Chapter 38

“Chen Juxiang, you stinking woman, at this time, you’re only thinking about yourself. What about your son if Zhan Hongyan is sentenced to death? Are you a pig-headed fool? Bah!”

Zhan Aiguo, his face red with anger, jumped out and spat a mouthful of phlegm at Chen Juxiang. Still not satisfied, he kicked her hard, sending her sprawling to the ground. She was already covered in bruises, and this kick left her unconscious. Zhan Aiguo sat on top of her, raining punches down on her.

“Ah, help! Help!” Chen Juxiang screamed in agony.

Some villagers, unable to bear the sight, started to intervene. Zhan Aiguo yelled, “I’m going to beat this stinking woman to death today. Who dares to stop me? They say a good daughter brings prosperity, but a bad wife ruins three generations. Our Zhan family started to decline after marrying this stinking woman.”

Exhausted from beating her, Zhan Aiguo got off Chen Juxiang and slumped to the ground. Like a broken record, the thin, dark man started to mutter, “I shouldn’t have married Chen Juxiang. Ever since she came into our lives, the Zhan family has been going downhill.”

Meanwhile, Liu Shuj and the militia were waiting at the village entrance for the police and the committee members. Only the accountant and the Women’s Director were present at the moment.

Coincidentally, Zhan Aiguo had quarreled with the accountant over work points.

Chen Juxiang, on the other hand, was lazy at work. The Women’s Director couldn’t stand it anymore and reprimanded her. Chen Juxiang, however, was arrogant because her son had passed the entrance exam for high school. She didn’t care about the Women’s Director and immediately started arguing with her.

The accountant and the Women’s Director watched Zhan Aiguo beat Chen Juxiang, remembering the past incidents. They didn’t intervene, silently watching Zhan Aiguo go crazy.

“My father wanted to teach me how to hunt, but Chen Juxiang wouldn’t let me. She said that if I learned, I would have to go to the battlefield and die. We were married for years without children. We found Zhan Xinyue, and everything was fine. Later, Chen Juxiang got pregnant with Zhan Hongyan. She had her own flesh and blood and started withholding food from Zhan Xinyue. She even planned to abandon her.”

“Now Zhan Hongyan has done such a shameful thing. It’s all Chen Juxiang’s fault. I’m a man. I only care about my son. My daughters are raised by their mother. What can I do? The Zhan family is so unlucky. We married Chen Juxiang and brought eight lifetimes of bad luck upon ourselves.”

Zhan Aiguo sat on the ground, pouring out his grievances, acting like a victim. Every mistake was Chen Juxiang’s fault!

Zhan Xinyue scoffed and shook her head. This man was incompetent and shameful. He never took responsibility, and when things went wrong, he always blamed others.

“Alright, everyone stand in line. What’s going on?” A voice, angry and hoarse, came from behind.

Everyone looked towards the voice. It was Liu Shuj, who had returned. Standing beside him was a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit and glasses, his expression serious. He looked even more imposing than the village secretary.

Two policemen in white uniforms followed Liu Shuj. They were escorting Huang Jianjun, who was under arrest.

Only a few weeks had passed, but Huang Jianjun had lost a lot of weight. His eyes were sunken, and he looked lifeless and completely drained.

Everyone fell silent upon seeing the police.

The militia brought Zhan Hongyan and the three male intellectuals out of the room and onto the stage. Huang Jianjun was also brought up by the police.

After everything was ready, Liu Shuj took the loudspeaker and went on stage.

“Comrades, today, the Changhong Brigade is honored to have Director Guo preside over this meeting. Let’s give him a warm round of applause!”

Thunderous applause erupted. Director Guo went on stage and raised his hands to silence the crowd.

The masses were most afraid of officials. Director Guo made a gesture, and everyone immediately fell silent.

Director Guo didn’t waste any time. As soon as he went on stage, he briefly described Zhan Hongyan’s crimes and swiftly sentenced her to death, to be executed immediately.

Zhan Hongyan, who had been dozing off with her head drooping after a sleepless night, screamed like a madwoman when she heard the death sentence.

“I am the fiancée of Commander Sheng. You can’t do this to me. I will tell my man immediately and he will have you all shot.”

Before Director Guo or Liu Shuj could give any instructions, the militia quickly covered Zhan Hongyan’s mouth and dragged her to the side, waiting for her execution.

