Chapter 37 Media: A Missing Person Notice
On the way to the police station, Wu Ping kept talking because she was nervous.
“My sister-in-law went back to the city and, through an introduction, married a widowed technician at a sewing machine factory. The two had a son.”
"I have sons and daughters, a happy family, can you, can you please let me go?"
"I really had a brain fart. I made a mistake because my sister-in-law instigated me. I'm willing to apologize and make compensation. Please let me go."
Li Zhenliang interrupted impatiently, "Stop babbling on about this useless stuff. You may be living a happy life, but do you know how much suffering Xiao Jiang has endured?"
Wu Ping glanced at Jiang Ling cautiously, then quickly looked away.
It's unclear whether it's due to genetic factors, but her biological father is a policeman, and she was able to pass the police academy entrance exam and become a policeman despite living in an orphanage.
Can such an ambitious girl forgive herself for the mistakes she made?
An hour later, Jiang Ling met Chen Changzhen at the police station.
She was in her forties, sporting a perm and a well-maintained figure, clearly indicating good financial standing. Carrying a bag in her left hand, she impatiently slammed it on the service counter in the police station lobby as soon as she entered: "What's the matter? Why did you call me to the police station?"
After hearing Li Zhenliang's words, Chen Changzhen immediately became furious and rushed up to Wu Ping, yelling, "Are you crazy? This kind of thing should be kept to yourself. Why did you have to tell the police?"
Wu Ping's voice was hoarse: "That matter was something we made wrong in the first place."
Chen Changzhen, however, felt no remorse whatsoever: "Who told you I did something wrong? I wanted a better life, what's wrong with that? It's just changing the child, right? I asked you to change her on a whim, and you were willing to listen to me, so why blame me? Later, when I gave the child to you, you could have returned her to her biological parents. Who knew you would be so stupid as to abandon her in an orphanage!"
Wu Ping, realizing that she was trying to pin all the blame on herself, was furious and slapped her hard across the face, yelling, "I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful wretch!"
Back then, of the four children in the Chen family, only Chen Changzhen was sent to the countryside. The whole family felt guilty towards her, and from Chen Changde's parents to Wu Ping, they always yielded to her. When Chen Changzhen was hospitalized and gave birth, it was Wu Ping who took care of her. She never expected that Chen Changzhen would turn around and accuse her. When Wu Ping thought about how she had violated professional ethics and embarked on a path of crime because of a single sentence from Chen Changzhen, she wanted to slap herself.
Chen Changzhen was not about to let this go unpunished and immediately scratched at him: "What do you mean by being ungrateful? There are four children in your family, why am I the only one who has been sent to the countryside? This is something you owe me!"
The scene immediately descended into chaos.
The scuffle only ended when Li Zhenliang shouted, "What's all the noise about? This is a police station, not a market!"
Jiang Ling was not involved in the interrogation because she was both the person involved and the one who reported the incident. The investigation was conducted by Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei.
Police officers from the local station separated Chen Changzhen and Wu Ping and took them into the interrogation room separately.
Jiang Ling returned to the case team's office and stared blankly at the tall old locust tree outside the window, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
It turns out that her father was a policeman and her mother was a teacher.
They were filled with anticipation for their birth.
They were kind; even after experiencing the pain of losing their daughter, they remained gentle and polite to those around them, and even gave a small blanket to a new mother in the same ward.
It was precisely because of their kind act that the small bundle of trumpet creeper flowers was left as a clue, allowing Jiang Ling to follow the trail and discover the mystery of her origins.
Otherwise, selfish people like Zhao Hongxia, Wu Ping, and Chen Changzhen would never have revealed even a single detail to the outside world.
Didn't we miss each other in our previous life?
After a long while, Li Zhenliang and Liu Haoran found Jiang Ling with the transcript.
Li Zhenliang's face showed a hint of apology: "We didn't get any more clues. Chen Changzhen didn't know your biological parents' names either. She only remembered that your grandmother was very good at embroidery, and that the swaddling clothes were embroidered by your grandmother herself. These are the clues we have so far."
In 1973, there were so many policemen with the surname Lin in Yanshi, and quite a few teachers with the surname Xiao. 21 years have passed, and it is unknown whether the two of them are still in Yanshi.
