Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

A few days later, Li Jianjun returned from the county hospital, and the villagers who had accompanied him spread the news upon their return.

"Li Kaixuan's manhood was saved, but he had more than a dozen stitches in his abdomen and his intestines were damaged. The doctor said he would need to recover for more than half a year."

"He also said that Kaixuan was lucky; his wound grew a few centimeters, otherwise he would have become the last eunuch."

Li Kaixuan was so thin he was unrecognizable. When he was pulled back on a cart, his eyes were blank.

Li Jianjun's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He smashed a cup as soon as he entered the door. He stayed at home for two days without making a sound, which the villagers found strange. This was not like the temperament of Accountant Li.

On the third night, Liu Xiangyang was having dinner when Zhang Tiejun sent someone to call him, saying to go to the brigade headquarters, where Li Jianjun was also present.

Liu Xiangyang put down his bowl, told Xue Bingbing what he was doing, and rode off on his bicycle.

Inside the brigade headquarters, kerosene lamps were lit. Zhang Tiejun sat at one end of the table, smoking. Wang Lixin stood with his arms crossed against the wall, both looking unwell. Li Jianjun sat on the other side, his eyes bloodshot, staring intently at the door.

"Xiangyang's here," Zhang Tiejun tapped his pipe. "Sit down, Lao Li, everyone's here. What do you want to say?"

Li Jianjun ignored Zhang Tiejun and stared at Liu Xiangyang: "Liu Xiangyang, my son is lying at home, half-dead. Where's the killer? You're just keeping him locked up? This isn't over!"

Liu Xiangyang pulled up a chair and sat down, his tone calm: "Accountant Li, Gu Xiaoyu is temporarily under the supervision of the brigade to prevent the situation from escalating and to protect her personal safety. The cause and effect of the incident are clear from the neighbors who were present that night, as well as Gu Xiaoyu's own statements. Your son, Li Kaixuan, first assaulted her and then attempted to rape her. Gu Xiaoyu accidentally injured him while resisting. This was self-defense, not intentional homicide."

"Bullshit!" Li Jianjun slammed his hand on the table. "That's his wife! What's wrong with hitting her a few times? If she dared to use a knife, that's murder!"

"This is a new society, Accountant Li." Liu Xiangyang's voice turned colder. "Women are not private property. Assaulting someone is illegal, and rape is an even more serious crime. If Gu Xiaoyu insists on suing your son for what he did that night, he could be sentenced."

"You..." Li Jianjun trembled with rage, pointing at Liu Xiangyang, "You're always taking that bitch's side! Are you having an affair with her?"

"Li Jianjun!" Zhang Tiejun suddenly interrupted, "Watch your words! Xiang Yang is an inspector; he's just following the law!"

Wang Lixin snorted, "Old Li, throwing a tantrum won't solve the problem. We need to resolve it now."

Li Jianjun glanced at Zhang Tiejun, then at Wang Lixin, and suddenly seemed to understand something. He breathed heavily, his eyes scanning back and forth between the three of them: "Fine, fine...you, you've all teamed up to force me, haven't you?"

"Zhang Tiejun, Wang Lixin, I, Li Jianjun, have been in this village for so many years. I may not have made any great contributions, but I have certainly worked hard! And you treat me like this just because of an educated youth from out of town, a shameless slut?"

Zhang Tiejun sighed, his tone softening: "Old Li, no one is forcing you. We're discussing how to resolve this matter in a way that's best for everyone."

"Good for me?" Li Jianjun gave a bitter laugh. "My son was almost ruined! My Li family line almost died out, and you call that good for me?"

Liu Xiangyang took over the conversation, his voice low but each word clear: "Accountant Li, it is precisely because it is for the good of you, your Li family, and our Dongsheng Village that we must handle it this way."

"Think about it. If we really do as you say and hand Gu Xiaoyu over to the police station as a murderer, the matter will be impossible to cover up."

"Once the Public Security Bureau comes to investigate, your son's attempted rape will be written into the case file. When the judgment comes out, it will be in black and white that Li Kaixuan, a member of Dongsheng Village, attempted rape."

He paused, looking at Li Jianjun's suddenly contracted pupils.

