The Fall of the Plum Rain
The government continued to suppress the counter-revolution while carrying out land reform in the new district. Those plainclothes members who had served in the old regime, those who had served as police officers, and those who had fought against the Japanese were in a constant state of panic.
The news that the Chinese government wanted to capture Mei Yu's plainclothes team members in the lower lotus pond drifted into Mei Yu's ears from time to time. Even his wife knew about this news. Pan Shi advised her husband,"You'd better go out and hide. You'll be fine after this gust of wind.”
"Go out and hide?" Where can I hide? Who doesn't know me at the lotus pond? Who knows me outside the lotus pond? Besides, you don't understand the party. The party doesn't do things in a gust of wind. If this gust of wind doesn't clear things, there will be another gust of wind to clear them.”
Madam Pan said," What should we do then? Then you'll just wait at home for the Chinese to catch you. Then you'll just wait to go to the black prison. Then you'll just watch me become a widow?”
Mei Yu said," Let me tell you, the Chinese government is here. No one can control their own destiny anymore. Everyone's destiny is in the hands of the Chinese government. No matter how much you struggle, it will be futile. If the party wants to catch me, they will catch me. If the party wants me to go to the black prison, I will go to the black prison. If the party wants me to be shot, I have no choice. I will leave it to fate! This piece of heaven is already surnamed Gong!"
Madam Pan said," How can you be so indecisive? To think that you're still a man. To think that you've fought against the Japanese soldiers. To think that you've even been a squad leader." Look at Sun Yun Qing, didn't he just run away? He went to a place without the party, and he's still alive, isn't he?”
Mei Yu said,"I've also thought of running away. I've also thought of running to a place without a party, but there are many difficulties." You see, I'm not cultured and can't read much. I don't have money either. How can I survive outside? When Sun Yun Qing ran, it was during the chaos, so he could escape. If I were to run now, the regime would be stabilized. It would be hard for me to escape, and if I were to be caught, the crime would be even greater. Thirdly, I can't bear to part with you and my family. You're such a lovely person. We've only slept together for a few years, and I can't get off you. Yanzi is only four years old and Kumoko is only one year old. If I run away, who will take care of your mother? Fourth, and most importantly, I don't believe that the Chinese government will shoot me to death. I didn't do anything bad. I only fought against the Japanese and did something good for the country. There's no reason to kill me!”
Madam Pan said,"Don't give me any excuses. What you said is just a woman's opinion. It's not a man's vision." So what if they were uncultured? How many of those who went to Taiwan were cultured? So what if they didn't have money? How many of those who went to Taiwan had money in their pockets? A man shouldn't put his family and children on his belt. If you always think about your family, you will achieve nothing. There are plenty of fish in the sea. You can also find a woman like me outside and give birth to a string of children. Besides, when you become rich outside in the future, I can also bring my sons to look for you. This is always a glimmer of hope! If you don't run away and get killed by the commies, I'll look for you in the grave!”
Mei Yu said," That's the truth. I'm still unwilling to run. I just want to see what this party will do to me! I just want to see if this Heaven Duke will still uphold justice!”
"You're already in your thirties, why are you still so immature!" Look at this land reform, won't you know the Chinese government? Didn't Xigui die his whole life? Didn't the Crown Prince die his whole life? Didn't he still become a landlord and become an enemy? Mr. Rain had never done anything bad in his life. He had only taught and done good things, but he still became a landlord and an enemy.”
The husband and wife talked on the bed, but neither of them could convince the other. Yanzi looked at his parents with wide eyes. He did not understand what the adults were saying, and he did not know who he should help. Kumoko opened her hands and drew in the air. He sat in his mother's arms and did not stay quiet for a moment.
Mei Yu still hadn't left. He still went to the fields to work during the day and stayed at home to accompany his family at night. On the surface, his heart was as still as water, unperturbed. In fact, his heart had never been quiet for a moment. His heart was always beating fast, thinking that the commies would suddenly come and capture him one day.
The day had finally arrived. On the day when the land reform review had just begun, a large group of people from the county police station, the seventh district, and the Xiushui township government came to Maple Ridge with submachine guns in their hands. Not only did they capture Mei Yu, but they also captured the plainclothes team members who had followed Mei Yu to fight the Japanese soldiers. The difference was that Mei Yu was handcuffed and chained, while the other four people, Nan Heng, Chun Yan, Chao Fan, and Mei Mao, were only handcuffed. When they were being escorted away, Mei Yu was also walking in front of the four people.
