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墨書 Inktalez
"Slowly." At this moment, Old Shao truly had nothing to do.
Captain Liu began to recount, "This morning, we arrived at the town where Ai Hua's parents moved to. With the help of the local police station, we reached Ai Hua's home around eleven o'clock. When they learned we were police officers, Ai Hua's parents seemed a bit hesitant, as if they were hiding something."
"Mm." Old Shao responded softly.
Captain Liu continued, "We inquired about the case from five years ago. After Ai Hua's death, her parents still had outstanding medical bills at the hospital. Since their child had already died, they felt that they shouldn't have to pay the hospital. So they took Ai Hua's body and contacted someone from the neighboring village who had long wanted to buy a house."
"About a week later, both families completed the transaction. After receiving the money, Ai Hua's parents buried her and then moved from Dragon City to a town in Jingzhong City. They bought a new house there and had another son, who is currently in kindergarten."
"It was nearing noon when their son Aiqing got out of school. His father went to pick him up while his mother insisted we stay for lunch. Although I could tell she was just being polite, we still had many questions left unanswered, so we reluctantly agreed."
Listening to Captain Liu, Old Shao asked, "Why didn't they seek justice from the murderer Wang Liguo?"
"Just listen to me," Captain Liu replied. "At first, I asked this question too, but their answers were vague and contradictory. Their own child drowned, such a significant event, yet they spoke about it so ambiguously. I felt something was off with them."
Captain Liu paused for a moment before continuing, "Moreover, from the very beginning, they seemed somewhat resistant to our presence. After thinking it over, I realized they must be hiding something from us. When Aiqing returned and started eating, his parents appeared restless and seemed eager to send us away."
"The more they acted this way, the more I sensed guilt on their part. So we pretended to leave but didn't go far. Less than half an hour later, we made a sudden return. When we broke through the door, we saw someone—someone who should not have been there."
Upon hearing this, Old Shao suddenly felt a strange intuition; he stood up and said, "Ai Hua?"
Captain Liu nodded heavily in response and confirmed, "That's right; it was Ai Hua. When we rushed back, she was sitting at the table eating..."
"Ai Hua really isn't dead." Just as Old Shao's doubts about Ai Hua began to dissipate, new questions arose in his mind: "So what exactly happened? What were Ai Hua's parents trying to do?"
Captain Liu said, "We were shocked at that moment and didn't understand what Ai Hua's parents were thinking. Realizing they had been caught by us, they finally revealed the truth..."
Ai Hua was born in a village and like all new parents, her parents were overjoyed. However, as Ai Hua grew older, her parents reluctantly discovered something—compared to other children, Ai Hua always seemed to react a beat slower.
Other children were already walking, while he could only crawl. Other kids called out for their parents, but he could only babble nonsensically. Other children could dress themselves, while he still needed help from his mom and dad. Other kids had outgrown their diapers, but he still wet the bed.
The same was true when it came to school.
Other kids had long memorized the multiplication tables, but he struggled to remember them. While other children could recite ancient poems after just a few readings, he needed to practice all night.
Behind his back, other kids called him silly, but he never understood that it was an insult; he just smiled and agreed.
When others laughed at him, he laughed along.
He grew alongside his friends year after year, yet his intelligence did not develop at the same pace. Despite his efforts, there were some things that simply couldn't be caught up on through hard work alone.
Ai Hua's parents took him to see a doctor. It was a genetic disorder they couldn't even name, a rare condition that had manifested in Ai Hua.
The mechanism of this illness was complex, but the outcome was clear: although Ai Hua would not be classified as mentally disabled, his cognitive abilities might only reach the level of a child. He would struggle to understand deeper issues. The doctors were tactful in their explanations, but their meaning was clear—he wasn't mentally disabled, but he was akin to being half-disabled.
Faced with exorbitant medical expenses for a condition that might not even be treatable, Ai Hua's parents gave up. They felt that Ai Hua was simply not meant to have a better fate; it was his lot in life. Watching Ai Hua grow up, they too aged year by year. They longed for a child without any problems, but the policies at the time did not allow for that.
In those years, the family planning policy had not yet been abolished. If they wanted to have another child, they would have to pay hefty fines.
Then five years ago, an unexpected opportunity presented itself to them.
While they were working in town one day, they suddenly received news that their child was in critical condition at the hospital.
At that time, Ai Hua had only been taken to the local hospital, which lacked advanced medical expertise. When the doctors mistakenly declared Ai Hua dead, the couple's hearts shattered.
