Huang Xiaojuan clenched her teeth and looked around; aside from the missing TV and the sewing machine, nothing else in the living room seemed amiss. Suddenly, something occurred to her, and she rushed into the master bedroom.
The valuable items she imagined might have been rummaged through were untouched. She breathed a sigh of relief, but then she noticed that their bed was a mess, all crumpled up, obviously having slept in. The bed was cluttered with ropes, knives, and noticeable bloodstains on the sheet—with a photo sitting prominently in the center.
Huang Xiaojuan’s initial reaction was that the thugs had broken into her home and ruined Xia Mian! In a hurry, she quickly snatched the photo.
As soon as she saw the image clearly, she was so shocked that she dropped the photo and nearly collapsed from the overwhelming urge to vomit.
The photo fell to the ground, face up, displaying the same bold handwriting as the one next to the pawn ticket: [Those guys really like your bed and think it would make a perfect spot for a date—it’s discreet and won’t raise any suspicion. Just be prepared.]
There was another line below, in smaller writing: [The photo was taken by me. It is best to keep it a secret—unless you want to be silenced once they find out.]
Huang Xiaojuan almost collapsed on the spot. She looked at her bed again; the thought of what the two men had done there made her want to get rid of it right away.
But she immediately felt heartache—she couldn’t bear to throw away the sheets, let alone the mattress or the bed.
After Huang Xiaojuan threw all the bedsheets into the washing machine and began heating a large pot of water to thoroughly disinfect them, she suddenly realized that Xuanxuan had been quiet for too long.
Any mother knew that whenever a child was too silent, it usually spelled trouble.
Even though she was mentally prepared, Huang Xiaojuan couldn’t help but scream when she saw what her son was holding: “Xuanxuan! What are you doing? Drop it now!”
Startled, Xuanxuan squeezed his fingers tighter, and the wriggling pale white worm in his hand burst open instantly. Huang Xiaojuan’s scalp exploded with horror, “Xuanxuan!!!”
Frightened again, Xuanxuan stepped back and fell on his buttocks on the floor, while Huang Xiaojuan stared at the mass of squirming maggots…
Moments later, her screams of terror echoed through the building…
After discarding the burlap sack, Huang Xiaojuan felt completely drained, but her nerves remained on edge, for fear that there would be something unknown waiting for her. Even in her own home, she felt like a startled bird. Thus, when the phone rang, it nearly made her jump from fright. Zhang Qiming was supposed to be on a train back and couldn’t ring her call today.
Worried it might be those two disgusting thugs, she didn’t want to answer, but she feared they might come directly to her home if she ignored the call.
Finally, she picked up the phone amidst the incessant ringing:
“I’m here, come out with the passbook right now!” It was her brother, Huang Xiaojun’s voice.
Huang Xiaojuan first breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned slightly, remembering the five thousand yuan she had promised him.
“Big brother, I’m dealing with something at home right now, can we talk about this in a couple of days?” She was already regretting making the promise. The previous five thousand had not been repaid, and now another five thousand must be lent. This was not a small amount. If it was not paid back, Zhang Qiming would definitely be furious.
“I’m already here,” Huang Xiaojun had come without warning precisely to prevent this.
“You told us yesterday that no one had called the police, and that the girl was just scaring people, right? Come out with the passbook now.”
Huang Xiaojuan was still hesitating, so Huang Xiaojun added fuel to the fire, “Zhang Qiming will be home at five this afternoon, right? Should I meet him then?”
“Don’t!” Huang Xiaojuan was panicked. Her husband looked down on her family and detested them. If any member of the Huang family dared to show up in front of him without his consent, he would give her the cold shoulder for a month, during which time she would endure his verbal abuse and live no better than a dog.
“Yeah, it’s not even your money, what are you worried about?” Huang Xiaojun pushed on.
How could it not be her money? Huang Xiaojuan had long considered the money in the passbook as her own, but she knew her brother’s unscrupulous nature too well. Finally, she sighed and emphasized, “You must pay me back by the end of the month!”
