Three days later, at breakfast time, the village chief used the village's loudspeaker to notify all villagers to gather at the threshing ground at 8:00 a.m. sharp.
After breakfast, the villagers went to the threshing ground in small groups. Everyone was curious about what was going on that required them to gather together this time.
The village chief shouted from above, "Those who have arrived, line up and be quiet. Stop gossiping. The police officers from the town station will be here to report something shortly."
Upon hearing that the police had arrived, the villagers quieted down. However, they were all wondering what had happened; usually, police reports weren't good news.
At eight o'clock, Huang Tai'an led several policemen to the threshing ground. There was a wooden platform next to the threshing ground. Usually, when there was a need for village assemblies, the village chief and the brigade leader would stand on it to speak.
Huang Tai'an walked up to the platform and found a spot to stand. Several policemen followed him up and spread out at the four corners to maintain order.
"Dear villagers of Sujia Village, hello! I am Huang Tai'an, the captain of the town's police station. I have gathered you here today to announce something to you."
"Zhang Yizhu, male, 45 years old, from Sujia Village, Dongfeng Brigade, has been confirmed by the police and military to be an enemy agent lurking in Sujia Village."
"Zhang Yizhu's father, Zhang Dashan, was also an enemy agent. Our police station has now arrested Zhang Yizhu. Zhang Yizhu's verdict has been issued."
"Zhang Yizhu has been sentenced to death and will be executed in three days. Also, a group of Japanese spies were hiding deep in the mountains of Sujia Village. Our police and military have now arrested them."
"After a thorough investigation, it was found that Zhang Yizhu's family members were unaware of and did not participate in Zhang Yizhu's activities. They will be released."
"Finally, I hope all villagers will take this as a warning, strictly discipline themselves, and abide by the law. Do not be a person who betrays the country, and do not do anything that betrays the country."
The scene on the threshing ground erupted like a bomb. A cacophony of voices—discussions, gasps of surprise, curses—mingled together. Huang Tai'an and the police left, but the villagers remained.
The village chief walked up and said, "Quiet down. Something like this has happened in the village, so you all need to be careful. Don't say anything you shouldn't outside."
"And the Zhang family members are coming back. You are not allowed to do anything rash. Otherwise, if you cause trouble, no one can protect you. It's already chaotic enough that there's an enemy spy in the village. If you cause any more trouble, our village will never get any good things from the commune in the future."
The village chief wasn't trying to protect the Zhang family; the police had already released them without charge. He was just worried that some radical individuals might do something drastic. Besides, the Zhang family was finished; who would be associated with enemy agents?
The four married daughters of the Zhang family will likely all be abandoned by their husbands' families. The only way to avoid being abandoned is to sever ties with their maternal families. The youngest son of the Zhang family will graduate from high school soon; who would hire him for work other than digging?
Inside the police station, the chief and Gu Moting sat in the office. "Sato and his group have been taken away by the Beijing Military Region. It's about Xingran's meritorious service. We need to discuss it," said Gu Moting.
“Mo Ting, I think it’s the right thing to do to report it. Once the higher-ups confirm the award, it’s not appropriate to publicly present it to Xing Ran. We can only give it to her privately, otherwise, if it causes a sensation, we might attract the attention of enemies lurking elsewhere.” Huang Tai’an personally thought this was the most suitable approach.
Finally, the group decided that when the reward was distributed, they would give it to Su Xingran privately to avoid causing her any trouble or harm.
"Mo Ting, don't you have this feeling that Xing Ran and your Mo Li are somewhat similar? They're both the kind of people who do big things without saying a word. And they're also ruthless and decisive when it comes to taking action," Huang Tai'an asked Gu Mo Ting with a smile.
"Yes, they are quite similar. Their styles of doing things are similar." Gu Moting thought of his younger brother, Gu Moli, who would go all out against evil people, crippling them if not killing them.
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