Chapter 21: The Divide and Conquer: Qian Jianshe and his wife have been arrested!
The first thing to do is to help Lin Xiaoyue.
From a psychological perspective, Lin Xiaoyue's behavior is a compulsive ritual triggered by trauma. If it is not corrected in time, it may evolve into kleptomania.
In her previous life, Lin Xiaoyue made a living by stealing after her mother committed suicide. This was because her act of stealing bells went undetected, leading her to repeatedly engage in this compulsive ritualistic behavior.
Lin Xiaoyue is the "Sister Xiaoyue" that Shen Xiaomei talks about. She took Shen Xiaomei in during her days on the streets and led her down the path of a professional thief.
Shen Xiaomei regarded Lin Xiaoyue as her heaven, and naturally continued her hatred for Lingdang.
When the bell becomes a trigger for traumatic memories, stealing may be a way to escape or control those memories. In Lin Xiaoyue's view, only by stealing that bell could the shame of her mother's subservience to another man dissipate.
Lin Xiaoyue is 13 years old this year. She was only 12 when she discovered her mother's infidelity, and her understanding of sex is still in its infancy.
As a child, she witnessed her father raping and beating her mother, and from then on, she viewed "sex" as something unclean. When she discovered that her mother had a relationship with Qian Jianshe, she felt ashamed and projected this shame onto the bell. She stole it to "eliminate" the symbolic uncleanliness, transferring her emotions from an unmanageable object to a controllable one. This is a displacement mechanism in psychological defense.
To correct her behavior, the first step is to repair the mother-daughter relationship, provide proper sex education, and reduce her feelings of guilt.
Like Jiang Ling, Li Zhenliang felt no excitement at solving the case.
The fact that Lin Xiaoyue stole the bicycle bell proves that Jiang Ling's psychological profile was completely accurate. Logically, Li Zhenliang should have jumped up excitedly and immediately called Ying Songmao to tell him: "Captain Ying, Xiao Jiang was right!"
But at this moment, Li Zhenliang's eyes were wet, and he was in great pain.
Lin Xiaoyue has had such a tough time. Although she went astray, it was only because she was in so much pain that she resorted to this self-help measure.
Li Zhenliang sighed, turned to look at Jiang Ling, and asked her with his eyes what she should do next.
Jiang Ling pondered for a moment and said to Lin Xiaoyue, "You're not a thief, you're just sick."
Lin Xiaoyue nestled in her mother's arms, looked up at her with a somewhat dazed expression, and repeated her mother's words: "Are you sick?"
Jiang Ling knew that the most important thing at this moment was to eliminate her sense of shame, so she continued, "Yes, because you grew up in a violent environment, and after being stimulated by the Qian Jianshe incident, you became mentally ill. The name of the illness is post-traumatic stress disorder."
Lin Xiaoyue gradually sat up straight: "Can the mind get sick too?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Yes, it's not just our bodies that can get sick, our minds can get sick too. Because mental illnesses are often hidden, many people are unaware of them. The reason you can't sleep, can't eat, and can't control your urge to steal the bell is because you're mentally ill."
Get ill?
Lin Xiaoyue and Wen Xiufen felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off their shoulders.
Kind people often like to impose various moral constraints on themselves.
Wen Xiufen felt it was her fault that she was raped by Qian Jianshe, while Lin Xiaoyue believed that stealing the bell was a shameful act of theft, both because they were kind people educated by traditional ideas.
Since you're sick, it's not your fault, right?
Wen Xiufen asked, "Then, is there any way to cure this disease?"
Lin Xiaoyue looked at Jiang Ling with hopeful eyes. If she could, she wouldn't want to stay awake all day waiting for dawn; if she could, she wouldn't want to feel nauseous at the sight of food; if she could, she wouldn't want to tense up at the sound of bells and uncontrollably want to take them off.
Jiang Ling thought for a moment: "Did you keep all the bells?"
Lin Xiaoyue hesitated for a moment: "They're all under the bed." But she had marked each bell with the word "dirty" with a compass, so she didn't dare take them out.
Jiang Ling: "Give them all back."
Lin Xiaoyue's face flushed red instantly, and she didn't dare to look up: "Lingdang, I, I carved words on it."
Thinking of the bell that Shen Xiaomei had always treasured, Jiang Ling suddenly realized: "Don't worry, we can polish it to remove the words." Each "dirty" word on the bell was a wound hidden in Lin Xiaoyue's heart.
