By the time Song Ning was called in to give her statement, three days had already passed.
Two Public Security officers were assigned to question her. The younger officer responsible for recording her statement was surnamed Yang.
When writing down her name, Officer Yang carefully confirmed it.
“Song Ning? As in the ‘ning’ from peace and tranquility?”
“No, not that one. It’s Ning as in ‘gazing intently,’” Song Ning replied.
“‘Gazing intently’?”
Officer Yang looked surprised. Glancing at his notes, he asked, “You said earlier that you’re from Yakou Village, Yanling County, Zhucheng, Xiang Province?”
“That’s right.”
“Oh! That character isn’t commonly used. Do people in your village usually choose names like that?”
After writing the character several times and still not being entirely sure he had the strokes right, Officer Yang displayed a remarkable thirst for knowledge.
“Not really. Officer, have you ever heard of ‘A Hundred Tigers Besieging a Village’?”
There was a mysterious note in Song Ning’s voice.
When it came to explaining her name, she was an expert.
A complete expert.
The original Song Ning had thought the character was difficult to write too and had asked her grandfather about it countless times while growing up.
“A Hundred Tigers Besieging a Village?”
The older officer sitting beside them picked up the conversation.
“Are you talking about that tiger disaster in Xiang Province back in the fifties? It was even reported in the newspapers.”
“A tiger disaster? Real tigers? What happened?” Officer Yang asked curiously.
“Yes, real tigers attacking people. Supposedly, villagers killed a tiger cub, and afterward the tigers surrounded the village. Whips couldn’t drive them away, explosives couldn’t drive them away, and even artillery fire failed. Only after the villagers returned the cub’s body did the tigers leave. Quite a few people in that area lost their lives to tiger attacks. Support teams came from all over the country, and the whole affair caused quite a stir.”
Officer Yang’s eyes widened.
He looked ready to ask more questions.
The older officer waved him off.
“Enough. You can learn about that later. Finish today’s work first.”
“Oh.”
Officer Yang turned back to Song Ning.
“So what does your name have to do with ‘A Hundred Tigers Besieging a Village’?”
“It has everything to do with it.”
Song Ning immediately took control of the conversation.
“The village surrounded by those hundred tigers was our village. The year I was born was the year the tiger disaster was at its worst. My grandfather originally named me Song Xing because I had an older brother named Song Wang. Back then, officials were sent to our village to help deal with the tiger problem. One of them injured his foot and stayed at our house while recovering.”
“He objected to my name and said little girls should have more refined names. He suggested Song Ning instead—‘ning’ as in gazing. He said it sounded deeper and more meaningful.”
“Later, my grandfather decided that officials from the government must be educated people. Not only did he rename me Song Ning, he even changed my brother’s name to Song Wang, using the character for ‘hope.’”
“Oh, I see!” Officer Yang nodded. “It’s a nice name. The character is just difficult to write.”
“So your village was the one involved in that tiger disaster.” The older officer sighed. “Things must be much better now.”
“Much better. The tigers are gone completely. They’re protected animals now anyway. People aren’t allowed to hunt them casually anymore.”
Song Ning seized the opportunity to steer the conversation where she wanted it to go.
“You may not know this, officers, but because of the tiger disaster, our village was officially authorized by the government to keep hunting rifles. Back in those days, practically everyone in the village knew how to shoot.”
She hesitated before adding,
“I learned a little too.”
“And my grandfather served in the military years ago. He was a medic during the war. Later, he became the village barefoot doctor and was highly skilled. So… I know a little martial arts and some medical skills. My grandfather taught me both.”
She looked at Officer Yang.
“Um… Officer Yang, was I talking too fast? Did you get all that down?”
“Ah—oh—yes, yes! I’ve got it all!”
Although Officer Yang had no idea how the conversation had somehow shifted to firearms and her grandfather, nor what any of it had to do with the case, he dutifully wrote everything down.
Aside from struggling with the character “Ning,” he considered himself quite professional at taking statements.
Song Ning secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight again.
“Well then, officers, please continue.”
The original Song Ning had run away from home.
She had no introduction letter and virtually no official identity records.
The information the police recorded today would effectively become her future official background.
She needed them to write down every useful detail she could think of.
The more groundwork she laid now, the easier things would be for her later.