"If this reputation gets out, what will other villages think of Dongsheng? That village has a rapist! In the future, when young men from our village go out to find wives, the girls' families will be very worried as soon as they hear that they are from Dongsheng Village."

"Who would dare marry their daughter into this family? Accountant Li, you're an old man in the village. Are you willing to let all the young men in the village suffer the blame and go without wives because of Li Kaixuan?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Li Jianjun's head. He could disregard Gu Xiaoyu's life or death, but he could not disregard his clan, his foundation and reputation in the village. If he truly became the enemy of the entire village, his Li family would be finished.

Zhang Tiejun spoke up at the right moment, speaking earnestly: "Old Li, Xiangyang's words may be blunt, but they are the truth. We can do whatever we want behind closed doors, but we can't let outsiders laugh at us, and we certainly can't ruin the reputation of the whole village."

"Kai Xuan made a mistake and has to admit it. Gu Xiaoyu hurt someone and also needs to be dealt with. But the best way is to resolve it in the village and not make a big fuss."

Wang Lixin also said, "Exactly! If things really escalate to the commune level, Kaixuan will have to go in! Are you willing to do that?"

Li Jianjun slumped in his chair, as if all his strength had been drained. He held his head in his hands, his fingers digging into his hair, and a low growl like that of a trapped beast escaped his throat.

He was unwilling to accept it; his son had almost died, but the murderer was nowhere to be found. But he was even more afraid—afraid that his son would go to jail, afraid that the Li family would become the object of scorn in the entire village.

After a long silence, he raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his voice hoarse: "Then... what do you suggest we do?"

Liu Xiangyang knew that the time was right.

"Let's hold a mediation meeting," he said. "The brigade cadres, the women's director, the militia company commander, and a few of us are all here."

"To clarify the facts, the characterization is: Li Kaixuan committed a serious error, and Gu Xiaoyu acted excessively in self-defense. The proposed course of action is: Li Kaixuan will be subject to strict family discipline and will be required to make a profound self-criticism."

"Gu Xiaoyu will compensate for medical expenses and will be under the supervision and education of the brigade. She will be temporarily separated from Li Kaixuan. Both parties guarantee that there will be no new conflicts over this matter. A written mediation agreement will be formed and signed and fingerprinted."

He looked at Li Jianjun: "This is an internal mediation. It saves face for Li Kaixuan and gives Gu Xiaoyu the punishment she deserves."

"If you disagree and insist on bringing this to justice, then I have no choice but to submit all the investigation materials to the commune and the county public security bureau in accordance with the law, and ask the higher authorities to make a decision. You have two options, Accountant Li."

Li Jianjun opened his mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, not a single word came out. He looked as if he had aged ten years in an instant, and nodded dejectedly.

A few days later, the mediation meeting was held at the brigade headquarters.

The women's director was an aunt of Zhang Tiejun's from the same clan, and her words carried weight. Holding a book of quotations, she seriously criticized Li Kaixuan for "having serious feudal patriarchal ideas, infringing on women's rights, and destroying family harmony."

The militia company commander, Wang Lixin's cousin, said with a dark face that this behavior "is worthy of detention and has an extremely bad influence."

Zhang Tiejun, as the branch secretary, set the tone.

Li Jianjun sat below, his face ashen, and he barely looked up the whole time.

Gu Xiaoyu was also brought to the venue. She changed into a clean old set of clothes that Liu Xiangyang had given her. Her facial injuries had healed a bit. She stood there with her head down, awaiting her fate.

Finally, the mediation agreement mentioned by Liu Xiangyang was formed, and Li Jianjun, Gu Xiaoyu, Zhang Tiejun, Wang Lixin, the women's director, and the militia company commander all signed and pressed their fingerprints on it.

Black words on white paper, red handprints.

And that's how the matter was "resolved".

Gu Xiaoyu officially moved into the empty room behind the brigade headquarters, nominally as "a person to be assisted in education by the brigade." Wang Lixin's men would occasionally patrol during the day, but she was basically alone at night.

Li Kaixuan stayed at home to recover from his injuries, rarely venturing out of the village, which became a laughing stock and a taboo subject; no one mentioned him anymore.

Li Jianjun became taciturn, nodding reluctantly when he saw people, and no longer had the air of an accountant.