How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Just as Zheng was about to leave, Zheng Peilan grabbed him.

"Father, what about your concubine? I haven't seen her at all."

Comprador Zheng frowned; he didn't want Zheng Peilan to get involved in these matters anymore.

"He's dead. That night was too chaotic. He died from a stray bullet."

Zheng Peilan bit her lip, her eyes filled with disgust and resentment. "Dad, you shouldn't have married her. If you hadn't married her, I wouldn't have gone out to drink and have fun, I wouldn't have..."

As she spoke, Zheng Peilan couldn't help but cry again.

Comprador Zheng hugged her tenderly and comforted her, "It was my fault, it was your father's fault. From now on, I will only protect you and will never think of remarrying. Don't worry, your father will never let you be bullied again."

Zheng Peilan nodded, her eyes red and swollen. "Crush her to ashes, Dad. She's a jinx. We must crush her to ashes!"

“Good, good…” As long as Zheng Peilan was happy, Zheng the comprador would do anything she asked.

“I’ll send you to Shanghai to recuperate for a while. Mr. Jonas already knows what’s going on here, and he feels guilty for not protecting us in time. You go and have fun in the German Concession. Come back whenever you’ve thought things through.”

"Mr. Jonas? Will he really help us?"

"Of course, he came to China with nothing. If I hadn't helped him get started, how would he have gotten involved with the government and had a place in the concession? Go ahead, half of his assets in the concession belong to our family, so don't be shy."

Zheng Peilan finally found a way out and said impatiently, "Okay, let's go today, let's go today."

Zheng, the comprador, nodded repeatedly. He didn't want Zheng Peilan to know what was going to happen next, so this was a good opportunity to get her out of the way.

They immediately called Shanghai and arranged everything for Zheng Peilan's trip.

Meanwhile, Qingru also took Lao Hei home.

Just as they reached the door, a ragged beggar was begging for food.

"Is this the Lü family? The Lü family that was in the south of the city before?" The beggar was asking around.

The more Qingru listened, the more familiar it sounded. Wasn't this Xin Wuhui, who had disappeared for so long?

"Xin Wu Hui?" Qingru called out tentatively.

The beggar turned around abruptly and saw Qingru's slender and thin figure looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Lü Qingru!" Xin Wuhui shouted, his voice trembling with disbelief.

Qingru hurried over and looked at him with concern, "What happened to you? How did you get yourself into such a terrible state?"

Xin Wu Hui was in tears, several tear streaks washing over his dark face, revealing his original wheat-colored skin.

“I…” Xin Wu Hui’s voice choked, and he didn’t know where to begin.

Qingru had a gut feeling that something was amiss, so she gestured for everyone to come inside first.

"Let's go home first, Old Black, open the door..."

Old Hei stood rooted to the spot, staring intently at Xin Wu Hui.

Seeing that he didn't move, Qingru explained, "You haven't seen him before. His name is Xin Wuhui. He's a friend of mine from before. Let's go inside and talk."

Qingru entered the door first, and the two of them were stunned for a moment before following her.

After entering, Lao Hei quickly closed the door tightly to prevent outsiders from observing him.

Since the opium case, Qingru suddenly attracted a lot of attention from all sides, and many strangers began to loiter in front of the Lü family's door.

Upon entering the door, Xin Wu Hui burst into tears, crying out, "Qing Ru..."

"what happened?"

Xin Wu Hui vented his grievances, and this grown man cried for a long time.

Once he calmed down, not only Qingru, but also Xiaofuzi, Xiao Erlang, Guiying's people looked at him with concern, and there was even a scruffy-bearded uncle he had never seen before.

Xin Wu Hui felt a warmth in his heart. Fortunately, there were still so many people here who cared about him. In this vast world, he had a place to belong.

It's quite shameful for a man to cry like that, so Xin Wuhui wiped away his tears and told Qingru the truth.

"My mother has disappeared," Xin Wu Hui said in a sullen voice.

Qingru and the others were greatly surprised.

"Isn't your mother in your hometown of Shaoxing? Did something happen there?"

"No, I don't know what happened. When I got back, my neighbor told me that my mother had disappeared a few months ago. Some people said that my father took her away, and others said that my mother ran away on her own. I searched for a long time, but everyone who said they had seen her said they couldn't find her."

Qingru frowned deeply. Her disappearance at this time meant…

With a sigh, Qingru comforted her, "You've already tried your best to find her, don't worry. Don't forget I work at the police station. Tell me your mother's characteristics, and I'll post notices for you. We'll post them all over the country; many hands make light work, and we'll find her soon."

