Watching her sister-in-law and Zhou Zhonghai get into the car and waiting a bit longer outside the police station gates, Yang Zheng saw Lu Han and Liu Dabao finally emerge.
Lu Han wore a look of utter dejection, while Liu Dabao was trembling from head to foot, his face a sickly, ashen blue.
“Director Tang, what kind of nonsense is this? We went out to look for a missing person, so how on earth did we end up branded as murderers?” Lu Han demanded with fierce indignation.
Dropping his previous pleasant demeanor, Tang Ping darkened his expression. “Lu Han, whether you’re a murderer or not, Kong Xiange’s death is directly tied to you.”
“How am I directly tied to it? She was the one throwing a tantrum and falsely accusing me of sexual assault! Since when is an innocent man supposed to just sit back and take being splashed with filth?”
“Will you keep your voice down? Do you think this is something to be proud of? The three of you barely made it out of there today. Get back to the plant with me, and we’ll discuss it then,” Tang Ping snapped irritably.
Returning to the factory, Yang Zheng and Liu Dabao went straight back to the workshop, while Lu Han was ordered to stay at the factory office to write a self-criticism report.
Though deeply resentful, Lu Han knew that with Kong Xiange dead, he had no choice but to account for every detail of the situation.
Back in the workshop, Liu Dabao was still shaking like a leaf. Yang Zheng comforted him, “Brother Liu, we did everything we possibly could. Kong Xiange meeting her end on a rainy night must have simply been her fate. Sigh, I’ve never seen a woman so intense—if she couldn’t have what she wanted, she tried to ruin it. Why pull each other down to mutual destruction? What was the point of it all?”
“Y-you shouldn’t talk about her like that. She was a good girl, just… blinded by her own obsession.”
“Right, right, you’re right. My fault. She’s gone now, we shouldn’t keep talking about her. I just think it’s such a tragedy. There are plenty of good men out there—why did she have to fixate like that?” Yang Zheng sighed. For a girl who had blossomed like a bright butterfly to be wiped out overnight was heartbreaking indeed.
Whether from the lingering shock, the soaking rain, or a sleepless night, Liu Dabao lacked all energy during the shift, and Yang Zheng urged him to take a leave of absence to go rest.
Back in the workshop, the tragedy of Kong Xiange had everyone stretching their necks and gossiping in clusters.
“Come on, Yang Zheng, give it to us straight—did you actually find Kong Xiange last night or not?”
“Don’t go spreading wild rumors, people’s lives are on the line here. A careless joke can ruin a man’s entire future,” Yang Zheng rebuked sternly.
“Look at you playing the honest boy. Even if she threw herself into your arms, you wouldn’t even dare touch her.”
His coworkers burst into rowdy laughter. Yang Zheng’s face turned crimson; he truly wanted nothing more to do with this harrowing affair.
On the road back to the military dependents’ compound, Qiaoqiao offered her gratitude once more. “Dad, thank you. If it weren’t for you and Mom, I honestly wouldn’t have known what to do.”
Zhou Zhonghai chuckled. “What’s there to thank me for? Your brother was innocent to begin with.”
“That poor girl… her death is so bizarre, such a waste. The thunder and rain last night were terrifying—even I was scared out of my wits.”
Thinking back on the midnight storm, a shiver ran down Qiaoqiao’s spine.
Yet on that very night of raging thunder and pouring rain, a young woman had been sexually assaulted, shoved into a deep pool, and drowned.
It was truly chilling to contemplate.
“Qiaoqiao, do you think that girl’s death was an accident, or someone’s doing?” Zhou Zhonghai asked.
“I… how would I know?”
“Just a casual guess.”
“If she had just drowned without being assaulted, I’d say it was an accident. The storm last night was certainly fierce enough. But since she… since she was assaulted, there has to be a perpetrator,” Qiaoqiao reasoned thoughtfully.
“Indeed. With the rain washing everything away last night, any trace of evidence is probably gone for good. The police bureau was so desperate to close the case that they hauled your brother in—it’s utterly absurd.”
Sighing heavily, he added, “Such absurdities happen far too often.”
“It’s just like back in our village. Whenever grain went missing, families like ours—even if we only had two stray eggs in the house—would get searched from top to bottom.
“As for whether the production brigade’s granary actually came up short, who knows? If my grandfather tried to argue even a little, he’d get cursed out. After a while, when they came to search, we just stopped saying a word. When my brother was framed this time, I was terrified he wouldn’t even have a voice to defend himself.”
