Chapter 346: A Life Cut Short

I looked at Uncle Chen and gave him a thumbs up. Uncle Chen smiled and said, “It’s nothing, really. I just happen to know people at the town’s bus company. Our town isn’t big, everyone knows everyone, so it’s easier to get things done when you have connections.”

Gu Chen and I both nodded.

Gu Chen drove us to the bus company. The whole way there my mind kept turning over what happened with Hu Ningning and Li Jun. Even as Gu Chen told us to get out, I was still lost in thought. It wasn’t until Gu Chen patted my shoulder that I snapped out of it—and saw Uncle Chen already outside, heading over to greet someone.

I glanced at a few people in the distance—one must’ve been Uncle Chen’s old friend, and the other, in uniform, was obviously the driver from back then.

“Come on, don’t just stand there,” Gu Chen called.

The two of us hurried over. Uncle Chen introduced everyone. We learned one of them was surnamed Zhang and the driver was Mr. Zhou. Old Zhang led us inside and we didn’t bother refusing. After some brief pleasantries, Uncle Chen raised an eyebrow and said, “Old Zhang, you know I only come here when something’s up.”

Old Zhang nodded, glanced at Driver Zhou, then said, “You explained over the phone—you want to look into that pregnant woman case from two months ago, right? This is the driver from back then. But the case’s already been investigated once. Why bring it up again now? Did something get missed?”

Uncle Chen shook his head. “Different people each time, and the reason for looking into it is different, too. These two here are among the best at what they do. This time a child died. If word gets out, it won’t be treated as just any case.”

Old Zhang nodded. “I understand. A child’s death… So, was it a murder?”

Before anyone could answer, Old Zhang talked to himself, “Can’t be an accident or suicide. If it were suicide, you wouldn’t need to send people from over there.”

Uncle Chen nodded. “That’s right, you nailed it. We’re all running around, overwhelmed. So, let’s get straight to it. Mr. Zhou, do you still remember what happened back then? Could you walk us through it in detail?”

Driver Zhou nodded and swallowed nervously. “Of course I remember. That incident rattled me badly. I doubt I’ll ever forget it.”

He glanced at us, then began piecing together what happened. “I was driving Route 10, which is a loop line. That day, I was heading east to west. When I got to the Cable Factory stop, I opened the doors like usual, waiting for people to get on and off.”

He paused, shook his head, and went on, “As a driver you have to pay attention to who’s getting on or off at both the front and back doors, so nobody gets caught. No one boarded then, so I checked the back door with the monitor.”

“I remember about four or five people were getting off. One of them was a pregnant woman, her belly huge—looked about ready to give birth. This Number 10 route passes the Specialist Hospital. I remember her getting on at the hospital stop. I even made an announcement for passengers to give up seats for the elderly, sick, disabled, and pregnant. The bus was crowded and I worried she wouldn’t get a seat.”

“Luckily,” Driver Zhou let out a breath, “even though the bus was packed and noisy, someone gave her a seat. I don’t know who, but at least she had a place to sit. After that, everything was smooth. As for the child, I honestly don’t know when he got on. Route 10 doesn’t pass any schools. Maybe he had just come from a nearby school and was waiting for the bus.”

I nodded. “That student was from Taishan Elementary.”

The driver nodded. “Oh, that school. Taishan’s probably the worst school in town—mostly village kids go there. City kids usually go somewhere else.”

Uncle Chen nodded. “That school may get merged with another soon. Only two classes per grade, takes a ton of resources—doesn’t make sense to keep it open. Go on, tell us more about the pregnant woman.”

Driver Zhou picked up the story. “There are usually students on the route, so I didn’t pay much attention. If it was Taishan Elementary, he probably got on near Guangshe. That means the kid boarded first, then a few stops later the pregnant woman. Anyway, both got off at the Cable Factory. Of course, the pregnant woman moved slowly.”

