Chapter 28: A Cup of Tea at the Public Security Bureau

The way everyone looked at Old Mrs. Zhang had completely changed. If their gaze had previously been one of contempt and disdain, it was now one of pure, unadulterated loathing.

"I didn't! I didn't!"

Feeling the weight of those piercing stares, Old Mrs. Zhang scrambled up from the ground, pointing a trembling finger at An'an and screeching in a desperate attempt to defend herself. "It’s her! That little wretch is spouting nonsense! It’s Zhou Susu! It must be that poisonous woman, Zhou Susu, who taught her to say these things! They’ve conspired together to slander me!"

"That’s right! She must have taught her!" Wang Cuifen, seizing upon this as a lifeline, immediately chimed in. "An'an couldn't even speak properly before; for her to suddenly spout such a long story, Zhou Susu must have coached her from behind the scenes! They just want to ruin the reputation of us elders!"

They desperately tried to splash the filth back onto Zhou Susu and An'an. But this time, no one believed them. A three-and-a-half-year-old child might be taught to say "Mommy and Daddy," but to force her to construct such a detailed, logically coherent "lie" with such raw emotion? Who were they trying to fool? Besides, one look at An'an—crying her heart out, her face a mask of terror and distress—showed it was clearly not an act.

"I didn't! Mommy didn't teach me!"

Slandered by them, An'an wept even more bitterly. She buried her face in Zhou Susu’s neck, her small body trembling like a leaf in the wind. "Grandma is bad... Grandma is a bad person... wuwuwu..."

Zhou Susu held her daughter close, gently patting her back, her eyes filled with a heartbreak that would not dissipate. She looked up, her gaze slowly sweeping over the two old women who were still struggling in vain, their ugly true colors fully exposed. Gone was her earlier composure, replaced by a cold, sharp fury—the rage of a mother whose most precious treasure had been violated.

She didn't say another word. She knew she didn't need to. Someone would seek justice for her.

And indeed, Lu Zhan, who had been standing silently to the side, moved. He walked slowly toward Officer Liu of the security department. His handsome face was devoid of expression, calm as a bottomless, frozen pool.

"Officer Liu." Lu Zhan spoke, his voice not loud, yet carrying the unmistakable authority of a battalion commander. He looked at the two screeching women. "I now have sufficient reason to suspect that they are not merely harassing military family members or disturbing the peace. They are suspected of conspiring to traffic a child! As Lu An'an’s current legal guardian, I am formally submitting a request: I demand that the public security authorities intervene immediately to investigate!"

"Child trafficking"—this was no longer a simple family dispute. This was a serious criminal case! It meant prison time!

Upon hearing the words "Public Security Bureau," the legs of Wang Cuifen and Old Mrs. Zhang turned to jelly. No matter how ignorant or shrewish Old Mrs. Zhang was, she knew that the police station was a place where good people didn't want to go, and bad people never left easily.

"No... that's not it! We didn't!" Old Mrs. Zhang’s face turned deathly pale, and she waved her hands frantically. "I was just joking with the child! Yes, just a joke! How could I possibly sell my own granddaughter?"

She began to beg for mercy, but it was too late. Lu Zhan’s expression did not soften in the slightest. A joke? Scaring a three-and-a-half-year-old child to the point of a nervous breakdown—that was a joke?

Officer Liu’s expression was extremely grave. This matter had moved beyond the scope of what his security department could handle. He nodded at Lu Zhan. "Battalion Commander Lu, rest assured. The nature of this incident is abhorrent! Our security department will not cover up or tolerate this in any way! I am going to call the police station right now."

With that, he turned and left. Seeing her last glimmer of hope vanish, Old Mrs. Zhang collapsed completely. It was over. This time, she had truly kicked an iron plate.

...

At the County Public Security Bureau, the interrogation room was filled with a heavy, somber atmosphere. A bright incandescent bulb hung overhead, leaving nowhere to hide. Old Mrs. Zhang, her uncle, and her aunt were being interrogated separately. Two experienced veteran officers were in charge.

At first, Old Mrs. Zhang tried to pull her usual stunts—crying, making a scene, and acting as if her life were over. "Comrade Police! You must stand up for me! We are truly being wronged! We just missed our granddaughter and went to the base to see her, only to be beaten by that vicious stepmother! And then dragged here by her man!"

However, these tactics were clearly ineffective against officers who had seen every type of criminal. One of the veteran officers, a man with a square face, slammed the file onto the table with a loud *thud* and shouted sternly, "Behave yourself! This is the Public Security Bureau, not your home! Keep your brawling theatrics to yourself! I’ll ask you this: Is Lu An'an your granddaughter?"

"Yes... yes..." Old Mrs. Zhang shivered at his intensity.

"Was the martyr Zhao Weiguo your son?"

"Yes..."

"Then did you take the pension and allowance he sent home and spend it all on your younger son’s family, while letting Lu An'an starve?"

"I... I didn't..." Old Mrs. Zhang tried to quibble.

"You didn't?" The other, younger officer sneered and produced a thick stack of testimonies. "This is the result of our investigation in Zhang Village. Your village secretary and over a dozen villagers have all signed and pressed their fingerprints, testifying that you have long abused the martyr’s orphan, Zhao An'an! Do you still dare to say you didn't?!"

He slammed the testimonies, marked with vivid red thumbprints, onto the table in front of Old Mrs. Zhang.

"Look at this! This is from your neighbor, Auntie Wang, who says she saw your daughter-in-law push three-year-old An'an into a water vat in the dead of winter! And this from villager Li Ergou, who says he saw you feeding An'an spoiled leftovers many times! And this! The village’s barefoot doctor testifies that before Battalion Commander Lu took her, Lu An'an was severely malnourished and bore multiple old, unexplained injuries! With both human witnesses and physical evidence, do you still want to lie?!"

Looking at the black-and-white testimonies and the familiar signatures and fingerprints, Old Mrs. Zhang was stunned. She had never dreamed that Lu Zhan would act so quickly. Even more, she never expected that the very neighbors who used to laugh and chat with her would turn around and sell her out. Her psychological defenses crumbled in the face of such ironclad evidence.

"I... I..." she stammered, unable to speak.

"I’ll ask you again!" the square-faced officer pressed, his voice like thunder. "Did you discuss with 'Limp' Zhao from the east end of the village about selling An'an to him as a child bride?!"

Old Mrs. Zhang’s face turned ghostly white, and her entire body shook like a sieve. "It wasn't me, it was... it was the second son’s wife who suggested it." In her desperation, she began to shift the blame.