Xin Wu Hui then realized and said, "Yes, look at my brain, how come I didn't think of that sooner?"

"Alright, tell me what you need, and I'll go to the police station to print the notices for you right now."

Xin Wu Hui quickly replied, "My mother isn't bad-looking, she's quite pretty, not too tall or short, not too fat or thin. She loves to drink and is always a bit tipsy."

...

"anything else?"

Xin Wu Hui scratched his head. "That's all? Isn't it obvious?"

Qingru looked at him helplessly, while Xiaofuzi and the others were even more at a loss for words.

Xin Wu Hui blushed, "I've never really seen what my mother looks like since I was a child."

"Why?" Qingru remembered that Xin Wuhui had mentioned before that he had an old mother with a disease. What kind of disease could change one's appearance?

Xin Wu Hui looked miserable. “When I said my mother was sick before, I was actually putting it mildly. My mother was addicted to alcohol and would do anything as long as she had alcohol to drink. I grew up eating food from many different families. When my mother drank, she was always dazed and disheveled. I couldn’t even see what she looked like.”

Qingru didn't know what to say.

Xin Wu Hui's eyes reddened again. "But she's still my mother. As long as she's alive, what does drinking matter? At least I still have my mother."

Upon hearing this, the younger children's eyes welled up with tears. Apart from Qiu Shuang, who had both parents alive, Gui Ying and Xiao Fu Zi were both orphans, and Xiao Er Lang's parents were essentially gone as well.

Qingru also lost her mother at a young age, so she understood Xin Wuhui's thoughts. Yes, as long as their mother was still alive, what did it matter if she was addicted to alcohol? At least they were still children with a mother.

The atmosphere became somber, so Qingru quickly stepped in to break the silence.

"Alright, just say what you remember, and we'll go to the police station to make a record."

Just as they were about to leave, Old Hei stretched out an arm and blocked their way.

"Old Black?"

Old Black's eyes were bright and sparkling, but his expression, hidden beneath his disheveled hair, was difficult to discern.

"follow me."

He was referring to Xin Wu Hui, not Qing Ru.

Qingru understood immediately, and in a flash, she realized what was going on.

Last time, Yanru and Lü's father went to find relatives for Lao Hei. Xin Wu Hui also has the surname Xin, and Lao Hei also has the surname Xin. Is it really such a coincidence?

They say a nephew resembles his uncle, maybe Old Hei recognized him?

Qingru quickly pushed Xin Wuhui over, "Old Hei is old and knowledgeable, go and learn from him, maybe you can find your mother faster."

Xin Wu Hui's eyes lit up. That's right. Judging from Lao Hei's appearance, he must be an experienced江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor).

"Well, it's strange, but I felt a sense of familiarity as soon as I saw you."

Old Hei finally smiled and led Xin Wu Hui to his courtyard.

Qingru felt much more at ease.

Just as I was about to leave, a "pendant" was wrapped around my leg.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter with our Zhenhua student?"

Xiao Erlang pouted, "Sister Qingru, can I also post a notice at the police station?" He looked at Qingru guiltily as he spoke, "I've saved up some money."

Xiao Fuzi immediately made a face, "Hehe, the money you saved was also given to you by Sister Qingru, hmph."

Qingru smiled and ruffled his hair. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Xiao Erlang hesitated, "Could you... send a notice to my mother and sister? I just want to know if they are still alive."

After Xiao Erlang finished speaking, he lowered his head. He felt very embarrassed, as he was eating and using Qingru's things, yet he still had to think about his original relatives.

But, but his mother and sister are also very kind; they always protect him…

He just... he just misses them.

As he thought about it, Xiao Erlang's tears welled up and he could no longer hold them back.

Qingru quickly comforted him, "Alright, alright, it's only natural to care for parents and relatives. I'm so glad you think about them, how could I blame you? It's my oversight, I've been too busy and forgot that your mother and sister might still be suffering somewhere. Don't worry, I'll go post a notice right away, don't rush."

Qingru felt deeply guilty. In fact, since they solved the human trafficking case, their police station had tried to rescue trafficked women and children, but unfortunately, very few were successfully rescued.

Some are already married with children and can't leave, some are unable to leave due to circumstances, but many more are nowhere to be found, their fate unknown.

Later, various other things happened, all of them urgent and sudden, leaving no time to attend to them.

This gave her a hint, suggesting that she might do more work in this area during this time.