Back at the commune, there were people around. I could still faintly hear the intermittent cries of a woman. Without asking, it was definitely Liu Cui.
The three of them followed the sound of crying to the Women's Federation office, where Liu Cui was sitting, acting out a crying scene. The large bubble on her nose, between her nose and upper lip, was clanging on the edge of her philtrum, about to burst, but not quite. It made one want to spit out the noodles they had just eaten.
After Professor Dong entered, she politely greeted several members of the Women's Federation and offered a sincere apology, stating that it was a mistake to have such an incident occur within her jurisdiction. The members of the Women's Federation were all good colleagues, repeatedly expressing their understanding of Professor Dong. They said that such incidents were often carried out behind people's backs, and that no matter how diligent Professor Dong was, he could not have prevented them.
The village chief and Jiang Huashu were merely polite. After all, they were both women. They briefly discussed the situation. Guan Dashan and An Cuiyun's mother had been taken away. They hadn't said where, so the village chief didn't ask. Why would he ask? They weren't going to be killed anyway. But they weren't being treated as well as Liu Cui, who even provided them with dinner. They were sure to go hungry all night.
It was getting late, so they agreed with the women's federation comrades to come back tomorrow morning after the leaders had all gone to work. The three of them ignored Liu Cui and left the Women's Federation, asking Uncle Qi to drive the ox cart and take them back to the village.
Uncle Qi was old and had been feeding mosquitoes outside the commune yard for half the night. When he saw Jiang Huashu gesturing to him to go home, he got up immediately.
On the way there and back, the three of them discussed the two strange jars buried in An Cuiyun's backyard. Uncle Seventh was hard of hearing, so the three of them chatted freely, unfazed by his presence. The core of their discussion revolved around the Four Olds, the only explanation that made sense. Professor Dong suspected An Cuiyun's mother had tied her hair together with Guan Ping'an's and Guan Dashan's, using a ritual of burning talismans to induce sexual intercourse. Or perhaps it wasn't a ritual at all, but rather the involvement of her brothers, a heightened form of honey trapping.
The village chief had heard of this kind of thing when he was young, and nodded repeatedly. He was really scared. For more than half a year, the village had been troubled by Guan Laogou's family, and every time something happened, it was a matter of life and death. It was too scary.
Jiang Huashu expressed a different opinion, suspecting this was a gang crime. The master arrested by the provincial boss also used talismans to handle his affairs, so they were all part of the same system, so there must be some connection. After sending Suihe away tomorrow, he would contact the boss to investigate.
When we got home, the grandfathers had all gone to bed early. Suihe would definitely stay in the same room with Fifth Grandpa tonight, so Fifth Grandpa didn't enter the space. He waited for his sister to fall asleep before entering the space. After all, there were still a group of people in it who needed to be looked after every day.
Jiang Huashu and his wife did not enter the space either. Everyone was very tired today, so they took a shower and went to sleep on the kang.
The next morning, Uncle Qi drove the ox cart again. Jiang Huashu and his wife, Suihe, and the village chief headed for the township commune early in the morning.
When they arrived at the commune, it was almost time for people to go to work. No one in the commune knew what had happened. Only after listening to Jiang Huashu's story did they realize that someone in their commune had the audacity to commit adultery and had the entire village cornered at home. This was truly a case of an old man hanging himself because he thought his life was too long!
Everyone expressed their interest in the incoming commune director, saying he was more appealing than the woman who had been caught up in an affair and had the entire village besieged. Because it took two weeks to meet him, the colleagues expressed their concern and understanding. Director Jiang was a master of polite talk and considered himself to be very close to Jiang Huashu. Professor Dong, watching from the sidelines, felt a pang of sympathy for her husband, who was struggling to cope with the situation.
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