Chapter 218

Yu Xiangnian was already exhausted, her face flushed and drenched in sweat, with sweat continuously dripping down her cheeks.

Forty minutes, fifty minutes…

In the end, Yu Xiangnian collapsed to the ground, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Cheng Jingmo understood what this meant.

He walked over, crouched down, and held Yu Xiangnian in his arms. “You did your best.”

Yu Xiangnian leaned against Cheng Jingmo’s chest, crying loudly, “If only we had arrived a few minutes earlier.”

“This death is too terrifying!”

“It’s so unlucky. This house belongs to the village; who would dare live here in the future?”

“I think the village chief should hire someone to perform a ritual. Otherwise, who would dare pass by here?”

…

The women’s disdainful murmurs reached Yu Xiangnian and Cheng Jingmo’s ears.

Yu Xiangnian suddenly shoved Cheng Jingmo away and ran to confront the onlooking women.

“Get out!” Her face was a mix of tears and sweat.

Cheng Jingmo followed behind her, arms slightly outstretched, making sure she was within his reach to protect her.

He understood Yu Xiangnian’s current emotions, allowing her some time to vent, but also ensuring both her and the villagers’ safety.

He couldn’t let Yu Xiangnian act impulsively and harm the villagers, nor could he allow the villagers to harm her.

The women took a couple of steps back and scolded, “What right do you have to tell us to leave? Who do you think you are?”

Yu Xiangnian pointed at them, shouting angrily, “Get out! You don’t deserve to be here! If it weren’t for you, Teacher Liu wouldn’t have…”

She choked up as she spoke.

The women didn’t think they were wrong at all and even laughed. “What does her death have to do with us?! It’s not like we forced her to hang herself!”

Yu Xiangnian was so angry she wanted to hit someone, but Cheng Jingmo was shielding her. She swung her fists, but only hit the air.

“You’re the ones who stripped her of her clothes and caused her death! Just wait, even if she becomes a ghost, she’ll come back to seek revenge on you!” she said angrily.

The women, who had been indifferent moments ago, were now frightened by her words.

They exchanged glances, their faces paling, and one of them said, pretending to be righteous, “We don’t believe in ghosts or gods! It was her own choice to end her life; it’s none of our business!”

Yu Xiangnian said, “Fine! When she comes for you, don’t be scared!”

The women recalled Liu Meiying’s lifeless state and shuddered.

They all quickly found excuses to leave.

Liu Guoping was already in a state of mental collapse, sitting on the ground and repeatedly murmuring Liu Meiying’s name.

News of Liu Meiying’s death spread quickly.

The village leaders, the young intellectuals sent to the countryside, and those who had been sent here all hurried over.

Under the village chief’s direction, they began to handle Liu Meiying’s funeral arrangements.

Liu Meiying had left a letter.

In the letter, she expressed her regrets about her untimely life and unrecognized talents, her years of suffering and despair, and how being stripped of her clothes that day was the last straw that broke her.

This made Yu Xiangnian cry again.

When Yu Xiangnian and Cheng Jingmo dragged their weary bodies back home, it was already late into the night.

As they lay in bed, neither of them could sleep, their minds filled with the horrific image of Liu Meiying’s death and Zhang Guoping’s desolate state.

They were not afraid; they just felt frustrated, sad, and powerless.

Yu Xiangnian, understanding the history of many intellectuals in her era who chose suicide due to various insults and tortures, still found herself overwhelmed with sadness and helplessness when such events occurred right before her eyes.

“There are only six months left…” Yu Xiangnian muttered to herself. “Why couldn’t you hold on a bit longer…”

Cheng Jingmo embraced her tightly, holding her close.

He was no better than Yu Xiangnian; a deeper sense of powerlessness had engulfed him compared to the previous day. He hated his own helplessness, resented the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of others.

He buried all his emotions deep inside, even too exhausted to speak.

The two of them clung to each other, drawing courage and strength from one another.

Yu Xiangnian didn’t know when she fell asleep, but by the time she woke up, it was already noon.

When Cheng Jingmo came back from work, they had a simple dinner and then went to the village to pay their respects.

Liu Meiying’s body had already been placed in a coffin, and a mourning hall was set up at her and Zhang Guoping’s residence.

In just one day, Zhang Guoping looked much older, his entire demeanor seemed drained of spirit, his eyes vacant, and his body hunched.

Meanwhile, the instigators acted as if nothing had happened, helping out while chatting idly and occasionally laughing cheerfully.

This is the tragedy of the current society.

An educated intellectual dies in resentment, and those who indirectly caused her death face no punishment.

Yu Xiangnian looked at the indifferent faces and felt an intense hatred.

Since the law couldn’t punish them, she decided to punish them herself!

If these people weren’t punished, similar things would happen again in the future, perhaps even worse!

After all, the village still had many young intellectuals and educated individuals.

She needed to issue a warning and teach them a lesson to make them fearful and deterred.

That night, Yu Xiangnian shared her plan with Cheng Jingmo.

They quickly agreed and began implementing their plan.

The day after Liu Meiying’s funeral, the villagers relaxed.

But that night, many villagers saw Liu Meiying’s vengeful spirit wandering around the village.

Some of the women who had stripped her clothes fainted on the spot, some were so frightened they wet their pants, and others knelt on the ground, crying and pleading for mercy.

Most of the villagers were too terrified to sleep all night.

Early the next morning, they brought incense, paper money, and fire to Liu Meiying’s grave to kneel and pray for forgiveness.

An even more terrifying event occurred: on Liu Meiying’s tombstone, words written in blood slowly appeared: “Those who harm others will ultimately harm themselves.”

The villagers were even more terrified, continuously kneeling and kowtowing, vowing never to bully others again.

This incident was discussed by the villagers for a long time. The village’s chemical expert, observing the villagers’ intense discussions, merely smiled with derision.

Seeing the women’s kowtowing promises, Yu Xiangnian felt a great deal of her frustration ease.

However, her frustration was not completely resolved, mainly due to Zhang Guoping’s mental state still being a concern.

On the way home, Yu Xiangnian said, “Cheng Jingmo, if Teacher Zhang continues like this, he will… eventually…”

“We need to find a way to help him recover,” she continued.

Cheng Jingmo replied, “I sent a report to the military yesterday, requesting their intervention to negotiate with the village to let Teacher Zhang stay with the military for a while to teach radio knowledge.”

“There are many broken radios in the military, left unrepaired. Teacher Zhang will surely be interested. Once his attention is focused on something he loves, he should be able to recover in time.”

Yu Xiangnian responded with relief, “Cheng Jingmo, you’re becoming increasingly thoughtful in your approach. Most importantly, you’re becoming more compassionate and less cold and indifferent, unlike before when you only spoke of principles and rules!”

Cheng Jingmo replied, “…” He had always been compassionate!