Chapter 401: 380
Chen Xiangyu shook his head and continued to speak:
"Let it be, my father and grandmother asked me to call her ’mom,’ but auntie disagreed, telling me it’s fine to just call her ’auntie.’ Calling her ’mom’ doesn’t make her my biological mother anyway; whether or not she’s good to me, in the eyes of others, she’s always a stepmother, always the person who mistreats the child, caught between a rock and a hard place!"
Mr. Zhao glanced at Tao Zhenshan once all the questions seemed to be asked, at which point Tao Zhenshan gave a hand signal to the officer recording the video.
The officer taking the statement went to find Doctor Chen, considering that this needed to be printed. Even if the person is a minor, a statement still requires a signature and a thumbprint, but it must be done with a guardian present, and the process should be video recorded.
After sorting all of this out, everyone left the intensive care unit, and Tao Zhenshan took Doctor Chen’s hand.
"One of these days, I’ll send a banner of gratitude to your emergency department. Ever since Mr. He started working here, we’ve always been coming to you for help. I know how busy your regular duties are, and here we are causing even more trouble. Yet, it’s our job; thank you for your assistance and understanding—thanks a lot!"
Such formal courtesy made Doctor Chen somewhat embarrassed.
"This is what we ought to do, and you can come over anytime, even if Mr. He is not around. I didn’t feel much while collaborating with them on other cases before, but this one has deeply affected me.
If it hadn’t been for you, the child would never have been rescued within the golden six hours. Even if he was found later, we could only watch helplessly; as a doctor, that’s when we feel most helpless. In the future, feel free to come to us anytime. Later on, I’ll leave you my phone number."
Tao Zhenshan smiled. Mr. Zhao, standing behind Liu Yufei, raised his phone, secretly pointed at Liu Yufei, and with both thumbs up, he touched them together, signaling Tao Zhenshan with his eyes. Tao Zhenshan’s face showed no change, as he continued to shake the firmly grasped hand of Doctor Chen.
"Alright, thanks a lot, Doctor Chen. Leave your phone number for Yufei. They handle the most major criminal cases, and we’ll reach out to them when we need to come over. Yufei, help me to apply for the gratitude banner to Director Xu when you get back."
Facing the people who had just helped find her cousin’s child, how could Liu Yufei refuse? She quickly nodded in agreement.
"Sure, I’ll apply to Director Xu as soon as I get back, and he’ll probably be back tomorrow."
"Let Yufei stay behind to look after the child; we’ll take our leave. As for the case, you don’t need to worry about it. I’ll personally oversee Zhu Weihua’s trial proceedings."
Liu Yufei smiled.
"Thank you, Director Tao. I have no other requests. The child didn’t die, and that’s a testament to our effective rescue. As for the motive, I won’t comment. It wasn’t determined by Zhu Weihua when she had her mother throw the child into the hole, but when she fed the child Paraquat, the matter was already finalized."
Tao Zhenshan nodded.
"Rest assured, I will clarify everything that needs to be explained. When transferring the case, I will pay special attention. Your task now is to adjust your state of mind, take good care of your cousin’s child, and rejoin the team soon."
Liu Yufei sighed, and the group quickly left. Doctor Chen stood by Liu Yufei’s side, waving goodbye to everyone, until they were out of the emergency department and in the car. It wasn’t until then that Mr. Zhao finally relaxed. Tao Zhenshan looked skeptically at Mr. Zhao.
"What are you up to, lad? All mysterious, come on, tell me what’s going on. Why insist on Doctor Chen giving his phone number specifically to Yufei? Wouldn’t it be more convenient for all of us to have it?"
Mr. Zhao grinned, showing his teeth.
"Director Tao, you don’t know what I’m thinking, but you followed through just as I said. That’s what I call understanding. Doctor Chen is a good fellow, and Mr. He holds him in high esteem too. He’s got a bit of a thing for Mrs. Fei; we’ve got to give them a nudge, right?"
