Chapter 42: CH 42

It was close to 10pm when Zhou Jiangguo finished his deliveries. He was finally able to share what he discovered in Chen Lan’s apartment with Luo Bei.

The two found a pavilion in the village to sit in.1 Luo Bei wanted to treat him to a snack, but he was neither hungry or interested in something unhealthy. So she ended up buying two bottles of water instead.

“I think Miss Chen next door is locking her son in his room.” Zhou Jiangguo described what he saw. “I don’t believe she’s abusing him.”

“How do you know?” Luo Bei brightened.

“There was a take-out box on the coffee table. She must have just received it when I visited. She ordered two portions. If she and her son are the only ones living there, the other portion must be for him. You’ve mentioned that Chen Lan isn’t afraid of you calling the police. That’s because she’s confident that the police won’t find any injuries on him. I’m certain of it. But…”

Zhou Jiangguo changed the topic. “There’s another type of abuse aside from physical abuse that leaves a longer lasting psychological impact on a child – mental abuse. I took a look at her balcony too. The clothes drying outside are all hers and there weren’t any children’s clothes. My guess is that since Chen Lan brought her son home, she’s been keeping him locked up inside his room without lights and refuses to speak to him. She has only been giving him enough food so that he doesn’t starve.”

Zhou Jiangguo grew solemn.

Luo Bei had never been locked in a small room, but she knew plenty of friends who had. Once or twice may not be a big deal to a child. But Luo Bei couldn’t imagine the scars it would leave if done for a long period of time.

There was no way she could help everyone in the world, but she would not turn a blind eye to something that’s happening right under her nose.

“What do we do?” Luo Bei asked.

Zhou Jiangguo had a dependable presence, so she naturally looked to him for help.

“Doesn’t the rental agreement have an emergency contact? If Chen Lan wrote down her family’s number, you should inform them about this matter. Of course, you have to consider the possibility that her family may refuse to step in. Also, this is an urgent situation so it doesn’t matter if you call the authorities and they don’t find injuries. Even if there’s a low chance of them intervening, you have to give it a try. At the very least, it will give Chen Lan a warning.” Zhou Jiangguo thought about it some more and said, “In the end, let whoever tied the bell on the tiger remove it.2 You need to have a talk with Chen Lan.”

Luo Bei nodded. “Sorry to trouble you today.”

Zhou Jianguo smiled. “It’s no trouble. Don’t mention it.”

Luo Bei felt that this new tenant is quite helpful and kind.

****

After she returned home, Luo Bei mused over Zhang Jiangguo’s theory and began to lament over her past actions. She regretted not stopping Chen Lan that day. If Zhang Jiangguo’s guess is true then Chen Lan was truly…

She, an adult, wouldn’t be able to handle being locked up in a room with no lights, not being allowed out and unable to talk to anyone. How could such a sweet and well-behaved child suffer such a thing?

Luo Bei dug out Chen Lan’s rental contract and found the emergency contact. Chen Lan had written down her mother’s number, Fang Jingzhou’s grandmother. 

This situation needs a two-pronged approach. One is to contact Fang Jingzhou’s grandmother. The other is to involve social services.

If Chen Lan’s mother is a normal elderly person, she would naturally be unable to leave the situation alone. Chen Lan wouldn’t be able to do anything if there was an elder in the room.  At the very least, she would have to consider the elder’s opinion. Luo Bei didn’t have high hopes for social services. Even if Chen Lan raised a hand against her son, as a mother, she has many reasons to explain why; her child is too disobedient, ignorant or misbehaves. As long as the injury isn’t severe, many wouldn’t interfere with “family business”.

The social workers in the area are familiar with Luo Bei. They arrived soon after she made the call. 

A male and female social worker came. They said they received an anonymous report about Chen Lan having a tendency to abuse her child. So they have come to inquire and confirm the situation.

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Chen Lan was sitting in the living room, eating melon seeds while watching TV. She had stopped dolling herself up these past few days. Now, she was wearing pajamas without makeup on. Her skin looked bad. She went and leaned against the door, laughing at Luo Bei who was waiting outside. “What kind of person do you think I am? You want to see if I’m abusing my child? Go take a look for yourself.”

As the landlady, Luo Bei had good reason for being there. She followed the social workers into the apartment. When they opened the door, Luo Bei’s eyes turned red.

