Chapter 32: Discovery and Confrontation

Zhang Yuandong didn’t get angry when he heard about his mother’s misdeeds. He continued to ask, “Anything else?”

Wang Baodong quickly said, “No, that’s all, nothing else!”

Lin Yue didn’t believe him: “You’re lying to a ghost! If Sun Hongmei didn’t give you some benefits, would you listen to her so much, doing whatever she asked?”

Zhang Yuandong didn’t get annoyed when Lin Yue called his mother by her name. He just kicked Wang Baodong, urging him to confess.

Lin Yue felt that the kick was too light. She stepped forward and punched him hard on the shoulder.

She was too strong and afraid of accidentally killing him, so she “considerately” held back some of her strength and chose a spot without vital organs.

This blow was much stronger than Zhang Yuandong’s kicks. Wang Baodong screamed like a pig being slaughtered, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Zhang Yuandong looked at Lin Yue in surprise. He had recently discovered that his own strength had suddenly increased a lot, but he had been on the battlefield and experienced life and death, so he quickly mastered his strength and didn’t usually show it off in front of people.

He saw that Lin Yue’s blow was heavy but avoided vital areas, knowing that Wang Baodong would just suffer some pain and wouldn’t be seriously injured, so he didn’t stop him. He just waited for the pain to pass and continued to press him.

Wang Baodong dared not hide anything anymore. He stammered, “Your mother said that when… when your wife’s reputation is ruined, you two will definitely divorce.

Then, if you don’t want to be called a slut, you have to marry me…” His voice got quieter and quieter as he spoke, afraid of being beaten again. He curled up into a ball, his head almost shrinking into his chest.

Lin Yue’s hand, holding a stone, was cracking with her grip.

She hadn’t expected Sun Hongmei to be so vicious. She could even come up with such a thing.

Zhang Yuandong seemed not surprised at all, easily accepting his mother’s deeds.

He remembered his mother’s darting eyes when he went to say goodbye that morning, and her eagerness to urge him to leave this afternoon. It turned out she had planned it all along.

He beckoned to Xiao Hou, who stepped forward, grabbed Wang Baodong’s hand, and played with it, twisting each finger in the opposite direction until Wang Baodong was in so much pain he couldn’t even beg for mercy. Then he asked with a smile, “Does it hurt? Oh, our Dongge is about to go back to the army, I wonder if some people will be restless when he’s not around! But don’t worry, I’m still in town, you can rest assured, I’ll come to see you often!”

Wang Baodong was sweating all over from the pain. He could only beg for mercy, saying he wouldn’t dare anymore.

Xiao Hou then smiled and straightened his fingers one by one. He patted his shoulder, making sure there were no major problems before letting go.

As soon as he let go, Wang Baodong fell to the ground, unable to get up.

The commotion was so loud, and it was the end of the workday, so many people had gathered to watch.

Seeing that it was Wang Baodong who was causing trouble, no one stepped forward, they just stood far away and watched.

The group didn’t pay attention to them, letting them watch the show from afar.

Zhang Yuandong asked Xiao Hou to “send” Wang Baodong back, while he rode the sidecar motorcycle, taking Lin Yue back home.

Back home, Zhang Yuandong followed Lin Yue into the inner room.

It was still raining outside, and they had been delayed on the road for so long that Lin Yue’s hair and clothes were basically soaked.

She wanted to change out of her wet clothes, but seeing the man following behind her, she sighed, “Aren’t you going back to the army? Why aren’t you leaving?” She had already noticed a change in Zhang Yuandong’s attitude towards her, but he was someone she might not see for years, so Lin Yue was too lazy to bother guessing his thoughts now.

Zhang Yuandong mumbled for a long time, but couldn’t get a single word out.

He was very confused right now. After investigating these past few days, he had almost uncovered his wife’s three years of experiences, and he had a general idea.

Her transformation was too drastic, not at all in line with the image of a woman who had only experienced rural life. He had suspected that she had been tempted by someone in these years and had gone astray, so he had applied to the army for an investigation.