Lin Xiaoyue looked up in surprise: "Really? Can those words be removed?"
From a young age, Lin Xiaoyue was disliked by her father, grandparents, and only her weak and pitiful mother loved her steadfastly. Growing up in this environment, Lin Xiaoyue matured early; she wanted to grow up quickly to protect her mother.
However, growth is too slow.
Lin Xiaoyue felt a deep sense of helplessness.
She felt that sex was dirty, and she hated the men who coveted her mother, but she was powerless to do anything about it.
Even being able to live in a tenement building was something my mother earned by sacrificing her health!
Lin Xiaoyue hated her own incompetence. When she couldn't sleep at night, she would repeatedly rub the words engraved on the side of the bell with her fingers.
Those words reminded her countless times: You are a thief, your mother is a slut.
Jiang Ling knew that Lin Xiaoyue's closed heart had already opened up to her, and now was the best time to win her heart. She looked at the mother and daughter and said, word by word, "The words that are carved can be removed; the mistakes that are made can be corrected; and if you take the wrong path, you can turn back."
Lin Xiaoyue felt a warm breeze blow into her cold heart.
Jiang Ling told her—
Some marks can be removed.
If you make a mistake, you can turn back.
Lin Xiaoyue stood up and bowed deeply to Jiang Ling: "I'm sorry, I was wrong. I shouldn't have stolen those bicycle bells. I'll go home now and get them."
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
After saying that, Jiang Ling handed Lin Xiaoyue sandpaper and polishing materials: "I'll teach you how to polish."
And so, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang accompanied Lin Xiaoyue and Wen Xiufen back to the tenement building.
After Lin Xiaoyue finished polishing the dozen or so bicycle bells until they were clean and shiny like new, the guilt that had been weighing on her heart and making her feel suffocated lessened considerably.
Jiang Ling put the bell into the evidence bag and had the mother and daughter sign and fingerprint the statement. Then, she said to Lin Xiaoyue earnestly, "Your mother has suffered a lot, and life has been very difficult for her. Because she is weak, she needs to rely on the strong to survive, which is only natural. It's just that the way she did it was wrong. Do you understand that?"
Lin Xiaoyue awkwardly turned her face away.
She still harbored resentment towards Qian Jianshe.
Jiang Ling looked at Wen Xiufen: "You are single, but Qian Jianshe has a family. Your relationship with him is an improper one and must be completely severed."
Wen Xiufen nodded repeatedly: "I know, I know. I will definitely not go to him if he comes to me again."
Jiang Ling said seriously, "If he dares to come looking for you again, slap him! If he tries anything forceful, call the police on him. Do you understand?"
Wen Xiufen's expression changed several times before she finally whispered to Jiang Ling, "That... he said he took pictures of me without my permission, but I didn't dare." She had initially submitted to Qian Jianshe because she wanted something from him, but later he had something on her and she had no choice but to comply.
Jiang Ling asked, "Do you dare to sue him?"
Wen Xiufen's voice trembled slightly: "Sue him, sue him for what?"
Jiang Ling said in a deep voice: "Using coercion to force a woman to have sexual intercourse against her will constitutes rape."
Although there were no biological traces, the daughter, Lin Xiaoyue, and her colleagues could prove that the victim had a post-traumatic stress reaction after the incident. They could also obtain relevant testimonies by questioning Chairman Lu of the labor union, and witnesses might be found during the photo developing and preservation process. In short, as long as Wen Xiufen reports the case, the police station can report it to the Criminal Investigation Division and open a case for investigation.
Wen Xiufen shook her head: "I... I don't want anyone else to know about this."
When handling such cases, women typically prioritize privacy and are reluctant to escalate the situation.
Jiang Ling nodded, indicating her respect: "Okay, you call the police first, I'll go talk to Qian Jianshe and tell him to stop harassing you. Don't worry, no one else will know."
Overwhelmed with emotion at receiving police protection for the first time, Wen Xiufen grabbed Jiang Ling's hand and repeatedly expressed her gratitude: "Thank you, thank you! You are my savior!" She now has a job, a house, and a daughter. As long as Qian Jianshe stops harassing her, she can live a good life.
Lin Xiaoyue listened attentively to every word Jiang Ling said. Her heart, which was riddled with holes from hating her own weakness, seemed to be slowly healing.
It turns out that being weak wasn't her fault; the police would protect her!
If anyone bullies her again, she will call the police.
