Chapter 24: Grave Consequences

Seeing how ferocious Wu Zidan had become and hearing his threats of murder, Cai Zhongsheng grew increasingly terrified. Though she had initially considered confessing about the other man, she now dared not, subconsciously telling herself that she must keep her mouth shut. If she truly confessed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Wu Zidan might well rush to Qiu Decai’s home right now to cause a scene, turning his life upside down and potentially even leading to a death. The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Although her infidelity had been discovered by her husband, the fact remained that he did not know who the other man was, and that was something she absolutely could not reveal.

After putting the children to bed, Cai Zhongsheng did not return to her own bed. Instead, she walked into the pitch-black central room and stood silently facing the wall. This was not an act of reflection, but rather a form of evasion or passive resistance against her husband’s interrogation.

Wu Zidan flicked on the light. Seeing her suddenly cover her face with both hands and remain silent, he grabbed her disheveled hair, pulled her toward him, and roared, "Damn it! If you don't confess everything, you'd better watch out, or I’ll stab you to death!"

Stung by the pain, Cai Zhongsheng pulled her hands away from her face, assuming Wu Zidan was merely threatening her to "extract" the name of the other man. She ignored his outburst, refusing to speak, acting like a martyr who would never betray her cause, appearing remarkably resolute.

This only infuriated Wu Zidan further. He thought to himself, "You have deeper feelings for that man than you do for me; you treat me with such cold indifference."

"Pah!" Unable to contain his jealous rage, he kicked Cai Zhongsheng hard in the buttocks and shouted, "Get on your knees for me!"

Cai Zhongsheng had no intention of kneeling. Sensing that Wu Zidan was about to escalate his violence, she seized the moment he let go of her hair to dash to the front door, hoping to run outside and scream for the neighbors to come and intervene.

But the moment she stepped out, Wu Zidan caught up and dragged her back toward the inner room by her arm. Unable to break free, she began to wail at the top of her lungs, "Wu Zidan is beating me..."

After three consecutive cries, Wu Zidan slapped her across the face. "A promiscuous woman like you deserves a beating!"

Cai Zhongsheng’s crying intensified. Showing no pity, Wu Zidan continued angrily, "If you don't tell me who that man is, I won't just beat you—I’ll kill you."

A sense of defiance rose up within Cai Zhongsheng, and she shrilly protested, "I won't say it! I don't have another man, there’s nothing going on, you’re just imagining things!"

"Damn it, you’re still talking back to me?" With that, Wu Zidan drew a hunting knife from his waistband and tore off the soft plastic wrapping, revealing the gleaming blade. He waved it in front of Cai Zhongsheng’s face and continued to roar, "If you want to live, tell me who that man is!"

Cai Zhongsheng was horrified, having never expected him to actually produce a knife. Seeing that he was in the heat of a rage, she decided she would not confess anything and only sought to escape.

Wu Zidan, however, agilely blocked the front door, standing with legs spread wide in a posture of unassailable defense. She turned and ran toward the back door, screaming as she went, "Wu Zidan is killing someone..."

Wu Zidan lunged forward and attempted to trip her, but failed. As Cai Zhongsheng ran out the back door, she continued to scream. This infuriated Wu Zidan further. He thought, "I haven't even killed anyone yet, and you’re already shouting that I am? I must carve a mark on your face to see if you’ll ever dare to seduce another man again!"

There is a folk saying: even an unloaded gun has three "spiritual bullets"—the mere act of pointing it at someone is a threat. Likewise, a knife held in the hand radiates a murderous aura, even if one has no true intent to kill. In that moment, the very thought of using the blade fueled Wu Zidan's fury, causing him to lose control and descend into madness.

Because it was pitch black outside, Cai Zhongsheng had only made it a meter or two from the back door when her forward-leaning body collided with the wall of the latrine with a loud thud. Wu Zidan, chasing close behind, thrust the knife forward. It was unclear where he struck, but after a single, piercing scream, Cai Zhongsheng collapsed.

