Chapter 134: Miserable Fate, Slapping Herself in the Face

Chu Yue suddenly turned her head and glanced at Han Shi, a subtle signal in her eyes.

Han Shi was momentarily stunned but quickly caught on. He followed Chu Yue’s lead—not only to explain to Song Hongmei, but also to make things clear to everyone else.

“Exactly. Dunking someone in a pig cage is something from feudal, backward times. Sister Song, you’ve always been teaching us to open our minds and embrace progress. How could we actually do something like that? It’s just that one of my guys couldn’t control his mouth and said a bit too much, that’s all.”

Song Hongmei nodded after hearing this, clearly accepting Chu Yue and Han Shi’s explanation.

This left Li Jinhua completely dumbfounded.

Such a serious matter—even if they hadn’t actually dunked her, the threat was real and direct. Yet Chu Yue had managed to brush it off with a few light words, and just like that, the matter was seemingly resolved.

“Director Song! You didn’t see the way they looked—like thugs! They said they were going to throw me in a pig cage! That was real—totally real! Now they’re lying to your face—”

But Han Shi didn’t care about what Li Jinhua was screaming. Instead, he cut her off forcefully, his voice completely overpowering hers.

“What did you and your son say just now? Didn’t you agree to apologize to Comrade Chu? You both promised, and now that Sister Song is here you think you can backtrack? Cut the crap and apologize—now!”

As soon as Han Shi spoke, the others who had come with him started shouting too:

“Yeah, apologize! You must apologize!”

“Sister Song, you arrived late, so you didn’t see how this old hag bullied Comrade Chu and her kid. Disgusting! Rotten to the core.”

“I thought everyone living in the military compound would be decent people. Who knew there’d be such trash? One rotten apple spoils the whole bunch!”

“I recognize her—I recognize her! She’s the one… the one who sold that child to the blacksmith Qi! It was her!”

Seeing that her past misdeeds were about to be aired in public, Li Jinhua began to panic. If they kept going, Zhou Zhijian would also be embarrassed, and he didn’t want the villagers to go any further. So, he stepped in to cut them off.

“Mom, what you did was wrong, plain and simple. Hurry up and apologize to Comrade Chu. You can leave after this, but I still have to live here. Don’t you want me to live in peace?”

Whether Zhou Zhijian could live in peace directly affected whether Li Jinhua could continue receiving her eight yuan a month.

Even if she was stupid, Li Jinhua could clearly hear the warning in Zhou Zhijian’s tone.

No matter how much she hated Chu Yue, she had no choice but to lower her head at this moment.

She gritted her teeth, glared at Chu Yue unwillingly, and stammered:

“Chu… Comrade Chu, I… I was wrong… I’m sorry! Is that good enough now?”

Chu Yue lowered her head slightly, looking down coldly at Li Jinhua, who was still lying on the ground, never having stood up again.

She gave a frosty smile.

“Old Li, is that what you call an apology? So half-hearted? If I remember correctly, just now, you were going to scratch my face.”

Chu Yue’s voice dropped, each word colder than the last.

Despite being a delicate and beautiful young woman, the sharpness in her eyes was like someone who’d lived through two lifetimes. The pressure she exuded was overwhelming, and it sent chills through Li Jinhua’s bones.

What Chu Yue said was loud and clear—right in front of everyone. Anyone with ears could hear exactly what she meant.

Standing at her sides were Song Hongmei and Han Shi.

Han Shi was clearly on Chu Yue’s side—he wouldn’t stop her no matter what she did.
Even Song Hongmei stayed silent, tacitly approving of Chu Yue’s stance.

Li Jinhua kept glancing at Song Hongmei, waiting for her to say something. But she got nothing—and her eyes started trembling.

It was over…
She was finished.

Li Jinhua raised her hand and slapped herself across the face.
As she slapped, she kept repeating:

“I was wrong… I really was wrong…”

What started as a light slap gradually grew harder and harder.
Her face quickly swelled with red palm prints, and she ended up beating herself raw.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

Watching her slap herself, no one around her felt the slightest bit of pity—
only the satisfaction that she was finally getting what she deserved.

---

A short while later.

Chu Yue looked at Zhou Zhijian and asked:

“Company Commander Zhou, what time is your bus ticket for?
Is there still time to make it?”

Zhou Zhijian immediately responded:

“Mom, that’s enough! Let’s go!
We have to catch the bus—if we don’t head down the mountain now, we’ll miss it!”

He bent down, half-dragging, half-lifting Li Jinhua off the ground.
Her legs were weak and trembling, she had no strength to stand,
and the bottom half of her pants was still damp…

She looked utterly miserable.

Unable to hold it in, she burst into tears:

“Waaaa… I’ve never…
been this humiliated in my whole life…”

Amid her pitiful cries, Zhou Zhijian dragged her away.
And with that, everything related to Li Jinhua was finally over.

---

Now that the bad had ended, it was time for the good to begin.

Han Shi immediately turned around and began barking orders:

“Line up! Everyone line up!
Start beating the gong! Where’s the suona horn? Start playing!”

And just like that—
the men who a moment ago had been brandishing wooden sticks and looking fierce
completely transformed.

Some beat the gong, others played the suona,
and a man holding a giant red flower even started dancing a little yangko step,
the scene instantly turning joyful and festive.

---

Chen Fengying and the others walked over, curious:

“What’s all this?
Did something good happen?”

Song Hongmei now wore a smile as she explained between the drumming:

“Earlier, the old cow Chu Yue saved belonged to Captain Han’s production team.
He wanted to thank her properly, so they put together this little ceremony.”

“Big red flower! Where’s my big red flower?”
Han Shi continued shouting,
grabbing the giant red silk flower that someone handed him.

He walked up to Chu Yue, saying:

“Comrade Chu, I meant every word I said just now—
You’re a great benefactor to Shilin Village!
You’re also a great benefactor to me, Han Shi!
I’ll remember this kindness for the rest of my life!”

This was Chu Yue’s first time seeing such a lively scene—
and it was also the most grand and sincere form of gratitude people expressed in this era.

Han Shi pinned the big red flower on Chu Yue’s chest.
It was made of red cloth, and the fabric just brushed over Lu Yuanbao’s face.

The baby curiously reached out to grab the red cloth,
then looked up at his mother—
how beautiful she looked with the flower.

---

Han Shi’s gratitude wasn’t just a lively spectacle—
it was also practical and generous.

“Comrade Chu, here’s a bag of wild mountain goods,
and this—this is a slab of pork ribs.
Just a little something from our production team.

You were willing to help us out on New Year’s Eve—that’s no small thing.
Besides, hiring a vet should cost money.
Don’t be polite—you must accept this.”

---

Wow…

Before Chu Yue could even respond,
the crowd of wives nearby were already stunned, staring wide-eyed.

Some had originally come out just to watch Li Jinhua’s drama,
others were drawn by the sound of drums and gongs.

Now more and more people had gathered—
and one by one, their eyes locked onto that massive slab of pork.

Such a big piece!
And ribs, no less—at least five jin…
No, wait… maybe eight jin…
Actually, ten jin might be closer…

No matter how many jin it was—
they could look, but not taste.
All they could do was watch with envy.