Chapter 5: Preventing Problems Before They Arise: You're Completely Making a Fool of Us
Li Zhenliang was surprised that a recent police academy graduate would have such impressive interrogation skills.
Especially that roar when he slammed his fist on the table; even he felt his heart suddenly race.
Li Zhenliang worked at the police station for ten years, handling mostly civil disputes such as marital conflicts, sibling rivalries, and neighborhood squabbles. These trivial matters gradually smoothed out his rough edges.
Jiang Ling, however, was different. She was sharp and assertive when facing the Qian family. Seeing Qian Darong become docile, Li Zhenliang couldn't help but reflect on whether his previous approach had been too mild, thus encouraging such unhealthy tendencies.
Thinking of this, Li Zhenliang stopped taking notes and said to Jiang Ling, "I'll go get the two previous mediation agreements and let them reflect on why Qian Darong keeps failing to change his ways!"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Okay."
She has an excellent memory; any archival material she has carefully read will be firmly imprinted in her mind, and she doesn't need paper documents. But now that Li Zhenliang has made the suggestion, it shows that he is proactive in dealing with this case, and this should be acknowledged.
As Li Zhenliang walked out of the interrogation room and stood in the corridor, he suddenly chuckled. What was wrong with him? He was inexplicably feeling a sense of obedience towards a complete novice. However, he quickly shook his head, jogged to find the case file, and handed it to Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling placed the two mediation agreements on the table and tapped them heavily on the paper with her index finger: "Take a good look at them!"
September was still hot, and the interrogation room was stuffy. Sweat began to bead on Qian Jianshe's back and forehead.
He raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead: "Yes, yes, we will definitely give Da Rong a good talking-to when we get back. We must nip it in the bud and prevent him from making the same mistake again." He had just been telling Jiang Ling to "nip it in the bud," but he didn't expect it to come back to haunt him so quickly.
Jiang Ling continued coldly, "Liang Jiushan called the police three times, each time with more serious injuries than the last. Is this how you teach him?"
A light shone in Liang Qiqiao's eyes. She knew that Officer Jiang was helping her and her brother.
Liang Qiqiao was present at the first two mediations. In her mind, she couldn't confront them head-on or offend the Qian family. She could just endure it for a while and then wait another year until she got into university and Jiu Shan went to Yancheng No. 1 Middle School to board. That way, she could get rid of the Qian family's control.
Liang Qiqiao knew that the police officers at the police station were all good people. When her parents passed away, the station chief sent a collective donation, and the community police would come to visit them every year. Therefore, she did not want to cause them any trouble.
Unfortunately, her forbearance did not bring peace.
Now that Officer Jiang has taken such a strong stance and made no attempt to hide his protection of the siblings, Liang Qiqiao feels an indescribable sense of gratitude.
There are still more good people than bad in this world.
Seeing Jiang Ling defend her so much, Liang Qiqiao finally found a bit of courage and said softly, "Qian Darong promised not to bully my brother, but he didn't keep his promise. He... he still harasses me often."
In the past, Liang Qiqiao would never have dared to speak about this, but today was different; she had to say it. She couldn't let her brother threaten the Qian family with murder, nor could she let Officer Jiang fight this alone.
Liang Jiushan followed closely: "That's right! Qian Darong is shameless. He said he would pin my sister down on the bed in front of me..." Because of shame and indignation, his face turned pale and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
Qian Jianshe looked at his son incredulously: "You, you really said that?" He's only fifteen years old, and he already knows about women?
Zhao Yanhong shielded her son behind her: "Old Qian, what are you saying? Da Rong is still a child. He was just playing around."
Qian Darong hadn't expected the Liang siblings to bring this up in public. His eyes darted around as he tried to deny it, saying, "Yes, I was just joking."
Jiang Ling narrowed her eyes, looked the burly Qian Darong up and down, and then looked at Zhao Yanhong: "It seems that the one who developed earlier is Qian Darong. You parents should guide him properly, lest he go astray in the future."
Zhao Yanhong's face twitched, inwardly cursing Jiang Ling. Damn it! She had just mocked Liang Qiqiao for developing early, having large breasts and a big butt, but Jiang Ling, that petty person, remembered it all and used it to mock her back. How annoying!
Qian Jianshe, feeling humiliated, suddenly stood up, grabbed his son, and smacked him twice on the bottom: "At such a young age, you're already learning to flirt with girls? I'll beat you to death!"
Qian Darong was slapped twice, his buttocks stinging. He dodged while wailing, "Dad, why did you hit me? I didn't harass you, I didn't, don't believe them... Mom, Mom!"
Hearing her son call her name, Zhao Yanhong felt heartbroken and rushed forward to stop Qian Jianshe: "Old Qian, Da Rong is still a child. Why did you hit him? This is the police station. Let's talk about it at home."
Qian Jianshe rarely exercises and is overweight, so he was already panting heavily after just a few movements. He put one hand on his hip and gasped for breath, pointing at Zhao Yanhong with the other: "A doting mother spoils her son! A doting mother spoils her son! If you keep protecting him like this, you might raise a wolf cub."
Zhao Yanhong rolled her eyes at him, annoyed: "Hmph! Liang Jiushan is the wolf cub, my Darong is very well-behaved. Besides, it's normal for a son to want to be with women when he grows up, why did you hit him!"
