[Forwarded] 'The Legend of Widow's Ditch'

Time: 2013-04-05 12:25 Source: Internet Author: Peng Linshan 1. Summer had passed, and the festival season had arrived in the golden autumn. After the last streak of sunset disappeared in the western sky, Widow's Gully, lying in the midst of towering mountains, gradually merged into the vast dusk. A group of older cousins and their wives walked into the gully along the rocky, rugged mountain paths. They had just finished working in the fields, walking as couples—sometimes ahead or behind, sometimes to the left or right—quietly whispering to each other, intimately, making it immediately clear to anyone looking that they were pairs of married couples. This was Widow's Gully—how had so many pairs of lovebirds suddenly appeared here? Two years ago, only eight young widows lived in this mountain gully. Their husbands had all been active members of the peasant associations during the Great Revolution and were brutally killed by white bandits and local tyrants during the later White Terror. Perhaps to avoid discrimination, perhaps out of attachment to the mountains, or perhaps for some other reason, the eight widows agreed that they would rather grow old and die in the forest than remarry outside the region. Therefore, they lived together for years in this deep mountain forest, adopting the strategy of 'Jiang Taigong fishing—those willing will take the bait,' waiting for single men to come and join them. Over the past two years, indeed, fate had brought seven pairs of lovebirds together under the moonlight in this gully. After the workers entered the village one by one, a middle-aged man, less than three feet tall, appeared on the mountain path. Seeing him, people were reminded of Wu Dalang from Water Margin. At this time, he was dawdling at the back, seemingly waiting for someone, walking so slowly as if afraid of stepping on ants on the ground. Soon, a mountain woman in her early thirties came out from a valley entrance behind them. Her face was like a full moon, her eyebrows like willow leaves, and a pair of sparkling eyes resembling shiny black jade. Her skin was dark with a reddish hue, showing the robust and simple beauty of a mountain woman. The man who looked like Wu Dalang glanced at her and began singing a mountain song. Despite his plain appearance, he sang with clear rhythm, proper tone, and melody: The sun sets day after day, The man remains single year after year, Being single is still fine, But the girl being single is truly pitiful! Unexpectedly, the woman didn't respond to him and shouted from afar, 'Sun Banjin, don't get the wrong idea!' Wu Dalang wasn't angry; on the contrary, he chuckled: 'I say, sister Zhang, the road stretches out under the sky, everyone goes their own way, I sing my mountain song; what has that to do with you?'Having said that, he unexpectedly started singing a 'Widow's Song' in an exaggerated tone: 'After the New Year comes the Spring Festival, the husband is gone, how pitiful! There are plows without anyone to push, burdens with no one to bear...' Sister Zhang was so angry that she covered her ears, but 'Wu Dalang' sang with increasing enthusiasm. After finishing the 'Widow's Song,' he then started singing 'Thinking of My Husband in December.' Enraged, Sister Zhang grabbed several stones and threw them at him, then later crouched by an old camphor tree by the roadside, sobbing bitterly... It turned out that the villagers had once tried to match her with Wu Dalang, but Sister Zhang was unwilling to become 'Pan Jinlian.' She had her own ideas and insisted on choosing her own suitor. As a result, the seven widow sisters paired off, while she remained alone. Twilight fell, and night was about to descend. Suddenly, a soft call came from the bamboo grove by the roadside: 'Sister-in-law!' This voice made Sister Zhang so alarmed that her hair stood on end and her heart pounded. Strangers rarely came into this mountain valley, especially a man; as a lone woman, she had to be cautious. She drew the sickle she used to cut thatch from her waist and gripped it tightly. 'Sister-in-law! Sister-in-law!' The calls from the bamboo grove sounded urgent. Sister Zhang instinctively looked toward the bamboos. 'Sister-in-law, don't hurt me, I'm not a bad person. I'm a traveling merchant and ran into bandits ahead, got shot, injured in the thigh, and can barely move!' The man in the woods seemed to be pleading. 'Ah!' Sister Zhang's heart sank, 'So he's a person in distress!' 'Please help me, Sister-in-law, otherwise tonight…' Sister Zhang's heart softened, and she cautiously approached. In the bamboo thicket, she found the man lying on the ground. The man, in his thirties, was thin, with his right trouser leg soaked in blood and his knee covered in mud, clearly having crawled some distance. Sister Zhang looked up at the darkening sky and, without hesitation, squatted down, lifted the man onto her back, and hurried toward the village... Sister Zhang's home was built on a slope, with several stone steps leading up, and in front of the door was a large stone slab for sitting and enjoying the cool. Once inside, Sister Zhang laid the man on the bed, lit a torch, washed his wounds with salt water, applied some herbs, let him lie down, and then hurried to cook dinner.After dinner, seeing him lying in bed fast asleep and completely dazed, Fourth Sister-in-law went to borrow a place to stay at Neighbor Sister Liu's house and asked Big Liu to come to her home to look after the injured businessman. At dawn, the man woke up and was suddenly shocked to find someone else still lying in the bed. He quickly sat up and leaned over to take a closer look, then breathed a sigh of relief: it was a man too, probably her husband. Big Liu was soon awakened as well and also sat up: "Hey, what's your name? Where are you from? What are you doing out here in the mountains?" He frowned, smiled bitterly, and replied: "My name is Wang Jiupin, nickname Xiongku, from Langshan, Hunan. To avoid being drafted, I had to come to this deep mountain forest to do a bit of leather trade. Unexpectedly, I ran into bandits blocking the road and was shot. Luckily, I met a savior, otherwise I would have died." "My surname is Liu. Because I'm tall, everyone calls me Big Liu. Who else do you have at home? Having survived such a near-death experience, you should return home and offer a grand vegetarian meal in thanks!" Wang Jiupin smiled and said, "Offer a vegetarian meal? I'm a single man." "You're really single? That's incredibly fortunate," Big Liu said excitedly, jumping up, throwing a coat over his shoulders and shuffling out in his cloth shoes with toes showing. At the door, he turned back, made a funny face at Wang Jiupin and said, "Hehe, brother, your good luck has arrived." Wang Jiupin felt like he was lost in a fog. Soon after, Fourth Sister-in-law came in beaming, smiled at Wang Jiupin sitting by the bed, and said, "Stay lying down, don't get up. I'll make breakfast." Then, she found a set of men's clothes for him to change into. Wang Jiupin thanked her gratefully, "Really troubled you!" Fourth Sister-in-law pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh and just kept her head down cooking. When the meal was served on the table, Wang Jiupin said, "Where has Big Brother gone? Let's wait for him to come back and eat together!" "Big Brother?" Fourth Sister-in-law was stunned, then said in a low voice: "My man was killed by the wealthy landlords after joining the Red Army!" Ah, Wang Jiupin finally realized the truth and began to feel somewhat uneasy. Sure enough, once he put down his bowl, Fourth Sister-in-law hurried out again. Big Liu came in. He cupped his hands toward Wang Jiupin and said, "Our brotherly gang is going to drink to your wedding today!" "Wedding? Where did that come from?" Wang Jiupin pretended to be confused.