20demayo Chapter 33 Misunderstanding
Chapter 33 Misunderstanding
Old Zhao bought a few pancakes in the alley, carried them in a plastic bag, and continued walking. He turned right and then left, then walked directly through an open door, as casually as if he were entering his own home.
Deng Xiuzhen had visited this place many times in her previous life; she knew it was the ancient city area of Pucheng. Not only were there ancient city walls and towers built of bluestone slabs, but even the roads were paved with bluestone slabs.
In the 80s, this area was home to many prominent figures in Pucheng and was the city's most iconic location. However, by the 90s, the area had become a diverse mix of people from all walks of life.
This narrow, straight alleyway is so narrow you can see right to the end, and there are people sitting and chatting at their doorways on both sides of the street.
It's completely impossible to track and observe someone here.
Deng Xiuzhen could only pretend to be passing by and walk straight ahead. As she passed the door the old man had gone through, she glanced inside.
That one glance made her heart race and cold sweat pour down her back: Old Man Zhao was dragging a child into the room!
The child was clinging to the door, head tilted back, mouth agape, as if shouting, but she couldn't hear a sound.
This reminded her of the children who had been poisoned and rendered mute. These people were truly vicious! Deng Xiuzhen was filled with resentment, but dared not linger.
She quickened her pace, turned right at the end of the alley, and only then dared to take a deep breath.
Turning around and peeking into the alley, she noticed that the people who had been chatting were now looking in her direction.
Her heart pounded, and she fled in panic. She bumped into someone without noticing. Looking up, she saw it was Tian Guoqiang.
"Sister Deng? Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?" Tian Guoqiang looked at her in confusion.
"I..." Deng Xiuzhen had only managed to utter the word "I" when she saw Qin Yanxiang behind Tian Guoqiang, and the words that were about to come out of her throat were swallowed back down.
"Director Tian, hello!" Qin Yanxiang greeted him with a smile.
Tian Guoqiang did not speak, but nodded slightly as a reply.
Deng Xiuzhen observed their interaction. Although Tian Guoqiang's response was polite, even somewhat cold, it was clear that they knew each other.
Whether they are truly familiar or not cannot be judged by appearances alone; this was Deng Xiuzhen's thought at that moment.
"I'm fine. I was just busy with something here and forgot about it. I was worried the children hadn't had dinner yet and I was in a hurry to get back." Deng Xiuzhen decided not to mention what she had just discovered.
First, Qin Yanxiang was right there, and in her eyes, Qin Yanxiang was a liar. She didn't like Qin Yanxiang and didn't believe her. Second, she was unsure whether Tian Guoqiang actually knew Qin Yanxiang.
In her past life, she had watched a lot of television programs and short dramas, and many police officers colluded with drug dealers and human traffickers, or acted as their protectors.
She wasn't familiar with Tian Guoqiang; she didn't know him. She dared not gamble, much less could she!
“That’s true. It’s past lunchtime. You should hurry back so the child doesn’t go hungry,” Tian Guoqiang said with a smile.
"Director Tian, what brings you here?" Deng Xiuzhen asked after thinking for a moment.
“I live here, in this alley ahead, the third house on the right after you turn left. You can come over and sit for a while sometime,” Tian Guoqiang replied casually.
"Okay, I'll definitely come when I have time. I'm in a hurry to get back today, so I'll be going now." Deng Xiuzhen said and walked straight ahead. She heard Qin Yanxiang say goodbye to Tian Guoqiang behind her, and then she heard footsteps chasing after her.
"Hey, Deng Xiuzhen, wait for me!" Qin Yanxiang caught up.
"I need to go home and cook, I don't have time!" Deng Xiuzhen said, quickening her pace.
"Song Yuanxiang has entered the city, did you know?" Qin Yanxiang asked, pressing for an answer.
"What does her going to the city have to do with me? You know our relationship." Deng Xiuzhen paused for a moment, then continued walking quickly. After walking for a while, she turned back and realized that Qin Yanxiang hadn't followed, so she started walking home.
"Xiuzhen, what's wrong? Where did you go? Did something happen?" Qin Yanlin asked quietly.
“I saw Old Man Zhao and Qin Yanxiang at Dafeng Restaurant earlier. They are the ones who swindled money from us with Sister Yuanxiang and are now in the hospital.”
“Everyone goes to restaurants to eat, it’s normal to run into them there,” Qin Yanlin said, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “Did you go with them? Did you find out something? Do they know each other? Is it related to the child?”
Deng Xiuzhen recounted what she had seen to Qin Yanlin in detail, then took a deep breath and said, "Why don't we move away? I just don't feel safe."
"Move away? Where can we move to? The house over there was sold to us by Chen Guohu. Chen Guohu is probably closer to the old man that Liu Xiaozhen and the others mentioned. Moving there won't solve the problem at all."
Moreover, the children attend the Third Primary School, which is close by and therefore safer.
We don't have much money right now, and we can't move to another place.
"If we pay more attention, things should be alright, right?" Qin Yanlin frowned, looking worried.
"That's true. With so many children and it being a period of anti-trafficking efforts, as long as the children don't run around and we keep a close eye on them, it shouldn't be that serious."
Should we call the police about what happened today? If we call the police, I'm afraid there might be their people at the police station, and I'm also afraid of retaliation from them.
But I feel uneasy if I don't call the police.
"Put yourself in my shoes. If my child were abducted, and no one else did anything, they would just pretend they didn't see anything..." Deng Xiuzhen didn't finish her sentence.
Qin Yanlin also fell silent.
The two walked out of the door, looked in the direction of the old man's house, and saw that the house was still dark.
They stood silently for a long time before finally making up their minds to call the police. Only by catching those bad guys could they truly be safe.
The couple returned home and told their child, "Stay home and don't go out. Lock the door. Don't open the door for anyone except your parents." Then they went to the police station.
As soon as they reached the alley entrance, they saw Old Man Zhao.
Old Zhao didn't see them. He was holding a child's hand, pulling him towards the alley as he said, "Come on, let's stop playing. It's getting late, we should go home. I'll fold you a paper airplane when we get home, okay?"
The child tilted his head back, twisted his neck, and opened his mouth but made no sound. He staggered and refused to move forward.
Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen walked over, and Old Zhao looked up and saw them, asking in confusion, "Where are you going so late?"
Deng Xiuzhen did not answer, but asked, "Who is this child?"
"You mean Xiaobao? He's the grandson of one of my comrades. He was born with a brain injury, so he can't speak and walks slowly, but he's a very smart child." Old Zhao patted the child's head and looked at him affectionately.
Deng Xiuzhen observed the child again and realized that the child was indeed showing signs of cerebral palsy. She immediately felt embarrassed: Old Zhao had helped her so much, yet she had unjustly suspected him because she had heard of a bad old man, causing such a big misunderstanding.
Upon closer reflection, I realized that my deduction was indeed unreasonable: if it were abduction, why would the door be left open on a busy street?
"Where do you live?" To cover up her embarrassment, Deng Xiuzhen made conversation.
"My home? Which home are you asking me about?"
"I was just asking, you're busy, I won't bother you anymore!" Deng Xiuzhen said, pulling Qin Yanlin to hurry home.