Muted (穆然)

41

It was cold outside, and the cold wind seeped into his clothes like a razor blade. Mu Ran rubbed his hands unbearably, stepped back and stood at the end of the corridor. I don't know how long it took, but Mu Ran heard the sound of a lock being lifted upstairs. He raised his head and could vaguely see the light coming from the door. Mu Ran walked out of the corridor. Before he could stop, he walked upstairs. A small figure rushed down from the top, jumped on him in the blink of an eye, and hugged his legs tightly.

Mu Ran was stunned for a moment, then smiled and bent down to take the child into his arms.

Doctor Liu followed him downstairs and said to Mu Ran: "Everything is fine, there are no other wounds." After a pause, his voice was slightly heavy, "But there are many scars on her body, and she may have been abused in the past."

Mu Ran's smile lingered on his face, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. Dr. Liu sighed, then changed the topic with a smile: "I found a few old clothes for my daughter at home. They may be a little too big for her, so I'll make do with them for now. I'll bring her over tomorrow to have a look. Children always have a fever. Over and over again."

Mu Ran said hello, then hugged the child and bowed, saying solemnly: "Dr. Liu, thank you very much."

Doctor Liu waved his hand, "Okay, okay, go back quickly and get some rest early."

Mu Ran nodded, thanked the doctor again, and then walked back with the child in his arms.

On the way, the child was shaking slightly due to the wind. Mu Ran took off his coat and covered the child in it. He lowered his head and asked softly, "Is it cold?" Seeing the child shaking his head, Mu Ran felt relieved and walked forward faster. Tomorrow he had to take time to buy some clothes for his child, and he also had to take his child to the police station to ask for registration. He didn't know whether the child was lost or abducted by traffickers... He thought about it in his mind, but he didn't notice that the child was leaning against his head with his head tilted. On his shoulders, tears kept rolling in his eyes.

The next day, Mu Ran took the child to the restaurant. He was worried that the child would be left alone at home, and it was difficult to ask for leave in the restaurant, so he simply took her with him and told Wang Qin that she was a relative's child. He took care of her and repeatedly assured Wang Qin that the child would not cause any trouble. Wang Qin was a little unhappy, but didn't say anything.

It was busy at noon. Wang Qin didn't want the child to stay in the living room because she thought it was taking up space. Mu Ran had no choice but to find a small stool and let the child sit by the cupboard and wait for him. The child neither cried nor fussed. Mu Ran did whatever he said and sat by the cupboard waiting obediently. He was extremely obedient.

It was busy after noon, and by almost 4 p.m. there were not many people around. Mu Ran went to ask for leave from Wang Qin. At first, Wang Qin was worried that Mu Ran and the child would be eating here, but when she heard that Mu Ran wanted to take the child out, she naturally agreed immediately.

Mu Ran walked to the child and squatted down, touched her forehead, and asked guiltily: "Are you hungry?"

The child still didn't speak, so he shook his head and looked at Mu Ran with his big eyes.

There are no longer those dirty dirt on her face, and you can clearly see her round nose and tight mouth. She is a very beautiful little girl. But probably because of illness, his face was a little pale, with no blood at all, and his complexion and energy didn't look good.

Mu Ran felt more and more guilty and stopped asking. He reached out and picked her up and left the restaurant.

Mu Ran took the child to eat some rice porridge and steamed dumplings, and found a children's clothing store in a hurry to buy suitable clothes for the child, and then took her to the police station.

For such a neat and beautiful child, the policemen at the police station did not believe that he was a street child. Later, when Mu Ran told how he found the child, one of the policemen patted his head and said to the colleague next to him: "Hey. Hey, what's that? Didn't we just catch a few people a few days ago who specialize in manipulating street children to beg and defraud money! Why don't you ask?" Several other people reacted and kept shouting that this was a good idea, so they brought Mu Ran and the child walked to the bureau.

The person who was brought out by the police was a man with handcuffed hands and a sharp mouth. The child was held by Mu Ran. As soon as he saw the man, he grabbed Mu Ran's clothes and hid behind him. Mu Ran quickly picked her up and patted her. Her back whispered comfortingly. Several policemen knew it well when they saw the child's reaction, and asked the man to tell him the origin of the child in a somewhat vicious tone.

The man didn't have time to see the child's face clearly, but only the back and head. He was a little confused at the moment. Mu Ran coaxed the child to turn around. The man only glanced at him and told the police that he knew the child.

The child was from the same village. The father was addicted to drugs, alcohol and gambling. Later, he got into a dispute and was stabbed to death on the roadside. The mother ran away a few years ago, leaving only an uncle with whom he had no contact. Her uncle didn't care about her, and her aunt was even worse. He would give her a meal when she was in a good mood, and kick her out when she was in a bad mood. Beating and scolding were commonplace. This man saw that there was no one to take care of the child, so he gave the child's aunt some money to take the child away. Of course, her aunt was absolutely willing, so she sold the child.

This man didn't have good intentions either. He and his companions specifically found some unsupervised street children and organized these children to go begging and cheating money on the streets. In order to arouse the sympathy of passers-by, they will even intentionally injure or maim the child. If the child is not too young, they are afraid of accidentally killing the child. How could the child still be alive and well? Later, another older child who was looking after the child had an accident. The child was smart and took the opportunity to run away and hide around the school, so they never found her.

After explaining the matter and asking the child for the specific address of his uncle and aunt's home, the police then forced him back. Mu Ran stood a little helpless while holding the child. A policeman sighed and said: "In her condition, even if she is sent back, her life will not be easy." This is what Mu Ran is worried about. If the child is sent back, it will not be easy. I don't know what kind of abuse I will suffer.

The policeman looked up at Mu Ran, thought for a while and said, "How about this? I'll call you and you send the child to a homeless shelter in the city?"