Time-Travel: The Tragic Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Character Makes a Comeback
CHAPTER 31: The 1970s Naive Supporting Girl (31)
Almost every household in the Heihegou Brigade had something to report. Complaints piled up one after another, and the scene quickly grew chaotic.
Tian Dagui started to panic. He shot meaningful looks at several members of his clan, silently urging them to find a way to stop the two police officers and Cao Guangzhu.
Fortunately for him, there were only three outsiders present. The Tian family alone had nearly twenty grown men in the village. If they really wanted to, overpowering them would not be difficult.
But the Tian clansmen hesitated.
These were police officers, not ordinary villagers. If things went wrong, prison time would be waiting for them.
Just as Tian Dagui was growing increasingly anxious, Song Susu noticed what was happening. She quietly walked over to one of the officers and spoke in a low voice, suggesting they call for backup. She explained that nearly a third of the village belonged to the Tian clan, and there was no guarantee they would not try something reckless.
The officer immediately understood the risk. Worried the situation might spiral out of control, he quickly placed a call back to the Police Station for reinforcements.
Only after that did the two police officers finally begin taking statements and recording the villagers’ reports.
……
As dawn slowly broke, the entire Heihegou Brigade lay wrapped in an unusual silence.
Almost no one had slept a wink last night. The police officers had arrived in two vehicles, and before sunrise, they had already taken away two full truckloads of people.
Among them were Brigade Leader Tian Dagui, Tian Shiwu, Tian Baoguo, and several other members of the Tian family whose crimes ran deep.
Even then, not everyone had been taken away. Three or four officers still remained in the village to keep watch.
Before long, township officials also arrived.
The leaders appeared approachable and polite, smiling as they spoke with villagers and asked about the situation.
Naturally, the villagers told the truth. One after another, they exposed the Tian family’s wrongdoing. For years, they had been suppressed with nowhere to seek justice, and many could not help but break down as they spoke about how miserable their lives had become under the Tian family’s control.
Some of the officials looked visibly uncomfortable as they listened, their gazes drifting toward the senior leader beside them. The man himself wore an expression of clear shame.
“Fellow villagers, we sincerely apologize. This happened because of our failure in oversight, allowing such corrupt officials to exist. Please rest assured, we will thoroughly investigate and deal with the Tian family. From now on, our leadership will actively visit local communities and understand people’s situations firsthand. Incidents like this will never be allowed to happen again.”
“Good!”
“That’s right!”
Applause broke out among the crowd.
Liu Yingzi’s eyes reddened as she grabbed Song Susu’s hand, her voice trembling with excitement. “Susu, we really did it. Those Tian family scoundrels are finally finished!”
Song Susu let out a quiet breath of relief and said softly, “Evil can never overpower justice. The strength of the people is greater than anything.”
With the situation escalating to this scale, involving both the police and higher authorities, there was no longer any chance for the Tian family to recover.
Cao Guangzhu stood nearby accompanying the officials in conversation, while Cao Xiaojun followed closely behind his uncle.
Song Yuanchao had not slept all night. Standing behind his sister, his eyelids drooped so heavily he could barely keep them open.
The rest of the villagers looked no better, rubbing sleepy eyes and yawning one after another.
Seeing this, the village cadres urged everyone to head home and get some rest, saying that any follow up updates would be announced later through the village loudspeakers.
Only then did the crowd gradually disperse.
Song Susu brought her younger brother back to the Ge family home, planning to catch up on some much needed sleep.
Because of what had happened the night before, the elderly Ge couple felt deeply ashamed. They specially steamed a bowl of egg custard and brought it over to apologize to the siblings.
At the brigade office earlier, the old couple had also spoken up about the Tian family’s oppression. Their eldest son had once been engaged, but Tian Baoguo forcibly snatched the girl away and continued targeting him afterward. Left with no choice, their son eventually fled to the county town and married into another family as a live in son in law.
Seeing how old the couple were, Song Susu did not have the heart to argue over anything. She refused the egg custard and asked them to take it back.
When she woke again, it was already noon.
Liu Yingzi came over calling for the siblings to join everyone for a meal.
The educated youth had prepared an unusually lavish breakfast. There was egg drop soup, several kinds of canned meat, and some people even brought out peanuts, melon seeds, and candy to treat the siblings.
