Chapter 11 – The Female Supporting Character in the Confession Book

Wen Xin didn’t try to comfort Gei Wei. In moments like this, comfort wasn’t necessarily what Gei Wei needed. 

Instead, Wen Xin went to the east room and called Zhang Xiuying over.

Zhang Xiuying had already heard about a girl coming home with Wen Xin. 

Assuming the girl was one of Wen Xin’s colleagues, she had prepared a cup of egg tea with brown sugar to bring over.

The moment she stepped into the room, Zhang Xiuying froze. She looked at Gei Wei, wearing Wen Xin’s clothes with her hair in disarray, then at her own daughter. Her voice trembled as she asked: “Xin Xin, what happened?”

Wen Xin handed the egg tea to Gei Wei, then pulled Zhang Xiuying aside to explain in a low voice. 

As Wen Xin recounted the events, Zhang Xiuying’s face grew pale with fear. Before Wen Xin had even finished speaking, Zhang Xiuying’s hand landed hard on her back. “You reckless child, you reckless child!” she scolded.

But she couldn’t bring herself to say more. 

What could she even say? 

Should she tell her daughter to stand by and watch when such things happen? 

Or to be cautious and call for help instead? 

In situations like this, hesitation could cost a woman her entire future.

Turning to Gei Wei, Zhang Xiuying said firmly: “Don’t worry, young lady. Our Wen family are good people. You can rest easy in Xin Xin’s room. I’ll talk to your Uncle Wen about this and arrange for you to get home safely. It’s so late; your family must be worried.”

Gei Wei, holding the warm egg tea, murmured her thanks.

Wen Xin took some red medicine from the cabinet and wrapped a small bit of cotton around a wooden stick. Gently, she began cleaning the wounds on Gei Wei’s face.

As Wen Xin looked at Gei Wei, memories of the original Wen Xin surfaced.

The original Wen Xin’s fate had been worse. Her ordeal had taken place during the daytime, when the village was busy with farming. 

The fields and hillsides were full of people. Earlier that year, the Wen family had adopted a pig. 

Running low on pig feed, the family, worn out from working long hours in the fields, had been too exhausted to gather more.  

Out of compassion for her family, the original Wen Xin decided to collect pig feed herself, thinking it would be safe with so many people around. 

She hadn’t expected Lin Laizi to be so bold, knocking her unconscious and dragging her into a dried-up riverbed.

By the time she woke up, it was too late. 

Lin Laizi had violated her. 

He stuffed a towel into her mouth, preventing her from even calling for help.

Wen Xin wondered, ‘If someone had been there to hear her cries and rush to her aid back then, would the original owner have suffered a little less?’

“Wen Xin, thank you for today.” Gei Wei’s voice broke into her thoughts.

Snapping back to the present, Wen Xin shook her head. “There’s no need to thank me. Anyone would have done the same in that situation.”

Gei Wei hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “Not everyone would. Before you came, another girl passed by. She heard my cries but ran away without a word. I don’t blame her. It’s normal for a girl to be too scared to intervene in something like that.”

Wen Xin nodded. “Anywhere else you’re hurt?”

Gei Wei, having been dragged into the woods by Lin Laizi, had abrasions on her back and legs. The dried blood had formed dark brown scabs. 

As Wen Xin applied the red medicine, Gei Wei winced, baring her teeth in pain. Zhang Xiuying, unable to watch, returned to her room and told Wen Yuejun about what had happened.

Wen Yuejun, who had been a fiercely just-man in his younger years, couldn’t stay still after hearing such news. 

Moreover, knowing his daughter walked the same road every day, he couldn’t let Lin Laizi escape. If the man got away, what if next time he targeted Wen Xin? 

The thought festered, and Wen Yuejun couldn’t sit any longer. He slid on his shoes and got out of bed. “I’m taking our eldest and second son with me to handle that beast. You and Xin Xin take the girl home. After something like this, she probably doesn’t want to see too many people.”

Zhang Xiuying, recognizing his reasoning, said: “Be careful out there. It’s pitch dark—take a flashlight.”

“Got it.”

Wen Yuejun called his two sons, and the three men headed out. 

—-

Meanwhile, Wen Xin finished tending to Gei Wei’s injuries.

Zhang Xiuying, after instructing her daughters-in-law about her absence, grabbed a flashlight and joined the two young women. Together, they started walking toward the town.