Fang Jingzhou was curled up on the bed. His small statue seemed to have gotten thinner.

The room light was turned off, and the window was shut. Potato chip bags and take out boxes scattered on the floor. There was even a stench in the air…

It was as Zhang Jiangguo had guessed. Fang Jingzhou didn’t have traces of injures on him. He wasn’t starving. He had food to eat and was even given snacks. Chan Lan only restricted his freedom by putting him in his room for a few days.

When the social workers asked her why, Chen Lan started to act pitiful. Luo Bei didn’t know that her acting was so good.

“I’m a single mother. It’s not easy to raise a child. I birthed him, provided him with food and clothes. No matter how tired I am, I believe it’s worth it. As long as my child grows up well, as a mother, there’s nothing more I can hope for. But look at him! He has learned to lie and stole money from me. If he dares to steal as a child, what kind of danger to society would he become in the future? He’s a part of my flesh that I carved out, how would I have the heart to hit him? But such a big child, he wouldn’t even listen to me so I had no choice but to put him in his room to reflect.” Chen Lan began shedding tears. “I’m not asking for my child to accomplish great things. I just don’t want him to cause trouble for others in the future. I don’t want him to become scum. It’s my fault for not teaching him well!”

Luo Bei was so angry that she began to shake. Fang Jingzhou pressed close behind her. She asked him, “Jingzhou, tell me the truth. Did you steal money?”

Fang Jingzhou hadn’t taken a shower for many days. He gave off a strange smell, and his hair was greasy. He grabbed Luo Bei’s waist tighter. Like a wounded animal, he howled, “I didn’t! Beibei, I didn’t!”

“Look at him! He’s still not admitting his fault! The change in my purse is missing. I searched his pockets the other day and found out that he had stolen it.” Chen Lan rubbed her face. “All I want is for him to admit his wrongdoings. For him to confess to stealing and know what he did was wrong. How can I bear to argue with him as his mother? I just don’t like his stubborn attitude of not admitting to his wrongs.”

The service workers checked Fang Jingzhou for wounds. Indeed, there were none. He didn’t look starved and there were even crumbs on his clothes to prove that he had food to eat.

What else could they do?

She didn’t hit the child nor starve him. She simply let him reflect in his room for a few days. Even if they brought this to court, no one would say that Chen Lan is in the wrong.

After the social workers left, Chen Lan returned to her original self. She sat on the sofa with her legs crossed and lit up a cigarette. “Luo Bei, I’m warning you to mind your own business. He is my child. No matter what I do to him, even if the emperor were to come, would he claim that I’m not allowed to teach my own child a lesson?”

Luo Bei touched Fang Jingzhou’s face to find that he was silently crying.

She asked Chen Lan, “Is he really your child? If he is, why would you tell outsiders that he’s a thief? You could have told them that he misbehaves or is disobedient. How could you say that he stole money? This is an insult to his character. You’re forcing him to admit to something that he didn’t do. Don’t you understand the harm you’re causing by saying that your child is a thief? He’s not a pet, he’s a person. He’s already 5 years old and has his own thoughts. Chen Lan, he’s done nothing to you. The reason your life has become like this has nothing to do with him. He’s innocent”.

After saying this, she ignored Chen Lan and squatted down to look at Fang Jingzhou. She gently told him, “Jingzhou, I know you didn’t lie. You didn’t steal money. You are a good child. I believe you. Beibei believes you.”

Fang Jingzhou hugged her tightly and burst out crying with heavy sobs. His cries were sad and full of pain.

Chen Lan watched the scene with cold eyes.

Luo Bei took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped Fang Jingzhou’s face. She stood up holding Fang Jingzhou and looked at Chen Lan. “You’re right, he’s your child. But, Chen Lan, I believe I was being too generous before so you dared to do something like this in my territory. This is my first and last warning. If you dare lock Fang Jingzhou in his room again, I will make sure you experience the pain he felt. Feel free to try. I started taking care of this property at 15. If you don’t believe me, you can go out and ask around to learn who the real boss of this area is…

Chen Lan’s face turned solemn.

“Bullying your own child? Let me tell you, you’re child’s play compared to the people I’ve seen and dealt with. So don’t try to cross my bottom line. This is my building. You follow my rules. If you break them, I don’t mind being a villain to give you some insight.” 

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