The male police officer nodded and then asked, âWhat about Liang Guo and Guo Xia?â He turned to Tan Rou, âAre you Guo Xia?â
Tan Rou responded, âNo, Liang Guo and Guo Xia are these two.â
The male police officer was very astonished. âBut Mr. Zhuang, the person who called the police, said that it was Guo Xia and Liang Guo who were extorting someone named Liang Lu? These two elderly people look to be over sixty, donât they? They donât look like fraudsters at all?â
Upon hearing the officer say that they were suspected fraudsters, Liang Guo and Guo Xiaâs legs went soft. âOfficer, weâre not fraudsters. This girl named Liang Lu said weâre her grandparents; weâre her grandfather and grandmother.â
Liang Lu stated, âTheyâre not my grandparents; when I was very young, I was adopted by someone else, so I have no relation to them anymore.â
Liang Guo said, âOfficer, donât listen to her nonsense. We truly are her grandparents. Her father was our son; he is dead now, but she is indeed our granddaughter.â
The male officer was completely bewildered by their words. He made a âpauseâ gesture, then loudy commanded, âStop arguing, everyone speak one at a time. If thereâs any more commotion, Iâll take you all to the police station right now.â
Liang Guo and Guo Xia, now frightened, kept their mouths shut, while Liang Lu, more courageous and since she was the one being threatened, was not afraid at all.
âOfficer, hereâs what happened.â Liang Lu briefly explained her situation to the two officers, then provided critical recordings to prove her case, and ended by crying a bit, to garner the officerâs sympathy.
The female officer, who was taking notes, had tears in her eyes after hearing Liang Luâs story and spoke angrily, âWhat is this about? You were the ones who abandoned your granddaughter that year. Now that she no longer belongs to you, how dare you come back and ask her for money?â
The two elderly people, unfamiliar with the world, were still very afraid of the police. So they defended themselves in a low voice, âOfficer, we didnât threaten her, nor did we try to trick her out of her money. We are her grandparents; she should be supporting us.â
âSorry, but since her household registration is no longer with your family, and she already has new parents, you canât prove she is your granddaughter. Therefore, asking her for money is extortion,â the female officer sternly said, âDonât make any more excuses, come with us to the police station!â
Liang Guo and Guo Xia refused to go. Upon hearing that the police were going to take them to the station, they immediately lay on the ground, kicking and screaming, all the while crying that their granddaughter was inhuman, colluding with outsiders to deceive them. Amidst their crying, they also lamented their deceased son, attracting the attention of other patients in the hallway.
âWhatâs going on? Why are the police here?â asked a patient curiously. âHey, why are those two old people lying on the ground? Could it be that they have a terminal illness, and their family wonât let them be treated?â
Another patient commented, âBut if that were the case, why would they call the police? The police donât deal with treatment issues; even if their children refuse to let them be treated, the police canât intervene.â
A more knowledgable patient explained, âYouâve all guessed wrong. These old people have no issues at all. I heard from the doctor yesterday that theyâre staying in the hospital just to swindle money. It seems their granddaughter has quite a bit of money, and whatever they do, they just want to ask her for money.â
The first patient asked again, âAre those two young girls their granddaughters? Theyâre quite good-looking, though they donât really resemble them.â
The informant said, âNot sure, letâs not get involved. The doctor will come to make rounds soon; we should go back to sleep.â
The doctor in charge of Liang Guoâs ward saw what was happening inside through the surveillance and rushed over. âOfficer, what happened?â
The male officer replied, âWe received a report of someone extorting money. What we didnât expect was that the suspects would be two elderly people, and the victim, a young girl.â
Not at all surprised, the doctor spoke calmly, âIndeed, these two elderly people are not ill. If theyâve really committed a crime, then you should take them away. The hospital is currently short on beds, and they canât keep staying here, wasting medical resources.â