Chapter Two: A Subtle Show of Force

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Liu Sanjun was intimidated and dared not cry, though tears still clung to his downcast, dejected face. The policeman looked at Ye Huiqiong and said, “Your son committed theft by stealing a chicken. This is a criminal offense, not just a matter of compensation. He will be detained for 10 to 15 days.”

Ye Huiqiong couldn’t help but ask Liu Sanjun, “Why did you steal the chicken?”

He replied, “Cai Zhongsheng wanted to eat chicken.”

The mention of Cai Zhongsheng infuriated Ye Huiqiong even more.

She said, “Oh, you actually committed a crime for Cai Zhongsheng? Cai Zhongsheng is no good either. It’s not enough that you were expelled from school because of her, now you’ve been caught and brought to the police station. Where is Cai Zhongsheng? Tell me—I’m going to find her and settle this.”

Liu Sanjun said nothing, lowering his head as before, but now with a growing sense of unease.

He knew that his mother’s anger toward Cai Zhongsheng was because of him.

Though Cai Zhongsheng wanted chicken, she never told him to steal it. He thought that the family wouldn’t have money to buy chicken for Cai Zhongsheng, so he took it upon himself to steal.

He dared not say this.

At this moment, whether out of guilt or sadness, tears began to fall from his eyes.

Unable to get any answers, Ye Huiqiong grew angry and said to the policeman beside her, “You’ve done well to arrest him. Don’t just detain him for 15 days—lock him up for 15 years if you want! Let’s see if he dares to make a sound when I question him.”

She stomped her foot as she spoke.

Suddenly, Liu Sanjun said, “Cai Zhongsheng is now on our wooden boat docked at the harbor.”

Ye Huiqiong said, “I have to go find her and get this settled.”

She turned toward the door but did not leave immediately. Instead, she begged a policeman to come out of the interrogation room.

In a pleading tone, she said, “Officer, I’m willing to pay any fine. Can you please release my son? After all, this is his first offense.” She knelt before the policeman, her voice full of sorrow. “Please, please, my son is a first-time offender.”

The policeman reached out and helped her up, saying, “That’s not allowed. You are you, and your son is your son. Adults cannot be punished in place of their children. Of course, you have a responsibility for not educating him properly.”

Ye Huiqiong stubbornly remained kneeling, as if staging a silent protest: If you don’t release my son, I won’t get up.

Just then, several officers arrived, including a police chief known as Director Liang. He said to Ye Huiqiong, “Madam, kneeling on the ground to pressure us is not helpful for handling your son’s case. The correct approach is for you to cooperate actively in educating and disciplining your son. If we just let him go after arresting him, he’ll think breaking the law is no big deal and will offend again.”

Ye Huiqiong, understanding this, stood up without resistance and said, “Director Liang, how should I cooperate?”

Director Liang replied, “We will send your son to the detention center immediately. You will come with us to complete the necessary procedures and pay the living expenses.”

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Ye Huiqiong felt deeply distressed, as if when her child was young and had an accident in his pants—she changed his dirty clothes and wiped him clean, the foul smell sticking to her hands, making her grimace but still face it with care.

Leaving the police station, she went straight to the harbor mudflats, but did not see her family’s wooden boat. She looked out toward the vast sea and saw a wooden boat overturned in the choppy waves far away. She suspected it was hers but was not certain.

She quickly boarded a speedboat and rushed toward it. Even before reaching it, she was sure it was her boat because the cabin hatch, tilted in the water, was not completely submerged.

The hanging cloth curtain was unmistakably familiar—the bow she had tied herself.

Seeing the boat capsized in the sea, she recalled the typhoon that had struck the night before and grew anxious. Liu Sanjun had said Cai Zhongsheng was on the boat; if that poor girl was really on it, she might have fallen into the sea to feed the fish and turtles.

Not knowing whether to feel relief or sorrow, Ye Huiqiong’s initial fiery anger suddenly cooled, like boiling water poured into a large ladle of cold water, slowly becoming lukewarm.

