Old Man Chen looked at his grandson's frail little body and pale, tender face, currently fast asleep from the sleeping powder.
Usually, whenever he came home, the boy would constantly call out “Grandpa, Grandpa” in the most adorable manner imaginable. Yet, he couldn't bear to let his old wife suffer either. With that in mind, he looked at his son.
“Eldest Son, the child has been found safe and sound. Can't you just let your mother off the hook?”
The young man felt a chill run through his heart. He stared at his father, the coldness in his eyes nearly overflowing.
“In your heart, your son and grandson aren't as important as this woman you remarried, are they? Did a dog eat your conscience? If this old hag doesn't go to the county yamen tomorrow, I'll drag her there myself!”
Gu Qingyun had no desire to waste any more time here. Just as she grabbed Scarface Li and prepared to leave, the young woman stuffed a money pouch into her hand.
“Officer, please take this. It's just a small token of my gratitude for saving my child. Next time, I'd like to invite you over for a meal to properly thank you.”
Gu Qingyun gazed at her quietly for a few moments before slowly slipping the money pouch into her robes.
“Thank you. There's no need for a meal—just pay closer attention to your child.” With that, she led Scarface Li into the night.
...
Gu Qingyun tossed Scarface Li into the jail, greeted the jailer, and slowly walked toward the duty room. Bai Fan was currently sitting inside zoning out. When he saw her enter, he quickly stood up to greet her.
“What took you so long?”
Gu Qingyun briefly explained what had happened, and Bai Fan listened quietly.
“It must be the Chen family on Yuanbao Street. Their eldest son runs a cloth shop and is fairly well-off,” Constable Liao suddenly chimed in from the side.
Gu Qingyun turned to look at him.
“Uncle Liao, you know them?”
Constable Liao nodded.
“Mhm, I know their eldest son. Old Man Chen's current wife is a stepmother. His previous wife never fully recovered after giving birth to Chen Si, and she passed away when the boy turned fifteen. Chen Si is the eldest son I mentioned.”
“Less than half a year after she died, Old Man Chen took another wife. As the saying goes, 'A stepmother brings a stepfather.' Ever since the stepmother moved in, Chen Si hasn't had a single good day.”
“His current wife was arranged by his birth mother while she was still alive. Otherwise, finding a wife would've been a nightmare for him.”
“When this stepmother moved in, she brought along a son only a few years younger than Chen Si. His features look somewhat like Old Man Chen's, so those two clearly hooked up long ago.”
“Even so, Chen Si didn't get married until he was twenty, and it took several years of marriage to finally have his precious little boy. Now that his stepmother nearly sold his child, just you watch—that old hag will have to turn herself in tomorrow whether she wants to or not.”
“Our County Magistrate will likely make an example out of her, though he probably won't throw the old woman in prison. Still, she'll get a thrashing and will have to pay a steep sum to buy her freedom.”
Gu Qingyun listened in stunned silence, amazed that the Chen family's drama was so explosive. Seeing their expressions, Constable Liao felt like laughing. He stood up and stretched his legs.
“Alright, it's fine to listen to other people's family drama, but that's enough. Come on, I'm hungry. Let's get some late-night food.”
Gu Qingyun patted Little Black's head, signaling it to find its own food, and followed Constable Liao and the others to the staff kitchen.
...
Gu Qingyun didn't let Bai Fan go out for the second half of the night patrol. Since the kid had such terrible luck, she genuinely feared he might get into trouble somewhere out of her sight.
Without Bai Fan beside her, Gu Qingyun's patrol speed increased several times over. It was not until she reached Bamboo Leaf Alley and heard rustling noises that she came to a stop.
“No way, did I run into another incident?”
Gu Qingyun searched the vicinity but saw no sign of anyone. Gathering her qi, she leaped onto a wall and scanned the surroundings. Sure enough, in a hidden corner at the base of a wall, she spotted a figure curled into a ball.
She stepped quietly over to find a five- or six-year-old boy weeping silently, hugging his knees to his chest. He looked quite mournful.
