Chapter 1: Seduction or Rape

“You wretched girl, even if you’ve fainted, you’d better wake up for me!”

A shriek as ferocious as a she-wolf’s pierced her eardrums, and Jingxi felt her befuddled brain suddenly jolted awake by the harsh cry.

She gently shook her head, and in her dazed state, she was all too aware of the throbbing pain that seemed to envelop her entire body.

Before she could fully regain her composure, however, she was abruptly drenched in icy cold water, leaving her shivering and numb to the bone.

As she struggled to open her eyes, she took a while to adjust to the winter light, which, though piercing, brought little warmth.

She found herself surrounded by a crowd of people, both men and women, young and old, while she was bound to a wooden stake.

Her tattered and worn-out cloak was now saturated, leaving her feeling bitterly cold.

Just as she was about to speak up and ask what had happened, a robust and menacing woman stepped forward, wielding a large bucket of water.

“You worthless creature, don’t you ever stop to consider whose husband you’re trying to seduce? We’ve taken you in, an orphan with no parents to speak of, and given you food and shelter. And this is how you repay us? By seducing my husband, of all people! You’re as ungrateful as can be!”

“Everybody, let’s set the record straight! This vixen has brought shame to my household! She’s got no shame, seducing a man who’s nearly fifty years old!”

The woman’s tirade ended with a resounding slap to Jingxi’s face, which left her reeling, as if her very skull had been flayed.

The murmurs of the crowd around her were unanimous in their condemnation, criticizing her for her lack of integrity and her audacity in seducing someone else’s husband.

Some even bemoaned the fact that the villagers had taken her in and provided for her all these years, only for her to betray their trust so callously.

Jingxi remained silent for a long while, slowly piecing together the events that had transpired.

It dawned on her that she had, in fact, transmigrated.

Her entire being, her very soul, had been transported back to the year 1984.

The body she now occupied belonged to a girl named Jingxi, a seventeen-year-old orphan living in a small village in northern China.

As the villagers continued to gossip and slander her, Jingxi quickly rummaged through the memories of her host, attempting to make sense of the situation.

It transpired that the original Jingxi had not, in fact, attempted to seduce the woman’s husband. Rather, the husband had tried to force himself on her, and when his infidelity was discovered, he had shifted the blame onto her, tarnishing her reputation in the process.

The original Jingxi, mute and helpless, had been unable to defend herself against the false accusations, and the shame and anger had ultimately led to her untimely demise.

And now, it seemed, fate had brought Jingxi, a vengeful spirit from her past life, to this new reality, perhaps to avenge the wrongs done to her host.

Just as Jingxi was about to speak up, the woman stormed forward once more, her bloated face inches from hers.

Jingxi thought to herself that this woman seemed to be rather well-off, judging by her plump, well-fed appearance.

“You little hussy, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you admitting to your guilt?” the woman sneered.

Jingxi turned her head away, avoiding the woman’s spittle, cleared her throat, and began to speak in a calm, measured tone, “Aunt Zhang, what do you want me to say? Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”

“Could I ever stoop to such base and vile behavior?”

“You didn’t even bother to ask me anything, and yet you tied me up here. Do you know the full story behind this? Is it possible that I’m the victim, not the perpetrator?”

“Furthermore, Uncle Zhang, are you dare to swear to the heavens, to your ancestors, and to the future of your son, that I, Jingxi, was the one who tried to seduce you, and not the other way around? That you didn’t attempt to rape me?”

As Jingxi spoke, her voice trembled with each sentence. Despite the cold weather and her wet clothes, she mustered all her strength to speak out.

Her voice may not have been loud, but her tone was unwavering and firm. As she finished speaking, she locked eyes with Zhang, and for a moment, she saw him flinch. Zhang’s wife also turned to look at him, and the crowd fell silent, their faces a picture of shock and surprise.

No one had expected the situation to take such a dramatic turn. The fact that Jingxi, usually timid and soft-spoken, could utter such bold words was astonishing.

Just moments before, she had been so frightened that she had fainted. Was it all an act?

“Old Zhang, speak up! What’s going on here? Is what Jingxi saying true?” someone asked, as Zhang’s wife tugged on his sleeve.

With all eyes on him, Zhang felt the pressure mounting. Jingxi could sense his brain racing, struggling to come up with a response. She sneered, waiting for him to speak.

“I…I didn’t!” Zhang spluttered, his face reddening.

Jingxi’s words had caught him off guard. He hadn’t expected the usually tongue-tied and timid girl to speak out so eloquently, accusing him of rape.

Zhang’s face turned ugly, his eyes blazing with anger. “You’re lying! I’m an old man, and I would never have any designs on you, a young girl. You must have been the one who seduced me. I was just taking a nap at home, and you came in, undressed, and tried to seduce me!”

The crowd gasped again at Zhang’s outrageous claim. A seventeen-year-old girl seducing a man almost fifty years old? It was preposterous.

Just as Jingxi was about to respond, a commotion outside interrupted the scene. Someone had called for the village leader to come and intervene.

Jingxi looked up to see four or five village officials arriving at the scene. The crowd parted to make way for them.

“What’s going on here? Why is someone tied up in the middle of winter, and why are their clothes all wet? Release them immediately!” the village leader demanded.

The crowd hesitated, unsure of what to do. The village leader’s words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

“Ah, I suppose I have to do everything myself. Whoever tied her up, untie her now!”

The crowd still didn’t move, and it wasn’t until two young men, Wu Dazhuang, the village’s notorious troublemaker, and his companion, jumped down from the wall and began to untie Jingxi that the situation began to resolve.

Jingxi recognized Wu Dazhuang, known for his mischievous behavior and penchant for causing trouble. It was fitting that he was the one who had tied her up.

