Chapter 3: Searching for People

~Where are the children?!~

Zhou Qiaoxiu glanced at Zhao Xiangwan as she bent down to help her tie her shoes, hope shining in her eyes.

Her colleagues in the family building had all advised her not to question Meimei, urging her to avoid taking responsibility. Even her husband believed she was being unfair to Meimei. But Zhao Xiangwan was the only one who believed in her.

Zhao Xiangwan stood up, her tall, slender frame like a bamboo in the evening breeze—both soft and strong. She met Zhou Qiaoxiu’s gaze and nodded, “Okay.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu, still reeling from her husband’s dismissive attitude, slowly regained her composure. She looked at the girl in front of her: Zhao Xiangwan had a small apple-shaped face, a broad forehead, narrow eyes with deep eye sockets, and light-colored eyes. Though not a beauty, there was something about her that inspired trust.

Zhou Qiaoxiu murmured, “Meimei is lying, right? She did it on purpose, right? She knows where the baby is, right?”

One of the neighbors who had stayed behind was confused, “Teacher Zhou, what are you talking about? Meimei is just a child. How could she intentionally lose her sister?”

Zhao Xiangwan didn’t respond directly but whispered softly, “Teacher Zhou, do you have a bicycle? Let’s go out and look for the baby now.”

Some neighbors tried to discourage them, but seeing Zhou Qiaoxiu’s resolve, they gave up, shaking their heads in confusion. They also criticized Zhao Xiangwan for supporting Zhou Qiaoxiu. But when Zhou Qiaoxiu pushed her bicycle out of the corridor and Zhao Xiangwan climbed onto the back seat, they left together, while the neighbors continued to talk behind them.

“Since her biological daughter is lost, it’s no wonder she dislikes the adopted one.”

“Don’t be fooled by Teacher Zhou’s usual claims of treating everyone equally. At a critical moment, you see the difference.”

“Why is this female student getting involved? It’s late, and Teacher Zhou is out looking for someone. She’s so naive.”

“I think I taught her before. She was a freshman in criminal investigation. She must be in Mr. Zhou’s class. She doesn’t talk much, so I don’t remember her name.”

Late on an October night, Zhou Qiaoxiu rode her bicycle out of the Public Security University gate. Under the streetlights, she stared at the road ahead in a daze. “Where should we go?”

Zhao Xiangwan held onto the bicycle seat and pointed toward a direction, “The back door of Benlong Park.”

The baby had gone missing that morning. The couple who owned the snack shop wouldn’t take the child out of Star City quickly. After all, they still had their business to run.

Zhou Qiaoxiu recalled the conversation between Zhao Xiangwan and Meimei earlier. It seemed like there was a glimmer of hope. She became more energized and pedaled faster.

“Zhao Xiangwan, how did you know Meimei was lying?”

“Eye avoidance, mechanical repetition, using tears to hide the truth… Meimei is definitely not an innocent child.”

“What about the back door of the park and the snack shop?”

“I gave multiple choices. When Meimei faced options related to actual actions, her eyes would subconsciously shift to the right. This led us closer to the truth.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu was moved by Zhao Xiangwan’s calm and logical answers. She felt a bit of sorrow. “Zhao Xiangwan, you’re only eighteen. How can you be so observant and careful?” Only spoiled children were naive, and Zhao Xiangwan seemed so mature. She must have endured hardships in her childhood.

The night wind blew, tousling Zhao Xiangwan’s hair. Her mind drifted back to the past.

She was the third child in her family, a twin with her fourth sister, Zhao Chenyang, but they were treated very differently. Zhao Chenyang played every day, while she started doing farm work before even reaching the stove. Zhao Chenyang was sweet, pretty, and loved by their parents, while she was introverted and unpopular.

When Zhao Xiangwan was ten, she was struck by lightning, which gave her the ability to read minds.

Her younger sister hugged her, crying, “Sister, I’m so worried about you~”

[Even lightning can’t kill you? You’re so unlucky!]

Her mother sighed, “What’s the point of reading? Our family is poor.”

[I won’t give you money, even if I have it.]

Her father said, “Don’t compare yourself to your fourth sister. I love you most.”

[If you don’t have your own child, you can’t raise them well.]

Zhao Xiangwan finally realized that the things she had been told—like “the elder sister should give way to the younger sister” and “our family is poor, we can’t afford for you to go to school”—were all lies. Her parents were biased because she was not their biological child.

“Zhao Xiangwan, Zhao Xiangwan?” Zhou Qiaoxiu’s voice pulled Zhao Xiangwan back to the present.

“Teacher Zhou, if they’re not my biological children, does that mean we can’t raise them well?” Perhaps it was the quiet night, or perhaps Zhou Qiaoxiu’s strong maternal love, but Zhao Xiangwan finally opened up and asked the question she had hidden for so long.

Zhou Qiaoxiu paused, then thoughtfully answered, “It depends on the child’s nature. A child who is grateful will respect their parents, even if they are not their biological children. But a greedy child will never be satisfied, no matter how much love they receive.”

Zhao Xiangwan softly said, “Teacher Zhou, Meimei… might be the latter.”

