Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Really Overestimated Him
Xu Wenchang felt a wave of relief knowing the two boxes he had hidden hadn’t been discovered.
He knew things wouldn’t end well for him, yet he couldn’t help but feel resentful, unable to comprehend who could have betrayed him.
Moreover, the timing was so coincidental that even his affair with Widow Qiu had been exposed. His mind flickered through many faces, rejecting each one.
Before he could figure it out, the door was violently pushed open. "Don’t harbor any illusions, Xu Wenchang. Confess and be treated with leniency; resist and be treated with severity. That’s always been our policy."
Xu Wenchang hung his head like an old monk in meditation.
But they had their ways of making him talk.
As it turned out, they had indeed overestimated him; he confessed everything that very night.
Not only did they uncover his identity and his activities over the years, but they also learned the cause of Widow Qiu’s husband’s death, as the Qiu Family had already filed a report.
Qiu Chunzhu had discovered Xu Wenchang’s true identity. Xu Wenchang repeatedly begged Qiu Chunzhu not to report him, and Qiu Chunzhu, considering their kinship, agreed.
However, Xu Wenchang then secretly got involved with Qiu Chunzhu’s new wife.
Qiu Chunzhu, still in debt from his wedding, signed up for work at a reservoir construction site. It was during this period that Xu Wenchang thoroughly cuckolded him.
Qiu Chunzhu remained completely unaware. When he returned from the reservoir, he found his wife pregnant, and his eyes filled with joy.
He was incredibly considerate of his wife. Later, after she had a fall and subsequently gave birth to Qiu Baolin, Qiu Chunzhu treated his wife and child exceptionally well.
It wasn’t until Qiu Baolin was two years old that Qiu Chunzhu accidentally discovered the affair between Xu Wenchang and his own wife. He was instantly enraged and wanted to kill the adulterous pair.
When the two realized their affair was exposed, they knew that if word got out, they would have no place left in Songling Village. Deciding there was no turning back, they committed a desperate act: together, they knocked Qiu Chunzhu unconscious.
They then threw him outside into the freezing winter cold, leaving him half-dead, before dragging him back into the house.
Afterward, Qiu Chunzhu’s wife—now known as Widow Qiu—fetched a barefoot doctor from the neighboring village. Soon, word spread that Qiu Chunzhu had caught a severe cold and developed a high fever.
A few days later, it was said the fever had developed into pneumonia. His condition worsened daily after that, and by early spring, he had passed away.
Upon learning of this, the Red Committee immediately interrogated Widow Qiu. Never having faced such an ordeal, she confessed everything in less than half an hour.
She genuinely hadn’t known about Xu Wenchang’s other identity. However, because she had conspired with Xu Wenchang to murder her husband, imprisonment was unavoidable.
Only Ma Jiuxiang was genuinely unaware. Terrified, she hid in a corner, repeatedly insisting, "I really don’t know anything."
Before these events had fully concluded, Songling Village received a temporary transfer order from the city concerning Comrade Chu Yunyi.
Branch Secretary Yang Gengtian and the newly elected Head of the Brigade, Qiao Yougen, were both stunned. "Is this real?" Yang Gengtian exclaimed. "Chu Zhiqing is to be transferred to the city?"
The comrade who delivered the transfer order nodded. "Yes, and we hope the village will cooperate. This is an urgent matter, so Comrade Chu must depart with us immediately."
When Chu Yunyi was summoned, she feigned ignorance. "Branch Secretary, Head of the Brigade," she asked, "why did you call for me?"
The Branch Secretary handed her the transfer document. "Chu Zhiqing," he said, "this comrade is from the city. Take a look at this."
When Yunyi left the village, the villagers were once again in an uproar. "Will Chu Zhiqing come back after she leaves?" someone asked.
"Didn’t you hear the Branch Secretary? He said it’s just a temporary transfer."
"So that means she’ll have to come back to the village as an educated youth later?"
"Right."
"Sigh, I really thought she’d be working in the city from now on. My envy was for nothing."
"Listen to yourself. Your envy is pointless; it’s not like you have her talent."
"Who cares."
"Chu Zhiqing is just so fortunate. It’s been over a month since spring began, yet she’s only worked in the fields for a few days in total. We thought that after leaving the clinic, she’d be just like us. But look, she’s hardly started in the fields and she’s already being transferred away."
"Isn’t that the truth? Chu Zhiqing’s luck is truly exceptional, something we can only admire from afar."