When Deng Xiaozhen said this, it gave Qiao Lanshu a fright. Her heart rate suddenly sped up, and she immediately turned her head to look at Deng Weijun.
Deng Weijun's face was full of dismay; his pale complexion carried a lingering fear.
He even looked a bit distracted, as if he had suffered a tremendous shock.
Even Qin Yuanzheng frowned tightly and his face instantly turned serious when he heard someone was hacked to death.
This area belonged to the military district, with many troops stationed here.
For a murder to happen here showed just how serious the matter was.
He looked solemnly at Yang Wenyan and asked in a deep voice, "Cousin, did this happen at the factory? Did someone really die?"
Yang Wenyan's face was grave. He first sighed, nodded, and then shook his head, saying:
"Actually, it's not exactly a factory matter, but the factory workers caused trouble. The workers in the pickle workshop were given a half-day off today. Zheng Daliu took two colleagues out to play cards with someone. In the end, his old habits died hard. On the surface, he said they were playing cards, but in reality, he was stealing things from someone's house..."
Zheng Daliu used to be an idle street punk. He only managed to get a job at the factory because he stumbled upon a good opportunity.
But recently he was tight on money and didn't have enough to spend, so he targeted his friend.
He lied to his colleagues, saying they were going to play cards, and claiming he was afraid of being reported, he asked a colleague to keep watch at the door and call out if anyone came.
Then, he took another colleague into his friend's house. Taking advantage of the fact that his friend had gone to work and hadn't returned, he took several hundred yuan and some grain and food coupons from the house.
Originally, if he had just run away with the money, it might not have resulted in a fatality.
But as he was coming out, he saw his friend's wife busy in the kitchen. Lust took over, and he ran into the kitchen to harass her.
She was a young woman, married for less than a year, with no children yet.
She was terrified at the time, and since she happened to be in the kitchen, she grabbed a kitchen knife during the struggle and slashed wildly. Zheng Daliu was slashed twice and ran out covered in blood. The guy who went in to steal money with him could have run away, but Zheng Daliu pulled him in front to block the knife. He was slashed in a vital spot... Anyway, he's dead.
The one keeping watch at the door only escaped after being chased out and slashed once by the frantic woman.
The lookout suffered the lightest injuries.
Zheng Daliu had knife wounds on his arms and body, and he ran to the hospital himself to get his wounds bandaged.
Yang Wenyan stared at Deng Weijun, his face gloomy, and said:
"That Zheng Daliu came looking for Weijun in the afternoon, saying he wanted to take him to play cards. He had agreed and was originally going to go together. Moreover, he went out with Zheng Daliu once before and acted as the lookout. This time it was someone else's turn to keep watch. If Weijun had gone, he would have had to go inside the house. When that happened, even if he wasn't hacked to death and made it out alive, he would still be executed by firing squad."
The laws are very strict nowadays.
Theft is already heavily punished, let alone theft combined with attempted rape.
Zheng Daliu has already been caught and will definitely be executed.
The lookout was also caught and kept saying he knew nothing and was tricked by Zheng Daliu.
As for how he will be sentenced, it is currently unknown.
But the other one was hacked to death. By the time the comrades from the public security bureau got there, the body was already cold.
Hearing this, Qiao Lanshu's face also turned pale, a wave of lingering fear washing over her heart.
These people nowadays were really too bold!
Greedy for money and lustful, they really would do anything.
The reason she didn't let Deng Weijun go with Zheng Daliu at the time was just a subconscious feeling that something wasn't right. She felt she couldn't let Deng Weijun go out with Zheng Daliu's group, because in her previous life, she had never heard of Deng Weijun, nor had she heard of Zheng Daliu.
This was very strange. After all, a job at the food factory was very good. So many people racked their brains trying to squeeze in but couldn't.
Deng Weijun's brother-in-law was the director of the food factory, and he was proud of his job there.
How could he easily leave the food factory?
So, something must have happened in the middle of it all, but she never imagined it would be something this massive!
The matter was unexpectedly serious, and Qiao Lanshu fell silent.
Deng Xiaozhen's eyes were red, and she cried, "Xiao Qiao, it's all thanks to you this time. You saved Weijun's life. I really don't know how to thank you enough."
Saying this, Deng Xiaozhen cried while pointing at Deng Weijun, scolding, "You bastard! I told you long ago to behave yourself, not to cause trouble, and not to mix with those unreliable people. You just wouldn't listen! Is that Zheng Daliu any good? Ah? He's always been shady. I heard he likes to harass female workers in the factory from time to time. Don't you know how bad his reputation is? And you still went to play cards with him! I think you're just asking for a beating!"
