Chapter 4: Police Inquiry

The facilities at the commune hospital weren’t great.

The hospital beds were old and worn. Some of the chairs had been patched up with nails. There weren’t even any curtains, so the sunlight streamed directly into the room.

The small ward had three beds, occupied by the three of them—the victims. The little boy and Xu Lele were both asleep.

Xu Lele had also developed a fever in the morning. The little girl was terrified and still hadn’t recovered.

In just a short time, Mu Mian had already learned everything she needed to know.

The little boy was also from their commune. His parents worked at the textile factory, and he had an older brother who was around ten years old.

The brothers were about six or seven years apart. The older one usually found his younger brother too slow and didn’t like taking him along when playing.

But the younger one adored his big brother and had gone looking for him alone yesterday—only to disappear.

His family had searched for him all night but couldn’t find him.

Now, judging by the situation, he had most likely been lured away by that old woman.

His entire family was gathered around his bed. His older brother held his hand tightly, as if afraid he might disappear again. His eyes were so swollen from crying that they resembled a sad cartoon frog. If one didn’t look closely, it would be hard to tell if his eyes were even open.

As for Xu Lele, her family was also present.

Because of this, the small hospital room was completely packed. When people passed by in the hallway, they would glance inside, probably wondering what kind of patients were inside that needed so many people to accompany them.

Mu Mian didn’t stay in her mother’s arms for long. Once the pain in her butt subsided, she returned to her bed and lay down.

She hadn’t eaten all day. Earlier, she hadn’t noticed, but now that she had regained a little energy, her stomach began to growl in protest.

But the food wasn’t here yet. The meal that had been prepared earlier had already gone cold, and as a patient, she couldn’t eat cold food. So right after she got her injection, her father, Comrade Mu Fugui, took the food container and went to borrow the hospital kitchen to heat it up. He hadn’t returned yet.

Mu Mian, with nothing to do, was curious about what had happened after she lost consciousness. She wanted to know about the three kidnappers—had they been caught, or had they escaped?

But no one in the room knew much. As soon as they were notified that the children had been found, they had rushed straight to the hospital. All they knew was that the kids had escaped on their own.

Mu Mian also hadn’t seen Liu Tao. She was probably busy dealing with the situation.

It seemed the adults thought she was still too young and might be further traumatized, so neither her mother, her grandmother, nor the brigade leader’s family had asked her about what had happened in the kidnappers’ den this morning.

—

Their concern wasn’t misplaced.

The three children had developed fevers, two of whom were still asleep, occasionally twitching in their sleep from the lingering fear. Just looking at them, it was obvious how terrified they had been. No one dared to question them.

Liu Shuangcui sat by the bedside, gently stroking her daughter’s bangs.

Even though her daughter was lying quietly as she always had, something about her eyes felt different—brighter, more lively.

She had no way of knowing that Mu Mian actually wanted to speak but was holding back. Based on her memories, it seemed like she wasn’t supposed to talk much.

However, this restraint only lasted for a moment. Mu Mian had always been used to acting on her own whims and couldn’t hold back for long.

So when Liu Shuangcui lightly patted her head, Mu Mian couldn’t resist following her instincts. She called out softly, “Mom~”

Liu Shuangcui’s hand paused. “What is it? Do you want Mom to hold you while you sleep?”

Mu Mian shook her head and gave her a sweet smile. “Nothing, I just want to call Mom.”

The moment those words came out, Liu Shuangcui’s eyes suddenly turned red. Old Lady Zhao, too, felt her heart tighten. They didn’t know why, but they suddenly wanted to cry.

The brigade leader’s wife, Xu Lele’s mother, Liu Guizhi, chimed in with a laugh, “That’s why they say daughters are always closer to their mothers. They just have to call out for their mom now and then, for no reason at all.”

Everyone had been exhausted after staying up all night. Liu Guizhi’s face showed her fatigue, but despite being physically tired, her spirits were still high enough to joke.

