Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Driving to the Village Committee, we explained our purpose to the village chief. We learned that the former village chief had been ousted by the villagers due to corruption issues; he had held the position for four or five years. He was aware of the case from ten years ago, as everyone in Dongguan Village knew about it, and the murder had stirred up quite a commotion. Even now, it was still a topic of conversation during casual gatherings.
We inquired about what happened afterward, specifically regarding Zhao Gen and Zhao Lan after Zhao Baoding's death. Upon hearing this, the village chief sighed and said, "Well, what happened later is quite complicated. Let me find some elders who witnessed the events back then; they know a series of details."
It seemed that there were indeed more events behind this case, but we also understood that it was likely filled with helplessness and sorrow. We waited in the Village Committee while the chief went outside to gather those who were knowledgeable about the incident. After about twenty minutes, he returned with several people.
These individuals appeared to be in their fifties or sixties, with the youngest nearing fifty. According to the village chief, these were the people who had witnessed Zhao Baoding kill Wang Xiaochuan. From them, we gathered more details and gained further insight into the matter.
Most villagers believed that Wang Sanbao deserved his fate. In fact, when the police arrested Zhao Baoding, many pleaded for leniency on his behalf, even lining up to slip him money. To the villagers, Zhao Baoding was seen as a good man.
Zhao Baoding was known for his righteousness and enthusiasm; he always spoke his mind. Whenever neighbors or villagers needed help, he would assist without expecting any reward. The villagers generally felt that Wang Sanbao deserved his fate; their only disagreement was that Zhao Baoding should not have killed someone else's child.
As for Wang Sanbao, villagers did not think highly of him. He often promised wages but only paid half in the end. He frequently used his wealth and influence to bully others, especially when drunk; he would insult anyone he encountered. The villagers had long harbored grievances against him.
The three mines in Dongguan Village were sold off by Wang Sanbao and the then-village chief. These mines belonged to all villagers, yet each person received only a thousand yuan while most of the profits went to the village chief and Wang Sanbao. If anyone dared to resist, Wang Sanbao would call thugs to harass them and even injured some villagers on several occasions. The high school quota and Wang Sanbao's threats regarding Zhao Lan led directly to Zhao Baoding's decision to kill.
Some revealed that Zhao Baoding feared that after his arrest, Wang Sanbao's son would grow up to bully Zhao Gen and Zhao Lan. Although Wang Sanbao was dead, his wealth remained. In this society, money and power meant everything.
Before his execution, Zhao Baoding shared some final words with his family and fellow villagers. They recorded what he said: "Since I was young, my father taught me to be a kind and upright person. Therefore, I have always spoken out for justice and acted decisively. The powerless villagers have always been able to live harmoniously with me; sometimes I even acted as their advocate."
This was what he told the villagers. According to them, Wang Sanbao and the village chief had embezzled hundreds of thousands of yuan. Despite multiple reports from villagers being suppressed by special means employed by the chief, Wang Sanbao sent people to intimidate those who reported him into silence. Zhao Baoding was among those affected; while other villagers kept quiet about it, he always spoke openly.
Thus began Wang Sanbao's deliberate targeting of Zhao Baoding—sending thugs after Zhao Gen so he couldn't study and harassing Zhao Lan so she wouldn't dare walk home alone after school. Zhao Baoding reported this several times, but before police arrived, those thugs would vanish without a trace. Everyone knew it was Wang Sanbao behind it all, but without evidence, there was nothing police could do.
That night, when Wang Sanbao made a certain remark, Zhao Baoding made up his mind.
Wang Sanbao was dead; so was Zhao Baoding. Yet the feud between their families did not end there. Five years passed in an instant. Coincidentally, Zhao Lan and Wang Xiaochuan ended up in the same class at school. When enemies meet, tensions rise sharply. Wang Xiaochuan didn't know what his father had done but understood that Zhao Lan's father had killed his grandmother, mother, father, and brother.
Wang Xiaochuan had devised a plan from the very beginning. Although Zhao Lan had discussed this matter with her mother, there was little her mother could do. This school was the only one that recognized Zhao Lan's academic performance and offered her a tuition waiver, along with rewards if she managed to get into Key High School.
At this time, Zhao Gen was already in college, and attending college required a significant amount of money. Fortunately, Zhao Gen's good grades allowed him to receive a scholarship, but living expenses were still a considerable burden for the family. After Zhao Baoding's death, the family's financial support had abruptly ceased. Zhao Gen's mother lacked education and skills, relying solely on farming for their livelihood.
