Arriving at the hospital, the doctor wanted to draw their blood. Feeling a bit scared, Wen Ye sat on a small bench and asked the doctor inside the glass partition, “Doctor, do we have to draw a lot?”
The nurse was very gentle. While patting her arm, she said, “Not much at all, just two small tubes. If you are scared, just do not look. It will not hurt.”
Obediently, Wen Ye turned her head away and stared at the cracks between the bricks on the floor.
She felt something cold swipe across her arm.
“There you go, make a tight fist.”
Wen Ye squeezed hard.
Then she felt a small prick like a needle. It really did not hurt at all, feeling barely stronger than a mosquito bite.
“Alright, slowly let go.”
Wen Ye released her hand. Not knowing how to do it slowly, she opened her fingers one by one like a tiny robot.
The doctor pressed a cotton ball onto her arm. “Here, hold this in place and go sit on the bench over there for 5 minutes.”
Holding the cotton, Wen Ye walked over and sat on the nearby bench.
After sitting for a bit, the female police officer walked over. “Come along, kids. Let us go do the next checkup.”
Wen Ye stood up. Unsure if 5 minutes had passed, she asked the doctor behind the glass, “Doctor, can I go now?”
The doctor nodded. “Yes, go ahead. Throw the cotton into the yellow trash can.”
Wen Ye then followed the officer. Passing the yellow trash can with its lid closed, she reached out to lift it.
The female officer stopped her. “Do not use your hands, it is dirty.”
Then Wen Ye saw her step on a pedal at the base of the trash can, and the lid popped open.
Wen Ye quickly tossed it in, and before leaving, glanced back at the trash can twice. How magical.
After the blood draw, the police led them for a physical trauma check.
The boys were taken by a male officer to one room, while the girls were led by a female officer into another.
Once inside, the female doctor asked them to take off their tops and pants.
Noticing Wen Ye’s right arm, the female doctor asked, “Little one, do you remember how you got this scar?”
Her tone was very gentle, and Wen Ye answered honestly, “I stole something and put it back, and Aunt Rong burned me with a cigarette butt.”
The doctor touched the scar, her eyebrows knitting together.
Next, the doctor checked Xiao Si and Xiao Liu’s arms and legs.
After finishing the check, she turned to the female police officer and said, “What a bunch of beasts.”
The female officer nodded, her brows furrowed tightly as well.
Once the exams were complete, a police car drove them to an unfamiliar place. The female officer led them out of the vehicle and announced, “This is the Minor Protection and Rescue Center. You will stay here for a while.”
Then she handed them over to the staff there.
Nighttime.
After taking a bath, washing her hair, and changing into clean clothes, Wen Ye lay on a soft little bed, feeling as though everything was a dream.
“Once the police find your parents or other relatives, they will come to pick you up.”
That was what the people who brought them here had said.
Wen Ye touched the bracelet on her wrist. I wonder how Gu Sheng is doing right now. Will she miss me?
Shencheng, the Gu Residence.
With reddened eyes, Gu Sheng asked, “Why can we not be told?”
Gu Feng replied, “The police said they must protect the privacy of the rescued children.”
Pouting, Gu Sheng said, “I want to call the police and ask myself.”
Seeing his daughter’s determined expression, Gu Feng sighed. “Fine, I will call for you.”
Liu Wen had just returned to the station from the orphanage after dropping off the children when he received Gu Feng’s call.
Answering the call, Liu Wen said, “Mr. Gu, is there anything else?”
Gu Feng turned on speakerphone. “Hello, Officer. It is about the same matter again. Can you help us check if there is a child named Wen Ye?”
Liu Wen answered, “I am sorry, Mr. Gu, but truly we cannot.”
Leaning closer to the phone, Gu Sheng said, “Hello, Uncle Police Officer. Wen Ye is my friend. I just want to find her to help her. Can you tell me where she is now?”
Liu Wen took off his police cap, placed it on the desk, and scratched the back of his head. “Sigh, little one, it is not that Uncle is deliberately making things difficult for you. We have regulations; we really cannot disclose information about trafficked children. Besides, we are still verifying the identity information of these children.”
Liu Wen took a sip of water and continued, “However, I can assure you that as long as she is among this group of children, she is safe now. We will settle these children according to standard procedures, ensuring they suffer no harm, and the government will also help them return to normal lives and receive a proper education. You can rest easy about that. Of course, thank you very much for the clues you provided, but what you are asking about is something I simply cannot tell you.”
Before Gu Sheng could say anything else, Officer Liu stated that he had matters to attend to and hung up the phone.
Gu Sheng sat on the sofa with red-rimmed eyes. Ever since returning from Chuncheng, she had been thinking that once the police rescued Wen Ye, she could bring Wen Ye home with her. Now that this hope had been shattered, she found it truly hard to accept.
You wait here for me.
She still remembered the last sentence Wen Ye had said to her. When Wen Ye came out of the supermarket and could not find her, would she think she had tricked her?
As Gu Sheng thought about it, she burst into tears again.
