Chapter Twenty-Eight (Part 2): Dust Settles
It was not until the following afternoon that Lu Qiang was brought into the interrogation room. Old Xing sat across from him, along with two others, one old and one young. The older man sat in the middle, while the younger one sat at the far end.
Once everything was ready, the young officer straightened a stack of forms, picked up his pen, and prepared to take notes.
He went through the routine formalities. “Name.”
Lu Qiang said, “I’ll make a phone call first.”
The young officer looked up. “You’re being interrogated right now. You can’t make phone calls.”
Lu Qiang ignored him and looked at Old Xing.
The young officer shifted the papers slightly. “Name.”
Lu Qiang said nothing.
Old Xing composed himself and set down his cup. He leaned over and whispered a few words to the person beside him. The other man pressed his fist against his lips, looked at Lu Qiang, and nodded once.
Old Xing stood, switched off the recording equipment, took a phone from his pocket, and held it out to him.
Lu Qiang did not take it. “I want mine.”
Old Xing looked at him, then withdrew his hand. “Don’t take too long.” He turned to the young officer. “Zhang’er, it’s in the evidence locker. Go get it.”
Lu Qiang got his own phone and pressed the power button. After waiting a few seconds, it vibrated twice.
Two of the calls were from Genzi. He ignored them. He swiped upward. His gaze shifted slightly. Several consecutive calls below were from an unfamiliar number. The number was unusual, not arranged according to the pattern of domestic phone numbers.
He licked his lower lip. His thumb hovered in the air for a moment before he pressed the callback button.
Lu Qiang looked down at the screen, his eyes dark, and asked Old Xing, “Can I have a cigarette?”
Old Xing was standing right beside him. He handed one over and casually lit it for him.
Lu Qiang took a deep drag and glanced toward the phone. It was almost about to disconnect automatically when the screen finally lit up, beginning to record the call time.
He watched it for a few more seconds before raising it to his ear.
“Hello.”
After a moment, a voice came from the other end. “Hello.”
Lu Qiang called out, “Lu Yin?”
“…It’s me. Where are you?” Her voice carried a slight urgency. Across the immeasurable distance, it came through with a faint tremor.
Lu Qiang inhaled. The hand holding his cigarette lifted and stopped at his lips. He swallowed, lowered his head, and let his hand fall back onto his thigh. In the end, he raised it again, took the cigarette between his lips, and drew on it.
After a few seconds, he said, “The interrogation room.”
There was a sound from the other end as though she had let out a breath of relief. She said nothing.
Lu Qiang asked, “You arrived?”
“Mm.”
“Have you gotten settled?”
Lu Yin said, “Yes.”
He tried to relax, resting his hand on his leg as he flicked the ash from his cigarette. “What were you doing just now? Why did it take you so long to answer the phone?”
Lu Yin said, “I fell asleep.”
“Is it morning over there now?”
“Mm.”
Aside from confirming that he was safe, she uttered only a few simple syllables.
Lu Qiang asked, “Don’t you want to talk to me?”
After he asked, she fell silent.
Lu Qiang held his breath. After a long while, a barely audible sob came faintly through the phone. He had bitten the cigarette butt out of shape, while his other hand clenched tightly into a fist. Several pairs of eyes in the room were fixed on him, but he paid them no attention and simply sat there.
After a moment, the emotion in her voice seemed to stabilize.
“Lu Qiang, I hate you.”
At last, there was some strength in her voice.
Lu Qiang’s heart sank. His voice was low and gentle. “What do you hate me for?”
Lu Yin said, “I don’t know anyone here. You can barely see any other Chinese people.”
“Genzi found a Chinese caregiver for you.”
“I don’t know the neighbors either.”
“They say distant relatives are less helpful than close neighbors,” Lu Qiang said. “When you have nothing to do, talk to them more. Genzi said they’re an elderly couple.”
“The house is too big. I’m the only one here.”
The line of Lu Qiang’s jaw tightened. After a long silence, he said, “I’m sorry, Lu Yin.”
“…I want to go home.”
Hearing his voice, she still could not hold it back and finally began to cry.
Those four words weighed on him more heavily than anything before. Lu Qiang’s heart was wrenched violently by her. He wished he could fly to her immediately. Even if all he could do was wipe away her tears, that would be enough.
