Chapter 27

What?

Song Xingguo was arrested?

Song Chunzhi was stunned by the news. Her apricot eyes widened, and her face was full of shock. She grabbed Song Jiawang’s clothes and asked urgently, “What did you just say? Dad was arrested?”

“Yeah…”

Song Jiawang sniffled and nodded nervously at her. He had seen with his own eyes that Song Xingguo was taken away by the brigade’s officer with several others. Terrified, he had run straight home to get help. “Big sister, let’s go save Dad. He can’t get into trouble!”

“Save him?”

Once Song Chunzhi confirmed that Song Xingguo had been taken away, a wave of joy surged inside her. She hadn’t even had time to plot against him yet, and now he was already caught by the brigade. This was a huge stroke of luck.

As for Song Jiawang saying they should go save him, save what? If the brigade came for him, he must have done something serious. Even if Song Xingguo hadn’t been digging his own grave, she had planned to deal with him anyway. Now she didn’t even have to lift a finger.

“Come on, let’s go to the brigade office.”

Song Chunzhi quickly suppressed the excitement in her heart, locked her door, and called Song Jiawang to follow her to the brigade office. Of course, she wasn’t going to help Song Xingguo. She just wanted to witness his disgrace and find out what he had done.

Even though it wasn’t time to get off work, news spread fast and villagers came swarming in to watch the drama. The courtyard was surrounded in layers, with people craning their necks and wearing expressions of amusement and ridicule. They pointed at the brigade office with gossipy enthusiasm.

“Never thought Song Xingguo, who always acted honest and simple, would do something like this…”

“Honest and simple my foot. Haven’t you seen his wife’s bruised face? He’s just a bully at home…”

“Always cared about his reputation. Now he’s lost all dignity. I even saw his bare butt just now, all pale and flabby. It burned my eyes…”

As soon as Song Chunzhi approached, she felt the stares and mocking tones surrounding her. There was ridicule, sarcasm, contempt. She frowned and became even more curious about what exactly Song Xingguo had done.

Once she found out, she almost wanted to slap herself. Why had she been so curious? Wouldn’t it have been better to stay home and get some sleep?

Li Yufeng spotted Song Chunzhi and quickly pulled her aside by the arm. Her face was full of excitement, tinged with a bit of worry. “Oh dear, why did you come, girl? This kind of thing…”

She hesitated, then leaned closer to whisper in Song Chunzhi’s ear, “Your dad was caught in bed with that widow Hu from the village. Hu Xiaoya walked in on them, shouted loudly, and just as luck would have it, the brigade officer was passing by. They caught him in the room. He didn’t even have his underwear on…”

“Aiya…”

Li Yufeng slapped her own cheek as she spoke and let go of Song Chunzhi’s arm awkwardly. “Look at me, telling a young girl these things. Chunzhi, take my advice and go back home…”

Caught cheating in bed?

As Li Yufeng let go, Song Chunzhi’s mind filled in the blanks and her face froze. This was too much… She tried to recall anything like this from her past life, but no, she had no memory of such a thing. She had spent years as a ghost after her death, and never once had she found out that Song Xingguo was involved with the widow Hu.

“Comrade Liu, let me explain. I wasn’t fooling around. It was Song Xingguo who forced himself on me… Yes, he did it by force. When I refused, he beat me…”

The widow Hu was guarded by two village women and stood beside Song Xingguo before the brigade officer. The whole situation had made her uneasy. Her eyes shifted quickly, then she suddenly threw herself at Officer Liu’s feet, pointing at Song Xingguo and crying loudly.

The mood in the courtyard instantly changed. Disgusted glares turned to Song Xingguo, and people began talking all at once.

“I was wondering why she’d go for someone as useless as Song Xingguo. Turns out he forced her…”

“You actually believe that vixen? She’s always been trouble. They say her screams could be heard all the way from the yard. No way she wasn’t enjoying it…”

A woman in a gray shirt spat toward the widow Hu and made a face. “She’s disgusting.”

“Who knew Song Xingguo had it in him? I used to pity Zhao Wanmiao for always getting beaten. Now it looks like he was getting his fun somewhere else…”

Song Xingguo stood there with a lifeless expression. He couldn’t figure out how he had been caught so precisely. When he heard the widow Hu suddenly accuse him, he looked up at her in disbelief. She was kneeling by Officer Liu’s feet, begging and crying. The crowd’s harsh gossip made his face turn red, then white. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and started cursing.

“Hu Xiaomi, stop spouting nonsense! You’re the one who seduced me, rolling in the sheets with me, and now you’re saying I forced you? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs? Don’t forget, I gave you two yuan every month, and even your undergarments were bought with my money!”

The moment those words came out, the crowd exploded. People began cursing and pointing fingers at Song Xingguo and the widow Hu, picking up small stones from the ground and throwing them at them. These two shameless people had completely disgraced the village.

“Hu Xiaomi, you slut! How dare you hook up with my man? I’ll beat you to death!”