But what had he seen just now? That stone was so familiar. He thought it was a dream, but now he had seen that person again.

Moreover, someone had secretly told him about the magical farmland in West Mountain. He didn’t believe it before, but now he believed it completely.

Zhang Yuandong’s heart was too agitated, and he blurted out, “You… are you a god?”

Lin Yue… She was startled. She couldn’t figure out why this man would suddenly say that.

She wanted to ask what he meant, but before she could, the man turned and ran! He actually ran! So, what did he mean by that? Had she revealed something, and he had recognized her?

This was too bad! If Zhang Yuandong really recognized her, shouldn’t there be a confession session today? But the man just left, dropping a depth charge on her and then running away!

She took the children back, ignoring the teasing of Zhang’s sisters-in-law, and went home in a daze, still stuck in her thoughts. She was destined to have a sleepless night.

On the other side, Zhang Yuandong, sitting in the sidecar motorcycle, was not as relaxed as Lin Yue thought.

He sorted through the things he had heard these past few days and easily came to a conclusion: the person who was rescued by Mrs. Su wasn’t his wife. His original wife probably died after giving birth to their children.

But this matter was too shocking, and he didn’t have the courage to face it directly.

He suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Although he had only spent three days with his wife, she had risked her life to bring him a pair of children. It was his mother who had driven a weak woman to her death, and it was also because he hadn’t thought enough for her and hadn’t taken good care of her.

As for Lin Yue, if she hadn’t appeared, when he returned home, he would have been greeted by the three corpses of his wife and children. Moreover, she had saved his life, and of course, there were the people in the village. Thanks to her care over the years, they had…

“That’s why Xiaoduan Village didn’t suffer as many deaths from starvation as other villages,” Lin Yue said, her voice filled with a sense of relief.

Zhang Yuandong’s heart suddenly tightened. He quickly said to Xiao Hou, who was driving, “Don’t investigate my wife’s matter anymore. I’ll withdraw the investigation application when I get back.

You don’t need to worry about things here anymore. Just help me take care of the family.”

Xiao Hou readily agreed, “Alright! I think your sister-in-law is a straightforward person, she doesn’t seem to have any problems.

Squad Leader, don’t believe the rumors in the village, someone is spreading them behind your back.” Xiao Hou thought about who was spreading the rumors and instantly shut his mouth.

Zhang Yuandong rubbed his forehead, thinking about his mother back home, and couldn’t help but feel some dark thoughts.

He asked Xiao Hou to turn the car around. Xiao Hou, bewildered, turned the steering wheel, wanting to ask, “Are we still going today?”

When Zhang Yuandong came out of his parents’ house again, Sun Hongmei stumbled out from behind, chasing after him.

Seeing that he had already gotten into the car and driven away, she sat down on the muddy ground, slapping her legs and wailing.

The rain intensified, drowning out most of the sound. Those who heard the commotion only peeked out, no one was willing to brave the rain to watch her show.

Zhang Xiaohui, holding an oil-paper umbrella, stood quietly at the corner, watching.

Calculating the timing was right, she quickly walked over and helped her up.

She had a good relationship with Sun Hongmei in these years and even acknowledged her as her godmother.

With her deliberate flattery, Zhang Shouren and Zhang Shouyi, the two brothers, also had a good impression of her, and Sun Hongmei treated her even better than her own daughter.

Seeing that it was Zhang Xiaohui who came over, Sun Hongmei felt even more wronged. She put all her weight on Zhang Xiaohui, crying and cursing about how unlucky she was to have given birth to a beast of a son.

Zhang Xiaohui didn’t have that much strength, and she also found Sun Hongmei too dirty, so she wasn’t sincerely trying to help.

Seeing that Sun Hongmei was deliberately clinging to her, she couldn’t dodge in time and fell down, taking Sun Hongmei with her, both of them covered in mud.

And her worries were just beginning. Soon, Liu Aihua came charging over, furiously demanding an explanation from Sun Hongmei.

Her son had been beaten so badly, how could she easily let it go? Seeing the two of them sitting on the ground, soaked to the bone, she directly went forward to beat them. She grabbed Sun Hongmei’s hair and beat and kicked her.

