Chapter 43 Banner: Oh dear, Little Jiang is back!
There were only a few words on the card.
"You knew he did drugs, didn't you?"
But these words were like a giant beast, opening its blood-red maw, ready to devour Ying Yuhua whole.
Ying Yuhua suddenly looked up, her eyes red-rimmed, staring intently at Jiang Ling.
Her body began to tremble, and she could no longer hold the pen.
This is an extreme form of fear.
—The little white rabbit trembled with fear upon seeing the tiger, its soul nearly leaving its body.
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Jiang Ling really felt a little soft-hearted.
However, being soft-hearted won't solve the problem now.
Jiang Ling took the pen and wrote down the answer for Ying Yuhua.
--yes!
After trembling for a while, Ying Yuhua took the initiative to write a line on the card: You all know?
Jiang Ling did not answer her question, but instead took out another card and pushed it in front of her.
"You know how dangerous drugs are, right?"
Ying Yuhua could see that the policewoman in front of her had a firm belief. She had no way to plead for mercy or run away, so she could only follow Jiang Ling's steps forward.
She took the pen and wrote a heavy stroke on the card.
"yes."
Jiang Ling glanced at her, took a card from Li Zhenliang's hand, and placed it on the small table.
"You want to help him, don't you?"
"yes."
"You begged him while crying, didn't you?"
"yes."
"He hasn't changed, has he?"
"yes."
"You feel guilty, don't you?"
"yes."
"You want to wake him up through suicide, is that it?"
Ying Yuhua felt completely exposed, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed. Her face turned bright red, and she almost burst into tears.
Jiang Ling tapped the paper with her finger, indicating that Ying Yuhua should answer.
Helpless, Ying Yuhua picked up her pen and wrote a weak "yes" on the paper.
Jiang Ling's expression was serious as she continued asking questions.
"You know why he does drugs, don't you?"
"yes."
"He made that choice willingly, didn't he?"
"No."
"He was lured into drug use, wasn't he?"
"yes."
"You've seen the pain he suffers during his drug withdrawal, haven't you?"
As the conversation deepened, Ying Yuhua's heart grew numb with pain.
However, facing Jiang Ling's serious face, Ying Yuhua's intense sense of shame gradually diminished.
Isn't drug use something everyone fears?
Why did Jiang Ling ask these questions so easily and naturally, as if it were just an illness that didn't need to be avoided?
Ying Yuhua had previously run away because of her sense of shame.
The school had conducted anti-drug campaigns, and there were also anti-drug posters in the community. In addition, her brother was a criminal police officer, so Ying Yuhua was ashamed of drugs.
She knew that using drugs was wrong, and she knew that possessing drugs was illegal.
When she suddenly learned that her beloved boyfriend was using drugs, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and she was completely stunned.
Ying Yuhua tried; she cried and begged, but to no avail.
Despite Chen Mu's repeated assurances, he still couldn't quit.
Ying Yuhua felt it was her responsibility that Chen Mu couldn't quit drugs.
It's because she's a bad girlfriend that she can't help him.
She couldn't hear anything, and she had unspeakable suffering.
Seeing her parents busy at the rice noodle shop, Ying Yuhua felt so guilty that she wished she could die.
When her brother smiled and patted her head, asking her what gift she wanted, she was so embarrassed that she couldn't lift her head.
Ying Yuhua felt that she was the failure of the family.
Without her, my parents wouldn't have had such a hard life. Without her, my brother wouldn't be 26 and still single.
Just thinking about the day Chen Mu's affair is exposed and people point fingers at her family makes Ying Yuhua feel like a giant hand is gripping her throat, suffocating her until her lungs feel like they're going to explode.
Overwhelmed with inner turmoil, Ying Yuhua sought to alleviate her profound guilt through physical pain.
Jiang Ling did not disturb Ying Yuhua, letting her gaze shift from bright to dark as she fell into thought.
Five minutes later, Jiang Ling tapped on the small table to signal Ying Yuhua to come back to her senses.
Feeling the vibration from the tapping on the small table, Ying Yuhua looked up at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling gestured for her to write the answer on the card.
Ying Yuhua wrote more than one word on it.
