An Unexpected Turn

"What do we do!?" Old Zhang asked grimly, gripping the steering wheel.

Xu De frowned, deep in thought.

Li Xiang looked around at the dense crowd, his heart sinking.

Hand Wang Mei back? They couldn't do that.

If Wang Mei went back, she would be abused. No question.

So what else could they do?

Just then, someone outside picked up a rock and hurled it at the bus.

Bang!

The window shattered, jolting everyone out of their thoughts.

"Open the door. I'll talk to them!"

Li Xiang took a deep breath and signaled Old Zhang to open the door.

Then he went to the minibus's front entrance.

The moment he appeared, the villagers of Li Family Village pressed closer, their faces angrier than before.

"Hand her over!"

"The Li family bought her! What gives you the right to take her?"

"Where's Li Erniu? His wife's running off, and he's not even here!?"

"..."

Li Xiang could only take a deep breath. He raised both hands and said, his face tense:

"Quiet! Listen to me!"

"Wang Mei is not Li Erniu's wife. She's a victim who was abducted ten years ago, and now her family has come looking for her..."

At that, the elderly couple squeezed out of the crowd again. When they saw Li Xiang blocking the bus door, they dropped to the ground and began wailing.

"Oh, why is my life so miserable!"

"We finally scraped together a few thousand yuan to buy our son a wife, and now she's leaving already... I might as well die!"

"You officials just love bullying us! You won't stop until you've torn our family apart!"

Wang Mei had been sold to Li Erniu's family.

The two before them were Li Erniu's parents: his father, Li Youcai, and his mother, Zhang Cui.

They sat on the ground wailing and slapping their thighs.

Li Xiang's face turned a dark, ugly red.

"That's illegal!"

"You're obstructing the police!"

The villagers beside them couldn't have cared less. One man in his fifties even swaggered forward, shameless as could be.

"Illegal? What laws do we have around here?"

The man said indignantly:

"I bought my wife too. Cost me eight hundred yuan!"

"Every wife in this village was bought. Are you gonna take them all away!?"

"Even the police gotta be reasonable!"

"You!" Li Xiang snapped.

His face flushed as he struggled to hold back his anger.

In the back of the bus.

"Where's the village secretary? Where did he go?"

Xu De stood and glanced at the situation outside. His brows drew together; things weren't looking good.

The officer beside him took a deep breath and said offhandedly:

"Li Family Village has had four village secretaries. Two resigned, one died in an accident up in the mountains, and the fourth hasn't arrived yet."

That gave Xu De a rough idea of what this place was like.

No wonder the people here were so ignorant...

But.

If they were ignorant, perhaps he could use that.

With that thought.

Xu De suddenly headed forward. The officer behind him froze for a moment, then hurried to call out.

"Lawyer Xu, where are you going?"

"To see if I can get her out."

Xu De left it at that and walked to the front of the bus.

Outside the bus.

"She's not leaving!"

Li Youcai spoke belligerently, his tone aggressive.

Li Xiang was about to respond when a voice suddenly came from behind him.

"She hasn't run off. She's still here."

He turned and saw Xu De step off the bus with a gentle smile, coming to stand beside him.

Xu De looked at Li Youcai and continued:

"The police follow the law. You can't seriously be afraid they'll steal your daughter-in-law, can you? What use would she be to them?"

Li Youcai snorted and folded his arms.

"She's already on the bus, and you're saying they haven't taken her!?"

"They're not taking her. They're carrying out a government benefits policy," Xu De said.

A benefits... policy? What on earth was that?

Li Youcai froze. He wasn't the only one.

The other villagers also fell silent, struggling to make sense of it.

Li Xiang shot Xu De an odd look, as though he were spouting nonsense.

"The country now has nine years of compulsory education."

"Your grandson is seven, so he's old enough to enroll. But he needs household registration to attend school."

"His mother doesn't even have household registration. How can you enroll the boy? That's why the police are taking her in—to get her registration sorted out first."

Xu De said it without batting an eye.

Everyone before him went still. The corner of Officer Li Xiang's eye twitched as he glanced at Xu De.

The villagers frowned. They didn't understand the law... but something about his story sounded strange.

Besides, hadn't that officer just said something about abduction?

Was this man trying to fool them!?

Before they could think it through, Xu De turned to Li Youcai and asked:

"Li Youcai, have you registered your grandson?"

Li Youcai stood there for a while, then shook his head hesitantly.

"No."

"Do you want your grandson to go to school?" Xu De asked.

Li Youcai was about to shake his head again, but Xu De spoke first:

"School is free. If he does well, the school will give you money. And once he's registered, you'll get rice, flour, and oil as a subsidy. All free."

"He could even come back and become a village official after he graduates."

Li Youcai's eyes widened. Zhang Cui sprang to her feet.

"They really give you money?"

"Of course," Xu De said with a nod.