How do I find someone in this vast sea of people?
Jiang Ling looked tired, rubbed her temples, and sighed, "Call Yuan Yi and transfer this case to the Municipal Bureau."
Li Zhenliang nodded and was about to pick up the phone when it rang.
Upon answering the phone and hearing the voice on the other end, Li Zhenliang handed the phone to Jiang Ling: "It's Team Leader Ying."
Jiang Ling nodded and took the phone.
Ying Songmao's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone: "Jiang Ling, I have good news for you."
Jiang Ling hummed in agreement.
What happened today had such a huge impact on her that she couldn't cheer up even when she heard the good news.
Ying Songmao noticed that Jiang Ling was not in a good mood, paused for a moment before continuing, "The paper has been published. The title is 'A Study on the Application of Criminal Psychological Profiling in the Investigation of a Series of Cases,' and it was published in the journal 'China Public Security,' which is the top journal in the domestic public security system."
Jiang Ling hummed in agreement again, still looking somewhat listless.
Ying Songmao asked, "What's wrong?"
Some time ago, Jiang Ling had a lot of dealings with Yuan Yi and Ying Songmao because of the case solved by the Hawk Gang. Afterwards, Yuan Yi specially treated her and Li Zhenliang to a meal to express his gratitude. Since they were already quite familiar with each other, they didn't choose to hide it and told the truth: "I have found clues about my background, but the clues are limited."
Ying Songmao knew that Jiang Ling grew up in an orphanage. He had encountered some orphans in the cases he had handled before, and for them, finding their biological parents was their greatest obsession.
Now that Jiang Ling has a clue about her background, he has to help her!
Ying Songmao immediately asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Yes. I want to hand the person over to Yuan Yi and ask him to interrogate him again to see if we can get any more clues."
Ying Songmao on the other end of the phone was taken aback: "Let Yuan Yi take over? What crime is involved?"
Jiang Ling: "Child abduction, abandonment, and medical malpractice."
Child abduction? Ying Songmao's heart skipped a beat.
Having just assisted Yuan Yi in investigating a major child trafficking case, and witnessed too many of the traffickers' brutal methods, Ying Songmao's anger and sorrow have not yet dissipated.
Ying Songmao almost burst into tears when he saw the six children's corpses dug out from the backyard of his old house in Dahuai Village, Qingshi Town.
The children, whose bodies were not yet fully developed, were emaciated, missing hands or feet. Anyone who saw them would want to tear the traffickers to pieces.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Ling's background was involved in human trafficking.
There is no time limit for the crime of child trafficking; as long as someone reports it to the police, the anti-trafficking team can open a case.
Ying Songmao's voice turned serious: "Okay, I'll notify Yuan Yi immediately and have him come to your police station to pick her up." He hoped the evidence was conclusive and that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. He also hoped to discover more clues to help Jiang Ling find her biological parents.
Jiang Ling felt a warmth in her heart.
Although there are bad people, there are still more good people in this world.
Ying Songmao was very efficient; in less than twenty minutes, Yuan Yi brought Zhou Jinliang to the Jinwu Road Police Station. Accompanying them was Ying Songmao, who reeked of disinfectant.
As soon as he got out of the car, Yuan Yi asked anxiously, "Where is he? Give me the police report, and we'll open a case and start an investigation immediately."
Although Yuan Yi is reckless, he knows right from wrong.
Jiang Ling helped the anti-trafficking team solve a major child trafficking case, earning the team a collective second-class merit. Now that she's in trouble, of course we have to help her.
Li Zhenliang brought Chen Changzhen, Wu Ping, and Zhao Hongxia out with him.
Zhao Hongxia was busy at the restaurant when she was suddenly brought there by the police, and she was completely stunned.
She simply picked up a child and returned it to the orphanage; how did that make her an accomplice in child abandonment? She cried and screamed for a long time, but Zhou Wei ignored her completely, handcuffed her, and took her back to the police station.
The diners at Hongxia Restaurant were already dissatisfied with the change of chef, and when they saw the owner being handcuffed by the police, they immediately dropped their food and started criticizing Zhao Hongxia.