“Hehe, you're still in the dark. Today you're going to be the groom. You, a bachelor, happen to meet Fourth Sister-in-law who has no man—doesn't that make it a match made in heaven?” “No, no, no!” Wang Jiupin waved his hands frantically, shaking his head repeatedly. “Fourth Sister-in-law saved you, little brother. A person should not be ungrateful. This good deed today, whether you like it or not, you have to do it!” Wang Jiupin felt both angry and amused, wanting to explain carefully. At that moment, the other seven sisters escorted Fourth Sister-in-law into the room. Their husbands then dragged Wang Jiupin off the bed, forcefully pressing his head down as he awkwardly paid homage to heaven and earth… **2** On the wedding night in the bridal chamber, groom Wang Jiupin showed no joy, his brows tightly furrowed, heart heavy with thoughts. It wasn't clear whether it was the few extra cups of rice wine or a mixture of excitement and shyness, but Fourth Sister-in-law Zhang's cheeks were flushed red, her eyes full of affection. She folded the quilt neatly, smiled sweetly at the groom, and bashfully called: “It's late, you…” Wang Jiupin was flustered: “Ah… no… I… don't want to… I…” Seeing the groom so timid, Fourth Sister-in-law felt pleased and thought: “How honest and naïve he is!” Suddenly, folk songs were heard from outside: The wind blows the leaves, fluttering one by one, All my life I've pitied being single. The monk is single carrying his apprentice, I face being single alone, How many nights slept on a bed with no legs, How many times called out 'ah, my mother', Morning leaving the door locked, Evening returning to open it by myself. Picking up firewood to start a fire, When will I finally have a couple? The song sounded mournful and plaintive. Leaning by the window after hearing it, Wang Jiupin asked Fourth Sister-in-law: “Who sings such a beautiful folk song?” Annoyed, she said: “It's a bachelor who sinned in a previous life, nicknamed Wu Dalang.” Then, she began to tell Wang Jiupin about Wu Dalang's background. Wu Dalang's real name was Sun Banjin. When he was born, he was apparently as small as a mouse. Someone weighed him, finding he only weighed half a catty, so he was named accordingly. Now over thirty years old, looking like this, people gave him the nickname 'Wu Dalang.' He didn't mind; after all, it was the nature he was born with—who could he blame? Liu Dagao once wanted him to marry into Fourth Sister-in-law's family, but she felt only sympathy, not love, for him. Counting on his ability to sing folk songs, he often sang passionate songs to stir the heart of the young widow Fourth Sister-in-law.A few days ago, the songs he sang were ‘Wu Geng Xiang' and ‘Advising Sister to Remarry,' but tonight he sang the deeply plaintive ‘Single Song,' clearly lamenting his own suffering. Now, Sister Zhang felt satisfied. She, of course, also knew that tonight in one place there was the joyful wedding celebration, while Wudalang was alone and naturally very sad. Suddenly, the mountain song that had fallen silent for a moment blared out again into the night sky: I advise you, young man, not to covet women. Let me tell you about the troubles of craving women. Cao Cao was defeated because of lust, King Zhou jumped into the fire pit for lust, dear elder brother, if you crave women, you will lose your kingdom... Sister Zhang's face instantly darkened upon hearing these lines, and she angrily cursed, “The short one cursed by a thousand, trampled by ten thousand, a toad that didn't get to eat swan meat, but learned to curse heaven!” Wang Jiupin suddenly remembered something and shouted, “Sister Zhang!” Upon hearing this, she glanced at him and said, “What are you calling me? Sister Zhang?—Hmph, rotten head! From tonight on, you must call me Yujiao, Yujiao. Got it? I'm your wife now, if you keep calling me that, people will laugh!” Wang Jiupin mustered courage and laid it out: “We cannot be husband and wife; this is their nonsense!” “Ah!” Sister Zhang screamed, like a thunderclap over her head, stunned for a moment. A look of doubt shot from her eyes. She could hardly believe her ears and repeated, “What did you say?” Wang Jiupin said, “We cannot marry; I would bring you harm…” “Oh my heaven!” Sister Zhang screamed, her complexion going from red to white in an instant. With a ‘wa' sound, she flung herself onto the bed, crying bitterly… Wang Jiupin felt helpless seeing this. Wang Jiupin was not just any businessman dealing in secondhand goods; he was an underground courier for the Communist Party. He was originally the son of the wealthy landlord Wang Laohu in Jinting Town under Jinggang Mountain, named Wang Yaozu. But after studying elsewhere and being influenced by revolutionary ideas, he secretly joined the Chinese Communist Party, decisively severed ties with his reactionary family, devoted himself to the revolution, and changed his name to Wang Jiupin, meaning to constantly remind himself to fear no sacrifice and strive to save the poor from calamities. During the period when landlords were being toppled and land redistributed, he led the town's poor fellows to raid his own household, extracting much of Wang Laohu's ill-gotten wealth and distributing it to the poor.After the Red Army left Jinggangshan, Wang Jiupin was again assigned by the organization to go undercover in Nanchang City. He opened a shop called Wang's Copper Store, using the making of copper locks and copper jewelry as a cover to carry out the Party's underground communication and liaison work, delivering secret information to the Party's senior leadership. This time, there was an urgent document that needed to be delivered to the Party Committee in the border region. He set out together with Jin Biao, who had come down from Qipanshan. Before leaving, he even disguised himself as a merchant collecting animal pelts in the mountains, carrying a briefcase with a large copper lock on it. On the afternoon of the third day, Wang Jiupin and Jin Biao had just arrived at the foot of Biyun Peak on the border between Hunan and Jiangxi. Exhausted, they stopped at an inn called “Yuelai” to rest, intending to continue their journey after dark. At that moment, four people suddenly burst into the inn. One of them, a middle-aged man of medium build with a mouth full of gold teeth, took off his glasses resting on his nose and coldly glanced at Wang Jiupin, saying, “Hey, friends, isn't the briefcase we've been searching for all this time right here?” The other three scoundrels immediately sprang up at the sound and rushed forward, surrounding Wang Jiupin and his companion. Wang Jiupin's chest burned with anger; he slammed the table and stood up, saying angrily, “Who are you people? In broad daylight, you dare commit robbery! Is there no law?” The gold-toothed man sneered sarcastically, “Heroes, cowards—why waste words here? Let's go to the police station, and everything will be clear.” Wang Jiupin raised his eyebrows, pounding the table with a fist, and firmly retorted, “We have neither broken the law nor done evil, so why should we go with you to the police station?” Infuriated and humiliated, the gold-toothed man waved his hand, “Three good words won't do. Come on, give him a lesson.” What the gold-toothed man didn't know was that in terms of fighting skills, they were no match for Wang Jiupin. He was knocked to the ground, and as he got up to reach for his gun, Wang Jiupin and Jin Biao had already used the chaos to escape. Wang Jiupin was puzzled by this tailing and surveillance by bandits, because this operation had been extremely secret. They were careful and cautious on the road—traveling along narrow mountain paths during the day, staying in caves at night, eating wild fruits from the caves when hungry, drinking spring water by streams when thirsty—leaving behind no clues whatsoever.Despite being so cautious, in the early hours of the next day, on Lion Cliff not far from Widow's Ditch, they were followed again by a group of bandits and spies, and bullets came flying like locusts from behind. In the moment of danger, Jin Biao several times tried to grab the briefcase in Wang Jiupin's hands, to let him escape first, but Wang Jiupin refused. During their struggle, Wang Jiupin was hit by a stray bullet in his right leg. His body tilted and fell off the cliff. When he woke from unconsciousness, he found that the briefcase was gone. He tried crawling forward for a while but still did not find it, finally collapsing in a bamboo grove, only to regain consciousness when Sister Zhang Si passed by. Therefore, on this wedding night, the emotions of the bride and groom matched an old saying: one is like the groom courting in Eastern Wu, the other is heart fried in boiling oil. How this play