Recalling those bitter memories, Qiaoqiao’s eyes grew misty.
“Things will change. One day, those who act lawlessly will face their day of judgment,” Zhou Zhonghai muttered to himself.
“Dad, sometimes I just don’t understand. My grandfather was clearly a private tutor who taught people how to read and be good citizens—how did he end up being targeted for struggle sessions? If there are no teachers left and the youth grow up blind to books, isn’t history just moving backward?” Qiaoqiao asked bravely, voicing the confusion burning in her heart.
“Because some people choose to blind themselves with dogma. But Qiaoqiao, one day, those eyes will open. Relatively speaking, the military is a much fairer place than local society. Soldiers are deeply respected by the common people, and no one will ever dare bully your family again.”
“Yes… it’s all thanks to you and Mom protecting our family. Thank you.”
“Qiaoqiao, we’re family—it sounds formal just saying ‘thank you.’ If anyone should be thanking anyone, it’s me thanking you. The fact that Wenhui thought to have you call us in time shows he genuinely cares about you. Subconsciously, you are changing him for the better.” Zhou Zhonghai smiled with deep satisfaction.
Qiaoqiao’s face flushed bright red. Aside from occasionally leaving Zhou Zhonghai covered in his own waste, she didn’t feel like she had contributed anything at all.
By the time they returned home, it was already afternoon. Zhou Zhonghai hadn’t even eaten lunch yet, and he was already due back at the military base.
Filled with guilt, Qiaoqiao insisted on cooking a fresh bowl of noodles for him before he left, and Zhou Zhonghai finally relented.
While Qiaoqiao bustled about the kitchen, Zhou Zhonghai looked affectionately at Zhou Wenhui and asked, “How have you two been spending your days here?”
“Nothing much. Just reading and soaking up the sun,” Zhou Wenhui replied with a flat expression.
A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Zhou Zhonghai’s face. He glanced sideways at Luo Meiyun, who also beamed with quiet joy.
“Soaking up the sun is good for you. Oh, by the way, Yang Zheng will have a day off in a few days and is coming back to visit Qiaoqiao—don’t go pulling a long face when he’s here.”
“He’s in the clear now?”
“He’s a steady, honest lad; he could never do such depraved things. As for the other two, well, that’s beyond me.”
“Does Father suspect it was one of those two?”
“Hold on now, don’t go trying to trap your old man—I didn’t say any such thing. But even so, I have my own doubts. If it were some random stranger, committing assault is already the height of wickedness; why go as far as taking her life? Unless… the victim knew her attacker. A case of rape and murder is a major felony, yet the local police arrested people without a shred of evidence—that in itself is a violation of the law.”
“Then there likely won’t be any real result. With the heavy rain washing everything clean, all physical evidence is gone,” Zhou Wenhui remarked quietly.
“That girl was far too headstrong. When mutual affection isn’t there, why hang yourself from a single tree? Especially when the man is completely heartless—humble pleading is utterly useless.”
As Zhou Zhonghai watched Qiaoqiao busy at work in the kitchen, he suddenly realized how blunt his words sounded. How was Qiaoqiao any different from that pitiful girl?
“How is the situation on the front lines?” Zhou Wenhui asked casually, seamlessly changing the subject.
“Oh, our division hasn’t received official marching orders yet. But the training tasks get heavier day by day.”
“Can you handle that kind of strain?”
“What’s a little training to me? Your old man could still take down a tiger with his bare hands. I’m just waiting for the day I can march to the front and avenge my son,” Zhou Zhonghai stated calmly.
Luo Meiyun chimed in, “You’re getting up there in years, stop showing off.”
“Who’s showing off? I’m a soldier. As long as the motherland needs me, I’m ready at a moment’s notice. Ancient generals were guarding the borders well into their seventies and eighties—I’m just a little over fifty, right in my prime!”
“Fine, fine, you’re in your prime.”
Carrying out a large bowl of steaming noodles, Qiaoqiao announced, “Dad, the noodles are ready.”
Zhou Zhonghai asked cheerfully, “Wenhui, Meiyun, do either of you want a bite?”
“We had braised pork at the mess hall at noon—we’re still stuffed, couldn’t eat another thing.”
Laughing, Zhou Zhonghai said, “Well, Qiaoqiao, since they’re full, you and I will share these.”
Qiaoqiao brought out a smaller separate bowl and handed it over. “Dad, try it and see if it tastes okay.”
“Delicious, absolutely delicious—tastes even better than the mess hall’s braised pork.”