In Yue Yang's detention center, Mei Yu was locked up alone in a dark cell. This cell had no windows, and the roof was more than ten feet high. There was only an iron door leading to the outside. In the middle of the iron door was a square space separated by an iron spike. Faint light seeped in from here, and the air flowed through here. Food and drink were also passed in and out from here. This square was Mei Yu's life passage. There was no bed in the cell. There was a handful of straw on the ground, soft and moldy. A bed of broken cotton was thrown on it. This was Mei Yu's nest. There was also a dung bucket in the cell. Mei Yu's feces and urine were all here. The stench and stench filled the Black Prison, making it extremely uncomfortable.
The prisoners were given 20 minutes of free time every day. During this time, they had to wash their faces, empty their manure buckets, and walk. They could also communicate with people they knew in this extremely limited time.
After being locked up for two months, no one from the government had spoken to Mei Yu, and no official had interrogated him. He had been left to hold it in here. Mei Yu felt really uncomfortable, even worse than being sick, because he had barely spoken a word during these two months. He had nothing to say when he was in prison. When he was released, he was unwilling to talk to anyone he knew for fear of implicating others because he was a felon. If a person didn't say a word in two months, his personality would change. He would become quiet and thoughtful. Even if he spoke, he would have a language barrier.
Two months later, the government began interrogating Mei Yu.
The guard brought Mei Yu to an interrogator. They were seated across a table. On one side was the interrogator, and on the other side was Mei Yu. Two guards stood behind Mei Yu with submachine guns.
"Name?" the interrogator asked.
Mei Yu looked at the young government official from his head to his neck. From his neck, she could see the third button on his shirt, which was hidden by the table below. He wondered who this child was and where he was from. When I fought the Japanese soldiers, was he still wearing open-crotch pants?
"Did you hear that? I'm asking for your name. What's your name?" the interrogator raised his voice.”
"My name is Liu Meiyu, don't you know?"”
"It's one thing for us to know, but it's another thing for you to answer.”
"Oh, I know."
"How old are you?" the interrogators asked.
"I was born in the fourth year of the Republic of China. I'm thirty-six this year."”
The interrogators said," What Republic of China? It's the rule of the Chinese government now. It's the year of the Christian era. The fourth year of the Republic of China is 1915.”
"Reporting to the government," Mei Yu said,"the year my mother gave birth to me, there was no party.”
"Bastard, who's discussing this with you? You only answer questions.”
"Yes, I know."”
"What bad things did you do when the Japanese soldiers came in?”
"Report to the government," Mei Yu said,"I beat up the Japanese soldiers.”
"I'm asking you what bad things you've done?”
Mei Yu said,"Yes, I did beat up the Japanese soldiers!"”
"Meiyu, you're just quibbling. I'm asking you what bad things you did. You said you hit the Japanese soldiers. Was it a bad thing to fight the Japanese soldiers? Are you saying that I'm a hero who fought against the Japanese and that the government has wronged me by putting me in jail?”
Mei Yu said,"I didn't say that. You said that."”
"You still want to quibble? That's what you mean. Don't talk about how you fought the Japanese soldiers. You fought the Japanese soldiers because you were the captain of the plainclothes team. The plainclothes team was organized by the government at that time. The resistance against Japan was naturally the government's business. It was only right for you to fight the Japanese soldiers. It was not worth it for you to show off. Besides, we have a record of where you fought the Japanese soldiers. Even if you don't say it, we know.”
Mei Yu said,"Alright, I won't say anything more. Send me back to my room."”
" I told you not to talk about the Japanese soldiers, but you haven't answered my question yet. You have to answer my question honestly."”
Mei Yu said,"Alright then, ask away."”
"How many bad things did you do during the Japanese occupation?”
Mei Yu said,"I fought many Japanese soldiers and killed many of them.”
"Aren't you going back to the original route? I'm asking you how many bad things you've done?"”
"Oh, then I've never done anything bad."”
"Since you're so stubborn, I'll touch your acupuncture points!" the interrogator said. There was once when he went back to Maple Ridge at night to arrest and beat people up, urging them to donate money. Was it a bandit act? Was it a bad thing? Was it a bad thing to send his two younger sisters to Zhou Yin to sleep with?”
Mei Yu said,"I didn't arrest or beat anyone, nor did I ask for donations. The people who did these things were all my subordinates." My two younger sisters accompanying Zhou Yin to sleep has nothing to do with me. That is the responsibility of Zhou Yin and my mother. My two younger sisters are not my biological sisters, so I can't make the decision for them.”