Lu Qiang's eyes grew hot, but he hardened his heart. “Just think of it as a vacation. It won't be long before I can go over there to find you.”
“Really?”
“I promise.” Lu Qiang could picture the way she would be wiping away her tears even with his eyes closed. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Don't cry, Lu Yin.”
“Mm.” She exhaled.
Lu Qiang said, “My woman has to be strong. I believe you can take good care of yourself.” He paused. “You should know that I have no choice but to stay here, but I also have to stay. Wu Qiong's death has something to do with me. I've been wrong for so many years. I don't want to muddle through life with you.”
“This is a debt.” Lu Qiang's voice deepened. “Do you understand?”
Lu Yin sniffed. “I know.”
His brows relaxed slightly. “Wait for me over there without worrying, okay?”
“How long?”
“I don't know yet.”
Feeling wronged, Lu Yin deliberately said, “If it takes too long, then I won't wait.”
Lu Qiang's heart sank. “What are you going to do?”
She hummed softly. “Go find another man.”
There was a moment of silence before Lu Qiang remembered that he was still holding a cigarette. Ash had fallen all over the floor, leaving only half a cigarette between his fingers.
He took a drag. “Go ahead.” Lu Qiang gave a cold laugh. “But whatever you do, don't let me see him. I'll cut that bastard's dick off.”
Lu Yin burst out laughing through her tears on the other end of the phone. Lu Qiang's brows relaxed along with hers, and a smile rose at the corners of his mouth.
Old Xing paced back and forth, then held his wristwatch out in front of him and tapped it.
Lu Qiang glanced at it. “Yinyin, I can't talk for too long.”
“Mm.”
“Call Genzi if you need anything.” He rubbed his forehead. “If... things don't go well, you can write to me.”
“…Okay.”
Lu Qiang tightened his grip on the phone, listening to the faint electrical hiss from the other end. “Then I'll hang up.”
He held the phone to his ear for several seconds, hesitating. There was no response from the other end. At the moment his finger pressed down, two distant, ethereal words seemed to come through the receiver.
Lu Yin said, “Wait for me.”
Old Xing returned to the table and set his cup down in the corner. The atmosphere instantly turned serious.
He asked, “Can we begin?”
Lu Qiang leaned back into his chair. “Yes.”
***
The days that followed were spent by Lu Qiang in interrogations and questioning. With Xing Weixin looking after him, he was not subjected to severe psychological pressure. It was simply that time wore him down. He was short on sleep, dark circles had formed beneath his eyes, and his beard grew out without ever being trimmed.
The police did their best to gather evidence, working day and night for an entire month.
On the thirty-fourth day, the materials were finally prepared. With time pressing, Old Xing delivered everything to the procuratorate. After several more working days of waiting, word came back. They agreed to formally arrest the suspect, Qiu Zhen, and simultaneously forwarded the materials to the internal public prosecution division to initiate proceedings with the court.
Because of the special nature of the case, the court accepted it quickly and scheduled a trial.
By the day of the trial, it was already mid-October. The weather had turned cold, and fallen leaves and withered flowers covered the streets of Zhangzhou, lending the city a desolate air.
Lu Qiang saw Qiu Shizu that day. He sat calmly, looking toward the judges' bench. They had hired the best defense lawyer. No verdict was delivered that day. The judges' bench would deliberate and announce the judgment at a later date.
The presiding judge gave the final statement. “The court proceedings are concluded. The court is now adjourned. Please have the judicial police escort the defendant back to the detention facility to remain in custody. The date of the next hearing will be announced separately.”
Qiu Zhen was handcuffed and escorted away through a side door by the judicial police.
The people in the gallery gradually dispersed. Lu Qiang turned his head. Qiu Shizu and the others had already left. His gaze shifted, meeting a hateful stare. Liang Yarong was being helped to her feet by her husband and Liang Yajun, all of them looking in his direction. Her body was hunched, her hair white, her skin dry and gaunt, her eyes filled with hatred and fury. If a gaze were a knife, its blade would already have been buried in Lu Qiang's body.