He glanced at us. “The adults understood, but the kid seemed impatient. He was waiting behind her to get off. I remember he was grumbling, but I can’t recall exactly what he said—it was too unclear for me to make out.”

I waved a hand, “Go on.”

Driver Zhou nodded. “So the pregnant woman was about to step off. Suddenly, the little boy shot his foot out and kicked her right in the back. Imagine—she’s already off balance, and a kid kicks her from behind. Even if he didn’t use much force, it’d be enough to make her fall.”

As Driver Zhou recalled the moment, his face twisted with helplessness and horror. “The pregnant woman lurched forward—I can still see it. Instinctively she tried to grab the door frame, but missed and just slammed to the ground.”

“The sound!” Driver Zhou’s face contorted. “It was loud. There’d been a constant buzz of voices, but suddenly, you could’ve heard a pin drop. Everyone went dead silent. Right then, the kid jumped off the bus and bolted. No one reacted in time.”

He sighed. “Honestly, if anyone had caught up, they would’ve beaten that kid to death. It was infuriating! But by the time people realized, the kid was long gone.”

“How was the pregnant woman after that?” I asked.

Driver Zhou shook his head. “I rushed off the bus. Rules or not, I couldn’t just leave her there. A lot of kind people came over to help. We saw she’d landed belly-first on the curb, and her stomach—being so big—was right in the line of fire. It couldn’t have ended well.”

Hearing all this, I felt a heavy, helpless gloom settle over me.

Driver Zhou let out another sigh. “It was spring, but even with all those clothes, we saw blood pouring out of her. She was in agony, screaming nonstop. We didn’t dare move her, afraid we’d make things worse.”

“We called 120 right away. Thankfully, the Specialist Hospital is nearby so the ambulance showed up fast and rushed her off. After that, I don’t know what happened. But there was a huge pool of blood left on the ground.”

“Some older women on the bus said with that much blood, the baby couldn’t possibly survive. They wondered if even the mother would make it. That kid had no conscience. I still regret not catching him—if I had, those angry passengers would’ve beaten him to death right then and there!”

Beaten to death… That sounded eerily like how Li Jun died. Could his death be connected to the pregnant woman? Did Li Jun cause someone else’s child to die and now someone made him pay for it?

“Did you ever see the pregnant woman again?” I asked.

Old Zhang chimed in, “I did. I was there at the time. She said she wanted to find out who that kid was. There’s surveillance cameras on the bus, so it’d be possible to see what happened. But by the time we checked her belly, well—it was no longer swollen.”

Old Zhang shook his head gently. “I doubt she was able to keep the baby.”

“And after that?” I pressed.

“I never saw her again,” Old Zhang said. “She was maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight, came from a village outside town—not a city girl. She didn’t know what to do, just cried non-stop. Later, some folks hinted to her: it’s just a kid, even if you catch him, what can you do? Better to find his parents, maybe get some compensation.”

Gu Chen couldn’t stop himself from cursing under his breath.

Old Zhang sighed. “I was there too. To be honest, those words shouldn’t have been said. But what can you do? The woman was pitiful. Even if you did catch the boy—he’s only eight. What punishment would really come to him? In no time he’d be out and about again.”

I frowned, struggling to keep my anger in check. “Any way we can get in touch with the pregnant woman now? Do you know what happened to her afterwards?”

Old Zhang shook his head. “Our bus company gave her ten thousand yuan out of sympathy. We went to her house—she’s from a village near town, not the town itself. That day she was going for a prenatal check-up. After her appointment, she was supposed to take Route 10, then transfer to Route 31 to get home. Out of all the buses, she happened to get on the one that turned out to be a ride to hell. Sometimes fate is just cruel.”

“Some people have it easy from birth—never a worry in life. Others face disaster before they’re even born. If that’s not fate, what is?” Old Zhang said bitterly.

I sighed, “Give us her address. We ought to pay her a visit.”

“Sure,” Old Zhang said, “I’ll write it down. You can drive over.”