" We know you didn't do anything," the interrogators said." Are you the squad leader? Are you the organizer of this incident? Are you manipulating things behind the scenes?”
Mei Yu said,"That's not wrong, but it's understandable." You see, we are a plainclothes team organized by the government. What we do is to fight the Japanese soldiers, but the government doesn't give us any pay. It doesn't care about our guns and bullets, our clothes, food, housing, and transportation, and our families. We are not a first-class government, and we don't have the responsibility to collect food from the local government. We can only ask some from the rich families to maintain the expenses of our plainclothes team.”
The interrogator said," You're still so eloquent. You're even so reasonable. Don't you know that this is the behavior of bandits? Don't you know that this is robbery? Don't you know that this is disturbing the people?”
"Reporting to the government," Mei Yu said,"I have a question to ask.”
"You're not allowed to ask questions. You can only answer and defend yourself.”
"Alright, then I'll explain myself." At that time, we also knew that even if we asked for money from the rich families to fight the Japanese soldiers, it was also a bandit act. It was also against the will of the people and also a nuisance to the people. As far as I know, haven't you always done this? In Jinggang Mountain, you did this. In the other common areas, you did the same; Now, you still do the same thing. You also caught a big family asking for food and money, and we also caught a big family asking for food and money. You want food and money to strengthen your cause; We want food and money to fight the Japanese soldiers. Aren't we the same?”
The interrogator said,"I couldn't tell. I even said that you were illiterate. You're quite reasonable!" How can you compare robbing a big family to robbing a big family? We have the Old Ma Doctrine as our basis, we have the Party Constitution as our basis, we have the Party's resolution as our basis, but do you have any basis? We are doing this to achieve Communism, you are doing this to line your own pockets.”
Mei Yu said," The differences you mentioned cannot conceal the essence of the matter. The big families you robbed and the big families we robbed are the landowners and rich peasants that you have now drawn out. They are the enemies of us poor people. When we did these things, we hit people, but we didn't kill them. When you did these things, you also beat people up and even killed them. Tell me, who is worse?"
The interrogators said," Alright, we won't debate anymore. We're not in your hands now. You're the one who's been arrested and thrown into prison. We're only responsible for hearing your case. We won't talk about anything else.”
Mei Yu said,"I know. This is a prison. Prison is not a place for reasoning."”
The interrogators said," It's good that you know. If you know, then answer the questions honestly. Other than Maple Ridge, where else did you rob the people and disturb them?”
Mei Yu said," We only asked for donations from the rich families once. In the past seven years, our main sources of expenditure were two. One was to seize the Japanese supplies, and the other was to go to the Japanese occupied area north of the Xinqiang River to get some supplies.”
The interrogator said," It's easy for you to say. Do you think we'll believe you just because you said that? We still have to investigate. You're not from a foreign country.”
The only interrogation ended just like that. Mei Yu was very happy to return to Black Prison. In the past two months, other than talking to himself, this was the first time he had spoken. It was a blessing to be able to talk to people. This meant that he was still alive. This meant that he could still think and communicate with people. In addition, he had the upper hand in today's speech. Although the interrogator had put on airs as a government official, he had lost the argument. To be able to make a government official unable to defend himself, wasn't it a happy thing?
Just as Mei Yu was feeling happy, the government decided to kill him. The reason for killing him was very simple. The government needed a headcount to suppress the rebellion. If you couldn't complete this headcount, it meant that you didn't have any achievements in suppressing the rebellion. You couldn't be evaluated as an excellent person, and you couldn't get a certificate either.
It was not easy to kill Mei Yu. He needed to prove his crime. After much investigation, Mei Yu's team had indeed only done so once at Shang and Xia Lotus Pond. This time, it had only happened in his hometown, Maple Ridge. The county police decided to take Mei Yu to Maple Ridge to confront the villagers and see if they could find more evidence of Mei Yu's crime.
Mei Yu didn't know that the government was going to kill him. He was just making a guess in his heart. The guards were stricter, but the food he ate was better. The guards were also more friendly to him. He thought, Isn't this like a weasel paying a visit to a chicken?