She and Liu Shuangcui were both from Yangliu Brigade. About half of the people there had the surname Liu, and if you traced back three or four generations, they were all related.

The two had known each other since childhood and were very close.

Without waiting for Liu Shuangcui to respond, Liu Guizhi continued with a chuckle, “Why are you about to cry? Mian girl is perfectly fine. In fact, she looks even livelier now.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the nearby hospital bed. She truly felt that ever since Mu Mian woke up, she had become much more lively.

Mu Mian used to be obedient, but she always seemed to lack some energy. Now, she looked much better.

Liu Shuangcui wiped the corners of her eyes and said, “Who’s shedding golden beans? If I were to shed them, they would at least fall in my own home.”

Hearing her mother say this, Mu Mian couldn’t help but chuckle.

Golden beans falling in their own home? That was a new one. She only knew that in these times, even relieving oneself had to be done at home. Even if someone had to hold it in for a long time, they would make sure to go back. After all, good fertilizer shouldn’t be left in someone else’s field.

While Mu Mian’s thoughts were wandering, Mu Fugui returned with a lunchbox in hand.

Mu Mian’s eyes lit up, not just because food had arrived but also because behind her father, Mu Fugui, were Liu Tao and two men who were clearly public security officers.

She immediately sat up and called out, “Sister Taozi!”

Mu Fugui let out a “heh” and said, “You only see your sister?”

Mu Mian curled her lips and called out, “Dad!”

Satisfied, Mu Fugui grinned. “You must be starving. Let me feed you.”

Mu Mian wasn’t about to let someone feed her—her hands weren’t broken, after all. She reached out and took the lunchbox and spoon. Inside was rice porridge cooked with bone broth, soft and mushy, clearly simmered for a long time.

It might not seem like anything special in later times, but in this era of food shortages, it was a rare treat.

Under the watchful eyes of several people, Mu Mian ate slowly. She had actually just eaten some biscuits that her grandmother brought, so she wasn’t particularly hungry.

As she ate, she kept glancing at Liu Tao and the two officers, her voice filled with concern. “Sister Taozi, did you catch them?”

Liu Tao, looking serious and exuding an authoritative presence, nodded. “Yes, all four have been caught.”

Mu Mian let out a sigh of relief. As long as they were caught, that was all that mattered.

Seeing the little girl looking so worried, the two public security officers exchanged odd glances.

Mu Fugui, who had already heard some details from Liu Tao in the hallway, noticed their expressions. His eyes widened, and his voice grew loud. “What? Those damn bastards are dead?! What does that have to do with my daughter? Scum like them should have died long ago!”

He looked like he wanted to personally beat them to death if he had the chance.

The room quickly filled with people, all concerned about the fate of the kidnappers. The parents of the little boy and the brigade leader’s family wore expressions similar to Mu Fugui’s.

Liu Tao twitched at the corners of her eyes and clarified, “They’re not dead. They’re locked up at the station.”

Although, their condition wasn’t exactly great.

As she spoke, Liu Tao glanced at her little cousin, who was sitting on the bed, eating obediently. Even she hadn’t expected her to put up such a fight.

—

As luck would have it, Liu Tao was on duty last night. Normally, the night shifts were quiet, just staying at the station in case of emergencies.

Before going to bed, she had been discussing with her colleagues about the human traffickers they had been tracking, who had recently fled into their area.

She never expected to be woken up in the middle of the night by frantic knocking. Before she could even ask what was wrong, she heard that Mianmian and another little girl had gone missing.

The moment she realized it was her little cousin—who always clung to her whenever she visited—her mind went completely blank with panic.

When Mu Mian stumbled upon Liu Tao in the alley, she and her colleagues had already been searching for more than three hours. They had been looking in places they had previously suspected the traffickers might be hiding.

Who would have thought that instead of finding the traffickers, they would first find her cousin?

