Tuliang Village
Zhang Fugui and Li Guilan searched all day but couldn’t find Anning.
By evening, Zhang Fugui had to change Zhang Qiang’s clothes, wait on him to wipe his body, and feed him.
anwhile, Li Guilan had to wash the bedding; the couple was so busy, they couldn’t even eat.
After they finished their tasks, the two sat together cursing Anning.
Zhang Fugui’s eyebrows stood upright, cursing fiercely: "That little bastard, that little brat, she better not co back, or I’ll break her legs."
Li Guilan was exhausted, sitting on the kang also cursing: "She better die out there, otherwise I’ll skin her alive."
In Tuliang Village, everyone knew Anning couldn’t be found, but since Zhang Fugui didn’t care much about her, no one took it to heart.
Everyone thought perhaps Anning might have been tricked away by soone or kidnapped, or maybe sothing happened to her. No one considered that she might have run away by herself, let alone that she might have filed a report.
The sky gradually darkened and the lamps in hos lit up.
Just then, the sound of police sirens was heard from afar.
Children, who had finished eating and wanted to play outside, ran towards the sound.
So mischievous kids mimicked the sirens and kept chanting, "It’s over, it’s over, it’s over."
At this ti, many people teased about the sounds of police cars and ambulances.
Originally, only city folks said this, but later it spread to the countryside, and everyone started imitating it for fun.
Many adults would tease their children by asking, "Do you know the difference between the sound of an ambulance and a police car?"
The children would shake their heads: "No idea."
The adults would laugh and say: "An ambulance goes like this: faster, faster, faster."
When saying ’faster,’ the sound is drawn out quite a bit.
"A police car goes like this: it’s over, it’s over, it’s over." The word ’over’ is said very quickly.
And thus, the children learned to imitate it too.
Everyone felt it was quite vivid; not only did it sound quite similar, but it held another aning.
An ambulance is for saving lives, of course, it should be ’faster, faster.’
And a police car is for catching criminals; once caught, it really is ’over.’
Anyway, whenever children heard this sound, they’d run out to join the excitent, chanting along, "It’s over, it’s over."
When the children went out, the adults in the house also ca out to see the commotion.
In the village, there’s not much to do in the evening; after eating, they’re bored, so when sothing exciting happens, naturally everyone wants to take a look.
So everyone ca out, following the sound of the police car.
And then, at Zhang Fugui’s doorstep, they saw the police car parked.
A few policen got out and went straight into Zhang Fugui’s house. In no ti, Zhang Fugui, with handcuffs on his wrists, was escorted onto the police car.
So brave souls went over and asked: "Comrade policeman, what’s going on? What cri did Zhang Fugui commit?"
Everyone knew there was an intense crackdown going on; a while back, many people were executed, supposedly village tyrants and the like, none of them decent folks, but Zhang Fugui seed quite honest, how did he get caught?
A policeman loudly said: "Soone reported that he was illegally trading children, and after investigation, this was verified..."
"So that’s it, his daughter really was bought, but shouldn’t this not be a cri? This is illegal too?"
The villagers indeed weren’t aware of this.
The policeman spoke loudly: "This is illegal. The country prohibits the buying and selling of won and children, as it infringes on human rights. Not only Zhang Fugui is involved in illegal activity, but also He Jian’s couple from Shangpo Village, who sold the child. They should be arrested by now too."
Everyone felt tense hearing this: "Selling your own children is illegal too."
Since the criminals were already caught and couldn’t run away, the policeman continued: "This is illegal, whether it’s your own or soone else’s children, they cannot be bought or sold, and also drowning children or abandoning them is illegal too, and if known, one will go to jail."
Many people’s faces turned pale after hearing this.
Just as the policen were about to get in the car and leave, suddenly a scream rang out from the crowd; a skinny, poorly dressed woman rushed towards the police car.
The woman blocked the police car’s door, fell to her knees with a thud: "Comrade policen, you have to stand up for , my two daughters were drowned by my old woman, two lives just disappeared like that."
The policen who ca to make arrests changed their expressions upon hearing this: "Is what you’re saying true?"
The woman nodded: "My eldest daughter was killed right after birth, and I was afraid the sa would happen to my second daughter, so I wouldn’t let my old woman touch her, watching her day and night. Luckily, she reached a month old, she was growing well, but yesterday, when I went out for a bit and returned, she had no breath. I buried her behind my house... I’ll take you to see."
The policeman was about to help the woman up when an old woman from the crowd rushed forward, trying to assault the woman: "I will make you pay for your lies, I will make you..."
The policeman imdiately frowned, and one officer got off the car to control the old woman, while another said: "Get the village chief over here."
Soon, the village chief ca over.
The policeman spoke to him: "You help watch the criminals; we’ll go gather evidence."
One policeman found a flashlight and took the woman to her backyard.
Just as they announced they were going to dig out the child, a man knelt before the woman: "Xiangling, please be considerate, that’s my mother, you can’t turn her in, she raised with so much effort, now she’s old and can’t go to jail, please, I beg you..."
Xiangling was trembling with anger, reached out, and slapped the man across the face: "Zhang Erzhu, are you even human? That’s your daughter! Two daughters, two lives! You’re pleading for your mother’s sake, why don’t you plead for your daughters’ sake? Why didn’t you beg your mother to spare your daughters’ lives? You may feel for your mother, but I feel for the daughters I struggled to bring into this world. Enough said, once this matter is cleared up, our life together ends here."
Xiangling cried while pointing out the place where the child was buried to the policen.
The village chief let people follow over, then the policen got people to fetch shovels and dug out the child.
The weather was cold now; the child had only been buried for two days, so the body was still intact.
After the body was dug out, it had to be sent for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
Anyway, after dealing with that wave, when Zhang Fugui was taken to the police station for custody, it was close to midnight.
But the people of Tuliang Village still couldn’t sleep.
Indeed, the events of this night were far too dramatic and far too unexpected.
At Zhang Erzhu’s house, they did have two daughters, but Second Pillar’s mother kept saying Xiangling’s children were weak and didn’t survive, and everyone believed her.
No one expected Second Pillar’s mother to be so heartless as to kill her two granddaughters.
Xiangling usually appeared weak and seldom spoke; the villagers never thought she would have such courage to report her mother-in-law.
Of course, what people despise most is Zhang Erzhu and his mother.
The won in the village all looked down on Zhang Erzhu.
A grown man, watching his mother kill his own daughters without stopping her, truly a coward and a wimp, what woman would want to marry such a man? Being with such a man, one would suffer all one’s life, who can endure that?
Many won went ho and told their husbands: "Look, Xiangling is truly heartbroken, and since she reported Second Pillar’s mother, she surely can’t live with Erzhu anymore. If Xiangling leaves, Erzhu should expect to be single for life."
The n knew this was certain.
This matter will spread within a few days, known by everyone in the surrounding area, and by then, Zhang Erzhu’s family’s reputation will be ruined; no good family would let their daughter marry such a person.
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