As she spoke, Deng Xiaozhen suddenly took off a shoe and started smacking it against Deng Weijun's forehead.
Deng Weijun hugged his head and squatted on the ground, crying and howling, "Sister, just beat me to death! You might as well just beat me to death!"
Deng Weijun also felt he deserved to be beaten. Rather than being beaten to death by someone else, he might as well be beaten to death by his own sister.
He was truly terrified today, so he kept crying.
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu was stunned by this scene.
She had heard Deng Weijun say before that his sister would hit him.
She thought Deng Weijun was exaggerating, but she didn't expect it to be an actual beating!
And hitting him with a shoe, no less. Qiao Lanshu had never seen such a fierce way of hitting before.
She stood up nervously and quickly said, "Cousin-in-law, you, you need to calm down. Don't beat him broken... Anyway, the matter has passed. It's good that Weijun is fine. Just be more careful in the future..."
Deng Xiaozhen cried as she hit him. Actually, she couldn't bear to use her full strength. After all, he was the only younger brother in her maiden family, and she had protected him as he grew up. How could her heart not ache?
She was just too angry, both angry and afraid.
If she didn't give Deng Weijun a beating, she really couldn't vent this frustration.
Panting, Deng Xiaozhen put her shoe back on and ruthlessly kicked Deng Weijun twice, kicking him until he sprawled on the ground, still crying.
Deng Xiaozhen scolded him fiercely, "If I didn't beat you up today, I don't think you would have learned your lesson. If you don't behave yourself in the future, I'll break your legs and see how you hop around then!"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
After beating her brother, Deng Xiaozhen walked over, held Qiao Lanshu's hands, and sobbed, "Xiao Qiao, you are the savior of our Weijun. In the future, this rascal will work like a horse and toil like an ox for you. If you need anything, just order him to do it. If he dares to refuse, I'll beat him to death!"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu didn't quite know what to say. She reached out and comfortingly patted Deng Xiaozhen's shoulder, saying softly, "Alright, Cousin-in-law, this matter has passed, and fortunately Weijun is fine, which is the best outcome. Don't be angry anymore, lest you ruin your health from anger."
Actually, Deng Weijun's personality was quite good.
He had no intention of doing anything bad, let alone anything illegal. He had neither the desire nor the guts for it.
He was just young, at an age where he liked to gather friends and play around, which was why he was roped into playing cards by Zheng Daliu and the others.
Now that Zheng Daliu and his gang were in trouble, Deng Weijun was scared half to death. He would probably need a long time to recover from this.
Seeing that Qiao Lanshu was a bit tense, Qin Yuanzheng reached out, pulled her to his side, and asked in a low voice, "Were you scared too?"
Qiao Lanshu shook her head, then nodded.
Because she thought of how, in her past life, Deng Weijun had very likely already...
Yang Wenyan watched this farce and let out a long sigh, saying, "This incident in the factory has a bad influence. We'll have to hold a few general meetings over the next few days. I hope this serves as a warning."
Yang Wenyan was truly helpless. He had been busy for a long time last time because of Sun Mingyong's matter, and now here was another one.
Were all these young people lately tired of living?
Deng Xiaozhen wiped the corners of her eyes. Having just vented her feelings, she had calmed down a bit. She wiped her eyes again and quickly said, "Forget it, let's eat first. The food is getting cold."
Deng Xiaozhen had specifically invited them to eat at the state-run restaurant to thank Qiao Lanshu.
Although the food at the state-run restaurant was expensive, so be it. Wasn't her brother's life worth the cost of a meal?
The dishes she ordered were all meat dishes: half a roast duck, two bamboo steamers of lamb shaomai, a bowl of fine hand-rolled white noodles for each person, a large pot of Northeastern braised stew, a large plate of stir-fried Liuhe vegetables, and a portion of Peking shredded pork with sweet bean sauce.
She pointed at the plate of Peking shredded pork and said to Qiao Lanshu, "Xiao Qiao, this shredded pork tastes great. It's stir-fried with sauce and is very fragrant. Use this pancake, roll it up with some green onions, and try it to see if you like it."
Deng Xiaozhen took a pancake, rolled up a thick shredded pork wrap, and handed it to Qiao Lanshu to eat.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Qiao Lanshu quickly took it and said, "Thank you, cousin-in-law."
As she spoke, she glanced at Deng Weijun, who was squatting in the corner, wondering if she should call him over to eat together.
