In the courtyard, the villagers of Jiang Village began to discuss the matter animatedly. Jiang Chun looked at the village chief for help, who sighed softly.
"Since the child wants to know, you should tell her."
According to Jiang Chun, Jiang Yu was brought home by the couple when they were forty years old. It was said that on a snowy winter day, the couple heard a child crying on their way back from a relative's house.
The two were overjoyed and followed the sound. They found a baby in swaddling clothes, its little face red from the cold, crying loudly.
Looking around and seeing no one, they simply took the child home and told others that it was a gift from heaven.
Just as Jiang Chun finished speaking, the alarm sounded outside. He turned and glared at the carpenter, thinking that this man was up to no good, and got up to confront him.
"I didn't call the police; I don't even have a cell phone."
The carpenter, looking completely bewildered, shrugged, indicating he knew nothing. After all, he was there to get his son married; at worst, he'd just take the money and leave. Saying they'd call the police was just a scare tactic; there was no need to make such a fuss.
"Excuse me, which one of you is Jiang Chun?"
Three police officers got out of the police car. They were in uniform. After checking the address in their notebooks, they entered the hospital with peace of mind.
"It's me."
The old man's heart skipped a beat; he felt it wasn't just a simple case of marriage fraud.
"We've received word from the city that you're connected to a child trafficking case from over twenty years ago, and that it's also related to the cause of your spouse's death. Come with us to cooperate with the investigation."
As the policeman spoke, he walked in the direction he was in. When he reached him, he pulled out a pair of silver handcuffs from behind and cuffed them to his wrists.
"What's going on? Didn't Old Jiang say that Jiang Yu was adopted? How could he be related to the child case? And his wife, didn't she die of illness? Could there be another story behind this?"
Everyone stared at him in disbelief, as if they had never met him before.
"Heh~"
Jiang Yu let out a cold laugh. Although she didn't know how the higher-ups had found out about his child trafficking, it did confirm one thing: she hadn't been abandoned by her biological parents at all. And she had a feeling that her family was still alive, waiting for her to reunite with them.
Seeing Jiang Chun being led into the car, she asked:
"Officer, I am his family member. May I accompany him?"
For no other reason than to know about my background as soon as possible.
"Jiang Yu".
Shen Ying held her hand, signaling her not to act impulsively.
"Of course, come up together."
The policeman glanced at Jiang Yu but didn't say anything more. Shen Ying, still worried, got into the car with her. Fortunately, the police car was a minivan, big enough that the three of them weren't cramped at all.
Because Jiang Chun's case almost certainly meant he would go to jail, two police officers sat on either side of him, watching him closely, fearing he might escape.
Jiang Yu and Shen Ying sat in the back without uttering a single word. Of course, Jiang Chun was also behaving himself at this moment, sitting inside without saying a word, afraid that saying even one more word would get him shot.
Upon arriving at the police station, the police officers, with unfriendly expressions, led the old man out of the car and immediately took him to the interrogation room.
Jiang Yu and Shen Ying remained in the lobby outside, waiting for the interrogation results. Time passed slowly, and the interrogating police officers went in and out several times. The testimonies were largely consistent, but some more detailed questions needed to be asked.
After waiting for a while, a young policeman came over, holding a stack of documents, and said:
"The interrogation is over, and Jiang Chun has confessed to his crimes. From now on, he will be in detention, awaiting the court hearing and sentencing. If you have anything to say, I can help pass it on."
Upon learning that Jiang Chun had confessed everything, Jiang Yu's hands trembled, and her voice shook as she asked, word by word:
So, is it true that he trafficked children?
"yes."
The police officer nodded, assuming she was worried about her father, then changed the subject:
"But you don't need to worry. As long as the family that lost the child doesn't sue, he'll only be locked up for a while. The most serious thing is that he poisoned his wife, which is a murder case, and he might have to pay with his life later."
We're just speculating, because the outcome depends on the court's verdict.
Aside from Jiang Chun and his daughter, even Jiang Dalong was unaware of the truth about their adoptive mother's death. Moreover, Jiang Yu was only in the stage of suspicion, so it was highly likely that Jiang Meier was the one who reported Jiang Chun.
She looked at Shen Ying, and the two of them, without prior arrangement, thought of Jiang Meier and asked in unison:
"Where is the person who reported the crime now?"
Jiang Yu looked at Shen Ying's words and was puzzled. She was looking for Jiang Meier because of the peace lock, so why was this man so agitated? Could it be that he knew about what Jiang Meier had done in the past and wanted the police to arrest and convict her as well?
"They left a long time ago."
The police sensed something was off about the two. However, during the conversation, they learned that the person who called the police was indeed Jiang Meier, and they figured she would eventually return to Jiang Village to meet them again.
"Would it be convenient for you to talk about the time he bought the child? It's very important to me."
Jiang Yu was extremely nervous when she spoke of this. The police officer guessed that the child was the woman in front of him and remained silent for a moment:
"How about this, I'll report to my supervisor and see if we can do something for you. You can ask him yourself later."
The police left after speaking. During this time, Jiang Yu gripped Shen Ying's hand tightly, afraid her superiors would reject her request. The man's hand, held tightly and sweaty, softened; his tone became gentler.
"It's okay. If they can't tell you, I'll figure something out."
Five minutes later:
"Comrade, come in."
The police officer just told Jiang Yu that the higher-ups had agreed, but she had to be careful with the timing and not let it be too long.
Once inside the interrogation room, she looked at the man opposite her, clenched her fist tightly, and tried her best to control herself.
"Where did I come from?"
She asked the question again, but this time Jiang Chun didn't keep her in suspense.
“We bought it. There were people selling children in the village back then. Your mother and I were forty years old and still hadn’t conceived, so we found someone to buy one. When we saw that you were a girl, we didn’t really want you. But your mother said that a girl is a child too, and it’s better than nothing, so we bought you.”
He spoke of it casually, as if he didn't think there was anything wrong with what he was doing.
"Then who are my biological parents?"
Jiang Yu looked at him with sharp eyes.
"I don't know. Buying a child is a cash-on-delivery transaction. As long as the child looks fine and doesn't have any serious illnesses, no one will ask about other things, and no one cares."
Jiang Chun's words were true, but Jiang Yu found it hard to accept. She wasn't merchandise; how could she be negotiated like this? Besides, the material of that safety lock was clearly a characteristic of the wealthy; how could it have been reduced to selling a child?
"Where's the safety lock? The one I wore when I was little?"
If Jiang Chun wasn't lying, then Jiang Meier probably ran away from home with it just to pay back the money.
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