Lu Qiang lowered his eyes. After a moment, he turned his head away. No matter how he tried to make amends now, he could not lessen Liang Yarong's hatred for him.
The date for the judgment was set for a week later. The law was inescapable. That day, everything went unexpectedly smoothly. Qiu Zhen was sentenced to ten years in prison for rape and evading legal punishment.
Lu Qiang's concealment of the crime was particularly egregious, resulting in the criminal remaining at large for a prolonged period. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. Having already served six years previously, and having rendered meritorious service by reporting the crime and actively assisting the police with their investigation, he received a further reduction of one year, three months, and twenty-one days. The final judgment was that Lu Qiang would serve eight months and seven days in prison, effective immediately.
The courtroom fell silent for several seconds. Lu Qiang raised his head and looked toward the person in the defendant's dock. In those few seconds, his sharp gaze caught a hint of relief, so faint and light that it merely hung at the corner of the man's lips.
The presiding judge finally said, “The judgment has been read.”
A nearly distorted howl came from the gallery. Liang Yarong could not accept that her daughter had been harmed while Qiu Zhen had escaped a death sentence. She pounded her fists against her own chest, cursing the person in the defendant's dock with the most vicious words. Her face was streaked with tears, her hair disheveled, her voice hoarse from shouting. Those present dabbed lightly at the corners of their eyes, looking sympathetically at the grief-stricken mother.
She was escorted out of the courtroom early, but the heavy atmosphere lingered for a long time.
Lu Qiang turned his head and met Qiu Shizu's gaze. Qiu Shizu lifted a hand and tugged at his collar, the corners of his mouth turned downward as he glanced at him. Without saying a word, he turned and walked out.
From then on, the dust had settled.
Qiu Zhen was sent to Xiaoya Prison to serve his sentence, while Lu Qiang was sent to a detention facility in a neighboring city and placed under special protection.
From investigation to sentencing, it had taken a full four months. After Xing Weixin breathed a sigh of relief, he immediately set to work investigating Wu Qiong's death.
... ...
Lu Qiang received a letter from Lu Yin at the end of January. There were only a little over twenty days left until the New Year.
Under the prison guard’s watch, he unfolded the letter. There were three pages in all, filled from beginning to end with descriptions of her life over there. She had found an easy job at a private tailor shop near where she lived. It was not very big, but the owner took good care of her. She was in very good health. The caregiver they had hired was a woman in her fifties. Her children all lived there, and she had retired and come over, taking on some odd jobs on the side. Occasionally on weekends, the woman’s son and daughter-in-law would come along to join in the fun, and they would have meals together and go on outings together. There was a Century Park in front of where she lived. She often went for walks there after dinner. There was a row of benches on the lawn, and from that direction, she could see the fiery red sunset. She said that whenever the red clouds filled half the sky, she missed him terribly.
Lu Qiang swallowed and continued reading.
She said that farther ahead in the park was a Chinese-owned supermarket, where there were many fresh ingredients air-freighted in from China. She could not get used to the food here, so she usually bought groceries and went home to cook with the caregiver.
There were no youtiao and soy milk for breakfast, and she missed them terribly. At night, the bed was too big. She could roll from this side all the way to the other, but sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night, freezing. Foreigners were very open. They made no effort to hide their feelings, and could passionately kiss each other right there on the bustling streets. Every time she saw such a scene, she missed the feeling of being in his arms, so very, very much.
Lu Yin said that the first three months had been difficult to endure. She could not eat. Whenever she smelled the slightest trace of oil or grease, she would vomit until the sky and earth seemed to spin, suffering from dizziness and weakness. At night, she tossed and turned restlessly. She could not sleep, so she would hug the quilt and cry in suppressed sobs, repeatedly dialing his number, only to be met forever by the cold, busy tone on the other end. At times like that, she hated him the most…
Lu Qiang’s hand trembled slightly. He had not quite understood this passage, so he read it again carefully.
When he turned the page, there was still one more sheet.
He read to the end, his gaze falling on the final four characters. His body suddenly stiffened, and his fingers trembled violently.
The prison guard beside him noticed. “What’s wrong with you?”
Lu Qiang came back to himself and hurriedly handed over the letter. “Help me read this. What characters are these at the end?”