In the dimness of the night, nothing was clearly visible. Moments later, several villagers arrived, drawn by the commotion. They entered through the front door, passed through the central room, and found it empty, though the air was thick with the scent of blood.

They exited through the open back door and shone their flashlights to see Wu Zidan crouching on the ground, his hands fumbling over Cai Zhongsheng’s back as she lay prone. Upon closer inspection, the handle of a knife was protruding from her left shoulder blade, the blade buried deep within her flesh. Blood welled from the wound, staining Wu Zidan’s hands red. He was not stroking her back; he was trying, but afraid to use force, to pull the hunting knife out.

A villager holding a flashlight knelt down to examine Cai Zhongsheng, who was lying on her side. She could no longer speak; her complexion had turned dark, and her pupils were dilated. The villagers looked at Wu Zidan and roared, "You hadn't been home for so long, and the moment you return, you commit murder! Murder is a capital crime!"

Wu Zidan had initially wanted to retort that she shouldn't have committed adultery, but the words died in his throat. He realized that even if he had a thousand mouths, there was no point in arguing now. He only asked, "Can she still be saved? Quickly! Take her to the hospital!"

The villagers agreed that saving her life was urgent. They immediately brought a bamboo bed to serve as a stretcher, laid Cai Zhongsheng flat upon it, and planned to rush her to the town clinic to have the knife removed.

However, before they even reached the entrance of the clinic, a villager checked her nostrils and felt no breath. Upon touching her body, he found it had already gone rigid. He cried out, "Zhongsheng has stopped breathing! Why are we even going to the hospital?"

That same night, the entire village of Liulin was awakened. Someone reported the case to the town police station, and before dawn, Wu Zidan was taken away as a murder suspect.

The villagers erected a shed in front of Cai Zhongsheng’s house and placed her body on the bamboo bed, covering her face with a sheet of white paper. No one wept, but the eyes of those who stood by to watch or help with the funeral arrangements were filled with tears. It was a tragic event, and the entire village seemed shrouded in a gloom of sorrow and mist.

Privately, everyone whispered: "Why did Wu Zidan kill Cai Zhongsheng? Wu Zidan is a monster..." All sorts of theories circulated, none of them accurate, and people assumed the police station would eventually get to the bottom of it and that Wu Zidan would confess his motives for killing his wife.

In truth, only three people in the village knew the full story: the couple Qiu Manfu and his wife, and Qiu Decai.

As for Qiu Manfu and his wife, the grudge began when Qiu Decai’s ox ate the rice crops in their field. Qiu Decai had denied it, refused to apologize, and refused to pay compensation, so they sought an opportunity to retaliate.

It just so happened that they discovered Qiu Decai’s affair with Cai Zhongsheng that night. Qiu Manfu, a calculating man, decided to use the hands of Cai Zhongsheng’s husband to punish Qiu Decai without anyone ever knowing. He carried out this sinister plan without even telling his wife, Tian Guifang.

Six months later, the truth finally came to light. Criminal investigators from the county police department found a breakthrough through a piece of white paper that Wu Zidan had submitted when confessing his motive.

The paper contained a single sentence written in pencil. Because the handwriting was shaky and the strokes were faint, it was difficult to verify through comparison. It was only after checking the fingerprints left on the paper that they were able to expose Qiu Manfu.

He confessed that he had written the note with his left hand using a pencil, then secretly traveled to the distant Willow Village to find out Wu Zidan’s address. He had slipped the note into the crack of their door when no one was looking, all for the purpose of revenge against Qiu Decai.

Because his actions led to such grave consequences, Qiu Manfu was eventually detained on criminal charges. Naturally, Qiu Decai, whose secret should have been exposed long ago, was soon arrested. During his trial, he confessed to his affair with Cai Zhongsheng. As a direct participant in the events that led to the tragedy, his crime was unforgivable, and he was ultimately sentenced to two years in prison.