Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There were three people sitting around the table, namely mayor, Xu Lan and Bai Wu. The mayor’s son brought a cup of ginger tea unwillingly. He put it down on the table with a ‘bang’.
“Let’s talk. What did she want to ask?” The mayor asked with the teacup in his hand.
“Mayor, what’s your impression of Xiu He?” Xu Lan asked while he drank the ginger tea and grimaced.
“Pure and beautiful. We used to leave for work and come home together. I really miss those moments.”
“You can still remember clearly even after forty years had passed. I think she’ll feel appeased. She has only one question for you, do you believe in her?” Xu Lan was influenced by his occupational habit and asked as if he was interrogating a criminal.
“… When did I ever believed the others,” the mayor teared up instantly and the hand that was holding the walking stick trembled in the slightest possible way, almost unnoticeable if one did not observe carefully.
“A few days ago, I heard a story from brother Niu Si regarding the origin of Darkwater Town and the circumstances of Xiu He’s death. If you don’t mind me asking, is Xiu He your ex-wife?” Xu Lan pushed aside his fringe and asked.
“What nonsense are you talking about! I shouldn’t have allowed Niu Si to follow you guys and talk rubbish!” The mayor’s son roared furiously.
“Yes!”
The mayor answered firmly. Everybody was stunned when they heard it, except for Bai Wu and a few elderly persons.
“Xiu He and I were childhood sweethearts. We liked each other from a very young age. When I turned sixteen, my father asked for a marriage proposal and I married Xiu He to be my wife,” the mayor closed his eyes and went into deep thought.
Before he was the mayor, he was a young and handsome chap. He had great aspirations and wanted to make a name for himself in the outside world.
After discussing with Xiu He, he departed in search for his dreams. However, Xiu He who was home alone got pregnant shortly after he left.
Those girls admired the mayor spat at Xiu He and said that she took a lover in her face. At first, they were just groundless rumors, but as more and more people started talking about it, the story came alive with details of the ins and outs. They could even pinpoint the date, place, including who Xiu He cheated with.
There was no need to be responsible for gossiping, but the rumors that were flying around became so vivid that it bothered the mayor’s family. They suffered badly from the persecution of the public opinion, so much so that they had to ask Xiu He to move back to her parents’ home since they could not contact the mayor.
The decision further affirmed the public’s speculation. The public opinion intensified and Xiu He’s family refused to let her in as they found her to be a disgrace. The mayor’s family was also under pressure and was afraid to accept Xiu He into the household. Therefore, she was forced to build a hovel herself and waited there for the mayor to return.
The jealous girls spat at her, threw shoes at her and even tore the hovel down. Xiu He’s constant slient endurance only aggravated the situation, unbridling the others.
Up until that day, the man who was rumored to be the person Xiu He cheated with, You San came to question Xiu He after getting completely wasted.
Why did everybody spread rumors that he was the one who made Xiu He pregnant when he had never had sex with her! Why should he be the scapegoat when Xiu He had never looked him in the eye!
‘Who was the shameless motherfu*ker that slept with Xiu He and accused him?’ The more he thought about it, the more the resentment grew. He came over to question Xiu He while he was still under the influence of liquid courage.
However, he changed his mind the second he saw Xiu He. She had beautiful features and a delicate figure.
No one could explain what happened in between. Xiu He lost her child amidst resistance. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The next day, Xiu He jumped right into the deep well.
“I… How can I not believe her! That was our creation before we left, that… that just…” The mayor choked back a sob while he spoke and retrieved a handkerchief from his arms with faltering hands.