Yes, he was in a lot of pain. He had thought about quitting, but he couldn't do it.
Jiang Ling placed another card in front of her.
Have you ever thought about doing drugs?
This is precisely the problem that Jiang Ling is most worried about.
In her past life, she had been involved in a case.
A lovestruck girl, wanting to demonstrate her unwavering commitment to her boyfriend through thick and thin, decided to try drugs herself. She believed that her willpower and self-control would allow her to successfully overcome addiction and save her boyfriend, but she underestimated herself.
Drugs stimulate the brain to release large amounts of dopamine, which is the key to excitement and pleasure.
Once you've experienced that blissful, ethereal feeling, you'll become addicted.
After repeated experiences, the brain's balance is disrupted, nerve cells are damaged, and brain function declines continuously, making the addiction stronger.
This girl failed to quit drugs and instead became increasingly addicted. She lost contact with her parents, abandoned her self-respect and her body, and died in her rented room less than two years later from an overdose.
Because she didn't know Ying Yuhua's fate in her previous life, Jiang Ling was very worried that she would go down such a path of no return.
Ying Yuhua wrote one word on the card.
--No.
Concern can cloud judgment, and Jiang Ling, unable to discern the truth, turned to look at Li Zhenliang.
Li Zhenliang shook his head.
He had been carefully studying Ying Yuhua's handwriting. In her normal handwriting, the character "不" (bu) was steady and balanced, with appropriate pressure. However, in her "不", the horizontal stroke at the top was clearly tilted downwards, and the final dot was drawn very heavily, which represented her inner turmoil.
Ying Yuhua is lying!
Jiang Ling's heart sank to the bottom.
How could a police officer's sister want to try drugs?
I can't stand it.
I can't stand even a little bit.
Jiang Ling slammed her hand on the small table, her eyes blazing with fury.
She stared coldly at Ying Yuhua without saying a word.
Under such gazes, Ying Yuhua shed tears.
She wept silently, large tears streaming down her cheeks.
Jiang Ling took out a piece of white paper and wrote two lines on it.
—You want to save a drug addict by sacrificing yourself?
—You're so stupid!
Jiang Ling held up the white paper in front of Ying Yuhua, forcing her to face it.
Ying Yuhua's eyes were blurred with tears as she struggled to see the two lines of text clearly. She knew she deserved to be cursed, she knew she deserved to die, but... she couldn't bear to let go.
She couldn't bear to part with the sweetness of her time with Chen Mu, nor could she let go of the love that brought her so much happiness.
She couldn't bear to part with the man with the beautiful peach blossom eyes.
She couldn't bear to part with the man who had learned sign language for her and was so witty and charming.
The time I spent with Chen Mu was so wonderful, like a poem or a painting.
He was a bit rebellious and willful, but he would ride his motorcycle with her at breakneck speed, he would hold her and spin her around in the mountains, he would hold her hand and walk through the streets and alleys, and he would kiss her until he couldn't breathe.
This was a joy she had never experienced before.
Although her parents and brother loved her, they loved her very carefully.
In their presence, she always felt like a fragile piece of porcelain, ready to shatter at the slightest touch.
This made her feel like she was disabled.
But Chen Mu is different.
In his eyes, she was no different from any other girl.
He would get angry when he was unhappy, and give her gifts when he was happy. In his world, Ying Yuhua was a flower, a beautiful and vibrant flower blooming in the mountains.
Jiang Ling suppressed her anger and continued to force Ying Yuhua to answer the questions.
"You know that if you die, your parents and brother will be sad and in pain, right?"
Ying Yuhua cried as she wrote a single character on the card.
--yes.
"You know that if Chen Mu is found out to be using drugs, your brother's career will be affected, right?"
Ying Yuhua wept uncontrollably, and wrote down her thoughts in a crooked and unsteady hand.
--yes.
Look, Ying Yuhua understands everything, but she can't bear to make her family sad and in pain.
She couldn't bear to part with Chen Mu, but she was willing to leave behind her parents and brothers who loved her to the core.
What a selfish girl.
Because they are favored, they are fearless.
