Chapter 2 Reputation: Sister...they're bullying me!
Hearing the police reprimand Qian Darong, Liang Jiushan's eyes revealed anger and helplessness. Qian Darong had been bullying him and his sister since last September, and he had already reported it to the police twice, but what good did it do? No, it did nothing!
Liang Jiushan stared at the enamel mug in Wei Changfeng's hand, which had the words "Serve the People" printed in red on its surface and was steaming from the rim.
Perhaps it was the phrase "serving the people" that gave him courage. Liang Jiushan said in a hoarse voice, "Officer Wei, this isn't the first time Qian Darong has bullied me. He often throws my backpack and tramples on my textbooks at school. He and other classmates also blocked me in the toilet to prevent me from attending class and forced me to drink dirty water by holding me in the sink. This time, I fought with him because he said those disgusting things..."
Qian Darong and Liang Jiushan were classmates, both fifteen years old. However, he was well-developed, with a strong physique and a thick mustache. Hearing Liang Jiushan's words, he remained unfazed and whistled lightly: "Liang Jiushan, your sister is naturally well-developed. Those breasts are so tempting, how can you blame me?"
Liang Jiushan's eyes were red with anger. Without saying a word, he rushed forward and punched Qian Darong in the face: "You scoundrel! I'll beat you to death, you filthy scoundrel!"
Qian Darong's eyes widened, filled with malice, and he raised his hand and kicked out: "Damn it, you dare to hit me!"
With quick reflexes, Wei Changfeng stretched out his long arm and pulled Liang Jiushan back, dodging Qian Darong's kick.
A fire of anger was burning fiercely in Liang Jiushan's heart, and he wanted to rush forward, but Wei Changfeng grabbed his arm tightly: "Don't be impulsive!"
A figure rushed over and grabbed Qian Darong in a tight embrace.
The figure was Zhao Yanhong, Qian Darong's mother, who rushed over after receiving a call from the police station. She pointed at Liang Jiushan and shouted, "You bastard who was born of a mother but not raised by one, how dare you hit my son!"
Qian Darong's father, Qian Jianshe, also entered the police station and frowned as he said to Wei Changfeng, "Officer Wei, this time we saw it clearly. Liang Jiushan attacked first, punching my Darong in the eye. He's really ruthless. If he's so unrestrained in the police station, you can imagine how bad his behavior is at school! If he's not properly educated, he might become a murderer in the future."
With his parents' support, Qian Darong's eyes darted around, and he covered his eyes, howling, "Ouch, my eyes! My eyes! Liang Jiushan beat me up at the police station and blinded me! I'm calling the police!"
Seeing his son howling, Qian Jianshe rushed forward to check his injuries and gently comforted him.
Zhao Yanhong poked Liang Jiushan's face and started cursing. Her voice was very loud, and she cursed at everyone with a different style each time, unleashing a torrent of insults that gave everyone a headache.
The police station suddenly became lively because of the involvement of Qian Darong's parents.
"Stop arguing! This is a police station, not a place for fighting!" Wei Changfeng said sternly. "Qian Darong just insulted a woman; you parents should discipline him. As for you..."
Wei Changfeng turned his gaze to Liang Jiushan: "No matter how angry you are, you can't hit someone in the police station. You've completely turned a justified argument into an unjustified one, haven't you?"
Qian Jianshe was very experienced in handling these matters. He smiled and offered Wei Changfeng a cigarette, which Wei Changfeng refused. Wei Changfeng didn't mind and casually tucked the cigarette behind his ear: "Yes, yes, Officer Wei, we'll listen to you. Da Rong made a mistake and should apologize. We'll definitely give him a good talking-to when we get home."
Zhao Yanhong glared fiercely at Liang Jiushan: "He almost blinded my son Darong. How do you plan to settle this score?"
Qian Jianshe checked his son's injuries and knew they weren't serious. However, Liang Jiushan had blood coming from the corner of his mouth and bruises on his face, clearly indicating a more serious injury. He took out two hundred yuan from his bag and smiled, acting as a peacemaker: "Forget it, forget it. They're just kids, it's normal for them to fight. Why does it have to come to the point of reporting it to the police? I'll apologize to this classmate on behalf of Darong and give him two hundred yuan, okay?"
After receiving the signal from her husband, Zhao Yanhong snorted and spat at Liang Jiushan, saying, "I'll let you off this time because you're an orphan with no parents and lack manners. But if you hit my son Darong again, I'll make sure he's expelled from school, you hear me? Liang Jiushan, if you want to continue your studies, don't mess with my son, understand?"
Qian Darong looked at Liang Jiushan smugly, his eyes full of provocation, as if to say: What? I told you, you can't beat me!
Wei Changfeng slammed his hand on the service counter: "Zhao Yanhong! We are mediating right now. Don't escalate the conflict, do you understand?"
Jinwu Road Police Station is located in the north of the city, and its jurisdiction is dominated by large state-owned factories. In the past two years, the reform of state-owned enterprises has caused unrest among the staff and frequent security problems. The police officers at the station are busy every day. Wei Changfeng's temper also became irritable after being delayed for so long over a dispute involving a minor.
