Chapter 8: Be My Witness

Xia Xiaoyu paused for a moment.

The events of last night were Xu Jinyan's fault. If she did not step out now, these people would be led astray by Xu Anxin and the others. Her only regret now was not calling the police immediately last night. Now, it seemed, it would be difficult to disentangle herself from these people.

"You could serve as my witness."

In a moment of agitation, Xia Xiaoyu grabbed Lu Jingchuan's hand. Lu Jingchuan’s body stiffened, but Xia Xiaoyu, realizing her own impulsiveness, quickly pulled her hand back. Watching the group approaching closer, Lu Jingchuan asked, "Think it over. It’s not too late to step out later."

Xia Xiaoyu pondered and said, "Could you do me a favor?"

Lu Jingchuan frowned, but ultimately asked, "What is it?"

"Help me find the Party Secretary and tell him what happened last night. I can handle these people myself."

Lu Jingchuan raised an eyebrow. "These are your ex-husband's family?"

Xia Xiaoyu nodded. Lu Jingchuan said nothing more and strode away.

"Hurry up!" Xu Chunhua looked even more eager than Xu Anxin. They entered the cowshed and searched around. Though they did not find Xia Xiaoyu, they spotted the carrying pole she had left inside.

Xu Chunhua gestured to a man. "Destroy these things."

The man looked over, frowning. "These are still useful items. It would be a pity to ruin them."

Xu Chunhua rolled her eyes. "Look at whose things these are. A woman as loose as her—who knows what kind of unspeakable diseases she might have? Do you dare use them?"

The comment turned the man’s face pale. Just as he lifted his foot to kick the items, Xia Xiaoyu’s voice rang out from behind.

"Stop."

Xu Anxin put her hands on her hips. "So, you finally dare to show your face."

Xia Xiaoyu replied, "Xu Anxin, what are you trying to do?"

Ma Shuyue looked furious. "Xia Xiaoyu, last night you and your lover beat my son and sent him to the hospital. Today, you are going to give us an explanation!"

"That's right! You shameless woman, you're filthy!" Xu Anxin added aggressively, "Everyone, help me grab her!"

Xia Xiaoyu countered, "Xu Anxin, are you a bandit? You dare to incite a mob? If I call the police, you will be the first to fall—and as for the rest of you..." She pointed to the crowd behind. "Do you know the truth? If you don't, you shouldn't be doing this. If you become Xu Anxin’s pawns without knowing the facts, you will pay the price."

The other villagers hesitated.

Xia Xiaoyu continued, "A person’s character is not easily hidden. Think of how much I have done for the Xu family during my time here. Yet, as soon as I leave them, they concoct all sorts of charges against me. Do you have no sense of justice? Must you rely solely on hearsay?"

The villagers only knew that Xu Jinyan had been beaten last night, and Ma Shuyue claimed the assailant was Xia Xiaoyu’s lover. They concluded that Xia Xiaoyu must have been seeing someone else all along, which was why she had insisted on a divorce.

Xu Anxin chimed in, "Fellow villagers, listen to me. Everything this woman did before was just an act! It is not easy to raise a college student; our family worked so hard, and my brother finally got into university. But she and her lover were jealous and beat my brother until he was hospitalized. This woman is truly wicked."

A voice from the side questioned, "Didn't you say she was looking for someone else long before she asked for a divorce?"

"Exactly! She acts so innocent in front of us, but she's really just a tramp."

Xu Chunhua added, "The eyes of the masses are sharp. You can't fool us. Don't think we don't know your true nature."

"That's right, we were all fooled by her disguise."

"Beating a college student from our village is unacceptable! How many years has it been since our village produced a college student?"

Under Xu Chunhua's influence, the crowd grew increasingly agitated.

"The old Party Secretary shouldn't have helped this woman yesterday."

Xu Chunhua shouted, "Exactly! Xia Xiaoyu, hand over your lover and make amends for your crimes!"

Xia Xiaoyu let out a cold laugh. "Call the police, then. I want to call the police."

Xu Anxin hesitated, feeling a bit uneasy. But Xu Chunhua acted indifferent. "Call them! I’d like to see which police officer would be willing to deal with such a dirty matter for you."

Ma Shuyue wasn't about to let Xia Xiaoyu off either. "Xia Xiaoyu, tell us who that man was last night. Hand him over, and we can settle our accounts one by one."

Xia Xiaoyu nodded. "I have already sent someone to report this to the authorities. The Party Secretary will be here soon. Just wait a little longer, and you will see."

Xu Anxin faltered. Xu Chunhua insisted, "We must not let her call the police! We must stop her. This is a matter we should resolve within the village."

"Xu Chunhua, what does this have to do with you? You are just an unmarried neighbor. What do you know? Why are you involved in everything? You make me suspicious. What exactly is your relationship with Xu Jinyan? Do you think that if you ruin me, you can marry him?"

Xia Xiaoyu’s cold retort made Xu Chunhua’s face turn green. "Xia Xiaoyu, you are slandering me!"

Xia Xiaoyu replied, "Am I? Then what are you doing here?"

Xu Chunhua felt guilty but blustered, "It’s because you went too far! Otherwise, you wouldn't have angered so many people. Isn't that right, everyone?" She dragged the others into it, and the villagers' emotions were swayed once more.

Ma Shuyue cried out, "Everyone, don't listen to this shameless wretch! Grab her, make her hand over her lover, and get justice for my son!"

With that, the crowd raised their hoes and brooms, rushing toward Xia Xiaoyu.

Xia Xiaoyu shouted, "Before the police arrive, if you dare to hurt me, you will all be arrested!"

"Don't listen to her lies! She’s trying to escape—grab her first!"

Facing the crowd of misguided villagers, Xia Xiaoyu knew she couldn't fight them alone. She said, "Everyone, this is a matter between Xu Jinyan and me. I advise you to leave it to the police. The masses have already stood up, and as the Great Leader said, the working people are the masters of the house."

"Since the founding of our country, we all have human rights. What you are doing now violates the will of the Great Leader. You are trying to follow the old capitalist path and act like dictators. How can Ma Shuyue represent everything? I beg you, do not be foolish and listen to their one-sided claims."

Her words made them hesitate. They studied the Great Leader's quotations every day; it was indeed true that the working people were in charge. They couldn't just go around beating people to death. Even if someone did something wrong, there were laws to punish them.

"Why are you stopping? This woman is lying to you! She committed a heinous act!" Xu Anxin shouted.

Xia Xiaoyu spoke sharply, "Fellow villagers, I am willing to go to the village headquarters to confront you and clear this up. I can guarantee I have done nothing wrong. It was Xu Jinyan who lost his mind and tried to bully me, which is why he was beaten. Letting the police handle this is best for everyone."