Chapter 94 Rooftop: Reclassification of the Case
The sky was ablaze with the colors of sunset.
Jiang Ling was busy all day and didn't return to the office until evening.
In the office of the criminal profiling team, the team members sat around the conference table, all waiting for Jiang Ling to share her findings for the day.
Li Qiuyun also sat upright next to Li Zhenliang, her posture slightly reserved.
She was temporarily transferred to the Yanshi Public Security Bureau to participate in the entire Zhang Minghui child abuse case. The visits and investigations were time-consuming and laborious, but Li Qiuyun did not feel tired at all, because she knew that this was an excellent opportunity to improve her case-handling skills.
Jiang Ling placed a consultation report on the table, her voice slightly hoarse: "Everyone, take a look at this report first."
This is a professional psychological counseling report, written by Qin Ningyun, a well-known child psychology expert in the provincial capital.
Jiang Ling took Xiao Yu to the provincial capital today for a psychological therapy session.
To obtain this report, Jiang Ling made many unseen efforts.
Psychotherapy was still a novelty in the 1990s, with only the Provincial People's Hospital having a psychological counseling room and professional doctors. The journey from Yanshi to the provincial capital took more than three hours by car. And Xiaoyu, apart from Wen Xiufen, resisted the approach of anyone else.
Wen Xiufen had experienced domestic violence herself. Because she had been through the rain and suffered, when she met Xiaoyu, who had also suffered domestic violence, she stood up firmly to protect him, care for him, and want him to grow up healthily.
When Jiang Ling asked Wen Xiufen if she would be willing to go to the provincial capital with her to take Xiaoyu for psychological counseling and guidance, Wen Xiufen nodded in agreement without hesitation.
Wen Xiufen's care for Xiaoyu was not a responsibility or an obligation, but an act of kindness.
She was a worker at the Peony Towel Factory. She took Xiaoyu to the provincial capital on leave. Was it considered a business trip, a leave of absence, or absenteeism?
Jiang Ling certainly couldn't let kind people suffer.
Jiang Ling negotiated with the factory leaders multiple times and finally reached an agreement.
—Before the verdict in Zhang Minghui's case is announced, Wen Xiufen will raise Xiaoyu and will take a portion of Zhang Minghui's salary to cover Xiaoyu's nutrition and medical expenses.
—For example, when Wen Xiufen took Xiaoyu to the provincial capital for psychological treatment today, the factory calculated it as a business trip and provided her with a certain travel allowance.
After resolving the work and expense issues, there was still one thing to deal with: Wen Xiufen had gone to the provincial capital, so what would happen to Lin Xiaoyue?
After much deliberation, Jiang Ling sent Lin Xiaoyue, who was on summer vacation, to Liang Qiqiao's house, where Liang Qiqiao, who had already received her admission notice from Hunan Normal University, would temporarily take care of her.
Liang Qiqiao and Liang Jiushan had both received favors from Jiang Ling, so without hesitation, they let Lin Xiaoyue move into the Liang family home with her schoolbag. The siblings both liked this well-behaved and sensible little sister very much, not only cooking various delicious meals for her but also tutoring her in her studies.
After making these arrangements, Jiang Ling took Wen Xiufen and Xiao Yu to the provincial capital.
The psychological counseling room at the Provincial People's Hospital is decorated in a warm and safe manner.
Beige curtains let in soft sunlight, the walls were covered with playful stickers, a soft carpet was laid on the floor, colorful cushions and plush toys were piled up in the corner, and a faint lavender scent filled the air.
A large sheet of thick white paper was laid out in the center of the room, with colorful crayons scattered around it.
Xiao Yu curled up in Wen Xiufen's arms, his body trembling slightly, his big eyes looking a little dazed.
The physical scars from her father's beatings have healed, but the psychological wounds remain.
Wen Xiufen gently embraced Xiaoyu, her warm hands softly stroking his thin back again and again, humming a tuneless lullaby.
Her embrace is now Xiaoyu's "safe haven".
Dr. Qin Ningyun is a 36-year-old female PhD in psychology who returned from overseas. It was she who overcame all opposition to open a psychotherapy clinic at the Provincial People's Hospital.
She sat on a mat a little distance away from Xiaoyu, her voice as soft as a feather: "Xiaoyu, Aunt Qin has a lot of pretty crayons here today. Shall we draw together? You can draw whatever you want, or just a few lines."
Jiang Ling sat on a chair a little further away.
She remained silent, intently observing Xiaoyu's every subtle reaction—the tension in his body, the frequency of his breathing, the direction in which his gaze evaded—and recording it all.
Although the environment was warm and the doctor was gentle, the unfamiliar surroundings still made Xiaoyu feel uneasy. He nestled deeper into Wen Xiufen's arms, his body tense.
