Chapter 38.2

On the side, Zhou Baogen and his mother, upon hearing Qin Qingman say that their crimes would lead to a death sentence, were already so terrified that they collapsed onto the ground. In the end, they were held up by a few police officers and escorted to the police station.

“Comrade, thank you.”

Zheng Xuesong, impressed by how easily Qin Qingman had convinced Ma Xiuying, who had been on the brink of giving up on life, spoke with admiration.

“Police Comrade, I hope there will be fewer such tragic events in the future.” Qin Qingman said, her tone heavy with emotion.

Human trafficking continues to be a persistent issue, with women and children as the primary victims.

Zheng Xuesong looked at Qin Qingman, feeling ashamed, but still made a clear promise to her, “Comrade, it is our failure in our work that led to this horrible incident. Don’t worry, I will report it to the higher-ups when I return and ensure that this kind of event will not happen again.”

“Thank you.”

Qin Qingman’s “thank you” represented the voice of many women.

Women are naturally more vulnerable and should be better protected.

“Uh… no need to thank me.” Zheng Xuesong replied, his face reddening. He felt that Qin Qingman’s thanks were unwarranted. It was their duty to do this work, yet receiving thanks for doing their job felt a little ironic.

Huang Wanqing, who had been walking next to Qin Qingman, had seen and heard everything—how Qin Qingman had persuaded Ma Xiuying, and how she communicated with the police. Her eyes were filled with admiration.

It was a look very much like that of a fan in later years.

It made Qin Qingman almost break out in goosebumps.

“My name is Huang Wanqing. What about you?” Perhaps because Qin Qingman had given her enough of a sense of safety, Huang Wanqing quietly introduced herself.

“Qin Qingman.” Qin Qingman calmly responded to Huang Wanqing’s attempt at friendliness.

“I’m 23 years old.” Huang Wanqing looked at Qin Qingman with a hopeful gaze.

Qin Qingman wasn’t sure what Huang Wanqing was expecting, but she still followed her lead and shared her information. “I’m 20 years old.” It was the truth; that was indeed the age of her body, so there was no need to lie.

“I’m older than you!” Huang Wanqing’s eyes brightened even more.

“Mm, Comrade Huang Wanqing.” Qin Qingman wasn’t about to fall into the trap. She wasn’t going to let her call her “sister”—no way.

When Huang Wanqing realized that Qin Qingman wasn’t reciprocating the closeness, she felt a bit disappointed but quickly made a suggestion. “Qin Comrade, can I call you Qingman?”

“No!”

The answer didn’t come from Qin Qingman, but from Wei Ling, who had been holding Chuchu on his shoulder.

Wei Ling had kept quiet to avoid suspicion, but just because he wasn’t speaking didn’t mean he wasn’t listening. Whether it was Qin Qingman’s conversation with Zheng Xuesong or her exchange with Huang Wanqing, he had been hearing every word clearly.

Upon hearing Huang Wanqing’s impertinent request, he was displeased.

A sense of crisis rose within Wei Ling.

Why should an outsider feel so free to call his wife by such a familiar name?

Huang Wanqing, who had been eagerly waiting for Qin Qingman’s response, was taken aback by Wei Ling’s rejection. The moment his voice sounded, she immediately shrank back behind Qin Qingman, her hands trembling as she clung to her.

She was afraid of Wei Ling—terribly afraid. Wei Ling was the most intimidating man she had ever encountered.

It wasn’t because of his appearance; it was his fierce aura.

Wei Ling: … Is this girl really that timid?

Qin Qingman was incredibly surprised. From Huang Wanqing’s reaction, it didn’t seem like she knew Wei Ling. Hadn’t she seen his photo before? What was going on?

Thinking this, Qin Qingman glanced at Wei Ling.

Wei Ling, feeling guilty, quickly turned his gaze away.

With people all around them, Qin Qingman didn’t dare to ask Wei Ling directly what was going on. Instead, she gave him a stern look and calmly said, “Ah Ling, don’t scare Comrade Huang Wanqing.” There was a subtle warning in her tone.

Wei Ling’s demeanor grew colder.

His wife was actually criticizing him for an outsider!

More importantly, he hadn’t scared anyone. It was just that this person, Huang Wanqing, was too timid!

Huang Wanqing, sensing Wei Ling’s frustration, quickly waved her hands and tried to explain, “No, no, Qing… Qingman, this Comrade didn’t scare me. I’m sorry, it’s just my own personality problem.”

