Some even began to feel a twinge of pity.
“Comrade Xie, why not just let this matter rest?” someone suggested.
Xie Mingzhu turned back to look directly at the person speaking, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on them.
Once one person spoke up, another quickly followed suit. “Exactly—what man doesn’t make mistakes? As long as he knows he was wrong and changes his ways, you two can still go on living together happily!”
Soon, more voices joined in.
All of them spoke with such ease, never having to bear the pain themselves—it was easy to be generous when the knife wasn’t stuck in their own flesh.
Xie Mingzhu swept her gaze over the crowd, then let out a cold, mocking laugh. “You poor, pitiful people.”
“How dare you speak like that?” an older woman scolded. “We’re only trying to do what’s best for you! You and Haoyu are legally married, after all. What couple doesn’t have their disagreements? Surely you don’t actually want to send him to prison? How would you go on living after that?”
“Doing what’s best for me?” Xie Mingzhu could not help but laugh out loud. “If your own husband climbed into another woman’s bed, would you just pretend nothing happened and happily wait on them hand and foot?”
She paused, then added sharply, “If that’s the case, then you truly have no self-respect!”
“How can you say such things? Is that any way for a young lady to speak? Have you no shame at all?”
“When they commit such filthy acts, you all act as if it’s nothing. But when I speak the truth, suddenly I’m the one with no shame? You people are truly paragons of virtue, aren’t you?” she retorted sarcastically. “It makes me sick!”
Xie Mingzhu had lost all regard for these people and had no desire to waste another moment on them. She turned to leave, but after taking two steps, looked back once more.
“Oh, and before I forget—what they did was an immoral and improper relationship, and it also violates the law. These rules aren’t made by me; they’re set by the state. If you have any objections, take them up with the authorities, not me. I don’t have that kind of power!”
Hearing her words, Zhang Zenglan wailed even louder than before.
Seeing that Xie Mingzhu had invoked the government and the law, the onlookers dared not say another word.
Xie Shaoqian and Huo Xuan scanned the faces of the crowd, their eyes cold and sharp. With a quiet snort, they hurried to catch up with Xie Mingzhu.
“How can these villagers still be so ignorant?” Xie Shaoqian muttered. “Let someone stir them up a little, and they lose all sense of right and wrong!”
But Xie Mingzhu understood the truth.
On one hand, yes, they were ignorant—but more importantly, Zhang Zenglan was their fellow villager. They had lived in the same community for years, and Zhang Zenglan had always known how to act in front of others, building a reputation as a kind, reasonable woman.
In that regard, Zhang Zenglan truly was clever. She knew exactly how to put on an act and appear considerate of everyone else, which was why so many people liked and trusted her.
This was also why, in her past life, Xie Mingzhu had never argued with her—not even over small matters. Neighbors had always praised her for marrying into such a good family; everyone envied how harmonious her relationship with her mother-in-law seemed, calling Zhang Zenglan the best mother-in-law anyone could ask for.
Xie Mingzhu had never imagined someone could keep up such a convincing act for twenty whole years.
Seeing that Xie Shaoqian was about to continue speaking, Huo Xuan cut him off. “There’s no use wasting words on that family. We were having a decent morning—let’s not fill our minds with such unpleasantness.”
Xie Shaoqian nodded quickly in agreement. “You’re right. Let’s never mention them again; just thinking about them brings bad luck!”
The three of them said no more about Qin Haoyu and continued on their way toward the commune.
It was not far away—only about three or four miles. Walking at a steady pace, they could reach it in thirty to forty minutes.
Xie Shaoqian was stationed hundreds of miles away in Yi City and had come only on a short family leave. He had already bought his train ticket for later that afternoon, so he would need to catch the bus to the county seat first before heading to the station.
There were only two buses from the commune to the county town each day—one early in the morning, and another at one o’clock in the afternoon. By the time they arrived, they would just make the afternoon departure.
Upon reaching the commune, their first stop was the post and telegraph office.
There were not many people waiting to make calls. After registering and filling out the necessary forms, they did not have to wait in line long before it was their turn.
Telephones back then worked differently from later models; you could not just dial a number and connect instantly. Instead, your call first went through the central switchboard at the post office, and an operator would manually route it to the person or office you wished to reach.
The operator behind the counter turned the crank to connect the line, and once the connection went through, she asked which department or person they were calling.
Xie Shaoqian handed her a slip of paper with the details written down in advance.
The operator spoke briefly into her own handset, confirmed the connection, then handed the receiver over to Xie Shaoqian.
Xie Mingzhu stood beside him, watching the telephone with eager anticipation.
Noticing her expression, Xie Shaoqian smiled and passed the receiver to her. “It’s been a long time since you spoke to Father. Why don’t you have the first word?”
Xie Mingzhu took the handset. The moment she heard that familiar voice coming through the line, she could no longer hold back her tears. “Father…”
As soon as the word left her mouth, tears began streaming down her cheeks like beads from a broken string. She tried to speak again, but found herself unable to form any more words.
Hearing his daughter’s choked sobs, Xie Shitong immediately grew alarmed. “Mingzhu? What is it? Why are you crying? Has something happened? Did Qin Haoyu mistreat you? Isn’t your brother Shaoqian there with you? Where is he?”
Xie Mingzhu could not speak, only shaking her head repeatedly.
Hearing the panic in his father’s voice, Xie Shaoqian reached out to take the receiver. “Let me explain things to Father.”
He went on to describe everything that had happened, and also asked his father to speed up the paperwork needed to get Xie Mingzhu’s urban residence permit approved so she could return to the city.
Xie Shitong remained silent for a long time after listening. Then there was a loud crash from the other end, as if something had been slammed hard against a surface and shattered.
“Father is furious,” Xie Shaoqian whispered, covering the mouthpiece with one hand.
Xie Mingzhu sniffled and wiped her face dry before taking the receiver back again. “Father, I’m all right. Please don’t let this make you angry… you mustn’t harm your own health.”
Xie Shitong took several deep breaths to steady himself before speaking again. “Did you get to slap him at least?”
Xie Mingzhu paused in surprise, then shook her head. “I… I didn’t think of it.”
“All right, I’ll keep that in mind,” her father said firmly. “Next time I see him, I’ll give him two good slaps for you myself!”
Hearing his words, Xie Mingzhu burst into laughter through her tears, only to have fresh tears roll down her cheeks again a moment later.