In her silent world, Chen Mu was the sunshine that illuminated the earth and warmed her heart.
As for parents, older brothers...
Perhaps because she had always been carefully protected by her family, she took it all for granted. Just like air, you are breathing, but you don't realize it's there.
Jiang Ling carefully examined the tearful, pitiful girl in front of her.
Although she was a year older than him, she was not actually mature.
Jiang Ling took a card from Li Zhenliang's hand and steadily pushed it in front of Ying Yuhua.
"If Chen Mu successfully overcomes his drug addiction, do you still want to commit suicide?"
Ying Yuhua suddenly looked up, staring blankly at Jiang Ling. She stopped crying and just stared straight at Jiang Ling, her eyes filled with caution and expectation.
--No.
Looking at this answer, Jiang Ling smiled wryly.
If Jiang Ling were Ying Songmao, she'd probably be itching to punch someone right now.
Chen Mu swayed all of Ying Yuhua's thoughts and even controlled her life.
She lived, she lived for him.
She died, she died for him.
Why can't she think about her aging parents and her worried and angry brother?
Love and drugs have something in common.
— Both can stimulate the brain and promote the secretion of dopamine.
Because dopamine makes people happy, so many people are drawn to it.
Even if it costs them their lives.
Fortunately, Ying Yuhua is not Jiang Ling's sister, which allowed Jiang Ling to remain rational.
"You've used drugs, haven't you?"
Startled, Ying Yuhua looked up and hastily wrote down the character "no".
Jiang Ling finally felt a little relieved.
Fortunately, it's not too late.
At least, Ying Yuhua has not yet put into action the idea of saving Chen Mu through drug use.
"You want to cooperate with us to help Chen Mu quit drugs, right?"
"yes."
This is a character, profound and stable.
Fortunately, at least for now, Ying Yuhua still has a correct sense of right and wrong, and knows to cherish life and stay away from drugs.
"If I can help Chen Mu overcome his drug addiction, you'd be willing to break up with him, right?"
Ying Yuhua did not answer, but pursed her lips and remained silent.
In her view, if Chen Mu successfully overcomes his drug addiction, then her love story will be perfect.
Since he's a normal person, why break up with him?
Jiang Ling tapped the card.
Ying Yuhua hesitated for a long time before writing "No" on it.
Although the answer was infuriating, Jiang Ling saw a positive side—Ying Yuhua was now at least facing everything honestly, no longer hiding there timidly without saying a word, or pretending to be delicate and innocent.
Jiang Ling sneered, but fortunately she was prepared.
If Ying Yuhua answers yes, Jiang Ling's question will be more gentle;
If Ying Yuhua answers no, then Jiang Ling's question will be extremely sharp.
Jiang Ling pushed a card in front of Ying Yuhua.
"You're even willing to sacrifice your life, so you must be willing to break up with him in exchange for Chen Mu's rebirth, right?"
Ying Yuhua's fingers began to tremble, caught in a dilemma.
She wanted to awaken Chen Mu's conscience through suicide, but she did not choose to commit suicide in the middle of the night. Instead, she chose to cut her wrists when her parents were about to wake up because she was certain that her family would save her.
She still has a long life ahead of her, she wants to have two children with Chen Musheng, and she wants to live happily with her lover, never to be separated for all eternity.
She didn't really want to die.
However, with Jiang Ling pressing her relentlessly, she was completely unable to defend herself.
Ying Yuhua felt that her little thoughts had been seen through, and couldn't help but feel guilty.
When she feels guilty, she lowers her head, occasionally glancing up furtively, like a snail retreating into its shell.
Jiang Ling tapped the card, looked into Ying Yuhua's eyes with a cold gaze, and exaggeratedly said, "Isn't this true love?"
True love.
How ironic.
They love each other so much that they would give their lives, yet they are unwilling to part.
Unable to bear the mental pressure, Ying Yuhua threw her pen away in a fit of pique, refusing to answer the questions.
Jiang Ling wasn't going to tolerate her. She bent down, picked up the ballpoint pen, and stuffed it back into Ying Yuhua's hand.
Ying Yuhua threw it again.
Jiang Ling picked it up again.
Throw it again.