would end, nobody knew. Three Early the next morning, Sister Si had already served the cooked meals on the table, but she picked a small stool and sat aside, sulking. Seeing this, Wang Jiupin did not know whether to eat or not. At that moment, Liu the Tall entered carrying two young willow trees: “When in Rome, do as the Romans do. This is an old custom in our mountain valley. After the wedding ceremony, the next morning, the newlyweds must plant two willow trees in front of their home. These are called mandarin duck willows.” Hearing this, Wang Jiupin waved his hands in panic: “Cannot plant, cannot plant!” Liu the Tall casually muttered a curse: “Hehe, I guess last night wasn't satisfactory, it doesn't matter, anyway…” “Bullshit!” Sister Si's brows shot up, eyes wide, and through clenched teeth, she spit out angrily: “You ruined me!” “Ah!” Liu the Tall was dumbfounded, as if shrouded in clouds and mist. He blinked a few times and took the opportunity to get Sister Si to step outside, then asked Wang Jiupin: “I say, brother, let's not do anything sneaky. I want to ask you, have you ever married a woman before?” Wang Jiupin shook his head. He had been busy with the revolution, indeed, he had never started a family. “So, you look down on Sister Si? You spent the night together with her last night, you should admit you are husband and wife. There's a saying: once a man enters a widow's house, he can't pretend to be virtuous. If something were to happen to this woman, how could you bear it?” Wang Jiupin shivered repeatedly. Now that it had come to this point, with the arrow on the string ready to shoot, he had no choice but to reveal himself. Through the brief contact last night, he had a very good impression of Liu the Tall.He wanted to win his sympathy and gain his support, so he explained, “Big brother, do you really think I despise Fourth Sister-in-law? No, I have suffering I cannot speak of!” Then, he laid out his true identity and heavy responsibilities completely. “If you, brother, can lend a helping arm, I have two big matters to entrust to you: first, help open Fourth Sister-in-law's mind—if you can't force a transaction, and can't bind her as a spouse, especially since she is so pure and virtuous; second, I need you and a few other brothers to help me—can you go up the mountain to retrieve the lost suitcase for me? I will reward you generously!” Liu the tall guy, upon hearing this, agreed wholeheartedly. Unexpectedly, before Liu could approach Fourth Sister-in-law, three strangers suddenly burst into the mountain valley, claiming they were guerrillas from Qipan Mountain, coming specifically to find a missing underground liaison officer. Immediately, the whole village became tense and secretly discussed ways to deal with them… Liu the tall guy went to Fourth Sister-in-law's house and said to Wang Jiupin, “Business aside, there's loyalty. Since you don't want to marry in here, and while Fourth Sister-in-law is away, I'll lend you a hand and take you down the mountain!” Overjoyed, Wang Jiupin grabbed his hand, repeatedly thanking him: “Thank you so much!” Liu the tall guy squatted down, letting Wang Jiupin lie on his back, lifted him, and started walking. They circled unknown paths in the mountain, stopping in Gourd Valley in front of a sweet potato cellar on a hillside, and suddenly, he gently tossed Wang Jiupin into it. Wang Jiupin fell onto a pile of dry hay, suddenly understanding everything, and shouted furiously, facing upward: “Bastard, what the hell have you done?!” Liu the tall guy laughed heartily: “Don't worry, you won't starve; meals and tea will continue to be provided. Once you reconsider, I'll restore your freedom!” Saying this, he walked away on his own. Now it truly felt like no way out—neither to heaven nor to earth. In his panic, Wang Jiupin suddenly realized: Could it be that Jin Biao has already escaped, and the comrades have come down the mountain looking for me? Otherwise, why would I be hidden? He couldn't help but feel extremely excited, wishing he could instantly sprout wings and fly out of this cellar to meet the comrades. But, as for the present… sigh! The three people who entered the valley were all dressed in plain clothes, with bulging waists, undoubtedly carrying pistols. The leader was a burly middle-aged man with a mule-like face and a beard, looking quite fierce; the other two were one fat, one thin, the fat one like a short gourd, the thin one like a dried loofah. They kept addressing the mule-faced man as Squad Leader Ma.Squad Leader Ma used three candies to get the truth out of an ignorant little kid, learning that indeed a man with a broken leg had come to the village and was staying at Fourth Sister-in-law's house. Squad Leader Ma and his men then surrounded her house with lightning speed, searching every corner, but saw no one. Fourth Sister-in-law mocked them, saying, "You actually believe the words of a three-year-old? What a joke! A grown man is not a chicken or a duck; how could you possibly keep him inside?!" Squad Leader Ma watched carefully and understood the situation. He decided to secretly monitor Fourth Sister-in-law. This left Fourth Sister-in-law pacing around like an ant on a hot pan, because she still had to deliver tea and food to Wang Jiupin! How could she escape if she was being watched so closely? By the time night fell, she could no longer contain herself and pretended to chop a pine tree with an axe, entering Liu the Tall's house for a quick look around. Squad Leader Ma saw this but showed no reaction. Tonight there was no moon. The surrounding peaks and ridges were dark and ominous under the night sky, and the sound of the mountain wind whipping through the forest was like the growls of thousands of wild beasts. When the night grew quieter, Liu the Tall, taking advantage of the darkness, quietly left through the back door carrying a basket of food, heading directly toward the Gourd Valley behind the mountain. While Liu the Tall was turning, he was suddenly blocked by a shadow: "Hehe, cousin, it's so dark at this hour, and you're still on the mountain?" The croaky voice of Short Winter Melon could be heard. "I... I..." Liu the Tall, usually straightforward, suddenly got tongue-tied. "Going to deliver tea and food to our contact, right?" Short Winter Melon chuckled. "N... no..." Liu the Tall denied desperately. Squad Leader Ma cursed loudly: "What an utterly reactionary fellow, daring to secretly detain our contact! How outrageous!" He immediately tied up Liu the Tall, brought him back to the village, hung him under the big camphor tree at the village entrance, and then summoned everyone to announce publicly: "We'll release him only when our contact is handed over!" Like throwing a stone into calm water, the eight households in Widow's Ditch immediately stirred... At night, Fourth Sister-in-law grew more and more anxious.Miracles, huh, a few people, except for that skinny guy who looked like an opium addict, both Squad Leader Ma and short gourd were shining with oil on their faces. If they were really guerrillas who had been holding out in the mountains for so many years, always short of food and clothes, why did they seem so well-nourished? She had once tried to give them a few mugwort rice cakes, but they only took a bite and quietly threw them away. Would guerrillas in hardship really be so picky about food? Careful Sister Si subtly felt that there was a hidden danger in this mountain valley. She was anxious like an ant on a hot pan, pacing around the room. At that moment, a woman's urgent voice was heard outside the door: 'Sister Si! Sister Si!' Sister Si recognized it as Dongmei, the wife of Liu the Tall, and hurriedly opened the door. 'Dongmei, what's the matter?' Sister Si asked. 'Cut their thousand swords! Cut their thousand swords!' That stout Dongmei kept cursing, her teeth clenched tightly. 