Zhao Wanmiao, who had been standing off to the side with a dark expression, suddenly rushed at the widow Hu with hatred in her eyes. She had suspected something was wrong when she saw red fabric at home the other day, and then it disappeared. Turns out Song Xingguo gave it to that bitch. Without hesitation, she began clawing at Hu’s face and pulling her hair.

Song Chunhua had come with Zhao Wanmiao and now stood shrunken by the wall. Facing the villagers’ scornful and mocking stares, she wished she could disappear into the ground. Her downcast eyes were full of resentment. Her mother had just been released for dabbling in superstition, and now her father had gotten caught cheating. How was she supposed to live like this?

Although Song Jiawang was still young, at fourteen he understood what “cheating” meant. His face, still wet with tears, was now flushed with embarrassment. He couldn’t even lift his head. How could his father do such a thing? It was utterly shameful.

Song Chunzhi, who had been pushed forward by the crowd, stood with a cold expression on her face as she looked at the humiliated Song Xingguo. Her heart was full of satisfaction. In this era, being caught cheating was a serious matter. There was no way Song Xingguo would be allowed back home. She hadn’t even needed to lift a finger; he had ruined himself.

“Separate them already!”

When the widow Hu threw herself forward, Officer Liu had instinctively stepped back. Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, he quickly ordered the people nearby to pull Zhao Wanmiao off Hu. His brows were furrowed in frustration. Why did he have to be the one to stumble into this mess? He wasn’t even married yet.

“Enough shouting! Shut your mouths!”

Song Qingde walked into the brigade courtyard with a dark expression. The villagers at the entrance stepped aside to make way. He glanced around the chaotic courtyard and shouted sternly. When he saw Song Xingguo still eyeing the widow Hu, his fury exploded. He strode over and kicked Song Xingguo to the ground.

“You damn fool! I was wondering why you skipped work today. Turns out you were stirring up trouble!”

“Dad, calm down…”

Song Xinhua hurried in behind him and, seeing how red and angry his father looked, quickly handed him an open water bottle. It wouldn’t be worth it if he worked himself into a stroke. Then he turned and kicked Song Xingguo a couple of times himself.

What a troublesome man…

Last time, their father had been busy for days cleaning up their mess. And now, right after Song Chunzhi’s commendation had helped smooth over the superstitious incident, another disaster had blown up.

“Uncle Qingde.”

Officer Liu looked at Song Qingde as if he had seen a savior. He wanted nothing to do with this kind of scandal. If the word got out, it would scare off any potential wives. He quickly stepped aside and handed over the situation to Song Qingde, then explained what had happened as briefly as possible.

“The wheat harvest is urgent, and you people don’t even show up for work. Fooling around in broad daylight at home. Do you even have any shame?”

Song Qingde’s face was dark as coal. He glared at Song Xingguo while scolding him harshly. When he saw Song Chunzhi standing at the front of the crowd, his heart burned with even more anger. How had such a good child ended up with parents like these?

“Chief, you’ve got to stand up for me! Song Xingguo forced…”

The widow Hu tried to repeat her claim, but the women restraining her quickly covered her mouth. They had gone with Officer Liu to catch the two in the act and knew the truth well.

“Chief, Song Xingguo and the widow were caught in bed. It’s true! They were cheating. They must be punished severely.”

“That’s right. I heard in other brigades, people who mess around like that get sent to the Public Security Bureau and locked up…”

“They deserve it. He’s got a wife at home and still went out to fool around. Absolutely disgusting.”

Song Qingde raised his hand to quiet the villagers. His sharp eyes locked onto Song Xingguo and the widow Hu as he asked grimly, “Do either of you have anything to say?”

“Chief, I was forced… I…”

The widow Hu had just shaken off the women holding her and started to speak when she caught Song Xingguo’s vicious glare. His expression was menacing. This bitch dared to claim he had forced her? She and her daughter had been in a bad place, and without him, she wouldn’t have lived so comfortably these past years.

“I have nothing to say, Chief. It was just this one time. Please forgive me. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Song Xingguo gave the widow a warning glance, then turned to face Song Qingde’s scowling face with a submissive tone. He could live with people gossiping or losing work points, as long as he didn’t end up in real trouble.

“You wish. What you did is not something I can just forgive.”

Song Qingde’s temple pulsed with anger. He pointed at Song Xingguo and shouted, “You didn’t think of the consequences when you were fooling around? Don’t pretend to be pitiful now. You know full well what our village’s rules are.”

“In Xishan Village, relationships between men and women are strictly monitored. Cheating like this is not only punished, it is punished severely to serve as a warning to others. If you have time for this kind of nonsense, then you have time to work in the fields.”

Li Shanhong stood silently in the crowd, watching the scene unfold in the brigade courtyard. Song Qingde’s words struck her deeply.

“Chief! Something’s wrong… Hu Xiaoya just jumped into the river!”