Everyone at the educated youth settlement felt immensely relieved. If Comrade Song had not taken the lead, things might not have gone so smoothly. No matter how they looked at it, they were all deeply grateful.
Just as everyone was eating, an announcement suddenly crackled through the loudspeaker.
“After investigation, it has been confirmed that Tian Dagui, Brigade Leader of the Heihegou Brigade, committed embezzlement and bribery, while also protecting members of his own clan and allowing them to bully villagers, causing serious social consequences. He is hereby removed from his position and will be dealt with according to the law.”
Tian Dagui was officially dismissed. For corruption and bribery, he was sentenced to thirty years in prison. At fifty four years old, that sentence was effectively a life term.
Tian Baoguo, whose theft and sexual assault drove a woman to throw herself into the river, received a life sentence.
Tian Shiwu was reported by his own two children for beating his wife to death. Combined with charges of hooliganism, he was also sentenced to life imprisonment.
As for accomplices like Niu Dayong and the others who had aided and enabled the crimes, they received prison sentences ranging from ten to twenty years.
The announcement of the verdict alone went on for a full half hour.
The people of Heihegou Brigade were overwhelmed with emotion. Some cheered loudly, while others simply broke down in tears.
Those who had lived under oppression for so long finally saw a glimmer of hope again.
That afternoon, Wang Fugui’s donkey cart arrived right on time.
Cao Xiaojun and his uncle still had matters to handle, so Song Susu brought her younger brother to say goodbye to Liu Yingzi before leaving.
Reluctant to part with her friend, Liu Yingzi’s eyes turned red. Song Susu had mentioned before that she might return to the city someday, which meant they might never meet again. Holding tightly onto her hand, Liu Yingzi spoke endlessly, as if trying to memorize this final moment.
In the end, she reminded her again and again, unwilling to let go. “Susu, when you have time, make sure you write to me.”
Moved by her emotions, Song Susu hugged her and gently patted her back. “I will.”
Afterward, Song Susu brought her brother back to Xingling Village. Just as the donkey cart entered the village entrance, they saw several people in blue uniforms riding bicycles into the village.
Even Wang Fugui, who was driving the cart, looked surprised. “Who are those people? What are they doing coming to the village?”
Song Susu said nothing, but she already had a guess.
Judging by their uniforms, the report letter she had sent earlier had probably taken effect.
She brought her brother back to the brigade leader’s home. Aunt Gao, who used to greet them warmly, now looked troubled and distracted.
When she saw the siblings return, she only gave a casual greeting. “You’re back.”
Noticing that Aunt Gao seemed troubled, Song Susu casually asked, “Aunt Gao, what’s wrong?”
Aunt Gao hesitated, clearly unsure whether to speak. After letting out a long sigh, she lowered her voice. “It’s the Jiang family again. No one knows what that daughter of theirs has been doing outside, but people from the Inspection Office have already come looking for her. The head of the household isn’t home either, and we can’t reach him by phone.”
Song Susu raised an eyebrow. “If they want to investigate, then let them investigate. One person’s problem can’t possibly drag down the whole brigade.”
Aunt Gao choked on her words and quickly defended herself. “That may be true, but we’re all from the same village. One rotten apple spoils the whole basket. If word gets out, it won’t look good for your uncle either.”
Just as Song Susu was about to reply, knocking suddenly sounded from outside.
The two men in blue uniforms they had seen at the village entrance earlier walked in.
“Has your village brigade leader returned yet?”
Aunt Gao immediately put on a polite smile and hurried forward warmly. “So sorry, comrades. We still haven’t been able to contact him. Please, have a seat and rest for a bit. I’ll bring you some sweet water.”
The two men shook their heads. One of them spoke with a serious expression. “No need. We’ll wait a little longer. Please contact him as soon as possible. The brigade leader needs to come with us to the Police Station to confirm someone’s identity.”
The moment she heard that, Song Susu already guessed that Jiang Xiaoli had probably been caught at the black market.
Startled, Aunt Gao lowered her voice and asked carefully, “Comrades, Xiaoli is just a young woman. She only went to the back hills to pick wild vegetables and fruits to sell. It shouldn’t be that serious, right?”
“She participated in illegal profiteering activities involving a significant amount of money. Prison time would already be considered lenient. In severe cases, execution is possible.”
The color instantly drained from Aunt Gao’s face, and she no longer dared to ask another question.
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