Chapter 9 Home Visit: You'll Regret It Too Late
“This is Qian Darong’s seat.” Director Huang bent his fingers and slammed his knuckles heavily on the wooden desk in the third row.
Because they had classes in the afternoon, the students left their textbooks and stationery in their desks. Qian Darong's desk was messy; a half-open tin pencil case was shaken open, revealing half of a faded pink hair tie.
Jiang Ling noticed two crooked numbers engraved on the edge of the pencil case, one being "7" and the other "9," as if they had been carved with a compass, and traces of blue ink remained in the scratches.
The number “7” was circled, and a large “X” was drawn over the number “9”.
Thinking of the names Qiqiao and Jiushan, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang exchanged a glance and put on white gloves at the same time.
Jiang Ling opened her pencil case and placed the pink hair tie in a conspicuous position.
The most valuable piece of equipment at Jinwu Police Station—a Seagull brand camera—was hanging around Jiang Ling's neck. She picked up the camera and began taking pictures.
Li Zhenliang bent down and rummaged through the drawer.
First, I pulled out two copies of "Story Collection," then I took out a handwritten copy. When I opened it, it was full of lewd and obscene words and songs. The handwriting was so messy that it looked like it had been scratched by a cat. There were a few curly hairs stuck between the yellowed pages, which was disgusting to look at.
Jiang Ling coldly photographed all of this.
"These students nowadays! These students nowadays! They're outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!" Director Huang was so angry that his face turned red, and he kept muttering to himself.
Li Zhenliang pulled out a tin candy box.
It is round, with English writing on it, and decorated with intricate and ornate patterns.
Upon opening the box, a strange smell wafted out, and inside were several pairs of women's underwear with some white stains on them.
Upon seeing this, Huang Qiming's face turned bright red, and he turned his head away, not wanting to look anymore.
Jiang Ling held up the candy box to the light coming through the classroom window. There was a faint layer of fingerprints on the edge of the candy box, which must have been left by repeated rubbing.
The fact that a boy of this age collects women's underwear is likely a manifestation of some kind of compensatory psychology. According to the theory of "fetishistic theft" in criminal psychology, such behavior in fifteen-year-olds is often related to emotional deprivation or rebellion against authority. Qian Darong comes from a wealthy family, but his father's infidelity and his mother's addiction to mahjong create a family structure that can easily lead to "overcompensation" in children.
Li Zhenliang took out a pile of dirty textbooks, randomly opened a math book, and saw a female portrait drawn in red pen in the blank space of the page, with the breasts, buttocks and other parts deliberately drawn in an exaggerated way.
Li Zhenliang could picture Qian Darong drooling as he painted, and couldn't help but shake his head with a "tsk tsk": "This Qian Darong is really lecherous."
After Li Zhenliang and Jiang Ling finished taking photos and completing the evidence collection process, Huang Qiming, who was standing to the side, slumped down and looked several years older: "I'm sorry, it was our teacher's oversight. Qian Darong is just too outrageous."
Li Zhenliang patted him on the shoulder and sighed, "Teacher Huang, don't blame yourself. This child has already gone astray. Hopefully, we can prevent it from happening in the first place."
Can we prevent it from happening in the first place? Actually, Li Zhenliang wasn't confident either.
Jiang Ling once mentioned a case from the Shanghai Juvenile Detention Center in 1989, in which a teenager who committed rape went from stealing private property to spying and then to committing the crime in just six months.
Qian Darong has already completed two crucial steps: stealing women's underwear and sexually harassing Liang Qiqiao. Whether he will take the third step is hard to say.
After completing their school survey, Li Zhenliang and Jiang Ling said goodbye and left.
On the way back, Li Zhenliang asked softly, "Xiao Jiang, do you think Qian Darong can change for the better?"
Jiang Ling remained silent.
Undeterred, Li Zhenliang continued, "He's only fifteen. He's very malleable. Shouldn't it be fine to discipline him early on?"
Jiang Ling glanced at him, her gaze as clear as snow water, yet carrying a chill.
To be honest, Jiang Ling didn't have a good impression of the Qian family.
Qian Darong raped Liang Qiqiao, Qian Jianshe used money to coerce Liang Qiqiao into a settlement, and Zhao Yanhong spread rumors to ruin Liang Qiqiao's reputation. The whole family joined forces to push a young girl in the prime of her life to the brink of despair.
Is this family worth saving?
Li Zhenliang was a kind and gentle man. He was originally focused on how to reform Qian Darong, but he became somewhat uneasy after being looked at by Jiang Ling.
He glanced back at the school bathed in sunlight, where the slogan "Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves" was clearly visible on the school's exterior wall.
Li Zhenliang sighed, "If school education could really teach every student to be orderly and moral, how could we produce a student like Qian Darong?"
The image of Liang Jiushan staring blankly beneath the prison walls flashed through Jiang Ling's mind. She said coldly, "Education is a torch that illuminates the wrinkles of humanity. And some people deserve to be burned to death by this torch."
The coldness in her voice startled Li Zhenliang. Thinking of her background, he unconsciously looked at Jiang Ling with a hint of pity: "Um, Xiao Jiang, has something bad happened to you? I think you should speak up if anything is wrong. You should trust the power of the collective. Our police station has been rated as the warmest collective by the bureau every year. Everyone can help you."