Tao Zhenshan had a moment of realization and, following suit, he laughed.
"You know, Doctor Chen is a good-looking fellow, kept glancing at Liu Yufei. I thought he was just concerned about the case, but now that you mention it, it seems he really does have a bit of a thing for Liu Yufei. But you and your ’Mrs. Fei,’ isn’t Liu Yufei younger than you all?"
Mr. Zhao waved his hands with a grin, signaling the detective to hurry up and drive since they needed to get them back first.
"Look, Director Tao, you really have a keen eye for detail. Mrs. Fei is indeed a year younger than me and Zhou Xiaozhou, but she has a commanding presence. Plus, she’s one of the top talents among the young generation at the city bureau. Calling her ’Mrs. Fei’ is appropriate. Just don’t spread the word about this matchmaking; let’s not nip it in the bud. After all, several in our bureau have a thing for Mrs. Fei, but few dare to make a real move."
Tao Zhenshan waved his hand, obviously grasping what Mr. Zhao meant.
"Got it. I’ll keep Mr. Zeng busy with work lately. Though this case is essentially over, public legal education in rural areas is still lacking, especially the village committees. Today, their cooperation was reluctant at best, and that’s an issue. I’ll have Mr. Zeng work on this at the grassroots level."
Mr. Zhao arched his eyebrow and sighed.
"It’s not that we lack brotherly loyalty. We’ve all been working together for so long. If Mrs. Fei had any interest in that guy, she would have shown it by now. Besides, didn’t she get upset that one time in Rudong City? That guy is just not on the same wavelength as Mrs. Fei; if they got together, it would just lead to frustration. They’re not suitable for each other."
Zhou Ning glanced at Mr. Zhao, who seemed lost in thought, and put down his phone. He texted Xu Dayuan to briefly report the day’s events, providing an update. Xu Dayuan was quite shocked; after all, had the situation been delayed, the outcome could have been entirely different.
Arriving back at the technical department of the city bureau, Tao Zhenshan and company collected various reports and went straight to the interrogation of Zhu Weihua. Since the facts were clear, with ample evidence, accomplices, victims, and consistent testimonies, they planned to review it all with her. If she refused to admit guilt, they would proceed with the formalities, but the refusal would result in a harsher sentence in court.
As for the third-party report, they would simply explain the situation and submit it a little later since it included the forensic doctor’s assessment results. Satisfied, Tao Zhenshan headed to the main building.
Watching them disappear, Zhou Ning didn’t rush upstairs but remained standing at the door of the technical section. Mr. Zhao noticed that Zhou Ning had been quiet the whole way and seemed somewhat off.
"What’s up with Zhou Xiaozhou?"
Zhou Ning shook his head.
"Just feeling a bit sentimental, no big deal!"
"Sentimental about what? Zhu Weihua’s ruthless behavior? We’ve seen a lot of cases, but it’s rare to encounter someone who’d harm children, especially someone who’d kill right off the bat. I once read a report about a husband who abused his wife, and in response, she scalded their child to death in a pot of boiling water."
Zhou Ning shook his head again.
"That’s not what I mean. Today’s events have made me feel that one must be cautious when choosing to marry or have children. To be born and not cared for is the greatest tragedy for a child.
Take this case, for example. Chen Xiaodong remarried, and while everyone involved was on their second marriage, could it be that they were still so reckless after the first failed experience? Could the people in the neighboring villages really not know about Zhu Weihua’s mental issues? Perhaps it was because Chen Xiaodong’s prospects were poor, making it hard to find a wife, and he thought the child was too young, needing a wife to help take care of the home. A mild illness, he might have thought, was not much of an issue to him.
That there were no problems in the first three years of marriage was because Chen Xiaodong treated Zhu Weihua’s child equally. However, the main trigger for Chen Xiangyu being poisoned wasn’t his grandmother’s illness, but rather Chen Xiaodong’s failure to manage the relationships effectively.
