Meng Yan's initial impression of Qingmu was not very good, not because of Qingmu's old and faded clothes, but because of his lazy appearance and lack of interest in anything.
In his view, even if young people can't all stand tall and upright like they did when they were soldiers, they should still be full of vigor and vitality.
Looking at Qingmu again—his hair wasn't greasy, but it was definitely messy, practically big enough to house a nest of birds; his figure was good, but his back was always slightly hunched; it didn't matter if his clothes were old or torn, but what was with wearing flip-flops?
What Meng Yan disliked most was the ambiguous, mocking expression on his face and the detached look in his eyes that seemed to have seen through everything, as if he had lived for many years and treated the people around him like children!
But Shi Dazhuang kept calling him " Teacher Qingmu," and Meng Yan could sense Shi Dazhuang's trust and respect for him. In his memory, there weren't many people who could earn Shi Dazhuang's attitude.
Therefore, Meng Yan was very polite to Qingmu. But it was just politeness; there was little respect involved.
When Qingmu pulled up a chair and sat down between him and Shi Dazhuang, Meng Yan was still a little unhappy.
Does this person really think too highly of themselves?
But what happened next left Meng Yan speechless, not only changing his opinion of Qingmu, but almost making him regard him as a god.
If Han Laizi and his gang, along with the two victims, insist that their affair has nothing to do with the Medicine Granny, Meng Yan will be in a real predicament. Releasing the Medicine Granny would be too embarrassing, especially with Shi Dazhuang watching! But keeping her would be unreasonable. Although he could detain her for 24 hours, it would be useless without evidence; the news would spread quickly, and if someone incited nearby villagers to petition for her release, things would get complicated.
Meng Yan didn't know what method the Medicine Granny had used to subdue him, but he guessed it was a combination of drugs and hallucinations, because he had just smelled a faint medicinal fragrance. The Medicine Granny had almost tricked him, and he was furious. Losing face was a small matter, but dereliction of duty was a big deal. If Shi Dazhuang hadn't been there, he didn't know if he would have made a huge fool of himself today.
As soon as Qingmu took action, those people immediately came to their senses. Meng Yan looked at Qingmu with new respect, and his words and actions no longer seemed so strange.
Perhaps all extraordinary people have extraordinary appearances!
What truly won Meng Yan over was the performance of Qingmu and the Medicine Granny that followed.
He saw that Qingmu was still sitting there casually, exchanging a few words with the Medicine Granny. Then, as if time had stood still, the two of them fell silent and remained motionless. At that moment, the Medicine Granny held her fingers in a delicate, orchid-like gesture, her face kind and gentle, like a Buddha statue.
Meng Yan calculated the time; it would probably be only two or three minutes.
Two or three minutes later, the kind expression on the Medicine Granny's face gradually faded, and she looked shocked, ferocious, and frightened.
Then, the Medicine Granny lowered her delicate fingers, and her whole body trembled as if she were enduring immense pain.
"The first woman I brought back was truly insane, but she was quite pretty. I sold her to Li Mazi of Liujiang Village for four hundred yuan. That was twenty years ago."
The Medicine Granny began to recount her experience of human trafficking in a rambling, repentant tone.
"The second woman was named Liu Yanghua, from Chuankou. She worked at a restaurant in Yangcheng, but she complained that the work was too tiring, so I lied to her and said I could take her to work in a garment factory. I brought her back and sold her to Guduzai' in North Mountain Pass for 3,000 yuan. Later, she had two children, and he gave me another 2,000 yuan."
Meng Yan and Shi Dazhuang exchanged a glance, then quickly asked the police officer next to them to take notes.
"I also brought the Maowazi from Lime Dam. He was just a tiny kid back then, playing in front of a shopping mall in the mountain city. I gave him a piece of candy and brought him here. I sold him to the Shagen family in Lime Dam; their wife couldn't have children. They gave me 3,500 yuan. The Maowazi must be seventeen or eighteen now."
Meng Yan became increasingly shocked and frightened as he listened. He recognized many of these people; some of the women were in their forties or fifties, and some of the children were grown up. They looked no different from the locals, yet he never imagined they had been abducted.
Over the course of two or three decades, dozens of people were trafficked. This case, once uncovered, is a shocking one!
Meng Yan didn't know if he was lucky or unlucky.
During his tenure, he was able to uncover and resolve decades-old cold cases, which certainly earned him merit. However, these cases were easy to investigate but difficult to handle; handling them could offend many people, and he might even imprison himself.
Previous directors may have been aware of the situation, but they all turned a blind eye and no one dared to touch this sensitive issue.
To be honest, Meng Yan had heard many rumors before, and although he had investigated and visited various places, he, like his predecessors, was unwilling to admit that it was true. They would rather confront drug dealers head-on than investigate such cases and offend all the nearby villages.
The Medicine Granny finally finished speaking, looking as exhausted as if she had just cleared two rows of barren land under the Sun. Her once kind and smooth face was now covered with wrinkles, as if she had aged decades in an instant.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Qingmu, her eyes blazing with hatred and rage. Even Meng Yan and Shi Dazhuang, who were standing beside her, could feel a burning, uncomfortable sensation.
However, Qingmu just chuckled at her.
Fear and unease immediately filled the Medicine Granny's face, suppressing the flames of her hatred.
She struggled to her feet, supporting herself on the table, walked to the side, and knelt down in front of Qingmu Kudo.
"Please! Give it back to me! Please give it back to me!" she pleaded.
Qingmu ignored him and said to Meng Yan, "This is all I can do. The rest is up to Chief Meng."
Meng Yan's attitude towards Qingmu had changed from polite to respectful, saying, "Rest assured, Teacher Qingmu, I will definitely handle this impartially and give the people justice."
Yes, fairness is what we need most, and it's also the hardest to achieve.
Shi Dazhuang patted Meng Yan on the shoulder and said, "You've had a tough time, running into such a case."
Meng Yan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "This is God giving me a chance to make a name for myself!"
Remembering that Yu Meiren was alone in Meng Yan's office, Shi Dazhuang stood up and said, "Oh, Beauty must be getting impatient." Then he walked out.
Meng Yan couldn't immediately recall Beauty. While instructing the police to escort the Medicine Granny and Han Laizi's group, he followed Shi Dazhuang out, laughing, "What Beauty? Captain Shi, do you perhaps have someone in Mangdian...?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "I don't have that kind of luck! It's the girl waiting for us in your office, Yu Meiren, Yu Gang's daughter. I came here to take her away."
Shi Dazhuang, Meng Yan, and Qingmu walked ahead, while two policemen followed behind, escorting Medicine Granny, Han Bo, Han Laizi, and others, not daring to walk too fast.
Meng Yan suddenly remembered something and asked in surprise, " Yu Gang? You mean Yu Gang, the number two figure in the Mu Kuo Group? Captain Shi, what are you doing with his daughter? Could it be...?"
Shi Dazhuang nodded and smiled, "You wouldn't believe it, would you? If it weren't for Yu Gang back then, we might be the ones who died. His martyr's certificate will be issued soon, and I estimate that he can be moved to the martyrs' cemetery in a few days."
Meng Yan slapped his thigh, saying with great regret, "Damn it, if I'd known he was one of us... I would have given him a whole magazine back then..."
Not to mention Meng Yan, even Han Bo and Han Laizi behind him were extremely surprised.
They're all from Kuaziba, so how did that vicious drug lord Yu Gang become a martyr?