With such an estimation, Mei Yu began to plan his escape. He no longer had the same attitude as before. He no longer had any illusions about the government. So what if he was a hero of the war? So what if he was a hero of the war? Compared to him, Mei Yu, Hu Chuntai was a great anti-Japanese hero. His deeds of killing the Japanese in Yueyang could be recorded in the Chinese heroic record, but he still had his head cut off.
The police officers escorted Mei Yu onto the train and then got off at Xiushui Station. They walked five to six miles east, crossed Maple Ridge, and arrived at Maple Ridge's house yard. Along the way, Mei Yu kept thinking about escaping. He wished he could put on wings and fly to the top of the Forbidden Garden Tree. If he could do that, let alone guns, even cannons would not be able to hit him. Thinking about it was just a fantasy. He wasn't a bird, so he couldn't fly to the forbidden garden tree.
The police took Meiyu to Xigui's original house. They left two people to guard Meiyu, and the rest began to investigate with the cooperation of the Sheng group. They found the parties involved at that time to confront them, and then found these people together for a meeting to do propaganda work. They said that Meiyu was guilty of heinous crimes. In the name of resisting the Japanese, she committed robbery. It was not enough to appease the public anger without killing her.
That night, Mei Shang and Prince De were beaten up. Xi Gui and Zhu Ren only accompanied them on the side. In the end, the four of them paid gold and silver treasures before they were released. The embarrassing thing about this matter was that these people had now become enemies of the Chinese government. Some were landlords, some were rich farmers, and Xigui and Zhu Ren were dead.
The police could only explain themselves. They said,"It doesn't matter if your status is high. You are the enemies now. When Mei Yu extorted you back then, you were still law-abiding citizens and decent people. Mei Yu's actions were like that of a bandit, and the government should settle the score with them now.”
Prince De said," I still have some regrets. I should have given them more things back then. No matter what, they were fighting the Japanese soldiers. I didn't expect that I would be kicked out now."”
The leader of the police said,"What are you talking about?"”
With this bear, the German Crown Prince was so frightened that he did not dare to make a sound.
Madam Pan and her two sons stood in the middle of the main hall and looked at Mei Yu from afar. She made a gesture, asking him to think of a way to escape. Mei Yu understood. The guard saw a woman gesticulating for a while and drove her away. After sleeping for a night, she woke up the next morning. The night watchman opened the main door of the main hall and the door to the cave on the wall. The sound of the door opening reached Mei Yu's ears. He said to the guard,"I want to pee."
The guard said,"You lazy cow, lazy horse, have a lot of shit and urine."”
Mei Yu said,"Why is it that the lazy cow and horse have a lot of shit and urine? It's been a whole night."”
The guard said,"Alright then, go ahead and pee. Go to the courtyard!"”
Mei Yu came to the courtyard and the guards uncuffed him. One of them carried a gun on his back and watched him pee. Mei Yu's urine was really long, and the guard yawned continuously. When he finally finished, Mei Yu shook the thing for a while before putting it back into his pants. At this moment, he suddenly flew across the two-meter-wide courtyard and ran towards the entrance. When the guard woke up and aimed his gun at him, Mei Yu disappeared in the blink of an eye.
After exiting the cave, Mei Yu ran north along the iron pavement. In two or three steps, he reached Maple Ridge. He entered the dense forest and ran into the depths of the mountain. His scud had long been trained during the Anti-Japanese War. How could the two new recruits be his match? By the time the guards chased him out of the cave with their guns, Mei Yu's shadow had disappeared.
Mei Yu was hiding in the thorny canopy. He could also feel the militia searching the mountain. Many people passed by him and some even threw bricks into the thorny canopy. He dodged a disaster and finally made it to dark. When the people who searched the mountain went back, he climbed out to stretch his muscles and bones. His stomach was really hungry, so hungry that it was growling.
Where could he escape to? If he were to take a car to the south, he would definitely be intercepted by the local military police. Moreover, he would be either at the station or on the train. In that case, he would be tied up and sent back to Yue Yang's prison. What if he walked on two feet? How could he leave Yueyang, how could he leave Hunan? He shuddered at the thought of the long journey.
There was only one way to escape, and that was to go to Dani's house. Dani had married into the Fei Family and was a single family. Her mother-in-law and father-in-law were both dead, but her husband was also a very loyal person and had a very good relationship with him. Yes, go to Dani's house!
After walking for more than ten miles in the dark, Mei Yu knocked on Dani's door. Dani was shocked to see her unkempt brother. She said,"Weren't you arrested and sent to jail? Why are you here?”
