Chapter 53 - 53 52 Within my capabilities I am willing

Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Within my capabilities, I am willing Chapter 53: Chapter 52: Within my capabilities, I am willing Due to the remoteness of the area, it took the police over two hours to arrive at the scene.

When Wenyan called the police, there were some disagreements with certain members of the film crew.

She reported to the authorities primarily because of the naked woman locked in the pigsty, not the incident of being suddenly carried off by a strange man while filming.

Some crew members thought she was meddling in others’ affairs.

After the incident, the crew immediately contacted the village committee.

The village committee explained to the crew that the man who suddenly appeared was named Ni Sanshui, and he was mentally ill, born with a mental disorder.

As everyone knows, mentally ill people aren’t held accountable for assault.

The consequence of calling the police would merely be a verbal warning to a few individuals, just to make sure the caretakers keep a closer watch on the mentally ill.

So the meaning of some crew members was to keep the peace and focus on resuming the shooting, which was the top priority.

Zhou Junye was initially reluctant to get involved.

However, his tone towards Wenyan was much more amiable than that of the other few crew members.

“The thing is, Wenyan, I know you sympathize with that woman, but you have no evidence to suspect she was trafficked. Her own family and the villagers all say she’s locked up because she has a mental illness.

“If she isn’t restricted, she’ll act out like her son and start hitting people randomly. It could lead to an accident in severe cases. They might have to lock her up at home, even if just for her own safety.”

Wenyan didn’t agree with this statement.

“Even if she is mentally ill, this isn’t the right way to care for her, not giving her a single piece of clothing. Is this kind of supervision appropriate?

“Director Zhou, out of so many scripts on the market, you chose ‘Lost Voice’. What was your original intention?

“Isn’t it to call for fair and just treatment of the deaf and mute through this film? Strictly speaking, isn’t this woman also a part of the deaf and mute community?

“She’s mentally disturbed and no longer knows how to express the suffering she’s endured, no different from the deaf or mute, or even more miserable than disabled people. Is this fair, just?

“I’m not arguing this with you to morally blackmail the crew or to ask you to do anything. Because I could report this to the police in my personal capacity.

“If my taking personal leave to handle this matter delays the progress of the crew, then I can compensate for the loss.

“My reporting this may indeed be a waste of police resources and a delay for the crew, but it might also save this poor woman’s life!!

“So I insist.” Wenyan’s tone was firmer than it had ever been.

“I agree with Wenyan’s approach.” Shen Jinghe also spoke up, “I am the biggest investor in this movie, and I agree to halt production for half a day.”

Zhou Junye had actually been persuaded by Wenyan: “Alright, then we’ll do as you say.”

After the police arrived, Ni Sanshui and the villagers repeated the same story.

They claimed the locked-up woman, Chai Zhaodi, had a mental illness for decades.

By chance, she squatted at Ni’s house, eating and drinking for free, and wouldn’t leave when driven away. Out of pity, Ni Sanshui married her, providing her a home to settle down.

Ni Sanshui even dug out two marriage certificates from his house to prove his legitimate governmental registration with Chai Zhaodi.

But the more complete Ni Sanshui’s paperwork was, the more dubious Wenyan became.

She remembered what Mrs. Zhou had said, that she didn’t have an ID card before she was fifty. Only when the government started stricter population registration did she go to get one.

Decades ago in such a small mountain village, a normal citizen wouldn’t even be aware of the need to get an identity card, let alone think about obtaining a marriage certificate.

Moreover, the other party was an outsider who fell ill and ended up in his home. Could the relevant departments really not do any kind of verification? Did she have an identification proof? Was the identification proof authentic?

Wenyan raised these questions and requested that the police conduct an investigation.

The police agreed and also persuaded Ni Sanshui to improve the living conditions of Chai Zhaodi.

“Is that it, officer? Improving the living conditions?” However, Wenyan didn’t believe that someone like Ni Sanshui, a bad old man, would truly improve Chai Zhaodi’s living situation.

If he had ever had such consideration, he would not have treated this woman the way he did.

“May I have a word in private, officers?”

“Yes.”

Wenyan pulled the police officers aside and shared her thoughts.

“She’s in this state now, can’t you intervene with an injury assessment? I think she needs medical attention. Perhaps you should also check for any signs of beating injuries; she has quite a few bruises.”

The police were in a difficult position: “Ms. Wen. As it stands, they are legally married, and other than offering our advice, we don’t have any other options. As for the bruises you’ve mentioned, it’s normal for a psychiatric patient to suffer from knocks and bumps.”

Obviously, in the absence of evidence proving Ni Sanshui’s criminal actions,

this matter, on the surface, seems like a domestic affair and doesn’t even qualify as a domestic dispute since the other party is a psychiatric patient.

But what Wenyan was worried about now was that once the film crew and the police left, Ni Sanshui would not only fail to improve Chai Zhaodi’s living conditions, but he might even take his anger out on her by beating her.

“Well then, I think it’s safer to send her to the hospital. With her current state, whether it is mental or physical, I believe she should receive medical care. But if I suggest it, Ni Sanshui might disagree and might even try to extort me. So, I’d like to ask for your help, officers, to broach the subject, and I will take care of the expenses.”

“Are you sure? You’re an outsider and have no familial ties with Chai Zhaodi. Are you sure you want to pay for her medical expenses?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’m not lacking in money. If one day something like this happened to me and someone offered their help, my family and I would be grateful to them for the rest of our lives. Within my means, I am willing to help her.”

“Alright!”

In the end, Chai Zhaodi was taken to the city hospital by police car.

As she was leaving, Ni Sanshui’s gaze towards Wenyan was as if laced with poison.

But there was nothing he could do as Chai Zhaodi was taken away in a police vehicle.

–

Chai Zhaodi needed to stay in the hospital for treatment, so Wenyan, Shen Jinghe, and Zhou Junye decided to return to the hotel to spend the night.

The three of them had no time to eat due to the busy afternoon, so Zhou Junye ordered takeout to the room.

The three of them gathered in his room to have a late-night snack.

Zhou Junye said, “We lost half a day of shooting today, but you should finish filming the day after tomorrow at the latest. What will you do if Chai Zhaodi’s situation isn’t resolved by then?”

“That would actually be perfect.” Wenyan happily nibbled on a couple of skewers, “I was worried about being stretched too thin anyway. After wrapping up the shoot, I’ll have plenty of time. No matter what, meeting her is also a destiny between her and me. Oh, right, let me show you something.”

“What?”

“You’ll know once you listen.”