novellhall Chapter 187 Officer Meng's Visit
Chapter 187 Officer Meng's Visit
Zhuang Qingxiang said everything she needed to say, and Meng Shuisheng's expression turned serious after listening: "I must report this to my superiors immediately. You can't go anywhere right now..."
Zhuang Qingxiang understood that until the matter was investigated thoroughly, she would either have to stay in the hospital to recover or go to jail.
It's hard to say when or even if this matter can be thoroughly investigated.
Things had come to this point, and everything that needed to be said had been said. As the pressure in Zhuang Qingxiang's heart dissipated, her illness worsened, as if years of accumulated fatigue were finally coming back to haunt her.
The hospital gave me a fever-reducing injection, but the fever returned in less than six hours.
The hospital was at a loss, and some doctors even hesitated to speak.
In a situation like this, one might as well go to the countryside and find a shaman to perform some rituals, but in this day and age, no one dares to say it, because to say it would be considered promoting feudal superstition.
Lu Congyue brought Shi Peiran directly to him, asking him to think of a solution.
"Either find a shaman or a traditional Chinese medicine doctor," Shi Peiran said frankly. "One of them will be useful."
In short, there's no point in staying in the hospital any longer.
Finding a sorceress was out of the question, so Lu Congyue found an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor to treat Zhuang Qingxiang.
The experienced traditional Chinese medicine doctor was very conscientious and responsible. After carefully taking her pulse, he was somewhat surprised: "This young lady isn't very old, so how come her body is so severely depleted? Did she experience something in the past? Her heart meridian is seriously damaged..."
The old Chinese medicine doctor said a lot, but in short, Zhuang Qingxiang looks good on the outside, but is actually weak and deficient inside.
"I'll have to take good care of her from now on."
Lu Congyue asked an old Chinese medicine doctor for a prescription, took the medicine, and then wanted to take Zhuang Qingxiang home.
Meng Shuisheng disagreed. The matter was not fully understood yet, and it was still uncertain whether Zhuang Qingxiang was innocent or not. How could they just let her go like that?
"The Zhuang family never took her seriously from the moment she was born. She was kicked out of the Zhuang family at a young age and has no connection with them whatsoever. Now she has even published a statement in the newspaper severing her father-daughter relationship with Zhuang Luping. She has also arrested the person you wanted to arrest. What more do you want?" Lu Congyue said indignantly.
Meng Shuisheng: "We didn't plan anything, we just wanted to be on the safe side, she had to stay under our noses!"
The two argued louder and louder, waking Zhuang Qingxiang up. Although she had been delirious with fever for the past few days, she was still clear-headed about many things.
"Director Lu," she said weakly, "could you and Officer Meng help me rent a room in the county town? I'll stay there until this matter is resolved."
She looked at Meng Shuisheng: "Is this alright now?"
Meng Shuisheng touched his nose: "Well... okay then."
Indefinite hospitalization is definitely not an option. Medical resources are limited, and there's a shortage of doctors and medicine. Because Zhuang Qingxiang has recurring fevers, the county hospital has had to request medication from higher-level hospitals. Who will pay for this?
Meng Shuisheng and Lu Congyue found a courtyard near the county public security bureau. Because the courtyard was large and had five rooms, the owner was unwilling to rent them out separately, so they could only rent it for ten yuan a month.
Having more rooms is good, because Lu Congyue not only moved in with his three children, but also brought Sun Yongxian and Shi Peiran over.
Sun Yongxian stayed behind to take care of the sick Zhuang Qingxiang, while he and Shi Peiran ran back and forth between the two places every day.
Whether it was because the old Chinese medicine doctor's prescription was right or because taking care of the child helped her recover faster, Zhuang Qingxiang's health actually improved day by day after she checked into the hospital.
Three days later, her fever subsided, and five days later, she felt better and was able to get out of bed and take walks in the yard.
Meng Shuisheng arrived on the sixth day.
"Comrade Zhuang is feeling much better." He smiled and placed the two cans of food he had brought on the table. "These are for you to eat, to help you recover."
"Thank you. Did you come to see me for something?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked.
Meng Shuisheng smiled and said, "Comrade Zhuang is very clever. I do have something to trouble you with."
Meng Shuisheng conveyed his superiors' message: they hoped to use Zhuang Qingxiang's identity as bait to lure out more hidden enemy agents.
According to "Uncle Zhang," he had already reported Zhuang Qingxiang's matter to overseas authorities. Overseas authorities knew she was Zhuang Luping's daughter and directly gave her some kind of special agent status. It is said that Zhuang Luping may contact her again in a while.
Furthermore, they are not just targeting one military factory; wherever there is a military factory, there are people lying in wait, waiting for orders from their superiors to cause trouble.
Now that their undercover agents have all been captured, those people, in their impatience, are very likely to seize Zhuang Qingxiang as a lead to continue their so-called "great cause".
"What the higher-ups mean is that this is also the time for you to completely sever ties with the past and express your determination to the country," Meng Shuisheng said solemnly.
In other words, a later statement cannot prove Zhuang Qingxiang's innocence; she needs to do more to shed the identity of Zhuang Luping's daughter.
Seeing Zhuang Qingxiang remain silent, Meng Shuisheng thought for a moment and then said, "Comrade Zhuang, this is of positive significance to both you and Director Lu. Otherwise, your identity would really be a burden to him and to your two children."
"Officer Meng, could you give me some time to think about this? This matter... is dangerous, and I'm the only one left for my two children," Zhuang Qingxiang said in a low voice.
"Of course, I'll wait for your good news." Meng Shuisheng nodded.
After Meng Shuisheng left, Sun Yongxian dared to enter the house. As soon as she came in, she asked, "Sister Zhuang, what did Officer Meng say to you? Are you alright?"
"Not for now." Zhuang Qingxiang smiled at her, took Xiao Chenglin from her hands, and kissed the child's little face.
Sun Yongxian breathed a sigh of relief: "You scared me to death! I thought he was going to take you away."
Sun Yongxian knew her identity, and even knew that her biological father was now living a life of high official rank and great wealth overseas.
To be honest, Sun Yongxian, who came from a similar background, deeply resented people like the Zhuang family, but she couldn't bring herself to hate Zhuang Qingxiang; she only felt sorry for her.
"Sister Zhuang, don't worry, Director Lu will definitely find a way to protect you. You won't be sent to a labor camp!" Sun Yongxian said, clenching her fist. "Those places are too harsh; you simply can't endure it."
"How did you know?" Zhuang Qingxiang asked curiously.
Sun Yongxian pursed her lips: "Before... there was a pretty famous guy near my house... I don't know what he was, but he was arrested. His children, in order to protect themselves, also published notices in the newspaper to sever ties with him, but they were still affected and lost their jobs. I heard from my mother that he suffered a lot and finally couldn't take it anymore and committed suicide by jumping off a building..."
Zhuang Qingxiang's heart sank.
"There's another family in our city whose home was vandalized by thugs. They lost everything, and... I heard the woman of the house was insulted and hanged herself that very night."
"I feel like a lot of things aren't right, but I don't know why. So Pei Ran and I followed Director Lu here to build the new factory. I like the peaceful life here," Sun Yongxian said softly. "Sister Zhuang, I also hope you're doing well. I just want us to live peacefully together."
"Yes, I will." Zhuang Qingxiang smiled, but her heart was filled with bitterness.