The two sides started arguing.
The male educated youth insisted that it was Wang Yanan's own fault, while the female educated youth refuted it with various details, and the scene instantly became extremely chaotic.
Cries, shouts, and curses mingled together, piercing one's eardrums.
Zhang Qiang stood in the middle, his face turning pale and then flushed.
He never expected that Xu Xinghe's words would attract so many female educated youths to testify, and the matter was completely out of his control.
He originally wanted to handle Wang Yanan's matter vaguely, but now, with everyone watching and the female educated youth giving more and more testimonies, the villagers' discussions are getting louder and louder. If he doesn't give a clear answer soon, even the villagers might start to have opinions about him!
Zhang Qiang could no longer stall, so he gritted his teeth and promised, "Alright! I'll definitely give everyone a result within a week! Now everyone, disperse and stop causing trouble here!"
After saying that, without waiting for anyone's response, he turned around and walked home with a sullen face, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples and a heart full of irritation.
Back home, Zhang Qiang slammed the door shut. Looking at the neatly arranged furnishings inside, anger surged within him.
He swept everything off the table, shattering bowls and splashing hot water everywhere. "Li Juan, that troublemaker!"
He couldn't help but shout, "Why not just enjoy a peaceful life instead of bringing up what happened back then! If this forest farm falls into chaos, let's see what kind of end she gets!"
He paced back and forth in the room, growing angrier the more he thought about it.
Wang Yanan's matter had been suppressed for so long, and finally no one mentioned it anymore. But after Xu Xinghe arrived, he not only investigated everything but also dared to force him to reopen the old case in public. This clearly shows that he doesn't respect him as the captain!
Just then, the door to the inner room was gently pushed open, and Zhang Qianqian came out in her pajamas.
She had been resting at home with a cold and fever for the past two days, afraid to go out and get chilled. Just now, she heard the sound of things being smashed and her father cursing from the outer room. She was puzzled, so she forced herself to come out and see what was going on.
"Dad, what's wrong? Who made you so angry?" Zhang Qianqian rubbed her red nose, her voice hoarse from a cold. "I think I just heard you scolding Sister Li Juan. Did she do something?"
Zhang Qiang turned around and saw his daughter. His expression softened slightly. "This has nothing to do with you! You're still sick from a cold. Go back inside and rest. Don't come out and meddle!"
"How can it be nothing?" Zhang Qianqian refused to leave. She had always thought Xu Xinghe was a good person, and he had even helped her before. She really couldn't believe that the other party would do anything bad. "Dad, please tell me what happened? Is there some misunderstanding? Sister Li Juan isn't that kind of person..."
"I told you it has nothing to do with you!" Zhang Qiang interrupted her, his tone turning serious. "In short, remember this: never associate with Li Juan again! She's just someone who deliberately causes trouble. Getting too close to her won't do you any good!"
Zhang Qianqian was even more puzzled, and frowned as she pressed, "Dad, you have to tell me what she actually did, right? How can I believe you if you don't explain clearly?"
Zhang Qiang grew impatient with the questions, and fearing he might let something slip, he could only wave his hand and say, "Stop asking! I have things to take care of, you should go back inside!"
After saying that, he picked up his coat, turned around, and walked out.
He needs to talk to those older male educated youth to prevent any further trouble within a week.
Watching her father's hurried departure, Zhang Qianqian's doubts grew stronger.
She knew her father's temper; if Xu Xinghe hadn't done anything serious, he would never have been so agitated and made her break off her friendship with him.
No, she had to find out what had happened.
Zhang Qianqian returned to her room, quickly changed into a thick coat, wrapped a scarf around her head, and quietly slipped out the back door while no one was home.
At this time, Xu Xinghe was most likely in the female educated youth dormitory. She walked quickly towards the direction of the educated youth settlement.
Along the way, she could see groups of villagers still talking about something, and she could vaguely hear the names Wang Yanan and Liu Hu.
She didn't take it to heart and kept walking forward with her head down.
Soon, Zhang Qianqian arrived at the entrance of the female educated youth dormitory.
She knocked gently on the door and called softly, "Sister Li Juan, are you there? It's Qianqian."
Xu Xinghe's voice came from inside the house, "Qianqian? What brings you here? Is your cold better?"
The door opened quickly, and Xu Xinghe was somewhat surprised to see Zhang Qianqian wrapped up tightly.
Zhang Qianqian rushed into the house, closed the door, and anxiously asked, "Sister Li Juan, did you do something? I just heard my dad scolding you at home, and he told me not to have anything to do with you anymore. What happened?"
When Xu Xinghe heard Zhang Qiang cursing her at home, a cold glint flashed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but sneer inwardly. The more Zhang Qiang tried to hide it from her daughter, the more determined she was to tell the truth!
Zhang Qianqian is the opponent's weakness. With this help, let's see how easily he can still make a move.
She pulled Zhang Qianqian to sit on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and said calmly, "Qianqian, I didn't do anything to upset your father. I just told him something he wanted to bury forever, something about Wang Yanan."
"Wang Yanan?" Zhang Qianqian was stunned. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was.
“She was an educated youth who went to the countryside last year. She was pretty and had a gentle personality, but she was a bit slow at working. The food rations she received each month were not enough to eat…” Xu Xinghe slowly began to speak, recounting how Wang Yanan asked for help because of food shortages, how she was assaulted by Liu Hu and other male educated youths, how she complained to Zhang Qiang but was accused, how she was repeatedly forced to have a miscarriage after becoming pregnant, and how she finally hanged herself. He told her story word by word.
Zhang Qianqian grew increasingly shocked as she listened, her eyes widening. Even after Xu Xinghe finished speaking, she was still in shock, her lips trembling. "No... impossible! This must be fake! My dad isn't that kind of person! If this really happened, he wouldn't have let those male educated youth off the hook, and he certainly wouldn't have acted like nothing happened!"
In her heart, her father had always been a fair and authoritative captain. How could he possibly protect a perpetrator?
"Whether it's fake or not, you can find out by asking your dad when you get back," Xu Xinghe said calmly. "Even if you don't believe Wang Yanan's story, Zhao Xiaoyan's story can't be faked, right? Liu Hu had Wang Lili lure Xiaoyan to the new house, tied her up, and tried to take advantage of her. Luckily, my cousin and I arrived in time to prevent a tragedy from happening again. So many villagers and educated youths witnessed this last night, and your dad was there too. It can't be fake, can it?"
Zhao Xiaoyan, who was standing nearby, also came over and added with red eyes, "Qianqian, what Li Juan said is all true. Liu Hu not only did this to me, but he also used to grope other female educated youths. It's just that everyone was afraid of him and didn't dare to say anything. Those older male educated youths were the same. They seemed honest on the surface, but they were no human beings behind the scenes!"
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