With limited funds, the police station's service counter in the police hall was made of red bricks and plastered with cement. When Wei Changfeng slapped it, it made a dull sound.
Zhao Yanhong's eyebrows twitched, and after glancing at Qian Jianshe, she reluctantly shut her mouth.
Qian Jianshe nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Officer Wei is right. My wife was wrong." He turned to look at Liang Jiushan, "You have good grades and you will definitely get into Yancheng No. 1 Middle School in the high school entrance exam. How could we let you drop out? How about this, I will talk to the principal of No. 1 Middle School in advance and get a proper reduction in tuition and fees. The factory will also give you a certain amount of living allowance every month. How about that?"
Attending Yancheng No. 1 Middle School is Liang Jiushan's dream.
Yancheng No.1 High School is the best high school in the city, with excellent teachers, the best teaching buildings, playground, and dormitories in the city, and a 40% rate of students going to key universities. It can be said that getting into No.1 High School is equivalent to having one foot in the door of university.
Liang Qiqiao had excellent grades in the high school entrance exam and could have gone to Yancheng No. 1 Middle School, but she chose to stay at the textile factory's affiliated middle school to take care of her younger brother.
Liang Qiqiao's dream is to leave Yancheng next year after she gets into university, and Liang Jiushan will go to No. 1 Middle School to study in the dormitory, where the dormitory conditions are the best in the city.
However, the tuition and living expenses at No. 1 High School are high, and Liang Qiqiao gets a headache just thinking about it.
The prospect of tuition and living expenses being waived was incredibly tempting for Liang Jiushan, who longed to continue his studies and ease his sister's financial burden.
Liang Jiushan was struggling internally, the fire burning in his chest growing stronger and stronger. He wanted to shout, to make a scene, to hold his head high and say to Qian Jianshe: Don't try to bribe me! I will never forgive Qian Darong.
But he wanted to go to school! He also wanted his sister to be able to pursue her dreams without worry.
Liang Jiushan gripped the buttons on his shirt even tighter, letting the sharp, angular metal button pierce his palm.
Qian Jianshe laughed: "Liang Jiushan, just forgive Qian Darong, okay?" He was somewhat smug, pleased with his grasp of human nature. He was just a kid; he'd bend over at the slightest favor.
"Okay." Liang Jiushan said the word with difficulty, then lowered his head.
Seeing that the two sides had reached a settlement, the police station was finally quiet and peaceful. Wei Changfeng breathed a sigh of relief and gestured for Li Zhenliang to take out a mediation agreement. He quickly wrote a few lines and handed it over: "Alright, since the two sides have reached a settlement, let's sign it here."
Standing to the side, Jiang Ling sensed Liang Jiushan's pain and helplessness.
He was still young and didn't understand the darkness of human nature.
His repeated concessions will become the sharp knife that will pierce him in the future.
Jiang Ling cannot blame the police officers at the police station for their handling of the situation.
She had worked at the police station for four years. Although she rarely participated in fieldwork, she knew her colleagues fairly well because most of them ate and lived at the station. Wei Changfeng, 40 years old, was a veteran police officer who understood the principle of "it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester." When resolving similar disputes, he usually adopted a "peace-making" approach to avoid escalating the conflict and causing greater harm.
Jiang Ling once wondered why he would try to smooth things over. Wei Changfeng earnestly told her, "When I was young, I didn't understand either. I was very tough when handling a case of domestic violence by my husband. I detained him for half a month. I didn't expect that he would be fired from his job because of the criminal record. In a fit of rage, he stabbed his wife to death. Sigh! After that incident, I try my best to mediate when I encounter conflicts within the family or between relatives, colleagues, or classmates."
Jiang Ling can understand Wei Changfeng, but this case is very special.
Qian Jianshe was clearly making empty promises to Liang Jiushan. Even if these subsidies were actually received, the money would all come from the work unit, and Qian Jianshe's family would suffer no loss except for the two hundred yuan.
Qian Darong didn't even offer an apology, his attitude was extremely arrogant, and he wasn't punished for calling the police.
Because they didn't feel any pain, the Qian family would never change.
Now let's look at Liang Jiushan. Although he agreed to the reconciliation, he felt humiliated.
He was a man who dared to fight, otherwise he wouldn't have bypassed the school and gone straight to the police. The Qian family's act of throwing money at people made him resentful, but reality kept forcing him to bow his head.
This inner conflict tormented him day and night, to the point that he couldn't forgive himself after his sister's death. His decision to abandon his studies and pursue the killer for six years stemmed from hatred for Qian Darong, but also from a form of self-exile.
"If my sister were still alive..." Liang Jiushan's murmured words rang in Jiang Ling's ears again.
How can we help Liang Jiushan avoid a tragic future?
Reborn, Jiang Ling knew that although the Law on the Protection of Minors was passed in 1991 and implemented in 1992, there were still some areas that needed improvement. In addition, in 1993, people's awareness of juvenile delinquency was insufficient, the social protection mechanism was unsound, and the judicial protection was inadequate, which is why Qian Darong acted with impunity.