They held Ai Hua's lifeless body and wept, but to their astonishment, they noticed his fingers moving. They quickly realized that Ai Hua was not dead after all. He soon opened his eyes—he was alive.
God closes a door for you, but He always opens a window. Ai Hua was truly fortunate; if it had been any normal person in such a severe state of brain hypoxia, they would likely end up as a vegetable, even if they survived. The first thing Ai Hua did upon waking was call out for his parents. Perhaps there was something wrong with Ai Hua's brain, which meant he needed less oxygen than others.
The couple immediately thought that no matter what, they still hadn’t paid for Ai Hua’s medical expenses. So, they secretly took Ai Hua and left the hospital. After returning home, Ai Hua's father came up with an idea.
Since the hospital had confirmed that Ai Hua was dead, it meant that there was no longer an Ai Hua in this world. They could not only raise Ai Hua but also have another child. With this plan in mind, the couple quickly sold their house in the village and took Ai Hua to Jingzhong City.
Later, Ai Hua's parents had another son.
Captain Liu slowly explained, "In short, that's how it went. This plan was seamless; they arrived in this unfamiliar place where no one knew about Ai Hua's past, allowing him to grow up without worry. However, now Ai Hua is no longer in school and is working at a factory in town."
"They were afraid that news of Ai Hua still being alive would reach the village, which would prevent them from having a second child. So they didn’t pursue responsibility for those children." Captain Liu sighed. "That was the situation five years ago."
"Wait?" Old Shao noticed Captain Liu's use of the phrase "those children."
Old Shao pressed on, "Those children refer to just Wang Liguo, right?"
Captain Liu clicked his tongue twice and said, "From start to finish, this has nothing to do with Wang Liguo. No, that’s not quite right; Wang Liguo was the one who saved him."
"Saved him?" Old Shao asked.
Captain Liu replied, "Wang Liguo and Ai Hua were not even in the same grade; they didn’t know each other at all. After school, since they were from the same village, Ai Hua followed his classmates home. After walking for a while, one child thought of a prank and went along with it."
"He knew that Ai Hua wasn’t very bright and deliberately teased him. They told Ai Hua to count to three and then jump from one side of the Canal to the other. Although the banks were only about three meters apart, a group of eight or nine-year-old kids couldn’t jump across."
"In reality, they had no intention of jumping; it was just to mess with Ai Hua. Naively believing them, Ai Hua counted to three and jumped toward the opposite bank. Clearly, he couldn’t make it and fell into the Canal."
"The Canal was about 1.7 meters deep, which is quite deep for a child. They were so focused on teasing Ai Hua that they didn’t consider the consequences. Ai Hua couldn’t swim and could only flail around in the water, swallowing a lot of it. The other kids were terrified by what they saw and hurried home, leaving Ai Hua all alone."
"Wang Liguo had just walked out of school when he saw a child splashing in the water, younger than himself. Without hesitation, he jumped in, determined to save the child. However, Wang Liguo was only two years older than Ai Hua, and he struggled to pull Ai Hua out of the water. Swimmers know that when someone is drowning, the victim will cling to their rescuer as if they were a lifeline, making it difficult for both to survive if not handled carefully.
Ai Hua was thrashing in the water, gripping Wang Liguo's arm tightly, which made it even harder for Wang Liguo to rescue him. In desperation, Wang Liguo used his other hand to push at Ai Hua, hoping he would let go of his arm so he could lift him out.
Everything began to make sense.
Wang Liguo was indeed holding onto Ai Hua tightly, but his actions were not meant to harm; they were meant to save. At that time, Wang Liguo was only about four feet tall. If he didn't act this way, both of them would drown, making any chance of rescue impossible. Unfortunately, this struggle was witnessed by a passing villager.
With the villager's preconceived notions, it was easy to assume that the notorious Wang Liguo was a murderer rather than a savior.
Old Shao finally understood the deep sadness and loneliness reflected in Wang Liguo's eyes.
'These are all things Ai Hua told me himself,' Captain Liu said to Elder Shao. 'Ai Hua knew he was foolish, but he could distinguish who treated him well and who did not.'
'By the way,' Captain Liu continued, 'Ai Hua wanted to personally thank Wang Liguo. Of course, he also wanted to confront the person who tricked him into going into the water. What was that person's name again?'
'Oh, oh! The one who nearly caused his death back then was named Shi Chaoyang.'"
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