Liu Aihua was undefeated in Xiaoduan Village. Not to mention just Sun Hongmei and Zhang Xiaohui, even if two more people came, she wouldn’t be afraid.

Sun Hongmei was unable to fight back, pushing Zhang Xiaohui in front of her, trying to make her take some of the heat.

Zhang Xiaohui was caught in the crossfire, and Liu Aihua threw her to the ground, her head facing down, taking a mouthful of mud.

Sun Hongmei also took this opportunity to get up from the ground. Her hair was disheveled, and she cursed at Liu Aihua, “You crazy woman, are you possessed? What are you going crazy for at my place?”

Liu Aihua lowered her head and took a breath, then crossed her arms and cursed, “You shameless old woman, you’re a wicked person! You want to ruin your daughter-in-law’s reputation, put the blame on your son, no one can control you. Why did you harm my son? My son is now beaten so badly he can’t get out of bed, it’s all your fault! I’m going to tear your old skin off today!”

Sun Hongmei had just been scolded by Zhang Yuandong, and hearing Liu Aihua come for the same reason, she instantly became angry and retaliated without hesitation, “Pfft! What kind of good thing are you, Liu Aihua? What are you pretending to be ignorant about? Your son is like that, when he sees a pretty daughter-in-law, his eyes almost stick to her. You’re not proud of it? When I talked to your son about it, you didn’t care, did you? Now you come here pretending to be a good person!”

The two women, without a word, started fighting again.

Zhang Xiaohui, seeing the two women fighting, regretted coming here.

She picked up her crushed oil-paper umbrella and tried to sneak away, but Sun Hongmei didn’t want to let her go, urging her to help.

Zhang Xiaohui had a sudden idea, “Godmother, I’ll go find someone to help you!” She ran into Sun Hongmei’s house in a hurry.

As soon as she entered the door, she met Zhang Zhiwei’s eyes.

Zhang Zhiwei had been hiding behind the door, watching. Now that he was discovered, he awkwardly coughed twice, unable to hide anymore, and went out with his hands behind his back.

He didn’t dare to confront Liu Aihua directly, so he could only hug Sun Hongmei from behind and pull them apart.

Liu Aihua seized the opportunity and hit Sun Hongmei a few times. She didn’t spare Zhang Zhiwei either, scratching his face with several bloody streaks.

Zhang Zhiwei ignored the pain and dragged Sun Hongmei home.

Liu Aihua didn’t understand what it meant to stop when she was ahead. She stood with her arms crossed, blocking the way, threatening, “I’m telling you, Sun Hongmei, my son suffered so much, if you don’t pay, I’ll come here every day to make a scene!”

Sun Hongmei wanted to struggle again, but Zhang Zhiwei held her tightly. He asked timidly, “How much do you want?”

Liu Aihua opened her mouth wide, “At least thirty, you figure it out.”

Sun Hongmei immediately exploded, “You f*cking dare to ask for that? What kind of precious thing is your son? He gets beaten a few times and you dare to ask for thirty yuan? Are you crazy for money? Is his worthless life worth thirty yuan?”

Liu Aihua couldn’t stand anyone cursing her son, and immediately wanted to tear Sun Hongmei’s mouth off.

Zhang Zhiwei knew Liu Aihua’s temper. If she didn’t get her way today, she wouldn’t stop. He really didn’t want to lose face here, but he valued money more than his life, so he could only grit his teeth and bargain, “Thirty is too much, my family can’t afford that much, we can only give you ten.”

Liu Aihua wasn’t afraid of this honest man, and she wouldn’t budge.

Zhang Zhiwei looked down the alleys on both sides, seeing many people wearing raincoats hiding under the eaves, and some with white things on their heads, like fertilizer bags.

He was afraid that it was a village cadre, and he felt uncomfortable all over. He didn’t dare to stay here any longer and could only agree.

But in his heart, he was already thinking about how to deal with Sun Hongmei. In the following days, Sun Hongmei was indeed beaten so badly that she couldn’t get out of bed for several days.