Letting Zhu Weihua’s child go back to her mother’s with his grandmother—she agreed to that in June, acknowledging Chen Xiaodong’s arrangements. Yet when she acted out in October, it was partly because promises weren’t kept and also because he failed to attend to Zhu Weihua’s emotions. So, in this case, Chen Xiaodong bears an inescapable responsibility."
Mr. Zhao was stunned.
"I only heard that Chen Xiaodong’s ex-wife ran off with someone else, leaving behind the one-year-old Chen Xiangyu. He probably felt that because the child was young, he was in a hurry to find another wife. But I agree with you. Even if they weren’t close, a little inquiry and everyone would know the business of each household.
Especially when it comes to mental illness or intellectual disabilities, the whole area would be aware. Generally, people would steer clear when match-making, aware of the hereditary risks involved. Only those who can’t find a wife or have disabilities would settle like that.
You make some valid points. Everything fears analysis. The Chen family’s house looks quite new, probably just renovated within the last year. Mrs. Fei caring for her aunt’s home, she also did it because of financial difficulties in the past.
It was only four years ago that relatives helped to gather the money to lease the orchard that her condition improved. Once life got better and they overcame their hardships, their concerns naturally changed. Alas, it’s just a pity for the child."
Zhou Ning gestured dismissively.
"Let’s go back to the office. There’s no need to watch the interrogation."
Mr. Zhao shook his head and followed Zhou Ning’s steps back to the office, not daring to chatter and went straight to the office. Upon arrival, he saw Xia Momo standing at the door, and Liu Yongxin must have said something because she was laughing.
Mr. Zhao blinked, hurriedly took off his hat to hang it up properly, grabbed a bottle of water, and drank half of it before sidling up to Liu Yongxin’s side.
"What are you saying, Mr. Liu, that’s got Mr. Xia laughing like that?"
Liu Yongxin handed a bottle of mineral water to Zhou Ning as he moved closer to the other two.
"We were just chatting, making fun of Doctor Lu a moment ago, and Mr. Xia thought my impression was spot-on. Now tell us, how come you’re back from the hospital so quickly, the kid didn’t wake up?"
Knowing Mr. Zhao was eloquent, Liu Yongxin didn’t trouble Zhou Ning and directly addressed Mr. Zhao with his last question.
"He’s awake, in good shape, and clear-headed when answering questions, so we finished taking his statement quickly. As for the interrogation, Zhou Xiaozhou said there was no need to watch. After all, Zhu Weihua was in such an agitated state, and the testimonies from Mrs. Zhu and Chen Xiangyu completely lined up. The facts are clear, and the evidence is solid."
Liu Yongxin glanced at Zhou Ning, realizing he wasn’t in the best state. Without asking further, he quickly told Yang Xuetong and the others:
"Alright, it’s best this way. Your work here is done, so hurry up and get everything organized to send over to Director Tao. Oh, isn’t Mr. Zeng at the Tongshan Sub-bureau? Didn’t he go this time?"
Mr. Zhao, dragging Liu Yongxin with him, headed to the lab and gave a brief on the situation. Of course, under Liu Yongxin’s pressing questions, he also repeated Zhou Ning’s perspective. Liu Yongxin thought for a long while before he sighed.
"If someone decides to remarry, it’s either because they truly have feelings and are willing to try again, wanting to make up for what was lacking in their previous marriage, or they are simply out of options. When Chen Xiaodong chose to remarry, he was probably in the latter situation. We just need to do our job; that’s not for us to judge. As long as it doesn’t affect my pupil’s relationship with Mr. Xia, it’s all good."
Mr. Zhao clicked his tongue.
"Zhou Xiaozhou and Mr. Xia are currently all over each other. They were fine before everything was out in the open, but now, they’re all gooey-eyed every day."
Mr. Liu slapped him on the back.
"Cut it out, don’t be sour. They haven’t had it easy. You should be helping them, not stirring up trouble. Let’s hope they can make it official soon!"
