Chapter 23 I still need to tell you about Fatty Girl
The wind still rustled through the cornfield.
The cornfield was blown into a green wave.
Xie Zhongming stood in the wind, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his brows furrowed, but his gaze remained fixed on Qiao Xingyue.
Are you injured anywhere?
Feeling the force on her arm was a bit too tight, Qiao Xingyue awkwardly shook it off. She didn't know if she had misunderstood or what, but she felt that there was something else in Comrade Xie's eyes besides worry.
As everyone gathered around, she brushed the bits of grass from her hair and said crisply, "Comrade Xie, Uncle Xie, don't worry, I wasn't taken advantage of. I took Jiang Yongqiang to the police station, and that's why I brought the police officers here to identify the crime scene."
Seeing everyone's anxious, worried, and shocked expressions, she added, "I'm really fine. I know acupuncture, and I always carry silver needles with me. As soon as Jiang Yongqiang gets close to me, I can prick his arm until it goes numb and he can't exert any strength."
Xie Zhongming has experienced firsthand the feeling of his hand going numb and losing strength after being pricked with an injection.
Back then, in Shantang Village, Comrade Qiao, in order to save time, quickly inserted an acupuncture needle into his arm. At that moment, his arm did go numb and he couldn't exert any strength. Only then did Comrade Qiao take off his pants to perform the surgery.
Hearing this, Xie Zhongming felt a little less suffocated, and his clenched hands loosened slightly.
At this moment, the police officers in the jeep escorted Jiang Yongqiang out of the car. Jiang Yongqiang's face was swollen, his eyes were bruised, his hands were tied behind his back, and his wrists were bound with several circles of dark green silk.
The silk looked familiar.
Isn't this the braid Qiao Xingyue uses? No wonder Comrade Qiao's hair is so messy and disheveled.
This Comrade Qiao is indeed a woman who is not inferior to men. Jiang Yongqiang is such a tall and strong man, much taller than her, yet she easily took him to the police station.
After the false alarm, Xie Zhongming's clenched fingers still carried a hint of unconscious panic. "You're not allowed to bring my dad food tomorrow."
This cornfield has been the site of one or two criminal cases in previous years, so it's not safe.
When the police officers saw that so many people had gathered, they realized that although they belonged to different agencies, they were all like-minded comrades. The officer in charge noticed that the man standing in front of Qiao Xingyue, though somewhat young, had the demeanor of a leader. He said to Xie Zhongming, "Comrade, we are handling a case. It's not good for so many people to be watching. Please disperse."
Before Xie Zhongming could speak, Xie Jiang waved his hand, "Everyone, go back to work in the pea field. You've worked hard. If you're done, go back."
Covered in injuries, Jiang Yongqiang said to the police officer with tears in his eyes, "Comrade, I really didn't do anything illegal. This woman hit me first. Look at all these injuries I have. I'm a victim too."
"That wasn't hitting you," the police officer said sternly. "It was self-defense. If you hadn't dragged her into the cornfield, why would she have hit you?"
Qiao Xingyue had already explained the whole story to the police officers, who, after seeing the scene, believed that what she said was true.
Fortunately, this woman was bold and a doctor who knew acupuncture techniques; otherwise, there would have been another rape case today.
When the police officers went to investigate the scene, Xie Zhongming's icy gaze fell on Jiang Yongqiang.
The coldness in his eyes seemed to freeze the air, as if even the surrounding dust dared not drift away.
Jiang Yongqiang trembled under that intimidating gaze. He had been hunching over, but now he dared not breathe too heavily and remained motionless, saying, "Commander Xie, I... I won't dare to do it again. There won't be a next time. For the sake of my uncle saving your father before, could you please put in a good word for me with the police?"
"You dare to do it again?" Xie Zhongming clenched his fist tightly. "Hooliganism is punishable by death."
Jiang Yongqiang collapsed instantly, sitting down heavily on the dusty, muddy ground.
When he came to his senses, he moved in front of Qiao Xingyue and said, "Comrade Qiao, I didn't do anything to you, so please put in a good word for me with the police, okay? Please."
"What?" Qiao Xingyue kicked the person away and said decisively, "What are you hoping to do to me before you're satisfied?"
"Comrade Qiao, that's not what I meant. I know I was wrong, and I sincerely want to change. I..."
"Stop! Not only will I not speak well of you, but I will also clarify what happened four years ago in that dilapidated temple in Kunming when you almost assaulted me. I have already found the witness who saved me back then. You can just wait to rot in jail."
"You had designs on Comrade Qiao four years ago?" Xie Zhongming grabbed Jiang Yongqiang by the collar, which reeked of sweat.
His knuckles turned white from the force he exerted.
Anger flared in his eyes, and even his breathing was heavy and forceful.
Jiang Beiyang chimed in, "Zhongming, I think we should have this scumbag thoroughly investigated. Maybe he's committed crimes before, but he was just lucky not to get caught."
Jiang Beiyang's second brother, Jiang Beisong, chimed in, "This kind of scum should be fired from the logistics department and permanently removed from their ranks."
