Chapter 66: It Is the Alignment of Time, Place, and People

Huang Cuilan was stunned upon hearing this.

"The commune wants to investigate me simply because of Ma Jian's unilateral claims?"

Feeling utterly wronged, she burst into tears on the spot. Through her sobs, she stammered:

"When on earth did I ever write him a note?!"

"Even if I wanted to write one, I'd have to know how!"

"Besides, why would I make a tryst with him? Back at home, I'm worked to the bone every single day, with my hands full of farm chores. This time, rushing back to my maiden home, I haven't even had a spare moment to sleep. Do I—do I look like I have the time to date men?"

"Don't look at my husband as if his legs are useless and he never leaves the house... He is still very much alive! With our family's meticulous care, his thighs have much more sensation than before. Who knows, he might even be able to get out of bed one of these days!"

"I have no need to set my sights on other men!"

"For an educated youth to spout such nonsense not only ruins my reputation, but also tramples on my husband's dignity!"

At this point, Huang Cuilan straightened her back and loudly petitioned:

"I, Huang Cuilan, solemnly request that the commune handle this matter with the utmost severity!"

"If the punishment is too lenient, I'm afraid the same thing will happen again in the future!"

"He could frame me this time, and next time he could frame someone else!"

"If the women in the village can be casually dragged out and gossiped about by the likes of them, where does that leave everyone's innocence? How are people supposed to go on living?"

As she spoke, Huang Cuilan suddenly seemed to realize something.

"Since the commune wants to investigate, I shall tell them everything I know without reservation!"

"Early yesterday morning, I did indeed visit the educated youth team! Because my two sons heard about the situation there, and I was worried Comrade Lin Qiushi might be bullied, I went over to put in a good word for her. Could that be when Ma Jian started holding a grudge against me?"

Hearing this, Zhang Haiquan immediately looked over at Chen Xiangdong.

Chen Xiangdong's throat tightened, and he was caught completely off guard.

Out of nowhere, how did this get tangled up with the disciplinary rectification of the educated youth team again?

Huang Cuilan continued wiping away her tears.

"I've never had any dealings with Ma Jian before, and there's no way I could have offended him in any other matter!"

"Before the disciplinary rectification in the educated youth team, I heard that Ma Jian confessed his feelings to Lin Qiushi, was rejected by her, and afterward, Lin Qiushi was the one who ended up being penalized."

"No matter how much I think about it, it just doesn't make sense! Lin Qiushi is such a fine girl, she didn't charge a single cent to voluntarily teach my two slow-witted boys how to read and do arithmetic, and she's hardworking and resilient. How could she possibly have committed an offense serious enough to warrant writing a self-criticism?"

"Could it be that if a girl is confessed to, she must accept? Does she not even have the right to say no? And if she says no, does that count as committing a mistake? Does she have to write a self-criticism for it?"

Chen Xiangdong felt a headache coming on from Huang Cuilan's questioning and interrupted her, "That's not the same thing!"

However, the commune representative beside him slapped his thigh in excitement.

"How is this not the same thing? Aren't these all ironclad proofs of Ma Jian's illicit relations? Confessing to a female educated youth during the day, and going to a tryst at night upon receiving a note. As the representative of the educated youth team, are you trying to shield Ma Jian?"

Shield him?!

That accusation was far too grave!

The commune representative no longer believed that Chen Xiangdong was impartial and prohibited him from speaking further on his own accord.

Meanwhile, the two commune members began discussing animatedly, as if they had struck gold.

"Through Comrade Huang Cuilan's words, I can see that the new ideology has truly taken flight in the countryside!"

"Look at this—these rural women, who used to know only how to scratch a living from the soil, are now experiencing an awakening of consciousness and possess their own independent thoughts! This is a wonderful thing, a tremendous good!"

"Our leader once said that women hold up half the sky! This is reflected not only on the arduous path of industrial and agricultural construction, but even more so in the practical lives of the masses!"

The member representative excitedly shook hands with Zhang Haiquan.

"Once today's investigation concludes, I'm going to write a report the moment I get back! I will document all these events that have taken place in this mountain village! Let more people know the benefits of educated youth going down to the countryside, and let more people feel the transformation brought about by the ideological liberation of women!"

Zhang Haiquan was left dazed by all this, yet he could feel a powerful surge of energy from the other man.

This truly was a wonderful thing!

If this article could be successfully published, their entire production brigade might become famous across the entire nation!

And as the brigade leader, he would receive commendations right along with it!

By then, even more people would pay attention to this matter.

No matter how strong Ma Jian's family connections might be, they would never be able to cover up the mistakes this punk had committed in Zhangjia Tun!

"Write it! You must write it!"

Zhang Haiquan raised both hands in approval of the commune representative's proposal.

Following this series of investigations, Huang Cuilan was unanimously proven and confirmed to be completely innocent!

She had neither the time nor the motive to commit any wrongdoing.

Zhang Haiquan deliberately used the commune loudspeaker to clear her name and awarded her a large red flower, praising her as an outstanding women's representative who excelled both in family responsibilities and in her enthusiastic care for the masses!

As for Ma Jian, he was quietly escorted away from Zhangjia Tun by the educated youth team.

Over the past two days, Zhao Dong had been keeping a close eye on the aftermath of this incident. Once the dust settled, he found Zhang Yang, who was attentively tending the fire in the woodshed, his eyes sparkling.

"Yangzi! Stop what you're doing! Ma Jian has been kicked out!"

"Yangzi, could you be my real brother? Or you could just take me on as an apprentice! Teach me how you grew a brain as useful as yours?"

"This was truly brilliant! Just relying on a single note and a few words... you completely rooted out that pest Ma Jian from the village!"

"So satisfying! Incredibly satisfying!"

"If I had a brain like yours, what couldn't I accomplish?!"

Zhang Yang tugged at the hem of Zhao Dong's trousers. "Can you keep your voice down? Do you have to shout so the whole world can hear?"

With that, he poked at the firewood in the stove with a fire iron, looking completely unexcited compared to Zhao Dong.

"What happened this time wasn't because I'm brilliant, but rather the result of favorable timing, geographical convenience, and human harmony."

"I merely handed over a rope."

"Ma Jian was the one with problems; he climbed up the rope, exposed his fox's tail, and fell flat on his face."

"As for how things eventually snowballed... I didn't foresee it either."

"If we really want to trace it back and express gratitude, we should properly thank Sister-in-law Cuilan and Auntie Lu."

"We must thank their whole family for their complete trust in our plan."

Sister-in-law Cuilan and Auntie Lu had stood up for Lin Qiushi, and he would firmly keep this favor in mind!

At this thought, Zhang Yang also remembered Huang Cuilan's husband, Lu Mingli.

According to Sister-in-law Cuilan, Lu Mingli's legs had already regained some sensation.

This meant he might only be temporarily paralyzed rather than permanently disabled.

If the conditions allowed, it might actually be possible for Lu Mingli to visit the hospital again.

And since he now held black market resources and was acquainted with Brother Huai, who dealt in medicinal herbs, perhaps if he came across any good remedies for healing legs, he could go to Brother Huai to source the medicine.

Relationships between people grew stronger precisely through mutual assistance.