Outside Xinjing Town!
Tang Meiqin arrived outside the town with a heavy heart. Although she had been through this several times before, on previous occasions she had always been taken directly to Wu Dabaozi.
Being dropped off in the middle of nowhere like this was a first.
Besides, she was carrying over 300 yuan on her, so she couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
But just as she was wavering over whether to keep going, a bonfire suddenly flared up in the abandoned God of Wealth Temple in the distance, which put her mind at ease a little!
Soon, Tang Meiqin arrived outside the God of Wealth Temple!
By the light of the fire, Tang Meiqin could make out three or four figures inside the dilapidated temple.
Thinking of her son, whose fate was still unknown, Tang Meiqin steeled her nerves and stepped into the dilapidated temple.
But once she stepped inside and saw the people gathered around the fire, she felt even more uneasy.
She realized that every single one of them was a complete stranger; she hadn’t seen a single one of them before.
“Who exactly are you people? Where is my son?” Tang Meiqin asked, feigning composure.
Long Zhanjun replied indifferently, “You don’t need to worry about who we are. Did you bring the money?”
“Where’s my son? Besides, how can I be sure he actually owes you money?” Tang Meiqin wasn’t stupid; she certainly wasn’t going to hand over the money to these strangers right away.
“Once you’ve paid the debt, you’ll naturally see your son. As for whether your son owes us money, just take a look at this IOU and you’ll know!”
With that, Long Zhanjun pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
It was an IOU written by Tang Meiqin’s son, Zhou Xiaohu, to Wu Dabaozi, bearing his own signature and thumbprint.
Tang Meiqin first glanced at the amount owed—over a thousand yuan—and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
She thought to herself, “That little bastard’s getting bolder and bolder. To have racked up so much debt out there—isn’t he trying to kill me?!”
Then she looked at the signature below—it was indeed her son’s scrawled handwriting. Aside from that little bastard of hers, no one else could write like that.
The last shred of hope vanished from her heart. Tang Meiqin knew there was no way to wriggle out of this debt, and her tone softened instantly.
“Um… I don’t have that much money on hand right now. Could I pay a portion of it first and pay off the rest little by little?”
Tang Meiqin continued, “I’m a nurse at our local clinic, and my son works at the town’s grain warehouse. Between the two of us, we make sixty or seventy yuan a month. We’ll be able to pay it all back soon…”
Before she could finish, Long Zhanjun cut her off: “No way. If I don’t see 1,000 yuan today, you’d better get ready to collect your son’s body!”
Tang Meiqin was instantly terrified. She dropped to her knees before Long Zhanjun with a thud and pleaded, “Please, have mercy! Don’t kill my son. We’ll definitely pay you back…”
Long Zhanjun said coldly, “Begging me won’t do any good. However, I can show you a way out—this might just save your son’s life!”
“What… what solution?” Tang Meiqin asked urgently.
“Turn yourself in!”
Tang Meiqin’s heart skipped a beat, and her voice trembled as she stammered, “Turn… turn myself in? I…”
“You were the one who set that fire at the clinic, weren’t you?” Long Zhanjun demanded loudly.
“You… how… it has nothing to do with me… I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Tang Meiqin stammered incoherently.
Behind the dilapidated statue, Xiao Zhanwu heard this and couldn’t help but glance at Li Yi beside him.
It had been three years since he’d returned from military service, and having helped solve a few cases, he had some experience.
He didn’t even need to think about it—just from what the woman had just said, he knew something was off.
Perhaps it was true, just as the man in front of him had suggested—that this woman was the one who set the fire at the health center.
If that were the case, this would be a massive scandal. The Xinjing Town Police Station would be blatantly fabricating a wrongful conviction. If this were to be investigated, who knows how many people would be dragged down with her.
Long Zhanjun let out a cold laugh, glared at Tang Meiqin, and snapped, “Do you know who that wrongfully accused Feng Liujin is to me? Let me tell you, I’ve already figured it out—that fire was set by you and your relatives!”
“If it weren’t for the fact that the police need time to solve the case, I wouldn’t be wasting my breath with you—I’d have thrown you in the police station ages ago!”
“Let me be blunt: whether you turn yourself in or not, this case will be solved soon. The police are already at the Tang family’s place in town making arrests—you’re next!”
Hearing this, Tang Meiqin panicked even more.
Although she didn’t know how they’d tracked them down so quickly, the fact that they could name her cousin in the city so precisely meant they must have uncovered the truth—and that filled her with even greater dread.
“I… I…”
Before Tang Meiqin could speak, Long Zhanjun continued, “Also, you probably don’t know this yet, but your son isn’t just engaging in a little gambling for fun—his crimes are far more serious than you could ever imagine!”
“What… what’s wrong with my son?” Tang Meiqin asked urgently.
Her son was her life—the person she cared about most in the world—and she truly didn’t want anything to happen to him.
“Theft of public and private property on a massive scale!”
“That’s impossible. How could my son steal anything?” Tang Meiqin said, looking utterly incredulous.
“Haha, to pay off his gambling debts, your son secretly stole grain from the grain depot while on duty and sold it, then squandered the extra money wherever he pleased!”
Long Zhanjun continued, “Think about it carefully—wasn’t he living it up for a while?”
Tang Meiqin thought it over carefully—it was true. For a while, her son had been spending money like water, living beyond his means.
At the time, she had asked him if he’d done something wrong, but he refused to admit it.
So he really had been up to no good!
Instantly, Tang Meiqin grew even more panicked!
“Do you know how the police will handle your son’s actions?”
“No… I don’t know!”
“What he did is called embezzlement by a person in a position of trust—it’s an aggravated offense. Normally, the sentence starts at ten years!” Long Zhanjun said loudly.
“Ten… ten years, and that’s just the minimum!” Tang Meiqin was on the verge of breaking down.
He was her only son—and the sole heir of the Zhou family. If he went to prison, it would truly be the end.
“We’ve already secured concrete evidence. As soon as we pass the leads on to the police, your son’s life will be over!” Long Zhanjun said.
“No… no, please spare my son. He’s still so young… sniffle, sniffle…”
“We can let him off if you want. Our goal is simple: to get my older brother Liujin out of there as soon as possible. As long as you tell us the truth about the arson case, I promise I won’t say a word about your son!” Long Zhanjun coaxed her gently.
Tang Meiqin knew full well what awaited her if she turned herself in.
But she had no choice. On one side was her son; on the other, a life behind bars.
Either she would go to prison, or her son would.
“I… I’ll turn myself in. Please spare my son. I’m begging you on my knees!”
Tang Meiqin had completely broken down. Her son was her Achilles’ heel; she had no other choice!