Beside her, Gu Feng anxiously coaxed, “Oh, darling, stop crying. It is fine. The police said she is in no danger and she will be fine, right? Stop crying. You have been crying for two days now, you are going to hurt your eyes.”
Raising her head, Gu Sheng bit her lip and looked at Gu Feng. “Dad, I want to go to Chuncheng to find her.”
Gu Feng immediately turned stern. “No! You only just managed to come back. Do you have any idea how worried your mom and I have been for over two years? We were nearly driven crazy looking for you! No! Absolutely not!”
Having finished her shower and coming down from the second floor, Chen Yun heard that Gu Sheng wanted to go to Chuncheng and resolutely opposed it as well. “Darling, be obedient. Wen Ye is fine now that she has been rescued. The police will certainly help her find her parents, and she will go home too.”
Hearing those words, Gu Sheng cried even harder. “She has no parents at all! Her mom died long ago, and her dad, her own dad sold her to human traffickers.”
This. Both Chen Yun and Gu Feng fell silent. Wen Ye was certainly pitiful, but they truly could not allow even the slightest possibility of losing their daughter to happen again.
Wen Ye stayed at the orphanage for many days. First, the police came to ask them if they remembered where their homes were, if they remembered their parents’ contact information, and if they knew their own names. Obediently, Wen Ye wrote down her name for them and then recounted how she had been sold.
Later on, psychological counselors came to chat with them, telling them that they were not bad people and that only those who beat them and forced them to steal were the bad people.
After that, several companions were successively picked up by their families.
Knowing that no one would come to pick her up, Wen Ye listened as Director Lin told her, “Wen Ye, you will live right here. From now on, this place is your home, and Director Lin is your guardian.”
Wen Ye nodded. This place was wonderful, the best home she had ever lived in.
The director processed Wen Ye’s household registration, and Wen Ye began studying with the teachers at the orphanage. The teacher noted that her foundation was too weak, so she would study at the orphanage for a while first, and once she built a solid foundation, she would go to school to study together with everyone else.
Wen Ye was very happy. Gradually, she learned how to write and recognized many words.
The teachers praised her for learning quickly, noting that she would be able to go to school soon.
On the day before going to school, Wen Ye saw Aunt Rong, Uncle Kai, and the others on television. The news reported that they had been sentenced to death, while others received life imprisonment.
Death penalty was easy to understand, so she asked Director Lin, “What is life imprisonment?”
Director Lin explained, “It means they will never come out again to hurt you.”
That night, at her desk, Wen Ye took out the notebook Gu Sheng had used to teach her how to write. By now, it had become her diary.
August 31, 2008:
Gu Sheng, today I saw Aunt Rong, Uncle Kai, and the others on the TV news. They have all been sentenced. I wonder if the TV where you are can show this.
Also, tomorrow I am going to school. Director Lin said I can go straight into the third grade.
How are you doing now? I get to eat lots of delicious food every day, and the people here are very nice to me.
July 1, 2011:
Today I graduated from elementary school. Gu Sheng, you must be close to graduating from middle school, right? Only after starting school did I realize how much difference three years makes; I am only just about to enter middle school now.
Director Lin said I can only attend middle and high school in Chuncheng because my household registration is here at the orphanage. Once I reach university, I can go to other places. How about I go to university in Shencheng then? In the same city as you. Who knows, maybe one day I will bump into you on the street, hahaha.
Though I certainly would not recognize you, and you probably would not recognize me either.
June 28, 2014:
Today I finished the final exam of the senior high school entrance examinations, and it felt like I did pretty well.
Right after walking out of the exam, a girl from my class stopped me and handed me a love letter. I do not like her, but she is quite nice, and I was wondering how to reject her without hurting her feelings too much. I do not have much experience, and there is no one around I can ask. Gu Sheng, if you were here, you would definitely have a great idea.
Director Lin is about to retire. I am so reluctant to see her go, but after retiring she can finally rest properly and will not have to work so hard anymore.
Gu Sheng, you must be taking the college entrance examinations soon. Good luck!
April 1, 2015:
Today is April Fool’s Day, and many people like to use it as a day to confess their feelings. A boy in class said he liked me, and when I told him I did not like him, he said it was just an April Fool’s joke and even laughed at me for taking it seriously.
Boys are so childish.
Gu Sheng, did a lot of people confess to you when you were in high school? You were already so pretty when we were kids, so you must look even better now. Sigh, I really want to see what you look like now.
June 8, 2017:
Gu Sheng, I have finished the college entrance examinations.
I plan to study mechatronic engineering. After looking into it, this major makes it easy to find a job. Having been supported by charity for so many years, I want to start earning my own money sooner.
I want to apply for a school in Shencheng, but the score requirements feel pretty high. I am not sure if I can make it.
June 8, 2017:
Wen Ye, you must have finished the college entrance examinations by now. With how smart Wen Ye is, she must have tested very well.
Wen Ye, just wait for me one more year. Next year when I graduate from university, I will go to Chuncheng to find you.
It suddenly occurred to me that this year marks your adulthood. I really wanted to accompany you through your coming-of-age ceremony.