A generation of soldiers begins with Feng Yuxiu traveling through time and space with Xu Sanduo

Chapter 531 Xiao Zhuang's Confession, the Mystery from a Year Ago

Xiao Zhuang slumped in the iron chair in the interrogation room, his eyes closed, cold sweat dripping down his back and down his waistband. His whole body trembled as if he had a seizure, and even his teeth chattered uncontrollably.

His hands were clenched so tightly they turned white, his knuckles were blue, and he felt as if two little people were tearing at his heart.

On one hand, there was the fear that had been hidden for a year, and on the other hand, there was the regret that came too late. After enduring this for five minutes, she finally hung her head and, with a trembling voice, poured out the shameful things that had happened back then, bit by bit.

-

One year ago, in the evening, Feng Yuxiu carried Bai Tiejun's urn, trudging through ankle-deep snow, and hurried toward the barren mountains of Wangdu Village, hoping to find Wang Haisheng and retrieve the second half of the Subduing Demon Skill.

It was just getting dark when the wind on the desolate mountain was howling like a ghost, blowing into our necks. The snow on the ground was so brightly white when the setting sun shone on it that we could hardly see the road.

"Second Pig Brother!" A figure suddenly darted out of the cornfield. Huang Huan had her hair tied in a low ponytail, a slightly ingratiating yet sly smile on her face, and was clutching a crumpled plastic bag in her hand.

Erzhu had just stubbed out his cigarette in the snow when his brow furrowed and his tone was full of impatience: "What are you doing here? If my dad sees you, he'll nag me for ages, saying I'm messing around with you!"

Huang Huan quickly took two steps forward, hid the plastic bag behind her back, and whispered in a slightly panicked voice, "I have something important to tell you, it's really important, it concerns both of us!"

The two walked through the weeds toward the mountain hollow behind the village. Nobody ever went there except for cattle herders; the grass was almost knee-high.

When they reached the old crooked tree, Huang Huan's eyes suddenly reddened, and tears streamed down her face. She grabbed Er Zhu's arm and wouldn't let go: "Brother Er Zhu, I...I'm pregnant, it's been more than a month."

Erzhu's mind went blank for a moment, as if he had been struck by lightning. He took a step back, the snow crunching under his feet: "What did you say? Really? You're not kidding me!"

He stared at Huang Huan's stomach, his eyes filled with panic, unsure of what to do with his hands.

"How could I joke with you!" Huang Huan cried even harder, her shoulders shaking with sobs. "I know you want to go to the city and become a boss, but I'm pregnant with your child. If you leave, what will I do? If my husband finds out, he'll beat me to death!"

Erzhu was so anxious that he stamped his feet, and snowflakes splashed all over his trouser leg: "Why didn't you say so sooner? We have to figure out a way to deal with this!"

He didn't actually like Huang Huan that much; he was just looking for something new, but then this really happened.

If word gets out, his father will lose face.

As the two were struggling, a figure suddenly darted out from behind the tree with a whoosh, startling Huang Huan who screamed and hid in Er Zhu's arms.

"Hey, so late at night, are these young people having a romantic chat here?"

Shu was wearing a faded old cotton-padded jacket with two buttons missing, but his face no longer had its usual simple and foolish look. Instead, it had a smug smile on it, and his eyes were fixed on Huang Huan's stomach.

He had never been able to hold his head up in the village his whole life, and anyone could order him around. But right now, he felt like he could stand up straight.

He has something on Er Zhu's hands!

"She's pregnant? The village chief's son got a married woman pregnant. If word gets out, the village loudspeaker will be blaring for three days and three nights!"

Erzhu's face immediately darkened, and he pointed at Shu's nose, yelling, "Shu, stop spouting nonsense! If you keep showing off, I'll have my dad kick you out!"

"Nonsense?"

Shu rubbed his hands together, leaned forward, and his eyes were full of malice. "I heard everything clearly! Erzhu, think about it, if your father finds out about this, won't he break your legs with a stick? If the whole village finds out, Huang Huan's life will be ruined. Do you think her husband will let her off the hook?"

Huang Huan shrank back behind Er Zhu in fright, her voice trembling: "What do you want to do? We don't have any money for you!"

"Nothing much," Shu held up two fingers and waved them. "Just lend me some money. Give me 20,000 yuan, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything. I'll avoid you two from now on, okay?"

"Twenty thousand? You might as well rob someone!" Erzhu was furious, his voice rising. "Where would I get that much money? My dad only gives me a thousand yuan a month for pocket money!"

"You don't have it, but your dad does!" Shu shoved Erzhu, who stumbled. "The village chief is the local tyrant of our village. Twenty thousand yuan is just the price of two packs of cigarettes for him! If you don't give it to him, I'll go to your house first thing tomorrow morning and have a good talk with the village chief about how his son seduced someone else's wife!"

Shu paused, then added, her voice full of grievance and anger: "Besides, your family occupied my land and didn't give me a single penny in compensation. This money isn't extortion! You owe me!"

The tree now looks nothing like its usual subservient self; its eyes are filled with a fierce glint, as if it wants to devour someone.

He'd been holding back for so many years, getting bullied enough by the village chief's family. Now that they'd caught him red-handed, why would he let go? This was his only chance to stand up for himself!

Erzhu was used to bullying others in the village, and he had never been treated like this before. But he knew that Shu was telling the truth.

If this matter blows up, his father won't even be able to keep his position as village chief.

Huang Huan tugged at his sleeve from behind, repeatedly giving him meaningful glances, urging him not to act impulsively.

Erzhu took a deep breath, took out a box of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and handed another to Shu, his tone softening: "Brother Shu, how about this... I'll go and get the money right now, and you can come and pick it up tomorrow, okay? I really didn't bring that much with me today."

