Zhang Qianqian felt her brain buzzing and she felt dizzy as if it was about to explode.
Although she wasn't familiar with Liu Hu and the other male educated youth, they would always greet her with a smile whenever they met, never showing the slightest malice.
But what she was hearing now was completely different from what she had seen.
A gentle female educated youth was driven to suicide; a seemingly kind male educated youth was the perpetrator; and even her most trusted father might be the one who protected her.
All of this was like an absurd nightmare, causing her worldview to collapse instantly.
She didn't know how she left the female educated youth dormitory. Her steps were unsteady as she walked into the night, her mind filled with the words of Xu Xinghe and Zhao Xiaoyan.
When she came to her senses, she was already sitting in a chair in her living room. The lights were off, and only a little moonlight shone in from the window, making her face look pale.
"Qianqian? Why are you sitting here? Why isn't the light on?" Zhang Qiang pushed the door open and was startled to see his daughter in the dark. He quickly went over and turned on the light.
When the lights came on, he saw his daughter's distraught appearance and his heart skipped a beat. "Your cold isn't better yet, why aren't you resting inside? Did you go out again?"
Zhang Qianqian slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling, "Dad, is it true about Wang Yanan?"
Zhang Qiang's expression changed instantly. His previous concern vanished without a trace, replaced by anger and panic. "Why are you asking this? Who told you that? Who gave you permission to ask such nonsense?"
Seeing his reaction, Zhang Qianqian's heart sank completely.
She knew her father too well; he only got so furious when the truth was out.
It turns out that what Xu Xinghe said was true. Her father really did protect those educated youth who did evil, which made Liu Hu fearless and almost harm Zhao Xiaoyan!
"Dad, how could you do this?" Zhang Qianqian could no longer hold back her tears, which burst forth as she cried out, "Wang Yanan was so pitiful, being bullied like that, how could you just ignore it? It was because you didn't handle it back then that this happened, that someone dared to lay a hand on Zhao Xiaoyan! How come I never realized you were this kind of person before!"
After she finished speaking, she suddenly stood up, rushed back to her room, and slammed the door shut. No matter how much Zhang Qiang knocked, she refused to open the door.
Zhang Qiang paced anxiously outside the door, finally managing to explain through the door, "Qianqian, listen to Dad, Dad didn't mean to ignore it! That woman is already dead. I did what I did back then for the stability of the forest farm! If things get out of hand, not only will the forest farm's reputation be ruined, but it will also affect everyone's work points and their chances of returning to the city. We can't let everyone be unhappy because of one woman, can we?"
But Zhang Qianqian inside the room wouldn't listen. She was a woman too, and the thought of Wang Yanan's ordeal made her feel cold all over, and she was filled with fear of those older male educated youths as well.
She pressed herself against the door, crying and shouting, "I don't care! I don't want to see those educated youth who persecuted Wang Yanan anymore! I'm scared! I never want to see them again!"
Zhang Qiang fell silent; he knew his daughter was truly heartbroken this time.
He originally planned to appear strict on the surface but actually let things slide, punishing Liu Hu slightly and criticizing the other male educated youths a bit to quell the matter.
But now, his daughter has been dragged into this, and this incident has created a rift between them. If those people aren't severely punished, there's a risk of a rift developing between them.
He sighed and softened his tone, "Qianqian, Dad knows. Dad will handle it and won't scare you anymore. Open the door first and tell Dad who told you all this? Dad promises not to cause her any trouble. Even if you don't tell me, Dad can find out. Please tell Dad, okay?"
There was a moment of silence in the room, then Zhang Qianqian's voice, trembling with tears, came through, "It was...it was Sister Li Juan who said it..."
Zhang Qiang gritted his teeth as soon as he heard the name Li Juan.
This woman, Xu Xinghe, not only reopened old cases, but also set her sights on his daughter!
But now, in order to appease Zhang Qianqian, he could only suppress his anger for the time being and continue to coax her gently, "Okay, Dad understands. You get some rest, and when you wake up tomorrow, Dad will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."
There was no more sound from inside the house. Zhang Qiang stood at the door, his face so gloomy it could drip water.
The next morning, the forest farm's loudspeaker rang out.
Zhang Qiang coldly notified all the educated youth to assemble in the brigade headquarters courtyard without giving a reason.
The male educated youth were filled with doubt, while the female educated youth were vaguely expectant, and they all quickened their pace to head to the brigade headquarters.
When Xu Xinghe and Zhao Xiaoyan arrived at the courtyard, it was already full of people.
Zhang Qiang stood on the steps with his hands behind his back, his face gloomy. His gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on the few male educated youths who had participated in the persecution of Wang Yanan. His voice was icy, "I called you here today to announce your punishment."
Before anyone could react, he continued, “Liu Hu is now being punished for his crimes. You old educated youths participated in bullying Wang Yanan back then and have been covering up the truth. As the brigade leader, I absolutely cannot let you off lightly in this matter! From today onwards, all of you will go to the neighboring village. They need people to clean the latrines and dig drainage ditches. You can return to the forest farm only after you have worked there for a full year!”
"What?!" The older male educated youth panicked instantly, their faces turning pale. Those were the kinds of jobs only the intellectuals were supposed to do!
In other words... they have to suffer for a whole year!
One of the educated youths immediately stepped forward and hurriedly explained, "Captain Zhang, we didn't do it! What happened to Wang Yanan back then had nothing to do with us. It was Liu Hu who did it all. You can't punish us too!"
“That’s right! We were just passing by and didn’t do anything, so why should we do that kind of dirty and tiring work?” Another male educated youth chimed in, his tone full of resentment.
Zhang Qiang glanced at them coldly, his voice even deeper, "It's alright? When the female educated youth testified, why didn't you stand up and say it was alright? Now you're scared? Too late! The punishment has been decided, and no one can change it!"
The female educated youth were overjoyed.
"Great! We've finally driven these menaces away!"
"I won't have to go in pairs to do laundry anymore, and I won't be afraid of walking alone at night!"
The female educated youth showed long-lost relaxed smiles, and their eyes were full of relief as they looked at the older male educated youth.
They've had enough of being followed and harassed; now they can finally relax.
Zhang Qiang ignored the crying and arguing of the older educated youth, turned his gaze to Xu Xinghe standing in the crowd, and asked with obvious hostility, "Li Juan, are you satisfied with this punishment?"
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