Scarface Li snapped back to his senses and looked at Gu Qingyun. No longer viewing her as a mere child, he stared at her with deep vigilance.
Noticing the constable uniform she wore, his lips twitched. In an instant, his expression shifted into a sycophantic smile. “Oh, my apologies, officer! This little boy was sold to me by his own grandmother—I didn't steal him! Look, I even have the handprint stamped by his grandmother right here.”
Gu Qingyun sneered, “What legitimate business takes place in the dead of night? You drugged this child, didn't you? If this were a lawful transaction, show me the deed of sale stamped by the government and the official bill of sale.”
Scarface Li made his living in the criminal underworld, trafficking people who weren't legally permitted to be sold. As long as it was profitable, he couldn't care less about legality. Precious, delicate children like this boy were usually sold off to dark, filthy places, so how could he possibly have official documentation? Seeing that Gu Qingyun was alone, he figured that his inability to resist earlier was only because she had taken him off guard. If he went all out, he might still stand a chance.
With that thought in mind, Scarface Li glared menacingly at Gu Qingyun. “Kid, give the boy back to me right now, or you're going to end up lying flat on the ground tonight.”
Hardly had the cruel threat left Scarface Li's mouth before the tip of Gu Qingyun's saber pressed against his cheek. Scarface Li's eyes widened in terror, and he instantly fell to his knees, kowtowing loudly three times onto the ground. “Officer! Please forgive my ignorance! I don't want the kid anymore! I really did buy him with my own money, I swear I didn't trick or kidnap him! How about I take you to his family to clear this up?”
Good heavens, who could have guessed that a random constable he ran into would be a trained martial artist? With that strength and speed, he had almost thought he was about to meet his ancestors.
“Lead the way. Don't even think about running away; next time, I'll cut off your legs directly.” Gu Qingyun picked up the child and followed behind Scarface Li.
Scarface Li shuddered, knowing all too well that the constable was not joking. He hurriedly nodded with a sheepish grin. “You jest, officer. How would I ever dare?”
Seeing Gu Qingyun glare at him with chilling intensity, he quickly broke into a jog to lead the way. The further he ran, the more shocked he became; he was running with every ounce of strength he possessed, yet the constable behind him casually followed along while holding a child.
They maintained a constant distance of about twenty meters, and the constable was not even breathing hard, moving as though walking on level ground. When on earth did Jiangyin County get such a formidable figure?
Scarface Li led Gu Qingyun to a halt in front of a small courtyard. Gu Qingyun raised an eyebrow as she looked at the house. It appeared to be a single-entry compound with about five or six rooms, looking reasonably well-maintained.
Most of the residents on this street were well-off families; no matter how one looked at it, they were nowhere near desperate enough to sell their own children.
Gu Qingyun shot Scarface Li a look. Scarface Li took a deep breath and banged heavily on the door. “Old woman, get out here! I'm not buying your grandson anymore! Give me back my silver!”
“You damn old woman, hurry up and get out here!”
A moment later, the door opened from the inside, and a young couple stepped out, looking as though they had just woken up. Seeing Scarface Li, they looked bewildered. “Who are you?”
Scarface Li shoved the couple aside and marched straight into the yard, shouting as he walked, “There should be an old woman in your house, right? Tell her to come out! Tell her I don't want her grandson anymore, and have her face me! I didn't steal this kid, I bought him! I didn't break any law!”
The young woman looked at Gu Qingyun following behind Scarface Li, then shifted her eyes to the child in her arms, suddenly gasping in shock. “Why is my child with you, officer? That's my Xiao Bao! I spent days making these clothes for him, I couldn't possibly mistake him!”
Suddenly realizing something, the young woman rushed up to Scarface Li and grabbed his clothes tightly. “Did you just say you bought this child? Who sold him to you? Tell me! Who sold him to you?!” Her voice grew increasingly frantic until it turned into a shriek.
