"Brother Xie, are you, are you alright?"
To them, Xie Sui dozing off was akin to being unconscious. Chen Qiang was tied up on the ground, his body tall and strong. Xie Sui’s slender frame had taken so much effort to subdue him!
Poor child, they must have both suffered heavy losses and were exhausted to the point of passing out.
Xie Sui later realized it was a beautiful misunderstanding. He might as well go along with it, as it would make his contribution seem even greater.
"Brother Huang, you're finally here."
Xie Sui’s legs were numb. He tried to stand but fell down again. Everyone rushed to help him, "Where are you hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?"
Xie Sui’s eyes darted around. "It's nothing serious. I just got kicked twice in the stomach and he hit me seventy or eighty times. I just thought that I couldn't let this devil escape, no matter what, or I wouldn't be able to face all the children in town."
Xie Sui spoke with such righteous indignation that the police officers were deeply moved. Director Chen clasped his hand, tears in his eyes, "A good comrade! I will report this to my superiors and arrange for a reward and a banner for you."
"Oh, that's too embarrassing, it's not necessary, not at all."
"It is necessary. We will not let a good comrade be wronged."
Director Chen insisted, feeling guilty. Fortunately, Huang Tianliang was capable; otherwise, if these children had been taken away, scattered across the land, the hope of finding them would have been slim. The breaking of these families would have been entirely his fault.
"Huang Tianliang, I apologize to you. I did not take your advice seriously. Please forgive my negligence and arrogance. I will make a self-criticism to the organization."
Director Chen was also a man who could admit his mistakes. He apologized to Huang Tianliang.
Huang Tianliang, however, felt a little awkward. "No need, Director. Hurry up and apprehend the main culprit for interrogation. I'll take Brother Xie to the clinic for a check-up."
"Alright. The clinic's expenses will be covered by the station."
Huang Tianliang was the type who responded well to kindness, not force. Any resentment he had towards Director Chen completely dissipated. Director Chen also forged a good relationship with him, and Huang Tianliang, as he rose through the ranks, never forgot to promote him.
"Brother Huang, all that money was Chen Qiang's illicit gains. I haven't touched a single cent. You can check. He tried to bribe me, but I righteously refused. With this dirty money, even if I starve to death, I, Xie Sui, will never take a single cent!"
Director Chen was moved again. This money amounted to tens of thousands of yuan, and Xie Sui remained unmoved. What a noble spirit!
"Of course, we believe you, Comrade Xie. Please rest assured and recuperate. I will faithfully report your heroic deeds to the organization."
"It's my duty, my duty."
Chen Qiang was taken away, the illicit money confiscated, and the children were rescued. Xie Sui's heroic deeds were sealed. Under the propaganda of the police station, every household in town had heard his name.
Huang San and his accomplices were also apprehended. When asked to identify the children's origins, Huang San looked at his own son among them and was completely stunned. "Son, why are you here?"
Huang San's son, Huang Duoduo, was over three years old and could barely speak clearly. He only cried and wailed, "Daddy, I want Mommy."
"Comrades, this is my son! I was also deceived. I didn't know about Chen Qiang's schemes; otherwise, I would never have done it, even if you beat me to death."
Huang San was also clever. He immediately found an excuse for himself, picked up his child, and quickly soothed him.
The children were gradually claimed by their families. The last little girl, named Chen Wei, was unclaimed and had to be brought back to the station for the time being.
...
Lin Wanwan had finished selling the canned goods, but Xie Sui and the others hadn't returned. Her heart was in a turmoil. At one moment, she thought Xie Sui might have lied to her and planned to sell the children. The next moment, she felt it was impossible; Wang Tie Zhu was still following them and wouldn't let him do anything rash.
While her mind was in turmoil, Wang Tie Zhu returned with the children, looking sullen. With Dou Dou and Ding Ding tied to him, passersby pointed and whispered, causing him great embarrassment.
"Sister-in-law, Xie Sui is really going too far. He can't treat me like this even if he's afraid of losing the children. He could at least not tie them to my stomach."
Lin Wanwan quickly untied the children. She had misunderstood Xie Sui; he was even more worried about the children than she was.
"Where is Xie Sui? Is he not with you?"
"He said he had some business to attend to and asked me to take you home first. He said not to worry about him."
"Alright then, let's go back."
Wang Tie Zhu packed up his belongings and pushed the cart back. Lin Wanwan was still worried. "You take the children home first. I'll go look for Xie Sui. I'll be back before dark."
"Sister-in-law, why don't I go? You take the children home."
"No, I can do it. Keeping an eye on the children is helping me greatly. I'll thank you later, Tie Zhu."
"It's nothing, Sister-in-law. Be careful."
Lin Wanwan had already disappeared. It was the first time she had worried about Xie Sui.
At this moment, Xie Sui was still at the clinic, driving the doctor crazy.
"Doctor, wrap more gauze around me, put some antiseptic on it, and cast my arms and legs. Have you seen the mummies in TV shows? Let's do it like that."
Xie Sui reclined on the examination table, legs crossed, negotiating with the doctor.
The doctor's expression was blank. "Your skin isn't even broken. Do you want to get heat rash by wrapping so much?"
"I want to, and I'm not not paying. Doctor, please, just agree to it. I'll pay extra, okay?"
"Fine, if you pay extra. When I was studying medicine, there were preserved corpses soaked in formalin. I can get you one. It'll last a thousand years without decay, and your image will live on forever. It'll look even better than a mummy."
Xie Sui: "..."
"Doctor, you're really something!"
"It doesn't matter if I'm something or not. What matters is that if you don't get down soon, I'll peel your skin off!"
"Hehe, don't be so agitated. The world is so beautiful, yet you're so agitated. That's not good, not good!"
The veins on the doctor's hand holding the scalpel bulged. Damn it, he really wanted to cut off Xie Sui's tongue!
"I'll get down right away, calm down!"
As he was leaving, Xie Sui pocketed a roll of gauze and a bottle of antiseptic. "If you won't help me, I'll bandage myself. How can such a heroic deed be displayed without any scars to show a man's valor?"
He wrapped a circle of gauze around his forehead and smeared half a bottle of antiseptic on it, making it look quite convincing.
Huang Tianliang walked up behind him. "Brother Xie, what are you doing?"
"Aiyo, you don't understand. This is a 'bitter scheme.' You should do it too, and get some medical expenses from the station to buy some meat to nourish yourself?"
Huang Tianliang: "..."
This cousin seemed a bit too cunning.
In countless interactions in the future, Huang Tianliang would realize how naive he was at this moment. Every time he saw Xie Sui, his legs would turn on their own, and he would want to hide.
"We're not that kind of people. Let's go, I'll take you home."
"Really, Brother Huang? Let me tell you, you can't be too honest in life. Your straightforward personality will lead to losses. You're my real brother, would I trick you?"
"I know. Can you shut up? You're so noisy!"
"Xie Sui, what happened to you? Oh my god, are you badly hurt?"
Lin Wanwan appeared at the clinic entrance. Seeing Xie Sui's bloody head, tears started to fall.