The prison guard looked at him in surprise, suspecting that he was mentally unwell, then read them aloud for him.
For a long while, Lu Qiang seemed lost in thought. The paper in his hand had been crumpled, yet he continued staring at those four characters.
The prison guard asked, “Are you all right?”
Lu Qiang suddenly said, “Officer, I want to write back.”
The prison guard gave him two sheets of paper. Lu Qiang had only attended school for a few years, and his grip on the pen was awkward. After thinking for a long time, he finally put the first stroke to paper.
His handwriting was rough, and he pressed down heavily with the pen. Several times, he tore through the paper. Whenever there was a character he did not know how to write, he asked the prison guard. In the end, the guard simply brought over a stool, sat beside him, found some paper and a pen, and wrote down each character Lu Qiang asked about for him to look at.
By the end, he was getting somewhat impatient.
Finally, the letter was finished, filling an entire page. Lu Qiang took it and read it over. He pursed his lips, then suddenly crumpled it into a ball.
The prison guard: “…”
He laughed. “I didn’t write it well.”
The prison guard was so angry he wanted to swing his baton at him. He tossed the pen aside and stood to the side, leaving him alone.
Lu Qiang thought for a long time, scratching his head in frustration. Clutching the pen, he finally wrote only eight large characters on the letter paper:
Lu Yin, you fucking rock.
That night, Lu Qiang could not sleep. He barely closed his eyes the entire night.
The next day, he applied through the prison ward to meet Wang Quanzhi.
When Genzi arrived, Lu Qiang looked radiant, a smile reaching all the way into his eyes.
Lu Qiang said, “Help your brother with something. Get the old lady out.”
Genzi grimaced and waved his hands. “Ge, don’t make this difficult for me. You know how stubborn our old lady is. You couldn’t even persuade her back then. What good am I going to do?”
Lu Qiang leaned against the back of his chair, casually hooking his index finger against his forehead, raising his brows smugly. With complete confidence, he gave two soft, amused hums. “Tell her this.”
Genzi stared blankly at him. “Tell her what?”
“Tell her your daughter-in-law is pregnant. Let her decide what to do.”
Genzi froze. “Who did you say is pregnant?”
Lu Qiang said, “Your sister-in-law.”
He blinked, slapped his thigh, and said, “Really?” Then he started laughing too, giving him a lecherous thumbs-up. “Ge, you really are something.”
Lu Qiang could not take praise at the moment. The corners of his mouth nearly stretched to his ears. He lifted his head and looked out through the barred window, staring blankly into the distance. After a long while, he murmured to himself, “I have to be.”
They had barely chatted a few words before Lu Qiang urged him to leave.
After Genzi returned from the prison, he immediately hurried back to Huaizhou to carry out the task Lu Qiang had just given him.
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.
The prison ward was decorated with lights and colors that day, and the small blackboard was covered with New Year’s blessings. After eating dumplings that evening, they moved little stools over and watched the Spring Festival Gala.
It was rare for the prison to be this lively, and they went to bed later than usual.
By the time he lay down, it was already midnight. Lu Qiang could not sleep. He looked at the small patch of sky visible through the high window. This place was far from the city center. He could hear neither the thunderous din of firecrackers nor see fireworks filling the sky, making it seem unusually quiet.
He remembered that they had not spent last Spring Festival together either. She had gone to her uncle’s house, while he had been on his way back to his hometown.
This year they were separated once again. He was in prison, while she was more than eight thousand kilometers away in a foreign country.
Fortunately, things would be different in the future, with his old mother, with his son. Thinking of that little one who had not yet taken shape, Lu Qiang turned over several times, even less able to sleep.
The brother in the upper bunk poked his head out and asked quietly, “What are you tossing and turning for?”
Lu Qiang said, “I can’t sleep.”
The man rested his chin on his elbow, a mischievous grin on his face. “Missing a woman?”
Lu Qiang glanced at him, turned over, and stared into the darkness. His lips moved slightly.
“Missing my wife.”
With something to look forward to, the days passed especially quickly.
After the first lunar month had ended, there were still seven months left on his sentence.
One day, someone came to the prison ward to visit him. What he did not expect was that the person sitting on the other side was Qiu Shizu.
