Chen Yuanshan waited outside the door for a while, and only after Hua Li and Sun Bailing had finished talking did he knock on the door and lead Liu Jingqiu inside.
As soon as Liu Jingqiu entered the room, she saw Sun Bailing stuff the IOU into his breast pocket. She couldn't understand where Hua Li would hide the IOU, which made her search the entire ward without finding it.
"Now, Comrade Liu Jingqiu, please explain what you were looking for when I arrived."
Chen Yuanshan had no intention of letting Liu Jingqiu, who attempted to frame him and Hua Li, go unpunished.
Hua Li suddenly looked up at Liu Jingqiu, "Didn't you leave with Luo Shicheng? What are you doing back here?"
Just as Liu Jingqiu was thinking of how to cover it up, Hua Li suddenly exclaimed.
Where is my gold bracelet?
What gold bracelet? Liu Jingqiu's first thought was that Hua Li was trying to frame her.
"Hua Li, stop framing me. I've never seen any gold bracelet."
Without saying a word, Chen Yuanshan called two nurses to take Liu Jingqiu to the empty ward for a body search.
Shortly after, the nurse brought Liu Jingqiu back and informed Chen Yuanshan that no gold bracelet had been found on Liu Jingqiu.
Liu Jingqiu angrily rebuked Chen Yuanshan, "I didn't take the gold bracelet at all, you have to give me an explanation."
Without saying a word, Chen Yuanshan took Luo Yanzhen's pillow, felt something hard under the pillowcase, and took it out to see that it was a gold bracelet.
"When I came in, I saw you flipping through the pillows. How do you explain that?"
"I don't know..." Liu Jingqiu was at a loss for words, "I really didn't take it."
Liu Jingqiu's explanation was weak and unconvincing, Hua Li said.
"Whether you did it or not, you know best."
"Thankfully, the gold bracelet was found, so I won't hold it against you. But if you don't pay me back by tomorrow, I'll settle the score for today as well."
The IOU was in Sun Bailing's hands. With Sun Bailing backing Hua Li up, she definitely couldn't renege on the debt. Liu Jingqiu had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.
"It's not like I'm not going to pay you back, do you have to be so aggressive?"
Hua Li sneered, "Do I need to spell out why you came to my ward and ransacked it? I'm being polite."
If Hua Li really takes this seriously and calls the police, with witnesses and physical evidence, Liu Jingqiu will definitely be in deep trouble.
Liu Jingqiu knew that she would not gain anything by staying here any longer, but she was not one to suffer losses.
"Comrade Hua Li, I said I would return it to you and I will never go back on my word. But you, could you explain the origin of this gold bracelet?"
Hua Li's gold bracelet has an intricate design, with pomegranates and five bats carved on it, symbolizing many children and blessings. It is clearly something that only landlords and wealthy people in the old society would own.
Liu Jingqiu can return the money to Hua Li, but she must not let Hua Li have an easy time.
If Hua Li cannot clearly explain the origin of the bracelet, he will be treated as a thief at best, and at worst as a remnant of the "Five Black Categories".
Hua Li looked completely calm.
“My parents found me. When they found me, I was wearing a pair of gold bracelets and a jade pendant. The swaddling clothes they used to wrap me in were also made of silk embroidery.”
I always carry a gold bracelet with me, so that if I happen to run into my biological parents, I can show them proof and recognize them.
Liu Jingqiu pouted, "Jade pendants are more convenient to carry than gold bracelets. Why don't you wear a jade pendant and instead carry around an inconvenient gold bracelet?"
She must be desperate for money to eat and wants to sell herself for cash. But now is the time to crack down on illegal buying and selling. If Hua Li can't explain herself, she will surely face imprisonment.
Hua Li knew exactly what Liu Jingqiu was up to. He got up and walked to Luo Yan's side, reaching out to touch the jade pendant around Luo Yan's neck.
"I've put the jade pendant on the child's head..."
Hua Li's expression hardened when he noticed that Luo Yan's neck was completely bare.
Waking up, Luo Yan rubbed her eyes and sat up, where Hua Li helped her up by the shoulder and pressed her for answers.
"Yanyan, where's the jade pendant Mommy gave you?"
Luo Yan raised her hand to touch her neck, only to find that the jade pendant was gone.
"Fengfeng is gone, oh..."
She was so focused on tricking Liu Jingqiu that she completely forgot about the jade pendant. Now that the jade pendant is lost, what will happen to her space? Luo Yan cried with genuine emotion.
"What Fengfeng?" Chen Yuanshan asked Hua Li.
Hua Li looked anxious. "That jade pendant is carved with a phoenix."
Liu Jingqiu snorted, "The story is quite convincing, but who knows if there really is a jade pendant?"
Before she could finish speaking, Liu Jingqiu suddenly remembered that the jade pendant she had picked up today seemed to be carved with a phoenix. Luckily, An Xiaotong liked it, so she gave it to An Xiaotong to wear.
"Fine, whatever you lost is none of my business..."
Liu Jingqiu then turned to Sun Bailing and said.
"I need to go raise the money now, so I'll take my leave."
Sun Bailing had already heard Chen Yuanshan recount how Liu Jingqiu instigated Liu Fengling and her daughter to jump off the building, and his attitude towards Liu Jingqiu had become increasingly cold. Upon hearing this, he nodded and said to Chen Yuanshan.
"Go and see Comrade Liu Jingqiu off."
Chen Yuanshan saw Liu Jingqiu off, and Sun Bailing said to Hua Li.
"Comrade Hua Li, may I take a look at your gold bracelet?"
Sun Bailing asked the question with almost trepidation, which surprised Hua Li.
Hua Li handed the gold bracelet to Sun Bailing, who took it and examined it carefully.
After examining the gold bracelet inside and out, Sun Bailing did not find any familiar markings. He frowned and returned the gold bracelet to Hua Li.
Hua Li took it, but found Sun Bailing staring at her, so she turned around embarrassed and continued to coax Luo Yan.
Sun Bailing realized he had been presumptuous. Just then, Chen Yuanshan returned, and he quickly stood up from his chair and left.
Sun Bailing's reaction was strange, but Hua Li's mind was entirely on the crying Luo Yan, so she didn't think much of it.
Luo Yan tried hard to recall where the jade pendant might have fallen, and suddenly remembered the fleeting look of guilt on Liu Jingqiu's face when Hua Li mentioned that the jade pendant was carved with a phoenix.
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