'Squad Leader Ma tried to harass the girl from Liu Laosan's house at the west end of the village, and I ran into him. Do you still think they are guerrillas?' Upon hearing this, Sister Si was so angry that her silver teeth ground together, and she spat fiercely. She explained her earlier analysis of these three people to Dongmei and finally said, 'They are not guerrillas at all! They are three wolves in human skin!' How exactly should they deal with them? The gentle breeze gradually drove away the dark clouds, and the sky became clear and blue again. Sister Si stood by the window, looking at the blue sky and bright moon, and pondered for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands and shouted, 'I have a plan!' The chickens crowed three times. Squad Leader Ma and his comrades, lying in Liu the Tall's house, were still deep in sleep. Suddenly, there was a loud 'bang bang bang' on the door, and Squad Leader Ma woke up first, quickly grabbing the large-bellied Mauser rifle beside him, and shouted outside, 'Who's there?' 'Me.' The voice outside was low but seemed very excited. 'Squad Leader Ma, I've discovered something!' Squad Leader Ma took a sudden step to the door, flung open the wooden panel, and saw Dongmei standing there. Before Ma could ask, she said anxiously, 'Hurry, chase! Just now, a stranger appeared in the back mountain!' Squad Leader Ma was stunned: 'Really?' 'Really,' Dongmei responded resolutely. Ha, isn't this the person they were looking for? Truly, one searches high and low without success, and yet it comes effortlessly.At this time, Fat Winter Melon and Skinny Loofah also got out of bed. Wasting no time, Squad Leader Ma waved his rifle, and the three of them were about to let Dongmei lead the way, pressing tightly forward. It was still dark, and the light in the mountains was still dim and unclear. Dongmei led the three of them into Gourd Valley at the back of the mountain, turning left and right. After passing a mountain pass, Dongmei suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, “Look, it's that person up there.” Squad Leader Ma widened his eyes and looked forward. Sure enough, not far ahead a figure was moving. Excited, he whispered, “Quick, chase forward and catch them alive!” The three of them ran. After only a few steps, the soil beneath their feet loosened, and before they could understand what happened, all three of them fell into a two-zhang-deep trap. Sister Four and Liu the Tall man, along with a group of men and women, came out from the forest. Sister Four laughed heartily: “We originally planned to dig this pit to catch a tiger, but unexpectedly, we caught three vicious wolves!” Liu the Tall and seven or eight other men tied up the three. Meanwhile, Wang Jiupin had been trapped in the sweet potato cellar for two full days and nights. Calculating quickly, he realized he had been away from Nanchang for seven days, feeling extremely anxious. When another dawn arrived, Liu the Tall unexpectedly appeared above the sweet potato cellar, lifted him up, and told him everything that had happened in the village over the past two days. Returning to the village, Wang Jiupin saw that these three were not guerrilla fighters but members of the group of bandits from the Yuelai Inn who had attempted to kidnap him and Jin Biao. The person pretending to be Squad Leader Ma saw clearly that standing in front of him was the contact they had been tracking day and night. Terrified, his teeth chattered, and before he could utter a sound, a thick stick flew at him, hitting his forehead with a copper-coin-sized hole, blood gushing immediately. His body shivered, his eyes went dark, and he fainted… Short Winter Melon and Skinny Loofah watched clearly from beside him. The one wielding the thick stick was none other than the furious Dongmei. Terrified, the two were scared out of their wits and kowtowed, begging: “Mother, spare our lives, spare our lives!” Dongmei's hatred and anger were unchecked; how could she stop? She raised her stick to beat them harder, but Wang Jiupin stopped her: “Sister-in-law, leave them alive, we still need to question them!” So, Wang Jiupin personally interrogated the three bandits, who admitted that they had been sent to follow him to seize his briefcase. As for other details, they knew nothing at all. All the men and women in Widows' Ditch were present and witnessed the entire event.It seems that the Communist really can no longer be hidden. So if we let him go, would Fourth Sister Zhang agree? Besides, his leg injury hasn't healed. The villagers were caught in a dilemma, all looking at Fourth Sister Zhang. Fourth Sister Zhang's feelings were extremely complicated at this moment. On their wedding night, she was so excited that she couldn't control herself; Wang Jiupin refused to be with her, and she almost ground her teeth to pieces. However, after understanding that he did not want to drag her into trouble, she fell even more in love with him, loving his pure heart. Wang Jiupin's heart was equally unsettled: "Being heartless does not necessarily mean being a hero; how can one not be a man when caring for a child?" During the two days and nights trapped in the potato cellar, he turned over thoughts repeatedly and settled everything in his mind. Excited, he walked up to Fourth Sister Zhang and said each word deliberately: "Comrade Yujiao, you don't have to struggle with this. If you don't mind, today, in front of everyone, we will announce our union." Wang Jiupin's words were powerful and deeply moved Fourth Sister Zhang. She lifted her head, tears rolling down, and loudly proclaimed to everyone: "I am willing to go through fire and water with you!" The villagers all clapped and laughed together. Wang Jiupin tightly held Fourth Sister Zhang's hands and called out passionately: "Yujiao!" Fourth Sister Zhang shyly smiled, weighing the significance of this affectionate name, and gazed at him with tender eyes: "Jiupin, do you have anything else to say?" Wang Jiupin nodded solemnly: "Invite a few of your sisters and quickly go to the place where I had the accident that day, and retrieve that suitcase." Unexpectedly, at this moment, the suitcase had already fallen into someone else's hands. 5 It is said that on the very night of Wang Jiupin and Fourth Sister Zhang's wedding, 'Wu Dalang' wandered alone outside the village for a long time, feeling completely despondent, singing mountain songs in dejection until midnight. Early the next morning, he packed a small bundle and quietly descended the mountain. Since Fourth Sister Zhang now had a man, he naturally completely gave up hope; there was nothing left worth lingering for in Widows' Ditch, and he was to begin a life of wandering the world. Along the way, he felt like he had become a superfluous person in this world. He resented his parents for giving him such an ugly face, and now even when marrying into the widow's household, people didn't want him. Thinking of this, he hated Wang Jiupin. If it hadn't been for that kid intervening halfway, I, 'Wu Dalang', would have eventually wrapped Fourth Sister Zhang around me like a vine around a tree.Not to mention anything else, just with his tender mountain songs, he would one day soften the heart of this widow! He didn't know how long he had been walking, but 'Wu Dalang' aimlessly came to the foot of Lion Cliff. Suddenly, his eyes lit up—lying in the thicket was a hand-held suitcase. On the suitcase, there was also a large brass lock. Needless to say, it surely contained valuable items, or some finely crafted silver coins. Excited, 'Wu Dalang' rushed over, hugged the suitcase, and shouted ecstatically: 'I'm rich! I'm rich!' People can't get rich without sudden wealth; horses don't get fat without night grazing. Money can make the ghost turn the mill, and money can win a woman's heart. He was not afraid of being ugly; as long as he had plenty of cash to spend, why worry about not being able to marry a beautiful woman, even a genuinely pure maiden or a woman from a reputable family? Wu Dalang was thrilled, feeling almost floating in the air. He grabbed the suitcase and ran down the mountain like spinning in a spiral. He wanted to go to the city, freshen up, and marry a beautiful woman to show off in Widow's Ditch, astonishing these foolish mountain women. However, the sky is unpredictable, and humans face both misfortune and blessing. Poor 'Wu Dalang' never dreamed that this suitcase would not bring him happiness. On the contrary, it would bring disaster. Just as he had crossed a hill, he suddenly heard a fierce shout from behind: 'Hey, little guy, stop!' Wu Dalang was startled, quickly turned his head, and saw that it was a lean middle-aged man with triangular eyes and a hooked nose chasing him like the wind. He trembled in his legs, cursing in his heart: 'Heavens! I just found treasure and ran into a thug with a blunt stick—could it really be fate that although I have eight pecks of rice, I travel the world yet cannot succeed? How bitter!' Before he could think of a countermeasure, the middle-aged man had already strode in front of him. Seeing Wu Dalang's appearance, he couldn't help but laugh silently: 'I thought you were a little kid, turns out you're an ugly freak. Tell me, where did this suitcase come from?' Wu Dalang calmed himself for a moment and bravely replied: 'Of course it's my own!' The middle-aged man sneered coldly: 'Look at you, not even three feet tall, looking neither human nor ghost, yet you think you deserve to carry this suitcase?' Wu Dalang was left speechless. 