Chapter 22 Let you go? Send you to public trial!
When Lin Xiaobai pushed open the courtyard gate in the last rays of afterglow, she was greeted by the rich aroma of chicken soup, mixed with the unique smell of smoke from the wood stove, which enveloped her in warmth.
"Xiaobai! You're back!"
Lin Xiaoan was the first to jump out of the kitchen, holding a fire poker in his hand, his eyes shining like stars.
He took out a small oil-paper bag from his pocket as if he was offering a treasure and stuffed it into Xiaobai's hand mysteriously.
"Try it! These are new candies from the county supply and marketing cooperative. I traded them for mountain products!"
Xiaobai raised his eyebrows, peeled off the candy wrapper and put it into his mouth. The sweet milky aroma instantly melted on his tongue.
She threw one into his mouth and said, "Not bad, change more next time."
"Of course!" Xiao An raised his chin proudly, then suddenly lowered his voice, "By the way, I also got a can of malted milk. Hide it in your cabinet. Don't let Big Brother find it!"
Before he finished speaking, Lin Guohua's steady voice came from the kitchen: "Lin Xiaoan, what are you hiding again?"
Xiao An shrank his neck, winked at Xiao Bai, and ran away.
In the kitchen, Lin Guohua was guarding the casserole. When he saw Xiaobai come in, he said nothing, but just opened the lid, scooped out a full bowl of yellow chicken soup, and specially put a chicken leg in it.
Xiaobai took the bowl, and in the steam, she saw a few new small scars on her brother's hands - probably caused by the scratches of the hen fluttering around when the chicken was killed.
"Are you and Xiao Tang done with your work?" Lin Guohua asked lightly, but his eyes were fixed on her.
Xiao Bai took a sip of the soup, and the delicious taste warmed her stomach from the tip of her tongue. She narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, "Well, Qian Deren was sent to the police station, and old man Lin..." She paused, "He won't appear again."
Lin Guohua paused with his chopsticks in his hand, then picked up a piece of tender chicken breast and put it into the small white bowl.
"Eat more. I've lost weight these past two days."
"Brother, Old Man Lin is your grandfather after all, why don't you... ask a few more questions?"
It's not as difficult to call him brother as I imagined.
"What does Xiao Tang do? He's a soldier with bars and stars on his shoulders, how could he arrest the wrong person?" Lin Guohua wiped the stove back and forth with a rag.
"Grandpa... I've seen him hide guns and gold bars before." At this point, he turned around, lowered his voice, and asked worriedly, "Will his affairs implicate you? Where's Xiao Tang? Why didn't he come back with you?"
Xiao Bai tilted his head and smiled, "Qian Deren has people behind him, so he is busy enough. It's not like me who can hide away."
She stretched and said, "It's still more comfortable at home."
"If you're tired, go lie down for a while. Your room..." Lin Guohua rarely played dumb, "Your sister has cleaned it up for you and is waiting for you to come back and check it."
"Yes, yes, yes. Come on, I'll take you to have a look. I'm going to Aunt Miao's house to get some cloth. Her husband works in the county textile factory. If you're lucky, you can bring back some good fabrics."
Xiao An rushed in from outside and ran away pulling Xiao Bai.
"Ding ding ding~" Lin Xiaoan pushed open the door and made a gesture of invitation, "The Lin Brothers brand mattress is done, please let me check it out!"
In the room, a mattress was placed on the originally hard kang, covered with a thick cotton quilt and a layer of fine linen sheet, which felt soft and dry.
It's a bit out of place, but it's still harmonious.
"Come on, lie down and try to see if you feel comfortable." Xiao An was busy running around and was particularly enthusiastic after not seeing him for a few days.
Xiaobai lay flat on his back with his arms and legs spread. As soon as his body relaxed, he felt sleepy and soon began to snore.
I could vaguely hear Shuhua tiptoeing into the room, and Xiao An's low voice: "Sister, the cloth Aunt Miao gave me..."
"Kitchen said."