Even though Qin Qingman hadn’t agreed to her way of addressing her, Huang Wanqing said “Qingman” very naturally.

Qin Qingman felt that Huang Wanqing didn’t have bad intentions, so she didn’t mind it much.

After all, names were meant to be called.

As for Wei Ling, Qin Qingman felt a bit of a headache. She could sense a faint trace of jealousy.

Wei Ling was actually getting jealous over a matchmaker set-up for his own wife? The situation felt a bit bizarre.

The county police station wasn’t far from the train station, and with the help of the crowd, Zheng Xuesong and the others quickly escorted Zhou Baogen and his mother to the station.

As soon as the officers at the station heard the crimes committed by Zhou Baogen and his mother, they immediately locked them in the detention room. Zheng Xuesong personally took Huang Wanqing to make her statement, with Qin Qingman accompanying her.

Wei Ling, having nothing else to do, took Chuchu and went to the nearby Civil Affairs Bureau.

He needed to learn more about the marriage laws of this era.

Huang Wanqing’s statement didn’t take long. In half an hour, she had explained everything clearly. After carefully reviewing the statement, Zheng Xuesong couldn’t help but offer some advice, “Comrade Huang, in the future, when you go to unfamiliar places, it’s best to go with others. While our country isn’t full of bad people, it’s always good to be cautious.”

“Yes, Comrade Zheng is right, I will definitely learn my lesson.” Huang Wanqing obediently acknowledged.

“Girls must protect themselves. In the future, when encountering such situations, you must be firm. Crying won’t help. If you don’t show strength in your attitude, outsiders who don’t understand the situation won’t be able to help you. Don’t blame the public for not helping you; this case is indeed quite deceptive.” Zheng Xuesong continued to advise.

“Comrade Zheng, I understand.” Huang Wanqing’s eyes were filled with lingering fear.

At the same time, she felt even more admiration for Qin Qingman.

She hoped that one day she could be as calm and composed as Qin Qingman.

Seeing that Huang Wanqing had truly taken his words to heart, Zheng Xuesong finally said, “Comrade Huang Wanqing, in that situation, you should have asked the public to report it to the police. Generally, bad people are afraid when they hear the police are involved.”

Huang Wanqing blushed.

Qin Qingman felt the need to speak up for Huang Wanqing. “Comrade Zheng, I can only say that the bad person was really too cunning. Comrade Huang Wanqing did ask the public to report it to the police, but because of the bad person’s persuasive words, the public chose to believe him, thinking Comrade Huang was a promiscuous person.”

Now it was Zheng Xuesong’s turn to blush.

“Sorry, Comrade Huang Wanqing, it’s our poor management of public security that caused you trouble. On behalf of the police comrades, I apologize to you.” Zheng Xuesong stood up and saluted Huang Wanqing.

Huang Wanqing hurriedly stood up, her face completely red. “Comrade Zheng, it’s not your fault… you don’t need to apologize.”

“Comrade Huang Wanqing, it’s us who should apologize. If it weren’t for Comrade Qin’s quick thinking, perhaps by the time we arrived…” Zheng Xuesong’s heart was heavy.

He had decided that he would strengthen the patrols at places like the train station, where there were large crowds of people.

Huang Wanqing was once again shocked by the unspoken words from Zheng Xuesong and instinctively tightened her grip on Qin Qingman’s arm.

The image of Ma Xiuying appeared in her mind.

“Don’t be afraid, the bad people have been caught. It’s all over now.” Qin Qingman could sense the source of Huang Wanqing’s fear and could only try her best to comfort her.

Recalling the tragic appearance of Ma Xiuying, Huang Wanqing suddenly felt a deep sense of discomfort, not just because she was still afraid for herself, but also for Ma Xiuying and possibly others like her. “Qingman, what should other girls do if they encounter such bad people?”

In the future, solutions to such problems had long been available.

The reason bad people dared to boldly commit their crimes was because they relied on the isolation and helplessness of girls, and the public’s ignorance of the truth. They took advantage of time, and as long as the police were reported to in time, harm could be avoided.

Qin Qingman thought of how in the future, many girls and children had fallen victim to similar schemes. After a moment’s thought, she spoke up, “Actually, it’s not that difficult to solve this problem.”

“Comrade Qin, how so?”

