Chen Mianmian was indeed making false accusations.
Because all those bruises had been caused by the woman herself, punching her own body again and again.
She had believed Chen Jinhui’s lies and thought Zhao Lingcheng truly didn’t want his own child, so she tried to beat the baby out of her womb.
But who would have imagined that a woman could be so cruel to herself?
Wu Jingjing, who had just been sulking, helped her wrap her clothes and brought over a stool. “Quick, sit down.”
Wiping her tears, she asked, “Does your stomach hurt? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
The crowd also began to curse.
“What a beast—completely heartless!”
The women poked at Chen Jinhui’s head. “You’re really not human.”
The senior officer looked at the divorce certificate and went straight to the key issue. “You’ve been divorced for six months. How far along is your pregnancy? Where is the child’s father? Can we contact him? Do you want our help?”
Wu Jingjing finally understood and quickly said, “I’ve already sent a telegram to the child’s father.”
The telegram had only one sentence: I’m pregnant. The child is Zhao Lingcheng’s.
The rest was just a matter of time. Chen Mianmian could only wait.
She was more concerned about how the police would deal with Chen Jinhui.
“Will my brother go to prison?” she asked.
The senior officer closed the divorce certificate. “We’ll take him in and give him serious education.”
Chen Jinhui had no way to defend himself, but he had to try. “I swear to the leader, those injuries were self-inflicted.”
Chen Mianmian countered, “What about the rope around your waist? Wasn’t that meant to tie me up and control me?”
Chen Jinhui argued calmly, “I was going to work. The rope is for tying cargo.”
He looked at the officers. “Goods often fall on the railway. We need ropes to secure them.”
Xu Xiaomei added, “I saw it with my own eyes—she caused those injuries herself.”
The senior officer sneered. “As family, you saw her beating her own stomach and just watched? What if she ruptured her liver, spleen, or uterus? That would be two deaths.”
Xu Xiaomei was speechless. Chen Mianmian wanted to applaud.
As expected of a veteran officer—his perspective was sharp.
But he was also perceptive. Simple tricks wouldn’t fool him.
Closing the divorce certificate, he said quietly to Chen Mianmian, “If your brother had beaten you, the fetus would already be gone.”
If a man had done it, not only would the baby be gone, her uterus would be destroyed.
He could tell she was lying and only intended to give Chen Jinhui a warning.
Searching her memory, Chen Mianmian said, “I also want to report Chen Jinhui. When he applied for the railway inspector job, his shooting skills were not good enough. I shaved my head and took the test for him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gotten the job.”
The officer taking notes froze. “You? You can shoot?”
But the senior officer said, “Comrade Xiao Li, women can hold up half the sky.”
This was the Northwest in the 1960s—everyone was trained, and hunting was legal.
Her father had died early, and her mother had bound feet. Chen Jinhui only played around, while the farm work fell to the two sisters.
The militia duties were handled by the woman, who trained in shooting daily and was very skilled with a rifle.
When the railway bureau recruited workers, shooting skill was the only requirement.
At that time, there were no photos in personnel files. So she shaved her head and took the test in his place.
Among all candidates, she ranked second, securing him a stable job.
Chen Jinhui hadn’t expected her to expose this.
But now his shooting skills had improved, so he said, “Bring a gun—I’ll compete with her and see who shoots better.”
Officer Xiao Li reached for his gun, but the senior officer stopped him.
He asked Chen Mianmian, “Why did you help him cheat?”
“Don’t you know the law? If discovered, you could go to prison.”
Chen Mianmian said honestly, “My mother knelt and begged me to help him.”
The woman had been blindly devoted to her brother, but her mother was even worse.
After giving birth to eight daughters before finally having a son, and losing her husband early, she was determined to make her son successful.
A railway job was like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
She emotionally manipulated her daughter, talking about how hard it had been to raise so many children, and convinced her that once her brother had a stable job, he would treat his sisters well.
The woman loved her brother deeply, so she shaved her head and took the test.
The crowd was outraged.
“He got into the railway system by cheating?”
“Shouldn’t someone like that go to prison?”
The senior officer nodded. “We will investigate. We’ll take him in. Please remain calm—everything will be based on evidence.”
The crowd urged, “Investigate quickly! If it’s true, punish him!”
Chen Jinhui knew it wasn’t that simple. The railway bureau wouldn’t fire him based on one accusation.
But the situation was serious—he had to admit fault to calm the crowd.
He bowed deeply. “No matter what, it’s my fault for upsetting my sister. I’m sorry.”
Then he added, “I will fully cooperate with the investigation.”
Officer Xiao Li stopped writing and asked Chen Mianmian, “Can you read? If not, I’ll read the statement to you. If it’s correct, sign or leave a fingerprint.”
Xu Xiaomei knew her husband would at most be detained briefly.
But she was still unwilling to accept it.
She sneered, “A divorced woman abandoned by a man—if you harm your brother, you’re destroying your own support. You’ll get your retribution.”
Chen Mianmian immediately replied, “Officer, detention isn’t enough. I request that Chen Jinhui be executed.”
…
Of course, execution was nonsense—but she needed the police to hold him longer.
Because both Zhao Lingcheng and Zhao Hui worked in confidential units.
Quancheng was in the Gobi Desert, and distances between units were vast. Without official transport, it was impossible to travel.