Jiang Ling slowly sat back in her chair and quietly watched the couple argue.
Li Zhenliang leaned closer and whispered, "You're just going to let them argue like that? It was the same the previous two times. Qian Jianshe pretended to criticize and educate the child, but Zhao Yanhong was unreasonable and desperately defended him, making a scene in the office. Only when Qian Jianshe proposed a compensation plan and the two sides reached a settlement could everyone breathe a sigh of relief."
Jiang Ling shifted her body to the other side, increasing the distance between herself and Li Zhenliang.
Perhaps because she grew up in an orphanage, Jiang Ling was very resistant to physical contact with people and didn't like getting too close to them. During her four years at police academy, even her roommates couldn't achieve a truly intimate relationship.
It was because of this introverted personality that Jiang Ling did not marry or have children in her previous life.
Are there any regrets? Yes, there are.
Jiang Ling loves children and longs for a stable relationship and a warm home, but despite her strong and calm appearance, she is incredibly timid inside.
She didn't dare.
She doesn't believe in eternal love, nor does she believe she can be a good wife or a good mother.
Li Zhenliang noticed Jiang Ling's resistance and awkwardly moved to sit to the side.
Having lived a lifetime, Jiang Ling was much more mature. She explained earnestly, "I'm sorry, I grew up in an orphanage and I'm not used to getting too close to people."
She used to feel ashamed of being abandoned by her biological parents, refusing to talk about it with others and resisting all warmth, resulting in having few friends. But now, Jiang Ling has decided to leave the archives and go to the front line of criminal investigation, where she will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of people. Appropriately showing her weaknesses and gaining the understanding of her colleagues is not a bad thing.
"It's alright, it's alright, I'll definitely be more careful in the future." Li Zhenliang was a kind and warm-hearted person. Hearing Jiang Ling's words, he felt sympathy for her. He felt that it was really not easy for her to get into the police academy from the orphanage, and he also had a reasonable explanation for her usually quiet and unapproachable nature.
After speaking with her colleagues, Jiang Ling turned her attention to the Qian family: "Quiet!"
She spoke slowly, but with a cold and assertive air, silencing the arguing Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong with just two words.
Jiang Ling picked up today's mediation agreement, pointed to the compensation terms written on it, and said bluntly, "Qian Jianshe, you're trying to play tricks in the police station. Do you think we police officers are easy to talk to?"
Qian Jianshe leaned closer to the mediation agreement and looked at it carefully: "No, no, how could we possibly play tricks on the police officers?" As the saying goes, it's easier to see the King of Hell than to deal with his underlings. Although he had a wide network of connections and a lot of influence in the textile factory, he dared not offend the grassroots police officers.
Jiang Ling sneered, "Is the tuition reduction at Yancheng No. 1 Middle School something you can decide? And the living allowance from the textile factory, did you pay for it? You didn't even give a specific amount. You're just making a fool of us!"
Qian Jianshe had only been making empty promises to fool the Liang siblings, but now that Jiang Ling had seen through him, he blushed and said, "Well, I was just thinking of helping the Liang siblings solve some practical difficulties. I will try my best to get the specific amount, but it's hard to say right now."
Jiang Ling looked at Liang Jiushan: "The tuition fees at Yancheng No. 1 Middle School are directly linked to the ranking in the high school entrance examination. The top three receive a reward, the top twenty receive free tuition, and the top fifty receive a 50% discount. If you want to ease the burden on your family, then study hard and strive to get good grades."
Qian Jianshe forced himself to remain calm: "How could that be? I didn't receive this message."
Qian Jianshe was cursing inwardly. He had a good relationship with the principal of Yancheng No. 1 High School, who had mentioned at a dinner last week that the school was currently discussing ways to attract better students, possibly linking tuition fees to high school entrance exam rankings. Wasn't it supposed to be still under discussion and no decision yet? How did Jiang Ling know?
Liang Jiushan's eyes lit up: "Really?"
If this news is true, then as long as I work hard and get into the top 20, I won't have to bow down to Qian Jianshe!
Jiang Ling nodded firmly: "It's true."
Liang Jiushan grabbed his sister's arm and said excitedly, "If Officer Jiang says it's true, then it must be true. Sister, I will definitely study hard."
Her arm was grabbed by her younger brother, and Liang Qiqiao flinched slightly, seemingly feeling pain. After a moment, a smile appeared on her face: "Okay, fine."
Jiang Ling noticed Liang Qiqiao's shrinking back, his gaze lingering on her arm for half a second before continuing to speak.
"As for the living allowance... According to our investigation, the textile factory's labor union already had a hardship allowance. Liang Jiushan's parents both passed away, leaving two children to depend on each other. The factory had a document stipulating that the siblings would receive a hardship allowance of 200 yuan per year until the children turned eighteen. Using this money as compensation to your Qian family, Qian Jianshe, don't you have a conscience?!"
Hearing this, Liang Jiushan understood everything. He immediately spat at Qian Jianshe angrily, "Pah! Bullying the weak, shameless!"
The textile factory usually provides them with hardship allowances, but the siblings never received this money; it was clearly embezzled by someone with malicious intent. Today, Qian Jianshe is using this money as a condition for compensation—it's utterly shameless.
Qian Jianshe's face was ashen, and his body was stiff.
Zhao Yanhong kept the 200 yuan hardship allowance she received every year without permission. How did Jiang Ling find out?
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