Wang Xiujuan was startled awake, hastily throwing on her clothes to get up and open the door. Outside stood several people, blocking the corridor so tightly it was impassable. The middle-aged man at the front wore a red armband on his sleeve. Behind him were two men Su Muqing recognized—they were staff from the factory’s security department. At the end of the group was a woman dressed in a Lenin suit; Su Muqing guessed she was probably from the Women’s Federation.
“Director… Director Liu,” Wang Xiujuan’s voice trembled, “what’s going on? Our family hasn’t done anything wrong!”
“Comrade Wang Xiujuan, is Li Jianguo at home?” Director Liu at the front asked sternly.
“He… he…” Wang Xiujuan’s face turned deathly pale, too frightened to speak.
Li Meifeng had also dressed and come out by now, hurriedly explaining, “My dad said he was working overtime at the factory tonight!”
“Overtime?” Director Liu sneered. “There were no overtime tasks at the factory today. The power was even cut off—what kind of overtime could he be doing?! Someone reported that Li Jianguo has issues with his lifestyle and conduct. We need to verify this now, so please cooperate! Where exactly is Li Jianguo?!”
Director Liu raised his voice, and the last sentence seemed to roar out. Instantly, lights flickered on in several buildings near the workers’ residential quarters, but no one came out, afraid their own homes might be next.
Wang Xiujuan, who had only ever been fierce at home, had never faced such a scene. In those days, once such a group showed up at your door, it was practically no different from a raid and family ruin. Her legs trembled uncontrollably. “I… I don’t know…”
“You don’t know?” The woman in the Lenin suit stepped forward. “Comrade Wang Xiujuan, let me ask you: on the 7th, 10th, 14th, and 20th of this month, did Comrade Li Jianguo tell you he was working overtime, coming home late or even staying out all night?”
Wang Xiujuan opened her mouth. “He…”
“Think carefully! We came here because we received a report letter. The letter clearly detailed Li Jianguo’s movements over the past three months. If you cover for him, you’ll be considered an accomplice!”
“He really told me he was working overtime!” Wang Xiujuan slapped her thigh and burst into tears. “How would I know where he went? When he said he was working overtime, I assumed he went back to the factory!”
“So, he’s not at home now either?”
Wang Xiujuan nodded through her tears.
The group exchanged glances. Director Liu immediately declared, “In that case, you all come with us. Let’s go check Zhang Cuicui’s house first.”
He then directed the two security department staff: “You two, go inside and search.”
“Wh-why do you have to search our home?!” Wang Xiujuan tried to block them but was stopped by the Women’s Federation director. “The report letter also accused you and your husband of exploiting your positions to undermine socialism. Of course, we need to search thoroughly!”
By now, even Li Meifeng didn’t dare to make a scene. The group escorted Wang Xiujuan, who was nearly collapsed on the ground, and marched in a grand procession toward another building in the dormitory area. The commotion woke many neighbors, and along the way, Su Muqing saw shadows moving behind the windows of several households.
Su Muqing kept her head down and followed meekly, wearing only thin clothes, acting timid and frightened. Her face was filled with confusion, fear, and helplessness, perfectly playing the role of a terrified, pitiful girl. The Women’s Federation director glanced at her twice, then at Li Meifeng, seeming somewhat puzzled.
Zhang Cuicui lived in the dormitory building two rows back. At this moment, the commotion from the front had not yet reached here. Director Liu knocked forcefully on the door, and panicked sounds came from inside. After a long while, the door cracked open a sliver. Zhang Cuicui had barely managed to put on her clothes, her hair still disheveled. When she saw the people outside, her face turned as pale as Wang Xiujuan’s.
“D-Director Liu, it’s so late, what’s…”
“Is Li Jianguo inside?” Director Liu asked directly.
“N-no, he’s not…” Zhang Cuicui’s eyes darted nervously. Director Liu understood immediately and pushed the door wide open.
Everyone rushed into the house. It was a small one-bedroom apartment, and the bedroom still had no door, only a cloth curtain. A staff member from the security department, seeing a shadow behind the curtain, immediately charged in. Li Jianguo hadn’t even put on his shirt and was trying to escape through the window wearing only pants when the staff member dragged him down and pinned him to the ground.
The beam of a flashlight shone inside, revealing a messy bed with Zhang Cuicui’s and Li Jianguo’s clothes tangled together.
“You scoundrel, Li Jianguo!” Wang Xiujuan, seeing this scene, no longer felt weak. A surge of rage shot straight to the top of her head, and her eyes turned bloodshot. “So that’s it! Where did that handkerchief come from today?! It turns out it was this slut’s filthy thing! Ugh! Li Jianguo, you damned bastard! I bore you children, took care of your parents until they passed, and this is how you repay me?!”
She struggled to rush forward and tear into him but was firmly held back by a staff member.
“Zhang Cuicui, you shameless slut! After your husband died, you go around seducing other women’s men! Can’t you live without a man?!”
Wang Xiujuan cursed furiously, spewing every vile insult imaginable. Behind the windows of the neighboring houses, shadows shifted even more intensely, and faint whispers and suppressed gasps could be heard.
Zhang Cuicui, pale as a ghost from the verbal assault, covered her face and wept bitterly. Li Jianguo was hauled to his feet, his face ashen, not uttering a word.
Director Liu frowned and waved his hand. “Take them all away! Li Jianguo, Zhang Cuicui, get dressed and come with us to the Revolutionary Committee for investigation! The rest of you, come too!”
“Why do we have to go?!” Li Meifeng shrieked. “We didn’t do anything wrong!”
The director of the Women’s Federation sneered coldly, pointing at the Dacron shirt Li Meifeng was wearing. “This shirt was brought to you by your mother from the factory, wasn’t it? We know all about the issues in your household! Stop struggling uselessly! Follow us!”
Li Meifeng fell silent instantly, like a chicken with its neck wrung.
The office was brightly lit. The three main individuals involved were locked in separate rooms for interrogation. Su Muqing and Li Meifeng sat in the main hall, watching Director Liu personally question Li Jianguo and Zhang Cuicui. Faced with the facts, neither could deny their improper relationship, though Li Jianguo insisted that Zhang Cuicui had seduced him.
Zhang Cuicui, on the other hand, sobbed and cried, claiming that as a helpless widow, Li Jianguo had used his position to coerce her.
In short, it was a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
Wang Xiujuan, locked in another room, stubbornly refused to admit she had taken public property.
But soon, those who had stayed behind to search the Li residence returned, holding an iron box.
"Report, Li Jianguo's residence has been thoroughly searched! A significant amount of scrap steel and copper materials and their products, labor protection supplies, as well as fabrics, clothing, and entire spools of thread produced by the Red Star Textile Factory have indeed been discovered. Additionally, this iron box was found hidden in a wall cavity; its contents are unusual and require verification by Director Liu."
Both Li Jianguo and Wang Xiujuan saw the iron box through the window, and in that instant, only two words echoed in their minds:
It's over! Everything is over!