On a bicycle, the trip would’ve taken twenty to thirty minutes. On foot, it usually required over fifty. But in the quiet of the night, their quickened pace shortened the journey to just over forty minutes, and little was said during the trek.

When they reached the town, Gei Wei led them to her home. 

Gei Wei’s parents had been frantic. 

Their daughter had left in the afternoon and still hadn’t returned by nightfall. Time dragged on, and as the hours grew late, they had called the nearby military unit, reaching Gei Wei’s Big Brother. 

Upon learning of her disappearance, he panicked, gathered a few close friends, and set out for home.

—-

Back at the house, Gei Wei’s parents paced in worry. They debated searching themselves but feared missing their daughter’s return. 

Too anxious to inform their neighbors, they kept their concerns private, afraid the situation might spiral out of control.

Unable to wait any longer, Gei Wei’s father grabbed a flashlight and stepped outside. At the gate, he ran into Gei Wei and the women of the Wen family. 

Hearing the commotion, Gei Wei’s mother rushed out. 

The sight of her daughter, dressed in borrowed clothes and bearing visible injuries, confirmed her worst fears. 

Tears instantly streamed down her face.

The moment Gei Wei saw her mother, all the fear and anguish she had held back came flooding out. 

She threw herself into her mother’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably as they clung to each other, crying together.

Gei Wei’s father, like most fathers of that era, was a man of few words. With his hands clasped behind his back and a stern expression on his face, he stood silently for a long while. 

Seeing that his wife and daughter were still crying, he finally walked over to Wen Xin and Zhang Xiuying. “Comrades, thank you for bringing my daughter back.”

His formal gratitude left Zhang Xiuying, a modest rural woman, a bit flustered. She waved her hands quickly, saying: “No need, no need.”

By then, Gei Wei had finished crying. She walked over to Wen Xin, holding her hand, and said to her parents: “Mom, Dad, it was Wen Xin who saved me. If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have been able to see me again.”

Gei Wei’s mother joined in expressing her gratitude to the two women. 

Zhang Xiuying dismissed their thanks once more and then turned to Gei Wei’s parents. “That beast is being watched by my husband and sons. Would you like to go over there?”

Hearing that the perpetrator hadn’t escaped but was instead being restrained, Gei Wei’s father’s face darkened further. “Yes, I’ll go. Please, lead the way.”

“It’s no trouble at all.” Zhang Xiuying replied. “Let’s go; it’s getting late.”

Gei Wei was not in any condition to go. 

After such an ordeal, her mother wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone at home. She expressed her thanks to Wen Xin and Zhang Xiuying again before urging her husband to deal with the culprit harshly.

As the group made their way to the yard, Gei Wei’s elder brother, Ge Fu, returned with several men. 

Gei Wei’s father pulled him aside and explained what had happened in hushed tones. 

Hearing the story, Ge Fu and the other soldiers clenched their fists in anger.

Among the group were three soldiers, including Ge Fu. Noticing that Wen Xin and her mother might feel uneasy in their presence, Ge Fu stepped forward to introduce himself. “Auntie, little sister, we’re from the nearby military camp. I’m Ge Fu, and these are my comrades—Zhu Dazhi and Gu Xiuping.”

During that time, people generally had a natural sense of trust and goodwill toward soldiers. Zhang Xiuying nodded politely to the men, showing her appreciation, while Wen Xin’s gaze lingered briefly on Gu Xiuping. Noticing her glance, Gu Xiuping smiled back. His peach-blossom-shaped eyes curved into crescent moons, sparkling like stars reflected in water.

The group, now larger, marched toward the grove where Lin Laizi had attacked Gei Wei. 

Wen Xin and Zhang Xiuying led the way, while the men stayed behind to cover the rear. Zhu Dazhi and Gu Xiuping walked side by side. Zhu elbowed Gu playfully and whispered: “Hey, Old Gu, isn’t that the girl we saw that day when we had dinner with Captain Lin from the 254th regiment? This is the second time we’ve run into her, huh? What a coincidence!”

Gu Xiuping clicked his tongue and pushed Zhu away lightly. “Coincidence, my foot. Don’t go spreading rumors and ruining the girl’s reputation. Stay out of my way.”

Despite his words, Gu Xiuping quickened his pace, stepping ahead. As he walked, he smirked internally. ‘This is actually the third time I’ve met her. That makes it my fate, not ‘we’, Old Zhu. What does this have to do with you?’