Chapter 12 – The Female Supporting Character in the Confession Book

The group entered the poplar grove. 

Big Brother Wen and Second Brother Wen was leaning against a tree, Wen Yuejun smoked a cigarette nearby, and Lin Laizi, with a burlap sack over his head, was tied to a tree.

Ge Fu rushed over and kicked Lin Laizi twice. Lin Laizi had already been beaten by several men from the Wen family in turn. When he was tied up, Big Brother Wen, still furious, had removed his sock and stuffed it into his mouth.

Big Brother Wen was infamous in the Wen family for having the smelliest feet, a trait rumored to be inherited from Grandpa Wen, who had the same issue. At home, he wasn’t even allowed to take off his shoes, and unless he washed his feet before entering the bedroom at night, his wife wouldn’t let him in. 

Now, with such a pungent sock shoved into Lin Laizi’s mouth, he rolled his eyes from the overwhelming stench. However, it wasn’t enough to make him pass out. Hearing footsteps approaching, Lin Laizi’s heart filled with hope despite the pain coursing through his body from being kicked. 

Finally, someone was coming. Perhaps they would take out the sock and relieve him of this torment.

Unfortunately, Ge Fu did not heed his silent pleas. As for Ge Hongjun, he wished he could bury Lin Laizi right there and wouldn’t dream of removing the sock. 

The other two soldiers present, who deeply despised men who mistreated women, were even less likely to show him any mercy.

Ge Hongjun walked over to Wen Yuejun, bowed deeply, and expressed his gratitude. 

Wen Yuejun waved his hand dismissively. “No need to thank me, no need. This isn’t just for you. My daughter passes through here every day. If I didn’t know there was such a threat, it’d be one thing. But now that I do, I can’t let this beast roam free.”

“Since you’re here, we’ll leave him to you. Do with him as you see fit. We’ll head home now.”

Ge Hongjun sighed and pulled out two packs of Dahonmen cigarettes, which his wife had stuffed into his bag before he left. He handed them to Wen Yuejun. “Big brother, you must accept these. I won’t feel right if you don’t. Once we’ve settled this matter, I’ll come visit you properly.”

As a child, Ge Hongjun had attended a private school for two years. He didn’t learn much, but he did pick up an elegant, bookish way of speaking. 

Later, when war broke out, he abandoned his studies to join the military as a junior clerk. After being injured, he retired and now worked as an office staff member at the local police station.

Understanding that Ge family wouldn’t feel at ease unless he accepted the cigarettes, Wen Yuejun finally took them and left the grove with his wife and children.

Before exiting the grove, Wen Xin inexplicably turned back to glance at Gu Xiuping. 

It was too dark to see anything clearly, but she could make out his upright posture, as straight as a utility pole.

——

Wen Xin didn’t pay attention to the Ge family’s affairs afterward. Her family discussed the matter for two days before dropping it entirely.

Three days later, Gei Wei came to find Wen Xin. It was lunchtime, and Wen Xin was just about to get her meal when Gei Wei pulled her aside. 

She had come to invite Wen Xin to a meal, but instead of going to her home, she dragged Wen Xin straight to the State-Owned Restaurant. 

After ordering one meat dish and one vegetarian dish, Gei Wei began telling Wen Xin about what had happened to Lin Laizi.

That night, Lin Laizi was taken directly to the local police station by Ge Hongjun and the others. 

The small township police station only had four staff members, including Ge Hongjun, and one of them was on vacation. 

Since Ge Hongjun wasn’t trained in interrogation and the remaining two officers weren’t either, the task of interrogating Lin Laizi fell to the soldiers that Ge Hongjun had brought along.

Fortunately, in this era, the military and police often worked closely together, so having soldiers conduct an interrogation wasn’t considered particularly unusual.

The person leading the interrogation was Gu Xiuping, one of the men Ge Fu had brought along. When Gei Wei spoke of Gu Xiuping, her words were filled with admiration.

“Brother Gu and my eldest son joined the military in the same year. They were both later sent to military school for further training. According to my brother, his grades were excellent. If not for his young age, he could’ve been a colonel by now.” Ge Fu had joined the military at 18, and so had Gu Xiuping.

Gei Wei had only ever admired four men in her life. The first was her father, Ge Hongjun; the second was her elder brother; the third was her fiancé, He Yonggang; and the fourth was Gu Xiuping.

After singing Gu Xiuping’s praises, Gei Wei steered the conversation back to the main topic.

“That scumbag turned out to be a coward. As soon as the interrogation began, he spilled everything like beans out of a sack.”

“He’s a lazy good-for-nothing. That night, he drank a bit, and on his way home, he overheard someone say that a girl would pass by the edge of that grove after dark. Fueled by alcohol and lust, he decided to lie in wait there.” Gei Wei finished the water in her glass in one gulp.

“And it was just my bad luck to take the shortcut home from my grandmother’s house.” she added bitterly. 

Gei Wei’s grandmother lived in Nan Valley, located behind Hongshu Village and Linjia Village. The shortcut to the township passed right by that path near their village.

Wen Xin, with her sharp instincts, immediately sensed something off about the situation. “Gei Wei, did your brother and the others investigate who tipped off Lin Laizi?”

Gei Wei shook her head. “He said he had just returned from his brother’s house and overheard the conversation halfway there. All he knows is that it was two women talking. He doesn’t know who they were.”

The trail of clues stopped here. 

However, Lin Laizi’s life was far from easy. Wen Xin had already injured his private parts with a forceful kick, and due to the intensity of it, he couldn’t use that part of his body for the time being.

Later, he was beaten by Big Brother Wen and Second Brother Wen, and then Ge Fu gave him another beating. 

Now, his body was covered in bruises and injuries.

Under Gu Xiuping’s influence, Lin Laizi was imprisoned for theft and was to be sent to the Laoshan Farm for reform in just a couple of days.

Gei Wei had rested at home for two days to recover from the psychological trauma, and now that she felt better, she had come to invite Wen Xin to a meal.

After they had eaten, Wen Xin began to feel increasingly uneasy. At this time of year, no one ventured out after dark. 

She had worked overtime the previous evening, so she would be coming home late, and by the time she returned, it would undoubtedly be dark.

Moreover, Lin Laizi had coincidentally known that a girl would pass by the poplar grove. It was hard not to suspect that this matter had something to do with her.

——

The next afternoon, after work, Wen Xin sought out Second Brother Wen to ask him to help her investigate the whereabouts of Lin Laizi’s so-called “good brother.”

Second Brother Wen was the most resourceful among the Wen family members, so there was no doubt that he could handle the task of gathering information. 

Second Brother Wen was a man of principle, and when he heard Wen Xin’s request, he asked her for a reason.

Wen Xin explained: “I have a feeling that this matter is aimed at me. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence? I just worked overtime, and at the same time, Lin Laizi knew that a young girl would pass by the poplar grove.”

“Right now is the busy season for farming, everyone is working in the fields, trying to avoid delaying the corn planting, and besides, no young women or girls would be out walking after dark.”

“I hope I’m overthinking it, but unless I find out the truth, I won’t feel at ease.”

Second Brother Wen also thought that Wen Xin was being overly suspicious, but as a protective Big Brother, he agreed to help her find out the information.

The next day, when Wen Xin returned from work, Second Brother Wen pulled her aside to talk. “I’ve got the information. Lin Laizi’s brother is from Luojia Village.”

Luojia Village was also the hometown of Luo Manzhen’s family.

It turned out that the matter was indeed connected to her. Her innate good luck had allowed her to avoid a disaster, and Gei Wei had simply acted as a shield to protect her.