Chapter 72

Chapter 28: No One to Turn To

The car stopped outside the Xizhou City Public Security Bureau. Li Yi let down the three uncles and said to them, "You go in first and ask if you can see Brother Hongjun. I'll take Fang Qian to the hospital and come back soon."

Fang Zhen nodded and said, "You go ahead." He watched as Li Yi's car drove away before walking into the bureau with his two younger brothers.

The main gate of the Public Security Bureau was blocked by a barrier, with only a small door open for people to enter and exit.

A guard stopped the three men, raising his chin and shouting authoritatively, "Hey! What are you here for?"

Fang Zhen took out a cigarette and offered it to the guard with a smile.

The cigarette was Zhonghua, which Li Yi had bought. Zhonghua cigarettes were not sold in rural areas, and Fang Zhen, not knowing its value, thought it was fancy and had a nice package. He had put two packs in his pocket for use when he went out.

The guard, however, recognized the brand. Upon seeing it was Zhonghua, his tone softened immediately, "What are you here for?"

Fang Zhen smiled, "Comrade, hello. My son has been detained here, I want to see him."

Hearing that they were here to see a detainee, the guard put on an air of authority again, "Detainees are not kept here, they are in the detention center or the holding facility!"

The three men looked at each other in confusion.

Fang Xing asked, "Comrade, can we see your leader?"

The guard became alert, "Which leader are you looking for? We have many leaders."

Fang Xing replied, "We want to see the bureau chief."

The guard laughed, "The bureau chief? Do you think you can just see him? I sit here every day and rarely see him."

Fang Xing said, "Then a deputy chief will do!"

The guard laughed again, "Which deputy chief? We have four deputy chiefs."

Fang Xing opened his mouth and said, "Any one of them will do! As long as they can help."

The guard shook his head, "The deputy chiefs are all very busy and don't have time to see you."

Fang Hua couldn't help but speak up, "Then which of your leaders is not busy? We'll see him."

The guard frowned, "Tell me, who exactly are you looking for? What do you want to do?"

Fang Zhen, trying to be patient, said, "My son has been arrested, I want to ask about his situation."

"What did your son do wrong?" the guard asked.

"My son didn't do anything wrong! He was beaten by someone and was arrested by you!" Fang Zhen was getting angry. He stepped forward to enter, but the guard reached out from the window to block him. Not stopping him, the guard opened the door and chased after him, "Hey! You can't just barge in!"

Fang Hua, being younger, quickly thought of a response, "We want to report a case! This is the Public Security Bureau, why can't we enter?"

The guard said, "Report a case at the local police station or branch!"

"We're reporting it here, what's the problem? Isn't this the Public Security Bureau?" Fang Hua argued.

The guard, having no choice, said angrily, "Then come and register!" He sneered, "Do you think you can get things done just by coming in here?"

Fang Hua ignored him, filled out the registration form, and followed his two brothers.

In the large hall of the office building, there was no one around, only a few voices could be heard from behind the windows.

Fang Zhen found a window and asked, "Comrade, I'm here to see my son."

A female officer inside asked, "Which department is your son in?"

Fang Zhen replied, "My son was transferred here from Fenglin Town this morning. They said he hit someone."

"Detainee? What are you doing here? Go to the detention center or the holding facility!" the female officer said.

"Could you please help me find out where I can find him?"

"You don't need to look for him. You will be notified when the time comes. It's too soon for the morning incident to have a result. Please be patient and wait a few days."

Fang Zhen sighed, realizing he wouldn't get any useful information here.

This trip was a waste of time!

Fang Hua said, "Comrade, there's a problem with this case. It was the other party who beat my nephew, but he was arrested instead! I want to report this to your leadership!"

"You can report it, but follow the procedure. It's Sunday today, and our leaders are all resting."

"What procedure?"

"Go to the duty room over there, someone will receive you."

The three men went to the duty room, where two officers were looking at documents. One of them, wearing glasses, asked, "What's the matter?"

Fang Zhen said, "We have something to report!" He then explained the situation.

"Okay, I'll take note of it." The officer with glasses took a piece of paper and started writing while asking questions.

After about half an hour, the officer told them, "Go home and wait for a notification. I'll report it."

Fang Zhen asked, "Comrade, can I see my son?"

"I'm not sure. Go to the detention center or the holding facility and ask. Your son might be detained there. I'll tell you the location of the holding facility." The officer pointed out the location enthusiastically.

The three men thanked him profusely and left.

Standing outside the Public Security Bureau, Fang Xing said, "Brother, didn't we accomplish anything?"

Fang Zhen sighed, "Let's go to the holding facility and see what we can do."

At this moment, Li Yi's car arrived. Li Yi got out and asked, "Uncle, how did it go?"

Fang Zhen explained the situation.

Li Yi knew that in this situation, unless someone with influence spoke up, Fang Hongjun wouldn't be released without a fight. The so-called procedure was almost useless.

Fang Qian also got out of the car. The little girl's eyes were red, clearly having cried.

Fang Hua asked, "How is Mr. Zhou?"

Fang Qian shook her head, her lips quivering, about to cry again.

Li Yi said somberly, "Late-stage liver cancer, he's counting his days."

The three Fang brothers sighed. Fang Hua said, "Mr. Zhou was a good teacher. He taught me when I was in elementary school! We should go see him."

Li Yi knew that what his uncle said was true. From what he had seen, Mr. Zhou was indeed a role model, dedicating his life to the education of Fangjia Ao.

Fang Hui said, "Mr. Zhou must have worked himself to death! Many of the school buildings were in poor condition. As the principal, Mr. Zhou was always running around to build a new school. The county education bureau said they had no money, and if the school was to be built, the village had to raise funds. Mr. Zhou was always worried about the fundraising, but alas, it's been years, and they haven't raised much money."

Li Yi waved his hand, "Get in the car, let's go to the holding facility to see Brother Hongjun first."

They quickly arrived at the holding facility. The staff there were quite approachable. With a few packs of Zhonghua cigarettes, Li Yi quickly found out about Fang Hongjun. Indeed, Fang Hongjun was detained there, but only one person was allowed to visit.

Li Yi said, "Uncle, you go in. Find out the details."

Fang Zhen nodded and started to walk in, but halfway through, he turned back and said to Li Yi, "Xiao Yi, you go in. You're more educated and can ask more clearly."

Li Yi didn't refuse and walked in.

Fang Hongjun looked a lot like his grandfather, standing at 1.78 meters tall, strong and handsome, but he looked exhausted and lacked energy.

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