Chapter 355 - 312: Hate All Human Traffickers
Chapter 355: Chapter 312: Hate All Human Traffickers
Chapter 312: Hating All Human Traffickers
The guesthouse room was brightly lit, its floor polished to a mirror shine. The bedding was snow-white and immaculate. A ceiling fan spun slowly, stirring up a gentle, cool breeze, while the sweet scent of flowers and trees wafted in through the window screen. To Yu Wumei and her two children, such a peaceful and comfortable place was like heaven itself.
Xiao Man insisted on having her own room. Grandma, knowing her granddaughter’s independent nature, checked the window screen for any mosquitoes that might have gotten in. She reminded Xiao Man to go to bed early and not stay up too late reading before quietly closing the door. However, instead of going to the separate room the guesthouse had prepared for her, she went to the triple room where Yu Wumei was staying with her children. Her husband was at the hospital with Jiabao, and Grandma could guess what the father and son needed to discuss. She wanted to talk to Yu Wumei herself and learn more about the child who’d gone missing during their journey. The three beds in the room were quite spacious. She figured she could share one with Qiuyan, which would be perfect, and she could also keep an eye on Dapeng to make sure he didn’t kick off his blankets.
After Grandma left, Xiao Man slipped out as well. She quickly made her way up to the third floor and knocked on Tang Qingyun’s door.
As a public official, Tang Qingyun had to return his assigned housing to the government when he was transferred. Now, whenever he was in town, he had to stay at a guesthouse like everyone else.
Seeing his biological daughter come looking for him of her own accord, Tang Qingyun was overjoyed. He bustled about, pulling out a chair for her and pouring a glass of water. Then he hurried over to his desk, brought back a plate of fruit, and said with a chuckle, "I got these from the trunk of the car. They’re delicious! Here, Manman, have some!"
Xiao Man: "..."
’I’m the one who put that there,’ she thought. ’You don’t actually think your trunk can magically produce fruit, do you?’
"Is there something you wanted to talk about, Manman?" Tang Qingyun asked, sitting across from her while nervously devouring a cluster of purple grapes at five times her pace.
Xiao Man nodded. "I want to know how Xinghua’s trafficking case is going to be handled. I’m talking about the traffickers. Every single person who was involved, including Hu Laosan’s entire family—it doesn’t matter what their role was. If they had a hand in it, they’re a trafficker, and they must be severely punished!"
Tang Qingyun said, "Manman, school is starting for you soon. You should head back to Beijing and not worry about this. Just leave it to the police."
"No. I want to watch them all be brought to justice! I... I was once handed over to traffickers by Liu Fengying. I was almost sold off to someone in the mountains. It was pure luck that I escaped. The whole experience was an absolute nightmare."
Xiao Man blinked, her expression placid and innocent. "Speaking of which, if I had actually been trafficked, you and Wu Xiaowen could be considered traffickers, too. After all, it was because of your heartlessness and cruelty that I was in a position to be sold in the first place! As a former victim, I have nothing but the utmost respect for great parents like Wu Jiabao and Yu Wumei. I sympathize with Xinghua, and I despise all human traffickers!"
The sweet grape juice in Tang Qingyun’s mouth instantly turned bitter and unswallowable. A grape caught in his throat. ’If I could just choke to death right now, it would be a blessing,’ he thought. ’I’d finally be free.’
"Manman, I... Daddy is so sorry!" Tang Qingyun managed a difficult swallow, his voice raw. He felt as if his heart were being pierced by countless steel needles, and his vision blurred.
"Oh. It’s fine." Her tone was so flat and indifferent, like a neighbor casually commenting on some trivial matter. The words plunged Tang Qingyun into an icy abyss, and his face turned a deathly, ashen pale.
"You worked in Wancheng for so many years; you know everyone and everything here. A task that would require an ordinary person to run themselves ragged, you can get done with just a single word. I’m Grandpa and Grandma’s granddaughter. With family matters still unresolved, I can’t leave for school with a clear conscience, so..."
"Manman, please, just listen to me, alright?"
"Fine. Go ahead, Second Uncle."
"..." Tang Qingyun squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. He’d forgotten his designated role as ’Second Uncle’ again.
