You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 315 The Collapse of Mediocrity is the Cry of a Beast! (Case Closed)

It was late September.

Deyang City and Wujiang County.

That morning, the sky was clear and blue, and white clouds floated across the horizon like sheep.

The small supermarket on Taihua Street in the center of the county town opened its doors. The owner, Qu Junping, walked into the store, moved two small tables outside the door, and then brought a few small wooden stools to place next to the tables.

Before long, several old men who frequented the neighborhood strolled over.

"Junping, why are you opening the door so late?"

Qu Junping took out a chess box from the counter and handed it to them.

He smiled and said, "My daughter had a fever last night, so Meixue and I stayed at the hospital overnight and didn't get home until dawn."

An old man with a folding paper fan sat on a small stool, setting up a chessboard while saying, "Oh dear, a fever is no small matter."

The simpleton in our alley, he got delirious from a high fever when he was little, and it made him stupid.

Qu Junping nodded: "That's right, I was so anxious."

Another old man in a traditional Chinese suit chuckled and said, "Speaking of the little girl you and your husband adopted, she still can't speak. Haven't you taken her to the hospital to see a doctor?"

Qu Junping poured them tea and nodded, "They've examined everything carefully. The doctor said there's nothing wrong. I guess the child is just introverted and doesn't like to talk much."

"Take him to a big hospital in Chengdu. He's almost three years old and still can't talk. This won't do."

Qu Junping nodded, not wanting to continue the conversation, but he couldn't resist their chatter.

"By the way, Junping, did you really adopt this child from a relative's family?"

"Yes."

Several people looked at him suspiciously and stopped talking. In fact, everyone knew what was going on, but no one dared to say it out loud.

Qu Junping turned and walked into the shop, not daring to face the old men, because he had lied. The child was not adopted at all, but bought from human traffickers for three thousand yuan.

Three thousand yuan is not a small amount. His small supermarket can only earn five thousand yuan a year.

Qu Junping and his wife had been married for over ten years but had been unable to conceive. When they went to the hospital for a checkup, they discovered that it was their problem.

After several years of treatment, there was little effect, and she still couldn't give birth.

His wife, Mei Xue, began to believe in metaphysics. She made him drink a lot of water boiled with talismans, and he drank Chinese medicine every few days. Even when they were intimate, they would spend money to have a master tell their fortune.

It was still to no avail; instead, they were scammed out of a lot of money by the small advertisements posted on utility poles.

I'm already in my thirties, and not having a child is a big deal.

In Sichuan Province, people don't distinguish between boys and girls, but it's definitely not true that there are no boys or girls.

So Qu Junping and Mei Xue discussed it and decided to adopt one.

Actually, it's not difficult. In rural areas, many people can afford to give birth to children but not to raise them, so they give them to other families to raise.

However, one downside is that if the biological parents live close by, the child may not have much affection for the adoptive parents when they grow up and will eventually return to their biological parents' family.

Such examples are commonplace, and Qu Junping and Mei Xue are worried that this kind of thing will happen.

They want to adopt children and love them for life, but they also can't abandon them once they grow up.

After making inquiries from various sources, Qu Junping was introduced to a girl who was only three years old and whose parents had passed away. The girl asked him if he would adopt her, and if he did, he would have to pay a sum of money.

As soon as the other party quoted a price, Qu Junping knew what they did.

At this time, his wife Mei Xue was suffering from depression and was unhappy every day. She just wanted to have a child.

Qu Junping agreed and took Mei Xue to a guesthouse that day, where they met the little girl.

Mei Xue fell in love with the child at first sight.

Qu Junping felt the same way. Although the little girl was dressed in dirty clothes, she was very cute. Her eyes were bright and her face was delicate. When she grew up, she would be a very beautiful girl.

You can tell whether you like someone or not just by looking at them.

The little girl was shy around the couple, and when Mei Xue tried to hug her, she opened her arms.

Once she hugged him like that, Mei Xue didn't want to let go.

What else could Qu Junping say? After discussing it with the other party, he went to the bank to withdraw money and carefully inquired about the girl's family.

The other party was vague, only telling him to rest assured that no one would cause trouble.

And so, they took the little girl home and named her Qu Xiaoxin.

The character '欣' was chosen by Qu Junping and means joy and satisfaction.

But there was one problem that gave the couple a headache: their little girl didn't like to talk much. It wasn't that she couldn't talk, but that she just didn't want to.

In the past six months, Mei Xue has tried many tricks, such as buying toys and new clothes for the child, but the child still doesn't call her "Dad" or "Mom".

She's almost three years old now, and she already has a sense of independence. Just because she doesn't want to call out now doesn't mean she won't in the future. As long as she's healthy, that's the most important thing.

Seeing his wife's wholehearted devotion to the child and the increasing smiles on her face, Qu Junping was also very happy.

But there were many gossips outside, saying that the child was bought from human traffickers. Whenever Qu Junping heard this, he would get angry on the spot and insist on arguing with the other party.

At this moment, Qu Junping returned to the counter, turned on the television, and lit a cigarette.

Whether it's setting up a chess stall outside or turning on the TV, these are all ways to attract customers.

Throughout the morning, while a group of old men played chess outside, he was busy serving goods to customers.

At noon, Mei Xue rode over on her bicycle with a small basket on the back. Qu Xiaoxin sat in the basket, holding onto Mei Xue's clothes with both hands.

"Here, I made your favorite twice-cooked pork. Eat it while it's hot. After you eat, I'm going to take Xiaoxin back for a nap."

Mei Xue took a lunchbox out of the basket on the front of the car and gave it to him.

Qu Junping didn't take it, but instead went around to the back of the bicycle, reached out and picked up Xiaoxin.

"Has your little sister been a good girl today? Did she take her medicine?"

