Since this morning, when my older brother and sister Nan practice martial arts, they no longer think about finishing quickly and leaving. Instead, they practice very seriously. They both feel scared. If someone hadn't noticed something was wrong and gone to find the teacher, they might not have seen their two younger brothers again. This makes them eager to become stronger.
The two people lying in the ward woke up early. That's just how biological clocks are. When you can't sleep in, you wish you could sleep in every day. But when you have time to sleep in, you can't fall asleep.
We arrived at the hospital with my mother around 7:30. When we came in, Aunt Zhou was still scolding them. We heard:
"Alright, you two never learn your lesson. You insisted on showing off with your slingshots, and even when I told you not to, you secretly took them. Now look what you've done! You've got to get a beating, haven't you? You know how much it hurts, right? I wish I could have made you suffer!"
"Mom, Mom, it hurts!" The third brother, lying there, kept crying out in pain.
Mom smiled and said, "Oh, our Chenxi knows pain now!"
Third Brother, knowing he was in the wrong, quickly lowered his head and called him "Master."
"Alright, Master has stewed a whole old hen for the two of you, one chicken leg each, to nourish yourselves."
"What's the point of supplementing them? Let them suffer. They're such a worrywart. It would be so much better to give this chicken leg to Mianmian. Mianmian is so well-behaved and sensible," Zhou Tao said angrily.
"Sister Zhou, please don't say that. This isn't something Shen Xi wanted to see happen either."
"Alright, I won't say anymore. Have you guys eaten?"
"We've eaten. You three should hurry up and eat. I reckon they'll be back to apologize soon."
"Possibly"
Before I could even clear the dishes off the table, they arrived.
Upon hearing the knock, I turned around and saw three men standing at the door carrying several bags.
Zhou Tao knew that the person who came was the father of the classmate who had injured her son, but she still pretended to be puzzled and asked...
"You are"
"Are you Shen Xi's parent?" the leading man asked.
"I am Shen Xi's mother. And you are?"
"Hello, I am Zhou Ziqiang's father (who is also student number 1). My name is Zhou Chenxi. This is Qian Yongheng's father, Comrade Qian Jiaming. This is Cai Wendi's father, Comrade Cai Xianglin."
"Oh, oh, hello, I don't know who you are here with."
"The three of us are here on behalf of the parents of several unruly children from yesterday to apologize."
"Why should I be embarrassed? Besides, kids fighting is common, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes," the fathers quickly replied.
Zhou Ziqiang's father, Zhou Chenxi, silently agreed, thinking to himself, "They say kids fighting is just kids' business, but they still reported it to the police. My child is still in the police station. Other children are also in the police station, but the police said that as long as they can get the parents of the beaten child to accept their compensation and apology, the case can be dropped. But their child could end up in jail for several years."
I asked around through connections and found out that as long as the other party dropped the case, the matter would be dropped, and my son could get a reduced sentence by half. I heard from some guy that Shen Xi's father is a powerful figure, an official. That's why he personally brought the things over today.
Zhou Tao confirmed that he hadn't accepted their things, and instead said, "No need to be so polite. So what if you were beaten? A little injury is nothing. As long as my son is still alive, why be so polite?"
Everyone could only force a smile, unsure of what to say. Before Aunt Zhou had even finished bridging the gap, Mother came over and said, "Sister Zhou, come out for a moment, I need to talk to you, it's urgent."
"Okay, I'll be right there. Sorry, I have something to do, I'll be right back."
Zhou Tao didn't know why Liu Linjuan wanted to see him, but seeing that she wasn't wearing a white coat and was in casual clothes, he knew something was up, so he quickly explained.
“You’re busy, you’re busy, we’re not in a hurry,” Zhou Ziqiang’s father said. Even if they were in a hurry, it wouldn’t make a difference; his son’s life was now in someone else’s hands.
The three of us stood at the head of Fourth Brother's bed, watching them.
Aunt Zhou returned shortly after, after about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. She continued working on the bridge for a while, and then said:
"Alright, put the things down. I'll make time to go back to the police station today. When the kids get home, we need to give them a good talking to. They can't fight anymore. If they hurt someone, not only will we parents have to pay for it, but we'll also have to apologize humbly. If they hurt themselves, we parents will be the ones who feel the most pain, right?"
“Yes, yes. Aren’t you right?” Qian Yongheng’s father said.
"Alright, that's enough. I need to go buy a chicken to nourish these two kids; I'm really worried about them."
"Okay, okay, you go ahead with your work." With that, the group put down their things and hurried out, thinking to themselves, "Finally, we've apologized. Being a subservient grandson is no human thing to do."
Meanwhile, after Aunt Zhou watched them leave, she quickly closed the door and said to us:
"After picking up the things on the table, say, 'Don't eat these fruits yet. They're useful. I'm going out for a bit. If anything happens to you, Shen Dong, go find your master, understand?'"
"Mom, I know, I'll see my younger brother and sister," Shen Dong replied.
But I was wondering what the point of all these things was. They were just some fruit and snacks in gift packs. Could there be something hidden inside?
Sure enough, the person in charge guessed correctly. Ji Tuan led Zhou Tao along another route straight to the police station. Inside, with everyone in sight, they opened the package Zhou Chenxi had sent. Inside was an envelope, and in a bag of snacks, they found two gold bars. Ji Tuan didn't touch the gold bars on the official's desk; instead, he picked up the letter, opened it, and read its contents:
"Madam Shen, I am Zhou Ziqiang's father. I hope you can consider this money and release my son. Also, I would like to ask Mr. Shen to put in a good word for me at the police station to get my son released. I will reward you handsomely if this is done."
After Ji Tuan finished reading it, he gave it directly to Zhou Tao. After reading it, Zhou Tao only said:
"He's trying to scam my husband, Lao Shen! No way, I have to go find him."
"Comrade Zhou, if you go to see him now, won't you be falling right into the enemy's trap?"
"this"
"The letter didn't say how many you were given; it said you'd get more after the deed was done."
"What can we do? I can't just let him ruin my husband's life like this!"
"These will be handed over to our Public Security Bureau; they will serve as evidence," Director Cheng said.
"Comrade Zhou, I'll have someone take you back to the hospital later. Come back this afternoon to close the case when it's almost time to leave work," Ji Tuan said.
"Is there enough time?" Director Cheng asked.
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