Chapter 113: Public Trial

Lunch was quickly prepared, and Zhang Lan led her eldest daughter to invite everyone to the table.

In addition to the seafood brought by Zhang Weiguo, there were two large bowls of chicken on the table. The aroma filled the room, making everyone, who had been deprived of such indulgence for a long time, unable to help but salivate.

“Niece, we old folks won’t hold back today. It’s been a long time since we’ve had meat. Today, we’re going all out,” old Wu said with a wide grin, looking quite amusing. Zuo He picked up a piece of chicken and stuffed it into his mouth. “Grandpa Wu, take it easy. This chicken needs to be chewed. Be careful with your teeth, old man,” he said.

Lao Zhanshan chuckled as he patted his grandson.

“Young man, don’t underestimate your Grandpa Wu just because he’s getting old. My teeth are still in good shape. If you give me a whole pig, I can eat it all,” old Wu said, teasing Zuo He as he gnawed on the chicken.

Zhang Lan brought the simmered chicken soup to the old lady. “Auntie, have some soup to warm your stomach.”

The chicken soup, prepared by Zhang Lan, was fragrant but not greasy. She sprinkled some scallions and coriander on top. Hao Lianchun sipped the chicken soup, specially made for her, and couldn’t help but sigh. Was the old lady of the Wang family out of her mind? She had such a good daughter-in-law, but she didn’t get along with her and instead engaged in unethical behavior to harm others. If she had such a daughter-in-law, she would have been overjoyed. Even treating her own old lady like this, people would still speak highly of her.

“Great niece, come and have your meal. We’re all family here, so don’t be shy,” Old Wu said.

Zhang Lan nodded with a smile and joined the table. The seafood and meat on the table were enjoyed by everyone. Although there were many diners, it wasn’t like the situation with Wang Zhenhe’s two siblings, who couldn’t lift their heads from their plates when they saw something delicious. Everyone ate, but they also took care of each other. This was the difference between people.

Seeing the lively atmosphere at the dining table, Wang Qian thought of the wine she had brewed. Although it might not have fermented well, it would still make a good fruit juice.

“Grandpas, I’ll take out some fruit wine for you to try. I’m not sure how it turned out, but I’ll go and get some for you to taste,” she said.

Zhang Lan was worried that the children might have trouble bringing it over, so she also put down her bowl and went to help. Wang Qian had brewed a vat of wine in the yard. When she opened it and took a sniff, a strong aroma of wine wafted out.

Turning to Zhang Lan with a pleasantly surprised expression, she said, “Mom, the wine is ready. Try it.”

Zhang Lan scooped some with a ladle and tasted it. “Mmm, it’s delicious. Sweet with a kick of alcohol. Not bad at all. Daughter, your experiment is a success. I think they’ll love it,” she said.

Excitedly, the mother and daughter scooped some into a basin and brought it inside. Old Chen was the first to catch a whiff of the wine.

“Is this grape wine? Let me taste it first,” the old man said without hesitation as he scooped a bowlful and took a sip. Having spent time abroad, he was no stranger to foreign wines. Although Wang Qian’s grape wine might not compare to those, given the current conditions and level, it was already quite good.

Smacking his lips, Old Chen said, “Mmm, very tasty. Qianqian, this wine will get stronger after fermenting for a while. But it’s perfect now, and the children can also drink it. Everyone, come and taste this. This is the original, pure wild grape wine, exclusive to the Wang family.”

Old Chen immediately turned into a wine seller. Old Wu took a sip and said, “It’s not strong. Only you intellectuals can handle this stuff. I think I’ll stick to white wine.”

Lao Zhanshan took a sip of the grape wine and savored it slowly. “Old Wu, let me tell you, if you drink more of this, it might help with your leg. I think it’s good. Old lady, you should have some too. This is good stuff.”

Mingcheng and Mingyuan eagerly picked up small bowls and tasted the wine. “Mom, it’s delicious. We’ll drink this from now on. It’s sweet and tastes really good,” they said.

The old lady nodded in agreement. “It’s very tasty. Children, try it. This is pure fruit wine, no water added. It’s good for women too. Great niece, from now on, we’ll drink this.”

As everyone was eating, the loudspeaker on the mountain began to broadcast again: “Comrades, please be advised that there will be a trial meeting in the village courtyard at 1 p.m. this afternoon. Everyone must attend.”

After repeating the announcement three times, the broadcast resumed playing songs as usual.

Wang Qian didn’t quite understand the purpose of the meeting at this time. She glanced at the old lady and, not noticing anything unusual, asked, “Mom, what’s the trial meeting for?”

With patience, Zhang Lan explained to her curious daughter, “The trial meeting is for judging those who have broken the law. People who have committed murder, rape, robbery, or theft will be sentenced. So, you must remember not to break the law. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe. You’ll either be imprisoned or never see the sunrise again, or taste the delicious food I make for you.”

Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Lan used this moment to educate the children, and the elderly men nodded in agreement.

“Mom, we will definitely be obedient and never do anything illegal. When we grow up, we will catch the bad guys.”

Mingyuan added, “Yeah, especially those bad people like Xiaogu, Dagou, and Xiaoshu.”

The children’s words made the adults present feel heartbroken. The impact this family has had on the children is profound, allowing the little ones to remember such things.

Zuo He also nodded, “Yes, not only will we catch them, but we will also catch your grandmother, so she won’t bully our little sister. If we catch her, we won’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Several elderly people looked a bit embarrassed and glanced at Wang Zhenhe, fearing that the children’s frankness might make him uncomfortable.

However, Wang Zhenhe remained unfazed and picked up Zuo He, saying, “Yes, everyone is right. When you grow up and encounter such bad people, we will catch them all.”

Since Wang Zhenhe didn’t mind, the elderly men also acted as if nothing had happened, and everyone enjoyed a satisfying meal.

“Zhenhe, should we leave now?” Teng Yongfa walked in carrying a bag.

“Teng, what did your wife give you? The bag looks quite full,” Zhang Lan asked curiously, seeing the large bag he was carrying.

Teng Yongfa scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “Sister, my wife was worried I might feel cold, so she gave me several sets of winter coats, pants, underwear, and even two pairs of shoes. That’s why the bag looks so full.”

Zhang Lan quickly got up and brought out the bag prepared for her husband. Lao Teng went inside and took a look at Hao Lianchun. “Old lady, how are you feeling? Is everything okay?”

Hao Lianchun recognized the young man and, with a smile, said to Teng Yongfa, “Nephew, I really have to thank you for yesterday. If it weren’t for you, my old bones would have really fallen apart.”

After finishing the arrangements, Hao Lianchun called Wang Zhenhe over. “Zhenhe, this is the spare key to our house. If you can’t make it back to the city, you can stay at your aunt’s place for the night. There’s also some food at home, so you can cook for yourselves.”

Wang Zhenhe was initially hesitant to accept the key, but upon learning that it was a spare, he gladly took it. He planned to help the old lady tidy up when he had some free time, so that the house wouldn’t gather dust over time, making it inconvenient for the elderly to clean up.

After seeing off Wang Zhenhe, the family prepared to attend the trial meeting. As they stepped out of the house, they saw a truck slowly approaching on the main road, with a row of people standing on it, each with their heads down and a sign around their neck indicating their name and the nature of their crime. The truck’s loudspeaker was also playing propaganda slogans.

Many villagers were also heading towards the village for the meeting.

Old Zuo, the elderly man, stayed at home to take care of the old lady, while Old Wu and the others went with the women.

“Third Sister-in-law, wait for us,” Wang Juan led her three children to catch up. Wang Yu affectionately held Wang Xuan’s hand and said, “Little sister, what have you been busy with lately? You haven’t come to visit me.”

The two sisters were still close to their cousin.

“Cousin, we’ve been busy with family matters recently. Once we’re done, we’ll come and visit you,” the three sisters said as they walked hand in hand.

Wang Juan was pleased to see this. With only one daughter in the family, and the children not being close to their second sister’s daughter, and the third sister’s children being busy with the family since the division, now that the grain has been distributed and the house built, the children can play together.

Moreover, she thought the children of the third sister’s family were good, and she felt comfortable letting them play with intelligent people.

“Sister-in-law, why didn’t Big Brother come with you?” Zhang Lan casually asked.

“He was called over by his mother. I heard that Uncle is coming to give the old lady a good scolding. I don’t know what it’s about, but your big brother was called over. Since the incident last time, the old lady probably can’t control Zhenhe from your family. Your big brother was detained by her.

Alas, it’s just one trouble after another every day. I can’t be bothered to deal with it. Let them make a fuss and see who will have the last laugh.”

Wang Juan also harbored a lot of resentment towards her in-laws. In the past, with the support of her husband and the third son, they didn’t have many troubles. But now that the old lady had no one to support her, she had turned her attention to the eldest son.

Hearing her sister-in-law’s words, Zhang Lan could guess why Zhu Mancang had come. Those two were up to no good, and she couldn’t be bothered to deal with them. She didn’t think it was unfair for them to receive a beating.

Everyone arrived at the village courtyard, chatting and laughing along the way. A stage had been set up, and the venue was ready for the public trial.

More and more people gathered in the courtyard, and it seemed that almost everyone had arrived. A person in a green robe with a headband began to read out the crimes of the accused one by one. Over a dozen prisoners stood in a row on the stage, each with their heads down and a sign hanging around their necks. However, one person caught her attention because, unlike the others, he stood tall and looked straight ahead. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the sign around his neck indicated that he was a murderer.