Pick it up again.
After repeating it three times, Ying Yuhua pouted. Unable to resist Jiang Ling's persistence, she reluctantly took the pen and resignedly wrote a word after the question.
--No.
He's definitely love-struck.
I absolutely do not want to break up.
Jiang Ling didn't ask any more questions, but instead fell into deep thought.
How exactly can you bring someone who's obsessed with love to their senses?
Scold her, she'll cry.
Hit her, she'll cry.
If she were to go any further, she would resort to cheating, and she might even attempt suicide.
One way to deal with such people is to force separation and let time heal all wounds.
Even the greatest love cannot withstand the test of time.
However, this method could easily trigger Ying Yuhua's rebellious mentality, and if she were to make a scene, it would be difficult to deal with.
Option two: Find a way to change her partner and let her have a normal relationship, replacing her old love with a new one.
This method is easier said than done.
You can't force a cow to drink water if it doesn't want to. If she insists on remaining chaste for love, who can force her to date someone else?
Therefore, the only effective method is to win people's hearts and minds.
Two points must be made clear to Ying Yuhua.
—If you make a mistake, you must bear the consequences.
Even parents and brothers cannot love her unconditionally forever.
Let her face the storms of life and push her to grow; only then can the problem be truly solved.
Ultimately, Ying Yuhua's future path is hers to walk.
But before that, Jiang Ling wanted to teach her a lesson.
If you can't hit or scold someone, you can at least criticize and educate them.
One question card after another was handed to Ying Yuhua. Jiang Ling didn't need her to answer at all; she would just change to the next one once she had read it carefully.
The cards appeared so frequently and so quickly that Ying Yuhua was overwhelmed and couldn't keep up.
"You know you're selfish, don't you?"
"You know, when someone cuts their wrist for a man, the knife isn't cutting their wrist, it's cutting their mother's heart, isn't it?"
"You know that your parents raised you for twenty-two years, taking such good care of you, hoping that you would be happy, right?"
"You know that drug use harms both yourself and others, right?"
"Do you know that if Chen Mu continues like this, he will drag you, your parents, and your brother down to hell with him?"
One question after another pierced Ying Yuhua's heart like a sharp knife.
Upon seeing the last question, Ying Yuhua felt both regret and pain, and burst into tears.
Her cries sounded like a novice playing a broken erhu; the sound was hoarse and unpleasant to hear, yet it had a magical penetrating power, passing through the door of the intensive care unit and into the corridor.
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei, who were guarding the door, exchanged a glance and both showed sympathy.
—Being interrogated by Jiang Ling must have been very stressful.
—A deaf-mute girl was brought to tears by Jiang Ling's questions.
After greeting the doctor, Li Su'e didn't leave, remaining outside the ward, restless and anxious. Hearing her daughter crying so loudly, her heart ached like it was being scratched by a cat.
She sat on the bench for a while, comforting herself: It's okay, it's just asking a few questions. They're all Songmao's colleagues, Xiao Jiang will definitely know what to do.
After a while, he stood up again and peeked through the peephole in the door: Yu Hua rarely cries like this. What wrong has she suffered that makes her cry so loudly?
Yu Hua was originally a healthy, lively child who loved to cry and laugh. When she was two years old, Li Su'e took her back to her rural hometown for the Spring Festival. She caught a cold and had a fever. The village's barefoot doctor prescribed medicine for her, but unexpectedly, after one injection, she could no longer hear anything the next day.
Ying Yuhua's world became a silent, still world.
Li Su'e regretted it.
I regret it so much I could die.
If she hadn't taken her child back to her hometown that year, if she had taken good care of Yuhua and not let her play in the snow, if she hadn't let the doctor give her that injection, her Yuhua would have heard birdsong, whistles, music, laughter... She would have grown up like a normal child.
Originally, two-year-old Ying Yuhua could already say some short words in a childish voice.
"Mom, look, clouds!"
"Daddy, look, little fish."
"Brother, hug me."
But after that injection, when she could no longer hear any sounds from the outside world, her language function rapidly deteriorated, and she could no longer speak clearly.
There's no going back in this world.
