"You little bitch, who are you calling shameless and in need of discipline?"
Smack! Before anyone could react, Freya slapped her right across the face!
"That slap is for your filthy mouth and for insulting my reputation!
What? Just because my man doesn't want your daughter, you want to ruin my name and get revenge on him?
You wish!"
"You little vixen, you whore, I…"
Smack! Another slap landed!
"Ah!" Madam Kong stomped her feet in anger, clutching her numb face with both hands, her ears ringing.
"That slap was for my husband!
My man is fighting for the country, injured while saving a comrade. And your man? Just talking about him makes me feel dirty!
If you dare lay a hand on me, I'll report you to the commune tomorrow for insulting a soldier and slandering a hero's family!
Tell me, if you get locked up, will your son and daughter-in-law take care of your stupid daughter, who already ruined our brigade's reputation?"
Freya's delicate features turned ice-cold. She grabbed Madam Kong's hand as she tried to scratch her face, and shoved her away.
Madam Kong's eyes widened in shock. She unwillingly dropped her raised hand. If she got arrested, her daughter-in-law, who already didn't like her daughter, would definitely abandon them both.
She was starting to regret running her mouth in a fit of anger.
Grandpa Lu smiled with satisfaction. This girl knew exactly how to hit where it hurt.
Smack!
"That slap was for all the soldiers who fight at the front lines, get injured, or even give their lives for the country!
Thinking about how they risk their lives to protect people like you makes me feel like it's not worth it!"
Smack smack smack!
"That's compensation for the mental pain you caused me with your lies!"
Freya sneered coldly.
Smack smack smack… The sound of slaps continued!
Someone tried to intervene but was held back by someone clear-headed.
"That's enough, I'm tired of hitting. Get lost!
Next time you see me, stay far away. I'm allergic to animals!"
Freya spat venom with her words.
Madam Kong glared at her in secret, unwilling to give up, then ran off in defeat!
The crowd: "…"
This girl's temper—one wrong word and she's already throwing punches!
"Alright, let's move on. Let the next two explain what they did wrong!
Applause, everyone!"
Freya put on her melon-eating smile again and gently looked at Madam Zi and Mr. Qin.
"I'll go first. I made my own wife sell her body. I broke the law! I request to be arrested immediately!
I had bad intentions toward the kind and hardworking Madam Wan and said nasty things to Comrade Freya!
I'm truly thankful to Comrade Freya for waking me up!
I've realized my mistakes and will reform myself in prison. When I get out, I'll be someone useful to the country and society!
I also hid reactionary books in my room. You can search it!
Please, organization, deal with me and take me away!"
Mr. Qin poured out his confession like beans spilling from a bag. When Secretary Wang sent people to search his section of the cowshed, he finally relaxed his clenched fists, feeling like he'd just survived a disaster.
The crowd: "…"
Why's he so eager to confess and be punished?
"It's my turn, right? I..."
Madam Zi eagerly raised her hand, wanting to quickly finish talking and go find a doctor. Her hand was swollen like a little bun.
"Stop talking, stop talking. I already understand the situation well enough. Go find Doctor Zhou and have him take a look at your injuries first.
As for everything else, when the Revolutionary Committee comes tomorrow, you can explain everything to them then."
Secretary Wang cut Madam Zi off mid-sentence. After all, everyone's stories were basically the same, and he didn't have the patience to listen anymore.
How long had it even been since the last issue? Now something this serious had happened in the brigade again, his head was pounding.
Secretary Wang rubbed his increasingly thinning hair and sighed helplessly.
He didn't intend to cover anything up. So many people had seen what happened. If someone secretly reported it, it'd be worse than just having the Revolutionary Committee take them away directly. At least that way, he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.
"You guys, the men over there, help take these three to Doctor Zhou." Secretary Wang pointed casually at a few young men.
"Ugh, Secretary, why even bother helping them? After doing something so shameless, they should just be drowned in a pig cage."
A woman didn't want the man beside her to help, finding it disgusting.
"Don't talk nonsense. This is a law-abiding society now, who dares to use vigilante punishment?
Hurry and take them over. The rest of you, disperse.
It's getting late. Don't you want to work tomorrow?"
Secretary Wang shouted at the crowd.
The Lu family instinctively got up to see people off. Everyone had just walked out of the cowshed and was preparing to leave.
Suddenly, a deafening boom exploded through the air: "BANG!" The sound was like muffled thunder, startling everyone.
The sudden noise instantly silenced all the chatting. People froze in shock, unsure of what just happened.
Everyone turned to look and saw the cowshed had collapsed, sending up a cloud of dust.
"Good thing we got out in time."
That was the shared thought in everyone's hearts. They all felt secretly thankful they hadn't been trapped inside and had just narrowly avoided disaster.
"Ah geez, this... it's like one disaster after another. What a mess." Secretary Wang smacked his forehead, frowning so deeply it made a 川-shaped wrinkle between his brows.
"You lot..." He looked at the Lu family with a headache, sneaking a glance at Freya. She was the family member of the educated youth and was about to be cleared of charges. He couldn't just leave them to sleep under the open sky.
"Hey, Lao Wang, aren't there two thatched huts by the river? Let them stay there for now. It's so late already, what else can we do?" Secretary Wang's wife, Fang, saw her husband stressing and couldn't help laughing as she made the suggestion.
Her husband had told her about Freya's connection to the Lu family. That educated youth had given him a huge political favor. It was just a small gesture to help her relatives. She was happy to speak up.
Secretary Wang immediately brightened. No wonder she was his wife, they thought alike. He had planned to suggest it later, but she said it first.
"Alright, that settles it. You can stay in the thatched hut for now. When the cowshed is repaired, you can move back." Secretary Wang gave the final decision.
"Alright. Thank you, Secretary Wang." Freya stepped forward and politely expressed her thanks.
"Alright, everyone disperse.
I'll speak with Freya and take them over myself.
Wife, you go on home first."
Secretary Wang waved everyone away.
"Freya, seriously, you couldn't wait until they were cleared before coming over?
If any nosy people find out about your relationship with them, won't it just cause more trouble?
You're even helping our brigade find a path to prosperity. What if someone uses this against you?
Ugh, you, really, you're too bold."
Secretary Wang walked beside Freya, shaking his head helplessly, unable to stop nagging her.
In his eyes, Freya was a good person, and capable too. But she was young, impulsive, and he worried she'd ruin her future by acting too rashly.