“Don’t worry,” Huang Xiaojun said with confidence, “The stock has taken a big dive today. It’s a good time to buy more and cover our position. At the end of the month, I will not only repay you ten thousand, but also give you two thousand in interest!”
Thinking of the nearly 1,400 yuan on the pawn ticket, Huang Xiaojuan reluctantly nodded in agreement.
Together, Huang Xiaojuan, Xuanxuan, and Huang Xiaojun set off to the nearby bank. Out of habit, she lined up at her usual window, unaware of the tellers behind the wire mesh growing tense upon seeing her, exchanging glances.
At the relatively empty window for reporting the lost passbook, the middle-aged teller who manned the window briefly stepped away.
Soon it was Huang Xiaojuan’s turn. “Withdraw six thousand,” she said, handing over the passbook. From her last visit, she had learned about the daily maximum withdrawal limit.
The junior teller Xiao Wu checked the passbook, which indeed had been reported lost. She subtly made a signal to the colleague behind her while maintaining a composed expression, “What’s the name of the account holder?” She asked.
Usually, just having the passbook and the pin was enough—Huang Xiaojuan had no idea what Xia Mian’s mother’s name was.
Seeing the teller taking her sweet time, Huang Xiaojun grew impatient, “Why are you asking that? We just want to withdraw money.”
Xiao Wu said with a professional smile, “My apologies, but there’s a fixed deposit that just matured on this account, adding over three hundred in interest. We need to confirm some information.”
Hearing there was more money, both siblings thought it would be a shame to ignore it. Nevertheless, Huang Xiaojun said, “Never mind that; just withdraw the money for us first.”
Xiao Wu responded, “Then you’ll lose that interest, more than three hundred yuan.”
Huang Xiaojuan cringed at the thought of losing money. Zhang Qiming definitely knew the name, but since she came to withdraw the money secretly, she dared not ask him.
Huang Xiaojun cared even less, “Yeah, forget it, just hurry up and withdraw!”
“Alright,” Xiao Wu smiled, “Six thousand is a large amount, and I don’t have enough here right now. Please wait a moment.”
Huang Xiaojun complained loudly, “Why so complicated?!”
The process was indeed very complicated. A lot of information was requested from them regarding the account, including details about when and where the account was opened, but neither of them could answer any of the questions.
Just as the siblings grew more and more impatient, the police rushed into the bank.
…
Zhang Qiming had just returned home only to find he couldn’t enter and was informed that Huang Xiaojuan had been arrested for stealing a large amount of money. When she was arrested, her young son was with her, so he was urgently requested to pick up the boy from the police station.
Since Zhang Qiming was on the road and unreachable, the police station contacted his workplace to temporarily take care of the child.
As a result, everyone in the Huagang Family Compound knew that Huang Xiaojuan had been arrested for trying to steal money from Xia Mian’s passbook.
With a gloomy face, Zhang Qiming went to see Gao Yongfeng.
After inquiring, Gao Yongfeng told him, “Qiming, I can’t help you this time. This is no longer a domestic matter. Your wife was caught red-handed at the bank, and the case involved a sum of over 30,000 yuan. Even Xiao Ding can’t handle this by himself.”
Zhang Qiming frowned, “But that passbook was given to her by my sister-in-law, how can it be considered theft?”
Gao Yongfeng explained, “The passbook had been reported lost a while back, and the owner mentioned losing money at that time. Then your wife tried to withdraw money from the lost passbook. She knew the pin, but not the account holder’s name, nor even when or where the passbook was issued. Of course the bank called the police.”
“Once reported, the police had to investigate, and now the case has blown out – even your workplace knows about it too. This put Chief Gao in a tough spot.”
Gao Yongfeng added, “To have your wife released, I think your sister-in-law needs to personally attest that she gave the passbook voluntarily.”
Continuing, Gao Yongfeng couldn’t help but say, “Your sister-in-law really knows how to stir things up; it’s only been a few days, and your wife has been arrested twice now…”
With a heavy heart, Zhang Qiming went to the police station to pick up Xuanxuan and to retrieve Huang Xiaojuan’s personal belongings, mainly the new keys to the house.
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Thanks for the chapter ❣️
Thank you
Hope she stays in jail