Chapter Twenty-Three: Argumentation

The villagers craned their necks; although they were illiterate, they could clearly recognize the red handprint.

Sun Laizi's face paled instantly.

"That...that's because I was drunk! I was confused!"

Sun Laizi's eyes darted around in panic as he tried to argue.

"I regretted it as soon as I sobered up! I only wrote that to appease her family; it doesn't count!"

"Besides, what man doesn't have a temper? What's wrong with hitting him a couple of times? He didn't kill him! Those injuries on Xiong Zijuan's body, she probably fell down herself, or... or she got them while she was having an affair! And you're blaming me for it!" He got more and more outrageous as he spoke, and started making accusations again.

"Did you fall down yourself? Did you do it while having an affair?" A hoarse, crying female voice rang out, filled with undisguised sarcasm.

Xiong Zijuan leaned on Zhang Yili and walked out from behind Song Shi, her eyes piercing as she stared directly at Sun Laizi.

Seemingly having made up her mind, she lifted the sleeve of her cotton-padded jacket in full view of everyone, but the fact that her body weight was leaning towards Zhang Yi revealed her nervousness.

“Juan’er…” Old Man Xiong and Mrs. Song looked at their daughter with heartache, their voices choked with emotion.

“Sun Youcai, not even a ghost would believe what you’re saying! The injuries on Sister Zijuan’s body, old and new mixed together, bruises upon bruises, could they have been caused by a fall? Or by an affair? Village chief, elders, uncles and aunts! The truth is what you see!”

On that thin forearm, there were several deep purple bruises, with bluish-yellow edges, clearly indicating that old wounds had not healed and new ones had been added.

"Damn beast!" A woman who had been gossiping in the crowd couldn't help but curse out loud.

"This...this is too ruthless!"

"No wonder they brought the kids back..."

Looking at the shocking wounds and hearing the change in the wind direction, Sun Laizi's face changed completely. His eyes darted around in panic, and he tried to deny it. "This...this...maybe she just didn't mean to..."

"careless?"

Zhang Liuyi interrupted him sharply, his voice suddenly rising in pitch, filled with thunderous rage.

“Sun Youcai! How long are you going to keep making excuses? Was the fingerprint on that guarantee yours? Did you inflict the injury on Sister Zijuan’s arm?”

"You pressed your fingerprint on the document promising not to lay a hand on it again, and then you went even further! Isn't that a betrayal of your promise? Isn't that worse than a beast? And Xiao Bao too!"

Zhang Liuyi's voice suddenly changed, pointing to the bewildered child in Xiong Zijuan's arms.

“That time before the New Year, you went on a drunken rampage, snatching Xiaobao and almost causing him to fall down the steps! If it weren’t for Sister Zijuan’s desperate protection, would the child still be here safely? Even tigers don’t eat their cubs! How could you do that to your own flesh and blood! How dare you cry and plead for justice here, turning the tables on us? Do you deserve to be a husband? Do you deserve to be a father?”

"I...I..." Sun Laizi was so overwhelmed by the barrage of questions that he became dizzy and his face drained of color, with cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He opened his mouth, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words.

"You...you're lying! You...you're making false accusations! That guarantee...they forced me to write it! I...I can't read! They tricked me into putting my fingerprint on it!"

"We forced you to write it? We tricked you into pressing it?"

"Sun Youcai, the village head of Liushutun was present when you wrote the guarantee! He read a sentence, and you nodded in agreement! Finally, you personally dipped your finger in ink and pressed it onto the document! Shouldn't we ask the village head to come and confront you right now?" Xiong Zixiang's gaze was fixed on Sun Laizi. "Deceiving the government and falsely accusing others is an even greater crime! Think carefully before you answer!"

“The…village head…” Sun Laizi was completely panicked, his eyes darting around and his lips trembling.

No matter how reckless he was, he wouldn't dare to openly lie and falsely accuse a constable in official circles!

"I...I..." Sun Laizi slumped onto the bench like a deflated balloon.