As the ropes were removed, Jingxi collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Her wet clothes had frozen stiff in the cold, and her lips had turned purple. She sat on the ground, hugging her arms and shivering uncontrollably.

“Take her inside at once! If she dies from the cold, who will be responsible?” the village leader exclaimed, but still, no one moved.

Finally, it was Old Zhang’s neighbor, Wang Aunt, who came to help Jingxi up.

Jingxi thanked her, surprised that Wang Aunt, who was normally quiet and unassuming, would take the initiative to help her.

“Little Jing, come to my house for now. The village leader is here, and he’ll make sure you get justice,” Wang Aunt whispered in Jingxi’s ear.

Jingxi thanked her with a glance, but she knew this matter couldn’t be dropped. “Thank you, Wang Aunt, I appreciate your kindness, but this matter can’t be left like this. Village Leader, you’ve arrived just in time. Do you know the circumstances surrounding this incident?”

Everyone turned to look at Jingxi, surprised that she would want to pursue the matter despite her obvious distress.

Village Leader Xie looked at Jingxi, “I’ve been informed about the situation on my way here. Tell me, Jingxi, what’s your side of the story?”

Jingxi understood that Xie had likely only heard the negative rumors about her. But before she could speak, Zhang Strong rushed forward and knelt at Xie’s feet.

“Village Leader, you must give me justice! Jingxi is slandering me, saying I raped her! I’m an old man, and I wouldn’t do such a thing!”

Zhang Strong began to wail and cry, playing the victim. Several people had to restrain him.

“Old Zhang, speak properly! This is not the time for kneeling and crying. If you’re truly innocent, we’ll clear your name,” Xie said.

Jingxi looked at Zhang Strong’s hypocritical expression and then at his wife, who seemed worried and angry.

The drama was enough to keep anyone worried for a long time.

Eventually, the group entered Old Zhang’s house, as the cold wind and rain made it unbearable for Jingxi to stand outside.

After leaning against the warm stove for a while, Jingxi finally spoke up, her voice still weak.

“Village Leader, let’s do this. Uncle Zhang says I’m slandering him, so let him tell the story again, detail by detail. What did I do to seduce him?”

Jingxi was unfazed, knowing that she had done nothing wrong.

“Old Zhang, since Jingxi has spoken, it’s your turn. Tell us the whole story, from start to finish,” Xie said.

Zhang Strong’s son, Zhang Jianjun, also chimed in, “Yes, tell us, Father. Tell the village leader everything you told me.”

Jingxi glanced at Zhang Jianjun, noticing that he seemed strange, and she suspected that he might be involved in the incident.

Zhang Strong thought for a moment before speaking, “After lunch, I felt tired and decided to take a nap. My wife had gone out to visit relatives, and Jianjun was out too. The house was empty, so I lay down on the bed. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard someone calling me from outside. I got up and saw that it was Jingxi, carrying a basket of potatoes. She said she had brought them for us. I told her to leave them on the floor and went back to sleep. But she didn’t leave. She said she was cold and wanted to chat with me for a bit before leaving. I didn’t think much of it and let her in. At first, she asked about my wife and how she was doing, but then she started talking about other things. She said she was hot and began to undress… and then she came over to me and said…”

“What did she say?”

Zhang Strong glanced at Village Leader Xie, “She said she wanted to be my concubine, as long as I bought her a few pounds of meat every month.”

“Then I was foolish, and I don’t know if she used some kind of trick or gave me a love potion, but I don’t remember anything that happened after that. Later, my wife and son came back, and they saw us… on the bed… Village Leader, I swear I’m innocent, I didn’t know what was happening, it was all Jingxi’s doing, she must have given me a love potion!”

As soon as Zhang Strong finished speaking, his wife picked up a broom and tried to hit Jingxi, cursing her and calling her a seductress.

However, before she could reach Jingxi, the village secretary intervened, “Zhang Aunt, calm down! Let’s finish the questioning first!”

Jingxi listened to Zhang Strong’s story and couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

She warmed her hands by the stove and felt a bit better.

Village Leader Xie turned to her, “Jingxi, do you have any questions?”

Jingxi looked up at him, “Yes, Village Leader, I do.”

“I have three questions for Zhang Strong. If he can answer all of them, I’ll admit to seducing him, and I’ll accept any punishment, including being expelled from the village or sent to the authorities. I won’t say a word.”

“Only three questions?” Xie asked.

“Yes, just three!”

“Very well, ask your questions!”

Jingxi looked up, “First, Zhang Strong, your front door is always locked from the inside. How did I get into your house and talk to you? Did you pull me inside by force?”

“Second, you said I took off my clothes and seduced you, leaving only a bellyband. What color was my bellyband?”

“Third, I did bring potatoes to your house, but it was your son, Zhang Jianjun, who asked me to help him deliver them. Did you know about this?”

Jingxi’s three questions left Zhang Strong stunned.

In reality, Jingxi only needed to ask the first question to prove her innocence.

Before she could say anything else, Zhang’s wife began to murmur to herself, “That’s right, I remember you locking the door before you went to sleep. How did Jingxi get into the house to deliver the potatoes?”

Zhang Jianjun’s eyes widened, and his mother turned to him, confused, “Jianjun, you asked Jingxi to deliver the potatoes, but why did you pretend you didn’t know anything about it? Were you and your father trying to ruin Jingxi’s reputation?”

Jingxi looked at Zhang Jianjun, “You told me to deliver the potatoes at 1:30 pm and promised to give me 20 cents. Why are you denying it now?”

Zhang Jianjun scratched his head, unable to respond.

Village Leader Xie urged Zhang Strong to answer Jingxi’s questions.

After a while, Zhang Strong finally answered the second question, “The door might not have been locked… and the bellyband was red with a small phoenix pattern.”