Chapter 189: Murder with a Knife 2

Dong Ju’s face was pale, and she kept shaking her head.

Dong Ju’s mother asked again, “Did you get Yu Xiangnian home?”

Dong Ju shook her head and nodded.

She had been so panicked that she had forgotten about Yu Xiangnian still being in the fields.

She wondered if Yu Xiangnian might have been beaten.

She reassured herself that Yu Xiangnian was smart and would have run away if she saw a fight!

Dong Ju’s mother frowned in confusion and concern, “Dong Ju, what’s going on? Where is Dong Xingwang?”

“Mom, don’t ask!” Dong Ju ran back to her room, covered herself with the blanket, and trembled uncontrollably.

Was Dong Xingwang dead?

If he came back later, he would definitely blame her for running away and might beat her again.

Yu Xiangnian had crouched in the fields for a while. Once she couldn’t see Dong Xingwang and Dong Ju anymore, she stood up and hid behind a tree by the roadside.

After a while, she saw Dong Ju running back toward home, and Yu Xiangnian thought, “This woman is not beyond saving.”

About twenty minutes later, Cheng Jingmo arrived.

“Nian Nian.” He called softly, trying not to startle Yu Xiangnian, keeping a distance.

Yu Xiangnian peeked out from behind the tree, “How is it?”

“It might be dead,” Cheng Jingmo said flatly.

Yu Xiangnian responded with an “Oh.”

Cheng Jingmo crouched down, “Get on, we’ll take another route home.”

Yu Xiangnian climbed onto his back, and Cheng Jingmo carried her home.

The two of them were silent on the way back, both feeling a heavy mood.

Dong Xingwang’s death was an accident. They hadn’t intended for him to die, but they didn’t expect the three men to be so brutal!

Back at home, Cheng Jingmo removed his clothes, which reeked of alcohol, revealing that the sleeves of his inner shirt were soaked.

He hadn’t drunk any alcohol during dinner.

Every time he raised his glass, he pretended to sip a little, but most of the alcohol was poured into his sleeves.

With his tolerance, two glasses were enough to get him drunk, so he couldn’t possibly drink four or five glasses with Dong Xingwang.

In the early hours of the morning, it did start to rain.

It was the first rain of the year, not very heavy, just a light drizzle.

The next morning, the rain had not yet stopped.

Cheng Jingmo hadn’t slept all night and went out early to fetch water.

On the way, he saw villagers running in one direction.

Cheng Jingmo asked, “Uncle, what happened?”

“You haven’t heard? Dong Ju’s husband was beaten badly last night. He’s barely alive now!”

Cheng Jingmo was surprised, “Who did it?”

“No one knows! The police and the township clinic are both here! Come on! Let’s go take a look!”

Cheng Jingmo said, “I need to fetch water first. I’ll go later.”

Cheng Jingmo fetched three loads of water as usual.

On the way, he heard villagers discussing the incident.

“He was beaten terribly! Covered in blood, his legs are broken!”

“This is retribution! He broke Dong Ju’s mother’s legs, and now his own legs are broken!”

“He’s definitely going to be crippled! Let’s see how he treats Dong Ju and her mother in the future!”

“…”

Cheng Jingmo filled the water tank and then went to wake Yu Xiangnian.

“Nian Nian, Dong Xingwang is not dead. He’s still hanging on,” he whispered in her ear.

Yu Xiangnian, who hadn’t slept well and was feeling sleepy, brightened up, “He’s really not dead?”

Their plan was: since Dong Ju’s marriage couldn’t be dissolved, they would make it work.

They could leave Dong Xingwang with a disability so he couldn’t abuse her, or if he did, Dong Ju could retaliate.

Cheng Jingmo nodded, “Now that we have his instructions, those three will definitely not escape.”

Their plan also included sending the three petty criminals to work on a sewing machine as punishment.

The three men were getting what they deserved.

If they hadn’t harbored the intention to harm Cheng Jingmo, they wouldn’t have fallen into the trap they set.

“It’s troubling you,” he said, filled with guilt.

Yu Xiangnian dismissed it, saying, “Don’t mention it! Just get ready, they will definitely come to question us.”

The doctor at the township clinic instructed Dong Ju to take Dong Xingwang to the county hospital for treatment.

His injuries were too severe, and they worried that treatment might not be effective.

Dong Ju refused, crying, “We’re barely making ends meet, how can we afford to go to the county for treatment?”

“Doctor, please help, save him. I’ll take care of him for the rest of his life!” Dong Ju grasped the doctor’s hand, pleading with tears.

She looked as if she might kneel to the doctor!

Her genuine desire to save Dong Xingwang moved the onlookers in the village.

“Dong Ju’s conscience is really good. Even after her husband treated her this way, she still can’t bear to let him go.”

“Absolutely! If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to do that. I’d be happy if such a man were dead!”

“…”

Yu Xiangnian and the others arrived just in time to see this scene.

Yu Xiangnian thought to herself: as the saying goes, women can be really terrifying when they are fierce. It’s true!

If Dong Ju really wanted to save Dong Xingwang, she wouldn’t have run home alone last night or waited until this morning without seeking help.

Dong Xingwang had fallen into a coma and was taken to the township clinic for treatment.

Dong Ju, Cheng Jingmo, and Yu Xiangnian were taken to the township police station for questioning.

Everyone recounted the events of the previous night.

Yu Xiangnian said that it was too dark. After she finished, she couldn’t tell the direction and ended up walking in the wrong way. She happened to run into Cheng Jingmo, who was coming out of Dong Ju’s house, and then they went home together.

The police had no suspicions, as it was normal for someone new to the village to get lost in its maze of alleys.

Moreover, while the place where Dong Xingwang was attacked was on their way home, they had turned right, while Dong Xingwang had been attacked at the left turn.

In such darkness, it was normal not to notice.

Cheng Jingmo said he chatted with Dong Ju’s mother for a while and then left. Not long after, he met Yu Xiangnian and took her home.

Dong Ju, having spent the night thinking, was now calm and had decided what to say.

The police asked her, “Why didn’t you call for help when Dong Xingwang was attacked? Instead, you ran back home?”

Dong Ju replied, “I thought he was just finding ways to go drinking. Because I oppose him drinking, he often deceives or scares me to get his way. He’s done this before, deliberately getting into conflicts with people to gather them for drinking under the pretense of resolving disputes.”

The police asked, “Why didn’t you go looking for him when he didn’t come home all night?”

Dong Ju smiled bitterly, “He often comes home late when he’s drunk. I thought he was just drunk again, like before.”

The police asked, “Did you see the people who attacked Dong Xingwang?”

Dong Ju replied, “I only saw three figures, but I couldn’t make out who they were.”

The police cleared Cheng Jingmo and Yu Xiangnian of suspicion but still had some doubts about Dong Ju.

Just then, news came from the clinic that Dong Xingwang had regained consciousness.