"Oh dear, look at me, wasting time here. Itâs so late, everyone is asleep already. Now Iâll have to make this trip for nothing. Letâs go first," one of the women tapped her forehead, saying as she pushed her bicycle forward.
Once beside the police, she quickly explained with a smile, "Officer, this has nothing to do with us. We were just passing by."
The captain glanced at them and sternly asked, "Where are you all from, wandering around here so late at night?"
"Weâre from the district compound. We agreed to go to the front village to buy mountain goods. Nobody was home during the day, so we had to go in the evening. We ate just now and set off together, planning to make a quick trip. Who would have expected to run into such trouble on the way," one woman explained.
"Yes, and we know the girl. Sheâs from our compound too," Wang Guihua agreed nervously.
"What nonsense are you spouting? We donât have such embarrassing women in our compound!" one military wife exclaimed. Another nudged her and corrected, "Officer, this woman is from the South District, with her husband here to handle some affairs for a few days. Who would have thought such a thing would happen?"
"Officer, my husband belongs to the Vice Era Division of S City. Iâm completely unfamiliar with this area. Tonight, as I passed through, I was harassed by this thug. Officer, you must punish them severely. Look, these injuries were inflicted by them," Ye Qing quickly seized the opportunity to defend herself.
The captain glanced at a few women, "Hurry up and leave, itâs already past eight, pitch black out here. Itâs not safe."
"Yes, yes, we...we wonât buy anything. With such an incident, weâre scared to go anywhere," the military wife said as she urgently turned her bike around to head back.
The remaining women quickly followed suit. They came for entertainment, but now embroiled with police matters, they wouldnât go any further.
As they had barely walked a little further, one woman cried out, almost colliding with a shadow.
Shining a flashlight, it revealed none other than Mei Langchi, but with the military wife hesitant to linger, she quickly moved the light away.
Mei Langchiâs face was dark and terrifying. He stood there ominously, as if about to erupt like a volcano at any moment.
"Whatâs wrong?" another military wife asked, worried, upon hearing her exclamation.
"Nothing, nothing, just a trick of the light. Letâs hurry on," she replied.
After cycling some distance away, a few military wives stopped to pat their chests out of relief, "Oh my god, scared me to death. How could that woman get caught cheating like that? Look at her, she isnât easy to deal with, see how much theyâve beaten her."
"Indeed, she was so flamboyant when she came out earlier, but look at her now. She mustâve been beaten badly."
"Letâs not discuss further. Off we go; didnât you hear my shout earlier? Guess who I saw?"
"Who?"
"Her husband, standing right behind us, silent and with an eerie expression."
"Oh my, things have gotten interesting. The husbandâs here, the loverâs here, itâs hard to clear things up now."
"What a coincidence that the police appeared at this time."
"We better not interfere further, itâs none of our business. Letâs head back quickly; Iâm almost scared out of my wits," another woman added.
"I reckon her husbandâs wife called the police. Sheâs likely decided not to continue this marriage."
"Itâs gotten to this point, why bother?"
"Ye Qing said she was coerced. Looking at her state, she probably did meet a gangster who...with that man," another woman speculated.
"But I clearly heard her say she went to the mud house for a rendezvous, how can that be wrong," Wang Guihua disagreed immediately.
"Sheâs been in the south with her husband, just arrived here a few days ago, hardly ever leaves the house. How could she know anyone here?"
"Right, she even said sheâs on her period. How could she possibly engage in anything with a man? She wouldnât be so foolish."
"You never know with such women."
"Ah, what a pity. Iâm really curious how her husband will handle this mess," one woman mused.
"How would he? Itâs utterly embarrassing. I bet he doesnât even want to come out," another said.
The military wives returned home unsettled, not daring to speak of the matter openly. Their husbands mentioned that the Vice Era Division from the South, like Mei, had substantial influenceâthey would be wise not to provoke them.
They kept mum in public but shared among their husbands.
...The captain, with a few officers, gathered the details and inspected the small mud house nearby. They also found a camera in the bushes.
The camera was indeed hard to find where Ye Qing threw it, but Han Yi managed to pick it up secretly and place it at the mud house entrance, enabling the police to locate it.
The captain reviewed everything without pinpointing anyoneâs fault yet. Planning to bring everyone to the station, he said, "Officer, this woman has done time. You should have records. Back then, there were already suspicious relations between them...This woman was my husbandâs student, he happened to be her teacher. They were secretly involved then too. When it was discovered, she was expelled. I thought they had no contact, yet they got back together, had a kid, and pushed for my divorce with my husband. I refused, and she wickedly plotted against my family. She went to jail, yet after release, they colluded again. Officer, this married woman still flirts around, who else should I beat?" Wei Xue followed them, persistently recounting this âshameless pairâs historyâ to the police.
"I told you, Iâm innocent. I was just passing by and got tangled up with him. Even if there was anything between us, I wouldnât be foolish enough to engage while on my period. Officer, you canât just listen to their side!"
"Then tell us why you came here at night," the captain questioned.
"I...suddenly missed my child and wanted to visit. My child is in S City."
"Ha...Donât tell me you planned to walk back in the dark," Wei Xue scoffed angrily.
The captain remained silent, considering everyoneâs testimony. As he reached the roadside and shone his flashlight, he noticed a person standing there. "Who, whoâs there?" As the light pinpointed the person, before he could ask further, Ye Qing rushed sobbing to Mei Langchiâs side, "Langchi, Iâm sorry. I canât live anymore," she cried, collapsing in tears gripping Mei Langchiâs leg.
"I only ask you, did you come here on your own?"
"No, no, I donât even know how he ended up here. Langchi, you must believe me," Ye Qingâs eyes were too heavy to lift, her eyelids swollen, a few heavy teardrops clung to her long lashes, blinked a few times then fell, her vision blurred, vaguely reflecting a pale face, along with the blood stains beneath. This made Mei Langchi believe it wasnât Ye Qingâs fault.
Since theyâd been together every day, there was no reason sheâd seek another man.
He couldnât understand why Ye Qing would want to visit her son at this time, as public buses were no longer available.
She seemed ready to walk back alone, though her son lived in the suburbs, a distance from the army base.
Mei Langchi didnât have time to contemplate these details, but knowing something intimate happened to his woman fueled his rage, reacting before anyone else could.
Mei Langchiâs fist fell upon Li Liang, a soldier assaulting a weakened injured man, was like slaughtering a helpless pig, leaving him at Mei Langchiâs mercy.
Pounding Li Liang in vital spots, crippling him if not fatal, "Ah...Help me, save me."
The Wei family members nearby felt no remorse for Li Liang, as long as he survived long enough to divorce her sister by tomorrow.
"Quick, stop him."
The captain rushed to pull Mei Langchi off Li Liang, "Comrade, comrade officer, mind your image. We know youâre upset, but this matter has escalated, we must plan and resolve reasonably, no violence! Moreover, your uniform forbids such actions. Since everyoneâs here, letâs go to the police station and talk."
"Captain, this woman is bleeding heavily. She urgently needs to go to the hospital."
"Quick, quick, get to the hospital!"