Mei Yu said," Don't talk. I'm so hungry that I'm stupid. Hurry up and get me something to eat. I'll tell you later."”
Dani and her husband went to cook. They put in half a liter of rice and a small piece of potato. After 20 minutes, the food was ready. Mei Yu wolfed down two bowls of rice and told her about his experience while eating. How he was captured and sent to prison, how he was interrogated, how he came to Maple Ridge, and how he escaped. Dani broke out in a cold sweat when she heard his story. Then, the three of them discussed how to hide. After thinking about it, there was only one way, and that was to hide in the fennel cellar. Now was the day to dig the fennel into the cellar, so no one would suspect anything.
After they thought of a solution, they immediately began to move the quilt into the fennel cellar, the teapot into the fennel cellar, and the urinal into the fennel cellar. The fennel cellar was a small home. Mei Yu said to Da Ni,"I want to take a bath. I haven't taken a bath for more than two months. My skin is an inch thicker."”
Dani thought for a while and said,"Alright, I'll boil water."”
Mei Yu had fallen asleep in the fennel cellar on the first night. He had slept for seven to eight hours, and only woke up when the sun was high up in the sky. At that moment, Dani brought him food.
"Brother, you know that my family is poor. There's nothing good to eat." But I won't starve you. If we have a bite, you will have a bite. This meal was a bowl of radish and a poached egg. There would probably be no poached eggs for the next meal.”
Mei Yu said,"What are you talking about? It's best if you don't starve to death." How about this, I don't do anything anyway. From now on, you can cook two meals a day for me to save some trouble.”
The days went on like this. Mei Yu hid in the fennel cellar. The rain could not fall on him, the wind could not blow on him, and the sun could not shine on him. He was like a bean sprout in a greenhouse, turning white and thin.
Humans were social animals. Mei Yu felt uncomfortable living in a vacuum like this. He only wanted to get close to the crowd, talk to the people, talk to the land, and talk to the crops. And the more he felt like this, the more he missed his wife and children. How tall was Yanzi, how old was Kumoko, and was the embrace of Lady Pan still warm?
Once, Mei Yu said to Dani,"I want to go back and see your sister-in-law and nephew."”
Dani said,"How are you going to go back? Aren't you afraid that the commies will catch you again?"”
Mei Yu said,"I've thought about it for a long time. It's very dangerous to go back. As long as we're careful, danger can always be avoided." Of course, I can't go back during the day. I can only go back at night. If I go back at night, I'll come back at night. I won't reveal any clues.”
Dani said," It's still very dangerous. If you go back, I won't be able to hide it. The children won't be able to hide it. It's hard to guarantee that they won't spill the beans."”
Mei Yu said,"I'm tight-lipped, so he won't reveal it. As for the children, I think they'll be asleep by the time I get back."”
Dani said," Where are you going to go in? The entrance and the main door will be closed and locked at night. You can't call for the door to be opened. Otherwise, everyone will know."”
Mei Yu said,"Of course I can't go in from there. Not only that, I can't go in from any other path." I thought for a moment. I want to take a path that no one has taken before. There are a few trees growing on the fennel cellar behind my house. I will go up and down from there.”
That night, Mei Yu set off after a while. He avoided the main roads and tried his best to take the small roads. At midnight, he finally sneaked home. He had unlocked the door and entered the house. Madam Pan did not know that he had come in. It was only when he took off his clothes and crawled into the bed that she felt her man coming. Such a familiar figure, such familiar moves, such familiar movements.
"You're back, but you haven't run away yet?"”
Mei Yu said," Don't talk. Don't let me and the children know that I'm back. I came back because I missed you. I want to sleep with you. I want to do my homework with you."”
Madam Pan said," Look at the time. You're still so sentimental. Go down quickly. Run quickly!"”
Mei Yu said,"Don't talk anymore, take off your clothes, I can't wait."”
Madam Pan had no choice but to do as she was told. After she was done, she urged her husband to leave. Mei Yu said,"I won't leave now. I still want to sleep for a while and do it again before I leave."”
Mei Yu fell into a deep sleep. He snored so loudly that the old lady woke up. "Is Meiyu Yazi back? Miss Pan, tell me!" Peng Yazi asked as she approached the bed.”
"Yes, Mei Yu is back."”
Peng Qianxue reached her hand in and touched Mei Yu's face and body. She believed that this was her son."Why did he come back? He's here to die. Tell him to leave!”
"Mother, don't worry. I'll wake him up and let him go."”