There was a soft sound of clinking bowls and chopsticks coming from the other side of the wall. Lin Guohua's voice was like thunder: "Grandma is coming to make trouble, everyone be alert."
"The documents for the division of the family property are in my pocket!" Xiao An raised his voice and then lowered it suddenly. "I'm guarding the door. Not even a fly can get in."
Xiaobai buried his face in the pillow that smelled of sunshine, and the corners of his mouth rubbed against the newly sewn cotton cloth.
The murmurs in the kitchen gradually faded away, leaving only the crackling of the firewood in the stove, knocking on the edge of my dream.
——
Tang Jingmo acted vigorously and decisively. Within three days, the village loudspeaker began to broadcast:
"Attention all members! The county has scheduled a public trial of Qian Deren at People's Square on the 15th of this month! The heinous crimes he committed cannot escape the sharp eyes of the people!"
The sound of the broadcast spread to every corner of Longshan Village. The villagers who were turning wheat in the threshing ground straightened up and looked at each other.
“So soon?”
"Is it the Director Qian I know?"
"Tsk, just after you offended Xiaobai, you're down right away?"
Several aunts huddled together and whispered, "I heard that her fiancé is very capable~"
"He has a star on his shoulder and a gun in his hand!"
"No wonder..."
As he was talking excitedly, a head popped over and asked, "Who is Xiaobai's fiancé?"
"Oh, Song Zhiqing, are you born in the year of the cat? You walk without making any sound." The aunts were startled, but when they saw that it was Song Zhiqing from the Zhiqing point, they didn't care.
"His surname is Tang! I heard he's a great general from the capital!"
"Tang? A soldier in the capital!"
Song Zhiqing's eyes suddenly widened, and the enamel pot in his hand fell to the ground with a bang.
"My male protagonist!"
She seemed to be possessed, grabbing the arm of her aunt next to her, "Is your name Tang Jingmo? Is it?!"
"Hey, be gentle, how can my name Tang Jingmo bother you?"
Before the other person could finish his words, Song Zhiqing had already disappeared.
The villagers were left in shock on the threshing ground.
The public trial date arrived in a blink of an eye, and the county square was packed with people.
The people who had been oppressed by Qian Deren came before dawn to claim their seats. Those who had travelled far away even rolled up their bedding and slept in the square that night.
There were also several families who sat in the first row, holding the portrait, just to see the criminals being executed.
When the bailiffs appeared escorting Qian Deren, the crowd was instantly in an uproar.
“Murderer! Rapist!”
He was hunched over, with a heavy wooden sign around his neck, on which his crimes were written in red paint. His once shiny face was now festering with sores and stinking.
"Pooh!"
A stone hit him hard on the forehead, blood trickled down his brow, and then rotten vegetable leaves, rotten eggs, and broken bricks rained down on him.
Qian Deren staggered a few steps, but didn't even dare to hide - because the black muzzle of a gun was pressing against his spine.
"The defendant Qian Deren is guilty of intentional homicide, corruption, and rape..."
The presiding judge's voice was cold and clear, and every time he read out a charge, there was a roar of anger from the audience.
"Shoot him!"
"Let him pay with his life!"
Qian Deren lowered his head, but his eyes were still rolling around - he had been sharpening the blade hidden in the sole of his shoe for three days, just waiting for the final fight.
Suddenly, he pushed the bailiff aside and rushed towards the crowd in the front row, trying to take hostages.
“Whoosh!”
A vine caught his ankle and tripped him.
Lin Xiaobai sat on the wall and sneered: "I've been waiting for you."
Almost at the same time, Tang Jingmo's gun fired.
"Bang!"
The bullet accurately penetrated Qian Deren's knee, and blood splattered on the slogan "Leniency to those who confess."
The once invincible local tyrant was dragged back to the trial stand like a dead dog, his urine-soaked trouser legs dripping with yellowish liquid.
And below the stage, the roar of the people almost blew off the roof——
“Kill him!”
“Blood debt must be paid with blood!”
The chief judge pronounced the sentence in public: "Death penalty, to be executed immediately!"
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