The two stared at each other for a moment. Qiu Shizu picked up the receiver and asked him, “You know Chen Sheng is dead?”
Lu Qiang said, “I know.”
That night, he had not managed to ram into him and kill him. Chen Sheng had died from a drug overdose. The police had only routinely questioned Lu Qiang. There were no injuries from any collision on his body, and Chen Sheng’s death had nothing to do with Lu Qiang.
Qiu Shizu got straight to the point. “I want to know why you went to such lengths to send Xiao Zhen to prison.”
Lu Qiang lowered his eyes. After a moment, he said, “I couldn’t live with my conscience.”
Qiu Shizu had not expected him to answer that way. His sharp eyes looked at him through his glasses. A few seconds later, he let out a mocking laugh. “Qiangzi,” he called him. “You’ve done plenty of things that were against all morality and justice before, and now you’re talking to me about conscience?”
Lu Qiang leaned against the back of his chair and looked at him indifferently without saying a word.
It was like a silent contest. Qiu Shizu stopped laughing. “Whatever your purpose, Lu Qiang, I won’t let Xiao Zhen stay in prison for too long. To be honest, I’ve been working things out on both sides for the past few months, and things are almost settled.” Having said that, he looked at him with a self-satisfied expression.
Lu Qiang’s brows twitched slightly, then relaxed. He still said nothing.
Qiu Shizu said, “I only found out afterward that Chen Sheng had been stirring things up between you and me and had harmed your woman. I had no idea about any of it from beginning to end.” He looked at him. “I’ve always trusted you, and I understand what kind of person you are even better. I believed you wouldn’t betray Xiao Zhen, so from beginning to end, I never focused my attention on you. I never thought…”
He curled his lips and shook his head. “I’m very disappointed.”
Lu Qiang said, “I feel the same about him.”
After another moment of looking at each other, Qiu Shizu suddenly shifted, straightened his collar, and nodded as though in agreement. “That’s true. With Xiao Zhen’s temper, he ought to be taught a lesson,” he said. “I won’t pursue this matter. Consider it repayment for the favor I owed you back then.”
Qiu Shizu stood up. “Qiangzi, take care of yourself from now on. You can’t stay out of this forever.”
Lu Qiang steadied his gaze and gave him a faint smile.
***
It was at the beginning of April that he learned of Qiu Zhen’s death. It was sudden, and it left him stunned. The news was passed in by Xing Weixin.
Xing Weixin said, “Old Deng did it.”
A month earlier, Liang Yarong had gone to Xiaoya Prison to see Old Deng. At the end of last year, Old Deng had been diagnosed with lung cancer. It was still in its early stages, but he had already become emaciated.
The two of them talked for a full ten minutes. After returning, Old Deng became unusually silent.
Some time later, when he went to work, he secretly drove a ten-centimeter steel nail into the inside of his thigh, wrapped cloth tightly around it, and brought it back to Xiaoya Prison.
It was with that steel nail that he took Qiu Zhen’s life.
No one knew how his thin, gaunt body had managed to do it. Perhaps it was a father’s instinct, or perhaps it was the strength that erupted in that moment when he had decided to fight to the death.
After that, he had exhausted everything he had and was left with only a faint breath.
Xing Weixin said, “He’s just counting down the days now. Only a few days left.”
Lu Qiang asked, “Where is he?”
“The municipal hospital.”
Lu Qiang moved both hands up and rested them on the table. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. “Can you give me a cigarette?”
Xing Weixin handed him one and watched as Lu Qiang slowly smoked it to the end.
When he got up to leave, their eyes met. Lu Qiang’s eyes were red.
“Help find him a good place.”
At that moment, elsewhere.
Qiu Shizu had just regained consciousness. His only son was dead, and the shock had sent his blood rushing to his head. He had suffered a stroke and been admitted to the hospital.
In the span of just a few days, he had aged ten years.
After regaining consciousness, he still could not accept reality. Grief and anguish overwhelmed him, and he had to be resuscitated twice.
The first thing he did after being out of danger was to destroy Lu Qiang’s entire family.
However, a few days later, the news his subordinates brought back was that his wife, children, and old mother had already left. They had gone abroad.
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