Li Su'e poured all her heart and soul into Yu Hua, trying her best to make up for her daughter's shortcomings. She wanted to give her the best of everything, couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest hardship, and pampered her until she was 22. Just as she was figuring out what kind of partner to find for her, her daughter committed suicide!
This was like a bolt from the blue for Li Su'e, a mother who deeply loved her child; her world collapsed.
This child has always been afraid of pain. Once, she fell and scraped her skin, and cried for a long time. Another time, she had a mouth ulcer and was screaming in pain. She wouldn't sleep at night, and Li Su'e had to hold her and comfort her for a long time before she finally fell asleep with tears still on her face.
How could such a delicate girl be so cruel to herself?!
Looking at Ying Yuhua lying on the hospital bed, silently shedding tears, Li Su'e felt so heartbroken that she couldn't breathe.
If they could switch places, Li Su'e would suffer in place of her daughter and become the one injured and hospitalized.
Li Su'e wanted to ask her daughter why she committed suicide, but her daughter cried every time she asked. She dared not ask again, fearing that she would drive her daughter to the brink of insanity.
There's one in the family compound.
Because the parents forced their child to repeat a year of high school, the child became mentally unstable after failing the college entrance exam for the third time. He would stand naked on the balcony, crying and laughing, which frightened the chemical plant workers so much that they dared not force the child to do anything.
Now that Yuhua has committed suicide, all Li Su'e can do is stay by her side, gently coaxing her, hoping that one day her daughter will understand her parents' good intentions and stop thinking about suicide.
Like all mothers, Li Su'e doesn't have high expectations for her daughter. She doesn't force her to have a job, a future, or to get married and have children. She just hopes that her daughter will have a smooth and safe life.
Is even this small hope denied by God?
Thinking of this, Li Su'e clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and muttered some incantations.
She originally didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but now she can only place her hopes on the gods, hoping that the omnipotent gods can bless her daughter with peace, health, and happiness.
"Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, please bless my Yuhua with everything going smoothly."
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, all gods and immortals, please have pity on my Yuhua, bless her so that she will no longer suffer and can live a good life, and stop her from torturing herself like this."
Just then, the ward door opened.
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang walked out together.
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei hurriedly stepped forward to greet them.
"How did it go? Was it successful?"
"Have we used all the questions we set up? Have they been effective?"
Jiang Ling nodded: "Successfully."
Li Zhenliang said excitedly, "The question was very well designed! Xiao Jiang is amazing."
Hearing the noise, Li Su'e opened her eyes. As soon as she saw Jiang Ling and the others come out, she stood up immediately, ran into the ward, hugged her daughter who was still crying, stroked her head tenderly, and comforted her softly.
"Don't cry, don't cry."
"Mom's here, so don't be afraid."
Jiang Ling turned to watch the interaction between the mother and daughter, feeling a pang of sadness in her heart.
Alas! The hearts of parents are always full of love and worry.
Ying Yuhua has a mother who loves her very much, and I hope she can cherish that.
Liu Haoran said to Jiang Ling, "Ying Dui went back to the Municipal Bureau to see Chen Mu, and asked me to tell you."
Jiang Ling nodded: "Mm."
I just hope that Ying Songmao can keep his emotions in check and not take any too radical measures.
In her mother's warm embrace, Ying Yuhua's sobs gradually subsided.
She glanced at Jiang Ling secretly, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
To be honest, she was very afraid of Jiang Ling.
However, after being scolded by Jiang Ling, Ying Yuhua felt a strange sense of submission.
This policewoman is similar to Chen Mu in one way—neither of them treated her as a disabled person.
She was scolded and reprimanded when she needed to be, and she was not indulged in any way.
Ying Yuhua began to seriously reflect on her actions. Jiang Ling's criticism was reasonable. Was she really too selfish?
If she remains obstinate, won't she not only be dragged down by Chen Mu, but her parents and brother will also suffer a miserable fate?
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Ying Yuhua gradually stopped crying.
Seeing that her daughter's mood had improved, Li Su'e let go of her hand, helped her lie down, tucked her in, and then walked up to Jiang Ling and asked softly, "Little Jiang, what did you say to Yu Hua? Why was she crying?"
