Chapter 14 — My Daughter's Iron Box

When he opened it, a few crumpled workbooks tumbled out. Nestled neatly alongside them was a neatly folded school uniform armband. Tucked deep at the very bottom was a transparent document pouch. Miraculously, the paper inside was still completely dry. Shen Anan had wrapped it in three protective layers. The first page contained a list of the children's names. The second page was a detailed map of the old water pump station. The final page bore only a single sentence: If my father actually comes, please save them first. Shen Zhiqiang stared unblinkingly at those words, and tears splashed heavily against the plastic pouch. He dared not weep aloud, for he knew that Shen Anan had not summoned him here simply to stir his emotions. She was entrusting her absolute last shred of hope to his hands.

Xiao Man was rushed into emergency critical care immediately. The remaining two children were also safely escorted away for shelter and medical evaluation. Before leaving, the young boy suddenly spun around on his heel.

"Uncle."

Shen Zhiqiang looked down at him. The boy pressed his lips tightly together.

Sister Anan left one more message for you.

She said, if anyone asks who brought her to that place, "do not just look for Du Meiquan."

Shen Zhiqiang's heart sank heavily into his chest.

"Who else is there?"

The boy's complexion suddenly turned deathly pale. He glanced toward the escorted man being led away, as if terrified of being overheard. Officer Lu immediately stepped forward to block the boy's line of sight.

"Take your time and tell us, he said gently."

The boy lowered his voice to a whisper.

"There is another woman."

They all called her Auntie Tang.

But Sister Anan said, when she overheard that woman talking on the telephone, "she addressed her by a specific name."

Shen Zhiqiang's breath hitched completely in his throat. The boy pronounced each distinct syllable clearly.

Tang Meiqin.

The lights in the county hospital corridor were painfully dazzling. By the time Shen Zhiqiang hurried back, dawn was already breaking across the horizon. His clothes still carried the lingering, damp odor of the river water, but his arms clutched the faded blue school backpack with desperate tightness. Teacher Jiang stood outside the hospital room, having endured a sleepless night of pure exhaustion. Catching sight of his return, she stood up instantly.

"Did you find the children?"

Shen Zhiqiang nodded slowly.

All three of them.

"And Xiao Man?"

Xiao Man has been brought to the hospital.

Teacher Jiang closed her eyes, tears nearly spilling over.

Anan kept asking about them. She forced herself to stay awake, refusing to sleep, just waiting for this exact news.

Shen Zhiqiang footsteps halted abruptly right outside the sickroom door. He longed to step inside, yet he remembered the doctor strict warning against causing the girl any emotional shock. Teacher Jiang saw right through his agonizing hesitation.

"I will go in and speak with her first."

Shen Zhiqiang handed the blue school backpack over to her.

She left this behind. The belongings inside are completely intact.

Teacher Jiang accepted the bag, her fingers pausing momentarily. She recognized this satchel instantly, as Shen Anan had carried it for years. The zipper had broken three times, and the straps had been clumsily re-stitched twice. Back then, she had gently urged Shen Anan to get a replacement, "but the girl had only smiled and replied that it was still usable. A very faint voice drifted out from inside the room."

"Teacher Jiang."

Teacher Jiang pushed the door open without delay. Shen Zhiqiang remained standing just outside the threshold, his arms hanging limply at his sides. The door was left slightly ajar, allowing him to hear Teacher Jiang soothing tone.

"Anan, they found the children." The directions you wrote down were remarkably helpful.

Silence stretched inside the sickroom for several agonizing seconds. Then came the sound of Shen Anan exceptionally weak, shallow gasp.

"What about Xiao Man?"

Xiao Man was brought to the hospital. The doctors are taking care of her right now.

Shen Anan's voice was hoarse and broken. She has had a high fever for so long. They never let her take any medicine.

Teacher Jiang reached out to gently clasp her hand. "You did wonderfully."

Shen Anan offered no response. A moment later, she asked abruptly.

"Where is my father?"

Shen Zhiqiang rigid body froze entirely outside the door. Teacher Jiang cast a glance toward the entryway. He is right outside.

The sickroom fell into a profound hush. The stillness lingered so heavily that Shen Zhiqiang felt as though his legs might give out beneath him. He had half-expected Shen Anan to declare she refused to see him, or to command him to walk away. Yet in the end, she merely spoke.

Tell him not to come in.

Shen Zhiqiang bowed his head deeply. His heart felt as though it were being crushed in a vise. Teacher Jiang did not try to plead on his behalf; she simply acknowledged the request with a soft, compliant word.

Alright.

Shen Anan spoke once more. Tell him this. "Do not beg for my forgiveness." Put Tang Meiqin in prison first.

Shen Zhiqiang snapped his head up. The deep sorrow in his eyes slowly hardened into freezing resolve. The girl was finally refusing to shield anyone else, refusing to swallow her grievances in silence. Standing on the other side of the door, he spoke in a low, steady voice.

Anan, I heard you. "I will not let her escape justice."

"No reply came from within. Only after a very long time did Shen Anan speak again."

"You used to say you would take care of me."

Shen Zhiqiang's throat tightened painfully, choking off any words of self-defense. This time, I will not ask you to trust my words. "I will show you through my actions."

The room fell silent once more. When Teacher Jiang finally emerged, the skin around her eyes was bright red. She is exhausted, she whispered. "Do not say anything more to her."

Shen Zhiqiang gave a solemn nod. Officer Lu arrived at the hospital shortly afterward, bringing fresh intelligence. The man detained down at the docks had confessed: while Tang Meijuan was responsible for recruiting people, Tang Meiqin was the one who had provided the detailed background of Shen Anan family situation. That so-called sum of three thousand currency units was never a loan at all--it was a human trafficking broker fee paid to deliver Shen Anan directly into the garment workshop. Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiqiang's expression barely shifted. He simply asked one question.