The young man belatedly caught on, grabbing Scarface Li by the collar and gritting his teeth. “Was the old woman who sold the child in her fifties, with small eyes and about this tall?” He gestured wildly with his hands as he spoke.
Scarface Li shoved the couple off. “That's her! Tell her to come out and refund my money so I can give the child back to you. Five taels of silver, not a copper less!”
The young couple exchanged a glance, and the woman turned around and ran straight into the inner room.
A moment later, she ran back out and held out five taels of silver to hand to Scarface Li, but Gu Qingyun raised her hand to stop her.
“Whoever he gave this money to, he gets it back from them.”
“Under Dazhao law, grandparents and biological parents are strictly forbidden from selling their grandchildren or children at will, unless under extreme hardship or famine with official authorization.”
“Your family seems well-off, hardly living in poverty. Selling a child under these circumstances is equivalent to human trafficking—punishable by fifty strokes with the heavy cane and two years of penal servitude.”
“Tell the perpetrator to come out, or I will go inside and arrest them myself.”
Gu Qingyun's words silenced the entire yard. Seeing that no one emerged, she placed the child into the young man's arms, took out a hemp rope from her waist to bind Scarface Li, and prepared to enter the main house to handle it herself.
Just then, an old woman and an old man stepped out from the main house. The old woman had a face as round as a platter and sharp, calculating eyes that marked her as someone difficult to deal with. The old man followed behind her in silence.
“What's all this shouting about? How is anyone supposed to sleep?”
The old woman tried to seize the initiative as soon as she appeared. She darted a glance at Gu Qingyun, the young couple, and then at the bound Scarface Li. Her face froze momentarily before returning to normal, and she pointed accusingly at Scarface Li. “Officer, thank you so much for catching this thief who stole our child! My eldest son and his wife only have this one child—if he were stolen, I don't know how the two of them could go on living!”
“Ooh, how could anyone be so wicked, trying to frame an old woman like me? He's a godforsaken human trafficker!”
“Old man, you have to believe me! I never harbored such evil intentions!”
The old woman put on quite a dramatic act. If Gu Qingyun hadn't been watching her expressions closely, even she might have been fooled.
“Ptooey! You vicious, fake-hearted stepmother! If anything had happened to my son, I wouldn't let your second son's family off easy either!”
“You black-hearted old hag, why didn't you sell yourself instead? What right do you have to sell my son?!”
“No wonder you and Dad were so kind as to help us watch the child today—so this was what you were planning all along!” The young man pointed at the old woman in rage, then turned to look at Old Man Chen. “Dad, tell me! Did you know about Stepmother selling my child? Did you give her your implicit consent?”
“Eldest Son, I'm your father! How could I ever be devoid of conscience enough to sell my own grandson?” Old Man Chen repeatedly denied.
Gu Qingyun couldn't be bothered with this family's messy drama and looked directly at the young couple. “The child is fine; he just inhaled some sleeping powder. He'll be fine after a good sleep. Since this child is precious to you, take care of him yourselves in the future and don't entrust him to outsiders.”
Gu Qingyun didn't explicitly say who “outsiders” referred to. She hoisted Scarface Li with one hand and stared at the old woman. “Surrender yourself at the county yamen tomorrow. If you fail to show up by the Si hour, you will be treated as a fugitive fleeing justice. Consider yourself warned.”
“Officer, my wife has old arms and legs. Sending her to the county yamen—wouldn't that take her life?”
“Over all these years, she's managed the household and borne me children. Even if she has no grand merits, she has labored hard! I beg you, officer, please spare her!”
Gu Qingyun pointed at the young boy in the young man's arms. “Then what about him? Isn't he your grandson? If I hadn't stopped Scarface Li today, do you know what would have become of your grandson?”
“He would have been sold to a filthy brothel or become a plaything for wealthy young masters! This child is only four years old—how could you have the heart?”
“I don't care about your family disputes. But since Dazhao law has been broken and caught by me, the county yamen is her only destination.”
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