“As for the three intellectuals, they should have been using their knowledge to build the countryside. Instead, they broke the law. They understand propriety and justice, but they committed adultery.”

Director Guo turned and looked at the intellectuals. “You have betrayed your parents who raised you and the country that nurtured you. You have abandoned your future for pleasure.”

Director Guo spoke with deep sorrow, and the three intellectuals were filled with remorse and tears. They knew their lives were over.

“Considering that you are all high school students, you will be sent back to your place of residence and subject to trial by the local court.”

After Director Guo finished speaking, Fang Jiaming, Chen Long, and Zhang Zhiqiang all looked ashen-faced.

They wouldn’t be sentenced to death, and they might not even go to prison. But they would definitely be publicly criticized, and their files would reflect their mistakes. No unit would dare to hire them in the future.

Finally, it was Huang Jianjun’s turn to be judged.

Before Director Guo could speak, Huang Jianjun shouted loudly, “Director Guo, Secretary Liu, I have important information to report.”

“Speak,” Director Guo said, seeing that Huang Jianjun wasn’t acting crazy, and gave him the right to speak.

“I did not rape Chen Juxiang. The person who slept with me that night was Zhan Hongyan. And it wasn’t me who raped her. She seduced me and asked me for money. I gave her 20 yuan at the time.”

Huang Jianjun, standing in the back, had his eyes light up when he heard Zhan Hongyan’s crimes. He knew this was his last chance.

Rape and prostitution, which was more serious? As someone who had been a cadre for many years, he could tell the difference.

“Director Guo, Huang Jianjun is lying. He already signed the confession. He must have heard about Zhan Hongyan and the three intellectuals and made up this lie to escape punishment.”

Before Director Guo could make a judgment, Liu Shuj rushed forward.

“Huang Jianjun, you were already cunning when you were the village head. You always had a different face in public and in private. Now you’re trying to deceive Director Guo?”

Liu Shuj spoke with righteous indignation. The scene was vivid in his mind. The bloodstains on the bedsheet, Huang Jianjun’s knocked-out tooth, it all pointed to non-consensual sex.

Moreover, this case was handled by Liu Shuj and the police. If Huang Jianjun recanted, he would be punished, and the police officer involved might also be implicated.

Huang Jianjun was not a good person, there was no doubt about that. No matter who he raped, he was not wronged. Liu Shuj was not worried.

The sun had already risen, and Director Guo, wearing his Zhongshan suit, was sweating profusely. He just wanted to finish quickly. He nodded to Liu Shuj and gave him a look. Liu Shuj understood immediately and immediately covered Huang Jianjun’s mouth and pulled him down.

Huang Jianjun was unlucky. Under normal circumstances, he would have been sentenced to life imprisonment at most. But today, the meeting was presided over by Director Guo, who was so righteous and incorruptible that he hated rapists. Therefore, he also sentenced Huang Jianjun to death.

After the verdict, Huang Jianjun’s heart sank. He fainted.

As for his children, they just wanted to distance themselves from the rapist as soon as possible. None of them came back, not even to collect his body.

Zhan Aiguo, on the other hand, shed two crocodile tears as he watched his daughter, whom he had raised for eighteen years, be executed. He told her to rest in peace and be a good, honest person in her next life.

The militia escorted Zhan Hongyan and Huang Jianjun to the foot of the mountain. Some of the militia members were too scared to watch the execution and went home after the meeting.

Zhan Xinyue was not afraid. In her previous life, she had personally killed those who had harmed her. Executing a death row prisoner was just a small matter.

“Bang, bang, bang, bang,” four gunshots rang out. Huang Jianjun and Zhan Hongyan fell to the ground.

Zhan Xinyue had good eyesight. She made sure that Zhan Hongyan’s body was still and had no breath before turning to go home.

Zhan Hongyan had killed her grandmother in her previous life and almost killed her grandmother in this life. She deserved to die. Her grandmother’s revenge had been avenged. Zhan Xinyue’s steps were lighter now.

She had to go home quickly and tell her grandmother the good news.

“Mom, are you abandoning us?” Suddenly, two malnourished children stood in the middle of the path, calling Zhan Xinyue “Mom,” looking like they had been abandoned.