"The food tastes completely different now, I'm never coming to this restaurant again!"
“I heard that the young man who used to cook was an orphan adopted by Zhao Hongxia. He worked for her for seven or eight years without paying her a single penny, and even tried to frame her for having a daughter who got pregnant from an affair. I spit on him! If I were that young man, I would have quit long ago. He's really honest to have endured until now before leaving.”
"Hey, do you know why the police arrest people?"
"I heard it's some kind of abandonment crime. Who did Zhao Hongxia abandon? Never mind, the police at our Jinwu Road Police Station are all good people, they would never arrest the wrong person."
"Yes, how dare someone who breaks the law and commits crimes open a restaurant? Everyone should stay away from here!"
He Gaoliang, who was cooking in the kitchen, was sweating profusely and kept bowing to the onlookers.
Since acquiring Chen Anping as free labor, He Gaoliang began to lead a lazy and leisurely life. Although Zhao Hongxia kept a tight rein on the household finances, only giving him a small amount of pocket money each month, he secretly pocketed a considerable sum, enough for his daily expenses such as smoking and gambling. He found this kind of life to be truly carefree and enjoyable.
But who knew that Chen Anping would suddenly become so clever?
Chen Anping was doing quite well at the restaurant, and after marrying Meina, He Gaoliang had no worries about his retirement. Now, his wife has been arrested, and his daughter has been expelled from school and is constantly threatening suicide. What will they do now?
When He Meina heard that the police had arrived, she rushed out of the house in a panic. After only a few steps, she tripped and fell. He Gaoliang tried to help his daughter up, but then noticed a pool of blood slowly flowing from the ground beneath her feet. He Meina lay on the ground, groaning in pain.
An experienced older woman nearby exclaimed, "Oh no! It looks like she's had a miscarriage!"
He Gaoliang was in pain and anxious, so he hurriedly picked up his daughter and took her to the hospital, having no time to care about Zhao Hongxia.
Amidst this chaotic scene, Zhao Hongxia was taken to the police station. Upon seeing Wu Ping there, her face turned deathly pale.
She completely panicked, grabbed Wu Ping's hand and shouted, "I did take your money, but I also did things for you, you can't wrong me..."
Zhou Wei seized on the loophole in her words and immediately separated the two, interrogating Zhao Hongxia alone.
This brought more past events to light.
Zhao Hongxia accepted money from Chen Changde, taught him how to forge personal information, and helped him pass the welfare home's review.
Later, after Chen Changde had a son, he wanted to get rid of Chen Anping, but Zhao Hongxia stepped forward to take on the responsibility again. Chen Changde gave Zhao Hongxia a sum of money to help her open a restaurant.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Yi immediately instructed his subordinates to send a message to Chen Changde.
After completing the handover procedures, Yuan Yi did not leave immediately.
He looked at Jiang Ling, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but all the words were stuck in his throat, and he couldn't say a single word.
Jiang Ling, however, gradually calmed down and said calmly, "I'll leave this to you."
Yuan Yi raised his hand to pat Jiang Ling's shoulder, but then, remembering the difference between men and women, he withdrew it. He sighed, "Your dad is a policeman, that's a good thing."
Jiang Ling nodded: "Yes."
Knowing that her father was a policeman, Jiang Ling felt an indescribable sense of pride.
She followed in her father's footsteps and did not bring shame upon him.
Yuan Yi added, “Originally, with your involvement and your criminal profiling theory guiding the investigation, it should have been easier to solve the case. But since you were the one who reported the crime and are also involved, you have to recuse yourself. But don’t worry, I will do my best to conduct a thorough interrogation.”
Zhou Jinliang, standing to the side, patted his chest and declared, "Comrade Xiao Jiang, please rest assured, we will definitely do our best."
Ying Songmao had been reviewing the transcript the whole time. His words were always direct and simple: "Since your father is a policeman, you can consider issuing a notice within the public security system to ask if there is a policeman surnamed Lin who gave birth to a daughter on November 12, 1973."
Yuan Yi waved excitedly: "Yes! Issue a notice throughout the province."