"As for Xiao Bao!" Zhang Liuyi seized the moment when Sun Laizi was discouraged and spoke again.

"On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month before the Lunar New Year, you were drunk and snatched Xiaobao. On the steps of your own courtyard, you almost dropped the baby in his swaddling clothes. If it weren't for Sister Zijuan risking her life to protect him and cushion the fall with her own body, the child would have been either dead or maimed! Everyone in the neighborhood, half the street of Liushutun, witnessed this! You, Sun Youcai, do you dare to swear before the ancestral tablets in the ancestral hall that you didn't do it? Do you dare?"

"I...I was drunk that day...I was confused..." Sun Laizi was completely deflated, his voice as low as a mosquito's buzz, his head almost buried in his crotch, unable to lift it up again.

"Drunk? Confused?" Zhang pressed his advantage.

"Every time you commit violence, you manage to excuse yourself by saying you were drunk or confused! After each act of violence, you continue to commit evil as if nothing happened! Sun Youcai, ask yourself honestly, do you deserve to be a husband and a father?"

The villagers who had initially been prejudiced and eager to watch the spectacle now looked at Sun Laizi with nothing but contempt and disgust; while their gazes toward Xiong Zijuan and her son were filled with sympathy and pity.

"Enough!" The village chief's voice boomed like a bell, carrying long-suppressed anger and unquestionable authority.

“Sun Youcai! The evidence is overwhelming! You yourself have confessed! You beat your wife and abused your children, you are fickle and unfaithful! Every single one of these acts is outrageous! What else do you have to say?”

Sun Laizi lay slumped on the bench, his face ashen, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

The village chief's sharp gaze swept over the several Xiong family elders, who also had solemn expressions. Seeing them nod slightly, he knew he had already made his decision.

He stood up, looked around the room, and announced:

"Today, I, Zhang Youtian, in the name of the village chief of Zhuoshui Village, and with the elders of the Xiong family as witnesses, declare that the marital relationship between Sun Youcai and Xiong Zijuan is completely severed! Sun Youcai has repeatedly committed acts of violence, endangering his wife and children, and has also betrayed his promises without any remorse! Xiong Zijuan's request for a divorce is reasonable, justified, and legal! I grant it!"

"Furthermore, the young child, Xiao Bao, is innocent and has a violent temper. His father, Sun Youcai, has repeatedly endangered the child's life and is not a suitable match for him! For the child's safety, he shall be raised by his mother, Xiong Zijuan! Sun Youcai shall not harass or seize him for any reason! Any violation of this rule will be punished according to village rules and clan laws, and the child will be handed over to the authorities for investigation!"

As soon as the village chief finished speaking, Old Man Xiong and Mrs. Song burst into tears, tightly embracing their daughter, Xiong Zijuan. Xiong Zijuan sobbed uncontrollably, as if a tremendous burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Xiong Zixiang's tense back finally relaxed, and his gaze towards Zhang Yili was filled with gratitude.

"Village Chief! Clan Elder! This...this won't do! Xiaobao is my child! He's mine..."

Upon hearing that Xiao Bao had been given to Xiong Zijuan, Sun Laizi struggled to pounce on him again.

"shut up!"

Xiong Zixiang's shout was like a thunderclap, startling Sun Laizi so much that he stumbled.

"The village chief has made his decision! How dare you be so insolent? If you dare to cause any more trouble, don't blame me for being impolite!"

His hand rested on the hilt of the knife at his waist, his eyes as cold as a knife.

Sun Laizi looked at the gleaming knife hilt, then at Xiong Zixiang's murderous gaze, and remembering his identity as a constable, he was terrified and dared not utter a sound. He was dragged away by the villagers like a lump of mud.

The dust has settled.

The divorce agreement was written by the village chief himself, and Xiong Zijuan, along with Xiong Laohan and the elders of the Xiong family who served as witnesses, pressed their fingerprints on it.

Although they could still feel strange looks and whispers coming from certain corners as they left the council hall, the Xiong family didn't care about any of that.

