Chapter 99: Playing for Real

Got it! Lou Xiaoe pressed her lips together and felt pain—her temper was the type that crumbled under kindness but rebelled against force; Li Shuzhu’s pressure backfired completely.

Watching Li Shuzhu keep signaling frantically, Lou Xiaoe’s resolve hardened further; she clenched her lips, refusing to plead for Xu Damao or forgive him.

Xu Damao clung to Lou Xiaoe like a lifeline and kept signaling desperately for her to save him.

Lou Xiaoe rolled her eyes and turned away, implicitly endorsing the First Elder’s decision.

Lou Xiaoe shouted sharply at the First Elder and the others: “We must find out who that person is!”

This meant they had to identify the adulterer this time.

Li Shuzhu and Xu Damao were both stunned.

Li Shuzhu knew perfectly well he’d made the whole thing up—where was he supposed to find such a person?

Xu Damao didn’t know it was Li Shuzhu’s fabrication, but he didn’t even know which woman he’d been with.

He had about four or five women he was close to at the factory, another three or four outside, and even more in the villages.

Every time, he paid them off outside the factory grounds or stayed with them when the film crew came to the countryside—how could he remember who it was that night? And even if he did, he couldn’t say!

The Second Elder grabbed Xu Damao by the arm: “Come on, you’re going sooner or later.”

The First Elder summed up: “Alright then, let everyone in the courtyard vote by raising hands—those who agree to send Xu Damao to the factory security office, raise your hands.”

At the First Elder’s question, every single person in the courtyard raised their hand—even the children joined in, raising theirs for fun.

Lou Xiaoe, the only one who didn’t raise her hand, glared hatefully at Xu Damao.

“Agreed.”

“Agreed.”

“This guy really needs a good beating.”

“Agreed, agreed, agreed.”

The Second Elder had already twisted Xu Damao’s arm and was preparing to call Li Xuewu.

Li Shuzhu, realizing the situation was slipping out of his control, rushed forward to stop it—but before he could speak, Li Xuewu spoke first.

“He Yuzhu, sit down. Xu Damao is now a suspect. Don’t touch him. No personal vendettas!”

Li Xuewu’s sharp command pinned Li Shuzhu to the spot—he couldn’t move his feet, but he wanted to explain to Li Xuewu.

The Heaven Descends

Li Shuzhu thought: I didn’t want revenge—I was trying to save Xu Damao!

Since Li Xuewu returned, he’d smiled at everyone, stayed out of household affairs, and after work either worked or stayed indoors—so besides that one time when he handled things officially, no one expected him to be this terrifying when he snapped.

Every man, woman, and child in the courtyard watched silently as Li Xuewu walked step by step toward Xu Damao.

Li Xuewu unbuttoned his military overcoat, revealing the pistol holstered on his combat belt.

Now, besides the Second Elder holding Xu Damao, everyone else widened their eyes.

No one in this courtyard had ever seen an arrest happen in person—today was truly a first: a knife to the buttocks, opening one’s eyes.

Li Shuzhu was frantic, stamping his feet—but he dared not take a single step forward or utter another word.

People back then feared anyone in uniform—even the uniforms of the supply cooperative terrified them.

Li Xuewu pulled the handcuffs from his lower back and tossed them to the Second Elder.

“Xu Damao, I am now taking you into custody under the authority of the Rolling Steel Factory Security Office’s Public Order Division. I heard everything everyone just said. As a neighbor, I could’ve pretended not to hear or see anything before the vote—but now I must act by the book. Don’t entertain any Jiaoxing thoughts of running. Come back with me quietly, confess your offenses, and submit to investigation.”

Li Xuewu spoke these words for everyone to hear: See? It’s not me targeting Xu Damao—it was the Three Elders leading this, and you all agreed. I’m only doing my duty, reluctantly, because the job demands it. I’m just helping you deal with him.

After speaking, Li Xuewu turned to the Second Elder: “Comrade Liu Haizhong, please assist me in putting the handcuffs on Xu Damao.”

The Second Elder fumbled to catch the handcuffs Li Xuewu threw—he was just about to clamp them on Xu Damao’s wrists when Xu Damao leapt over the bench, aiming to flee the courtyard.

Li Xuewu kicked the overturned bench beside him; it slid forward and landed across Xu Damao’s path.

Xu Damao tripped over the bench and crashed face-first to the ground.

In the dead of winter, his forehead slammed into the frozen earth, splitting open a deep gash; both hands scraped raw, bleeding.

Li Xuewu stepped forward in one motion, drew his pistol, and pressed it against the back of Xu Damao’s skull.

“Didn’t I tell you not to think about running? Do you think you’re faster than a bullet?”

The crowd gasped, all rising to watch—but none dared approach.

Li Xuewu shouted to the Second Elder: “Bring me the handcuffs.”

The Second Elder’s legs went weak at the sight of the gun; seeing the First Elder standing but silent, the Third Elder slumped in his chair—he could only tremble as he shuffled over and handed the cuffs to Li Xuewu.

Li Xuewu snatched them, snapped them onto Xu Damao’s wrists, and deliberately cuffed him behind his back to prevent escape.

In truth, Xu Damao’s attempt to flee was exactly what Li Xuewu had intended—he’d said “don’t think about running” precisely to make him run.

Xu Damao was in a state of extreme tension; the only word he heard from Li Xuewu’s speech was “run.”

He couldn’t withstand an investigation—the Security Chief himself had fallen to Li Xuewu, the demon. He had to run.

Where to run, how to run—he didn’t know. But he couldn’t go to the Security Office. Once there, he’d never come back.

Li Xuewu chose this moment to deal with Xu Damao for a reason—not just because Xu had tried to sabotage him, but because in this special period, this boy would sell even his own wife and in-laws to climb the ladder—who in this courtyard was safe from his betrayal?

Yesterday he dared denounce me in front of the bosses; tomorrow he’ll plot behind my back.

If I want to survive this era safely and steadily, I must slowly eliminate threats, crush the most dangerous heads.

Li Xuewu grabbed Xu Damao by the collar, straightened him up, and checked: skin scraped, nothing serious.

He pulled off Xu Damao’s scarf, wrapped it around the handcuffs, then flipped his coat from back to front to cover his head, preventing escape.

Li Xuewu leaned close to Xu Damao’s ear: “Xu Damao, I’m giving you your last shred of dignity. Give yourself some too. Behind you—your wife, every man, woman, and child—are watching. Don’t be a fool.”

Seeing Xu Damao nod silently, Li Xuewu told the Second Elder to ride the Third Elder’s bicycle with Xu Damao on the back, while he himself mounted his own bike and followed them out the gate.

Only then did the courtyard residents begin to chatter—back in the old days, they’d seen arrests of spies and counter-revolutionaries, but they’d forgotten. Today, watching Li Xuewu’s clean, efficient capture, they were reminded of the war years.

The First Elder said nothing, picked up his teacup, and walked back inside. The Third Elder no longer cared about his bicycle—he pulled his wife and child back inside and shut the door.

Jia Zhangshi was terrified again. This morning, Li Shuzhu had warned them that if they gossiped again, Li Xuewu would kill them—they’d laughed it off. But now, seeing this, she realized: this kid really means business.

Several old women exchanged glances and hurried home.

Everyone in the courtyard returned home to resume their tasks—except Lou Xiaoe, who wandered home in a daze. She looked at the messy house from the morning’s fight, had no energy to clean, and sat at the table, staring blankly.

Watching Lou Xiaoe’s hollow, lifeless state, Li Shuzhu opened his mouth—but held back.