Ying Songmao took the initiative to accept the task: "Leave this to me, I'll go report to Director Wang. Actually... we could also consider contacting reporters, using the power of the media to mobilize the masses, the effect might be better."
Jiang Ling's eyes lit up.
Yes! Find a reporter.
In fact, she already had a lot of clues. If she could publish this story in the newspaper and broadcast it on the TV station, the more people would know about it, the easier it would be to find her biological parents.
--
Yuan Yi took the man back to the Municipal Public Security Bureau for interrogation.
Chen Changde admitted to forging certificates and illegally adopting a baby boy, and also confessed to abandoning Chen Anping.
Chen Changzhen's attitude changed from arrogance and shirking responsibility to honesty and dejection. Although she kept trying to justify her behavior, she lost all hope when facing the criminal police. She admitted that she asked Wu Ping to switch the babies out of jealousy. Later, because her husband disliked that the baby was a girl and was unwilling to raise it, she wanted to get rid of the burden and leave Jiang Ling to Wu Ping to deal with.
When questioned by Yuan Yi, Chen Changzhen's words were still tinged with resentment: "I never even considered raising a child, so how could I prepare baby clothes? When I handed the baby over to my sister-in-law, I just grabbed a blanket they gave me and wrapped the baby in it. I knew my sister-in-law would take care of it. I did that purely because I didn't like that couple. Why should I suffer in the countryside while they live a life of luxury in the city? Why should none of my in-laws come while she has a husband and mother-in-law to take care of her? I just wanted to see them make a fool of themselves, to see them cry!"
Yuan Yi slammed his fist on the table, furious.
"Who caused you to suffer in the countryside? Who caused your in-laws not to come? It's all your own fault, yet you vent your anger on a baby. It's utterly shameless!"
"Your one thought has determined Xiao Jiang's entire life. Do you know how cruel this is to an infant?!"
"Do you know that what you're doing is illegal? Do you know you'll pay the price for it?!"
A barrage of questions struck at the heart of the matter, and Chen Changzhen slumped into her chair.
cost?
As expected, there are consequences for making mistakes.
The husband only sent clothes to the detention center once, and then had his lawyer send him a divorce agreement.
Her employer fired her without even giving her a heads-up.
Her son looked at her with disdain, as if she were an old witch from a fairy tale.
He was abandoned by everyone.
Chen Changzhen knew that her happy life was completely over.
And all of this was because she switched a tiny baby.
She thought she'd gotten away with it, that only heaven, earth, you, and I knew, and no one else would. Who knew that the switched baby would grow up and become a policeman!
Hindsight is always 20/20.
If Chen Changzhen had known that this would ruin his life, why would he have gone through all that trouble?
Anyway, her ex-husband didn't want a girl at all, so giving birth to a stillborn baby was exactly what they wanted.
So what if Officer Lin and Teacher Xiao happily take Jiang Ling home? If they're doing well, so be it. They won't see each other again after she's discharged from the hospital anyway, so why should I be jealous?
However, no matter how much Chen Changzhen regrets it, she cannot change the fact that she committed a crime.
All that awaited her was a cold iron window.
As for Wu Ping and Zhao Hongxia, they were already crying their eyes out in the detention center, filled with remorse.
Wu Ping regretted agreeing to Chen Changzhen's suggestion, as one wrong step led her down the path of abandoning an infant.
If Wu Ping had taken the initiative to find the couple and admit her mistake after Chen Changzhen abandoned them, she might have been able to make amends.
As a result... she can't escape her guilt!
When Zhao Hongxia thought of her miscarried daughter, her indifferent husband, and Chen Anping who ignored her, she slapped herself several times.
If only I had treated Chen Anping better, and married my daughter to him sooner. Why did I always see someone better, and insist on letting my daughter have a child with that gigolo?
If the police hadn't intervened and pulled Chen Anping back, she would never have seen Jiang Ling at all.
If she doesn't see Jiang Ling, the things she did won't be discovered.
But... there's no going back in life.
Having witnessed countless instances of criminals' remorse and regret, Yuan Yi remained unmoved. Since the facts of the crime were clear, he would simply request prosecution and await the court's verdict.
His most important task right now is to help Jiang Ling find her biological parents.
