Liu Guifa was completely silenced.
Only then did Xiuyun's niang let out a long sigh of relief. Her legs went weak, and she slumped onto a stool, holding onto the table and panting heavily.
She understood her man's temper best—stubborn and unyielding. Once he set his mind on something, eight bulls couldn't pull him back. When his stubbornness flared up, the whole village couldn't hold him back.
Thanks to the director's wife, she was truly different.
If it weren't for the director's wife being here, her guinv would have lost two lives today. It was truly a stroke of immense luck.
Xiuyun's niang wished she could kowtow to Lin Lan, burn paper money and offer incense, and enshrine her like a Bodhisattva.
These past few days, she had secretly offered incense at the ancestral graves, prayed to the Bodhisattva and the Earth God, and even prayed to the Yellow Weasel Immortal. In the end, it was Lin Lan who was effective.
She subconsciously muttered in her heart, "Director's xifu, please protect us!"
Lin Lan suddenly felt a jolt in her spirit. Oh my, was I too shrewish and got possessed?
She subconsciously glanced at Xiuyun's niang. The two exchanged a look, and Xiuyun's niang, as devout as a believer, smiled at Lin Lan with a somewhat infatuated expression.
If Lin Lan wasn't mistaken, she even clasped her hands together and bowed toward her.
Lin Lan: "!!!"
Dong Huaihua said: "Brother Guifa, enough is enough. Things have already come to this, and you start hitting her first. Isn't this handing them leverage? It's all that bastard's fault. If we catch him, we must break his legs so he can't run again!"
Liu Guifa squatted on the ground, pulling his hair, not saying a word.
He was fierce and aggressive just now, but now he wasn't jumping in rage insisting on beating that bastard.
After all, his guinv doing this shameful thing wasn't forced by someone else; it was voluntary.
At this time, Xiuyun's two saozi returned.
Xiuyun's ersao complained in the courtyard, "It's so shameful, the whole brigade is losing face with us. How can we go out in the future? I don't even need to go back to my niangjia anymore."
Dong Huaihua said: "What nonsense are you spouting? Are we a family or not?"
"If we're a family, why are they dragging us down? She even took my booklet for the checkup. What sin did I commit?" Xiuyun's ersao was still unsatisfied.
What a good xiaogu. She looked proper and honest normally, who would have thought she had this trick up her sleeve.
Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover. The more honest they look, the more terrifying they are when they act slutty.
Xiuyun's dasao said: "Stop saying that. We were living perfectly fine, why did it turn out like this? Now that something has happened, let's think of a solution first."
"What solution?" Ersao looked as if her own reputation had been ruined, hating it to death.
Xiuyun's dasao didn't want to say much more either.
Ersao was still saying they should quickly catch the adulterer and couldn't just let it go.
Dong Huaihua said: "What adulterer or no adulterer? You are Xiuyun's saozi, why are your words so ugly? Xiuyun and Zhiqing Chen are mutually in love. Your die and niang agreed long ago, and they are even engaged."
She gave Xiuyun's niang a meaningful look.
Xiuyun's niang immediately understood and went to take out a red chiffon scarf she had found in her guinv's bag.
Dong Huaihua snatched it. "This is a token of love, a betrothal gift. Anyway, he's going to settle in Shanzucun. A zhiqing doesn't need any dowry..."
"What? He's marrying into our family? Then what are we here for? We have our own sons and grandsons, who needs a live-in son-in-law? Who are you calling a family without an heir?" Xiuyun's ersao disagreed again.
"What are you yelling about? Who said he's marrying into the family? Zhiqing Chen is just settling in our brigade. After getting married, they'll also live in our brigade, and of course, they'll be a separate family from you. His surname is Chen, your family's surname is Liu!"
Only then did Xiuyun's ersao stop talking, but she was still unconvinced.
Lin Lan said: "It's fine now, we'll be leaving first." She didn't want to get involved in other people's family affairs. Her own family still had a mess to deal with, with her popo and xiaogu glaring like tigers watching their prey every day.
Day after day, her heart was about to give out. She'd better go home, find the children for comfort, and cleanse her heart and ears.
She whispered to Xiuyun's niang: "Watch her closely, don't leave her side for a step, don't let her do anything foolish."
Xiuyun's niang immediately nodded. "Okay!"
