The train driver in the courtyard

In the dimly lit room.

Duan Ping quickly glanced at Li Aiguo.

His gaze then fell on several men behind him dressed in gray Zhongshan suits, their clothes crisp and the outlines of gun holsters faintly visible at their waists.

Even the most muddle-headed person should understand that this is by no means a raid on "things in the crotch".

"Boss! I didn't do anything!" Duan Ping's eyes darted around, and before he could finish speaking, he suddenly stood up and rushed to the window with his head down.

Cun Biao never expected this kid to be so audacious as to try to escape in front of so many people; it was too late to stop him.

Old Cat and the other men in Zhongshan suits stood a little further away, so they couldn't get involved.

There was a deep ditch outside the window; if I jumped out and used the cover of night, I could escape.

Duan Ping had already seen a glimmer of hope for survival, and a slight smile even appeared on his lips.

Just now.

Suddenly, a foot kicked out from the side, landing squarely on Duan Ping's lower abdomen.

The kick was incredibly powerful. Duan Ping flew out like a broken sack, crashing heavily into a pile of firewood in the corner and falling to the ground with a thud.

Duan Ping felt excruciating pain, as if his internal organs were being crushed, yet he still struggled to get up.

Before he could even stand up, that foot had already stomped heavily on the back of his neck.

"Move again, and I'll send you straight to the King of Hell!"

The ruthlessness in that voice was no exaggeration. Duan Ping froze, hesitated for a moment, and finally sighed and collapsed to the ground.

He was certain that if this person said he would kill someone, he would actually do it.

Old Cat cast an approving glance at Li Aiguo. Although this kid hadn't participated in the operation for a while, his skills hadn't diminished at all.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside, mixed with the crackling of burning torches and shouts from the crowd. It was clear that the commune members had been awakened and had gathered around.

Fearing that things might get complicated if things dragged on, Lao Mao immediately decided to take Duan Ping and the young widow back to Kaiyuan for further trial.

Several men in Zhongshan suits immediately stepped forward, untied the hemp ropes from their waists, tied the two men up tightly, and dragged them outside by their arms.

A large number of people had already gathered in the courtyard of the commune canteen.

The commune members, holding torches and carrying old hunting rifles, some even clutching wood-chopping knives, stared warily at Li Aiguo and his group, creating a tense atmosphere.

Minister Chen of the local armed forces department strode up to Cun Biao and asked in a deep voice, "Cun Biao, what's going on?"

“They’re from the commune. There might be a misunderstanding. Please don’t shoot. I’ll go talk to them.”

"Minister Chen, it's all a misunderstanding within the commune! Please don't fire, I'll go explain!"

Cun Biao quickly stepped forward and shouted, "Fellow villagers! These comrades have been sent by higher authorities to investigate a case. Please give them a hand and cooperate!"

A buzz of discussion immediately arose from the crowd, all in the local dialect, which Li Aiguo and his companions could not understand at all.

An elderly commune member with gray hair stepped forward, pointed at Duan Ping who was being held captive, and said a few words hurriedly to Cun Biao, his face full of indignation.

Seeing this, Lao Mao subtly gave a wink to the comrades at the weather station and the local area, and everyone put their hands on their waists, ready to be on guard.

Cun Biao was getting anxious and waved his hand, shouting, "This is a new society now! There are new laws! Even if Duan Ping and Yang Jinhua are having an affair, we can't throw him off the cliff according to the old rules. He has to be handed over to the comrades in the conquest to be dealt with according to the law!"

The old commune member paused for a moment, hesitated, and then turned to wave to the crowd.

The commune members looked at each other and slowly made way for them, and then the group escorted Duan Ping and the young widow out of the commune.

Zhou Ke glanced back at the gradually dispersing crowd and asked, somewhat puzzled, "So, these commune members weren't here to stop us?"

"How could that be!" Cun Biao took out a tin flashlight and shone it forward, saying as he walked, "These are all relatives of Yang Jinhua's deceased husband. They heard that she had illicit relationships and wanted to deal with them according to the old rules."

"What old rules?"

Cun Biao lowered his voice: "There's a cliff called Black Wind Pass in the back mountain, full of poisonous snakes and insects. In the past, if someone in the village had an affair, they would strip them naked and throw them down to feed the snakes, saying it was to 'purify themselves and atone for their sins.'" "..." Zhou Ke's face changed drastically, and he swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Li Aiguo patted him on the shoulder: "Get in the car."

