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墨書 Inktalez
Xiao Mo usually comes home, generally to pick up clean clothes or to retrieve the extracurricular reading materials she prepared for the week after finishing them.
Therefore, I was not surprised to see her at home.
"Have you had dinner?" I asked while taking off my suit jacket and hanging it on the coat rack.
"No, Auntie is cooking," Xiao Mo said absentmindedly.
"What's wrong? What are you thinking about?" I walked to the back of the sofa, resting my hands on its back—close to Xiao Mo's position. For many years, she has resisted others' touch, so enjoying the usual intimacy between a father and daughter was not possible.
"What should one do about domestic violence?" Xiao Mo surprisingly opened up about her concerns this time.
"Domestic violence? Who is being violent? Is it one of your classmates?" I walked around the sofa and sat opposite her. "This kind of thing depends on the situation. First, you need to assess the severity of the victim's injuries, and then consider the internal family reasons. After all, law often intersects with human feelings. I know kids your age strongly oppose corporal punishment, but that's a part of Chinese tradition—good children come from discipline. If a parent acts out of impulse or if there are understandable reasons, it shouldn't be judged solely by legal standards."
"It's not that," she shook her head, pausing as if hesitating about whether to speak or how much to say. "The classmate who saved me last time, Lin Ye, based on what I saw at that time, she must have suffered domestic violence more than once, and the reason for her abuse probably isn't due to some conflict..." She furrowed her brows, thinking about how to express herself. "Her father is an alcoholic and behaves poorly when drunk. I believe his violence towards Lin Ye is purely a matter of personal character."
Xiao Mo rarely speaks this much in one go, which shows how much she cares about Lin Ye's situation.
Lin Ye, I have not forgotten; their relocation issue remains unresolved, and their family is like a thorn in my heart.
After weighing my options, I said, "If that's the case, I suggest calling the police."
Naturally, there was some selfishness in my suggestion.
According to what the staff knew, the stubborn household was not unbreakable. The female head of that family, Li Xianhua, had expressed a desire to obtain Compensation early and move away from Shantytown, but due to Lin Zhiping's stubbornness, they had been forced to resist the construction team until now. Moreover, when Li Xianhua chatted with neighbors, she often complained out of fear of ending up with nothing.
Additionally, Li Xianhua had a bad reputation; it was rumored that she had affairs with multiple people. It was said that Lin Zhiping was unreasonable and violent; if it weren't for her concern over the demolition compensation, they would have divorced long ago.
I had been troubled about how to exploit this gap when Xiao Mo provided me with an opportunity.
Furthermore, since Xiao Mo mentioned it was a matter of Lin Zhiping's character, my suggestion for Lin Ye's healthy development was not wrong.
Since our conclusions were aligned, why should we care whether there were ulterior motives involved?
"Call the police? But Lin Ye does not agree with that approach."
"She is a minor and has not yet developed a mature sense of right and wrong. Moreover, those involved are often confused while bystanders see clearly. She has endured for so long that it is difficult for her to muster the courage to resist. As her friend, you understand right from wrong better than she does, and you should help her make the right choice," I said casually, subtly encouraging Xiao Mo.
"But this involves a family, and as an outsider, I have no decision-making power," Xiao Mo hesitated, but it was clear that her views aligned with mine.
"How about this: if you're worried about the consequences being too severe to handle, I can talk to the police and ask them to educate Lin Ye's father. As long as he recognizes his mistakes and reflects on them in time, they can let him go. While this won't solve the problem at its root, it can at least alleviate the situation. What do you think?"
"Um—let's do that."
"Great. When you see Lin Ye suffering from domestic violence again, call me immediately. I'll speak to my contacts at the police station. If another officer takes over, I won't be able to intervene, and the consequences could be unpredictable. You know that severe cases of domestic violence can lead to sentencing."
Xiao Mo seemed touched by my enthusiasm and smiled lightly at me. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," I replied lightly.
In the real estate industry, one cannot avoid dealing with government officials, from City Committee Officials to local police officers; familiarity is essential.
For instance, when demolition leads to violent incidents... I'll stop there; everyone present should understand.
The next day, I found the registered phone numbers for Lin Zhiping's family—two in total: one for Lin Zhiping and one for Li Xianhua.
"Hello, who is this?" A coarse woman's voice came through the line, shouting loudly enough that I had to hold the receiver away from my ear.
"Hello, I'm the head of the Relocation Engineering Team. Do you have a moment? I'd like to talk with you."
I arranged to meet Li Xianhua at a café. The details of our meeting were unremarkable; ultimately, I secured a contract with Li Xianhua for two hundred thousand in relocation funds and a two-bedroom apartment.
After signing the contract, Li Xianhua hesitated for a long time—so long that I was about to pay and leave—before awkwardly pleading, "Um... about the address of the house... that is... can you not tell anyone else about the address of the housing you'll allocate to me?"
"Of course."
"No... you need to make it clear to your staff that no matter who asks," she emphasized those last four words heavily and repeated them again: "No matter who asks, don't say anything."
I raised an eyebrow, beginning to understand her implication. "Others" did not refer to people outside the family but rather Lin Zhiping—and even included... Lin Ye.
Forgive my bluntness; she truly is a ruthless woman.
"Um..." she hesitated again, "How many years can my husband get sentenced?"
"Sentenced?" I scoffed. The word "sentenced" coming from her mouth at this moment was quite interesting.
Domestic violence usually involves criticism and education as the main approach, with fines being the worst-case scenario. Sentencing is rare unless the victim suffers extremely serious injuries, such as paralysis or complete disability. Although Lin Zhiping is despicable, his actions do not meet the criteria for sentencing.
She was hinting at something.
I smiled meaningfully and said, "Don't worry, whatever the sentence is, it will be. But I suggest you run as far as you can."
Her eyes flickered as she avoided my gaze, nodding softly.
A few days later, I can't recall the exact time, but one evening, I received a call from Xiao Mo.
Her voice was low and her breathing a bit hurried. "I'm at the door of Lin Ye's house. Her dad is drunk and beating her. Can you come over?"
I immediately replied, "Stay safe and hide well. I'm bringing people over right now!"
After hanging up, I quickly called the nearest police station. Since we had been in contact before, they responded immediately. Then, I sent a message to Li Xianhua.
After that, I drove to Shantytown.
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