Lin Lan glanced at Liu Xiuyun. Sometimes, what's terrifying isn't the pointing and gossiping of others, but the cold stares of one's own family.
If Xiuyun's ersao kept acting like this, Xiuyun would have a deep sense of guilt. Coupled with the blow from Zhiqing Chen, she was truly afraid Liu Xiuyun didn't have that strong of an ability to withstand pressure.
She said to Liu Xiuyun: "Xiuyun, whether you like hearing it or not, shenzi will give you a piece of advice. It's no big deal. It's just that the times are backward now, and everyone can't stand it. In a few years, maybe people all over the country will yearn for free love just like you. However, the price of free love is that the chance of meeting a bastard man is also greater. You still need your die and niang to help you keep an eye out."
Although Liu Xiuyun had no reaction, her eyes moved, clearly having heard it.
Lin Lan added: "A bastard man like this is simply scum. Any woman marrying him is an insult to women. Being deceived by him is not your fault; it's because our propaganda and education are too lacking, and you didn't see clearly the true faces of these scumbags. In the future, our brigade's propaganda and education must keep up. The director and I will do more propaganda, and you should think about it carefully too."
Lin Lan then took her leave.
Reaching the courtyard, she glanced at Xiuyun's ersao and said: "You are Xiuyun's ersao. Your relationship was good before, and Xiuyun respected you very much. Now that she's encountered difficulties, you should also think of ways to overcome the difficulties together. Don't just think about being implicated or whatever. As long as you act upright and sit straight, no one can implicate you. On the contrary, when encountering problems, giving your own family cold stares is what truly chills the heart, even more hateful than the pointing and gossiping of outsiders."
Although Xiuyun's ersao was unconvinced, Lin Lan was an elder, and she had to call her shenzi. Moreover, Lin Lan's man was the director of the public security bureau, so she didn't dare to say anything.
She could only suppress her anger and endure it. "... Shenzi, what you say is right."
Dong Huaihua immediately said: "Don't just say it with your mouth while being unconvinced in your heart. Your shenzi is saying this for your own good. What kind of person is she? She's very busy every day. She didn't have a good opportunity to go to school before, and now she's working while learning from the children. Soon she'll take the lead in organizing the commune members to learn physiological hygiene. You all actively cooperate, don't be backward elements."
Although she wasn't as devout as Xiuyun's niang, she also admired Lin Lan to the utmost.
That was Liu Guifa! A stubborn donkey who, when angry, even the party secretary couldn't hold back, yet Lin Lan managed to scold him into submission.
When they went out, they saw Zhao Guilian still wandering outside, peeking around.
Dong Huaihua scolded angrily: "Don't you need to go to work! What are you doing staring at other people's houses all day?"
Zhao Guilian immediately pulled her head back.
With all this fuss, it was already noon. The two went their separate ways home to cook.
After eating, Dong Huaihua came to call Lin Lan to a meeting to discuss the matter of Liu Xiuyun and Zhiqing Chen.
Lin Lan said: "What's there to discuss? Even if she's pregnant out of wedlock, they just need to get married."
Treating other people's private matters as serious business to discuss in a general meeting was truly somewhat exasperating, and she wasn't interested. But this was the characteristic of the times, and there was no helping it. Who told Han Yonglu to hold onto it and not let go?
At the meeting, Han Yonglu was truly incredibly excited, as if he had caught a vixen of the caliber of Su Daji, who brought disaster to the country and the people, talking endlessly.
It seemed that if they didn't hold a meeting to struggle against Liu Xiuyun, Shanzucun's reputation would be completely ruined, and the whole village wouldn't be able to go out or hold their heads up in the future.
While he was inciting like this at the meeting, outside, Zhao Guixiang and Zhao Guilian also gathered a large group of middle-aged and elderly women, shouting continuously at the brigade's threshing floor.
These women inherently loved excitement and gossip, believing whatever they heard. They had no judgment of their own, following whatever others said, brainless and easily agitated, able to be ignited by a single spark.
As a result, over a dozen women ran toward Liu Xiuyun's house, cursing and spreading rumors outside the Liu family's door. Some excited ones even picked up stones and threw them at the Liu house.
"Broken shoe, ruining our reputation, you've made the whole village lose face!"
Among them were a few whose reputations were truly terrible, such as Yu Mazi and others, who liked to steal, stir up trouble, and sow discord.
