A woman in her 70s marries a rough-looking man; her plump wife is too delicate and alluring.

The staff member looked at He Zhaoyang, "Do you have anything to explain?"

He Zhaoyang looked down and read the two paragraphs, put the paper back on the table, and looked up at the staff.

"Firstly, the whistleblower alleges I had improper relationships with men. Who exactly are they referring to?"

The staff member turned to a page of materials.

"They said you had close relationships with several male comrades during your time in the military, including Xie Changhe. They also said you were seen with a man in Hebei the previous night."

He Zhaoyang explained, "Xie Changhe is my friend's brother, and his sister Xie Fei lives in the same residential compound as me. I have had no contact with him outside of work. You can investigate Xie Changhe himself, or you can ask his sister Xie Fei."

"As for the riverside that night, you can go see He Xi; she knows better than I do what happened."

The staff member made a note of it on a piece of paper.

"The second charge is that you stole money."

"Whose property was stolen from? How much was stolen? When was it stolen? These details weren't included in the report."

He Zhaoyang looked at him. "A tip-off letter without even basic details, and you still send out a car to arrest someone?"

The staff member looked up at her formally and said, "You're right, we'll verify the information."

"The third and most serious issue is whether you have severed ties with He Weiye and his associates."

He Zhaoyang did not answer the question immediately.

"Do you know why I want to sever ties with them?"

The staff looked at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I started doing farm work when I was five years old. They would beat and kick me whenever they were unhappy. My eye problems were caused by burns when I was a child."

They took all the money I earned. They even broke in while I was showering, verbally abused me, and physically assaulted me.

Until my husband sent the allowance back, Liu Aiyun intercepted it, and I didn't receive a single penny. I told him that if I took the money, we would sever ties, and he agreed to that.

She paused for a moment, then continued, "When I got married, they accepted the betrothal gifts from the Sheng family, but didn't give me a single penny of dowry."

He Zhaoyang looked up at the staff member and said, "You can ask the people in the village. They all know how He Weiye has treated me since I was a child."

They even caused a scene at my wedding on my own wedding day.

After listening to He Zhaoyang's words, the staff member lowered his head and made a few notes on the paper.

After clearing his mind, he looked at He Zhaoyang again.

He began by asking, "Can anyone testify to what you've said?"

"Yes," He Zhaoyang said. "Aunt Liu and Director Zhang in the village, as well as my mother-in-law Qin Meng and my sister-in-law Li Xuanxue, all know how their family treated me. They signed the severance letter themselves, and the witnesses are still in the village."

The staff member made another note and then closed the folder.

"We will verify all the situations you mentioned. If they are true, the contents of the complaint will be invalidated."

He Zhaoyang looked at him.

"What happens after it's invalidated?"

"We will issue a conclusion proving the report is false and provide you with a written explanation. Furthermore, we will criticize them, and if it happens again, they will be punished."

He Zhaoyang stood up and looked at the staff.

"criticize?"

"Yes," the staff member said. "According to regulations, we primarily use criticism and education for false accusations. Only if the circumstances are serious or the offender repeatedly refuses to correct their behavior will we impose penalties."

He Zhaoyang did not respond immediately.

After a while, she spoke.

"What if they feel the criticism is too mild, and they dare to do it again next time?"

The staff member looked at her but didn't answer directly. He paused for a moment before speaking.

"You retain the right to report again. If a second false report is made, we will handle it according to a more serious procedure."

In addition, the written explanation will state the reasons why the report is untrue. This document will be kept at the county level and a copy will also be sent to your village's production brigade.

He Zhaoyang stood up.

"I need this written statement. Also, if the investigation proves true, please state in the statement that all the whistleblower's accusations against me are false."

The staff member nodded.

"Okay. You can go back now. We'll let you know if anything happens."

The day after He Zhaoyang returned from the county, gossip began to circulate in the village.

Some people are saying she's been arrested, others are saying she's committed a crime.

The messenger embellished the story, and the message traveled from one end of the village to the other, and then back again.

While He Zhaoyang was squatting in the yard washing vegetables, he heard people talking outside the yard wall.

"Have you heard? He Zhaoyang has been summoned for questioning by the county authorities."

"They said it was her family who reported her, so something must have happened. Otherwise, why would they send a car to arrest her?"

"The Sheng family already has a bad class background. If something happens to her, how will they live?"

He Zhaoyang pretended not to hear, washed the vegetables in his hands, picked them up, and went into the kitchen.

That afternoon, Sheng Yuze went to the county to urge He Zhaoyang to address the matter.

When He Zhaoyang went to fetch water at the village entrance, he ran into He Weiye.

He was squatting at the entrance of the supply and marketing cooperative, smoking, with two villagers standing beside him, seemingly chatting idly.

As He Zhaoyang walked over carrying the buckets of water, He Weiye stood up and said to her, "Oh, you're back? What did the county say?"

He Zhaoyang did not stop and continued walking forward.

He Weiye's voice came from behind, "Your crime is no small matter. I wonder when your sentence will be handed down."

He chuckled, flicking his cigarette ash onto the ground. "But don't worry, she's still my own daughter. If things really come to that, I can tell people it's a misunderstanding. It all depends on whether you're sensible or not."

He Zhaoyang stopped in his tracks.

She turned around, carrying the bucket of water, and walked back to He Weiye, looking at him.

He Weiye felt uncomfortable under her gaze and took a half step back, but he didn't stop talking.

"Your glare won't change anything. People from the county came to question you, and the whole village saw it. Your reputation is ruined, do you know that?"

He paused, a mischievous grin spreading across his face, "But..."

He put the cigarette in his mouth, rubbed two fingers together, and said, "If you could send some money home, I might put in a good word for you. Just say it was a misunderstanding, that I misheard. Otherwise, once that written conclusion comes out, your reputation will be ruined."

The two people next to them looked down, pretending to look at the ground, but no one looked up; they were listening intently to the sounds coming from this side.

He Zhaoyang looked at He Weiye and spoke.

How much do you want?

He Weiye's eyes lit up, and he took the cigarette and held it in his hand.

"Not much, fifty, no, no, no, one hundred dollars. Doesn't your man have an allowance? Can you come up with one hundred dollars?"

He Zhaoyang found it amusing and replied with three words.

"You're dreaming!"

She added, "It's not even evening yet, why are you already daydreaming?"

He Weiye was taken aback by her words, his smile freezing for a moment. "I'm your father, everything you have is mine. Don't mention a hundred yuan, what if I asked you to give me all your money?"

After saying that, he put the cigarette back in his mouth, took a deep drag, and exhaled.

"Besides, your reputation is ruined. I'm helping you. A hundred bucks for your innocence. Think about it yourself and see if it's worth it."