Zhao Lan was aware of this situation and had brought it up with her mother a couple of times before deciding not to mention it again. Meanwhile, although Wang Xiaochuan had become an orphan, the money left by Wang Sanbao was sufficient for an ordinary person to live a lifetime, provided it wasn't squandered. Thus, using his wealth, Wang Xiaochuan quickly established himself as the leader among the Junior High School students.
He commanded everyone to bully Zhao Lan, who was just an ordinary and timid girl from the countryside. Faced with the bullying, she didn't even dare to tell a teacher. As everyone saw Zhao Lan endure the mistreatment without resistance, they eventually lost interest. Bullying someone who wouldn't fight back became tedious after a few attempts.
Moreover, at this age, boys were beginning to develop and were starting to take an interest in sexual matters. One day, Wang Xiaochuan suddenly recalled something his father had said to Zhao Baoding: "Do you believe I could find someone to rape her?"
Of course, those words were spoken by Wang Sanbao in a drunken state, but they had lingered in Wang Xiaochuan's mind for five years since he was only nine years old at the time.
Thus, Wang Xiaochuan gathered his so-called brothers and brutally assaulted Zhao Lan after school one day. On her way home, Zhao Lan felt increasingly overwhelmed by the pressure inside her. With no outlet for her emotions, she chose to end her life.
Zhao Lan jumped into the river, and when her body was discovered three days later, it had already begun to bloat from being submerged in water. If not for her clothes, it would have been nearly impossible to recognize her face. The police immediately contacted Zhao Lan's family—her mother and brother Zhao Gen.
At the same time, they swiftly arrested Wang Xiaochuan and the others involved. However, since Wang Xiaochuan and his so-called brothers were all minors under sixteen years old, the penalties they faced were minimal. Of course, that was a matter for later discussion. When Zhao Lan's mother saw her daughter’s body, she fainted on the spot.
Upon learning the truth about what had happened, Zhao Lan's mother found it unbearable. Yes, Zhao Lan had told her about it from the start, but she hadn't taken it seriously. She thought that what happened years ago was behind them; after all, what did two children know? But she was wrong—hatred is something that can be buried deep within one's heart from a young age.
At that moment, Zhao Gen was on his way home.
Faced with his daughter's corpse, Zhao Lan's mother couldn't bear it either. That night, villagers discovered that she had hanged herself from a beam in their home. Zhao Lan's mother also took her own life, and two days later, Zhao Gen returned home from school. He never imagined that both his mother and sister would leave him like this.
The case was straightforward; solving it didn't require much effort. The police quickly apprehended Wang Xiaochuan and his accomplices. During the trial, Zhao Gen was present since he was now the only remaining member of the Zhao family. The verdict came out: Wang Xiaochuan received two years in a juvenile detention center while the others received one year each.
Facing such results, Zhao Gen felt disappointed and fell silent. For Wang Xiaochuan and his group, Zhao Gen wished nothing more than to devour their flesh, drink their blood, and tear their tendons. Two years had passed, two lives lost. Zhao Gen said nothing about it, and just like that, two years went by until Wang Xiaochuan returned to the village once again.
At this point, Zhao Gen had been expelled from university and spent his days at home.
However, Wang Xiaochuan had barely been back for a day when he disappeared. At the same time, Zhao Gen also vanished. The villagers reported it to the police, but even now, there has been no news of either Wang Xiaochuan or Zhao Gen. The villagers speculated that Zhao Gen might have killed Wang Xiaochuan and then taken his own life.
Upon hearing this, we were all at a loss for words. Perhaps in Zhao Gen's eyes, Wang Xiaochuan was utterly heinous, and so were we who arrested him and sentenced him. No wonder Zhao Gen harbored such hatred towards us and distrusted us so deeply.
Murder is never just a matter between the victim and the killer. Behind every homicide, whether it’s the killer’s family or the victim’s family, both sides are left in tears and facing collapse. The thought of killing and the act itself may occur in a mere second, yet it takes years, sometimes decades, to smooth over the rift between two families.
We then went to the mountain where several graves stood. The inscriptions read: Father Zhao Baoding's grave, Mother Wang Li's grave, Sister Zhao Lan's grave. It was clear that no one had tended to them for many years; weeds nearly covered the tombstones, and the path leading here was once again overtaken by wild grass.
Following the direction known to the village chief, we could see several tombstones on another hill. The village chief said, "That is the grave of Wang Sanbao's family."
In life they were sworn enemies; in death, they were buried in the same land.
The Beautiful Landlady came to collect rent but was bare-skinned, with waves of curves and long white legs. It was only later that I realized...
Comment 0 Comment Count