"Old Wei," Jiang Ling called softly.
"What is it, Xiao Jiang?" Wei Changfeng looked up at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling had only been assigned to the police station for a little over a month. Because she was the only woman in the station, Chief Yao took good care of her, not assigning her to fieldwork but only to file and clerical work. She was introverted and rarely spoke, not interacting much with her colleagues. Her initiative to come today surprised Wei Changfeng.
Jiang Ling pursed her lips, her face tense and devoid of a smile, maintaining the cautious demeanor of a novice: "Old Wei, let me participate in this case, okay?"
The Jinwu Road Police Station has a total of 12 officers: 1 station chief, 1 deputy station chief, 4 case officers, 3 community officers, 1 household registration officer, and 2 clerks. The staff is small, colleagues get along well, the division of labor is not very strict, and they often help each other.
Because of his age, Wei Changfeng was respectfully called "Old Wei" by everyone. He originally wanted to bring Jiang Ling into the case team, since female police officers were needed when handling certain cases. Now that Jiang Ling took the initiative to come over, Wei Changfeng naturally did not refuse: "Okay, then you can come with me and familiarize yourself with the case handling process first."
While Jiang Ling was talking to Wei Changfeng, the on-duty police officer Li Zhenliang signaled Qian Darong to sign the record book, and then called Liang Jiushan over. Liang Jiushan stared blankly at the record book and did not write anything for a long time.
"Officer Wei, now that the mediation is over, let's head back. There's a ton of stuff to do at the factory," Qian Jianshe interjected, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Ling standing beside him.
Before Wei Changfeng could speak, Jiang Ling spoke first: "You can't leave for now, I have something to say." Her tone was serious, her gaze was cold, and she inexplicably put heavy pressure on Qian Jianshe.
In her previous life, Jiang Ling had seen countless criminals in prison. She could tell at a glance whether a criminal was a first-time offender or a repeat offender, whether they were genuinely repentant or incorrigible. Through long-term psychological assessments of them, Jiang Ling had developed a keen eye, and those with guilty consciences dared not meet her gaze.
"Oh, okay." Qian Jianshe shook his head for a moment and subconsciously agreed. He had worked in the textile factory for more than 20 years and had been the deputy factory director for seven years. He had seen all kinds of situations. He did not expect that this young policewoman, who looked slender and delicate and had little presence, would make people feel an inexplicable sense of restraint as soon as she opened her mouth.
Zhao Yanhong, however, was somewhat unconvinced. She glanced at Jiang Ling with the same expression Qian Darong had when he looked at Liang Jiushan, which was three parts disdain, three parts mockery, and four parts arrogance.
"Who are you? Officer Wei hasn't even spoken yet, what are you acting like, acting like a boss?" Zhao Yanhong works at the textile factory's union and often assists the police station in handling disputes among factory employees. She knows that Jiang Ling is a newly recruited police officer with little say, so Zhao Yanhong is not afraid at all.
Wei Changfeng immediately defended Jiang Ling: "What are you doing? This is a police officer from our police station. She asked you to stay, so stay. Liang Jiushan hasn't signed yet, what are you panicking about!"
Liang Jiushan was unwilling to accept mediation in the first place. Upon hearing this, he immediately put down his pen and said with a stiff neck, "I do not agree to mediation! Qian Darong often bullies me. Last time he injured my eye, the time before that he broke my head, and he hit my toe with a chair. I can forgive those things, but he insulted my sister. He is a scoundrel. The police should arrest him and put him in jail!"
"Pah!" Zhao Yanhong immediately flew into a rage upon hearing this. If they weren't at the police station, she would have slapped him long ago: "Make my Darong go to jail? I think you're the one who should go to jail."
Qian Jianshe frowned unhappily: "Liang Jiushan, you hit someone first this time, don't keep framing my Da Rong."
Zhao Yanhong was not well-educated, and Qian Jianshe was very dissatisfied with her when she first married into the Qian family. Now that she had finally gained a son and established herself in the family, she doted on Qian Darong like the apple of her eye, and she couldn't bear to let him suffer the slightest grievance. She immediately took the opportunity to defend her son: "I know your sister. She's more developed than the other students, with big breasts and a big butt. She already has a bad reputation at school. What's wrong with my Darong saying a few words? Don't be so ungrateful!"
"I! You..." Liang Jiushan didn't want to cry, but tears welled up uncontrollably, swirling in his eyes. He lost his parents when he was six years old, and his older sister raised him single-handedly. Seeing Qian Darong being so well protected by their parents, turning the tables and slandering his sister's reputation, his heart felt like it was being fried in oil, burning with pain.
A slender young woman rushed to the police station. She had just reached the entrance of the police hall when she heard Zhao Yanhong's words. Her beautiful face turned red with anger. She gritted her teeth, walked to Liang Jiushan's side, reached out and grabbed his arm tightly, and whispered, "Jiushan, let's go! Don't pay attention to these people."
Liang Jiushan turned to look at the girl, tears streaming down his face uncontrollably: "Sister...they're bullying us!"
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