Hearing the police lecture Qian Darong, Liang Jiushan’s eyes showed both anger and helplessness. Since September of last year, Qian Darong had been picking on him and his sister. He had reported it twice already—but did it do any good? No, it didn’t!
Liang Jiushan’s gaze fell on the enamel cup in Wei Changfeng’s hand. Printed on it in red were the words “Serve the People,” with steam still rising from its rim.
Perhaps it was those three words that gave him courage. In a hoarse voice, Liang Jiushan said, “Officer Wei, this isn’t the first time Qian Darong has bullied me. At school, he often threw my backpack, stepped on my textbooks, and with other classmates, trapped me in the bathroom to keep me from class, even forced me to drink dirty water from the sink. This time I fought back only because of the disgusting things he said…”
Qian Darong was the same age—fifteen—and in the same class, but he was well-built, sturdy, and already sporting a noticeable mustache above his lip. Hearing Liang Jiushan’s words, he showed no panic. Instead, he gave a flippant whistle. “Liang Jiushan, your sister’s well developed to begin with. Those bouncing breasts of hers are practically inviting attention. Why are you blaming me?”
Liang Jiushan’s eyes reddened with rage. Without a word, he rushed forward and punched Qian Darong in the face. “Bastard! I’ll beat you to death, you filthy bastard!”
Qian Darong’s eyes widened, full of fury, and he swung a kick: “Damn it! How dare you hit me!”
Wei Changfeng’s reflexes were quick. He stretched out his long arm, pulling Liang Jiushan back and avoiding Qian Darong’s kick.
A fiery rage burned in Liang Jiushan’s chest. He wanted to rush forward again, but Wei Changfeng held his arm tightly. “Don’t act on impulse!”
A figure suddenly rushed over and grabbed Qian Darong.
It was Qian Darong’s mother, Zhao Yanhong, who had hurried over after receiving the call from the station. She pointed at Liang Jiushan and shouted sharply, “You brat with no proper upbringing, how dare you hit my son!”
Qian Darong’s father, Qian Jianshe, also entered the service hall, frowning as he said to Wei Changfeng, “Officer Wei, we saw it clearly—Liang Jiushan struck first, aiming a punch straight at our Darong’s eyes. He’s ruthless! If he’s so unrestrained at the station, imagine how he behaves at school. If not properly disciplined, he could become a murderer in the future.”
With their parents backing him, Qian Darong rolled his eyes, covered them with his hands, and wailed, “Ow! My eyes! Liang Jiushan hit me at the station and blinded me! I want to report this!”
Seeing his son wail, Qian Jianshe hurried forward to check his condition and gently comforted him.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yanhong jabbed a finger at Liang Jiushan’s face while scolding him nonstop. Her voice was sharp and loud, her insults varied and rapid-fire, making everyone’s heads ache.
With Qian Darong’s parents involved, the service hall became chaotic.
“Enough! This is a police station, not a playground for shouting and fighting!” Wei Changfeng’s voice was stern. “Qian Darong insulted a girl just now. As his parents, you should educate him properly. And as for you…”
Wei Changfeng turned to Liang Jiushan. “No matter how angry you are, you cannot fight in a police station. Your justified anger has turned into wrongdoing, hasn’t it?”
Qian Jianshe, familiar with handling these situations, smiled and offered a cigarette, which Wei Changfeng waved away. He didn’t mind, casually tucking it behind his ear. “Yes, yes, Officer Wei, we understand. Darong was wrong and should apologize. We’ll make sure he’s properly disciplined at home.”
Zhao Yanhong glared fiercely at Liang Jiushan. “He almost blinded my Darong—how do you plan to pay for that?”
After checking his son, Qian Jianshe knew there was nothing serious. Liang Jiushan, however, had blood at the corner of his mouth and bruises on his face—his injuries were obvious. Taking 200 yuan from his bag, he smiled and played peacemaker. “It’s fine, it’s just kids roughhousing. No need to report this to the police. I’ll apologize to this student on behalf of Darong and give him 200 yuan as compensation. Is that okay?”
Receiving the signal from her husband, Zhao Yanhong snorted and spat toward Liang Jiushan. “Seeing as you have no proper parents to raise you, I’ll let this slide this time. If you hit Darong again, I’ll have you expelled. Understand? If you want to keep studying, stay away from my son!”
Qian Darong looked at Liang Jiushan smugly, his eyes full of provocation, as if to say: See? I told you—you can’t beat me!
Wei Changfeng slammed the service counter. “Zhao Yanhong! We are mediating here—don’t escalate the conflict. Do you understand?”
Jinwu Road Police Station was located in the north of the city. Most of its jurisdiction was state-owned factories. In the past two years, the reforms had unsettled people, causing frequent security issues. The officers were already extremely busy, and spending so long on a juvenile dispute made Wei Changfeng increasingly irritable.