Duan Ping and Yang Jinhua had already been put onto the truck, with Zhou Ke and the others following closely behind. Li Aiguo turned around and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Cun Biao: "Brother Cun Biao, we are very grateful for your righteous help tonight."

"You're too kind, it's what we should do." Cun Biao watched the convoy leave, secretly relieved.

These people must have been led by leaders of the county's armed forces department, so their status must be quite extraordinary. If those people had tried to stop them, they might have actually opened fire.

It was already past midnight when the convoy returned to the Kaiyuan Locomotive Depot. With the help of the searchlights on the depot, Li Aiguo was able to clearly see Duan Ping's appearance.

He was in his early thirties, with a fairly decent appearance, fairer skin than the average commune member, and about 1.78 meters tall. His old cotton-padded jacket was torn to shreds, and he wore cloth shoes with open toes. His hair was disheveled, and his face was a mess.

When he was forced off the car, his legs went weak and he almost knelt down. He didn't look like a fierce character at all.

The task force members were in high spirits and began the interrogation after a short rest.

According to the interrogation strategy, Lao Mao decided to interrogate Yang Jinhua first. The woman was already terrified and would be easier to break through.

Yang Jinhua proved to be easily defeated, trembling as she sat at the interrogation table, answering almost every question.

“My name is Yang Jinhua. I herd sheep in the commune. My husband died five years ago when he fell from the mountain while chopping firewood. We have three children to support, and we just can’t make ends meet…”

Li Aiguo tapped the table, interrupting her: "Tell me about Duan Ping."

Yang Jinhua blushed and stammered, "Duan Ping is the cook at the commune canteen, he has grain on hand... He said he'd give me two liters of corn and ask me to keep him company while I slept, and I got confused and..."

Li Aiguo narrowed his eyes and slapped his hand on the table: "Yang Jinhua, I'll give you one more chance. If you continue to hide things, we'll send you back to Hongjiang Commune right now and hand you over to those clansmen who are waiting to throw you off the cliff."

These words struck Yang Jinhua like a thunderbolt. Her face turned deathly pale instantly, and she cried out, "Leader! I'll talk! I'll talk! Duan Ping even asked me to bring things from the next commune for him, and he gave me six cents as a kickback."

I refused, and he threatened to expose my affair with the child to the commune, making it impossible for me to stay in my family... Waaah, I'm just a widow, how could I dare disobey!

"What should I bring?" Li Aiguo pressed.

"It's just some chili peppers and stuff. I've never cooked it, so I don't know the specifics," the young widow said, tears streaming down her face.

Li Aiguo asked a few more questions, and seeing that this was indeed all she knew, he had her taken away.

When Zhou Ke returned after dropping off the person, he asked curiously, "Aiguo, how do you know she wasn't telling the truth?"

"A woman who could establish herself in a strange commune with three children after her husband's death would not risk everything for just two liters of corn."
She initially only mentioned having an affair, never mentioning that Duan Ping had asked her to sell goods, clearly afraid of uncovering more serious problems.

Li Aiguo lit a cigarette and said slowly.

well.

The young widow is the smartest.

This is true both in traditional courtyard houses and in this frontier region.

Zhou Ke suddenly realized.

At this moment, Duan Ping was brought in. The interrogation was personally handled by Team Leader Lao Mao, along with Li Aiguo, Zhou Ke, and an old comrade from the meteorological station, making a total of four people.

There were quite a few people standing outside the interrogation room.

Two high-powered spotlights shone on Duan Ping's face, leaving him to stand there while all four of them remained silent.

After about fifteen minutes, Duan Ping finally couldn't hold on any longer and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Leader, I confess... I shouldn't have had that illicit relationship with Yang Jinhua, I'll tell you everything..."

Old Cat raised his eyes, his tone calm yet imposing: "Explain clearly how you colluded with enemy agents to sabotage the train cars? Are there any accomplices of yours in the Kaiyuan Locomotive Depot? You should know our policy: leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist."

"W-what kind of train car? What enemy agents? Leader, please don't scare me! I'm just a cook, how could I dare to do something that could cost me my head!" Duan Ping suddenly raised his head, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

(End of this chapter)