She shouted loudly, and being on a public street, she quickly drew a large crowd.
“Everyone, please judge for yourselves—has the world become so lawless these days?! I was walking peacefully down the street holding my child when this man rushed over, snatched my baby away, and even beat me up! Is there no justice anymore?!”
Snatching someone’s child in broad daylight is an act that would get a person beaten to death in any era.
So, when the middle-aged woman accused Duan Pengyue of stealing her child, some people already rolled up their sleeves, ready to attack him.
Duan Pengyue noticed this and tightened his grip on the child. Li Qinkuai rushed in and stood in front of him, pointing at the pitiful-looking trafficker on the ground and shouting, “Don’t believe her! She’s a child trafficker!”
As soon as Li Qinkuai spoke, the surrounding crowd turned their attention to the middle-aged woman on the ground.
The middle-aged woman panicked immediately and hurriedly explained, “Don’t listen to them! These two are in cahoots! They can’t have children of their own, so they want to steal mine! My child is still in their hands—they’re trying to take my baby!”
Duan Pengyue handed the child to Li Qinkuai, instructing her to hold it, and stepped forward to speak. “Since you claim this is your child, what proof do you have? This baby looks like it was just born recently, and you don’t look like you’ve just given birth.”
“From the moment we encountered you, you’ve been acting nervous and haven’t shown the slightest concern for the child. You say we stole your baby—we did take it, but you can report this to the police. We’ll stay right here and won’t go anywhere.”
Li Qinkuai chimed in, “That’s right! The child isn’t ours, but it certainly isn’t yours either. You’re a child trafficker! Let’s call the police!”
At the mention of the police, the middle-aged woman grew terrified. She struggled to her feet and tried to run but was blocked by the onlookers, who refused to let her leave.
By then, the crowd had figured it out. If this really were the middle-aged woman’s child, she should have been relieved at the idea of calling the police. Instead, she was afraid.
Who was good and who was bad was now crystal clear.
“I’ll go report this to the police!” someone offered enthusiastically.
Li Qinkuai quickly thanked them, “Thank you, big brother!”
Seeing that someone had actually gone to call the police, the middle-aged woman struggled desperately. “Let me go! Let me go!”
She was far too suspicious, and the helpful bystanders held her firmly, determined not to let her escape.
Just then, a woman’s frantic cries suddenly rang out.
“My child! My child!”
“Have you seen my child? Ma’am, have you seen a woman in blue clothes holding a baby? The baby is wrapped in a patchwork cloth and wearing a red hat!”
Wu Yin grabbed anyone she could find and asked, completely hysterical.
“My child! My child!”
“Who’s seen my baby?!”
Wu Yin noticed the crowd gathered not far away and walked over. “Have any of you seen my child?!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she spotted the middle-aged woman being held in the crowd—it was this woman who had secretly taken her child!
Wu Yin rushed forward, grabbed the middle-aged woman by the collar, and shouted angrily, “Where’s my child?! What have you done with my baby?! Give me back my child!”
She cried out loudly, her expression frantic, her head and body bundled up in thick layers.
“What’s your relationship with her? When did you lose your child?”
Li Qinkuai feared that the person before her might be an accomplice of the child trafficker, so she needed to clarify things first. After all, child traffickers had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves!
Wu Yin turned her head and saw Li Qinkuai holding a child in her arms. The patchwork cloth wrapped around the child was something her father had begged for from door to door.
The child was in her hands!
“That’s my child! Give him back to me!”
Wu Yin lunged forward to snatch the child but was dodged by Li Qinkuai.
“You say it’s your child, so it must be yours? What proof do you have? We’ve already reported this to the police. If it really is your child, we’ll definitely return him to you.”
Duan Pengyue stepped in front of Li Qinkuai, blocking Wu Yin from getting closer.
Li Qinkuai sized up the young woman before her. She was dressed very warmly, with her head wrapped up. Although the weather was still somewhat cold, there was no need to bundle up like that. The woman didn’t seem to be shivering from the cold but rather looked like she had just given birth not long ago…
“He is my child! There’s a black mole in the middle of his buttocks, and he’s wearing a pair of silver bracelets. Inside the bracelets, the words ‘happy and blessed’ are engraved!”
The child was still asleep. Li Qinkuai checked the bracelets and confirmed that the words were indeed there.
Li Qinkuai said, “The words are there.”
It seemed the woman before her was indeed the child’s mother.
“He’s my child. Can you give him back to me now?” Wu Yin said, taking another step forward and reaching out to take the child.
Li Qinkuai took a step back, holding the child tighter. “No, even if the silver bracelets have the words you mentioned, I still can’t be sure the child is yours. We’ve already reported this to the police. When the officers arrive, they’ll investigate and confirm that you’re truly the child’s mother before we can hand him over.”
“Why not? Why can’t I have my own child? Are you trying to steal him from me?!”
Having finally found her child, Wu Yin now only wanted to hold him tightly in her arms. Only then would she feel he couldn’t be taken away again.
With a fierce expression, Wu Yin tried to snatch the child.
The onlooking aunties quickly stepped in to stop her, trying to calm her down. “Young lady, she doesn’t want to steal your child. She’s just afraid you might be an accomplice of the child trafficker. Once the police officers investigate and confirm everything, they’ll definitely return the child to you. Don’t worry, we’re all here watching. We won’t let the child be taken away by traffickers again!”
“That’s right, young lady. We’re all here watching. The child won’t disappear.”
“Exactly, young lady. You can rest assured.”
Listening to the aunties’ words and looking at Li Qinkuai, who was holding the child, Wu Yin gradually calmed down. She didn’t seem like a bad person.
Right!
Waiting for the police officers was the right thing to do!
Wu Yin turned to look at the middle-aged woman pinned to the ground. She rushed over and slapped her several times, shouting as she hit, “I trusted you because you were a fellow villager and let you take care of my child, but you actually stole him while I was asleep! You wretched thing!!”
She kept hitting her, and no one tried to stop her.
No one would feel sorry for a child trafficker, even if she were beaten to death.
Soon, someone brought the police officers. Li Qinkuai, Duan Pengyue, Wu Yin, and the child trafficker were all taken to the police station to assist with the investigation.
During the investigation, Wu Yin’s family arrived. Once it was confirmed that the child was indeed Wu Yin’s, Li Qinkuai quickly returned the child to her.
The moment she held her child again, Wu Yin burst into loud sobs. Her husband stood beside her, holding her and offering comfort.
Wu Sheng kept thanking Li Qinkuai and Duan Pengyue: “Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, my grandson might never have been found! Thank you so much!”
As he spoke, he even took out money to give to Li Qinkuai and Duan Pengyue.
“No need, no need. Just keep a close eye on the child from now on. We’ll head back first.”
Li Qinkuai absolutely refused to take the money. He picked up his things and left with Duan Pengyue.
By the time they left the public security bureau, it was already five in the afternoon. The two hurried home.
When they arrived, they happened to run into Wu Yafang, who had just returned from work.
“What have you two been up to?”
Wu Yafang had originally thought her son and daughter-in-law had gone out for fun, but seeing them in such a disheveled state, it didn’t look like they had been out enjoying themselves.
Duan Pengyue recounted everything about encountering the child trafficker that day.
“Heavens, those damned scoundrels! People like that should be shot right away!”
Wu Yafang gritted her teeth in anger, then looked at Li Qinkuai and Duan Pengyue with heartache. “You two must be exhausted. Wait here, I’ll go stew some ribs for you!”