Now that they finally found an opportunity to trample on someone else, they naturally exerted all their effort, determined to trample Liu Xiuyun until she stank even more than them!
It would be best to cast her into the eighteenth level of hell, never to rise again!
After all, they believed that whether it was stealing, sowing discord, or committing other mistakes, none of it was as despicable as getting pregnant out of wedlock and acting like a broken shoe!
So, having found a sense of superiority, they worked even harder to beat the broken shoe.
Unsatisfied, Zhao Guixiang took the initiative to open the Liu family's main gate and threw things inside from the gate.
Relying on their numbers, Zhao Guilian rushed to the screen wall and threw things.
Xiuyun's niang was at home with her guinv, along with two young children who couldn't work. The others were all at work and not home at all.
The chamber pot in the courtyard was also smashed by Zhao Guixiang, and the flat basket on the stool drying dried beans was overturned, making a clattering noise.
Xiuyun's niang ran out, pleading repeatedly: "Fellow villagers, please have mercy, stop smashing, stop smashing."
Zhao Guixiang spat: "A broken shoe guinv's broken shoe niang! All low-class goods!"
How could Xiuyun's niang be a match for them. "You, you... the party secretary said you're not allowed to come."
"The party secretary is in a meeting, discussing how to deal with you! Liu Guifa can forget about being the security director!" Zhao Guixiang said proudly.
She gave her younger sister a look, and Zhao Guilian rushed in, dragging Liu Xiuyun off the kang.
"Broken shoe, you have the nerve to lounge at home and not go to work, do you think the whole village is raising trash?"
Zhao Guilian didn't have enough work points and used to owe debts. This year, being forced to pay money, she hated it to death in her heart.
Now that she finally had a place to vent, she naturally wouldn't let go.
Liu Xiuyun was dragged by these wolf- and tiger-like women, forcefully dragged off the kang and thrown into the courtyard.
The other women, some went up to spit on her, curse her, and even used their fists and feet, tearing at her hair.
Xiuyun's niang cried and shouted, going up to protect her guinv: "Stop hitting, stop hitting! I beg you, have mercy, stop hitting! My Xiuyun hasn't wronged you! I'm kneeling to you, I beg you!"
She lay on top of Liu Xiuyun. Zhao Guixiang and the others became even angrier. Someone is actually protecting her?
They immediately transformed into fierce demons, punching and kicking Xiuyun's niang and Liu Xiuyun.
"Ah—" Liu Xiuyun, who had been unresponsive with hollow eyes, suddenly screamed, jumped up, and started fighting with Zhao Guixiang and the others.
Her hair was messy, and her face was cut in several places, but she didn't care about anything, just fighting Zhao Guixiang.
Zhao Guixiang and the others were immediately ignited, fighting back even more fiercely.
At this time, Liu Guifa came in from outside. Seeing this scene, his eyes nearly split open: "Roll to your niang!" He slapped Zhao Guixiang on the head, then grabbed her arm and threw her out.
Zhao Guixiang was thrown to the base of the wall like a sack. With a clang, she landed on the pile of chamber pot shards she had smashed, instantly letting out a miserable scream.
Zhao Guilian quickly went to support her, shouting: "Liu Guifa is hitting people, hitting people!"
Those women immediately picked up stones to throw at Liu Guifa and the others.
Liu Guifa spread his arms to protect his laopo and guinv. Xiuyun's niang shouted: "Quickly go inside, quickly go inside..."
Commune members outside saw this and quickly went to report it. Some also came to persuade: "What are you doing, is there no law!"
"Bullshit law, we're beating a broken shoe!" Zhao Guilian and the others shouted loudly. "You can control heaven and earth, but you can't control us beating a broken shoe!"
Scolded by them, more people joined in, and even some men who were usually gluttonous, lazy, and had looser lips than gossipy women joined in.
Liu Guifa was pelted so hard he couldn't open his eyes, and some men even brought sticks to hit him. He could only turn his back to the outside to protect his guinv and poniang.
At this time, Liu Xiuyun, not knowing where she got the strength, pushed Liu Guifa and a man next to him away, snatched a stick, and started smashing those people indiscriminately.
Her face was snow-white, and she didn't speak, just mechanically swinging the stick. Those men and women were beaten by her until they wailed like ghosts and howled like wolves.