The station’s service counter was made of red bricks and cement. When Wei Changfeng slammed it, it emitted a dull thud.
Zhao Yanhong raised her eyebrows, glanced at Qian Jianshe, and reluctantly shut her mouth.
Qian Jianshe nodded repeatedly. “Yes, yes, Officer Wei is right. My wife shouldn’t have said that.” He turned to Liang Jiushan. “You’re a good student. You’ll surely get into Yan City No. 1 High School for the middle school exams. How could we ever consider expelling you? I’ll talk to the principal in advance, reduce your school fees, and the factory will provide you with a monthly living allowance. Does that sound good?”
Getting into Yan City No. 1 High School had been Liang Jiushan’s dream.
It was the city’s top high school, with excellent teachers, modern buildings, spacious playgrounds, comfortable dormitories, and a forty-percent university admission rate. Getting in was practically a guaranteed foot in the door to college.
Liang Qiqiao, his sister, had excelled in her middle school exams and could have gone there herself, but she chose to stay at the textile factory school to take care of her brother.
Her dream was to leave Yan City after entering university next year, while Liang Jiushan would attend the boarding school, whose dorms were among the best in the city.
But the tuition and living costs were high, which worried Liang Qiqiao.
A reduction in fees and living costs was highly appealing to Liang Jiushan, who wanted to continue his studies and ease his sister’s financial burden.
Inside, Liang Jiushan struggled. The fire in his chest blazed higher. He wanted to shout, fight, and defiantly look up at Qian Jianshe to say: Don’t bribe me! I will never forgive Qian Darong.
But he wanted to go to school. He also wanted his sister to pursue her dreams without worry.
He gripped the buttons on his shirt tightly, letting the sharp metal pierce his palm.
Qian Jianshe smiled. “Liang Jiushan, just forgive Darong, okay?” He felt a sense of triumph, confident in his understanding of human nature. Just offer a little benefit, and even a child will bend.
“Okay,” Liang Jiushan said with difficulty, lowering his head.
Seeing the reconciliation, the service hall finally quieted down. Wei Changfeng exhaled and signaled Li Zhenliang to bring a mediation form. He scribbled a few lines and handed it over. “Alright. Since both sides have reached an agreement, sign here.”
Standing aside, Jiang Ling felt Liang Jiushan’s pain and helplessness.
He was still young and didn’t understand the darkness of human nature.
Each time he gave in, he was sharpening a blade that would one day cut him.
Jiang Ling couldn’t blame the officers either.
She had worked at the station for four years. Though rarely in the field, she knew her colleagues well. Wei Changfeng, forty, a seasoned officer, understood that “it’s better to resolve than to aggravate.” In disputes like this, he usually “muddied the waters” to avoid escalating conflicts that could cause greater harm.
Jiang Ling had once been puzzled—why bother smoothing things over? Wei Changfeng spoke to her earnestly: “I didn’t understand it when I was young either. Once, when handling a domestic violence case, I was very strict and directly had the husband detained for half a month. I didn’t expect that because of the criminal record, his workplace fired him, and in a fit of rage, he stabbed his wife to death. Sigh! After that incident, whenever I encounter family conflicts or disputes among relatives, colleagues, or classmates, I always try to mediate.”
Jiang Ling understand Wei Changfeng, but this case was very different.
Qian Jianshe was clearly making empty promises to Liang Jiushan. Leaving aside whether those subsidies would actually materialize, even if they did, the money would come from the work unit. Aside from the two hundred yuan, the Qian family would suffer no real loss.
Qian Darong had not even offered an apology. His attitude was extremely arrogant, and he had not been punished for this incident despite the police report.
Because they felt no pain, the Qian family would never change.
As for Liang Jiushan, although he agreed to the settlement, he felt humiliated inside.
He was someone who dared to fight back; otherwise, he would not have bypassed the school and gone straight to the police. The Qian family’s attempt to use money to silence the matter filled him with resentment, yet reality kept forcing him to bow his head.
This kind of inner conflict would torment him day and night, to the point that after his sister’s death, he could not forgive himself. He abandoned his studies and spent six years hunting down her killer—both out of hatred for Qian Darong and as a form of self-exile.
“If only my sister were still alive…” Liang Jiushan’s murmured words echoed once more in Jiang Ling’s ears.
How could she help Liang Jiushan avoid a tragic life in the future?
Having been reborn, Jiang Ling knew that although the Law on the Protection of Minors had been passed in 1991 and implemented in 1992, there were still gaps. On top of that, in 1993, people’s awareness of juvenile crime was insufficient, social protection mechanisms were incomplete, and judicial protection was weak—so Qian Darong felt fearless.
“Old Wei,” Jiang Ling spoke softly.