After another two minutes, Mei Yu finally woke up. She hugged her beautiful wife and started gnawing on her, causing Madam Pan to feel numb all over. After gnawing for a while, they finished the matter. At this time, the chicken had already crowed three times. Mei Yu touched the faces of her two sons and set off.
After the first time, there would be a second time. From then on, Mei Yu had to go home once a week. Every time, she would arrive home at midnight. After sleeping for two or three hours, she would do her homework twice and then return to the Fennel cellar.
Mei Yu's impudence did not stop the government. They had placed many spies in Maple Ridge to monitor Mei Yu's every move. However, the attitudes of these spies were different. Some were positive, some were negative, and some were perfunctory. One of them, Mei Tuo, was an active person. One day, Mei Tuo went to the fennel cellar to move the fennel. When he passed by Mei Yu's fennel cellar, he noticed something strange. He stood there and looked carefully. There was a very smooth path above Mei Yu's fennel cellar. He thought, There was originally no path here. Who climbed out? This must have been crawled by someone. Who could it be?
Mei Tuo thought that there was only one person crawling here, and he was Mei Yu!
If this person was definitely Mei Yu, then it meant that Mei Yu had not gone far. He must be hiding somewhere nearby. Then, where was Mei Yu hiding?
When Mei Tuo got home, he told his wife about this matter. He wanted his wife to think about it with him. Where could Mei Yu be hiding? Mei Tuo's wife, Old Lady Wang, was a sly and cunning person. After listening to Mei Yu's analysis, she said,""Think about it, this is not just a day or two. Meiyu needs to eat and drink every day. The person who raised him must be his closest relative, either Da Ni or Xiao Ni.”
Mei Tuo suddenly said," Yes, yes, yes. It must be Dani. Dani is only a dozen miles away from here." Xiao Ni's house was far from here, so it was inconvenient for him to come and go.”
Old Lady Wang said," You used to work in the Fei Family Residence, so you're very familiar with the terrain there. Why don't you go there and take a look? If Mei Yu is really hiding there, we'll report it to the government."”
Mei Tuo thought, This is really a good idea. This wife is a powerful character! With this thought in mind, Mei Tuo quickly arrived at the Fei Residence. He did not enter any of the houses because he knew that there were only three to five households in the Fei Residence. Even if Mei Yu wanted to hide, she would not hide at home.
If Meiyu didn't hide at home, where would she hide? Mei Tuo had been thinking about this question the entire way. He had even thought of the answer. It must be in the fennel cellar. Think about it, there are no holes or dense forests around the Fei Manor. How can the plum rain settle down? That's right, there was only the fennel cellar. The fennel had been stored in the fennel cellar for more than half a year, so there would be no flaws in Meiyu hiding there.
Not only did Mei Tuo not enter any of the houses, but he also quietly came to the back of the house. When he reached the back of the house, he crouched under a shrub and stared at Dani's fennel cellar carefully. After a while, he saw Dani coming. She was carrying a flower basket. There were items in the basket, and the items were covered with a towel. Mei Tuo thought," Carrying a basket into the fennel cellar must be carrying fennel. Why do I have to bring things in? Why do I have to cover things with a towel?" What kind of item was this? It must be food!
Mei Tuo firmly believed in his own judgment. He quietly slipped down the back pond. He couldn't let the people of Fei Jia Village see him, and he couldn't let Da Ni see him either. If he alarmed them, Mei Yu would go somewhere else. After slipping down from the back of the ditch, Mei Tuo picked up a small path and jogged all the way back to Maple Ridge. Then, he told his wife, Old Lady Wang, the results of his investigation.
After Mei Tuo finished speaking, he asked Old Lady Wang,"Do you think we should report this to the authorities?”
Old Lady Wang said," Of course we have to report it to the government. The government has already said that whoever provides clues will be rewarded with 200 catties of rice." This 200 catties of rice is enough for us to eat for a few months.”
Mei Tuo said," Wouldn't we be harming Mei Yu by doing this? He's indeed a good person. He also contributed to the fight against the Japanese soldiers. It's just that his life was not good. He encountered the national anti-revolutionary movement and needed him to be a counter-revolutionary.”
Old Lady Wang said,"You're still a man, but your words are full of women's opinions." If Mei Yu was a good person, the government would not have killed him. If the government wanted to kill him, he must be a bad person. You don't even understand such a simple principle, and you still want me to teach you?”