Seeing his guinv suddenly change into a different person, Liu Guifa also quickly protected her, preventing others from hitting her. He snatched a stick and, with two strikes, sent those cowardly men running in all directions.
As a result, it became a father and daughter holding sticks, chasing Zhao Guilian and the others around the courtyard, making a clattering and lively scene.
...
At this time, Han Yongfang, the brigade captain, and others also hurried over. Seeing this messy scene, with bloodstains still on the ground, Han Yongfang's face was as dark as the eve of a rainstorm.
Those who came to make trouble were beaten by the father and daughter, fleeing in all directions. Seeing the party secretary and the brigade secretary arrive, they quickly begged for their lives.
"Party Secretary, save us, the security director is killing people!"
"He's gone mad!"
Liu Guifa threw the stick away.
Liu Xiuyun also seemed to have her strength drained, her body swaying. Xiuyun's niang quickly supported her and coaxed her back into the room.
Han Yongfang's face was livid. Not only did he not help, but he scolded: "You guys really have guts, one matching another, not accumulating any virtue for your children!"
Someone was still unconvinced, muttering that a broken shoe lacked virtue, what were they afraid of.
Han Yongfang snatched the whip from the brigade captain's hand and whipped it over with a swish, swish, swish. "How are you so capable, so capable? When I speak, is it your place to interrupt?"
Smack, smack, smack, whip after whip lashed out. Those who had been punching and kicking Liu Xiuyun and her mother earlier suddenly went mute. Each one only dared to dodge and jump, crying out in pain, but not a single one dared to resist.
Han Yongfang pointed at them with the whip and spat: "Look at your cowardly appearances. Back then when the puppet army entered the village, you were as cowardly as dogs. Once the puppet army left, you jumped the highest, only knowing how to bully people in your own village."
Someone muttered that they were still young back then and it had nothing to do with them.
With a smack, Han Yongfang accurately whipped over. "Your die and niang are just as cowardly as you! I'll let you talk back!"
Zhao Guilian supported Zhao Guixiang out. Fortunately, they were wearing thick clothes at this time, and it didn't hit any vital parts, but it still drew blood.
"Party Secretary, Liu Guifa hit people, you have to stand up for us!"
Han Yongfang didn't care if she was a woman or not. In his anger, he whipped, smack, smack, smack, lashing the Zhao sisters, Guilian and Guixiang, on their heads and faces. "Stand up for you cowards, do you think I'm that free!"
"The party secretary is hitting people ah, hitting people ah—"
Han Yonglu and Han Qingfeng also hurriedly rushed over with people. "Brother, what are you doing."
Han Yonglu quickly went to grab Han Yongfang's whip.
Han Yongfang wasn't going to indulge him. When his temper flared, he beat anyone. He whipped Han Yonglu. "You bastard thing, do you think just because I haven't lost my temper for a few years, my steel cannon has turned into a bird gun! Letting you jump around?"
Han Yonglu was whipped so hard he ran all over the ground, not daring to fight back, and quickly begged for mercy. "Brother, brother, I was wrong, I was wrong, stop hitting, stop hitting."
Han Qingfeng was unconvinced. Relying on having been a soldier, he went to snatch Han Yongfang's whip.
Han Yongfang hadn't come alone; the brigade captain and several other youths were with him.
Seeing Han Qingfeng about to make a move, they immediately stopped him.
Han Qingfeng sneered.
With a smack, Han Yongfang cracked the whip in the air. "What, unconvinced? You think because you're young you're my match? You were a soldier? Do you think I was a soldier just to drink the wind? When I was fighting the little Japanese and the puppet army, you were still eating shit in your niang's belly, damn it!"
"Daye, even as an elder, you can't insult people like this!" Han Qingfeng's face was livid.
Han Yongfang sneered. "What if I insult you?"
Han Qingfeng said righteously: "Liu Xiuyun's lifestyle is corrupt, engaging in promiscuous male-female relations. She inherently deserves to be struggled against, there is nothing wrong with this."
Han Yongfang glared fiercely at Han Yonglu and his son, saying coldly: "Where's the evidence?"
Han Qingfeng took out the report letter written by Zhiqing Chen. "He saw it when he went to the county hospital, he can testify. If not, take Liu Xiuyun to the county hospital to confront her."
Just at this moment, Lin Lan's crisp voice came. "Who said they were engaging in promiscuous male-female relations? Zhiqing Chen and Liu Xiuyun are going to get married."