'I ask you, where is the owner of this suitcase now?'The middle-aged man changed to a stern voice and shouted as if interrogating a criminal, scaring Wu Dalang so much that his face turned pale. He stammered for a long time and couldn't answer. Seeing the other's unease, the middle-aged man stepped forward, grabbed Wu Dalang by the chest, and harshly demanded, “Tell me quickly, where is that businessman who trades in second-hand leather goods?” “The businessman who trades in second-hand leather goods?” Wu Dalang paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered the man who married into the fourth sister's house, and casually pointed toward the mountain, “He married a woman in Widows' Ravine and is enjoying a good time!” The middle-aged man let out an “Ah,” hesitated thoughtfully, and then suddenly snatched the briefcase from the other's hands. Pointing his finger at Wu Dalang's nose, he shouted, “In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you have the audacity to rob a passerby? Give it to me; return the property to its rightful owner!” Wu Dalang stomped his feet and cried in distress; he hadn't eaten the lamb, and instead got a whole body of trouble! The money didn't reach him, and he was instead accused of “robbing a passerby!” He desperately clutched the briefcase. The man cursed viciously, “You wretched dog, playing with death!” and lunged at him with a punch to the chest. Wu Dalang stumbled and fell backward, hitting the back of his head on a rock and passed out immediately. When he woke up, he realized that the bandit had taken the briefcase and was long gone. Meanwhile, the men and women of Widows' Ravine searched under Lion Cliff the entire afternoon but found nothing. The next day, Fourth Sister led everyone to search the mountain again. The whole village was left with only Wang Jiupin, empty and quiet. He felt restless inside, leaning on his cane, and went to take a walk outside. Suddenly, he heard a round of barking dogs from the village. Soon, a figure appeared at the village entrance, surrounded by several dogs barking wildly. The person picked up a bamboo stick, brandished it at the dogs, and shouted angrily. Wang Jiupin's eyes widened in shock: it was Jin Biao! And the briefcase he carried was precisely the “treasure” that Wang Jiupin had been painstakingly trying to recover. Wang Jiupin excitedly shouted, “Jin Biao! Jin Biao!” The person was indeed Jin Biao, who was also anxiously searching for Wang Jiupin. What a coincidence that the two met here. Wang Jiupin happily ran forward and hugged Jin Biao tightly. Jin Biao also exclaimed repeatedly, “I've been wandering around in and out of this mountain for several days and couldn't find you; I couldn't have explained it if I went back!”After Wang Jiupin injured himself, he briefly narrated how he was rescued by Zhang Sisao and how he was forced into marriage. Jin Biao clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "How exquisite, this truly is a match made across a thousand miles!" Wang Jiupin nodded seriously: "It seems what's done is done; I'll have to return to report to the organization." Jin Biao glanced around the quiet surroundings and asked, "Where are the others?" Wang Jiupin pointed to the suitcase in his hand and explained, "They all went to search for this precious item for me. I didn't expect you to have found it!" Then, he detailed the entire process of the three bandit agents pretending to be guerrilla fighters, coming into the ditch to look for him, revealing mistakes, and being eventually trapped and captured alive by the mountain people. Jin Biao asked, "What happened to those three guys?" Wang Jiupin laughed, "We threw them into the potato cellar at the back of the mountain!" Jin Biao pondered for a moment and exclaimed, "Danger, danger! There must be a major conspiracy brewing in this, it looks like this treasure must be sent up the mountain quickly, otherwise, we won't be able to get out of this!" Wang Jiupin thought for a moment and said, "Comrade Jin Biao, it seems this matter is urgent. To be safe, you'll have to take this suitcase ahead first." Jin Biao nodded and held out his hand, "Please quickly hand me the confidential document." Wang Jiupin pursed his lips, "It's right in this suitcase." Jin Biao shook his head repeatedly, "No, no!" Wang Jiupin was astonished, "You opened this box?" Jin Biao admitted honestly, "Seeing the situation was critical, for convenience, I planned to take out the confidential document and carry it with me up the mountain. But when I opened it, apart from a few dozen silver coins and some clothes, there was nothing. So, I estimate with good reason that it must be hidden on you." Wang Jiupin said "Oh," bent down, unscrewed the brass lock on the side of the suitcase, handed it solemnly to Jin Biao, and warned, "The confidential document is inside. Right now, this huge responsibility falls on your shoulders alone." Perhaps from excitement, Jin Biao, shaking like a pendulum, took the brass lock with trembling hands, put it into his pocket, and suddenly burst into a loud "Ha ha" laugh. Wang Jiupin was stunned, a chill running down his spine. He suddenly realized something, drew his gun, and shouted sternly, "Quick, give me back that brass lock." But it was already too late.Jin Biao had long since pulled out a 'Little Eight-tone' from his side and quickly fired a shot at Wang Jiupin's chest, then ran off carrying the brass lock. Wang Jiupin stumbled, staggering forward two steps, and the Mauser gun he had just pulled out fell to the ground. It turned out that when Jin Biao first arrived in Nanchang, he had been secretly captured by a group of 'pro-Japanese' agents. Under the harsh torture of the enemy, he surrendered and betrayed. When he arrived at the Yuelai Inn on Biyun Peak, he happened to encounter the agents who came to support him. Thus, this traitor sent out a signal, intending to let these agents forcibly seize both people and goods. After escaping the inn, because this traitor had been hiding nearby, he tied knots in the leaves along the route as markers, allowing the agents behind to catch up. At the foot of Lion Cliff, he met Wu Dalang, inquired about Wang Jiupin's whereabouts, and took back the briefcase. However, when he pried it open, he found nothing. Then he followed Wang Jiupin into Widow's Ditch, determined to trick him out of the secret documents. In his panic, Wang Jiupin was careless and, without recognizing the traitor's true identity, handed the secret documents directly to him. Having accomplished the mission, the thief Jin Biao was elated, turned toward the back mountain, rescued the three agents from the trap, and descended the mountain together. By noon, the sun was directly overhead. Zhang Siao's wife and the villagers searched under Lion Cliff for half a day, still finding nothing, and had no choice but to leave disappointed. But as soon as they entered the village, everyone noticed from afar that Wang Jiupin was lying on the slope in front of Zhang Siao's house, with a briefcase by his side. Zhang Siao's wife hurried forward. As she got closer, she saw Wang Jiupin lying on his back in a pool of blood, his chest soaked red. She couldn't help but exclaim, 'Good heavens!' Her legs went weak, her vision darkened, and her body collapsed uncontrollably. Seeing this, the crowd quickly gathered around. The women hurried to call Zhang Siao's wife, while the men urgently checked Wang Jiupin's injuries. After a