Xie Jiang saw that Xingyue only had some superficial injuries and was not seriously hurt, but he felt as if his own daughter had been bullied.
He clenched his fist and scrutinized Jiang Yongqiang, who was slumped on the ground. "I was senile. I shouldn't have agreed to let Jiang Chunyan arrange for you to be placed in the logistics department. It's a disgrace to the military. Zhongming, Jiang Yongqiang's hometown is Kuncheng. Your Uncle Luo works at the Kuncheng Public Security Bureau. Have him check if Jiang Yongqiang has committed any crimes in his hometown. Find out the truth this time."
It's over, it's over, Jiang Yongqiang's world has collapsed.
If they were to investigate in their village, they would definitely find out that he had assaulted a mentally disabled mother and daughter in the village, and he would really be shot.
Jiang Yongqiang collapsed to the ground, terrified out of his wits.
The police officers handcuffed the terrified Jiang Yongqiang, put him in a car, and took him away. The remaining people were Xie Jiang, Xie Zhongming, Jiang Beiyang, Jiang Beisong, Jiang Wang, and Qiao Xingyue.
All eyes were on Qiao Xingyue, some praising her, some marveling at her, some feeling sorry for her, and some feeling lingering fear.
Why are you all looking at me like that?
Jiang Beiyang gave Qiao Xingyue a thumbs up, "Comrade Qiao, you are simply a role model for women of this era, amazing!"
"What's so great about it?" Qiao Xingyue said indifferently. "It's just the potential that came out when she was forced into a corner."
A seemingly casual remark, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds pressing down on Xie Zhongming's chest.
The wind still blew crisply through the cornfield, but Xie Zhongming felt a little short of breath—Comrade Qiao was raising two children alone. Her parents, intellectuals sent to the countryside for reform, had died young, and her husband was also dead. Alone and helpless, how many times had she endured dangers like today to forge such a man's courage?
Jiang Beiyang asked curiously, "Comrade Qiao, tell me quickly, how did you beat that bastard Jiang Yongqiang so badly that his face was bruised and swollen?"
"Alright, Comrade Qiao is tired too, he needs to go back and rest."
The person who interrupted Jiang Beiyang was Xie Zhongming.
He righted the bicycle that had fallen over in the cornfield, picked up the scattered aluminum lunchboxes and lids, put them back into the net bag, and checked them. The chain was missing.
He squatted down, quickly fastened the chain, and then pushed the bike to Qiao Xingyue. "Comrade Qiao, I'll take you back to rest."
"How about I ride back myself? I'm fine, just a few minor scratches. Comrade Xie, you go about your business and don't worry about me."
Qiao Xingyue looked at the sky; the sun was about to set.
She gripped the handlebars of the bicycle, saying, "I'll get back just in time to cook dinner."
There were two hands on the handlebars, one pair belonging to Qiao Xingyue and the other to Xie Zhongming. Seeing her holding onto the handlebars, he didn't let go. "It's not safe on the road, I'll give you a ride."
This tone is not open to debate.
Qiao Xingyue had no choice but to let go.
Then Xie Zhongming added, "We don't need to cook today, we'll eat out tonight."
Xie Jiang chimed in, "That's right, Xingyue, look at you, your pants are torn, your face is covered in injuries, and your hands are hurt too. Don't do any work for the next few days. Uncle Xie will take you out to eat tonight."
These heartwarming words brought tears to Qiao Xingyue's eyes.
Her throat tightened slightly, but after a moment, she said decisively, "Uncle Xie, it's nothing, just a minor injury. Don't spend any more money tonight, I'll go home and cook, let's save some money."
Xie Zhongming said decisively, "Listen to my dad, don't do any work or get your hands wet these next few days."
His gaze swept over her palms and the backs of her hands, which were oozing blood and had long cuts from the corn leaves.
His brows suddenly furrowed.
A pity he didn't even realize was welling up in his chest, and he gently patted the back of the bicycle. "Get on, let's go home first."
Qiao Xingyue couldn't persuade him otherwise, and was about to sit down when she saw Xie Zhongming take off his military jacket, fold it to the size of the back seat, and put it on top of her.
When Qiao Xingyue sat down, the hard iron frame seat suddenly became soft, and even when Xie Zhongtuan stepped on it and bounced on the bumpy muddy ground, it didn't hurt his buttocks anymore.
This man is really thoughtful. How did he know that her buttocks were sore from being rubbed when Jiang Yongqiang dragged her into the cornfield?
Although he didn't say anything, the little things he did warmed Qiao Xingyue's heart like a gentle breeze, filling her with indescribable gratitude.
Soon, the people behind them were left behind in the cornfield by the bicycles. Jiang Beisong whispered to Jiang Beiyang, "Beiyang, I feel like Zhongming treats Comrade Qiao a little differently."
Jiang Beiyang lowered his voice and replied, "Second Brother, you've noticed too, haven't you?"
Jiang Beiyang suddenly remembered that he hadn't had a chance to tell Xie Zhongming about Fatty's news yet, so he called out, "Zhongming, are you going back to the regimental headquarters later? I have something very important to tell you."
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