The two were tempted, like elderly people lured into a pharmacy by the promise of free eggs.

Still...

Looking at the minibus, Li Youcai remained wary.

"Maybe we should forget—"

Xu De cut him off, glanced around, and said:

"If you can't bear to let her go... there's an easy solution."

"Just pay a twenty-thousand-yuan fine."

"Twenty thousand!?"

Li Youcai froze, his face full of shock, as though he had heard something staggering.

They hadn't even spent twenty thousand buying Wang Mei!

"If we get her registered..."

Zhang Cui spoke up. Wariness still lingered in her eyes, but she was clearly more afraid of the fine than of Wang Mei running away.

"When will she come back?"

"If things go quickly, she'll be back tonight."

Xu De answered, then continued before she could speak:

"Surely you're not afraid your daughter-in-law will run away!?"

He laughed.

"Don't forget, her child is still here. How could she run? Where would she go!?"

At those words.

Much of the couple's wariness vanished, and Li Youcai and Zhang Cui relaxed a little.

The villagers gathered around them thought it made sense too.

"That's right, Youcai. Her child's staying at home."

"She wouldn't abandon her own child!"

"She can run, but she can't leave her child behind. I don't see a problem..."

"..."

A dozen or so people began murmuring among themselves, with little sign of suspicion.

Li Xiang glanced at Xu De in amazement, the corner of his eye twitching.

The trick was simple: make up a pretext to calm them down and get them thinking instead of reacting emotionally. It didn't matter whether they believed the pretext. The real point was the threat at the end!

When people panicked, they were most likely to accept an answer that felt obvious. To these villagers, keeping Wang Mei's child here was enough to keep her from leaving. It was practically an iron rule!

So as long as they accepted that answer without thinking... even if they knew what the police really intended, their attitude would soften considerably!

This... is what a top university graduate can do?

Do they teach this in college?

Li Xiang found it strange.

But who cared? If it got Wang Mei out, it was a good move!

Just as Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief and the situation began to turn around...

An enraged shout suddenly rang out.

"Take her? Who dares take my woman!?"

"Let her go!"

The voice burst over the crowd like a clap of thunder.

Everyone turned and made way.

A man with a fleshy face, narrow eyes that slanted upward, and a height of about five foot seven strode toward them. A sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

He bore a strong resemblance to Li Youcai. He wore shabby clothes and mud-caked work shoes.

He took long strides and reached them in moments.

Xu De's gaze sharpened.

This must be Li Youcai's son, Li Erniu!

"Where is she!? I paid for her!"

Li Erniu was furious. He shoved Li Xiang aside and tried to board the bus.

He was a middle-aged man who had worked the fields for years, and Li Xiang was no match for his strength. Li Xiang staggered.

"Captain Li!" The officers behind him hurried forward to block Li Erniu.

Li Youcai and Zhang Cui stopped him too.

"Erniu, it's a misunderstanding!"

"They're taking her to get registered so we can receive money..."

His parents and the villagers held him back, then began explaining what Xu De had said.

Li Erniu's expression shifted as he looked between Xu De and Li Xiang. He thought for a long time.

Only then did he speak:

"I don't trust you. I'm getting on the bus and going with her!"

Li Xiang paused and frowned. He glanced at Xu De, who was looking back at him.

After a moment's thought, Li Xiang said:

"Fine."

They could make that concession. If Li Erniu wanted to come along, let him.

After all, once they left Li Family Village and returned to the police station, Li Erniu wouldn't get a say in what happened!

"Get on. Let's try to be back tonight."

Li Xiang stepped aside and spoke with a smile that never reached his eyes.

Li Erniu's eyes flickered. Without a word, he climbed the steps.

Everyone inside the vehicle tensed when they saw Li Erniu board. The officers grew visibly wary.

Li Erniu ignored them and kept walking.

He stopped at the very back.

Seeing him in front of her, Wang Mei ducked her head even lower. Her body trembled, and her breathing quickened.

As for Wang Qiang...

Wang Qiang stared at Li Erniu, his gaze locked on him. His arm around Wang Mei stiffened like steel as he held her tighter.

Li Xiang was about to tell Old Zhang to drive when a deep voice sounded behind him.

"Get off with me!"

A vicious look crossed Li Erniu's face. His slanted eyes flashed with malice as he seized Wang Mei's wrist and tried to drag her outside.

Get... get off!?

Wasn't he supposed to go with them?

Everyone froze. In that instant, Li Erniu yanked Wang Mei from Wang Qiang's arms, exposing her terror-stricken face.

"Get off, now! To hell with registering your household! You're coming back with me!"

Stubborn as a mule, Li Erniu kept dragging her toward the exit.

Li Xiang reacted at once. "Stop him!"

The officers beside him moved quickly, but Wang Qiang moved faster.

The moment Wang Qiang felt Wang Mei being pulled away, fury seized him. He sprang up and bit Li Erniu's hand.

