Chapter 131: Chapter 131: The Baby Did Not Die Young
Huo Tingdong said, “They are right, they are just the tomb keepers, the gatekeepers, it’s impossible to get anything out of them.”
Mo Ke said worriedly, “What should we do then? Have the ashes been really stolen?”
Huo Tingdong said, “Who would steal the ashes of a child? Did you not notice? Lin Qi had erected an unnad stele for this child. Who would steal the ashes of a child whose gender is even unknown?”
Mo Ke was at a loss for words.
“If it’s for a ghost marriage, at least the gender is needed. If it’s theft for ransom, Lin Qi has never ntioned to that soone has ransod for this. She seems to be completely unaware of this matter. Moreover…”
Huo Tingdong looked up, his voice cold, “If the ashes were really stolen, why didn’t the person just take the ash box away too?”
Mo Ke’s eyes widened, feeling a sudden clarity in his congested thoughts.
Huo Tingdong continued, “Why not just take the ash box as well. Why go through the trouble of replacing the ashes inside with concrete?”
Mo Ke quickly understood, “Mr. Huo ans…”
“The ashes were not stolen.” Huo Tingdong said, “Perhaps, there were no ashes in the ash box at the burial.”
Mo Ke exclaid, “If during the burial, the ash box already contained those items, it can’t be that Miss Lin swapped them, right? She has no reason to do that.”
Huo Tingdong suddenly stood up and walked out.
Mo Ke imdiately followed, “Mr. Huo, where are you going?”
“Ho.” He had questions to ask Lin Qi.
…
Back at ho.
In the dining room.
Lin Qi, Han, and Momo were having dinner happily.
She seed much better emotionally, though her eyes were still red.
Momo was still wearing a small apron he hadn’t taken off.
After school, Han had insisted on eating the braised chicken wings Momo made, so Momo prepared them specially for him.
Upon seeing Huo Tingdong, Momo did not look very happy, thinking Huo Tingdong might have bullied Mommy again, so he pouted and ignored Huo Tingdong.
anwhile, Han cheerfully said, “Daddy!”
He proudly picked up a chicken wing, bit into it with a smile, smacking his lips, as if boasting about Momo’s cooking.
Huo Tingdong said, “Han, don’t smack your lips while eating, haven’t I told you that before?”
Han imdiately chewed quietly.
Huo Tingdong’s gaze turned to Lin Qi, his expression tense, “Lin Qi, I need to talk to you. Now, to my room.”
Lin Qi said, “What is it that we can’t talk about here?”
Huo Tingdong paused, pondered for a mont, and said, “I’ve looked into it, and now I have so suspicions that I want to ask you about.”
He didn’t want to bring up the matter in front of Han, sensing that the boy was afraid of the public cetery.
He had never taken him to such places; naturally, the child would be afraid.
Such a small child, naturally, could not accept the death of living beings being burned to ashes.
Lin Qi stood up and followed him into the room.
Door closed, Huo Tingdong asked, “Who originally gave you the child’s ashes?”
Lin Qi was stunned but instinctively answered, “The nurse…”
Huo Tingdong said, “I’ve thought it over carefully, the ashes could not have been switched. If soone wanted to steal the ashes, taking the ash box itself would have ant nobody noticed, no need to substitute with concrete unnecessarily.”
Lin Qi was surprised, “You an…”
Huo Tingdong said, “There’s sothing wrong with that nurse.”
Lin Qi found it hard to believe.
She had been in preterm labor, therefore, the clinic she was in was a small one, which had gone bankrupt and was bought by a private owner and turned into a clinic, with an inpatient departnt and a maternity departnt, though small.
Huo Tingdong stepped closer, took her shoulders in his hands, and asked, “Where was the hospital you gave birth in?”
Lin Qi said, “It was a small clinic.”
“A clinic?” Huo Tingdong almost thought it was absurd, “Giving birth is risky, things could go wrong, and you chose to do it in a clinic?”
Lin Qi shook her head, “Because it was premature, that small clinic, originally a hospital that went bankrupt, was purchased by a private owner and converted into a clinic, it had a ward and a special obstetrics and gynecology departnt, although not big, it wasn’t as shabby as you think.”
Huo Tingdong asked further, “The baby that was born, did you see him?”
Lin Qi replied, “The baby was stillborn, the nurse didn’t let see to avoid affecting my emotions, the hospital also said they would handle the baby’s final affairs, and after I was discharged, she gave the ash box.”
Huo Tingdong asked again, “Did you open it to look?”
Lin Qi shook her head, “No…” How could she bear to open it.
She couldn’t bear it.
Lin Qi thought deeply and also felt it was peculiar, a stillborn baby, the nurse didn’t let her see even once, turned directly to ashes, and had her bury them.
The hospital indeed had such procedures, but she hadn’t felt anything was wrong.
“Do you think that nurse has a problem?” Lin Qi said, “You an, the ash box she gave didn’t contain ashes, it was switched with concrete a long ti ago?”
Huo Tingdong said, “Other than this, I can’t think of any other possibilities.”
Lin Qi found it unbelievable, “Why would she do that? What was her purpose?”
Huo Tingdong frowned deeply, suddenly said, “That baby might not have died.”
Lin Qi stared wide-eyed in shock.
Huo Tingdong’s conjecture caught her off guard, her heart rate accelerating, “Really?”
Huo Tingdong said, “She told you the child was stillborn but didn’t let you see him at all, why is that?”
Lin Qi recalled, said, “She was afraid it would stimulate , affecting breastfeeding.”
As she spoke, her face reddened, and she looked down.
Huo Tingdong also frowned unnaturally, “You were breastfeeding?”
“Yes…”
Huo Tingdong shifted his tone, “This excuse is not justifiable. Even if she was worried about you… this issue, her using it as an excuse to prevent you from seeing the child for even a mont, makes suspect the child did not die at all; instead, he was healthy. She claid ‘the baby was stillborn’ out of so ulterior motive.”
Lin Qi beca sowhat emotional, “Why would she do that!? Was she trying to take my child?”
Huo Tingdong said, “Perhaps, there was sothing wrong with that clinic, it might have been involved in human trafficking.”
At this conclusion, Lin Qi was utterly shocked, and simultaneously, she felt a shiver down her spine, “If it was human trafficking, why would she… only take one child?”
If, back then, the nurse had taken both children, then… Momo…
Lin Qi grew more and more terrified, never having thought she’d encounter such a dark matter!
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