Shen Xiaomei was once a huge headache even for the female prison guards.
She was young when she was imprisoned only 21 years old but her mental state was poor.
She was irritable and prone to fits of rage, would kick the iron prison door whenever she heard metal clashing, and whenever the word “bell” came up in conversation, she would bite her lips until they bled. Every night she woke up repeatedly, her emotions extremely unstable.
When the prison guards tried to have heart-to-heart talks with her, they had to be very careful not to touch on her sensitive points. Otherwise, she would jump up recklessly, clawing and biting at the guards.
Her labor reform progress was terrible.
Usually, less than three months after release, she would be back in prison for theft. When faced with judges and police, she showed no fear whatsoever and would flippantly reply, “If I don’t steal, how do I survive?”
Jiang Ling, as the criminal file administrator, had read the psychological assessment report prepared by the prison guards. The conclusions were:
- Mental Disorders: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Paranoid Personality Disorder;
- Risk Assessment: 92% chance of recidivism, with violent tendencies highly linked to situational triggers;
- Difficulty in Reform: A closed cognitive system formed by her paranoid worship of “Xiao Yue.”
However, who exactly Xiao Yue was, or where she lived, Shen Xiaomei never clearly explained. But whenever she mentioned “Xiao Yue,” her eyes would shine with admiration and joy.
She described Xiao Yue as dressed in flowing white like an immortal, her clothes as clean as snow. She said Xiao Yue was like Guanyin Bodhisattva—never disgusted by her filth, gave her a name, cooked for her, taught her how to read, and told her bedtime stories.
Among the personal belongings confiscated before Shen Xiaomei’s imprisonment was a copper bicycle bell. On its top was a raised phoenix relief the Phoenix Brand logo with “FENGHUANG” cast in pinyin on the side, and a single character engraved at the bottom: “Dirty.”
When questioned by prison guards, Shen Xiaomei said the bell was a treasure left by Xiao Yue and must not be lost.
Now, with bicycle bell thefts happening at Jinwu Road Police Station, could it be related to Shen Xiaomei?
Thinking this, Jiang Ling followed behind the colleagues from the case team, slowly walking toward the police hall.
Li Zhenliang saw her immediately and asked with concern, “What are you doing here? Didn’t Director Yao say you only need to focus on the publicity brochure from now on?”
Jiang Ling: “I want to take a look.”
Li Zhenliang was fine with it: “Alright, if you want to get involved, you’re welcome.”
Inside the police hall, a middle-aged woman was wiping sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief. Her bicycle was leaning against the door, and the handlebars were bare, only screw holes left where the bell used to be.
“Officer, this was the original bell, copper! It would cost me 15 yuan to get the same one.” Her voice cracked with tears. “Who’s the damn thief who even steals a bell?”
Li Zhenliang crouched down to examine the handlebar. Fresh scratch marks remained on the metal surface.
“This thief is a pro. I remember last year when we had a case, the handlebar had over a dozen scratches, varying depths. This time there are fewer and much shallower scratches.” Li Zhenliang mumbled as he pulled out a notebook from his pocket. A trendy sticker of a famous Hong Kong-Taiwanese star was stuck on the cover.
Noticing Jiang Ling’s gaze, Li Zhenliang waved the notebook at her and pointed at the sticker with a smile: “Weng Meiling, my daughter’s idol. You like her?”
Jiang Ling waved her hand: “No.”
Li Zhenliang was a chatterbox. Once he started talking about his daughter, he wouldn’t stop: “My girl’s only seven but already knows how to chase stars. Bought a ton of Weng Meiling stickers, sticks them everywhere, heh heh.”
He then pulled his wallet out and pointed at a photo inside, proudly saying, “How is it? Cute, right? Don’t I look like her?”
Jiang Ling’s eyes fell on the small color photo. The little girl wore a white puffed dress and a small pearl crown on her head. Her rosy, chubby face and bright big eyes made her look like a delicate little princess.
Meiling, what a lovely name.
Jiang Ling remembered how Shen Xiaomei once caught a prisoner in the cafeteria and beat her savagely, for a bizarre reason.
“Why call yourself Meiling? Why use that ‘ling’ character? Whenever I hear a bell ring, it gives me a headache. I’ll beat you to death, you filthy bitch!”
Jiang Ling could still recall the mad light flickering in her pupils, like two flames of phosphorus burning in the dark.
The middle-aged woman sat in the chair, still talking nonstop: “This is a Phoenix Brand bell, copper and chrome-plated, very expensive. Damn thief! Officers, you have to catch the little bastard who steals these bicycle bells and make him pay me back!”
Liu Haoran, the intake officer, diligently recorded the complaint while Zhou Wei took photos of the stolen bell area for evidence.
Li Zhenliang gently comforted the complainant: “Comrade Wang Cuimin, we’ve accepted your report and will investigate thoroughly. But as you know, bicycle bells are vehicle accessories, small and low in value, so collecting evidence is not easy. Rest assured, our director said every case matters, big or small. We will conduct serious visits and try to solve this quickly.”
Wang Cuimin’s mood lightened with the police’s attitude: “Alright, I have to go home cook now. I’ll leave first. Please notify me if there’s any news.”
Liu Haoran tidied up the report while Zhou Wei smiled: “Safe trip. Don’t worry, we’ll let you know.”