Yes, at first Ye Huiqiong thought that as soon as she saw Cai Zhongsheng on her family’s docked wooden boat, the girl who had not married her son but enjoyed his fortune, she would scold her harshly and call her a malicious little witch.

Wasn’t it so? Liu Sanjun was expelled from school and caught by the police all because of her. She was truly a jinx, bringing nothing but misfortune before her son even married her.

Now Ye Huiqiong’s resentment toward Cai Zhongsheng had naturally lessened, but she still felt some sadness—not for Cai Zhongsheng, who might have perished at sea, but because she remembered that Cai Zhongsheng was carrying their family's child.

Ye Huiqiong directed the speedboat to approach the capsized wooden boat and tied its anchor chain to the boat’s stern railing, pulling it closer to shore.

After securing the boat, she paid the driver and headed straight to the village where Cai Mao’s family lived.

She hoped, perhaps naively, that Cai Zhongsheng might be home. But after asking around, she found Cai Zhongsheng’s door locked.

She continued searching, and with someone’s guidance, she found Cai Mao working in a large field behind the house.

She asked Cai Mao, who was holding a hoe in one hand and wiping sweat with a green towel in the other, “Did Cai Zhongsheng come home last night?”

Cai Mao looked somewhat familiar with her and suddenly remembered she was Liu Sanjun’s mother. He asked, “Why are you looking for Cai Zhongsheng?”

Ye Huiqiong thought, “It’s over. His daughter didn’t come back—she must have drowned in the sea.”

She did not reveal her dark suspicions and replied, “I’m just asking.”

Cai Mao sensed something was wrong and pressed further, “Isn’t Zhongsheng with your son? Did your son come home last night?”

Ye Huiqiong said, “I know where my son is. It’s just your daughter I can’t find.”

Cai Mao grew anxious, sweat pouring down his forehead.

He stopped wiping his sweat and stared at Ye Huiqiong, asking, “Where is your son? I’ll go ask him.”

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Ye Huiqiong did not clarify, not wanting him to inquire about her son. She lied, “My son went on a business trip inland. He’ll be gone for a few days. You won’t find him. According to my son, your daughter was on our wooden boat docked at the harbor, but last night a strong wind hit the sea and overturned the boat. I don’t know if your daughter got off the boat. I’m worried, so I came to ask.”

After saying this, Ye Huiqiong turned and left. Cai Mao knew immediately that his daughter might have met with an accident.

Filled with urgency, he dropped his hoe, left the vegetable field, and shouted for Zhongsheng loudly.

His nose tingled, and tears welled up unexpectedly.

He stumbled under the scorching sun as he left the fishing village, heading straight for the harbor.

Arriving at the harbor, he saw a few fishing boats sparsely docked.

His steps quickened, sand crunching beneath his feet as he called out Zhongsheng’s name.

A middle-aged man, busy untying a ship’s cable preparing to set sail, suddenly looked up and met Cai Mao’s gaze.

Wiping away tears and sweat with a towel, Cai Mao asked the man, “Have you seen a young woman at the harbor since yesterday?”

The man said, “I just arrived and haven’t seen anyone.”

Seeing Cai Mao’s anxious expression, the man pointed to the sandy beach on the east side of the harbor and said, “You should ask over there.”

Several figures stood side by side, peering at something on the beach. Cai Mao approached with little hope.

Stepping onto the sand facing the water, he stumbled once but was uninjured. His spirits were low, and he thought bitterly, “If I can’t find my daughter, maybe I should just end it all in the sea.”

This sorrowful thought brought another wave of tears.

Ignoring the sand clinging to his clothes, he went straight to the east beach.

Gradually, the group gathered at the water’s edge became clearer, but he could not tell what they were looking at.

The sea breeze brushed his face. Though the sun’s harsh light was burning, Cai Mao felt a slight coolness.

Yet, a salty, fishy sea smell filled the air, blending with the bitterness of his worries—both soothing and intensifying them.

Chapter Three: The Life-Saving Turtle