Wen Xiufen gently pressed her cheek against Xiaoyu's head and whispered, "Don't be afraid, sweetie. Look, the policewoman is right here. No bad guys will dare to bully you. How about you draw me a sun? Or, the little grass downstairs?"
Xiaoyu tilted his head slightly and looked towards the sky outside the window.
Dr. Qin picked up a blue crayon and placed it next to Xiaoyu: "Look, this is the color of the sky. Do you want to try coloring a patch of blue?"
Xiaoyu made no move.
Wen Xiufen didn't urge him, but simply held him and stroked him rhythmically.
Jiang Ling noticed that Xiao Yu was tightly clutching Wen Xiufen's clothes, his knuckles slightly white. She quickly wrote in her notebook: "High alert, deep-seated fears have been touched, possibly related to blue skies."
After a long time, Xiaoyu very slowly and hesitantly extended a finger and touched the tip of the blue crayon very lightly.
Dr. Qin's eyes lit up.
"Oh, blue, that's Xiaoyu's favorite color, right?" Dr. Qin didn't ask him to draw, but simply pushed the crayons forward a little further.
Xiao Yu looked at Wen Xiufen.
Wen Xiufen smiled and nodded, her eyes full of encouragement.
Xiao Yu clumsily pinched the crayon between his fingertips and scribbled a small, trembling patch of blue on the edge of the huge white paper. After finishing the patch, he immediately shrank back into Wen Xiufen's arms.
Dr. Qin then picked up a series of colored crayons and observed Xiaoyu's reaction.
"This is yellow, the color of the sun, isn't it warm?" Xiaoyu didn't react.
"This is red, and the red scarf is also this color, right?" Xiaoyu didn't react.
...
When Dr. Qin picked up a dark gray crayon, Xiao Yu's body suddenly trembled violently, and he stared intently at the dark gray crayon.
Jiang Ling recalled Zheng Yu's words—the day An Xiaohui had her accident was in the evening when she was leaving get off work, and Zhang Minghui was wearing a dark gray work uniform.
Wen Xiufen immediately hugged Xiaoyu tightly: "Xiufen's mom is here, Xiufen's mom is here! Sweetie, don't be afraid." Her voice carried an undeniable protective power as she tried her best to soothe the child's fear.
Jiang Ling's heart clenched suddenly.
She actually had a worry in her heart all along.
She worried that guiding Xiaoyu to reveal the truth about his mother's fall two years ago would cause further psychological trauma to the child. After all, forgetting is a human self-protection mechanism.
However, Dr. Qin told Jiang Ling that in order to help Xiaoyu overcome his fear and the shadow of abuse, cognitive integration must be achieved through narrative reconstruction.
To put it simply, it involves peeling back naturally formed, distorted, terrifying, and excruciatingly painful scars, forcing the person to confront the bloody wound, and then stitching it up with the help of a doctor. Only by going through this arduous process can the psychological scars heal and the pain be eliminated.
Before starting treatment, Dr. Qin inquired about Xiaoyu's condition in detail.
She told Jiang Ling that for young children, untreated psychological trauma can be reinforced in a cyclical manner through non-verbal means, forming a "fear loop." For example, after being beaten, Xiao Yu curled up in bed with constant body trembling, had recurring nightmares, and mumbled in his sleep, "Mommy, don't jump, don't jump." These are fragmented manifestations of traumatic memories, which can trigger deeper fear and helplessness.
The psychological intervention she conducted today aimed to break this cycle of fear by integrating fragmented memories into a complete narrative through verbal narration in a safe environment, using painting as a medium.
The dark gray crayon triggered Xiaoyu's fearful memories, and the psychotherapy officially began.
Dr. Qin picked up the dark gray crayon and placed it on the drawing paper: "Xiaoyu, don't be afraid. Draw it, and we'll protect you together."
Xiaoyu looked up at Dr. Qin and saw encouragement, love, and pity in her eyes.
He slowly reached out, picked up a dark gray crayon, and drew a stick figure under the blue sky.
Dr. Qin picked up a black crayon and asked in a gentle tone, "Xiaoyu, look at this black crayon. Isn't it a bit heavy? Will it block the blue?"
Black represents shadows, and also the presence of buildings.
Xiao Yu closed his eyes, but the hand gripping Wen Xiufen's clothes loosened slightly.
Dr. Qin waited patiently.
When Xiaoyu slowly opened his eyes again, his gaze was fixed on the black pen.
Suddenly, he broke free from Wen Xiufen's embrace and grabbed the black crayon. Then, with a frantic, almost desperate madness, he began to scribble wildly and haphazardly beneath the blue area representing the sky.
It wasn't coloring, but rather "drilling" with the tip of a crayon! As if trying to poke or pierce something.
The hard crayon tip scraped against the thick drawing paper, making a harsh "scratching" sound.
While drawing, Xiaoyu suddenly shouted.
"ah!"
Its call is short and sharp.
Wen Xiufen was startled and opened her arms to hug Xiaoyu tightly again, but Dr. Qin quickly and silently raised her hand to stop her.
Jiang Ling stared intently at Xiao Yu's movements and his frantic attempts to rip through the "sky".
This is a release, an instinctive outburst of suppressed fear and anger, and a key channel to break through the blockade of memories.
The black crayon snapped with a "crack" because it was pressed too hard.
Xiaoyu's frantic movements suddenly stopped. He turned around and huddled in Wen Xiufen's arms, his body heaving violently, tears streaming down his face.
It wasn't the silent sobbing of before, but a heart-wrenching wail filled with immense terror and pain.
He cried so hard he could barely breathe, as if he wanted to cry out all the fear and grievances that had been building up for two years.
Wen Xiufen felt her heart breaking. She stroked Xiaoyu's back again and again, gently coaxing him, "Don't be afraid, baby. Cry it out, let all your grievances out. Mommy Xiufen will hold you. I'll be there for you even if the sky falls."
Dr. Qin did not speak immediately.
It's a good thing that the child can cry.
Fear, pain, despair... all these negative emotions were released, and with Wen Xiufen's comforting words, it helped Xiaoyu rebuild his sense of security.
Jiang Ling held her breath and waited quietly.
She knew that Xiaoyu, as the only witness to his mother's murder, had sealed away his memories due to immense fear. What Dr. Qin was doing now was to help him release his extreme fear.
And now, the truth is right before our eyes.
Xiao Yu nestled in Wen Xiufen's arms, his cries gradually turning into weak sobs. His small body trembled with each sob.
Dr. Qin, who was originally squatting on the ground, slowly moved closer to Xiaoyu as he cried, and sat on the soft cushion covered with colorful puzzle pieces, looking relaxed and easygoing.
Her voice was as gentle as a March breeze: "Xiaoyu must have been very angry and scared just now, right? Did you see something very dark and scary?"
Xiaoyu didn't resist Dr. Qin's approach. He pointed to the chaotic and distorted black shadow below the blue area, his lips trembling as he uttered a barely audible whisper: "So high, if I fall, the wind will howl..."
Dr. Qin: "Hmm, very high, there's a wind blowing, making my hair all messy? What else is there?"
Xiaoyu trembled violently and raised his teary eyes: "I'm scared! Dad will hit Xiaoyu."
Wen Xiufen immediately hugged him tightly: "Don't be afraid, Daddy can't hit you! Your mother is here, as are the policewoman and the doctor. They are all here to protect you. No one can hit you again."
Protected by Wen Xiufen's unwavering and powerful maternal strength, Xiaoyu's trembling miraculously began to subside. He seemed to have found the safest sanctuary, and he nestled his head deeper into the crook of Wen Xiufen's neck, inhaling the scent of soap and sunshine mingled on her body—the warm smell of "Mom."
Xiaoyu murmured softly, "Mom."
Dr. Qin seized this window of opportunity for rebuilding a sense of security: "In that high, windy place, is Xiaoyu's mother there? Did she speak? What did she say?"
When his mother was mentioned, Xiaoyu's breathing gradually became steady. He pressed his neck tightly against Wen Xiufen's and said clearly, "Mom said, give the patent back to me."
patent?
This is definitely not a word that a five-year-old child could make up out of thin air.
Dr. Qin pressed her advantage, remaining gentle as she guided him to recall the details: "What else did Xiaoyu see? Tell us, and let's protect Mom together, okay?"
This time, Xiaoyu answered almost immediately, his voice carrying a nightmarish murmur, but every word made Jiang Ling's heart pound: "Daddy used his hands to push Mommy hard, and Mommy fell down."
This is the scene that Xiaoyu fears the most.
It was also the memory that gave him nightmares every night.
But now, with Wen Xiufen holding him, Dr. Qin comforting him, and Officer Jiang protecting him, Xiaoyu felt an unprecedented sense of security in this unfamiliar yet warm environment.
He wanted to speak out.
He has to say it!
When the moment his mother jumped from the building was mentioned, Xiaoyu's curled-up body suddenly arched up, as if simulating that moment of falling, and his little hand unconsciously made a grasping motion in the air.
"Dad grabbed my hand, it hurts. Mom jumped down herself, if you dare say that, I'll beat you to death."
He spoke the last sentence clearly, mimicking Zhang Minghui's cold and threatening tone.
Dr. Qin: "And then? Did Xiaoyu say anything?"
Xiao Yu clenched his fists, tears welling in his eyes, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I shouted, Mom, don't jump, don't jump!"
Finally, I told you about the nightmare!
Finally, the memories that Xiaoyu had deliberately blocked out were fully and clearly presented through language.
call--
Dr. Qin let out a long, silent sigh and exchanged a glance with Jiang Ling.
Very good, Xiaoyu's memory is finally complete.
His traumatic memories will gradually transform into ordinary long-term memories during this psychotherapy, thus freeing him from fear.
Dr. Qin picked up the drawing paper, then placed a white crayon in Xiaoyu's palm: "Let's drive this bad guy away together, okay?"
Under Dr. Qin's gentle guidance, Xiaoyu picked up a white crayon and drew circles on the dark gray stick figure again and again until the stick figure was smeared into a blurry blob, like a gray cloud.
Dr. Qin smiled warmly: "Xiaoyu, look, the bad guy who pushed Mommy down has been erased and turned into a cloud, right?"
Xiao Yu stared intently at the grayish blob on the drawing paper, his eyes lighting up.
Dr. Qin picked up a yellow crayon and drew a sun in the blue sky: "Look, Mom has become the sun. Xiaoyu, if you miss Mom in the future, just bask in the sun, okay?"
Xiaoyu turned to look at Wen Xiufen.
Wen Xiufen hugged him, smiling through her tears: "Xiufen's mother will also be there for Xiaoyu as he grows up."
Xiao Yu then looked at Dr. Qin and nodded gently, "Okay." At this moment, the gloom that had been hanging over him gradually dissipated, and he finally showed the innocence and cuteness that a seven-year-old child should have.
Dr. Qin placed a small sunflower doll in Xiaoyu's palm, planting a seed of hope in his heart: "Mommy has become the sun, and will always watch over Xiaoyu as he grows up. Xiaoyu is just like this sunflower, isn't he?"
The sunflower flower is only the size of a palm, golden and bright, with two green leaves at the bottom of the stem. This doll looks cute and adorable, and it feels soft in your hand, providing a wonderfully soothing sensation to a child's skin.
Treatment completed.
Xiao Yu held the sunflower doll tightly and fell into a deep sleep in Wen Xiufen's arms. Although there were still tears in the corners of his eyes, his body was no longer trembling and his breathing was steady.
Wen Xiufen held her sleeping child, tears streaming silently down her face.
Although she didn't understand what psychological counseling was or the professional terms, she found it amazing to witness her child go from fear to anger, and then to joy and peace.
That's wonderful! Xiaoyu can finally sleep peacefully and stop trembling with fear. He will definitely grow up healthy in the future.
Jiang Ling, watching Wen Xiufen and Xiao Yu embracing each other, was filled with emotion.
Despite her long and arduous life, Wen Xiufen, with unwavering resilience, offered shelter to another wounded life.
With the doctor's help, Xiaoyu bravely stepped out of his self-imposed isolation and revealed the terrifying truth. He transformed from a passive recipient of information into a storyteller, regaining psychological control.
A feeling of emotion and strength that transcended the case itself filled Jiang Ling's heart. She looked at Dr. Qin and whispered, "Thank you."
As I reminisced, the night outside the window was already as dark as ink.
Anger flashed in the eyes of everyone who had finished reading the psychological counseling report.
Zhou Wei's eyebrows furrowed into a line: "Zhang Minghui is not only a domestic abuser, but also suspected of murder?"
Li Zhenliang slammed his hand on the interview transcript on the conference table: "You bastard! You killed your wife for a patent!"
Liu Haoran looked at Jiang Ling: "Team leader, tell me, what should we do?"
The office door was suddenly pushed open, and Zheng Yu strode in.
Her police uniform still had dust on the shoulders from her travels, and her short hair was slightly messy, but her eyes shone brightly: "Everyone, I'm back!"
Zheng Yu's eyes were bloodshot from continuous travel, but she was in high spirits.
She slammed the thick file folder onto the table with a thud.
The case file contained all the key evidence Zheng Yu had brought back: a newly marked rooftop scene investigation map, clearly indicating the location of the scratches; high-resolution photos and identification reports of An Xiaohui's fingernail evidence; An Xiaohui's graduation thesis archived at Jiangcheng University of Technology; experimental data from the Hongxing Towel Factory; and detailed statements from key eyewitnesses.
Zheng Yu spoke first: "The materials are all here. Jiang Ling, how's it going on your end?"
Jiang Ling placed the psychological counseling report and Xiao Yu's crayon drawing photos in front of Zheng Yu: "Xiao Yu recalled the scene of the fall. An Xiao Hui and Zhang Ming Hui had a dispute over a patent issue, and Zhang Ming Hui violently pushed her, causing her to fall. After the incident, Zhang Ming Hui threatened and manipulated Xiao Yu. These are consistent with the scene of the fall you reconstructed."
Zheng Yu slammed his hand on the table: "The case has been reclassified. This is not domestic violence, not an accident, but a case of intentional homicide committed to cover up the crime of technology theft."
Jiang Ling's voice betrayed her anger: "The evidence is clear, prepare for interrogation."
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