Everyone quickly turned to look and saw Han Qingsong accompanying Lin Lan and Dong Huaihua over.
Although Han Qingsong didn't speak, his face was as dark as water. Standing beside Lin Lan, his aura was so strong that people subconsciously stepped back to make way.
Behind them followed Luo Haicheng, Zhang Heilv, and a few others, as well as a disheveled Zhiqing Chen.
He had suffered enough on this journey. That black donkey egg tied his hands and made him run behind the bicycle. Not only did he eat a mouthful of dirt, but when he couldn't run anymore, he fell directly, scraping his face, hurting to death.
Lin Lan patted Zhiqing Chen's shoulder forcefully and said loudly: "Zhiqing Chen asked for leave to go home and report to his parents, and he will marry Xiuyun when he comes back. You guys are blindly beating and arresting people without understanding the situation, which has already disturbed public order. We are going to call the police!"
Dong Huaihua nodded forcefully. "Yes, Comrade Police, we want to report a case. They said Xiuyun girl was engaging in promiscuous male-female relations without evidence, slandering a female comrade's innocence."
With the two of them saying this, those sympathetic to the Liu family also started to echo. "Yes, yes, these people are too much, rushing into someone's house and beating and killing, like bandits."
"Could it be using public office to avenge private wrongs! Arrest them and investigate together!"
Han Yonglu's face changed color, and he quickly waved his hands, saying: "No such thing, no such thing ah, a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
Although Han Qingsong had remained silent, just standing there with his powerful aura fully unleashed was enough to make the guilty tremble.
Han Qingfeng still wanted to compete with him, glaring angrily, but Han Qingsong's gaze didn't even linger on his face for a single second.
Han Yonglu had already recovered his senses. He ran to Zhiqing Chen and glared at him viciously. "What did you say when you reported it?"
How could Zhiqing Chen dare to say anything now.
At that time, he had already boarded the train. As a result, one minute before departure, Han Qingsong found him, jumped onto the train, and kicked him off.
Oppressed by Han Qingsong's powerful aura, he wet his pants on the spot.
After that, Han Qingsong didn't say anything, directly taking him to meet up with the others and hurrying home.
They hurried very urgently, even communicating information on the way, seemingly not wanting to waste a single second.
However, he heard clearly that the black donkey egg was saying, "Why take him back, just shoot him directly."
The one named Luo Haicheng said, "No, we have to go back to the village to solve the trouble. If he cooperates, it's fine. If he doesn't cooperate, castrate him first, then pin a hooliganism charge on him and shoot him!"
He was certain Xiuyun had already confessed him. After all, he had sought out Han Yonglu to report her in order to borrow money. If Xiuyun knew, she would definitely hate him to the core and couldn't possibly not report him.
But the Liu family still wanted their reputation, so they would definitely try to cover this up. Seeing Han Qingsong come to catch him, he also knew that if he had already been exposed, they wouldn't need to find him.
He was certain they would at most beat him up, absolutely wouldn't beat him to death, let alone sentence him. They definitely wanted him to go back and get married.
Thinking this way, his anxious heart settled down a lot.
Especially when they were nearing the village, Han Qingsong swept a cold glance at him. "You know what to do."
He was inherently a smart person and knew everything was exposed, so there was no point in struggling. He guessed that if he dared to say he did nothing and it was all Liu Xiuyun slandering him, Han Qingsong could shoot him dead on the spot.
Seeing that posture, he was scared to death.
He took the initiative to say, "Director Han, you, you don't know, I, I wasn't trying to run away. I, I wanted to go home and report to my parents, and when I came back, I, I would marry Xiuyun. I, I really wasn't trying to run away. You, believe, believe me."
Han Qingsong said coldly: "What kind of thing are you to make me believe you?"
In Zhiqing Chen's eyes, Han Qingsong was a fierce demon, exuding an aura of wanting to hit someone if displeased. Naturally, he didn't dare to let out a fart and obediently followed.
Now hearing Lin Lan say he and Xiuyun were getting married, he clung to it like a lifesaver.
Seeing Han Yonglu questioning him, he trembled and stammered: "Vice Captain, you, you misunderstood. I didn't report it, I just... wanted to borrow money to go home, and when I came back, I, I would... marry Xiuyun."
