Chapter 48: Who Is the Old Sow?

The ambulance had left, but Ao Xi couldn’t go yet. He needed to investigate who had abandoned the baby. The umbilical cord was still attached, so the mother had to be nearby. Judging by the circumstances of the birth, if the woman hadn’t received timely medical attention, she could also be in danger.

He surveyed the dumpster and the surrounding area. This was a large, square bin, over a meter high, with a few smaller trash cans nearby. It seemed clear the mother truly intended for the baby not to survive—otherwise, she could have simply left it by the roadside or in one of the smaller bins. If the baby had been left somewhere more visible, its cries would easily be heard and its survival would be assured. In a large dumpster, though, there was little chance of rescue if no one heard.

The dumpster was situated along the side wall of an apartment building. To the right was a movable food truck; to the left, a small parking lot. There was a fair amount of foot traffic in the area, and it seemed some time had passed since the baby was abandoned. That complicated matters—questioning people in the vicinity might not be enough.

Ao Xi glanced upwards and noticed a security camera pointing in this direction, but it only covered the food truck, not the dumpster. After some thought, he decided to question the staff at the food truck first—they might remember seeing a heavily pregnant woman. If that led nowhere, he would try to access the surveillance footage.

But surveillance footage wasn’t so easily accessed. Even in his own country, police needed to provide an official Request for Evidence and show their credentials, though most people were cooperative and didn’t demand strict formalities. In the US, things were even trickier; accessing footage could potentially expose someone’s privacy or legal liability. For example, if someone was injured and the footage revealed their own fault, they might face compensation claims, so they’d be quick to refuse. Even the police couldn’t compel them—if the owner refused, that was the end of it. To obtain footage, the police would need to file a court application and follow strict usage protocols: the video could not be used illegally or disseminated, nor could it infringe upon the provider’s rights in any way.

This was why, in the US, many kidnapping or missing persons cases couldn’t be solved as easily as in his own country, where a network of surveillance cameras could trace someone’s every movement. Even if private owners willingly provided their footage, there would still be gaps—continuous coverage would require cameras at every traffic node, but privacy laws prohibited such installations.

Ao Xi approached the food truck and saw a young girl, likely of Latin American descent, working inside. When she saw a police officer approaching, she looked frightened and flustered.

He immediately understood her concern. “Don’t worry, I’m not immigration police. I just want to ask you a few questions.”

“O-okay.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Everilda Cux-Ajtzalam.”

“Ah, that’s a lovely name.”

She forced a small smile. “Thank you.”

Sensing her wariness, Ao Xi awkwardly rubbed his nose and continued, “When does this food truck open for business, and have you been working here since it opened? Is it just you?”

“Yes, it’s just me. The food truck opens at seven in the morning, and I’ve been here since then.”

“That’s a lot of work. You look exhausted.”

This time, she didn’t even try to smile.

“I just want to ask if you’ve seen a heavily pregnant woman pass by here, maybe going behind the food truck, or if you heard any strange noises out back, or saw a woman looking flustered or extremely tired?”

“No, I haven’t seen anything. I haven’t heard anything either.” She replied immediately, without a second’s thought.

Ao Xi paused, drawing in a sharp breath. Something didn’t add up. Her reaction was too abrupt, too defensive. It would have been normal not to have seen anything, but she didn’t even pause to think.

He was about to press further when he noticed how pale and exhausted she looked. He recalled her hasty denial just now...

A thought flashed through Ao Xi’s mind.

He said suddenly, “That child is yours, isn’t it?”

“What?!” she gasped.

“The doctor said the baby’s in bad shape. As his mother, how do you feel?”

“I...I...I had no choice...” Her face grew even whiter. Suddenly, she covered her face and burst into tears, crumpling to the floor as blood pooled beneath her skirt.

Ao Xi hurriedly radioed dispatch. “Adam 388 reporting, please send another ambulance. I’ve found the baby’s mother—her condition is critical, she’s extremely pale and bleeding heavily. Immediate medical attention needed.”

“Where is your family? Boyfriend or husband? I need to notify them.”

“No, don’t let them know—especially not Laton. He doesn’t want this baby. If I didn’t get rid of it, he’d break up with me. I had no choice...”

Just as Ao Xi had suspected. After growing suspicious, he’d wondered if the girl had simply snapped, given birth behind the food truck, and for whatever reason put the baby in the dumpster.

He hadn’t imagined the explanation would be so explosive. Now he wanted to meet this Laton—a man who could make a girl so desperate.

The ambulance arrived quickly and took the girl away. The EMTs said her injuries were even worse than the baby’s—giving birth outdoors, manually detaching the placenta, severe hemorrhaging, and yet she was still working.

If Ao Xi had found her any later, she might have died in that food truck.

That evening, Ao Xi recounted the whole incident to Zhuo Ning, his tone filled with emotion.

Zhuo Ning rested her chin on one hand, sinking into thought. After a long silence, she suddenly asked, “If I got pregnant, would you want me and the baby?”

“Ahem! Why are you asking that all of a sudden? Silly girl. Do you want an orange? I’ll peel one for you.”

“Don’t change the subject. Answer me directly.” Zhuo Ning fixed Ao Xi with an unblinking stare, determined to get a straight answer.

“Don’t worry, I have a family curse of infertility. I won’t have any children.”

Zhuo Ning said nothing.

“Should I buy more condoms just in case?”

She remained silent.

Ao Xi had no choice but to say, “Even if you gave me ten or eight children and turned into an old mother pig, I’d still want you, okay?”

“Why did you have to say I’d turn into an old mother pig?”

Ao Xi was stunned. “I...you...I was just making a comparison.”

“Did you have to use me turning into an old mother pig as your example?”

“My mistake. I’m the old mother pig.”

He picked Zhuo Ning up in his arms, deciding to offer himself in penance, expressing his apology with action.

“Are you really infertile?” Zhuo Ning asked, arms around his neck.

“No, I’m not!”