After Wang Cuimin left the station, Liu Haoran sighed and marked the report with his pen: “Since last year, this is already the 12th similar case.”
Zhou Wei sighed with him: “Yeah. Who steals bicycle bells anyway?”
Li Zhenliang suggested: “Check the bike repair vendors? Maybe they’re the thieves.”
Liu Haoran shook his head: “We’ve visited repair stalls near the theft sites but found nothing unusual. Even if you replace it with an iron bell, it costs 2.5 yuan, still money.”
Zhou Wei was more attentive: “Not iron. I remember all 12 thefts were of Phoenix Brand original copper bells, much pricier than ordinary iron ones.”
Liu Haoran recalled: “Right, all copper, about 15 yuan each. This thief definitely has an eye for quality.”
Li Zhenliang spoke again: “Could it be kids playing around, stealing the bell because it looks nice?”
Zhou Wei raised his hand: “Possible. Think about it—if it was a professional thief, they’d just steal the whole bike. Quieter, and they can sell it for hundreds. Better profit.”
Liu Haoran agreed: “Yeah, we also think it’s kids messing around, stealing for fun.”
Li Zhenliang asked: “Have you checked scrap dealers? Maybe kids steal bells to sell for scrap and buy candy.”
Zhou Wei shook his head: “Checked the big scrap stores nearby, no leads. If it’s private trading, it’s hard to track too many street scavengers, and those who dare to take new bells won’t admit it. No use asking.”
No leads anywhere it felt difficult to solve the case.
Li Zhenliang sighed: “Even if it’s kids, they have to be found and taught properly. As the saying goes, ‘He who steals a needle when young will steal gold when older.’ Early education can keep them from going astray.”
Jiang Ling pondered quietly.
Shen Xiaomei entered prison in 2003 at age 21; now it was 1993, and she would be exactly 11 years old—a child. Could the thief be her?
Jiang Ling closed her eyes, trying to recall the personal details recorded in Shen Xiaomei’s criminal file.
Date of Birth: 1987 (estimated; household records missing)
Education Level: Illiterate (can recognize simple Chinese characters)
Origin: Unknown, with a dialect from western Xiang Province
Family Background: Abandoned in childhood, taken in by a wandering girl named “Xiao Yue” (or possibly Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue) in 1998
Physical Features: Right ear missing, scar from a burn on left shoulder, right hand disabled with only three fingers remaining, height 152 cm, weight 42 kg
Jiang Ling recalled that she had appended a note to the file: “The defendant’s obsession with bells far exceeds ordinary theft. Suggest checking missing children archives in Xiang Province from 1980–1993, focusing on girls missing a right ear.”
The files didn’t record Shen Xiaomei living in Yan City. She claimed to have wandered everywhere until meeting Xiao Yue, after which she had a fixed address in the provincial capital.
Jiang Ling wondered if 11-year-old Shen Xiaomei was currently living in Yan City.
If so, why was she wandering around?
If she could be found, maybe a girl who repeatedly went to prison for theft could be saved.
While Jiang Ling was lost in thought, Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei stood up: “Since there’s a report, let’s go check the scene.”
Jiang Ling handed the unfinished brochure to Wei Changfeng: “Old Wei, keep this for me. I’m coming along to have a look.”
Wei Changfeng took the booklet, eyes flicking toward Li Zhenliang.
Li Zhenliang immediately understood, bumped his right heel against his left foot’s side, and saluted crisply: “Yes! I’m on the same team as Miss Jiang. We’ll complete the task.”
Wei Changfeng tapped Li Zhenliang on the forehead with the brochure and laughed: “Behave yourself. No clowning around.”
Liu Haoran covered his mouth to stifle a laugh and, with Zhou Wei, headed out. The two usually went on errands together, inseparable like brothers.
Li Zhenliang gestured for Jiang Ling to follow.
They had been teamed up for three months and were developing a good rapport. Jiang Ling responded with a hum and walked alongside him.
Mounting their issued bicycles, the four rode toward the South Street market where the thefts had occurred.
Winter sunlight filtered through the building gaps, warming them.
The case was minor; everyone thought it was just kids messing about, so no one felt the weight of the matter. They chatted and laughed along the way.
“All stolen bells are Phoenix Brand originals. Strange.”
“Probably because they’re expensive? Copper costs much more than iron, so even scrap sellers would value them higher.”
“If it’s kids, maybe they like the sound? The Phoenix original bell has a copper double-chamber design, so the ring is clearer and more lingering than regular bells.”
“Whoever the mischief-maker is, if I catch them, I’ll give them a good lesson.”
Speaking of “lesson,” Zhou Wei asked Li Zhenliang: “Hey, Daliang, you’re a dad too. If—just hypothetically—if your daughter Yanyan made such a mistake, how would you educate her?”
Li Zhenliang glared at him: “My Yanyan’s well-behaved; she wouldn’t steal. Humph! If she did, I’d spank her till her butt’s sore.”
Thinking of the chubby little cutie in the photo, Jiang Ling’s heart softened and she couldn’t help but advise: “Your daughter’s only seven. You should reason with her, not hit her.”
In her previous life, Jiang Ling never married or had children, always feeling it was a regret.
God knew how much she longed for a daughter—soft, adorable, held in her arms smiling at her, trusting her unconditionally, relying on her completely. If she had a daughter, she’d never hurt her even a bit.