while, Wang Jiupin gradually regained consciousness. He opened his eyes and seemed to understand everything, parted his lips, pointed at the briefcase, and said incoherently, 'Trai…traitor…briefcase…brass lock…' Before finishing, his head tilted, and he fainted again. When everyone saw that the brass lock on the briefcase had been twisted off, they quickly deduced that the secret documents were inside the brass lock, and that the traitor had taken the brass lock into the mountain, possibly to rescue those three wicked wolves.The situation was extremely critical. Liu the tall immediately organized people to go into the mountains and chase after the brass lock. Meanwhile, after Jin Biao shot Wang Jiupin and went to the back mountain, he searched for a long time and finally found three accomplices in a potato cellar, lowered the ropes, and dragged them up one by one. These three had been starving for a whole day and night, their feet even wobbling as they walked. Jin Biao wanted to rush down the mountain, but seeing his three companions like this, he changed his mind and planned to enter the village for a full meal before continuing on. Liu the tall man saw Jin Biao's group heading toward the village again in the dense forest and suddenly came up with a plan, took a shortcut back to the village, first hid Wang Jiupin, then built a fake tomb for him, and quietly gave instructions to Zhang Si'ao. Arriving at Zhang Si's wife's door, Jin Biao first saw the new grave on the slope and couldn't help but feel proud, boasting to his three companions, "Look, this is the Communist liaison officer I personally eliminated." This pack of wolves broke into Zhang Si's house again, seeing her hair tied in a white cloth, sobbing sadly, her voice hoarse from crying. Inside the house, two women were bringing bowls of steaming cured meat, dried fish, and pheasant to the table. Sitting at the table were four men. Needless to say, they had just finished handling the funeral and were getting ready to eat and drink. Smelling the delicious aroma, Jin Biao drooled at the corner of his mouth. Especially since the three hungry ghosts suddenly rushed onto the table simultaneously, reaching into the bowl to grab food. The four of them, one cup for each other, the wine got tastier the more they drank, and the more they ate, the more addicted they became. As they drank and ate, Donkey Face suddenly felt dizzy and unsteady, his head dizzy, his body involuntarily shrinking under the table, slumping to the floor, which made the chubby Donggua and Shou Loofah clap and laugh together: "Drunk, drunk!" However, before the laughter ended, the two of them also collapsed one after another. Seeing this, Jin Biao shouted in fright, "Something's wrong!" "Just as he finished shouting, he also stumbled and fell to the ground, losing consciousness in a daze...... Sister Zhang saw that all four bandits had been anesthetized by the 'knockout drug,' so she stopped sobbing, hurriedly called everyone to help, found vine sticks, and tied the four up like a wild boar. Then, she searched Jin Biao's pocket and found the brass lock. "Brass lock." Liu the tall man let out a soft exclamation, drawing everyone over.Just as everyone was feeling a surge of excitement, someone reported, 'Hurry up and get ready, Wu Dalang has returned, and he's bringing a stranger with him.' The stranger was none other than Zhang Sigui, the former husband of the Fourth Sister-in-law. Hadn't he joined the Red Army and then been killed by the local landlord? How is it that after eight years, he has come back to life? There are always strange things in this world. Wu Dalang had his suitcase snatched by Jin Biao under Lion Cliff, ruining his dream of getting rich. After spending a night resting in a cave to regain his energy, he continued on his journey the next day. Along the way, Wu Dalang worried about being penniless, his pockets completely empty. In his frustration, his eyes suddenly lit up: people all praised his mountain songs as good, so why couldn't he turn his own life story into songs, sing for money along the way, and earn a living? All along the journey, he composed a bellyful of mountain songs. When he arrived at the Yuelai Inn under Biyun Peak, he tried singing one and unexpectedly attracted many listeners, earning a bunch of copper coins, which solved his food and lodging problems. That night, he sang a piece called 'Widow Zhang Attracts a Husband' at the inn, using the real-life story of Fourth Sister-in-law rescuing Wang Jiupin as material. When he finished singing about how Widow Zhang saved Wang Jiupin, fell in love at first sight, and got married, a middle-aged man with gold teeth pushed through the audience, pulled him outside, quietly asked him a few questions, and then gave him a large handful of copper coins. He said he was Zhang Sigui, the former husband of Fourth Sister-in-law. Wu Dalang was stunned: Could the world be so coincidental that a person who had died eight years ago could come back to life? He secretly felt pleased. Now that the former husband had returned, I wonder what Fourth Sister-in-law would do? She couldn't possibly saw him in half, could she? Wu Dalang gloatingly accompanied Zhang Sigui back to the village, wanting to see Fourth Sister-in-law's reaction for himself. Sure enough, when Zhang Sigui suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Fourth Sister-in-law was dumbfounded. She felt as if she were dreaming. Clearly, her husband had died many years ago; how could he come back to life today? Was he a human or a ghost?When she awoke from her daze, she realized that what had befallen her was not happiness, but pain. If she hadn't been widowed for a full eight years, if she weren't the only widow among the eight households in the village, if she hadn't accidentally saved Wang Jiupin, if the villagers hadn't earnestly tried to match them, honestly speaking, Sister Zhang Si wouldn't have remarried so quickly. Yet, fate had a way of toying with her; just as she had finally received a bit of warmth, her former husband returned from the dead and came back home. Poor Sister Si felt utterly ashamed, and while the villagers were pestering Si Gui with endless questions, she ran alone to the top of Cui Ping Peak at the back, looked up at the sky, and sorrowfully cried out: "Heaven, what should I do? What sins did I commit in my past life?" She truly wanted to close her eyes and leap off the cliff, to end it all. "Yujiao! Yujiao!" Suddenly, from not far away, came a series of anxious calls. Sister Si shivered, wiped her tears, and gazed ahead, seeing Zhang Siguo calling out, breathless, running to her side. Before she could recover, he opened his arms and hugged her tightly. Sister Si pressed herself to her former husband's chest, tears gushing like a spring, and Zhang Siguo only knew to comfort her with a single phrase: "Don't cry, don't cry, haven't I come back alive?" "How did you know I was here?" Siguo chuckled: "You told me." "Me?" "Not just now—you told me eight years ago." "Eight years ago?" "Yes, did you forget? Yujiao, do you remember? On the night we got married, didn't you once tell me that whenever your heart was uneasy, you liked to go up to the mountaintop? Half a month later, you urged me to join the Red Army. I couldn't bear to leave you, and you, in a fit of anger, really ran to the mountaintop and cried for an entire day, making me shout through the mountains and valleys until my voice went hoarse, yet I couldn't find you. Later, I suddenly remembered this secret you told me on our wedding night, and indeed found you on this peak. Eight years have passed, and this secret has remained deeply in my heart. Yujiao, just because of this, I haven't changed my heart, right?” Zhang Siguo's heartfelt words touched Sister Zhang Si, and she cried in shame: "Enemy, why didn't you come back earlier or later, but chose to barge in at this moment? If you had returned to the village just two days earlier, none of this would have happened!”Si Gui shook his head regretfully, acknowledging his mistake with a heavy heart: "Yu Jiao, I don't blame you, it's all my fault." Then, he told Sister Zhang that after he joined the Red Army that year, he became a scout. Once, while carrying out reconnaissance in Jinting Town, he was unfortunately captured by the town's big landlord and the general in charge of the local security corps, Old Tiger Wang. In the end, the enemy took him to the execution ground. Although he was shot, he did not die. He took advantage of the darkness to crawl out of the pile of bodies and was rescued by someone. After recovering from his injuries, he went to Nanchang and found an underground party organization. From then on, he lived under an assumed name, running a restaurant as a cover while engaging in underground work for the party. To avoid exposing his identity and strictly protect the party's secrets, he hadn't contacted his family for eight years. Ah, so that's how it was! Once the emotional turmoil gradually settled down, Sister Zhang began to carefully observe her husband in front of her. After eight years without seeing each other, his whole appearance had changed. His formerly thin and frail body had now become plump like a water buffalo, even the fat on his neck had folded; his face was full and ruddy, showing an affluent look. What was particularly striking was that when he grinned, he even revealed two shining golden teeth. Sneakily looking closer at his right hand, two of his fingers had been stained yellow from cigarette ash. These days, could a poor man even afford to smoke cigarettes? As for his attire, although it was mountain folk clothing, it seemed somewhat out of place. If it weren't for the prominent crescent-shaped scar on his forehead and a few small black moles behind his left ear, Sister Zhang would probably not have recognized him as her original husband. "Changed, changed, changed so much I almost can't recognize him," she murmured to herself, then suddenly, full of doubt, she asked: "All these years, you never started a family out there?" "If I were allowed to have a family, wouldn't I have brought you out there with me?" Si Gui seemed a little angry. Sister Zhang frowned: "Then why did you think of this broken family today?" "It's a long story," Si Gui sighed deeply, explaining slowly: "Recently, our underground party received extremely urgent intelligence that a traitor had escaped from Nanchang, attempting to lure the Hunan-Jiangxi guerrilla forces down the mountains to be eliminated by the enemy. Once the organization discovered this, they assigned me to capture him, so I tracked and followed him up the mountain." It sounded like a fantastical tale from the Arabian Nights, and Sister Zhang was dumbfounded as she listened.If what her husband said was true, then Wang Jiupin would be a traitor. But why was the enemy spy also pursuing him? As Sister Si pondered this, doubts arose in her mind, so she tested him with a question: "What do we women know about traitors and spies? Lately, there were a few wolves disguised in human skin who intruded and harmed the village, and we caught them." "Ah!" Si Gui looked shocked and hurriedly asked, "Where are they held now?" Sister Si smiled faintly, "They have their own place to stay." Si Gui grew anxious, "No, you have to keep a live one! I want to interrogate personally! Yujiao, just now while chatting with the villagers, someone hinted that the man you found is the very traitor and spy we've been pursuing for several days!" "What evidence?" Sister Si was so shocked that her hair stood on end. "Perhaps you don't know?" Zhang Si Gui said word by word, gritting her teeth and sneering coldly, "He is the son of Wang Laohu, the enemy who killed your parents and almost took my life back then!" "Really?" It was like a bomb exploding overhead, making Sister Si dizzy and almost unable to stand. "The wolf was sleeping right next to you and you didn't even know!" "No, this is impossible!" "If you don't believe me, you can interrogate him!" "Heavens!" Zhang Sister Si shouted in alarm, as if awakening from a nightmare, dazed for a moment, and said, "I must get to the bottom of this!" Like a gust of wind, Sister Si dashed toward the cave where Wang Jiupin was hiding. At that moment, Wang Jiupin was lying on a pile of dry hay inside the cave. Since the bullet hadn't hit a vital spot, and after some treatment, he had finally escaped the hand of death. When he faintly heard footsteps outside, he realized that Zhang Sister Si had come again and softly called out, "Yujiao?" Sister Si rushed into the cave, painfully biting her lips, staying silent for a moment, then asked, "Who exactly are you?" Wang Jiupin was startled, his eyes flashing a look of disbelief. "What… does… this… mean…?" "Who is your father? What's his name?" Wang Jiupin realized something and responded without hesitation, "I don't have a father!" "What?" Sister Si felt that Wang Jiupin was lying and angrily asked, "Aren't you the son of Wang Laohu from Jinting Town?"Upon hearing this, Wang Jiupin twitched all over a few times, appearing weak and powerless: “I... have long... betrayed this sinful family, I don't acknowledge... this father...” Although the voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, Fourth Sister heard it clearly. She only felt a wave of dizziness, as if the world were spinning before her eyes. The scene of her parents being tragically killed in front of the Wang Laohu family twenty years ago seemed to reappear. It was a snowy winter, and eight-year-old Yu Jiao, wearing tattered clothes, was begging along the road with her parents. That day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. The three of them arrived at the Wang Laohu family's gate in Jinting Town, hoping to receive a blessing since it was a wealthy household. Coincidentally, Wang Laohu was just seeing off a group of well-dressed guests. The family quickly knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the rich people: “Happy New Year to grandpa and grandma, wishing you many children and prosperity!” Seeing three beggars kneeling at the gate on New Year's Day, Wang Laohu was extremely annoyed and shouted repeatedly: “Get out, don't ruin my luck!” Yu Jiao's parents remained kneeling, pleading desperately: “Please, sir, spare us some leftover food.” Wang Laohu frowned and let out a cunning laugh: “Fine, I'll give it to you.” Then he shouted inside: “Da Huang! Er Huang!” No sooner had he shouted than two vicious dogs, looking like little calves, sprang out from the house, gnashing their teeth and claws, and threw Yu Jiao's parents to the ground, biting their throats until they were dead. Terrified, little Yu Jiao screamed and cried. Fortunately, a poor man came along, grabbed her, and fled. This benefactor of little Yu Jiao was none other than Zhang Siguì's father, who later met a tragic end at Wang Laohu's hands. How could Yu Jiao ever forget this deep hatred? When he and Zhang Siguì grew up and married, he resolutely mobilized Zhang Siguì to join the Red Army to avenge the family members of both families. “Young Master Wang, life is full of unexpected encounters. I didn't expect to meet you here today.” At some unknown time, Zhang Siguì had also followed into the cave. Wang Jiupin was shocked. When he recognized the visitor as the same golden-toothed man who had tried to kidnap him at Yuelai Inn a few days ago, he suddenly realized that this familiar face was none other than a former traitor in the Red Army. His heart sank; realizing the situation was complicated, he hurriedly gasped to warn Fourth Sister: “Yu Jiao... don't... fall... into the trap.”Zhang Siguai sneered coldly, "Heh heh, is the vengeance for my father's death just going to stop here? Hand over that intelligence immediately!" Fourth sister-in-law was startled, suddenly remembering something: "Is it the intelligence hidden in that brass lock?" Siguai shouted excitedly, "Exactly, give it to me quickly!" Fourth sister-in-law turned and retrieved the brass lock from under a pile of rubble at the cave entrance. Wang Jiupin, seeing this, exclaimed anxiously, "No, Comrade Yujiao, you can't, you can't!" Zhang Siguai impatiently snatched it, examined it for a moment, extremely excited: "Excellent, excellent! This is precisely the important item we have been seeking." Eight years ago, at Yujiao's repeated requests, Zhang Siguai joined the Red Army. But he could not endure the hardships, especially after being 'mopped up' twice by the White bandits, his resolve wavered, thinking the Red flag would not last long. Once, taking the opportunity to scout down the mountain, he skulked back home. Midway, he was captured by Wang Laohu, the chief of the vigilance regiment in Jinting Town. Under coercion and enticement, he finally surrendered and betrayed. Wang Laohu staged a fake execution, letting him escape the execution ground with minor injuries and reintegrate into the Red Army as a spy to gather intelligence. When he reported the circumstances of his capture to the organization, it was Wang Jiupin who recorded it. Wang Jiupin sensed that his explanation contained falsehoods and immediately pointed out the flaw. When he learned that Wang Jiupin was Wang Laohu's son, he became even more panicked, and under Wang Jiupin's stern questioning, he exposed countless inconsistencies and ended in utter failure. He then devised another plan, pretending to be honest, telling the truth, repeatedly claiming he wanted to redeem himself through meritorious deeds, and asking the organization for leniency. One stormy night, taking advantage of the guards' negligence, he risked an escape, sneaked into the White-controlled area, and hid under Wang Laohu, pledging allegiance to his father's murderer as godfather and acting as a loyal hound. When Wang Laohu was promoted to head of the White Bandit's intelligence agency, he in turn promoted Zhang Siguai to deputy director. Later, Wang Laohu and Zhang Siguai accidentally captured Jin Biao coming down from Qipan Mountain, extracting information about the mountain and his mission under torture. Wang Laohu and Zhang Siguai were determined to obtain this secret document. At the Yuelai Inn beneath Biyun Peak, Zhang Siguai, unable to catch Wang Jiupin, was extremely frustrated and in the midst of search, inadvertently learned Wang Jiupin's whereabouts from Wu Dalang.He obtained the bronze lock and was feeling extremely pleased with himself. Yet he thought of his accomplices who had been trapped by Zhang Sisao's trick and, though he had the intent to immediately shoot Wang Jiupin, he feared that acting too hastily might arouse Zhang Sisao's suspicion and ruin the grand plan to save his accomplices. So he said, 'I'll settle the score with Wang Jiupin later,' and then rushed down the mountain. When he reached the village, he quickly freed his accomplices. The five villains, like ferocious wolves, recklessly used guns to tie up numerous villagers and forced the women to cook for them. At this moment, Zhang Siguai said, 'Yujiao, come down the mountain with us and enjoy the pleasures of the city.' 'I'm afraid I don't have that kind of luck,' said Sisao as she shook her chest apron and poured out a pile of fresh mushrooms. The other four bandits also came along. Those who were nauseous needed fresh food to stimulate their appetite. Seeing the fresh, plump mushrooms, each of them was already drooling with desire. The firewood in the mountain burned fiercely, and in no time, two bowls of tender mushrooms were placed on the table. Zhang Siguai handed chopsticks to his wife and smiled slyly, 'The mushrooms are fresh and fragrant. Whoever picks the first piece can taste it first. Hehe, since we're getting them without effort, it's right to let others go first. Yujiao, please have the first bite.' Sisao snatched the chopsticks and stuffed a big mushroom into her mouth. Upon seeing this, the five men pushed Zhang Sisao aside, plunging their chopsticks straight into the mushroom bowls. 'Gluttons!' Sisao cursed, threw down her chopsticks, twisted her body, and walked into the kitchen. In a short while, Donkey Face first furrowed his brows, held his stomach with both hands, and yelled, 'What's going on? My stomach hurts after eating these mushrooms!' No sooner had he spoken than Short Gourd, Skinny Gourd, and Gold Scoundrel also began shouting in pain. Just as Zhang Siguai was still suspicious, he suddenly felt a dull pain in his stomach. 'Oh no, it's poisonous mushrooms!' Before he finished shouting, he fell to the ground. The five men clutched their stomachs, rolled on the ground, yelling for an hour, and finally lay still. After the house fell silent, Sisao calmly walked out from the kitchen. She had only 'tasted' one poisonous mushroom earlier and had not swallowed it, which was why she remained unharmed. She first went to her ex-husband's corpse, silently standing there for a while, feeling an inexplicable sadness. Then, she found the bronze lock next to her ex-husband, stepped outside the house, untied the ropes from the bound villagers one by one, and then headed straight up the mountain.In the cave, Zhang Si-sao held the large brass lock with both hands and handed it to Wang Jiupin's chest, feeling extremely ashamed as she said, “I am an ignorant mountain woman, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and I almost became a criminal. Please, you guerrilla fighters, forgive me this time.” Wang Jiupin was both surprised and extremely moved: “Yujiao, how did you manage to get this brass lock back?” Si-sao then recounted the clever way she punished the bandit and then took Wang Jiupin back home. As soon as Wang Jiupin was settled on the bed, a sinister laugh came from the doorway: “Haha, I've turned back from the gates of the underworld.” Zhang Si-sao and Wang Jiupin turned their heads and saw Zhang Sigui leaning rigidly against the door frame, the black muzzle of his gun aimed at them. Si-sao was stunned. It turned out that as soon as Zhang Sigui lost his temper, he understood what had happened, quietly crawled out of the house step by step, neutralized the poison with feces, and vomited all the poisonous mushrooms he had eaten. But knowing that escaping from Widow's Ditch was temporarily impossible, he pretended to be dead among his dead comrades. When Si-sao searched him for the brass lock, he became completely limp and powerless, and could only continue pretending to be dead. Liu the Tall and “Wu Dalang” organized the villagers to drag them to the hillside, and when they returned to the village to get tools to dig a pit for burial, he took the opportunity to escape. Because he had a submachine gun hidden at his waist, he became reckless, intending to snatch the brass lock back from Zhang Si-sao. Now, facing the barrel of the gun, Si-sao's heart sank suddenly, as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. “How about it? Sun Wukong cannot escape the palm of the Buddha, so obediently hand over that treasure to me,” Zhang Sigui sneered. At that moment, footsteps sounded at the door. Zhang Sigui was startled and quickly looked over, only to see Dongmei rush in. In the blink of an eye, Si-sao suddenly bowed her head and charged at Zhang Sigui. Unexpectedly, Zhang Sigui's eyes and hands were quick; he dodged to the side, and with a movement, pulled the trigger. There was a loud “bang” as the bullet hit Si-sao in the chest, and she fell. “Si-sao!” Dongmei cried out and rushed forward. Zhang Sigui immediately flung the gun again, “bang!” The bullet pierced Dongmei's back, making her stagger a few steps and collapse onto Si-sao's body. Zhang Sigui “hee-hee”-ed, grinning, and aimed the gun at Wang Jiupin, just about to pull the trigger, when someone suddenly slammed into him from behind. Caught off guard, he lunged forward and fell flat on his face.Then, a person climbed onto his back, hands gripping the back of his neck. This assailant was none other than Wu Dalang. He had witnessed Zhang Sigui killing someone with a gun and, filled with rage, stepped forward. However, he was short and weak, and Zhang Sigui flipped over like a hawk, throwing him off his back. Wang Jiupin forced himself up, lunged with all his strength, and landed on top of Zhang Sigui. Taking this opportunity, 'Wu Dalang' flipped up, grabbed a kitchen knife, and with a loud shout, swung it down. Zhang Sigui let out a terrible scream, and dark blood spurted several feet into the air. Wang Jiupin crawled to Zhang Sige's side, saw that she was still breathing, and hurriedly had 'Wu Dalang' call for help, while Dongmei had already stopped breathing… Later, Zhang Sige joined the guerrilla team with Wang Jiupin, and the people of Guawiditchao never saw Wang Jiupin and Zhang Sige again. To show their good wishes, the simple mountain people planted two Mandarin willow trees, a symbol of love, in front of the Fourth Sister's house.