Chapter 103: The Widow Remarries

During the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, a widow wished to remarry and petitioned the local magistrate with a succinct plea: “Widowed young and childless, with elders strong and able, caught between a melon patch and a plum tree—should I marry again or not?” These few lines eloquently and persuasively laid out the reasons for remarriage, leaving the magistrate no choice but to decree with a flourish: “Marry!”

When Wen Xiaocheng was questioned about holding a hostage, he employed this same widow’s remarriage style of reasoning: “A friend is in peril, without money, the doctor refuses treatment, life hangs by a thread, and I am still a minor—should I act or not?”

Two policemen blurted out in unison: “Act!”

Yet Han Deming lacked the decisiveness of a county magistrate. After saying “act,” he immediately felt rash; after all, he hadn’t consulted his superiors. The implications of the incident were neither negligible nor negligible—what if someone uploaded the video online and the leadership questioned him? That would be troublesome.

Once the words were out, he had to reel them back in. “Young man, I understand your feelings, but you did hold a weapon and took a hostage in a public place…”

Xiaocheng interrupted, “I held a hostage? Is there even a victim?”

Dr. Zhang, the supposed hostage, had clearly stated earlier that they were just joking around and did not acknowledge being held hostage. If this matter became public, the hospital would be in the wrong.

“Besides, even if there were victims, what charges apply? Kidnapping? There was no ransom demand nor was the person truly held hostage. Illegal detention? The time was too short. The catch-all charge would be disturbing the peace, but I’m a minor and not criminally responsible; even detention wouldn’t be enforced. Is it really worth wasting time on me?”

These few words left Han Deming speechless. The kid was young but well-versed in the law—practically a rogue scholar!

Tsk! How can one break the law if unaware of it?

Still, as a police officer, Han Deming couldn’t be silenced by a child’s retort. He slammed the table angrily. “Boy! Don’t think being a minor lets you do whatever you want. Your guardian can still be held responsible! In serious cases, you could even be sent to a juvenile detention center!”

Police officers often resorted to intimidation during interrogations, but this tactic was useless on Xiaocheng.

“My guardian? My father is serving a sentence for intentional homicide in the Second People’s Prison of Xiangyang City, and my mother disappeared five years ago—suspected of abandoning a minor child, a criminal offense. If you could arrest her, I’d thank you!”

Han Deming stared wide-eyed, speechless—what kind of child was this?

Detective Wang Jipeng nearby couldn’t help but chuckle, seeing Old Zhou’s predicament. He stepped in to smooth things over. “Old Zhou, don’t take it personally. He’s just a kid, and there’s no serious consequence here. Medical disputes are messy; no need to get involved. The parties are unharmed and he’s underage. Better not make trouble for yourself.”

Old Zhou huffed, catching his breath and backing down. “Old Wang, you handle your business. I’m going out to cool off.”

“Cooling off” was a euphemism for calling his superior to report: “Chief, this incident has no serious consequences. The supposed victim denies being held hostage, and the knife-wielding individual is only fifteen, a minor. I see no need to pursue this further. What’s your opinion?”

With limited manpower and busy schedules, nobody wanted to waste time on a kid, especially when the victim denied any hostage situation. The chief promptly instructed: “Just scare him a bit and give him a warning!”

Old Zhou swallowed his frustration. Scaring him? Good luck! And educating him? I’m the one learning from this kid!

Inside the hospital, although Wang Jipeng was also a police officer, he handled the stabbing case involving Lu Qi. Xiaocheng was both the reporting party and an eyewitness, so his tone was entirely different. The victim was now out of danger, but the stabbing constituted intentional injury, and since internal organs were affected, it was a serious injury—a major case in this small county. The criminal investigation team was taking it seriously, splitting into several groups. Latest updates: Lei Yang and three other suspects had surrendered, but the assailant Jiang Xiaotao remained at large.

Wang Jipeng’s task was simple: visit the hospital to check on the victim and take a statement from the eyewitness. Unexpectedly, he arrived just in time for a spectacle.

“Currently, except for the main suspect Jiang Xiaotao who remains missing, the other four accomplices have voluntarily surrendered…”

Before Wang Jipeng could finish, Xiaocheng sensed something was wrong. Jiang Xiaotao did stab Lu Qi, but the primary defendant should have been Lei Yang, who held Lu Qi and ordered Xiaotao to “stab him.” Lei Yang bore the main responsibility. Now with four surrendering and one fugitive, it was obvious Lei Yang had conspired with his friends to pin all blame on one person.

Xiaocheng didn’t expose the lie right away but gave Wang a rough account of the events—perhaps this angle could be exploited.

“Detective Wang, I have no leads on Jiang Xiaotao now. I’ve only seen him once and don’t even know his name. You might want to question Lei Yang and the others about his whereabouts. As for the details at the scene, there’s no rush. Lu Qi’s parents don’t know yet, and the surgery deposit hasn’t been paid. Maybe I can leave my number so you can meet me at the county police station later for a detailed statement. There’s been so much today—I need to calm down and recall everything carefully.”

After all, Xiaocheng was not a suspect. While obliged to cooperate with the police, his reasoning was sound. Wang nodded, patting him on the shoulder. “Alright, we have your number. Our priority is capturing the suspect. If anything comes up, we’ll need your cooperation.”

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