However, when Yuan Yi led a team to the Third Hospital to conduct a detailed investigation and inquire about the information of women who gave birth in the obstetrics and gynecology department in November 1973, they received no information.
Twenty-one years later, the records are incomplete, many medical staff have left their jobs, and the couple whose babies were switched back then cannot be found at all.
The police have issued an internal notice, but no feedback has been received in the short term.
We have no choice but to turn to the media.
Although Ying Songmao was a man of few words, he was technically skilled, conscientious, and well-liked. When he approached Xiao Chen from the Publicity Department of the Public Security Bureau, Xiao Chen agreed without hesitation.
The publicity department had a good relationship with the reporters at the newspaper, and soon a missing person notice was published in the middle of the advertisements in the provincial newspapers, "Metropolis Express" and "Life Daily".
"On the evening of November 10, 1973, at the Third Hospital of Yan City, the child of a policeman surnamed Lin and a teacher surnamed Xiao was maliciously switched with a stillborn baby by a nurse after birth. They thought the child had died, but in fact the child was still alive and was sent to an orphanage, wrapped in a small yellow blanket embroidered with red trumpet vine flowers. If the biological parents see this, please contact the Anti-Trafficking Brigade of the Yan City Public Security Bureau immediately. The phone number is XXXXXX."
In order to find Jiang Ling's parents as soon as possible, the Yan City Public Security Bureau mobilized all its resources.
In addition to issuing internal police notices and publishing missing person ads in newspapers, the publicity department also contacted local television and radio stations to release police reports. Considering that Jiang Ling's biological parents might have already left Yan City, the publicity department also contacted the provincial department and released relevant news reports on television and radio stations in the provincial capital.
Hospitals are supposed to be places for saving lives, but unexpectedly, a nurse maliciously swapped a stillborn baby for a live one and then maliciously abandoned the live baby, sending it to an orphanage for care.
This news was so heartbreaking that it immediately attracted the attention of people throughout the province as soon as it was reported.
"How could there be such a vicious person? It's so shameless! They switched the child but didn't raise him properly, maliciously abandoning him in an orphanage, leaving that child to grow up all alone. It's outrageous!"
“Such people should be severely punished. They must be arrested and imprisoned, or better yet, executed.”
"A nurse in the obstetrics and gynecology department was involved in switching babies? Who can we trust when we have children in the future? She's a terrible person, she should be shot too."
"Oh, and there's that caregiver at the orphanage. She knew perfectly well that the child had been secretly brought there by someone else, yet she deliberately concealed the child's origins. If she had spoken up earlier, maybe the civil affairs department could have helped the child find his biological parents. It's so cruel to separate that child from his family for 21 years. People like that should be imprisoned and, after death, go to the deepest hell, where they'll suffer a terrible fate!"
While people were cursing, others were also helping to inquire. The news spread quickly throughout the province through word of mouth.
One evening.
Inside an old dormitory building in the northern district of Yanshi.
After watching the evening news, a middle-aged couple got up. The husband went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, while the wife mopped the floor in the living room, waiting for the TV series "Justice Bao" to start.
Suddenly, a news report on social issues that was interrupted by the television station caught the attention of the woman.
"Recently, a case of baby swapping has drawn serious attention from the police. On the evening of November 10, 1973, a nurse at the Third People's Hospital of Yan City maliciously swapped babies. The biological daughter of a police officer surnamed Lin and a teacher surnamed Xiao was mistakenly sent to an orphanage. The swaddling clothes she was wearing were hand-embroidered by her grandmother—a small yellow blanket with red trumpet vine flowers embroidered on it. Now that the girl has grown up, the police urge her biological parents to contact them as soon as possible so that their love can return home."
When the woman saw the photo of a swaddled baby with a bright yellow background and red trumpet vine flowers flash on the screen, her eyes widened suddenly, and she shouted loudly towards the kitchen, "Old Li, Old Li! Old Li, come here quickly, do you recognize this little blanket?"
The husband, wearing an apron and washing dishes, was startled by his wife's shout. He quickly turned off the tap, shook his dripping hands, and came out asking, "What's wrong?"
