Chapter 88 Zhang Minghui: The child is really asleep!
As soon as Jiang Ling made a move, her team members followed suit.
Zhou Wei started the car, and Liu Haoran and Li Zhenliang opened the car door and got in.
Jiang Ling led Wen Xiufen to sit in the back row.
The vehicle started and sped off towards the dyeing factory.
Wen Xiufen was a little flustered, sitting obediently and not daring to look around.
The familiar scenery outside the window was rushing past, but Jiang Ling had no time to appreciate it.
Every detail Wen Xiufen described—the thuds when hitting the child, the child's suppressed cries, the extreme fear, the unusual injuries—made one word come to mind for Jiang Ling: child abuse.
Most people probably think that "spare the rod and spoil the child," and that there's nothing wrong with Chinese-style education; after all, who hasn't been beaten by their parents when they were a child?
However, Jiang Ling believes that this also depends on the situation.
There is a difference between abuse and discipline.
In her past life, when she worked as an archivist at a women's prison, she came into contact with two incarcerated women.
One was a stepmother who couldn't stand her husband's daughter from his previous marriage. She appeared kind on the surface but abused her in private. Unfortunately, the child's father seemed blind to his daughter's suffering until she collapsed and was taken to the hospital. When the doctor saw the numerous bruises on her body, he called the police and sent this vicious stepmother to prison.
Another, even more horrifying case is that of a biological mother. After her divorce, she raised her son alone and dated several men, but none of them wanted to marry her because of her son. Later, she found a boyfriend with sadistic tendencies, and to please him, she sacrificed her son. This child was abused to death by her boyfriend.
These two female criminals cried their eyes out when they first entered the prison.
The stepmother said, "Girls need to be strictly disciplined. I was just a little stricter, how did that become abuse? Being a stepmother is not easy. If you're too lenient, you'll be accused of praising them to death; if you're too strict, you'll be accused of abuse."
The biological mother said, "I never thought he would hit so hard. I was just... just upset and didn't want to see my son's face, which looks exactly like his father's. I didn't hit the child, so why are you locking me up?"
So you see, in their eyes, this isn't considered abuse.
Many people believe that this is just discipline, unless the child is covered in bruises or has been abused to death.
Zhang Minghui is Xiaoyu's biological father, that's true, but does that mean a biological father won't abuse his child?
It is said that even tigers don't eat their cubs, but some people are worse than animals.
When the police first came to his door, Xiaoyu admitted that he had injured himself, but was that really the case?
Children are the vulnerable.
The weak find it difficult to speak up for themselves.
Thinking of this, a sharp glint flashed in Jiang Ling's eyes.
Wen Xiufen is timid by nature, and the fact that she came to the police in such a panic indicates that the problem is serious.
Since we've encountered this today, we should take charge of it.
Jiang Ling reached out and gently patted Wen Xiufen's arm through her clothes to comfort her, who was a little nervous: "Don't be afraid, we'll be there soon, nothing will happen."
Wen Xiufen nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Officer Jiang, I'm relieved that you can go."
Since they still had some time to get to the dyeing factory, Jiang Ling decided to ask about the situation first: "Sister Xiufen, when did you discover that Zhang Minghui was hitting the child? How many times did you call the police?"
Wen Xiufen clenched her hands tightly, still shaken.
“Zhang Minghui just moved downstairs from me this year. Xiaoyu is in the second grade of elementary school. I often run into him on my way to and from get off work. This child is a bit like my Xiaoyue when she was young. He is very thin, doesn’t like to talk, and hides when he sees people. I feel sorry for him and sometimes I bring him some food.”
“At first, Xiaoyu refused to eat my food, but one time he was really hungry, so he followed me into the house and ate a bowl of noodles that I cooked. Then he cried and said he missed his mother. He said his father beat people too badly and he was scared.”
“That’s when I saw the injuries on his body. I was furious, so I took the child to confront Zhang Minghui, but he was completely unreasonable. We started arguing and then called the police. That happened in May.”
Wen Xiufen's voice suddenly rose: "But it's no use! After the police left, Zhang Minghui still beat the child, just a little more carefully. Summer is here and people wear less clothing, so he doesn't leave any marks on his face, arms, or legs. But I heard Xiaoyu say that he would whip his back with a belt and kick his chest. He's too brutal! Today when I came home from get off work, I heard noises upstairs again. At first, Xiaoyu was still crying, but then even the crying stopped. I... I was scared. I went to knock on the door, but Zhang Minghui ignored me. I had no choice but to call the police and ask them to come and check on the child."
Jiang Ling has basically confirmed that this is not ordinary parental discipline, and the child named Xiaoyu may now be in mortal danger!
She leaned forward and urged Zhou Wei, "Drive faster, it's an emergency!"
The dyeing and printing factory's profits were getting worse and worse, and even the staff housing was showing signs of decay.
Apart from the old-style bungalows near the entrance, the four-story tenement building is the oldest and most dilapidated part of the residential compound. The red bricks on the building surface have weathered and turned black, the cement grout has peeled off in many places, and ivy grows wildly on the gable walls. Some old wooden windows have been occupied by this tenacious climbing plant, blocking the indoor light.
The tenement buildings typically have five apartments per floor, meaning the neighbors are very close together, resulting in poor sound insulation and virtually no privacy.
The hallway is perpetually poorly lit; even during the day, you have to turn on the lights to see anything. The walls are covered with all sorts of small advertisements, and the air is filled with a mixture of cooking fumes, coal ash, and a damp, musty smell.