Only then did the questioning finally return to the actual case.
After they thoroughly documented how she had been kidnapped and trafficked, Officer Yang asked the routine question.
“Comrade Song Ning, according to your account, you were abducted while traveling to meet your fiancé. We will respect your wishes. Would you like to return home, or would you prefer to continue to your fiancé’s location?”
Most of the women they had interviewed had been abducted while traveling.
Some were visiting relatives.
Some were seeking work.
Others were joining family members elsewhere.
When asked afterward, most chose to return home rather than continue their original journeys.
Song Ning answered without hesitation.
“I want to continue to my fiancé’s place.”
She would return home eventually.
But not now.
Right now, she had nothing.
She needed a proper identity first.
And she needed that identity to carry some weight.
Going to her fiancé’s place was clearly the wiser choice.
“Very well.”
Officer Yang continued writing.
“Can your fiancé be contacted? Is there any chance he could come to Anping to pick you up? Or does your family have anyone who could escort you there?”
Her fiancé?
Song Ning thought about the confidence her grandfather had shown whenever he spoke of the engagement.
The man probably existed.
But two years had passed since the arrangement was made, and he had never come to the village to marry her.
That alone sounded questionable.
As for coming to pick her up?
Even less likely.
And family members escorting her there?
That was pure fantasy.
If her uncle and aunt learned she had been trafficked, they would probably sell her off overnight.
And they would make sure to sell her somewhere far away, just to get a better price.
Compared to traffickers, they were hardly any better.
Song Ning immediately shook her head.
“No. No one’s coming to pick me up, and there’s no one who can escort me.”
“Understood.”
Officer Yang responded professionally.
“Then please provide your fiancé’s address. Since your luggage and identification documents have been lost, we will issue you a new introduction letter from the Anping Municipal Public Security Bureau. Don’t worry—it will be accepted anywhere.”
This was Song Ning’s favorite part.
She had been waiting for this introduction letter.
Drawing from the original owner’s memories, she recited the address:
“Lu Changqing, Seventh Regiment, Thirteenth Army, Southwestern Military Region.”
“You’re a military dependent?”
Officer Yang nearly jumped out of his seat.
“No, no! Not yet!”
Song Ning waved her hands repeatedly.
He was only her fiancé.
They were not married.
The engagement had been arranged by the original Song Ning’s grandfather and Lu Changqing.
In fact, Lu Changqing had been the one to propose the engagement in the first place.
After arriving in Anping, Song Ning had finally seen all the scars covering the original owner’s body.
Scratches.
Cuts.
Burn marks.
Most had come from farm work and endless household chores.
Others had been inflicted by her aunt and younger cousins.
The original Song Ning had lived a life worse than that of an animal.
She had pinned all her hopes on this engagement, believing it would save her from misery.
Yet Lu Changqing had broken his promise.
Because he never came, her uncle and aunt had looked down on her even more.
They had abused her more cruelly.
Eventually, they had driven her into a corner, forcing her to run away with nothing but desperate courage.
In the end, she had fallen ill and died on the road after being trafficked.
In other words, unless there was a reasonable explanation, Lu Changqing bore some responsibility for her death.
As for Lu Changqing himself…
Song Ning reserved judgment until she met him.
However—
This engagement concerned her grandfather’s wishes.
She had no intention of letting the matter end so easily.
The long interview finally came to an end.
After thanking the officers, Song Ning left.
The older officer picked up her statement and carefully read through it again.
When he reached the address she had provided, he muttered,
“Huh? Isn’t this the same unit Commander Gu belongs to?”
He slapped his thigh.
“If I’d realized that earlier, we could’ve had Commander Gu take the girl back with him!”
“Commander Gu?”
Officer Yang looked up.
“Come to think of it, Commander Gu even asked my mother to buy clothes for Song Ning before. I thought they were pretty familiar with each other.”
“He bought clothes for Song Ning?”
“That’s right. You know my mother works at the department store. She helped pick out several outfits for her.”
The older officer looked at the statement again, confusion spreading across his face.
“So does Commander Gu actually know that Song Ning is his comrade’s fiancée?”
Officer Yang leaned over.
“Listen to yourself. If he knew, wouldn’t he have taken her with him already?”
The old officer and the young one exchanged a look.
For a brief moment, a spark of gossip flickered between them.