Jiang Ling did not answer her question, but said gently, "Don't worry, she won't commit suicide for the time being. Just treat her normally, don't be too cautious."
Li Su'e said "Oh," but did not understand what Jiang Ling meant.
Jiang Ling said, "Yu Hua can't hear, so she feels a bit inferior and is afraid that others will treat her like a disabled person. So don't worry about her too much, just treat her like a normal child, hit her if you need to, scold her if you need to."
Li Su'e finally understood, but old habits die hard. She explained embarrassedly, "Well... although I get angry sometimes, I can't bear to."
Jiang Ling said seriously, "A doting mother often spoils her son. You know that saying, right?"
Li Su'e was somewhat stunned.
Now she understood a little why Yu Hua had cried.
Xiao Jiang is both earnest and serious.
It seems that Yu Hua made a mistake, which was discovered and criticized by Xiao Jiang in front of her.
Well said!
Li Su'e looked at Jiang Ling with affection and fondness: "Okay, I understand."
Although she couldn't bring herself to be cruel to her daughter, at least she was clear-headed and determined to make sure that Xiao Jiang spent more time with her daughter.
Xiao Jiang's eyes were like tempered knives, sharp and bright. She was clearly a clever and insightful child; evil and darkness could not escape her notice. Spending time with her might make my daughter a little more intelligent.
Jiang Ling politely said goodbye: "Auntie, we'll head back now."
Li Su'e said politely, "You've been busy all day, let Songmao take you out for a meal. I'll call him back right away."
Jiang Ling waved her hand: "I have something to do. I'll contact you when Captain Ying is free."
The team has finished communicating with Ying Yuhua, and the next step is to discuss and formulate the next plan.
Moreover, Jiang Ling has another very, very important matter to attend to.
—Meeting with my grandmother and younger sister.
The four-person team returned to the police station with a large stack of cards.
Jiang Ling was astonished to find that there wasn't a single fallen leaf to be seen in front of the police station. The corridor and steps had been washed with water, and the doors and windows were spotless with sparkling clean glass.
The most problematic thing was that a large red banner was put up at the entrance of the police station.
—Warmest congratulations to Jiang Ling on her successful search for her family!
This is……
Jiang Ling turned her gaze to Li Zhenliang: "Didn't we say we shouldn't put up banners?"
That's too grand!
The grand occasion put pressure on Jiang Ling.
Li Zhenliang grinned and spread his hands: "I don't know, I didn't do it."
Wei Changfeng, carrying his enamel mug with the five red characters "Serve the People" printed on it, walked out of the police station. When he saw Jiang Ling return, he immediately beamed and turned around to shout into the room.
"Oh my, Xiao Jiang is back! Everyone come quick, come out!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a large group of people rushed out.
There are two siblings, Liang Jiushan and Liang Qiqiao.
There were Wen Xiufen and her daughter Lin Xiaoyue.
There was Chen Anping wearing an apron and holding a spatula.
Jiang Shouxin was wearing a police uniform.
Also, all the police officers at the police station.
Everyone smiled at Jiang Ling: "Congratulations, Xiao Jiang!"
Liang Jiushan walked to Jiang Ling's side and tugged at her sleeve: "Sister Ling, even if you find your parents, you'll still be my sister."
Liang Qiqiao took out five knotted bracelets from her pocket. They were woven in red, black, and yellow, and were beautiful and exquisite. "Sister Ling, I made these for you, your parents, your grandmother, and your sister."
Wen Xiufen pulled Lin Xiaoyue, who had grown fatter and taller, over and presented her with a greeting card: "Officer Jiang, this was made by Xiaoyue. I wish you a speedy reunion with your family."
Chen Anping waved his spatula and said, "I'll be the head chef for lunch and dinner today. I'll treat everyone to a meal!"
Jiang Shouxin patted Jiang Ling on the shoulder, his smile filled with heartache: "Kid, it hasn't been easy."
Jiang Ling's eyes felt a little hot.
She tried hard to suppress the upturned corners of her mouth, but she couldn't.
Finally, she gave up and smiled.
"Thank you, thank you everyone."
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