The father and daughter nodded repeatedly.
“It’s been resolved. Xiaoxia will be reporting to school soon.”
As he spoke, Wu Zhifa gently pushed Wu Xia forward.
“Hurry and thank your older sister.”
The reserved and quiet Wu Xia blushed and bowed deeply to Meng Yao. She was so nervous that she stammered.
“Th-thank you, Sister…”
That day, Jiang Jun had been in a hurry to interrogate the thieves, so he instructed his men to quickly settle the matter for Wu Zhifa and his daughter first.
Because their case had received special approval, the process was completed quickly.
After receiving the official documents, Wu Zhifa took a group of people to a printing shop and urgently ordered two banners.
Then, before school ended, they rushed to the campus. The large group waited outside the main gate, loudly demanding that the school uphold justice and investigate the case of examination fraud and identity theft.
It was nearly dismissal time and also the peak period for workers getting off duty. With so many people coming and going, traffic soon became congested.
The school feared that the disturbance would attract media attention, so the staff hurriedly invited Wu Zhifa and the others into an office.
Following Meng Yao’s suggestion and using the threatening statements she had taught him, Wu Zhifa fiercely humiliated the responsible parties inside the office.
The school had no choice but to reinvestigate the two students’ college entrance examination results.
After that matter was settled, Wu Zhifa also visited Wu Mingli’s workplace and brought along another specially made banner.
Using a loudspeaker, he publicized Wu Mingli’s immoral actions all along the way.
With pressure coming from both sides, the relevant parties finally gave Wu Xia the justice she deserved.
Meng Yao was delighted to hear this.
“It’s good that everything has been resolved.
“Who says women are born only to serve their husbands and raise children?
“Even the country says that women can hold up half the sky. We are no worse than men.”
She took Wu Xia’s hand.
“The bright future that rightfully belongs to you is now in your hands. You must hold onto it tightly.
“Study hard, and in the future, do your part for society and the country.”
Jiang Jun listened with both admiration and approval.
“This young comrade may be young, but her ideological awareness is truly impressive.
“Which university are you currently attending?”
Wu Zhifa also chimed in.
“That’s right. It would be wonderful if you happened to attend the same school as Xiaoxia.”
Meng Yao lowered her head dejectedly, and tears immediately began to fall.
Covering her face, she sobbed softly.
“Because my family was struggling financially, my adoptive parents forced me to give the opportunity I earned at a prestigious university to my younger brother. So I…”
It turned out that her situation was similar to Xiaoxia’s.
She had also been admitted to university, only to have someone else take away her chance to study.
Wu Zhifa angrily clenched his fists and cursed.
“Another selfish family worse than pigs and dogs. How terrible.”
Jiang Jun also felt deeply sympathetic.
Such an intelligent young woman had unexpectedly been deprived of the chance to continue her education.
It seemed that the incident involving Wu Zhifa and his daughter was not an isolated case.
What a tragedy for society.
However, since the matter had already passed and involved a private family issue, there was little he could do besides offer a few words of comfort.
Jiang Jun asked with concern, “By the way, did you come here today because you encountered some difficulty?”
Meng Yao suddenly remembered the main purpose of her visit.
With an aggrieved and innocent expression, she waved the household registration booklet in her hand and slowly explained what had happened and why she had come.
Because she was not the Meng family’s biological daughter, they intended to sell her off in exchange for bride-price money for her younger brother.
She truly did not want to marry a man she did not love.
As a result, she had fallen out with her family.
She began crying bitterly.
“I really don’t want to get married. That man is a pervert. If I truly marry him, I won’t have any chance of survival. Boohoo…
“My parents said that if I refused to follow their arrangements, they would sever ties with me and throw me out of the house.”
As she spoke, she waved the household registration booklet and identification card in her hands.
“Look, I brought everything with me.
“Rather than being forced to marry a man I don’t love and suffer until I die, I would rather go out and earn a living on my own.”
Had she still been a minor, it would have been impossible for her to transfer her household registration by herself.
But she was already twenty years old and had long since become capable of deciding her own life.
Moreover, she was not the Meng family’s biological daughter in the first place.
Jiang Jun’s eyes became moist.
“Then where are your biological parents?”
“They… passed away.”
This matter was not easy to handle.
The young woman was completely alone, without a job or anyone to rely on.
Even if she left the Meng family, how would she survive afterward?
Still, it was better than being forcibly sold by her family for money.
“Young lady, should you ever need any other help, you may come to the public security bureau and look for me at any time.
“My name is Jiang Jun.”
Strictly speaking, this matter did not fall under the public security bureau’s jurisdiction.
Jiang Jun had simply been moved by Meng Yao’s story and personally wanted to help her.
Therefore, he decided that when he had time, he would investigate whether she had any other relatives she could locate.
Suddenly, with a thud, Meng Yao dropped to her knees before Jiang Jun.
“Officer, thank you. I’m truly so happy that there is still someone in this world willing to help me.
“My greatest wish right now is to escape the clutches of my adoptive parents. Please, help me.”
Wu Zhifa was also deeply moved.
He had a daughter around the same age, and Meng Yao had helped his family tremendously.
He hurriedly pleaded, “That’s right, Captain Jiang. Since you’ve already helped this much, please see it through and help her.
“The poor girl is truly pitiful.”
As he spoke, he respectfully presented the custom-made commendation banner.
Eight dazzling characters were written across it:
Upright and Dedicated, Resolving the People’s Difficulties
Although they were only eight simple words, they represented the enormous weight the officers carried in the hearts of ordinary citizens.
Jiang Jun helped Meng Yao to her feet and thought for a long moment.
Since he had put on this police uniform, he had to live up to the trust of the people.
Serving the public could not merely be an empty slogan.
Coincidentally, when the two police officers from Sucheng had escorted Meng Ying home to reunite with her family, Jiang Jun had been the one who received them.
Therefore, he knew a little about the Meng family’s situation.
He had simply never expected that the adopted daughter who had been switched at birth would be the young woman standing before him.
Since it had been confirmed that Meng Yao was not the Meng family’s biological daughter and she was voluntarily severing ties with them, she fully met the procedural requirements.
That made the matter much easier to handle.
He said firmly, “All right. I’ll take care of this matter.”
After seeing Wu Zhifa and his daughter off, Jiang Jun personally accompanied Meng Yao to the household registration office.
Since Jiang Jun had brought her there himself, his colleagues in the department were extremely cooperative.
A process that normally took several hours was completed in less than half an hour.
Looking at the brand-new household registration booklet on the table, tears of joy poured from Meng Yao’s eyes.
Finally…
She had escaped the Meng family!
She would never again become a tool for that family to drain dry!
At that moment, Jiang Jun noticed her unusual expression and secretly glanced at the household registration booklet.
Meng Yao?
Her name was also Meng Yao?
Could she be the woman that brat had asked him to look after?
No, that could not be right.
There could not possibly be such a coincidence.
“There must be quite a few people named Meng Yao in Xiangyang District, right?”