After all, this table of food was full of substantial dishes. It was very expensive and not something they could eat normally.
Deng Xiaozhen didn't even look at her brother. She said, "Ignore him. Let him cool off in the corner. He almost lost his life, and he still wants to eat? Let him have a good reflection!"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Not to mention, Deng Weijun was truly afraid of this sister of his.
After Deng Xiaozhen scolded him a bit, he didn't dare to make a sound, only daring to squat in the corner and question his life choices alone.
Qiao Lanshu had no choice but to sit down and eat the wrap.
Deng Xiaozhen kept putting food into Qiao Lanshu's bowl. "You definitely haven't had this lamb shaomai before, have you? It's our local specialty. And this Liuhe vegetable dish, made with bean sprouts, glass noodles, eggs, wood ear mushrooms, and so on, stir-fried with vinegar. It's incredibly fragrant and goes great with rice. We use it to wrap in pancakes with the roast duck. This is a dish we are even reluctant to eat during the New Year."
Saying that, she rolled another thick pancake for Qiao Lanshu and placed it in her bowl.
Deng Xiaozhen then brought her a bowl of sour soup noodles and said, "Drinking this in winter, paired with lamb shaomai, warms the stomach and helps you gain weight. You are too thin; you need to eat more."
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Although this table was indeed very abundant, a delicacy they might not even get to eat during the New Year.
But Qiao Lanshu had a small appetite. After eating one wrap, her stomach was already a bit full, and she couldn't eat anything else.
Qin Yuanzheng sat next to her, silently polishing off all of her leftovers.
After dinner, the sky had already turned dark.
Deng Weijun went home with Yang Wenyan and the others, because he was also badly frightened and wanted to stay at his sister's house for the night.
Even if he was beaten by his sister, he still had to cling to her.
Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng went home together.
While in the car, Qiao Lanshu was a bit silent.
Ever since she got together with Qin Yuanzheng, she had been immersed in their sweet newlywed life and rarely thought about her past life.
Due to trauma, she had actually forgotten almost everything about the two years she was locked in the cave dwelling.
But regarding Qin Yuanzheng, she remembered very clearly.
After Qin Yuanzheng got together with her, he rarely talked about his past. However, because of his poor health, Qiao Lanshu pestered him about it several times.
He finally said that he was injured by an explosion caused by the enemy during a mission to capture a spy.
At that time, his entire back was blown to pieces, and he fainted on the spot. If it weren't for his strong constitution, he would have definitely sacrificed his life.
Thinking of this, Qiao Lanshu silently calculated in her heart. The mission was approximately in this year, but she didn't know the exact time.
Seeing her so silent, Qin Yuanzheng thought she was terrified, and coaxed her in a low voice the whole way:
"Alright, don't be afraid anymore. Isn't Deng Weijun fine? If I can't come to pick you up from work in the future, I'll let Staff Officer Lin... no, let Xiao Yang... forget it, I'll come myself. I will definitely come to pick you up on time. I won't let you be alone, don't be scared."
Qiao Lanshu didn't hear the internal conflict in his words.
Her mind was entirely focused on Qin Yuanzheng's mission.
She turned her head to ask him, "Brother Zheng, do you have any special missions recently?"
Qin Yuanzheng shook his head, "No, what's wrong?"
Pausing for a moment, he added, "I just got married, and things in the mining area are very busy. Even if there is a mission, they probably wouldn't let me go."
Of course, if he hadn't gotten married, they would definitely let him go if there was a mission.
Because at his level, many people had family members and children. Unlike them, he used to be all by himself, making it convenient for him to go anywhere.
Hearing him say this, Qiao Lanshu was still worried. She said softly, "Brother Zheng, if you have any mission to carry out, remember you must tell me. Don't leave quietly by yourself, okay?"
Feeling his little wife's care for him, Qin Yuanzheng's heart felt very warm. He nodded, "Rest assured, if anything comes up, I'll definitely tell you right away."
Hearing him say this, Qiao Lanshu immediately felt relieved.
Qin Yuanzheng said with some heartache, "Were you scared? You ate very little tonight. When we get back, should I cook you some noodles?"
Qiao Lanshu's appetite hadn't been very good lately, and she ate very little.
Qin Yuanzheng was incredibly heartbroken over it.
He originally thought that eating out at a restaurant today would allow his wife to eat a bit better.
In the end, Qiao Lanshu's appetite was too small, and she didn't even take many bites.
Instead, it was him who ate two people's worth of food.
Having eaten too much lamb shaomai, his internal heat was burning strongly right now.
