Someone shouted, “Which one of you is faster? Go to Director Ge’s house at the Tail-Cutting Association and bring him here to handle this—someone’s cheating!”
“Fang Cheng, Fang An, you two punks, go! What are you standing around here for?”
“Yes, yes, you two go and get Director Ge.”
It was the women’s affairs director, Sister Lan. She was in charge of this neighborhood’s women’s work; her husband was Liu Jun, a workshop director at the steel factory.
Sister Lan was highly respected in the area. So as soon as she spoke, the two boys obediently ran to the neighboring street, to Director Ge’s house, to deliver the message.
When they knocked, Ge—still groggy from waking—didn’t notice the rooms were empty. Hearing the knock, he dragged his dizzy head to open the door.
Fang Cheng and Fang An didn’t pay attention to how different Ge seemed today.
The two of them babbled non-stop, explaining what had just happened, finishing with:
“Director Ge, everyone’s still in the yard, too scared to go inside—they’re waiting for you to take charge.”
Ge didn’t care about the mess he was in; wearing his pajamas, he followed the two brothers. He wanted to see who had the nerve to cheat at this hour.
His older brother loved dealing with situations like this—it might even be an excuse to raid someone’s house.
After walking ten minutes with the brothers, they reached the courtyard.
The fire in the woodpile had already gone out. People filled the front and back yards. Entertainment being scarce in those days, the news of someone cheating drew residents from two streets. Outside, several bicycles were already parked.
As Ge entered, everyone in the yard whispered, speculating about the two people inside, scandalized by their audacity.
It was bad luck for Li Weiming and Xu Hongli—they hadn’t been together for over a month. Today, feeling excited and stimulated, Li Weiming suggested taking some “helping” medicine he happened to carry. Both indulged a little, which led to the current situation.
Hearing the couple inside, Ge recognized their voices faintly but didn’t think much of it. His heart raced with excitement—finally, he could catch a typical case, something that thrilled him.
Outwardly, he still wore an angry facade. Seeing a few of his lackeys in the crowd, he shouted:
“You guys, kick the door open! I want to see who has the nerve to cheat in broad daylight!”
Excited, the men rushed to force the door, but it was bolted from inside.
A tall, muscular man stepped back, then charged and kicked the door open.
The massive crash startled the couple inside. Looking up, they saw a crowd at the doorway and screamed in terror.
In that instant, Ge saw the woman—it was his wife.
His face turned dark red with rage, nearly collapsing to the ground.
He braced himself against the doorframe, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead. Grabbing a wooden door bar, he swung it at the two cheating lovers before anyone could react.
Blood streamed down their faces. Li Weiming’s skull dented under the blow.
Ge was furious, striking with lethal force. Li Weiming immediately passed out; Xu Hongli screamed in fear at his sight.
Ge, like a vengeful demon risen from hell, with his fierce expression and bulked face, terrified everyone—no one dared stop him.
Xu Hongli, nearly naked, backed away, crying:
“Master, I was wrong! Please spare me this once! I won’t dare again!”
“Xu Hongli, you dared cheat on me, and you think I’ll forgive you? Dream on. Since your partner already left, you might as well join him below.”
Ge swung the bar again. Xu Hongli’s head followed Li Weiming’s, dented by the blow.
Bystanders shrieked in terror.
At that moment, several police officers stormed in—someone had likely noticed something was wrong and called them.
The lead officer saw the two lying on the bed and floor. His expression turned serious:
“Seize Director Ge! Don’t let him hurt anyone else.”
“Does anyone have a cart we can borrow? We need to take these two to the hospital.”
“My house has one; I’ll bring it,” someone said, running off. Despite their disapproval of the affair, they couldn’t just stand by—the two lives were at stake.
Chief Hong, named Hong Dashan, was the local police chief. A retired soldier, he now ran the station. Disciplined and principled, he despised people who indulged in illicit relationships.
Now it was his duty to handle even trivial matters, but this was serious—almost fatal.
Ge, held by two officers, spat threats:
“Li Weiming, you dared cheat on me. You’d better pray you die today—or I’ll find ways to kill you!”
“Director Ge, calm down, or don’t blame us for being harsh,” the officers warned.
“Calm down? You think I’d calm down after Li Weiming cheated on me? If I kill him, people will cheer me on!”
In this era, getting caught cheating in bed could indeed result in public support if the cheater were harmed.
If Li Weiming and Xu Hongli had died today, Ge might have faced a decade-long sentence. If they survived, he could even be released, as adultery laws were strict but lenient in certain cases.
(The legal details here are included by the author for context; readers shouldn’t overanalyze.)