Zheng Xuesong was genuinely troubled about how to counter such cunning tactics, and when he heard Qin Qingman’s words, the light in his eyes matched Huang Wanqing’s admiration.

Qin Qingman planned to spread the solution she knew from the future through Zheng Xuesong, so more people could be aware of how to prevent and address such scams. She gathered her thoughts and explained her approach.

“Generally, such bad people are never alone. They usually have accomplices—two or three people, or even seven or eight. There’s an old saying: ‘a lie told by many becomes the truth.’”

“Exactly, I didn’t even think a three-year-old child could lie for a piece of candy.” Huang Wanqing, as a firsthand witness, was the most qualified to speak on the matter and immediately agreed with Qin Qingman’s words.

Qin Qingman gently patted Huang Wanqing’s trembling shoulder and continued, “When you encounter this kind of situation, there’s no need to argue with the person, because no matter how you argue, they will always have a counter-argument. The correct method is to escalate the matter.”

“Escalate?”

Both Zheng Xuesong and Huang Wanqing asked in unison.

“Yes, escalate it—make it so big that the police must get involved to resolve it. Once the police arrive, the bad people have no way to escape. No matter how many tricks they have, they’re useless in front of the police. Lies can never be true.” This was the most effective method as confirmed by statistics from the future.

Huang Wanqing, being clever, thought for a moment and said, “What Qingman means is that arguing with the bad people is useless. We need to bring the crowd into it. The more people involved, the safer it becomes.”

“Exactly. Turning an individual issue into a group issue, where it affects people’s interests—whoever dares to drag someone away would be guilty and would get beaten.” Qin Qingman said, giving Huang Wanqing an approving look.

This girl wasn’t very brave, but she was sharp.

It seemed she had been temporarily frightened by Zhou Baogen and his son earlier, making her act in a confused state.

“Understood, Qingman, you’re so smart.” Huang Wanqing, fully understanding Qin Qingman’s meaning, hugged her tightly. She felt that in such a short time, she had learned so much.

Qin Qingman smiled, not taking credit for it, but also not downplaying her own role.

“Comrade Qin, your suggestion is extremely useful, thank you very much.” Zheng Xuesong said as he stood up and saluted Qin Qingman. His rank was limited, so he couldn’t represent the entire county’s police department.

“Comrade Zheng, I hope the police can do more public awareness campaigns at places like bus and train stations where there are large crowds, to prevent other comrades from being deceived, and to eliminate such illegal behavior from happening again.” Qin Qingman said, looking at Zheng Xuesong with expectation.

“Comrade Qin, I will do my utmost.” Zheng Xuesong assured sincerely.

With that, the conversation officially came to an end.

The county police force was limited, and everyone was busy. Qin Qingman understood that Zheng Xuesong had a lot on his plate. She nodded, preparing to leave with Huang Wanqing.

After all, the contact information had been provided, and if anything were to happen, the county police could reach her in time.

As Zheng Xuesong watched Qin Qingman and Huang Wanqing leave the office, a female officer hurried over. Upon seeing Qin Qingman, she let out a sigh of relief. “Captain.”

“What’s the matter?” Zheng Xuesong asked.

“Captain, Comrade Ma Xiuying would like to meet Comrade Qin.” the female officer said, directing her gaze toward Qin Qingman.

Everyone in the county police knew that Qin Qingman’s husband was a soldier, so they were very reassured about her meeting with the witness.

“Ma Xiuying?” Qin Qingman’s mind immediately conjured up Ma Xiuying’s image. She roughly guessed why the woman wanted to meet her.

“Comrade Qin, what do you think?”

Zheng Xuesong felt a bit embarrassed. After all, Qin Qingman wasn’t one of their police officers.

“It’s fine, Comrade Zheng, I’ll go meet Comrade Ma Xiuying.” Qin Qingman said. She had never really been at ease with the situation, so it would be good to meet her in person.

“Thank you, Comrade Qin.” Zheng Xuesong breathed a sigh of relief.

Huang Wanqing held onto Qin Qingman’s arm, reluctant to let go. However, thinking of Ma Xiuying’s tragic state, she eventually released her grip. Though her hands were no longer holding on, her gaze toward Qin Qingman was filled with lingering reluctance, much like a bird leaving the nest.

Qin Qingman couldn’t help but reflect on what kind of loving family could raise a girl like Huang Wanqing.

A girl like her, sent to the frontier without anyone to look out for her, could bring about unforeseeable consequences.

—o—o—o—