Chapter 351 - 308: Mo Jiabao
Chapter 351: Chapter 308: Mo Jiabao
That afternoon, Grandpa entrusted everything at home to Mo Chengfu, then headed to Wancheng with Grandma and Xiao Man in Tang Qingyun’s car.
When Secretary Mo and a few other Mo family elders heard about it, they wanted to come along too. The car was too small to fit them all, and though they said they could take a tractor, Tang Qingyun persuaded them to stay behind. He told them to wait at home and, depending on the situation, he would send a car back for them the next day.
On the way, Tang Qingyun said to Grandpa and Grandma, "Dad, Mom, please try to stay calm. Think back—did the child have any other identifying marks on his body back then? We can’t establish a connection based on a piece of jade alone, can we? What if someone stole it from him?"
Grandma’s tears flowed endlessly. She nodded and said, "You’re right, you’re right... Let me think. I need to think about it carefully, slowly!"
"Qingyun, since you’ve already seen him, did you think he looks a bit like either of us?" Grandpa asked, his hands clenched into tight fists, his face etched with anxiety.
Tang Qingyun cleared his throat. "Dad, I did look at him for quite a while, and he didn’t seem like a complete stranger. But I’m really not good at telling if people look alike. However..."
"However what?"
"He’s injured. He was kicked and beaten by a lot of people. He’s hurt pretty badly, and his face is swollen beyond recognition..."
Grandpa’s face grew even paler. Grandma suddenly stopped crying and fell silent, staring blankly. Xiao Man couldn’t do anything but hold Grandma’s hand tightly, so she remained quiet.
After a long silence, Grandpa asked again, "Why was he beaten?"
"It’s a bit serious. I was originally planning to wait until after you’d seen him and had a moment to process things before telling you."
"It’s fine. Tell us now. We’re listening."
Tang Qingyun paused for a long moment, then tried to speak in as calm a voice as possible. "This was a malicious incident. Xiao Feng has already reported it to the Public Security Bureau. The couple, they aren’t locals; they’re from H Province. They came here with their whole family, traveling through the villages around Wancheng, making a living by re-fluffing cotton for quilts. But in reality, they were secretly searching for their eldest daughter.
Their daughter had been trafficked. They knew she was sold somewhere in this area, but they didn’t know the exact location. They’ve been searching since after the New Year. Just a few days ago, they finally tracked down her whereabouts and managed to sneak her out of the village.
But they were discovered. The people from that village gathered a dozen or so able-bodied young men and chased them all the way to the Wancheng train station. They beat the father unconscious and snatched the daughter back..."
Grandma burst into tears. Grandpa suddenly began pounding on the driver’s seat, startling the driver. He roared hoarsely:
"Which village was it? Tell me, which village? Do they think the Mo family is a pushover? I’ll go beat those bastards myself!"
Tang Qingyun quickly turned around to calm him down, telling Xiao Man to take care of Grandma. His voice sounded strange. Xiao Man glanced at him and saw that his eyes were red, his gaze filled with guilt, regret, and pain. ’Grandpa and Grandma haven’t even confirmed he’s their son, but they’re already acting like it,’ she thought. ’It seems a bit premature. And what’s he getting all worked up for? Don’t tell me this is dredging up memories of when he refused to acknowledge his own biological daughter?’
It was a stark contrast. Other couples would move heaven and earth with their entire family to find their trafficked daughter. He and Wu Xiaowen, that bizarre couple, had certainly struggled too, but in a completely different way: others just wanted their family reunited, while they had callously thrown their own flesh and blood away.
When they arrived at Wancheng Hospital, Xiao Feng, who had just gotten off work, came over to see them. He greeted Xiao Man with a smile. Xiao Man had prepared for the visit at home, bringing several fruit baskets. She handed one to Xiao Feng, pointed to the wild grapes inside, and casually asked, "So, did you win over that pretty lady who likes grapes?"
Xiao Feng chuckled smugly. "I did, and I have your wild grapes to thank for it!"
Then he looked at the fruit basket in his arms with a hint of regret. "If only you’d come a bit earlier. She’s away on a business trip and won’t be back for another week!"
"She’s on a business trip, so no one’s going to eat this fruit? Then give it back to me for now. I’ll give it to you again when I have another chance," Xiao Man said, holding out her hand.
Xiao Feng quickly backed away from her. "Hey, no way! My girlfriend might not be home, but I can still give this to my mom and my sister, can’t I?"
Xiao Man shot him a disdainful look. "Listen to you. Your mom and sister come after your girlfriend now. Another classic case of ’a wife makes you forget your mother.’"
"What does a little girl like you know? Do you have any idea how hard it is to win a wife over?"
While the two of them were exchanging a few words outside, Grandpa and Grandma had already disappeared inside with Tang Qingyun. Xiao Feng put the fruit basket in his car and led Xiao Man in to find them.
Xiao Man, also holding a fruit basket, walked alongside Xiao Feng and asked about the trafficked girl’s situation. Xiao Feng said, "Don’t worry. Mr. Tang has already met with several regional leaders and they’re on the same page. This kind of incident is heinous and intolerable to begin with. They’ve already intensified the investigation and evidence collection. Based on the victim’s statement, they sent people out yesterday. If all goes well, they should be able to bring the girl back today."
"Is the place very far?"
"Ahem, it’s a poor, remote mountain village. You have to walk for many miles on mountain roads just to get to a ride. Besides, the situation is a bit... special. Anyway, you wouldn’t understand!"
Xiao Man fell silent. She couldn’t guess exactly what made the situation ’special,’ but she understood enough when he mentioned a poor, remote mountain village. The poorer a place was, the harder it was for men to find wives. The villagers were ignorant and aggressive, which was truly terrifying!
In her previous life, Xiao Man had the painful experience of being trafficked herself. She had witnessed such horrific scenes. Whether it was human traffickers, abductors, or the families who bought women and children, she hated them all to the bone. They were her sworn enemies!
’If that girl doesn’t come back today,’ Xiao Man resolved, ’I’ll find a way to go there myself. It doesn’t matter if she’s Grandpa and Grandma’s biological granddaughter or not. As women who have suffered the same fate, if I know about it, I have to lend a hand.’
Just as they reached the door of the hospital room, they heard waves of sorrowful crying. Grandma was sobbing and shouting, "It’s Jiabao! It’s my Jiabao!"
Xiao Man and Xiao Feng exchanged a look, each lost in their own thoughts. Xiao Man felt it was all too much of a coincidence, while Xiao Feng was thinking, ’Doesn’t your family have a few too many of these reunion dramas?’
Fortunately, there were only two patients in this room. The other was a local who didn’t stay at the hospital overnight, so Jiabao’s family basically had the entire room to themselves.
Grandma had said that if Mo Jiabao were still alive, he would be forty-one years old. The man in the hospital bed looked to be about that age. One of his arms was in a splint and a sling across his chest, and one of his legs was in a cast. His whole face was swollen and shiny; he was clearly not lightly injured. It was impossible to tell how Grandma recognized him as her Jiabao, but she was hugging his head tightly, causing the man to sob in pain, coughing and gasping for air. Beside them, a woman and two children who looked to be seven or eight years old were also crying together in a heap. Grandpa, his legs having given out, sat on an empty bed near the door, tears streaming down his face.