Although she had braced herself for it, Zhou Qiaoxiu still felt a pang in her heart. She had raised Meimei from the age of five to eleven, nurturing her for six years. But now she had to admit that this child was ungrateful, a person who could never be tamed. She couldn’t come to terms with it.

“Even if they’re sisters, parents can’t treat them equally. Meimei is eight years older than Bao Bao and already in elementary school. Isn’t it okay for me to take care of Bao Bao a little more? How can Meimei be so ungrateful and cruel?”

Zhao Xiangwan looked ahead, her gaze far off. The streetlights stretched, shortening the shadows of the two people and their bicycle. The world around them was silent, only the autumn insects rustling softly in the grass.

“Perhaps you’re right. Under similar circumstances, people with different personalities make different choices.”

After saying this, they both fell silent. The only sound on the empty road was the soft hum of Zhou Qiaoxiu’s bicycle.

Finally, they reached the back gate of the park. Normally, many vendors would be here, but tonight, it was quiet and dark. Zhou Qiaoxiu glanced at her watch and realized it was already midnight. Everyone had gone to bed, leaving the area eerily empty. Where could she find her baby?

Zhao Xiangwan remained calm and pointed to a large residential building ahead. “The police should have questioned everyone near the back door. Let’s go through this community and find the snack shop first.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu, gentle and kind-hearted, had qualities Zhao Xiangwan longed for. He was willing to help her search for her child in the dead of night. Maybe… one day, he could also find his biological mother and experience the love he had missed.

Zhou Qiaoxiu pushed her bicycle while Zhao Xiangwan walked alongside her. The two passed through the residential area and down an alley. When they reached the third shop in the street, they noticed the sign “Xiaoyan Fried Nuts Shop” hanging overhead and exchanged a glance.

“Is this the place?” Zhou Qiaoxiu asked.

Zhao Xiangwan frowned, unable to confirm. He only knew from Meimei’s voice that it was a fried melon seed shop located in an alley behind the old community by the park, but he wasn’t sure which one it was.

Hoping the baby might be inside, Zhou Qiaoxiu approached and knocked on the door without hesitation.

Zhao Xiangwan held her back, shaking his head. “Teacher, don’t rush. Let’s check all the snack shops before knocking.”

They quickly found three snack shops in the alley.

Zhao Xiangwan pointed to the “Wu Ji Fried Nuts Shop” near the intersection. “Let’s try this one.” There was a mop at the door, and as they approached, the faint sour milk smell filled the air, reminding them of the scent of a baby.

Zhou Qiaoxiu, growing more anxious, decided to knock on the door without further hesitation.

The old-style shops had wooden boards covering the doors, with the store in front and living space behind. At first, the knocks weren’t loud enough, so Zhou Qiaoxiu knocked harder.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!” A dog barked loudly, filling the alley.

“Squeak…” A door opened, and a man in a coat yelled angrily, “It’s midnight! Why are you making so much noise?”

Ignoring the man, Zhou Qiaoxiu kept knocking.

After a moment, a sliver of light appeared through the crack in the door, and the sound of slippers tapping came from inside. A woman’s voice called out, “It’s closed. Come back tomorrow if you need something.”

Zhou Qiaoxiu’s heart raced. She stayed silent and pounded the wooden board with her fist.

The board broke with a loud crash. The shoe store owner across the street yelled, “Open the door! If you need something, just say it. Stop disturbing me!”

Finally, a piece of the door panel was removed, and a middle-aged woman with messy hair poked her head out, yawning. “Who is it? What’s going on?”

Zhao Xiangwan looked at her intently, quickly grabbed the woman’s wrist, and shouted, “Where is the child?!”

The woman panicked, struggling to free herself. “What are you doing? Robbing me?!”

Zhao Xiangwan showed his student ID: “We’re from the Public Security University. Where is the little girl you brought home today?”

The student ID of Hunan Public Security University featured white letters on a green background, with a golden shield logo in the center, glowing brightly under the dim light. It naturally carried authority and deterrence.

The woman, a small vendor, didn’t understand the distinction between regular police officers and those from the Public Security University. When she saw the ID, her face turned pale, and her eyes widened in fear. She quickly turned and shouted into the house, “Old Wu, Old Wu, come out now!”

“Damn it, how did they find out? This girl is pretty, but she cries so easily. I finally got her to sleep by mixing wine in her milk, and now the police show up?”

Zhao Xiangwan was horrified. Mixing alcohol with milk for a three-year-old was extremely harmful to the child’s health.

Zhao Xiangwan tightened her grip, causing the woman to grimace in pain, screaming, “It hurts, it hurts…”

Zhao Xiangwan came from a farming family. From a young age, she helped feed the pigs, carrying heavy buckets of food, which built her physical strength.

“The little girl you took in is our police officer. If you don’t hand her over, you’ll be charged with human trafficking!”

Hearing Zhao Xiangwan’s firm words and thinking of her child, Zhou Qiaoxiu couldn’t hold back. She ripped off a door panel and rushed inside the store. Together with Zhao Xiangwan, she subdued the woman and hurried to the back of the shop.