Shu smiled and opened his mouth to catch it, then deliberately leaned in to let Erzhu light his cigarette: "Light it for me. Erzhu, I never thought you'd end up like this! If I don't see the money by tomorrow, I won't care anymore!"

He didn't believe Erzhu's words. What if Erzhu went back and talked to his father, and then turned around and punished him? He would have nowhere to cry.

"No way, do you think I'm stupid?" Shu threw the cigarette he had just lit onto the snow and stomped on it. "Here's what we'll do: give me your cell phone, I'll take a video of you, and when you bring the money tomorrow, I'll return the phone to you. With the video, you can't renege on your debt!"

Erzhu paused, took two steps back, and looked the tree up and down, his eyes full of surprise: "Brother Tree, who in this village said you're stupid? You're not stupid at all, you're as clever as a monkey! Okay, I'll take a picture of you!"

He was cursing under his breath, but he had to pretend to be polite. He was now under someone else's roof and had no choice but to bow his head.

"Give it to me or not, just say it!"

Shu leaned forward again, his voice turning cold. "I'm old and single, I'm not afraid of anything. I'll go to town and cause a scene. I refuse to believe that the town leaders will let the village chief's son remain village chief just because he's hooking up with someone else's wife! Your good days are over!"

Erzhu gritted his teeth and nodded: "Okay, you wait here. I have five thousand yuan in my car. Take it first, and I'll make up the remaining fifteen thousand tomorrow. To be honest, Brother Shu, you really impressed me today. Anyone who says you're stupid is blind!"

As he spoke, he walked toward the Santana parked not far away, but he was already making plans in his mind.

This tree is a bottomless pit. If you pay today, who knows what else they'll want tomorrow? We need to find a way to eliminate this problem permanently!
Shu squinted, took out his own Hademen cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and watched Erzhu's back as a smile appeared on his lips.

He felt he had won and had finally made the village chief's family suffer a setback.

Shu had smoked half a cigarette when he suddenly heard rustling footsteps in the darkness behind him. He turned around and saw that Erzhu had returned, clutching a black plastic bag in his hand.

"Where's the money?" Shu asked, squinting as he peered into the plastic bag.

"Here you go." Erzhu smiled and walked forward, but the smile was gone from his eyes; instead, they were filled with a fierce glint.

He walked up to the tree, suddenly threw the plastic bag aside, grabbed a hammer from behind his back with his right hand, and smashed it down on the tree's head!
With a muffled thud, Shu froze on the spot, his eyes wide open, a trickle of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

He slowly turned around, looked at Erzhu, and wanted to say something, but could only make a hoarse sound. Then he moved step by step toward the hillside.

With red eyes, Erzhu cursed again: "I'll teach you to ask for money! You son of a bitch, 20,000 yuan is enough to buy your whole family's lives!"

As he spoke, he wanted to deliver another blow, but the tree had already reached the edge of the hillside. With a thud, it fell straight down and remained motionless.

At that moment, Feng Yuxiu happened to see this scene in the snow at the foot of the hill.

The tree fell down the hillside like a rag doll, instantly splashing a patch of red across the snow.

He was about to shout when a sudden pain shot through his head, his vision went black, and he fainted.

Erzhu killed someone, and he was so panicked and scared that his hands were shaking.

He glanced down the hillside and, seeing that the trees were still, turned and ran back to his motorcycle, forgetting even to pick up the plastic bag that had fallen to the ground.

Unbeknownst to him, on another hillside not far away, Xiao Zhuang was crouching behind a tree in the snow, covering his mouth, trembling with fear, tears streaming down his face.

Xiao Zhuang was worried about Shu, fearing he would get cold on the mountain, so he followed him up, but unexpectedly witnessed this bloody scene.

He watched as Erzhu ran far away before he dared to slowly raise his head; his legs were so weak he could barely stand.

After a while, Xiao Zhuang finally mustered up his courage and slid down the hillside, carefully making his way to the bottom.

The snow was covered in blood. The tree lay there with its eyes open. Xiao Zhuang was so frightened that he almost screamed and quickly closed his eyes.

But when he saw Feng Yuxiu lying next to him, he was stunned.

He reached out and touched Feng Yuxiu's nose; he was still breathing!

Xiao Zhuang felt flustered and confused.

Let's save him, but I'm afraid Erzhu will find out.

If we don't save him, this person is about to freeze to death in the snow.

He hesitated for a long time, but gritted his teeth, picked up Feng Yuxiu, and walked up the hillside.

Feng Yuxiu wasn't heavy, but Xiao Zhuang was so frightened that he felt weak all over. He would pant after taking a few steps, leaving a series of crooked footprints in the snow.

-

"So why didn't you call the police back then?" In the interrogation room, the police pushed a cup of hot water in front of Xiao Zhuang, his tone cold, but his eyes were full of inquiry.

Xiao Zhuang held the water cup in both hands, his fingers trembling, and water spilled all over the floor.

He took a deep breath, lowered his head, and said in a trembling voice, "Later...later Erzhu came back and saw me...If I called the police, he would definitely kill me!"

-

The scene then shifts.

In the snow, Xiao Zhuang carried Feng Yuxiu forward, panting heavily, the sweat on his forehead freezing into ice crystals.

Just as he reached the hillside road of Ruiyang Mining, he heard a screech and a car stopped in front of him.

It's Erzhu who's back!
Sitting in the car, Erzhu stared intently at the tree on Xiaozhuang's back, his brows furrowing. "Xiaozhuang, where are you going? This isn't a tree... wait, who is this?"

(End of this chapter)