Han Yonglu's eyes were about to split open. He grabbed Zhiqing Chen's collar and said angrily: "Don't you damn play dumb with me!"
Han Yongfang sneered. "What is this? Forcing someone to harm others?"
Han Yonglu angrily shook out the report letter and threw it at Zhiqing Chen. "Say it yourself."
Zhiqing Chen lowered his head, trembling. Even a fool knew to listen to Han Qingsong.
He muttered: "I, I lied to you."
"Your niang!" Han Yonglu went up and started punching and kicking.
The people around watched, and no one went up to pull him away.
Zhiqing Chen initially wailed and begged for help, but finding no one paying attention to him, he could only scurry away like a rat, curling himself into a shrimp to protect his head and stomach.
Han Yonglu beat him up.
Han Yongfang coughed. "That's about enough."
Han Yonglu lost face, knowing Han Yongfang was shielding Liu Guifa, and had to leave resentfully with his people.
Lin Lan saw the Zhao sisters were still there and immediately said: "Aiya, two chamber pots, no wonder I said it smelled so foul!"
The Zhao sisters immediately bristled with anger, wishing they could go up and scratch Lin Lan's face. But with so many people glaring like tigers watching their prey, especially Han Qingsong's sweeping gaze, looking as if he wanted to eat someone.
Terrified, they quickly supported each other and left.
Walking a bit further away, Zhao Guixiang cried from the pain. "Why are they so domineering, simply oppressing the common people, go sue them!"
Han Qingfeng said angrily: "Sue my ass. During the three years of hardship, if it weren't for him, more than half the village would have starved to death."
Suing was useless.
This was just a personal dispute in the village. The party secretary handling conflicts was perfectly fine.
Although the methods were a bit rough, no one was beaten to death, and the higher-ups wouldn't care. At most, they would tell him to be gentler in the future.
But if Liu Xiuyun really jumped into the river, they wouldn't be able to escape involvement either.
Zhao Guixiang held her buttocks and cursed to herself.
Han Qingfeng scolded: "Who told you to go make trouble!"
Earlier, going to arrest her was just to publicly struggle against her and make Liu Guifa look bad. Now, their smashing and beating like this had violated Han Yongfang's taboo.
Han Yongfang hated it most when a group of people rushed into someone else's house to smash, beat, loot, and burn. Although they didn't know why, he just hated it, and it was absolutely not allowed in the village.
Now it was great. They found Zhiqing Chen, but instead set up their own people.
Zhao Guixiang didn't dare to speak anymore.
Over there, Han Yongfang swept a glance and said to the brigade captain: "What are they all sticking here like dog skin plasters for? Don't they need to go to work?"
The brigade captain obeyed him implicitly and immediately shouted for them to hurry to work. "If you're this lazy, you'll all starve to death."
The idle people scattered in an uproar, going to work or busying themselves with other things.
Because Han Qingsong and the others brought Zhiqing Chen back in time, Zhiqing Chen admitted to the marriage with Xiuyun, and Han Yongfang was tough enough, this matter was suppressed.
Although Zhao Guixiang and the others were still unconvinced and gossiped behind their backs, no one dared to come to the Liu family to say it to their faces anymore.
Two days later, the Liu family invited Han Yongfang, the brigade captain, Lin Lan, Han Qingsong, and Dong Huaihua over, saying they wanted them to be witnesses.
Lin Lan guessed it was about the marriage. After such a fuss, there was no need to hold a wedding ceremony. They could just get a letter of introduction from the brigade and get a marriage certificate from the commune.
Even if the villagers still chased shadows, they were a legal fuqi, and no one would dare to say anything more.
She still couldn't help but complain to Han Qingsong: "It's really letting this scumbag off easy. Doing such a thing, not taking responsibility, and actually betraying Xiuyun and running away himself."
His legs truly should be broken!
Although she said this, she also knew the Liu family would definitely make Xiuyun marry him to preserve her reputation, so as not to give people a chance to gossip.
Han Qingsong held her hand and didn't say anything.
When they arrived at the old Liu family's house, the main room was already full of people. Seeing them come, Xiuyun's niang enthusiastically invited them to sit next to the party secretary and the brigade captain.
Lin Lan let Han Qingsong go over, and she stayed with Dong Huaihua.
Zhiqing Chen stood there, his head drooping, looking as haggard as if he had been locked in a small dark room for ten days, his face pale and blue.