"Regarding Grandpa and Grandma, I’ve already reported everything to the family in Beijing. Your grandparents are overjoyed. They said they’ll find an opportunity to come here in person to congratulate Grandpa and Grandma. They’ve also instructed me to make all the necessary arrangements to find the missing third child. The goal is to transfer Mo Jiabao’s family’s official residency back to G Province, so you can all be properly reunited. I spoke with Grandpa about this before dinner, and he’s discussing it with Jiabao now. As soon as they make a decision, I’ll get it done immediately! As for Xinghua, her case has been handed over to the police’s anti-trafficking unit. An old friend of mine, the provincial police chief, is personally supervising the case, and the city police chief has even gone to the area himself. The original plan was just to rescue Xinghua, but investigators discovered many other trafficked women and children there. So, they’ve expanded the operation. They’re rescuing all the victims first, then they’ll detain the suspects and interrogate them to root out the entire network of traffickers... Manman, rest assured, from this day forward, I will pay much closer attention to anti-trafficking efforts. I will crack down hard on these criminals and their gangs until they regret the day they were born!"
"The third child isn’t a little kid. It’s not as easy to abduct a twelve-year-old boy. The bigger worry is that he was picked up by a gang of thieves and is being corrupted... Before they left, Uncle Jiaobao must have told the family their destination. We should be able to find him by carefully retracing their route."
"I’ve already thought of that. I asked Jiabao yesterday and spent all night on the phone. I’ve already made calls to people in all the places they passed through, with a special focus on the city where the third child disappeared."
Xiao Man nodded. "Mo Jiabao’s family lives in H Province. Xinghua’s abduction was a joint operation between traffickers from two different provinces. They have a network. If you can dismantle that network now, you could prevent countless other tragedies. And that Hu Laosan family... they’re despicable. First, they kidnapped Jiabao, causing Grandpa and Grandma decades of suffering, and now they sold Xinghua. Their crimes are unforgivable!"
"Anti-trafficking work often requires cross-province operations, and the bureaucracy is very time-consuming. If you wait to see the final result, you’ll be late for school. Trust me on this. Leave Xinghua’s case to me. As for Hu Laosan’s family, I’ll pull a few strings with the Tang family’s connections. We’ll make sure they’re charged with multiple offenses, and I guarantee they’ll get what they deserve. You’ll have news within two weeks. How does that sound?"
Xiao Man thought about the state of the roads and the limited resources available to the authorities in this era. For Tang Qingyun to guarantee results within two weeks was impressive. She nodded. "Alright. I’ll be counting on you, then, Second Uncle."
"Manman, this is a family matter. I... This ’Second Uncle’ is only doing what he’s supposed to do!"
"I appreciate the effort, nonetheless."
Tang Qingyun walked Xiao Man all the way back to her room on the second floor. He watched as his daughter immediately shut the door firmly behind her. He let out a long sigh, a look of utter helplessness on his face.
The next day, after breakfast at the guesthouse, the group went to the hospital again. The swelling around the wounds on Mo Jiabao’s face and hands had completely subsided and scabs had formed. He could even sit up and move about on his own. Grandma and Yu Wumei were thrilled, and they crowded around him, fussing over his well-being.
Grandpa pointed to Xiao Man and said cheerfully to Mo Jiabao, "That ointment for your wounds and those pills you’ve been taking? Our Xiao Man prepared them all. All your old dad has ever known is how to gather herbs, but Xiao Man was lucky enough to meet a brilliant medical expert. She’s going to be a brilliant doctor herself one day!"
Grandma added, "Xiao Man is still an apprentice, so the medicine she makes is just for family use for now. How are you feeling? It’s much better than what the hospital gives you, isn’t it?"
Mo Jiabao nodded vigorously. "It’s great! Really great! I’m not in any pain anymore, I swear! Dad, Mom, I want to go home. I can’t stand the smell of this hospital, and we’re spending too much money every day. Let’s go back and use our own herbs. I’ll be more comfortable at home!"
Xiao Man was speechless. ’Oh, Uncle Bao,’ she thought, ’I know you’re worried about the cost, but ’our own herbs’ are a whole lot more expensive than this hospital stay!’