The image of the swaddled baby on TV only lasted for a few dozen seconds. By the time the husband arrived, the image had disappeared, but that didn't stop the wife from excitedly describing what had happened: "Old Li, do you remember your former colleague, surnamed Lin, whose mother was very good at embroidery?"
Old Li tried hard to recall this person, but after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't remember.
The woman was a bit impatient and tried her best to explain the matter clearly: "Just now, there was a news report on TV. The report said that in November 1973, a case of malicious baby swapping occurred at our city's Third Hospital. A nurse and a pregnant woman conspired to swap the stillborn baby with the daughter of a police officer surnamed Lin, and then abandoned the baby at an orphanage."
She finished speaking in one breath, her breathing becoming rapid. After catching her breath, she couldn't help but express her anger: "There are all kinds of people in this world! That police officer surnamed Lin is really unlucky. The people's police serve the people, working hard every day for the common people, but he never expected to be harmed by a pregnant woman in the same ward!"
Old Li knew his wife had a short temper, so he patted her shoulder and said, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. The colleague you just asked me about, surnamed Lin, is he the one whose child was switched?"
The woman finally got back to the point: "Wait a minute!"
After saying that, the woman ran into the room and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets. Finally, she found a baby's clothes and handed them to Old Li: "Do you remember this? It was a gift from your colleague when our daughter turned one month old. He said his mother embroidered it herself. Look at the flowers on it, don't they look just like the flowers on the swaddling clothes? They're exactly the same."
Old Li was even more confused: "What swaddling clothes? What flower?"
The woman became agitated and threw the baby clothes at Old Li: "The police report showed the swaddle blanket of the switched baby, bright yellow with red trumpet vine flowers. The embroidery on that blanket is exactly the same as the embroidery on this garment!"
"Oh, oh, oh." Old Li finally realized.
He slapped his forehead: "Hey, I remember now. Yesterday, our police station also received a notice from the city bureau asking for a police officer surnamed Lin who was involved in the baby swap. But you know, it happened more than 20 years ago, who can remember it so clearly? Our station has a high turnover rate, and several batches of people have come and gone. I'm the only one left who's still a familiar face. After discussing it for a while, we put the matter aside."
The woman glared at me: "You men have such bad memories. I remember it very clearly. There used to be a police officer in your station named Lin. His wife and I got pregnant around the same time. When my daughter turned one month old, his wife gave me a little dress, which was very delicate and beautiful. However, I heard that his wife's daughter died after giving birth to her, and I was sad for her for a long time. We went to his house together to visit her. Have you forgotten?"
Old Li tilted his head back and thought for a long time: "Oh... I think there was such a thing. That colleague's surname was Lin, what was his name again? Wait a minute, I can't remember right now. His wife's surname was Xiao, and she was a primary school Chinese teacher, right? I even joked that my daughter's future education would all depend on Teacher Xiao."
The woman slapped her thigh excitedly: "It matches up! It matches up! The news said the child's biological mother's surname is Xiao, and she's a teacher. It also said the child's grandmother is very good at embroidery, and the little bundles she made by hand were very exquisite."
Old Li's memory gradually returned: "That makes sense. Sigh, when I saw the announcement yesterday, I was wondering which unlucky policeman surnamed Lin was switched with a child by a nurse. His own perfectly good girl was sent to an orphanage, and now she's desperately trying to find her family. It's so pitiful. If my Yueyue had been switched and sent to an orphanage to grow up, I would have been heartbroken."
The woman urged him, "Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and think of your colleague's name."
Old Li patted his head: "Don't rush me, I'm thinking. The name is right in my head, but I just can't remember it. I remember he was very capable, maybe influenced by his mother. He was a good painter and only worked in our institute for two years before being transferred directly to the provincial department."
The woman stared into his eyes: "Then think about it quickly. You people only know how to work all day long and rarely care about your colleagues' family affairs. You might not even be able to connect this to the news. Now that we know, we definitely have to help that child. Think about it, he grew up without his parents' love and was raised alone in an orphanage. We don't know what he's like now. How pitiful."
Old Li racked his brains and finally remembered. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed excitedly, "Lin Weidong, that's right! His name is Lin Weidong."
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