Chapter 40: The Case (Part 1)

“Miss, is the Hospital far from here?”

After locking the house door and walking out of the yard, Ye Dongping realized the only bicycle at the Recycling Station had been taken by Feng Kuang. The girl’s bicycle was a 26-inch slanted-frame Phoenix bike with no front crossbar, meaning it could only carry one person.

“The Hospital is about six or seven li from here, Teacher Ye. Maybe you could ride the bike and take me. Ye Tian could just stay at home.”

Although keeping distance between men and women was quite strict at the time, with Feng Kuang still lying in the Hospital, Wang Ying couldn’t worry about that too much. Besides, she and Feng Kuang weren’t really dating. How could a young lady be the one to stay at the Hospital and take care of him?

“You take Ye Tian. I’ll run.”

Ye Dongping shook his head. He absolutely had to bring his son. Six or seven li wasn’t much for him after living at the foot of the mountains for over ten years.

Wang Ying didn’t know why this Teacher Ye insisted on bringing his son, but leaving Ye Tian alone in that empty, lonely house obviously wasn’t very suitable either. She nodded and said, “Alright. Ye Tian, hop on. Sister Yingying will take you…”

After Ye Tian jumped onto the bicycle, he said, “Sister Yingying, once I learn how to ride a bike, I’ll take you from now on…”

Ye Tian really had been learning to ride these past few days. However, the 28-inch bicycle at the Recycling Station was too big, almost as tall as he was. When Ye Tian got on, he couldn’t reach the pedals. Once he got on, he couldn’t get off either, and he had taken quite a few hard falls.

Sometimes people just click. Wang Ying didn’t know why she felt close to this child. She smiled and said, “Okay, when Sister Yingying has time, she’ll come teach you how to ride a bicycle…”

Ye Tian’s interruption eased Wang Ying’s nervousness a little. Carrying Ye Tian and guided by Ye Dongping’s flashlight, she rode towards the Hospital.

The roads on the outskirts of the County Town weren’t easy to travel. By the time the group reached the Hospital, it was already past one in the morning. Since it was an emergency, Feng Kuang hadn’t been admitted to a ward and was still in the outpatient area receiving an IV drip.

“Uncle Ye…” The moment he stepped into the room, Ye Dongping heard Feng Kuang’s tearful call.

Although Feng Kuang had been fond of fighting and showing off back in the countryside, the worst he ever got was a bruised and swollen face. Nothing like today, where he was beaten until his head was bleeding.

Moreover, Feng Kuang was quite young and had no one to rely on in the County Town. Seeing Ye Dongping now was like seeing family, and the tears he had been holding back started falling with a “plop, plop” sound.

“Feng Zi, what… what exactly happened? Who beat you up like this?”

To be honest, if Feng Kuang hadn’t spoken, Ye Dongping might not have recognized him. The Feng Kuang sitting on the chair had his entire face bandaged, and his originally white-checkered shirt was now red.

“Comrade, may I ask… are you his guardian?”

Before Feng Kuang could reply, a voice sounded from the side. Ye Dongping turned to see two people in gray short-sleeved shirts in the room. On the chest of the shirts were two cadre-style pockets.

The two were an older and a younger man. The older one looked about fifty-something, and the younger one was around twenty-four or twenty-five, holding a notebook.

“You are comrade police officers, right? I am Feng Kuang’s uncle. I would like to know, what exactly happened?”

From their short-sleeved shirts and the police trousers with a red stripe down the side, Ye Dongping understood their identity.

The two police officers exchanged a glance. The younger one spoke up, “We are from the East City Police Station. We received a report at nine-thirty about a fight. We found him at the scene and brought him to the Hospital. Let me tell you the specifics.”

The matter started when Feng Kuang went to East City.

After arriving in East City, Feng Kuang found that most of the people collecting scrap lived in shacks; some simply slept under bridges. After finding several scrap collectors and talking to them, he learned they were all from a few northwestern provinces.

Furthermore, from their words, he learned that among these northwestern scrap collectors, there was one person with quite high prestige. To get all their scrap to sell to him, that person’s approval was necessary.

Feng Kuang immediately found one person and had him take him to see that man. After meeting him and explaining his idea, the man’s face showed a troubled expression.

Feng Kuang sensed something. Upon careful inquiry, he found out that in this East City area, there was also a Recycling Station that had been contracted by several young men. They had decreed that these scrap collectors must sell their goods to them, and the price offered was even lower than the state-run stations.

These scrap collectors were all outsiders and simply couldn’t afford to provoke these local youths. After being warned several times, they could only hold their noses and accept it. Now that Feng Kuang had come asking to buy their scrap, this man didn’t dare agree either.

Hearing this was the situation, Feng Kuang’s heart immediately shrunk back. If these scrap collectors couldn’t afford to provoke those people, neither could he. He immediately wanted to go home and discuss it with Ye Dongping.

But who knew, just as Feng Kuang stepped out that family’s door, before he could even get on his bike, several young men walked straight towards him.

Feng Kuang didn’t pay much attention at the time, pushing his bike past them. However, one of them stared hard at him for a few moments, muttered something to the others, and then those young men suddenly rushed up and started punching and kicking him.

Caught completely off guard, Feng Kuang was beaten senseless on the spot. He didn’t know who hit him on the head with an iron wrench. Once blood was drawn, those people scattered in a rush.

No one knew who reported it. Anyway, when Feng Kuang regained consciousness, he was in the Hospital. When the police asked if he had any connections in the County Town, the first person this guy thought of was actually Wang Ying.

As it happened, the older police officer knew Wang Ying. That was why, after Wang Ying rushed to the Hospital, she went to the Recycling Station to notify Ye Tian and his father.

“Uncle Ye, Uncle Ye, I really didn’t provoke those people! I don’t know why they hit me!”

After hearing the police finish explaining the incident, Feng Kuang cried out in grievance. Although beaten until his head bled, it was all superficial wounds. After receiving the IV drip, Feng Kuang’s spirits had recovered somewhat.

“Feng Kuang, don’t worry. Comrade police officers will give us an explanation.”

Ye Dongping gently patted Feng Kuang’s shoulder and asked the two police officers, “Comrade officers, I wonder if those hooligans who did the beating have been caught?”

“No. When we received the report and arrived at the scene, only he remained. We’ll only be able to learn more details tomorrow…”

The older police officer shook his head. They had gone to look for the scrap collector Feng Kuang mentioned, but that entire family had run off. In the dead of night, there was nowhere to search. Solving the case would have to wait until daylight.

“Tea… Teacher Ye, Feng Kuang, if… if there’s nothing more needed here, I’ll head back first?” Just as Ye Dongping was speaking with the older officer, Wang Ying’s voice suddenly interjected.

To be honest, if the older police officer hadn’t personally come to her door, Wang Ying’s parents would never have let her out. Even with an acquaintance present, the looks she got were strange, almost as if they wanted to follow her to the Hospital. Now that Ye Dongping was here, she naturally wanted to get home sooner.

“Ah, look at me, I forgot to thank you. Xiao Wang, you go back first. Another day, I will definitely bring Feng Kuang to your home to thank you properly…”

On the way here, Ye Dongping had learned about Wang Ying and Feng Kuang’s relationship. The two weren’t even dating. For Feng Kuang to trouble her like this in the middle of the night really wasn’t good for a young lady like Wang Ying.