"Ah!"

Li Erniu cried out in pain and let go.

Wang Qiang, thin as he was, drove his shoulder into Li Erniu's stomach and shoved him outward.

It all happened in an instant!

Even Xu De hadn't reacted!

By the time everyone came to their senses, Li Erniu and Wang Qiang had tumbled out of the vehicle, kicking up dust.

This is bad!

Li Xiang's heart sank. Without hesitation, he reached for his waist.

The next moment, a steel object appeared in his hand!

A... gun!

"Don't move! Nobody move!"

"Move again and I'll shoot!"

Li Xiang barked the warning, his face grim as he aimed the dark muzzle at the crowd.

But the villagers from Li Family Village who saw it...

They stood stunned for a few seconds. Then a man pushed forward, acting as though he had nothing to lose. He craned his neck and pointed at his own head.

"Come on, shoot! Shoot right here! Kill me!"

"The police are killing people!"

"Bastards! So what if you're police? You think you can bully people with guns?"

"..."

The villagers Xu De had calmed erupted again. They surrounded both doors and began smashing the vehicle with whatever they held.

The officers were hemmed in tight. Even Li Xiang's gun did nothing.

Outside...

"You goddamn old bastard!"

Li Erniu came to his senses, his face twisting with rage.

He scrambled up, looked around, then snatched a wheat-cutting sickle from a villager and charged at Wang Qiang.

The sharpened sickle flashed with a cold, sinister gleam.

Wang Qiang threw up a hand to block it.

Smack.

By a hair's breadth, he caught Li Erniu's knife hand. Veins bulged along his arm, and his face flushed red as they strained against each other, the blade shifting back and forth between them.

Thud.

A cudgel struck Wang Qiang from behind. His legs buckled, and he fell.

Li Erniu was dragged down with him. People surged forward, swallowing them both in an instant.

The scene dissolved into chaos.

People cursed and fought.

Until...

Bang!!!

A thunderous sound exploded beside their ears.

Everyone flinched. The crowd fell silent, stopped moving, and turned toward the source.

It was...

A gun!

"Nobody move! Not one of you!"

Anger showed on Li Xiang's face as he aimed the gun, its muzzle still reeking of gunpowder, at the crowd again.

"That was a warning shot!"

"Back up! Drop everything you're holding!"

He... he really dared to shoot...

The villagers of Li Family Village stiffened. Their defiance vanished, and they backed away timidly, dropping their sickles and hoes.

Li Xiang advanced with the gun in hand, his expression dark.

As the villagers retreated, Wang Qiang and Li Erniu came back into view on the ground.

Wang Qiang lay on his back, with Li Erniu straddling him. The two were locked in a struggle.

Li Xiang frowned, tilted his head slightly, and warned them again.

"Back up! Back up!"

But neither man paid him any heed.

Clatter...

For a moment, everything seemed to blur.

The sound of metal falling to the ground made everyone pause.

Then Wang Qiang hurriedly struggled out from under Li Erniu and rose to stand beside Li Xiang. His face was contorted, his eyes bloodshot, and he breathed like an exhausted ox.

Li Erniu remained on his knees. He did not get up.

Li Xiang glanced down. A sickle lay beneath Li Erniu, its blade covered in blood.

"Blood!?"

Wang Qiang's abdomen was also covered in blood, which gave off a foul, metallic smell.

Li Xiang lifted Wang Qiang's shirt.

There was no wound.

"That's Li Erniu's blood!"

Inside the vehicle, Xu De glanced through the window. His pupils contracted, and the words burst out of him.

Li Erniu's blood?

Everyone paused and turned toward Li Erniu.

He knelt there trembling, his ragged breaths loud in the silence.

Then...

Li Erniu shook and staggered as he forced himself to stand, one hand pressed to his abdomen.

His eyes were vacant, his face bewildered. But no one looked at his face. Every gaze was fixed on his stomach!

The sharpened sickle lying on the ground... had fallen out of his abdomen!

Li Erniu's clothes had been slashed open. So had his belly, leaving a gaping hole!

"Gurgle..."

A strange sound rose in his throat. Blood seeped between the fingers he pressed against his abdomen. Staring straight ahead, he trembled and stumbled two steps forward.

Those two steps were enough.

Blood poured onto the ground. A length of pink-red intestine slipped from his abdomen like water, limp as an octopus tentacle. Li Erniu reached out, gathered it in his hands, and tried to stuff it back in.

But his vision suddenly went black...

The next moment—

Thud!

He fell face-first to the ground, his fixed pupils slowly losing focus.

Blood from his abdomen soaked into the soil, staining it brown and spreading rapidly outward from his body.

He... was dead.

At the sight...

In an instant...

The entire scene fell deathly silent.

After a long while...

Liu Cui covered her face and let out a shrill scream.

"Murder!!!"