“Yes, Xiao Jiang?” Wei Changfeng looked up at her.
Jiang Ling had been assigned to the station just over a month ago. As the only female officer there, Director Yao had taken special care of her, keeping her from fieldwork and assigning her to archives and paperwork instead. She was introverted and usually quiet, rarely interacting much with colleagues. Her initiative today surprised Wei Changfeng.
Jiang Ling pressed her lips together, her expression serious and devoid of a smile, maintaining the cautious professionalism of a rookie. “Old Wei, let me participate in this case.”
Jinwu Road Police Station had twelve sworn officers in total: one director, one deputy director, four case officers, three community officers, one household registration officer, and two clerks. The staff structure was simple, relationships were harmonious, and responsibilities were not rigidly divided; they often helped one another.
Because of his seniority, Wei Changfeng was respectfully called “Old Wei.” He had intended to bring Jiang Ling onto the case anyway, since some situations required a female officer. Seeing her volunteer now, he naturally did not refuse: “Alright, then follow me and get familiar with the case handling process first.”
While Jiang Ling spoke with Wei Changfeng, on-duty officer Li Zhenliang signaled that Qian Darong had signed the record and called Liang Jiushan over. Liang Jiushan stared at the record, frozen, taking a long time before he touched the pen.
“Officer Wei, since the mediation is done, we should be going back. The factory’s got a lot to handle,” Qian Jianshe interjected, paying no attention to Jiang Ling standing nearby.
Before Wei Changfeng could respond, Jiang Ling spoke first: “You’re not leaving yet. I have something to say.” Her tone was serious, her gaze cold, inexplicably imposing a heavy pressure on Qian Jianshe.
In her previous life at the prison, Jiang Ling had seen countless criminals. A single glance could tell if they were first-time offenders or repeat criminals, truly remorseful or incorrigible. After years of psychological assessment, she had developed a sharp eye—those with guilty consciences dared not meet her gaze.
“Oh, okay,” Qian Jianshe said, snapping back to himself and nodding subconsciously. He had worked in the textile factory for over twenty years, serving as deputy director for seven, and had seen all kinds of situations—but this small, delicate-looking female officer somehow made him feel an inexplicable restraint.
Zhao Yanhong, however, was not impressed. She cast a sideways glance at Jiang Ling, her expression mirroring Qian Darong’s disdain toward Liang Jiushan: three parts scorn, three parts mockery, and four parts arrogance.
“Who are you? Officer Wei hasn’t said anything yet. What makes you the boss?” Zhao Yanhong worked in the factory’s union and often assisted the police with labor disputes. Knowing Jiang Ling was a new officer with little authority, she didn’t feel afraid at all.
Wei Changfeng immediately stepped in to defend Jiang Ling. “What are you doing? She is an officer at our station. If she says you stay, then you stay. Liang Jiushan hasn’t signed yet—why are you in such a hurry?”
Liang Jiushan, who had never wanted mediation, immediately put down his pen, stiffened his neck, and said: “I don’t agree to mediation! Qian Darong often bullies me. Last time he injured my eye, the time before that he broke my head, and he smashed my toe with a chair. I could forgive these…but he humiliated my sister. He’s a scumbag. The police should arrest him and put him in jail!”
“Bah!” Zhao Yanhong flared up at once. If they had not been inside the police station, she might already have slapped him. “Send my Darong to prison? I think you’re the one who should go to prison.”
Qian Jianshe frowned in displeasure: “Liang Jiushan, you were the one who hit someone first this time. Stop falsely accusing my Darong.”
Zhao Yanhong had little education. When she first married into the Qian family, Qian Jianshe had been very dissatisfied with her. Now, after finally having a son and securing her position in the family, she cherished Qian Darong as if he were the apple of her eye. She couldn’t bear to let him suffer even a little and immediately spoke to defend her son: “I know your sister—she developed earlier than other students, big chest and wide hips, and already had a bad reputation at school. What’s wrong if my Darong says a few words? Don’t push your luck.”
“I… you…” Liang Jiushan did not want to cry, but tears welled up uncontrollably and swirled in his eyes. He had lost his parents at six, and his sister had raised him alone. Watching Qian Darong shielded tightly by his parents, twisting right and wrong and slandering his sister’s reputation, his heart felt as though it were being fried in hot oil, seared with burning pain.
A slender young girl hurried to the station. As soon as she reached the police hall’s entrance, she heard Zhao Yanhong’s words. Her beautiful face flushed with anger. Gritting her teeth, she went to Liang Jiushan, grabbed his arm tightly, and whispered: “Jiushan, let’s go! Don’t pay attention to these people.”
Liang Jiushan turned to look at the girl, tears streaming down uncontrollably. “Sister… they’re bullying us!”
…
You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel