When Qi Hongsheng heard about what had happened to Tian Xingzhu, he was seized by sheer panic. He knew well that his aunt had raised her like a precious treasure, pinning many hopes and plans upon her. Now that she had gone and had relations with a lowlife like Zhang Gouzi, how could he possibly answer to his aunt when he returned to Beijing? After all, both his parents and his aunt had expected him to look after Tian Xingzhu after she was sent down to the Lanshan Production Brigade.
And yet, here they were. Shortly after she had returned to the brigade, such an incident had occurred. He could not imagine the fury his aunt would feel upon hearing the news, nor could he imagine her turning that rage toward him. He no longer dared to harbor any hope of being transferred back to Beijing in the near future. For now, his only priority was damage control: he had to prevent Tian Xingzhu and Zhang Gouzi from getting married.
But the thought gave him a splitting headache. The incident last night had taken place in plain sight; most of the villagers in the Lanshan Production Brigade had witnessed it, as had several brigade officials. Furthermore, neither Zhang Gouzi nor his widow mother would let this go easily. If Tian Xingzhu refused to marry him, and the Zhang family took the matter to the commune or even reported it to the Revolutionary Committee as an illicit sexual affair, she would be in serious trouble. In this day and age, such matters were handled with extreme severity. Qi …
Chapter 552