Even entering residential compounds required proper authorization.
Chen Mianmian didn’t know when Zhao Hui would receive the telegram or whether she would come.
She could only wait.
But Chen Jinhui worked in the railway system, and his brothers-in-law were militia members—one even a leader.
If he got out, wouldn’t they deal with her?
Hearing her demand for execution, Xu Xiaomei was enraged.
“Chen Mianmian, your mother had nine children!” she shouted.
“He’s the precious son she got after eight daughters—and you want him dead?!”
After eight daughters, a son was everything. And now his sister wanted him executed?
Chen Mianmian raised an eyebrow. “He deserves it, doesn’t he?”
Xu Xiaomei thought, If you’re ruthless, so am I.
She shouted, “Comrades, my sister-in-law is having an affair!”
“That’s why her officer husband divorced her! The child in her belly is illegitimate!”
The crowd, about to disperse, froze again.
Even the officers were shocked.
Military families were sensitive cases—infidelity was a serious crime.
With Chen Mianmian divorced, suspicions arose.
Only Wu Jingjing said firmly, “Impossible!”
“I’ve seen her husband—he’s very handsome. She wouldn’t cheat.”
From calling her insane to accusing her of infidelity, Xu Xiaomei used vicious tactics.
But such attacks didn’t work on Chen Mianmian.
Now rested, she stood up and stepped forward.
“If you accuse me of adultery, then name the man. The accuser must provide evidence.”
Xu Xiaomei was about to speak, but Chen Jinhui shouted, “Shut up!”
He knew she might name Section Chief Wei.
But they had barely interacted—just a few meetings and minor contact.
If he were falsely accused, he would retaliate.
Chen Jinhui couldn’t understand how his once-devoted sister had turned against him.
His mind felt like it was exploding.
Chen Mianmian pressed on. “Who is the man? Say it.”
Xu Xiaomei backed down. “You know it yourself.”
Chen Mianmian sneered. “You can’t say it because it’s a lie. Your rumor will destroy me. People will spread it, and I won’t be able to live. I might even kill myself.”
Wu Jingjing burst into tears. “Mianmian, that’s terrible…”
Chen Mianmian turned to the senior officer. “If I divorced because of infidelity, my ex-husband would know the truth. This concerns my life. Please contact him to clear my name.”
The officer took out paper. “What’s his unit number?”
Then he ordered, “Cuff her too. Take them both in.”
Xu Xiaomei panicked. “I was just talking! Do you really need to cuff me?”
The officer said sternly, “Rumors that can lead to death carry legal responsibility. Cuff her.”
Xu Xiaomei broke down crying. The crowd fell silent.
…
At first, the senior officer thought Chen Mianmian was just an ordinary military wife.
But after hearing the unit number, he became serious.
“This is a top-secret unit,” he said.
Such units could not be contacted casually.
Chen Mianmian pleaded, “Add one more line—tell him I’m pregnant with his child.”
She had deliberately provoked the accusation to trigger official communication.
She didn’t know if Zhao Hui would receive the message or help her.
But with the risk of childbirth complications hanging over her, she needed every chance.
Seeing the officer hesitate, she raised her voice again.
“Comrades, I’ve been wronged!”
Pointing at Xu Xiaomei, she shouted, “They are the reason I got divorced!”
The guesthouse was now packed with onlookers—even nearby residents had come.
Some even brought snacks to watch.
Xu Xiaomei snapped, “Nonsense!”
Chen Mianmian raised her voice. “I accuse Chen Jinhui and his wife of interfering in a military marriage, stealing military property, and endangering a soldier’s life. I have evidence!”
Another shocking twist.
The crowd urged her, “Don’t get excited—tell us slowly.”
Wu Jingjing said, “Show the evidence. The police will support you.”
Chen Mianmian began, “My marriage was originally happy. But after I got married, Chen Jinhui believed everything my husband owned belonged to him. When he heard my husband had Maotai and special medicine, he forced me to steal them.”
“He was originally a temporary worker. He got promoted after gifting Maotai to his superior.”
Chen Jinhui, covered in burns and blisters, was stunned. “That was mother’s idea, not mine!”
Xu Xiaomei added, “It was given by his mother. How is that stealing?”
She cried, “A brother-in-law taking things from his sister’s husband isn’t theft!”
That might be true—but Chen Mianmian continued.
“He wanted military-issued winter clothing, so he beat and forced me to steal my husband’s coat.”
“Under his pressure, I swapped my husband’s special coat. He went into the desert with a regular one and nearly froze to death.”
In reality, Chen Jinhui had lied about being sick to trick her into giving him the coat.
Zhao Lingcheng nearly froze to death in the desert.
After returning, they argued, leading to divorce.
Just like Niuniu’s death, neither the woman nor Chen Jinhui felt guilty.
Even after Zhao Lingcheng died, Chen Jinhui mocked him.
Now that Chen Mianmian had taken over, she had to send him to prison—for her safety and for Niuniu.
…
Chen Jinhui was completely stunned.
“She’s lying,” he muttered repeatedly.
But the senior officer suddenly rolled up his pant leg.
“Special-issued boots?”
Then he tugged at his clothes.
“Special watch, special belt… did you loot your brother-in-law?”
The evidence was undeniable—everything he wore was military-issued.