Jiang Ling was both amused and exasperated by the hint of pity in his eyes.
In her previous life, she was an orphan for over fifty years and had long been used to being alone. How come she didn't realize how adorable the police officers at Jinwu Road Police Station were back then?
"I'm fine. What I mean is, if we want to reform Qian Darong, gentle persuasion alone won't be enough; we also need some drastic measures."
Li Zhenliang nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's how it should be."
Monday, September 12.
At noon, the air in the textile factory's residential compound was filled with the aroma of food.
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang, still dressed in casual clothes, walked together into a five-story building with two units next to the garden at the east end of the staff quarters. This building was home to factory leaders and senior experts; the apartments were large and in good locations, so the factory workers jokingly called it the "leaders' building."
Qian Jianshe lives on the third floor. The house has mosaic marble floors, a magnificent crystal chandelier, and mahogany furniture throughout. Although it is a mix of Chinese and Western styles, it is clear that the decoration is luxurious and extravagant, and a lot of money was spent on it.
When Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong received a call from the police station informing them that the police would be visiting them at noon, they were reluctant but forced a smile as they welcomed Jiang Ling and Zhao Yanhong into the living room.
Without uttering a single wasted word, Jiang Ling took out a stack of photos and showed them to Qian Jianshe and his wife one by one.
A pencil case engraved with numbers; a brown red ribbon; a yellowed handwritten copy; a tin box containing women's underwear; a close-up of fabric stained with semen...
Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong became increasingly alarmed as they looked at the scene, their faces gradually turning pale.
Li Zhenliang patted the photos on the coffee table: "What do you guys think of these?"
The couple looked down at the floor, remaining silent.
Li Zhenliang never expected the couple to react this way.
Seeing Qian Darong go astray, shouldn't they feel the same anger, shame, and self-blame as Teacher Huang Qiming? Why are they both so indifferent?
After a long pause, Qian Jianshe muttered, "What do we think? Of course, we should educate them properly."
Li Zhenliang frowned and pressed, "You promised the day before yesterday that you would properly educate Qian Darong, how's that going?"
Qian Jianshe gets extremely annoyed whenever this is mentioned. He usually only takes care of the money and doesn't really care about the child, only intervening when something happens. The day before yesterday, as soon as he returned from the police station, he planned to teach his son a lesson with force, but his son, who was tall and strong, snatched the feather duster from his hand and broke it in two, completely undermining his authority as a father.
He raised his hand and touched his thinning hair, sighing, "Alas... a son is no longer under his father's control when he grows up." Qian Darong was relatively well-behaved at the police station, but he didn't expect him to become like a wolf cub at home, very fierce, and he didn't respect his father at all.
Zhao Yanhong's cheeks were red and swollen, her mouth was cracked, and her eyes were dark circles; she looked rather disheveled. She tilted her head, her gaze falling on the TV cabinet in the living room, and after a long pause, she replied, "We've already hit her and scolded her; we have no other choice."
Yesterday, Qian Jianshe couldn't handle his son, so he vented his anger on Zhao Yanhong, punching and kicking her until she still had bruises on her face. Zhao Yanhong was full of resentment and had no mood to care about Qian Darong's affairs.
These two made such good promises yesterday, but they've become so dejected after just two days. Li Zhenliang was a little anxious: "The root of the problem lies in the family. You two need to pay more attention to the child, especially you as the father. You need to provide the child with sex education during puberty. Juvenile delinquents, especially those who commit sex crimes, are all caused by improper guidance."
Qian Jianshe smiled wryly: "Sex education? He probably knows more about it than I do..."
Zhao Yanhong spat on the ground: "It's all because of you! You've found one mistress after another, and you don't even know to keep it away from your son."
Qian Jianshe glared at Zhao Yanhong, his eyes bloodshot with anger: "Don't blame me! It's all your fault for raising the child, and look at the mess you've made! I should have divorced you and sent you back to the countryside!"
Zhao Yanhong suddenly stood up, grabbed Qian Jianshe's collar, and roared hysterically, "Qian Jianshe, do you have any conscience? Do you have any conscience at all! You've had one mistress after another, you've never lacked women around you, and now your son is following suit, all because of you! If you dare to divorce me, don't blame me for fighting to the death! All these years..."
Before Zhao Yanhong could finish speaking, Qian Jianshe covered her mouth and warned in a low voice, "The police are still at home, so you better watch out!"
Zhao Yanhong's roar was silenced, and she could only make "mmm" sounds. She struggled and nodded desperately, her eyes filled with pleading.
"Heh." Jiang Ling snorted coldly.
Two days ago, the memory of being tortured by Jiang Ling was awakened, and Qian Jianshe immediately released Zhao Yanhong upon hearing her voice.
What a waste of time! Jiang Ling put away the photos, stood up, and left.
Li Zhenliang stood up as well, looking at the Qian couple with exasperation: "You two! Qian Darong has already started stealing and has a fetish for things, and you parents still have the leisure to argue. I'm truly impressed. If something happens to him in the future, you won't even have time to regret it."
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