Actually, Liu Guifa really hadn't beaten him; after all, his guinv still had to marry him.
It was just that he had a guilty conscience, and hearing that Xiuyun wanted to jump into the river, he was terrified and couldn't eat or sleep in peace, so naturally, he looked like this.
He was truly terrified at the time, afraid of being found out and arrested, so he sent a telegram asking his family for help. When his family sent a telegram back, he still had to borrow money to buy a ticket. But no one had that much money to lend him, and train tickets were expensive. He truly had no other choice but to find Han Yonglu, selling the news of Xiuyun going to the hospital for five yuan to Han Yonglu.
He figured Xiuyun's die was the security director, and Liu Xiuyun was popular, so everyone would be exceptionally lenient toward her. Even if Han Yonglu knew, he would just make a fuss and nothing would happen.
When Liu Guifa brought him back, as soon as he entered the room, he fell to his knees, begging Xiuyun for forgiveness and for his life.
Terrified that Xiuyun would be heartless and send him to the public security bureau, and in case they made an example of him and shot him as a heartless man, he was so scared he wet his pants again.
"Director, I really wanted to go home to think of a solution, not to abandon Xiuyun..." He still wanted to quibble.
As a result, Liu Guifa neither hit him, nor pursued why he ran away, nor forced him to do anything, just saying: "Since you were engaged long ago, then live a good life together in the future."
Han Yongfang: "This matter is over. No matter what others think, once you get your certificate and marry, you are fuqi. No one can say anything unpleasant in the future. Live a good life and shut those people's mouths."
The brigade captain, however, cracked his whip with a crisp smack. "Zhiqing Chen, you better behave yourself. Marrying today, you will settle in Shanzucun and can never return to the city. You stay and live a down-to-earth life. If you dare to bully Xiuyun again, the men of our Shanzucun won't let you off."
Then everyone said a few words, and Xiuyun's niang asked the young couple to bow to everyone.
Forced by circumstances, Zhiqing Chen felt a wave of despair and coldness in his heart, thinking he could never return to the city and would have to stay in this poor and backward small village for the rest of his life.
He suddenly felt a bit of a breakdown. Looking at the originally simple, kind, beautiful, and cute Liu Xiuyun, she also became hateful in his eyes.
Why did she have to be so heartless? He had clearly already left, she could have completely endured it herself. He had promised that he would definitely come back to pick her and the child up in the future.
Why couldn't she endure it?
Was keeping him here definitely a good thing?
Generations of peasants, with no hope of returning to the city ever again.
He felt utterly disgusted in his heart and actually didn't want to hold Xiuyun's hand.
Everyone was looking at him, especially Han Qingsong, whose gaze was cold, deep, and sharp as if it had substance, making him involuntarily shiver.
Zhiqing Chen had to suppress his despair and take Liu Xiuyun's hand, forcing a smile that was uglier than crying. "Xiuyun, look, everyone is blessing us. Live a good life in the future, and you should be content."
Suddenly, Liu Xiuyun shook off his hand and, with a smack, slapped him hard across the face.
Zhiqing Chen stood dumbstruck, looking at her in disbelief. "You, you hit me?"
He never imagined that a weak and shy girl like Liu Xiuyun would actually hit him.
Liu Xiuyun was as cold as frost, her voice also cold like solid ice and broken jade, forcefully piercing people's ears and souls. "Marry? In your dreams. Why should I marry a scumbag hooligan like you and ruin myself?"
Xiuyun's niang said anxiously: "Xiuyun ah, what are you doing? Zhiqing Chen has already agreed to marry."
Liu Xiuyun knelt before her die and niang, shedding tears and saying: "Die, niang, I was wrong, everything in the past was my fault. I let down your grace of raising me, I brought shame to you. Brought shame to the family. Older brothers and saozi, it's all my fault. If you beat me or scold me, I have no complaints. I know I was wrong, and in the future, I will never bring shame to you again."
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
Lin Lan, however, showed a gratified expression. Exactly, this scumbag, if she still married him, it would be letting him off too easy! In her joy, she couldn't help but laugh, even bumping her two fists together in front of her chest.
Han Qingsong immediately looked toward her, and her fists instantly turned into little cat paws waving at him.
Han Qingsong: ...
Dong Huaihua also muttered somewhat: "This, this not marrying, then what do we do?"