A small bundle lay beside the boy's feet, making it look as though he were running away from home.
Gu Qingyun stood silently by his side for a good while. Seeing the boy still crying into his knees, deeply immersed in his sorrow, she couldn't help but sigh. Tonight, she had truly stumbled into a nest of children.
“Who's there?” Wei Chengze raised his head immediately upon hearing the sound, his eyes still brimming with tears and a tinge of fear. Looking into the light and spotting Gu Qingyun's uniform and waist token, his shoulders instantly relaxed, and he muttered,
“Oh, it's just a constable big brother.”
Gu Qingyun couldn't be bothered to correct him. He wasn't the only one who mistook her gender at night. During the day, it was fine—the little kids who had seen her before would all call her “Sister.”
Gu Qingyun squatted down to look him in the eye.
“Little guy, what are you doing here? There are plenty of child-traffickers out at night, so it's very dangerous for you to be out like this. Where do you live? I'll take you back.”
Receiving Gu Qingyun's concern, Wei Chengze's tears burst through the dam.
“Constable Big Brother, my parents are mean! They lost some silver and copper coins and blamed me for taking them. I told them I didn't, but they didn't believe me and even beat me up! I don't want my daddy and mommy anymore—I'm running away from home!”
Gu Qingyun chuckled softly and patted his head.
“Then why were your parents so sure it was you? How many siblings do you have?”
Wei Chengze sniffled.
“My parents only have me and my younger sister. My sister is still an infant in swaddling clothes.”
Gu Qingyun's forehead was covered in black lines.
“Then it actually makes sense why your father suspected you. Little guy, are you sure you didn't take it?”
Wei Chengze shrank his neck, his tone sounding a bit guilty.
“I only took a tiny bit—just a few copper coins! But Mommy said she lost over a hundred coins! Isn't that framing me?”
Gu Qingyun's lips twitched violently.
“Is it possible that 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'? Your dad might have seen you taking the coins, and after you left, he took the rest himself, letting you take the fall. Your mother is the one who handles the money at home, right?”
“So it was Dad who took it! I'm going to tell Mom as soon as I get back! Big Brother, you're amazing! You've never even been to my house, yet you guessed that my mom handles the money!” Wei Chengze looked up at Gu Qingyun with complete admiration.
Gu Qingyun: Is that really hard to guess?
Holding Wei Chengze in one arm, she tossed him a steamed bun—one she had intentionally kept earlier to satisfy a late-night craving.
“You must be hungry. Eat a steamed bun first. Once I finish my patrol, I'll take you home. Your parents are definitely worried sick by now.”
“They won't even notice I ran away! I snuck out while they were sound asleep,” Wei Chengze said proudly.
Gu Qingyun was speechless. What a truly filial son. Once he was sent back, his butt would probably be beaten to a pulp. She had just finished patrolling one street when the little boy in her arms suddenly pointed at a residence and said:
“Big Brother, that's my home!”
Gu Qingyun looked in the direction he pointed; it was only one street away from where she had picked up the kid. She looked helplessly at the little guy in her arms.
“You ran away from home and only made it this far?”
Wei Chengze said, “I'm scared of the dark.”
Gu Qingyun: Fair enough, that's a rock-solid reason.
After delivering the little guy back home, Gu Qingyun had barely left before she heard a storm of wailing and howling from inside. She rubbed her ears and nonchalantly continued her patrol.
Gu Qingyun was actually quite fond of her current job now—it wasn't exhausting. Every night she just walked around, which allowed her to get some exercise, and ordinary people would show her a modest amount of respect upon seeing her.
Whatever she wanted to eat, she could just go buy it. Occasionally she could feel the river breeze by the bank at night, which relaxed her mind.
Thinking of the riverbank, she inevitably remembered the fish in the river. Mhm, the fish meat in that river was fresh and tender. Once she got her rest day, she would catch a few to bring home and have Grandma make fish with pickled mustard greens. Just thinking about that flavor made her mouth water.
Rate on N.U.
