Are they speaking human language?!"
When she said the last sentence, Shulan's eyes were full of annoyance and anger.
Shu Yuanchang's face flushed red. "My parents are dead, why are you still talking about them? Yes! I used some of your money for my wedding, but when you got into trouble, wasn't it me who helped you out? I found out you were missing because I had a fight with my cousin, and I called the police. Now that you're home, I feed you, clothe you, and provide for you. As a family, you help me and I help you, isn't that normal? Why are you so resentful!"
Shu Lan glanced at her brother coldly and said, "If you have the ability, go out and work to earn money. Why did you throw a 17-year-old child like me to Xing City, where I am unfamiliar with the place, and let that couple bully me?"
Shu Yuanchang couldn't win the argument with his sister, so he squatted in the corner with his head down, pulling his hair with both hands, and said in a muffled voice: "We are the ones who are sorry for you, is that okay? When I make some money in the future, I will return all the money you sent me before."
Shu Lan turned away and forced back the tears in her eyes: "It's too late, too late!"
Qiu Xue comforted Shu Lan: "How can it be too late? You are much luckier than Sister Lingwei. Sister Lingwei got pregnant again and again, had three abortions, hurt her body, and couldn't move even lying in bed. You are in good health now, and you have some money in your hands. If you stay at home for a while, your future life will be very promising. How can it be too late?"
Shu Lan glared at her, "What do you know? You're just a fool! You're the unloved one at home. When things get tough, they push you out and ask you to earn money to support the whole family. They're all vampires, lying on you, chewing your flesh and sucking your blood, and yet you're still moving yourself, thinking you're great, sacred, and dedicated. I'm telling you, don't be silly! I've met so many people outside in the past few years, and I finally understand one thing - if you don't work for yourself, you'll be punished by heaven and earth."
After hearing Shulan's words, Xia Mufan suddenly had an idea and finally remembered where he had seen her.
It’s on the wanted warrant issued by the Criminal Investigation Brigade of Hui City Public Security Bureau!
The Serious Crime Unit is in charge of a villa murder case. After Gu Shaoqi finds out the real cause of death of the villa hostess, Yan Jing and his team conduct investigations and finally identify the babysitter Su Yan. However, when they go to arrest her, Su Yan has disappeared.
Because they couldn't find a photo, the Serious Crime Unit drew a portrait based on the man's description and issued a wanted warrant.
The portrait on the wanted poster was a black and white sketch of a pretty little nanny with a ponytail.
It was this little nanny who injected an overdose of insulin into the villa's hostess Jiang Lizhu, which led to her death at the hands of Wang Qiang, who broke into the house and robbed her.
The Shulan in front of him wore heavy makeup, had tattooed eyebrows and eyeliner, and dyed her hair into curly curls. She did not look much like the portrait on the wanted poster, and was completely different from the innocent 17-year-old girl.
However, no matter how much a person changes, his facial features remain unchanged. No wonder Xia Mufan always felt that she looked familiar.
After careful observation, Xia Mufan was absolutely certain that Shu Lan, who spoke sharply and was full of complaints, was the suspect in the murder case in the villa a few years ago.
After confirming that Shu Lan was the wanted criminal on the run, Xia Mufanjiao's expression became obviously serious, and his tone became much stiffer: "Where did you go after getting the 50,000 yuan?"
Shulan replied impatiently: "Didn't I tell you that I don't want to go home after working outside. After I go home, am I going to give all the money to the vampires at home? It would be better to buy myself beautiful clothes, gold and silver jewelry, and make myself happy first."
Xia Mufan said: "Fifty thousand yuan was a huge sum of money two years ago. With this money, do you still need to work?"
Shu Lan gritted her teeth and said, "Why not? You think it's a huge sum of money, but it's actually not worth spending. I lived a good life with that old man from Hong Kong like a married couple. I didn't learn anything else, but I did learn how to spend money. Eating delicious food, wearing nice clothes, and dancing in the ballroom, don't these all cost money?"
"I also learned how to play cards... I was a little girl in that extravagant and money-filled city, but the money was not easy to spend and it was gone in a flash. I had no choice but to continue working."
Xia Mufan continued to ask: "Then why did you come back?"
Being pressed step by step by Xia Mufan, Shu Lan's eyes flashed with panic, and she just wanted to get rid of the policeman in front of her quickly: "There is no reason, just come back when the money is gone. They took my money before and used my money, isn't it their responsibility to support me now?"
Xia Mufan went straight to the point: "I'm afraid you're not working in Shenzhen City? Did you go to Hui City last year? Did you change your name to Su Yan?"
As soon as Xia Mufan said the name Su Yan, Shu Lan suddenly jumped off the bed and rushed to the door.
Xia Mufan had been prepared for her to escape, so he raised his right leg slightly and tripped Shu Lan to the ground. Then he quickly stood up, twisted Shu Lan's hands behind her back, and handcuffed her with a click.
This sudden move frightened Qiu Xue so much that she stepped back repeatedly.
Shu Yuanchang rushed up hurriedly and stretched out his hand to stop Xia Muchan.
Xia Mufan looked up at him with a sharp look in his eyes: "The police are investigating the case, stand back!"
Shu Yuanchang was frightened by Xia Mufan's eyes and didn't dare to move. He just asked hurriedly: "What's wrong? Why did you catch my second sister?"
Xia Mufan pulled Shulan up from the ground, facing outside the house and shouted, "Dayu, Xiaoyu, come in and arrest him."
When Yu Jing and Feng Xiaoyu rushed into the room and restrained the still struggling Shu Lan, Xia Mufan looked at Shu Yuanchang and said, "Shu Lan is suspected of a murder case. We need to take her back."
Shu Yuanchang felt as if he was struck by lightning, his hands were shaking: "Murder, murder case, how could it happen?"
Without waiting for Xia Mufan's answer, Shu Yuanchang looked at his sister anxiously: "What's going on? Did you really kill someone?"
Shu Lan spat, her eyes full of resentment: "I told you not to see anyone, why did you have to bring the police here? Now I'm arrested, are you satisfied? Let me tell you, I hate you, I hate every one of you!"
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