Mei Tuo said," Alright, alright, alright. Don't say anymore. We'll just report it to the authorities." Don't make a fuss at home. I'll go to the township government today to report to township head Fan.”
After Mei Tuo finished speaking, he went to the township government. He found Village Head Fan and closed the door. Then, he told Village Head Fan about his findings and judgment. Village Head Fan was overjoyed. He believed that Mei Tuo was not lying and that Mei Yu was hiding in Fei Village's Dani's house. Village Head Fan found the Minister of Armed Forces and gave him some instructions. After dark, the Minister of Armed Forces set off with ten armed militiamen, with Mei Tuo as their guide.
When most of them were exhausted, the militia arrived at Fei Village. They split into two groups, one surrounding Dani's house and the other surrounding Dani's fennel cellar. Meituo was on the way to the fennel cellar. The militiamen who surrounded Dani's house broke in. They searched Dani's house for a while, but there was no trace of Mei Yu, so they let Dani take the key to the fennel cellar to open the door.
Dani pretended to be puzzled." Why are you opening the fennel cellar? Do you want to eat fennel?"”
The militiaman said,"What kind of fennel do you eat? Who hasn't eaten fennel before? We're here to capture your brother Mei Yu. He's hiding in your cellar. Stop acting dumb.”
Dani knew that it was over. She couldn't hide it anymore, so she could only go and get the key. In fact, Mei Yu had long known that there was a sound outside. He had determined that the person who had captured him had arrived. Otherwise, why would there be footsteps outside the Fennel cellar at this time? At this moment, he was very calm. It didn't matter if he was captured or executed. The days of escaping were really too difficult. He couldn't see the sun, couldn't see the crowd, and no one spoke. He was like a rice worm.
Dani arrived. She opened the door of the fennel cellar. The flashlight in the armed forces minister's hand shone brightly into the fennel cellar. Mei Yu narrowed her eyes, put her hands together, and stretched them forward. She walked out of the fennel cellar step by step. The militia handcuffed him and tied his upper body with a hemp rope, tying his neck. Under the faint starlight, Mei Yu could still see Mei Tuo's figure standing behind the militiaman. Thus, he spoke.
Mei Yu said,"Mei Tuo, I've never offended you!" However, I still have to thank you. You did a good thing. I've had enough of this kind of dark days. Now, I only yearn for death. I'm free.”
Mei Tuo said," Brother Mei Yu, don't blame me. The government has rewarded me with 200 catties of rice. I can't go against the rice. I can't go against my own happy life."”
"200 catties of rice isn't a small amount. If I knew, I would have asked Dani to report it to the government."”
"Let's go," said the Minister of Armed Forces.”
The group set off. The militia in front asked the armed forces minister how to proceed. The minister said to go to Maple Ridge first. Mei Yu had run away from there. Now, it was better to return to the current place. They wanted to let the Maple Ridge people see whether the Chinese were capable or not. They also wanted to let the Maple Ridge people take revenge.
Such a team naturally couldn't walk fast at night. They rested and dozed off as they walked. When they reached Maple Ridge, the sky was already bright, and the people who woke up early had already woken up and opened the door.
The militiamen escorted Mei Yu to the main hall, then announced to the entire Maple Ridge with the sound of a gong that Mei Yu had been arrested by the government and was now in the main hall. If you want to see, go and see. If you want revenge, go and take revenge.
The Maple Ridge people came to the main hall one after another. They saw Mei Yu tied up and ten armed militia. The onlookers chattered about one thing: Where was Mei Yu hiding? Who knew where he was hiding and reported it to the government?
Pan Shi also came with Kumoko and Yanzi. She squeezed into the circle without caring about anything and came to Mei Yu. She put down the child and hugged Mei Yu and cried. Mei Yu said," Don't cry, don't cry. After I leave, you have to take care of the child and live a good life. If you have a good family, find a good family and remarry. Don't be a widow. It's too bitter."”
"Squat down and let me comb your hair and wipe your face."”
Mei Yu obediently squatted down. Madam Pan combed his hair with her hands and wiped his face with her sleeves. Then, she put her face against Mei Yu's face for a while and pulled her two sons over to let them touch their father's face a few times.
The armed forces minister was impatient. He said,"Alright, alright. We know that you are Mei Yu's wife. You are you, and he is him. Don't pity him, and don't pity him.”
After that, the minister asked everyone,"Mei Yu has done many evil deeds. Who among you wants revenge?”