Qu Xiaoxin looked at him, pursed her lips, just smiled, and didn't say anything.

"Want some snacks? Daddy's shop has everything—lollipops, bubble gum, cotton candy?"

Mei Xue put the bicycle aside, glared at him, and said, "What kind of father are you? How can a child eat that stuff? It's not even good stuff."

Mei Xue snatched the child from his arms and held her comfortably in her embrace: "Xiao Xin, be good. Mommy will take you to the mall to buy chocolates on Sunday. You won't eat any of your daddy's cheap stuff."

Qu Junping chuckled and said, "That's fine, but you should wait until you're fully recovered before you take it."

"Eat your food." Mei Xue, holding her child, sat on a small stool outside the door. The old men who had been playing chess had already gone home for lunch and wouldn't be coming back until the afternoon.

Qu Junping brought a lunchbox and stayed next to them.

He opened the lid and asked, "What did Xiaoxin eat for lunch? Did she have meat?"

"He ate it. This child only eats lean meat, not fatty meat."

"Just the opposite of me, from now on we'll eat separately, no fighting or arguing, right, daughter?"

Qu Xiaoxin nodded; she understood what the two adults were saying.

When Qu Junping was eating, he would find twice-cooked pork in his bowl, bite off the fatty part, and feed the lean part to his child.

Qu Xiaoxin stretched her head out and ate with relish.

The couple chatted about their daughter's schooling, comparing which primary school was better.

At that moment, a voice interrupted their conversation.

"Boss Qu, are you eating? There's quite a lot of food today."

The speaker was speaking in Mandarin. Qu Junping looked up at him.

"Comrade Yang, have you eaten?"

Yang Jinwen nodded: "I just ate, so I came out for a stroll."

Wen Ling, who was next to him, bent down, took out a fluffy puppy toy from behind her back, and handed it to Qu Xiaoxin: "Xiaoxin, this is for you, okay?"

Qu Xiaoxin looked at Mei Xue and blinked, indicating that she needed Mei Xue's consent.

Mei Xue nodded and smiled, "I can't accept that, please thank your sister."

Qu Xiaoxin didn't speak, she just smiled.

Wenling stuffed the toy into her hand.

Qu Junping asked, "Comrade Yang, you've been here for a long time, when do you plan to go back?"

"Leave tomorrow."

"That's true, we don't get many tourists here, it's just a small county town."

Mei Xue said, "We've had a lot of people from out of town coming here. Not long ago, a girl even stayed here and often came to our shop."

Yang Jinwen frowned: "What's her name?"

"Her surname is Cai, I don't know her given name. She comes to our supermarket to buy things every day."

Qu Junping nodded: "Besides this woman, before you came, there was also a middle-aged man with a stubble beard who came from your Qin Province. He said his surname was Yao."

There was another young man who came with him. I don't remember what he looked like, but he spoke with a Qin province accent.

Yang Jinwen nodded. He had been in Wujiang County for a week. Before that, Yao Weihua, Cai Ting, and Maozi had indeed taken a long leave.

He didn't expect that although they claimed to have family matters to attend to when they asked for leave, they had secretly come here.

Similarly, they didn't know they would come.

Yang Jinwen looked at the child in Mei Xue's arms, his heart heavy.

Because she resembles Zhang Chen.

He turned around and looked into the supermarket.

The television set hanging on the wall was broadcasting legal news.

The television footage shows a court hearing for a major criminal case.

This case has caused a huge stir. For the past two months, news newspapers have been filled with stories about this female murderer. Many lawyers and social groups have been working tirelessly to advocate for her and hope that she can live.

Qu Junping had also read the relevant reports and felt sympathy for the female murderer.

He stood up, handed Yang Jinwen a cigarette, and said, "Well, good people don't live long. She's quite pitiful, but she killed five people, so she'll definitely be sentenced to death."

Yang Jinwen nodded, and Wen Ling stood beside him, holding his hand tightly.

Then, the television screen switched to the judge in the courtroom, who began to read out the court's verdict.

"After review by the Supreme Court... Suspect Zhang Chen is accused of murdering five people. Although there are mitigating circumstances, his crime is unforgivable. The court hereby pronounces Zhang Chen guilty..."

Then, the television screen shifted to Zhang Chen standing in the dock, with two bailiffs standing behind her. Her gaze was resolute, and her head was held high.

Yang Jinwen closed his eyes, holding Wen Ling's hand tightly, his chest tight and unable to breathe. Although it was a televised broadcast, he already knew the outcome.

Wen Ling was the same; her eyes were glazed over, her teeth were clenched, and even breathing became difficult.

At this moment, Qu Xiaoxin, who was in Mei Xue's arms, turned her head to look at the TV, her eyes bright and alert.

Mei Xue quickly covered her eyes with her hands: "Xiao Xin, don't look."

Qu Xiaoxin removed her hand and stared intently at the face on the television screen.

After a long while, she murmured softly, "Mom... Mom..."

As if guided by fate, Zhang Chen suddenly looked at the camera lens, his throat tightened, and tears streamed down his face...

　After finishing this case, I sat in front of the computer, unable to calm down.

　　I'm used to listening to music while I'm writing.

　　One can imagine how they felt at the time.

　　I almost cried.

　　I asked some veteran criminal investigators, and they said that real-life cases often involve destroying the most beautiful things in front of people.

　　The main characters' experience with this case is naturally different from before.

　　Humans are inherently compassionate, and the protagonist is no exception.

　　The next case was naturally not as serious.

　　Because the author has already finished writing the story they wanted to write, and it's their own original story!!

　　I originally wanted to put this case first, but after thinking about it, I realized that putting it first might be too heavy, so I put it here instead.

　　Thank you for reading.

　　Thank you!

　　oz2
　　oz2
　　
　
(End of this chapter)