Jiang Ling looked at the hand that Wen Xiufen was holding.
The warm skin contact, the intimate pressure, didn't make her feel uncomfortable for the first time.
After thanking her profusely, Wen Xiufen, unable to contain her joy and excitement, released Jiang Ling's hand and hugged her daughter tightly once more. Feeling supported, her eyes sparkled, and her face radiated vitality.
"Xiaoyue, no one will bully Mommy anymore, don't be afraid!"
"Xiaoyue, Mom is so happy!"
"Xiaoyue, Mom was wrong before. Now that the police are protecting Mom, Mom isn't afraid of anything. We can sleep and eat well together, isn't that great?"
Wen Xiufen smiled like a child, talking incessantly, her joy overflowing.
Lin Xiaoyue went from being at a loss at first, but later she freed one hand to gently pat her mother's back, and her eyes gradually brightened.
No one will bully them anymore, and she can finally get a good night's sleep.
A smile appeared on Jiang Ling's face.
Once Lin Xiaoyue resolves her inner conflict, she will naturally eat and sleep well, and her malnutrition problem will be brought under control. She will never die of tuberculosis again, just like in her previous life.
Similarly, Wen Xiufen will not commit suicide again.
It's wonderful that the mother and daughter's fate has been turned around.
After leaving Wen Xiufen's house, Jiang Ling went to find Qian Jianshe.
Qian Jianshe is currently suspended from his duties and staying at home to reflect on his actions. It's a time when he's extremely nervous. When Jiang Ling came to his door, he was so frightened that he kept explaining, "I don't have any photos of her. I just brought a camera that day as a pretense. There wasn't even any film in it. I don't know how to develop photos. Where would I get those kinds of pictures developed? I was just trying to scare her. Anyway, Wen Xiufen is timid, and she'll believe anything I say."
Seeing Jiang Ling's icy expression, Qian Jianshe felt even more panicked.
To be honest, he was really afraid of Jiang Ling.
He was doing very well at the textile factory and was on track to be promoted to factory manager in two years. But things took a turn for the worse when his son got into a fight with a classmate and they went to the police station to mediate.
Officer Wei had handled things quite well before, but Jiang Ling, the new police officer, kept pressing his family, causing them to not only lose a lot of money, but also have their son sent to a juvenile detention center. Furthermore, he was investigated by the disciplinary committee, which left him terrified.
Last night, after learning that Zhao Yanhong had gone to Wen Xiufen's house to cause trouble and ran into Jiang Ling, Qian Jianshe's right eyebrow twitched so much that he couldn't sleep a wink all night. A twitching left eye means good fortune, a twitching right eye means bad luck; something bad might be about to happen.
Upon seeing Jiang Ling again, Qian Jianshe felt like kneeling down.
Before the embezzlement has even been investigated, shouldn't the police arrest him for rape first?
Jiang Ling seemed to hear his thoughts: "Zhao Yanhong came to your door to cause trouble, saying that Wen Xiufen had an improper relationship with you, that Wen Xiufen's reputation was damaged, and that she reported you for rape."
Qian Jianshe knelt down with a thud and pleaded, "Officer Jiang, please, please ask her to be lenient and let me go. I promise I will never harass her again. My wife has a mental illness, and I am willing to compensate for all the losses caused. Yes! I am willing to compensate her three thousand yuan, just please don't sue me. I am currently suspended from my duties to reflect on my actions and await the factory's investigation. I am really overwhelmed and have no energy to deal with another lawsuit."
Jiang Ling stood up: "Come with us."
After saying that, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang left the textile factory's residential area with Qian Jianshe, whose face was ashen.
Back at the police station, Qian Jianshe was taken to the interrogation room.
Li Zhenliang and Liu Haoran went over to give their statements. Standing in the corridor, Li Zhenliang couldn't help but spit out, "Damn it, what kind of person is he! Bullying the weak and fearing the strong, he's a real piece of work!"
Jiang Ling looked up at the high-hanging sun.
The winter sun's rays are a cold white, offering little warmth when it shines on you, yet they are still dazzling when looked directly at.
In her previous life, Jiang Ling enjoyed reading crime novels. She remembered a passage from Keigo Higashino's novel "Journey Under the Midnight Sun": "There are two things in the world that cannot be looked at directly: the sun and the human heart."
Indeed, it is only the human heart and the sun that cannot be looked at directly.