Mei Ji jumped out from the crowd and said,"We want revenge. We have a blood feud with Mei Yu.”
The minister said,"Come on, come on, if you want revenge, come on!"”
Mei Ji walked up to Mei Yu and punched her in the chest. He was so strong that Mei Yu took a few steps back. When the people who came down the hill saw that they could beat someone up, they rushed forward. Some used fists, some used slaps, and some used sticks. You hit, I hit, and Mei Yu was beaten until her head was bleeding.
The minister said," Alright, alright. Your revenge has been avenged, but the government's revenge has not been avenged. Mei Yu escaped from here. We escorted him here today to let him remember that there is no way out.”
At this moment, Peng Huanhuan burst into tears and said,""Descendants of the mountain, all of you want to die? My Mei Yu has done so many evil things and you want to beat him up? He didn't take his fields, didn't take his lands, and didn't rape his wife and daughter.”
The minister said," Don't cry, Old Huanhuan. There's no more fighting. We'll take Mei Yu away!"”
The militiamen escorted Mei Yu away. Mei Yu glanced at his wife, children, and mother, then at the familiar main hall, and left without looking back. He believed that this time, he would bid farewell to every blade of grass and tree here. The only thing that could come back was his soul.
Mei Tuo said from behind,"Minister, remember my 200 catties of rice."”
Mei Yu once again moved into Yue Yang's prison cell. It was still the same house that he had lived in before. The only difference was that outside his prison cell, there was a soldier carrying a submachine gun standing guard day and night. Mei Yu thought to herself, how high my treatment is. If I hadn't come to the party, would I have such treatment?
Mei Yu's successful escape and half a year of hiding had taught the government a lesson. They felt that this person could not stay for long and had to be killed as soon as possible. Keeping him alive would be a disaster. Who knew, he might run away again one day.
On a sunny day in March 1952, the swallows in the fields stretched their waists and breathed in the fresh air. The rape flowers in the field stretched their necks and fought for the high blue sky; Butterflies flew in the air, and farmers were busy on the ground. It was on this day that Mei Yu met with great trouble. The government decided to kill him on this day, and the location was chosen to be Shaxi Street in Upper Lotus Pond.
The six soldiers accepted the mission of killing Mei Yu. They escorted Mei Yu onto the train and sandwiched her in the middle of a spacious seat. A soldier stood in the aisle with a submachine gun slung over his shoulder, his eyes fixed on Mei Yu, afraid that something would happen to him. The other sections of the carriage were still filled with passengers. They looked at this strange scene but did not dare to take a step forward. They just craned their necks and looked at it with curiosity in their eyes.
Xiudi had just returned from Yueyang that day, and he had also taken this train, coincidentally sitting in the same carriage as Mei Yu. He saw a group of soldiers escorting a person into this carriage, and he also saw that the people in the carriage were watching the group of soldiers and the criminal. He didn't pay much attention to it, thinking that it was nothing. The train began to move, roaring towards the south. Xiudi looked at the criminal again, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
When Hideki was sure that the person in front of him was Mei Yu, he stood up and changed his seat. He couldn't let Mei Yu see him. He didn't do anything wrong to Mei Yu, but he was afraid that Mei Yu would stick to him. If Mei Yu stuck to him, how could he explain it to the soldiers?
The train continued to head south. Xiudi got off at Xiushui Station and went home. Mei Yu and the others continued to head south. After that was Shaxi Station. As soon as they arrived at Shaxi Station, the soldiers escorted Mei Yu down and led him to Shaxi River. With a gunshot, Mei Yu collapsed.
When Xiudi returned home, she said to Liren,""I saw Uncle Mei Yu on the train today. A group of soldiers were escorting him, but I don't know what they were going to do.”
Li Ren said,"What else can we do? Shoot him!"”
Xiudi said,"How do you know it's to shoot him? Are you an immortal?"”
Li Ren said," What kind of god am I? The government has already informed the Pan family and asked them to go to Shaxi Street to collect the body."”
Xiudi said,"No wonder. Fortunately, I didn't let Mei Yu see me, or else he would have asked me to bring a message."”
Li Ren said,"Poor Mei Yu. Look at those people at the top of the mountain. They even beat him to death."”
Xiudi said," The most pitiful one is still Madam Pan. She is widowed at such a young age. Two children and an old man are all dependent on her. How can she bear this burden?”
Li Ren said,"Do you know that women are just clothes? If this person doesn't wear them, that person can still wear them."”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。