Chapter 72: How Could the People from the Commune Possibly Know?

“Damn little tramp, filthy wretch...”

“Out here in the mountains to sneak around with men, shameless slut, spitting on the reputation of our brigade!”

"Wretched hussy, always so brazen, can't control herself..."

Lin Jingyue, with her sharp ears, caught the sound of a group of people muttering curses. Had they actually come to catch them in the act?

Who ratted them out?

But it didn't matter—there would be a spectacle to watch.

She hid in the thick brambles, picked a perfect spot, and slipped into her space.

By the time the crowd arrived, Sun Tiezhu, lost in the moment, and Lin Xinrou, completely absorbed, finally heard the commotion. Both were terrified, scrambling to grab their clothes and flee, but in the next instant, the matron at the front had already charged over.

“You little whore, you dare sneak around with a man behind my back? You shameless strumpet, I’ll—” The woman unleashed a torrent of abuse, rolling up her sleeves to beat them, but froze in place when she saw who it was.

“It’s you two?!”

“Sun Tiezhu, Lin Xinrou! What are you two doing?!”

“What else? Caught fooling around, obviously!” Another woman behind her, thrilled by the unfolding drama, pushed aside the bushes and rushed in.

In an instant, Lin Xinrou and Sun Tiezhu had nowhere to hide.

“Heavens, Lin Xinrou, that brazen hussy, actually caught with a man? Isn’t her husband back already?”

“Well, who knows about Brother Sun’s abilities...”

Qian Guihua, who had tagged along for the spectacle, turned ashen upon hearing the name Lin Xinrou—so it was her inside?

She shoved her way through the crowd in disbelief, and when she saw the half-clad Lin Xinrou and Sun Tiezhu, whose pants still hung around his legs, she blacked out and collapsed.

“Heavens, the Party Secretary’s wife fainted when she saw her daughter-in-law cheating...” bellowed a loud-voiced woman.

Everyone at the foot of the mountain heard it.

For a moment, all the men and women below fell silent.

“Shameless hussies! Tie them up!” a matron shouted, waving her arms.

The crowd surged forward with glee.

The men, in particular, were excited—finally a chance to take liberties under the chaos.

Seeing the mob, Lin Xinrou was seized by terror, lost and helpless. How had it come to this...

She had no power to resist as the crowd descended. Seeing Sun Tiezhu cowering off to the side, she gritted her teeth and let herself collapse.

As hands landed on her, one after another, she felt a wave of humiliation and truly lost consciousness.

Very soon, Sun Tiezhu’s wailing was ignored as the two of them, tightly bound, were dragged down the mountain.

Inside her space, Lin Jingyue witnessed the scene for the first time and shivered instinctively.

It was terrifying.

Even if Lin Xinrou survived, her life was utterly ruined. Why did that thought make Lin Jingyue so... delighted? She couldn’t help but laugh.

After the group had left the mountain for about ten minutes, Lin Jingyue finally exited her space, then skipped down the slope.

“Lin Jingyue, your sister was caught with a man! They’re holding a public meeting at the grain-drying field right now.” As soon as Lin Jingyue reached the base of the mountain, she ran into Chen Chunlan, who was rushing eagerly to join the crowd, her face alight with excitement.

She hadn’t even finished her sentence before running off.

Lin Jingyue...

People never learn, she’d said countless times that Lin Xinrou wasn’t her sister.

Still, she couldn’t miss such a show. She dropped her basket at the educated youth’s quarters and dashed to the grain-drying field.

At that moment, both the brigade leader and the Party Secretary wore grim faces. No matter what, their hopes of being named an “advanced brigade” this year were dashed.

The Qingshan Brigade would be notorious now.

“Well... Party Secretary, it’s your family—what do you want to do?” the brigade leader said from the stage, surrounded by thick crowds.

Sun Zhiyuan was also on stage. From this distance, Lin Jingyue couldn’t see his expression, but she doubted it looked good.

Lin Xinrou and Sun Tiezhu were tied to pillars, their outer garments hanging loosely over them.

Was the brigade leader trying to play it down?

“Why give her a chance, leader? She was caught cheating, we can’t let her off!” Aunt Liu suddenly shouted.

She just wanted to see Qian Guihua humiliated.

“That’s right! After all this, what’s there to be embarrassed about?”

“Don’t let them off! They must be dealt with!”

...

The brigade leader stayed silent, glancing at the Party Secretary whose face was iron hard, and sighed inwardly.

He and the Party Secretary had always been at odds, but seeing him in this position, he couldn’t help but feel a little stifled.

These old women only wanted a spectacle, not realizing that once the two were handed over, it would be the end for them.

If something happened, that was two lives lost—

While the Party Secretary remained silent, Sun Tiezhu’s parents began wailing, “Folks, it was that woman who seduced our Tiezhu! He’s always been timid—if it weren’t for her shamelessness, he never would’ve gone astray...”

“Lin Xinrou’s an outsider, never one of us! She’s purposely ruining our brigade. Oh, my poor Tiezhu, tricked by her, falling into her trap in a moment of weakness...”

The old couple wept bitterly.

“Old hag, you’re full of it! My sister has always been obedient and timid—it must’ve been Sun Tiezhu who forced her! I’m calling the police, I’ll have him tried for assault and make him pay!” Lin Xinjian, just arrived from the fields, exploded at their words.

Zhao Hua, with him, instinctively stepped back.

Both sides argued back and forth, their words sending a ripple of uproar through the crowd.

Lin Xinrou, watching her brother jump up and down, was suddenly overwhelmed by despair.

Her mouth was gagged so she couldn’t speak, but tears streamed down her face, unstoppable.

She could see every expression on the people gathered in the grain yard with absolute clarity.

At the front, the spitting women who’d always hated Qian Guihua, behind them, the matrons and wives joining in the abuse, the Sun family, the gloating Li family—every one of them seemed eager to flay her alive.

Lin Xinrou glanced at Zhao Hua, who had backed away, watching helplessly as her brother was pinned down and beaten by the Sun family. A trace of self-mockery flickered in her eyes.

Then her gaze shifted to Sun Zhiyuan, who stood silent and expressionless.

This man, ever since he’d learned of her miscarriage upon returning, hadn’t touched her since.

It wasn’t as if she wanted this. She couldn’t resist Sun Tiezhu at all, and she hadn’t meant to lose the child in her belly. That child...

She wasn’t sure who the father was.

What if it wasn’t Sun Zhiyuan’s? What would she do then?

Why couldn’t he understand her? It wasn’t her fault. And anyway, Sun Tiezhu was a man—what could a weak woman like her do to resist?

A surge of resentment welled up in Lin Xinrou’s heart. She had chosen the wrong path—Sun Zhiyuan was spineless, nothing like the men in the books.

Sun Tiezhu...

She turned and looked at Sun Tiezhu beside her, surprised to find him looking back at her.

His eyes were troubled, and deep within, there was... a flicker of guilt.

Lin Xinrou was taken aback, a sudden ache filling her chest.

It seemed... she really had chosen the wrong road after all.