As evening approached, the hallway was filled with the aroma of various dishes.
Wen Xiufen led the way, saying apologetically as they walked, "No one in the factory cares about infrastructure at all; this building hasn't been repaired in years."
Li Zhenliang accidentally stepped on an old cardboard box and almost fell, but luckily Liu Haoran reached out and caught him.
Zhou Wei asked, "Who is Zhao Minghui? Why did he move here this year?"
It is said that water flows downhill and people strive to rise. This tenement building is so dilapidated, how could anyone voluntarily move here?
The dyeing and printing factory wasn't very big, and there were no secrets in the dormitory building. Wen Xiufen said, "Our factory is saying that it's going to carry out reforms now. Zhao Minghui is a newly transferred technician. I heard that he has some kind of patent and is quite valued. Living in the dormitory building now is just a temporary measure. Once there are empty rooms in the leadership building, we'll move there."
At this point, Wen Xiufen's eyes dimmed: "Last time I called the police, I was criticized by our workshop director, who said that I was undermining unity and affecting the factory's reputation."
Jiang Ling understood.
Wen Xiufen was criticized, which suggests the dyeing factory values Zhao Minghui. Zhao Minghui temporarily lives in a tenement building; the neighbors probably all know he beats children, but because they know he's valued by the factory, no one intervenes. Only Wen Xiufen, kind-hearted and unable to bear seeing children suffer, called the police.
In cases like these family disputes, the police station usually tries to smooth things over.
Jiang Ling still remembered that when Wei Changfeng dealt with the dispute between Liang Jiushan and Qian Darong right after his rebirth, he had the same attitude, which fueled Qian Darong's arrogance.
Jiang Ling looked at Wen Xiufen and smiled encouragingly: "You did the right thing. You should call the police when you encounter something like this."
Wen Xiufen's eyes shone brightly, and she stammered with excitement, "Officer Jiang, you saved my life, I'm so grateful to you. Xiaoyue and I have always remembered what you said, you said, if you have any trouble, find the police. Xiaoyu, that poor kid."
Jiang Ling felt a warmth in her heart.
In her previous life, Wen Xiufen was driven to suicide by Zhao Yanhong, but in this life, Jiang Ling saved her.
Now, Wen Xiufen has learned to trust the police and proactively call the police in order to save Xiaoyu from his predicament.
A strange sense of accomplishment rose within Jiang Ling.
It turns out that good intentions can flow.
We finally arrived at Zhao Minghui's house.
Approaching the old wooden door with its peeling paint, one could faintly hear a chilling, irregular sound coming from inside, like a weak sob being muffled by something covering its mouth, interspersed with the dull thud of heavy objects.
Wen Xiufen shuddered: "Officer Jiang, it's that voice, listen!"
Jiang Ling took a deep breath, suppressing her anger and worry, and raised her hand to knock on the door.
The activity inside the door paused eerily for a moment, followed by hurried footsteps and the sound of something being dragged.
A few seconds later, the door was pulled open just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.
Zhang Minghui blocked the doorway.
He was wearing a white vest and glasses, and looked quite refined. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, his face was unusually flushed, and his breathing was slightly rapid.
"Police." Jiang Ling showed his police ID.
A fleeting glint of wariness crossed Zhang Minghui's eyes, but a weary and helpless smile quickly spread across his face.
"Officer, was it Sister Wen who called again?" He pushed up his glasses, which had slipped down due to sweat. "Oh, I'm so sorry to trouble you again. It's nothing serious, just that my child was being disobedient, and I was disciplining him. I might have raised my voice a bit, and it disturbed the neighbors. I'm done disciplining him now, and he's fast asleep. You see, this..."
His body cleverly blocked the doorway, showing no intention of moving aside, and he even used half of his shoulder and foot to brace against the door frame, forming a physical barrier.
His gaze swept past Jiang Ling and landed on Li Zhenliang and the others behind him, as if seeking approval: "The kids are naughty, how can a father not discipline them? Once you discipline them, everything will be fine, really."
Zhao Minghui had said everything, and Li Zhenliang didn't know what to say for a moment.
Jiang Ling, however, saw through Zhang Minghui's disguise.
When Zhang Minghui said "the child is asleep," he deliberately spoke calmly, but his fingertips trembled slightly, and there were still traces of excitement in his eyes.
“Comrade Zhang Minghui,” Jiang Ling’s voice was calm, but carried an undeniable authority, “we received a report of unusual activity here, suspected to involve personal safety. We need to go in and check on the child’s condition. This is our duty.”
She took a small step forward, and an invisible sense of oppression pressed towards the doorway.
Zhang Minghui's smile froze instantly, and he noticeably increased the force he used to push against the door: "Officer, the child is really asleep! He just fell asleep, and if you wake him up, he'll start making a fuss again. If you barge in like this, you'll scare the child! Besides, this is my home, you... you don't have a search warrant, you can't just force your way in, can you?"
He was smart and knew a little about the law. He knew that the police could not break into a private residence unless he agreed to it.
In 1994, police officers were becoming more procedurally aware, and when faced with such "domestic matters," especially when the other party used excuses like "the child is asleep" or "there is no search warrant" to obstruct them, they were indeed prone to hesitation. Forcibly breaking down the door was not only a violation of discipline but could also trigger a larger conflict.
The two sides immediately reached a stalemate.
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