Chapter 57: Old Madam Hu
Chapter 57: Old Madam Hu
Old Madam Hu arrived in the afternoon and was promptly taken to the Public Security Bureau upon her return to Feng County. However, she remained calm and collected during the interrogation, showing no signs of panic. Upon hearing about Lu Jiaxin's incident, she expressed regret and claimed that if she had known something like this would happen, she would have insisted that Lu Jiaxin come with her to stay with relatives.
Captain Sun, with a stern expression, asked, "Lu Jiaxin said that she got off the train with you and intended to return to Feng County together. But when she mentioned staying at the guest house, you refused, even when she suggested getting a separate room for yourself. You forcibly pulled her away, and when she cried for help, you covered her mouth."
Old Madam Hu immediately cried foul, insisting that these accusations were baseless: "I got off the train shortly after she did. I was carrying a large package containing food, necessities, and clothes, which was very heavy. Because I was slowed down by the weight of my luggage, by the time I got off the train, that child was already nowhere to be seen."
After saying this, she continued angrily, "I even praised her for being a good child. Who would have thought that despite her innocent appearance, she would be so malicious as to accuse me of abducting her?"
"My eldest grandson is a college student who will be assigned a job after graduation, so he won't have any trouble finding a wife. My second grandson already married earlier this year, and his wife is now seven months pregnant. My youngest grandson is only ten years old and still in elementary school. Tell me, why would I abduct her?"
The interrogation lasted for over two hours, but Old Madam Hu steadfastly maintained that they had parted ways after leaving the train station. They hadn't been able to find any fellow passengers, and aside from Lu Jiaxin's statement and the sketch, there was no other evidence.
Captain Sun said, "Leader, it's clear that this old lady came prepared. Without concrete evidence, we can't convict her."
Wu Hanping understood her implication and asked, "Do you think that a confrontation between Lu Jiaxin and Old Madam Hu might make her crack and confess?"
Being seasoned investigators, when they heard that Lu Jiaxin had scheduled the confrontation with Old Madam Hu for one o'clock in the morning, they knew the matter was not as simple as it seemed. In their experience, every crime left behind clues, but the challenge in this case was that it had occurred near the train station in the middle of the night, making the investigation more difficult. Moreover, their biggest obstacle was their limited funds. Therefore, Wu Hanping thought it might be worthwhile to see if Lu Jiaxin's approach would yield any results; it could save them a lot of trouble.
Wu Hanping nodded in agreement. "In that case, let's arrange for them to meet. Hopefully, something will come of it."
On this trip, Old Madam Hu was not alone; her younger son, Yang Jun, had accompanied her. As evening fell, Yang Jun, concerned that his mother had not yet been released, sought out Captain Sun. "To cooperate with your investigation, I brought my mother back from Jinshi. Now that you've finished questioning her, why haven't you released her yet?"
Captain Sun explained, "Your mother said that after getting off the train, she went straight to your maternal aunt's house and stayed there that night. We need to verify the time she arrived, so we'll have to confirm this with your aunt in Gudu tomorrow morning."
"How long will that take?" Yang Jun asked.
"If all goes well, she should be able to go home before noon tomorrow," Captain Sun replied.
Yang Jun immediately softened his tone, knowing that the reason was valid. "Captain Sun, my mother is elderly and in poor health. I'm worried that staying in the interrogation room for an extended period will be too much for her. Would it be possible for me to take her to a guest house for the night, and then I'll bring her back here tomorrow morning?"
Captain Sun refused, citing protocol, but offered a compromise. "You can bring some warm clothes, and I'll make sure she gets them."
After expressing his gratitude, Yang Jun offered Captain Sun a pack of cigarettes. "My mother is of advanced age and has never been through something like this before. She's been anxious and fearful these past two days. I hope you can show her some consideration."
While Old Madam Hu was being interrogated, Yang Jun had also sought out a former classmate. With the ongoing strict crackdown, his classmate was reluctant to get involved but still offered a word of advice: if his mother was innocent, it would be best not to do anything that might give others a chance to seize upon it and use it against her.
Captain Sun, eager to reassure Yang Jun, accepted the cigarettes and offered comforting words. "Comrade Yang, rest assured that we will neither condone a guilty person nor wrong an innocent one. If we find that your mother has been falsely accused, we will not only release her immediately but also severely punish the slanderer."
Yang Jun left, his mind heavy with worries.
As soon as he turned away, Captain Sun handed over the cigarettes. "Leader, he's clearly anxious, probably afraid that Old Madam Hu won't be able to hold out and will confess."
He suspected that Yang Jun had something to do with Old Madam Hu's composure and that he might have even coached her on what to say. It was only because too much time had passed that they were in this predicament; if Lu Jiaxin had gone straight to the Public Security Bureau after regaining consciousness, the case might have been solved by now. The lengthy delay had made their task much more difficult.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Lu Jiaxin arrived at the Public Security Bureau accompanied by Lu Dabai, Lu Jiajie, and several others.
Noticing the bag she was carrying, Captain Sun reminded her, "Miss Lu, when you meet with Old Madam Hu, you cannot bring any items with you."
Lu Jiaxin quickly assured him that she would not bring anything to the meeting and then made a request. "Captain Sun, could you arrange a room for me?"
Assuming that she wanted to rest, Captain Sun led her to a room. Aside from a bed, the room contained only a long table and a chair.
"This is where we usually sleep. It's quite simple, but please make do," he said.
Lu Jiajie frowned upon seeing the bed. Although others might not know, he was well aware that his sister had a bit of a cleanliness obsession. That's why, during family gatherings, they always used separate chopsticks for serving and eating.
Lu Jiaxin found the room quite acceptable and thanked Captain Sun. As long as she had a table and a chair for her makeup, she didn't mind the bed—a little dirt or mess wouldn't bother her.
Lu Dabai, Lu Jiajie, and the others were directed to a room next door. Once inside, Lu Dabai asked in a low voice, "What's in the box that Jiajie gave you, Jiaxin?"
Only Lu Jiajie and Lu Jiaxin knew the contents of the box, as it had been given to her by Lu Jiajie just before they arrived.
"It's a makeup kit," Lu Jiajie explained. "Jiaxin said she needed these things, so I asked a classmate to borrow them from the cultural troupe."
The supply and marketing cooperative only sold Snow White Cream; they didn't carry items like lipstick or eyebrow pencils. Fortunately, a classmate's uncle was a leader in the cultural troupe, and through that connection, Lu Jiajie had been able to borrow the makeup Lu Jiaxin needed.
Since the items were borrowed and not purchased, Lu Dabai didn't say anything further.
After seeing everyone out of the room, Lu Jiaxin began her makeup routine. The quality of the cosmetics wasn't the best, but given the circumstances, she had no choice but to make do.
Captain Sun didn't go to sleep. Even if he returned to the dormitory, he knew he wouldn't be able to rest, so he stayed and worked on the part of his job he disliked the most—writing the investigation summary. When he finally finished, he glanced at his watch and saw that it was already 11:30 p.m.
Stepping out of the office, he noticed that the light in Lu Jiaxin's room was still on. He was curious about what this young woman was up to and hoped that she would indeed be able to get Old Madam Hu to talk.
(End of Chapter)
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