Zhang Liuli walked beside Xiong Zixiang and watched as Xiong Zijuan held Xiaobao tightly. Although her face was still wet with tears, her eyes no longer showed a deathly despair, but rather a firmness and hope that came after surviving a disaster.

She let out a soft sigh of relief. Xiong Zixiang turned his head and his deep voice rang in Zhang Liuyi's ear, carrying a hint of hoarseness and an unprecedented solemnity.

"Thank you for your attention today." He didn't call the girl "Attention" again today.

Zhang looked up and met his deep eyes, in which her own reflection was clearly seen. Her face flushed slightly, and she looked away.

"No need to thank me, we're family, it's only right."

After saying that, without waiting for Xiong Zixiang to speak again, she nodded to him, turned around and left quickly. Her father was still waiting, and the stall hadn't been set up today. She had to hurry back and explain the matter.

Pushing open the gate to Zhang Dahe's courtyard, the familiar aroma of cooking wafted from the kitchen.

As expected, Zhang Dashan hadn't left. He was squatting by the stove, casually poking at the firewood with fire tongs, his brow furrowed, clearly preoccupied.

Zhang Dahe sat on the threshold of the main room smoking a pipe, Li Xiulan was pacing around in the courtyard with Xiao Nan'er in her arms, and Zhang Liuji stopped his carpentry work, holding a chisel in his hand, staring blankly at a piece of wood.

The whole family is waiting for news from her.

"Dad, Uncle, Aunt, Brother, Sister-in-law, I'm back."

Zhang Liuli stepped into the courtyard, her voice carrying a hint of relief after her fatigue.

"How is it, Yi-jie?"

Zhang Dashan immediately stood up and took a few steps to meet him, his face full of urgency and worry.

Zhang Dahe also stubbed out his cigarette. Li Xiulan, holding the child, moved closer, and even Zhang Liuji dropped his chisel and gathered around.

Zhang Liuyi took a deep breath and recounted the events as concisely as possible: how Sun Laizi caused trouble and jumped into the river, how she slandered others, how she and Xiong Zixiang produced a guarantee and evidence of injuries, how the village chief was furious and publicly ruled for divorce, how Xiaobao was awarded to Zijuan's custody, and how Sun Laizi was warned not to harass her.

"...That's how it is. The village chief and several elders of the Xiong family all pressed their fingerprints, and the divorce agreement was finalized."

Zhang concluded by saying this.

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Zhang Dashan said "good" three times in a row, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

"The village chief is wise! That beast surnamed Sun deserves to be dealt with! Good riddance! A clean break!" He slapped his thigh, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

Zhang Liuji was dumbfounded. After a long while, he smacked his lips and exclaimed, "My God... this... this is too... too dangerous! That Sun Laizi really dared to jump into the river? Watch out, girl, you and Xiong Butou... really... really this!" He couldn't help but give a thumbs up, his face full of admiration.

Aunt Zhang smacked her lips, but her brows furrowed slightly, showing the caution of someone who had been through it all.

"Divorce is a good thing, that guy surnamed Sun deserved it! The village chief's judgment was fair! But..."

She looked at Zhang Yili, her tone tinged with concern.

“Yi’er, the Xiong family… will have two more people living here permanently from now on. Sister Zijuan is bringing her child back, so life… will be quite a burden. When you marry into the family, you’ll have to manage everything inside and outside the house, this…” She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: she was worried that her niece’s future would be difficult.

Li Xiulan held Xiao Nan'er in her arms, gently patting the child's back to comfort her while listening, her face full of heartache and anger.

When Zhang Liuyi described the injuries on Xiong Zijuan's arms and how Sun Laizi almost dropped Xiaobao, her eyes welled up with tears of anger, and she couldn't help but mutter, "Beast! You're worse than a beast! Even tigers don't eat their cubs! How can you be so cruel!"

She looked down at the innocent and babbling Xiao Nan'er in her arms, and then thought of the equally bewildered Xiao Bao, and her heart ached even more. "Poor things... Sister Zijuan and Xiao Bao, they're finally free from their suffering... Things will get better from now on."