Qian Jianshe is shameless and Zhao Yanhong is a scoundrel. This couple raised Qian Darong, who developed antisocial personality disorder at a young age.
Wen Xiufen had no choice but to submit to Qian Jianshe in order to improve her living conditions. Behind her was Lin Xiaoyue, who was silently crying and almost turned to theft.
Jiang Ling called Ying Songmao: "Captain Ying, the case is solved."
Ying Songmao, who had originally planned to go to the police station that evening to find out what happened, felt his spirits lift upon hearing her voice: "Is it really Lin Xiaoyue who did it?"
"Yes." Jiang Ling gave a brief report on what had happened.
After hearing the details of how the case was solved, Ying Songmao fell silent.
Jiang Ling's criminal psychological profiling is simply amazing—she solved the case in just one day!
After a long silence, Ying Songmao made a request: "Could you take some time to compile all the case files and materials and send them to the Municipal Bureau? I still have experiments to do and don't have time to come over."
Seemingly afraid that Jiang Ling would be unwilling to make the trip, Ying Songmao gave her a reason that she wouldn't refuse: "I will organize the materials, write a paper, and submit it to a journal, with you as the first author."
Jiang Ling was surprised to receive such a benefit and immediately agreed: "Okay, remember to add the names of Li Zhenliang, Liu Haoran, and Zhou Wei."
"Okay." Ying Songmao readily agreed, "Come directly to the technical team to find me."
Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Ling made a request: "Captain Ying, could you help me contact the Third Brigade? I have a case here. Although it's a rape case, the victim doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, so it will probably be filed as a corruption case in the end."
Ying Songmao asked, "Wen Xiufen is going to sue Qian Jianshe? What is the evidence for the embezzlement charge?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "That's right! Zhao Yanhong, a member of the textile factory's trade union committee, is Qian Jianshe's wife. She once embezzled the hardship allowance for Liang Jiushan and his sister. Although it wasn't a lot of money, we can use this as a breakthrough point to quickly uncover the Qian family's embezzlement and bribery crimes."
Although Ying Songmao was from the technical team, he had participated in many cases, both big and small, and possessed a very meticulous logical mind: "Do you have a solution?"
Jiang Ling's lips curled slightly: "Zhao Yanhong is in detention. We'll find a way to estrange the couple, and Qian Jianshe's embezzlement will be investigated and cleared up soon."
Last night, when Jiang Ling had Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei take Zhao Yanhong to the detention center, she instructed them to carefully screen the fellow inmates who would be with her—women who were divorced, had been cheated on by men, or had family disputes.
Having worked in a women's prison for five or six years, Jiang Ling has met many female inmates. Some of these women's violent crimes are related to long-term abuse or deception by their partners. In addition, some women participate in crimes because of their partners' emotional manipulation, threats of violence, or deception.
In summary, the proportion of crimes committed by women related to their partners is quite high.
After these women are imprisoned, one type of feeling is self-blame and remorse:
How could I have trusted him in the first place?
"If only I had seen through his true colors sooner..."
"It's all my fault. I ruined myself and hurt my family."
One type is anger towards one's partner:
"He ruined my life, I hate him!"
"Why is he free while I have to go to jail?"
"I wanted to kill him, but it's too late..."
Another type is the attachment to family:
"What about my children? Will they hate me?"
"My parents will never be able to hold their heads up high again..."
These people's words were filled with anguish; they were confessions of the past and insights into life.
Zhao Yanhong did not have the chance to hear these words.
Zhao Yanhong married into the city from the countryside, and it was a case of "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs rise to heaven." She was surrounded by flattery, and she became somewhat arrogant.
Now, by putting her in a room with female criminals who have been hurt by men, and letting her hear things like "If men are reliable, pigs can fly!" and "Listen to me, men are all bad," she will deeply understand the consequences of men turning their backs on her. This will plant a thorn in her heart and ignite the conflict between her and Qian Jianshe.
Jiang Ling clearly remembered that when she first visited the Qian family with Li Zhenliang, Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong had a fight. At that time, Zhao Yanhong shouted, "If you dare to divorce me, don't blame me for fighting to the death! All these years..."
Therefore, what Jiang Ling needs to do now is to sow discord between Zhao Yanhong and Qian Jianshe, and make them fight like dogs.
“Okay. I’ll have Lei Junyue from the Third Brigade go over there. You can contact him directly.” Ying Songmao agreed without hesitation.