After Mu Mian fainted, only Xu Lele remained conscious, but the child was so terrified that her words were jumbled and incoherent.

Liu Tao took them to the hospital and then split up with her colleagues—one group went to report to Qingfeng Brigade, while the other, using the information provided by Xu Lele, gathered more officers and went after the traffickers.

The operation went smoothly, but the scene they encountered was rather gruesome.

The two public security officers who came with Liu Tao were surnamed Li and Yang.

Officer Yang was older, while Officer Li was still a young recruit. Both of them had been at the scene.

Being less experienced, Officer Li struggled to hide his emotions. Thinking back to what he had witnessed, he still found it hard to believe that the little girl sitting so obediently on the bed had been responsible for it.

The place hadn’t looked like a trafficker’s hideout—it had looked like a crime scene. Blood was everywhere.

One of the men, the shorter one, had suffered particularly severe injuries. When they arrested him, he was curled up on the ground at the station, whimpering and begging for a doctor.

What doctor? At death’s door and still worried about his lower half?

Even though the trafficker didn’t deserve any sympathy, as a fellow man, Officer Li felt an involuntary chill in his lower body and unconsciously pressed his legs together.

Unaware of the fear she had instilled in the young officer, Mu Mian continued eating while listening to her cousin recount how they had captured the four traffickers.

To be precise, they only had to capture one—the other three had already been knocked out and just needed to be tied up.

By the time Liu Tao finished explaining, Mu Mian had also finished her meal.

The older Officer Yang glanced at Officer Li and Liu Tao before Li took out a notebook and a pen from his bag.

Liu Tao lowered her voice and reassured Mu Mian, “Don’t be afraid. Uncle Yang just needs to ask about what happened.”

Mu Mian understood right away. A statement—she knew the process.

But Mu Fugui wasn’t happy about it. “What’s there to ask? The criminals have been caught! Just shoot them if they need to be shot! Beat them to death if they deserve it!”

All this questioning—what if they scared his daughter? Didn’t they see how Old Xu’s daughter had been frightened into a fever?

Liu Tao explained patiently, “Second Uncle, this is part of the process.”

They also wanted to know if the traffickers had revealed any useful information.

This trafficking network wasn’t small—it stretched across several provinces. If they could take down the entire chain, that would be ideal.

Mu Fugui wanted to argue, but just as he opened his mouth, he was silenced by sharp glares from both his wife and his mother.

With both his wife and mother staring him down, Mu Fugui clicked his tongue and shut his mouth, though his face clearly showed his displeasure.

Mu Mian found it amusing. Her father’s status at home was truly questionable.

Liu Tao looked at her little cousin, who was smiling sweetly, and asked, “Mianmian, are you still scared?”

Mu Mian shook her head, her eyes sparkling. “Not afraid!”

Afraid of what? She only regretted not being able to kick a few more times back then. What a pity that she couldn’t do it now.

Officer Li moved the stool that Old Lady Zhao had given up and sat closer. Feeling the little girl’s gaze, he inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

Mu Mian ignored everyone else and started recounting the events to Liu Tao.

Mu Fugui and the others had not dared to ask before, so they had no idea what had happened. Now, every single one of them listened attentively, occasionally clenching their fists in anger.

The women, Liu Guizhi and the others, had red-rimmed eyes. They kept repeating, “It’s a good thing we had Mian girl there.”

As for where the kidnappers had planned to take the children, Mu Mian had overheard some details. She shared everything she could remember with the two officers and Liu Tao.

Before Officer Yang, the other officer, left, he patted Mu Fugui on the shoulder and said with admiration, “Your daughter will make a great police officer when she grows up!”

With that kind of strength, most people wouldn’t be able to overpower her.

Mu Fugui felt both proud and heartbroken. But he had a different idea. “She could also join me in slaughtering pigs.”

How great would it be for his daughter to inherit his job?

Hearing this, Mu Mian was speechless.

No, she absolutely did not want that.