Chарtеr 4: Unbеаrable Childhооd Memоries
Mоndау, роliсe stаtiоn.
Хu Jinhuаn had originаlly planned tо rеpоrt this уеstеrdаy, but thе shор was alwауs busy оn weekends.
Shе truly сouldn’t get awаy, sо she hаd tо postрone it until Mоndау.
“Whаt is your rеlаtiоnshiр with the pеrson whо sent the mеssage? Is hе your husbаnd?”
Even though thе оffiсer асross from her wаs a wоmаn with a gentlе tone, Хu Jinhuan still fеlt sоmеwhat unеasy sitting in thе chair, fасing а series of questions.
Her fingers lightlу twistеd the hem of her сlоthes, and the light оvеrhead made her feel a bit dizzy.
But upon hearing this question, she firmly replied, “…No! I’m not married, and I have no relationship with him!”
The girl before them had a thin face, with lively, large eyes filled with confusion, stubbornness, and anger—but not a trace of weakness.
Recalling the words “Nian Di” she had just seen, the female officer understood and felt a pang of heartache.
She softened her tone even further, “And the insulting words he used in the message… could you elaborate?”
Xu Jinhuan bit her lip and said, “This man is named Zhang Yonggang. He was a child from a neighboring family when I was young.”
What followed was difficult to put into words. Even though she tried her best to control her emotions, her hands still trembled uncontrollably.
“I…”
The female officer brought Xu Jinhuan a cup of warm water, “Take your time, speak slowly.”
Xu Jinhuan steadied herself, gathered her courage, and began, “I’m not from City B… My mother was trafficked to the village. She was forced by that man, locked tightly in the village, and gave birth to my older sisters one after another…”
Zhaodi, Laidi, Pandi.
Xu Jinhuan was the youngest daughter. When she was pregnant with her, a shaman said it would be a son.
The entire Fang family was overjoyed and had already named the child Fang Tianci. But when she was born, she turned out to be a girl without the “right parts,” and they immediately wanted to drown her.
If it weren’t for the protection of her mother and older sisters, Xu Jinhuan would have died before even opening her eyes.
Even though she barely survived, Father Fang and Grandmother Fang despised her intensely, often beating and scolding her. She never had a full meal, treated worse than a dog.
After the real Fang Tianci was born, her situation became even more difficult.
While pregnant with Fang Tianci, her mother’s desire to die grew stronger. She repeatedly tried to drown herself in the lake, harm her belly, and ultimately died by cutting her wrists, leaving behind a sickly son.
Father Fang and Grandmother Fang hated her mother to the core, but they still cherished the son and spared no expense to treat his illness.
For this, the 13-year-old eldest sister was married off, and the 11-year-old second sister was sold.
Xu Jinhuan was very beautiful even as a child, with curved eyelashes and fair skin, completely different from the other grimy-faced children in the village.
However, this uniqueness became her nightmare.
Fang Tianci’s treatment required money, so they sold her at a high price to the neighboring family, to be a child bride for their fat son.
At this point, Xu Jinhuan’s voice was trembling uncontrollably.
Her face pale, she said, “Zhang Yonggang thought I was his property and often… would touch me inappropriately. If I resisted even slightly, I would be severely beaten…”
The female officer listened with a furrowed brow, but her voice remained gentle to avoid upsetting her further.
“From when did this start?”
Xu Jinhuan closed her eyes, her voice trembling.
“From age 5 to 9, a total of… four years.”
The male officer responsible for recording sat up straight. The two exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.
Four years. She was only five years old at the time, so young. This was clearly child molestation.The male police officer couldn’t help but curse under his breath, “That bastard!”
The female officer was also seething with anger, her chest heaving, but she managed to control her rage.
She hesitated slightly, probing cautiously, “Did he… actually do anything to you…?”
“No, no!” Xu Jinhuan’s emotions suddenly flared up.
She grabbed the female officer’s hand tightly, her eyes turning slightly red as she shook her head in terror, “Sister, no! He didn’t succeed…”
“Alright, alright, he didn’t.” The female officer gently patted Xu Jinhuan’s back, comforting her softly.
“Don’t be afraid, I know he didn’t…”
The female and male officers exchanged glances, their concern and sympathy tinged with helplessness.
Article 237 of the Criminal Law stipulates that those who molest children shall be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years.
Although Zhang Yonggang hadn’t reached the point of raping a minor girl, his actions already constituted a crime and could be dealt with according to the law.
However…
It had been too long, evidence was insufficient, and it happened in a remote, cross-province mountainous area.
Unless Zhang Yonggang actively sought her out, they couldn’t just dispatch officers at will.
The female officer sighed and could only proceed by the book, “Ms. Xu, we have accepted your report and will follow up on it. We recommend that you block his number, and if you receive any more harassing messages, block those numbers too.”
“If Zhang Yonggang shows any intention of approaching you, we will immediately dispatch officers to detain him… Please sign here.”
“Alright.” Xu Jinhuan wiped her eyes, took the pen, and signed her name.
Her voice carried an apologetic tone, her nose still red, “Thank you. I lost my composure earlier, I’m sorry.”
The female officer said gently, “It’s alright.”
“Let me walk you out.”
…
After leaving the police station, Xu Jinhuan felt utterly exhausted.
Her mind was in such disarray that she wasn’t fit to ride her bike, so after finding her food delivery electric scooter, she slowly pushed it along the roadside.
She had already blocked the number, but the police couldn’t stand guard around the clock, nor could they arrive instantly.
If Zhang Yonggang came looking for her…
“Jinhuan?”
Xu Jinhuan was walking with her head down when she suddenly heard someone call her name, taking a couple of seconds to react.
She turned around, somewhat surprised, “Mr. Wen?”
“What are you doing here?”