This young Jiang is really smart and insightful; he'd be perfect for being a policeman.
Hearing that Ying Songmao was so helpful, sending the deputy captain of the Third Brigade directly, Jiang Ling's eyes crinkled into a smile. With the Criminal Investigation Detachment involved, neither Qian Jianshe nor his wife could escape!
Lei Junyue quickly led his men to the Jinwu Road Police Station.
When Qian Jianshe saw the criminal police, his legs went weak.
Under Jiang Ling's direction, Qian Jianshe obediently signed a guarantee promising never to harass Wen Xiufen and to compensate her 3,000 yuan for emotional distress.
Qian Jianshe thought he could finally be free, but Jiang Ling produced the transcript from when she mediated Qian Darong's case years ago. Combined with Liang Jiushan's report, Lei Junyue filed a case against Zhao Yanhong for embezzlement and took Qian Jianshe to the Criminal Investigation Detachment for further investigation.
Lei Junyue had extensive experience in handling economic crimes. Before leaving, he held Li Zhenliang's hand tightly and repeatedly assured Jiang Ling, "Anyone who would embezzle a hardship allowance of 200 yuan a year is definitely not clean. Don't worry, we have professional auditors who will check their bank statements and transfer records, and search their residence. We will definitely not let them escape the punishment of the law."
Lei Junyue had actually wanted to shake Jiang Ling's hand earlier. After all, Ying Songmao rarely spoke up, and he actually asked him to come to the police station to listen to Comrade Jiang's instructions. Lei Junyue was really curious about Jiang Ling.
Unexpectedly, Li Zhenliang acted faster, grabbing his hand first.
Lei Junyue had no choice but to suppress his surging curiosity and deal with the case first.
As early as when he heard Jiang Ling say that Liang Jiushan had reported the case and the Criminal Investigation Detachment had taken over the investigation of the embezzlement case, Qian Jianshe knew that he was doomed.
After becoming the deputy director of the textile factory in charge of infrastructure, he accepted bribes from countless construction teams and engaged in numerous corrupt practices. In addition to the 100,000 yuan in the bank, he also had tens of thousands of yuan in cash and gold in his cabinets and drawers at home.
He wasn't afraid when his workplace investigated him. He skillfully slipped tens of thousands of yuan to the factory director and the audit department leader, and it seemed like the matter was almost settled. But he didn't expect Jiang Ling to have so much influence that she got the criminal investigation team to take over his case.
The Third Detachment of the Criminal Investigation Division is known for its swift and decisive action in investigating economic cases! I heard that once a search warrant is issued, they'll pry up the entire room, even the floor tiles. How could he possibly hide his gold bars and cash?
The thought that the meager two hundred yuan hardship allowance would lead him into this predicament filled Qian Jianshe with hatred for Zhao Yanhong. He kept cursing Zhao Yanhong, who was still locked up in the detention center, wishing he could tear her to pieces.
—This is the woman who not only ruined her son, but also ruined him!
At that moment, Zhao Yanhong, who was being constantly cursed by Qian Jianshe, sat blankly on the wooden chair in the detention room, her world collapsing.
"Strike first and you'll have the upper hand; strike later and you'll suffer the consequences."
"Men only behave when they're hung on the wall."
"Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately."
...
With such words filling her ears, coupled with the painful stories told by her two fellow inmates, Zhao Yanhong was truly starting to panic.
What did Qian Jianshe say when he signed the document yesterday?
"If you want to die, don't drag me into it!"
Oh, right, that's the sentence. If something happened to her, Qian Jianshe would probably be just like his brother and sister-in-law, wanting to sever all ties with her immediately, right?
The more Zhao Yanhong thought about it, the more terrified she became. When she was taken to the interrogation room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment and saw the eight characters on the wall that read "Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely," and faced Lei Junyue's dark face, her psychological defenses collapsed immediately.
Before Lei Junyue could even speak, Zhao Yanhong was already crying and sniffling, slumping onto the table and wailing, "I want to report him! I want to report Qian Jianshe for embezzlement and bribery!"
Strike first and try to become a witness for the prosecution; maybe then she can still have a way out.
As for Qian Jianshe... that man who's always having affairs, let him die!
After the interrogation ended, Lei Junyue felt a little dizzy.
It went so smoothly, I didn't expect it to go so smoothly.
Embezzling and accepting bribes of hundreds of thousands! This is a major economic case. It's like a favor was handed to him. Jiang Ling is such a good person.
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