Xiuyun's niang: "Xiuyun ah, what are you saying? If you don't marry him, the one in your belly..."
"Niang, I've thought it through," Xiuyun's face was pale but her gaze was incredibly firm. "I was too stupid before. I've been thinking about my shenzi's words these past two days. My shenzi is right, why should I marry a scumbag like this? Being screwed over by him is unlucky enough, how can I further degrade myself? I won't marry him. Now, even looking at him makes me feel disgusted."
Zhiqing Chen glared at her in horror. "Xiuyun, you, how can you be so vicious?"
Liu Xiuyun sneered: "Am I vicious? What you did to me is a hundred times more vicious. In this life, I would rather not marry, rather jump into the river and die, than marry a scumbag like you!"
Zhiqing Chen felt cold all over, his entire strength drained as he slumped on the spot.
Xiuyun's niang started getting anxious again. If her guinv didn't marry Zhiqing Chen, no one would dare to marry her in the future. What should they do?
She cast a pleading look at Lin Lan again.
Lin Lan said: "I support Xiuyun. Besides, this matter hasn't blown up. To the outside, it's just that the marriage talks fell through. Xiuyun is only sixteen or seventeen, still young. Society is developing so fast now, in a couple of years, no one will say anything. Whether she marries or what, it won't matter."
Liu Guifa, who had been silent all along, heard this and nodded. "Okay, my guinv, if she doesn't marry, I'll raise her for a lifetime."
Although the Liu family's ersao over there was somewhat unhappy, in this kind of setting with all heavyweights present, she didn't dare to utter a sound.
Not to mention Han Qingsong's knife-like gaze, even Han Yongfang's whip terrified her.
Seeing her family agree, Liu Xiuyun finally stood up, pointed at Zhiqing Chen, and said loudly: "Director Uncle, I want to report a case. He seduced me, forced me, I, I was not willing!"
"Xiuyun ah, you can't be so heartless ah!" Zhiqing Chen suddenly broke down, crawling on his knees toward her to hug her legs, tears and snot flowing.
Liu Xiuyun dodged in disgust. "When you seduced me back then, I didn't want to pay attention to you at all, but you blocked me time and time again. You even forcefully hugged me, saying that if I didn't comply, you would call people to see me being hugged and touched by you, and everyone would definitely believe you and I were already together. I," she paused, gritted her teeth, and said: "I was stupid myself, actually falling for your trick."
If she had told her die and niang back then, maybe the later things wouldn't have happened.
As a result, she was seduced by him, and slowly actually fell in love with him, foolishly giving and hiding things for him.
Zhiqing Chen stared at her in despair, as if he didn't recognize her, not understanding how that simple and weak girl suddenly changed her face, wanting to take a person's life like a yaksha.
"No, you can't, you can't. You were willing, you were willing..."
He suddenly broke down and started begging Han Qingsong and Han Yongfang again. "Please believe me ah, Xiuyun was willing, she took the initiative to approach me. I, I didn't even fancy her at first, she made shoes for me... Even if we don't get married, you can't arrest me, you can't arrest me... She's the one abandoning me and not getting married, it's her..."
He was afraid the village cadres would all favor Liu Xiuyun, afraid he would be screwed over by her. He started speaking incoherently, shirking responsibility and twisting facts, muttering incoherently to himself.
He felt a terror of being pushed into an abyss, unable to climb out, gripped by that terror, never to see the light again.
He didn't consider himself an arrogant and unreasonable person. On the contrary, he had a gentle, smiling, optimistic, and humorous personality. He just couldn't bear the loneliness, liked to take advantage of women, and liked to hook up with people.
Even so, was he wrong? Should he be treated like this? He only felt that God was unfair.
The more he thought about it, the more desperate he became, and he couldn't help but start sobbing, crying over his miserable fate.
Han Qingsong stood up. Although he hadn't spoken before, his aura enveloped the entire room. "Xiuyun, have you decided?"
Liu Xiuyun said firmly: "Uncle, I have decided."
Han Qingsong nodded. "Qingyun, you are responsible for escorting him and handing him over to Luo Haicheng."
Han Qingyun, who had been peeking outside, couldn't hold back any longer. He darted in with a single stride, kicked Zhiqing Chen on the ground: "Let's go."
Zhiqing Chen remained motionless, having wet his pants once again.
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