Upon hearing the order, the militiamen grabbed the ropes they had prepared and immediately began to tie Xu Damao up in various ways.
Xu Damao was in so much pain that he grimaced and begged for mercy, tears streaming down his face.
"Uncle Wang, it's all a misunderstanding. I was just joking. Please don't take it to heart. Just let it go!"
"..."
Faced with Xu Damao's pleas for mercy, Secretary Wang remained unmoved, cursing inwardly, "Damn it, on my turf, you little punk can't possibly bully me."
Seeing that Xu Damao, who was bound hand and foot, was still begging for mercy, the militiamen stuffed a rag into his mouth and then took him to the village square.
The villagers of Xiaowangzhuang, seeing that there was a good show to watch, all gathered around.
Once everyone had arrived, Company Commander Wang began the trial proceedings.
"Bring up the fraudster Xu Damao."
At a command, two militiamen escorted Xu Damao to the center of the field and removed the rag from his mouth.
“Xu Damao, I’m here to ask you, are you sick or something, and you’ve come to our village to commit marriage fraud?”
Faced with Company Commander Wang's question, Xu Damao dared not answer and quickly explained.
"No, no, it's all a misunderstanding. I'm not married and she's not married, how can this be called marriage fraud?"
Knowing they wouldn't get anything out of him this way, Company Commander Wang was prepared and nodded to the two militiamen.
The two militiamen didn't hold back either. They took out bamboo strips that they had prepared beforehand and started to attack the fleshy parts of Xu Damao's body.
"Waaaa...waaaa...! Stop, it hurts...it hurts, please, please...please stop...ouch!"
As the two continued their assault, Xu Damao screamed in pain, rolling on the ground and frantically begging for mercy, but the two remained unmoved.
Bamboo strips may not look like much, but they hurt a lot when they hit you, and they're not very damaging. In modern terms, they cause soft tissue contusions—painful but not fatal.
After several minutes of intense output, Company Commander Wang raised his hand to signal a halt.
“Xu Damao, I’m giving you one more chance. Are you sick or something? Why did you come to our village to commit marriage fraud? I hope you think it through before you answer, otherwise…”
Xu Damao paused to catch his breath, feeling like crying but unable to. This wasn't a confession; it was clearly a forced confession.
He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't bear the suffering any longer. Now he was at the mercy of others, and to avoid being beaten, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Yes, I have infertility, and I've been hiding the truth from you, planning to come to the countryside to commit marriage fraud."
"ah……!"
"Kill him! He's a childless man who still wants to harm us country folk. He's a beast."
"I curse his ancestors for eight generations! How could this person be so heartless? He deserved to be beaten, but the beating was too light."
"..."
Seeing the enraged crowd around him, Company Commander Wang nodded in satisfaction. However, this was not the end of the matter.
"Everyone, please be quiet."
“Xu Damao, let me ask you again, when you go to the countryside to show movies, do you take advantage of your position to extort money, demand bribes, or harass women?”
Upon hearing this, Xu Damao nearly fainted. "My God! This is trying to kill me!"
While these are all facts, they should never be accepted.
"No, no, absolutely not! Please, please let me go! I know I was wrong."
Company Commander Wang was not surprised at all by Xu Damao's answer; it would be strange if he recognized it.
Then, Company Commander Wang gave another wink, and the two militiamen, who had just recovered, started a new round of stir-fried bamboo shoots with meat.
"Ouch... Ouch... It hurts, I'll confess, I'll confess."
This time, Xu Damao did not choose to fight head-on. He surrendered unconditionally after less than half a minute of fighting.
“When I go to the countryside to show movies, I do ask for things and I’ve harassed women. I’ve confessed everything now, please let me go.”
"To be more specific, for example, at a certain time, day, month, and place, from whom did you ask for something, and from whom did you flirt?"
Xu Damao really didn't want to talk about the details, but when he saw the bamboo strips in the militiamen's hands, he still chose to give in.
Xu Damao then began to recount some of the scandals he had encountered during his trips to the countryside. Of course, these were all trivial matters, and he certainly wouldn't mention any major incidents.
Otherwise, it would truly become a death warrant.
Company Commander Wang then had someone write down everything Xu Damao said, and finally had him sign and seal it, making sure that his actions were justified.
Upon receiving the confession, Company Commander Wang nodded in satisfaction.
With this, my actions today are not only without fault, but also meritorious.
"Alright, now that you've confessed, we won't mistreat you. We'll detain you for now and await the organization's investigation."
"Lock him in the cowshed first."
Two militiamen received orders and escorted Xu Damao toward the village's only cowshed.
You should know that this is a real cowshed, unlike the cowshed where Jia Zhangshi lived, which was just a shell.
The village's only large yellow ox lives inside, so you can imagine that it not only stinks but also teems with mosquitoes.
Xu Damao, who had just been sent to the cowshed, almost threw up his dinner from the night before. The smell was so strong that he couldn't get used to it for a while.
"Let me out, let me out now."
The two militiamen ignored Xu Damao's shouts and instead stood at a distance, keeping watch.
"Let me out..."
Xu Damao continued to shout energetically, but he received no response whatsoever, like talking to a brick wall.
After receiving the confession, Company Commander Wang went to Party Secretary Wang's house and gave him a brief report on the situation.
"Is he alright?"
After listening to the report, Party Secretary Wang asked a question.
"It's nothing, just superficial injuries."
"By the way, Uncle Wang, what should we do with this kid? Should we send him to the police? I reckon that with this confession in my hand, he should be fine with a few years in prison."
After listening to Company Commander Wang's words, Party Secretary Wang also fell into deep thought. After a moment, he spoke.
"Leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future. Don't see him off. Call Xu Yingxiang to come and pick him up. We can talk to him about some terms then."
Secretary Wang had vented his anger, but at the same time, he didn't want to offend anyone too much.
"Okay, Uncle Wang, I'll follow your instructions. But don't make that call today. Let this kid suffer a bit first."
Party Secretary Wang nodded, which was considered as agreeing to the suggestion.
After they finished discussing the matter, they went about their own business.
Our Comrade Xu Damao, on the other hand, shouted so hard in the cowshed that his throat was practically steaming, and he couldn't even get a sip of water.
What's even more infuriating is that he was locked up until night, and no one came to see him, let alone give him anything to eat.
Xu Damao, who was starving and dizzy, could only huddle in the corner and watch the old ox chewing on the grass. He even shamelessly swallowed his saliva.
But he was still a human being and didn't try to steal the old ox's food.
When night falls, it is the most difficult time for Xu Damao, his body is covered in mosquito bites and itches terribly.
The worst part is that because of the pain all over my body, I don't dare to scratch.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com