The news of Liu Zihua being beaten into a pulp after being stuffed into a sack spread throughout the village like wildfire. Liu Zihua was sent to the health clinic, where he was given a painkiller and then sent back to the educated youth point.
The educated youths all rushed back. Seeing Liu Zihua lying on the bed in agony, Zhong Aiguo stepped forward, his eyes full of worry. "Zihua, who did you offend to get beaten up like this?"
"Are you alright?" Zhao Yue was surprised that Liu Zihua, who had always been good at handling people, would be beaten so badly.
What kind of deep-seated hatred or grievance could this be?
"Mmmph." Liu Zihua couldn't speak and could only close his eyes in suppressed frustration.
Wang Qing and Qian Xiulan, upon seeing Liu Zihua's disfigured face, nearly screamed and quickly retreated from the room.
After Wu Xiaojie and the others had visited Liu Zihua, though curious, they saw that Liu Zihua clearly didn't want to talk and refused to answer. They didn't press further and quickly went back to work.
"Heavens, Liu Zihua's face is so badly beaten! How much hatred does this person have for him!" Qian Xiulan said, but the smile on her lips was too obvious. Ma Tian glanced at Qian Xiulan. "You're gloating, aren't you?"
"No, no, I'm very worried," Qian Xiulan quickly shook her head, but as she spoke... "Hahahaha... I can't hold it anymore."
"Qian Xiulan, do you have any sympathy at all! Liu Zihua is beaten this badly, and you can still laugh?" Ma Tian frowned, looking at Qian Xiulan with displeasure.
"Oh! His face is really funny! Besides, why are you getting angry at me? So what if I don't have sympathy? Why was he beaten up? Why weren't you beaten? You've offended so many people in the village, why hasn't anyone beaten you?" Qian Xiulan, provoked by Ma Tian, glared at him.
"How can you say that!" Ma Tian felt wronged, but he couldn't explain for Liu Zihua either, as everyone didn't know why he was beaten up.
"Why can't I say that! If he hadn't done anything, would he have been beaten like this? Would someone beat someone up like this over a trivial matter? Clearly, what he did was not trivial!" Qian Xiulan snorted, "Maybe he deserves it! Can you guarantee he did nothing wrong?"
"...We are all educated youths sent to the countryside together. Have some decency!" Ma Tian was speechless. Hearing this, Qian Xiulan became even angrier. "You're the one lacking morals! You're the most immoral one! Liu Zihua and Su Xiaoxiao are involved, and it's not like everyone has blind eyes. I don't believe you all think they are just friends!"
"Qian Xiulan, what you're saying is going too far! How can you make such baseless accusations?" Qin Zhongguo frowned, thinking Qian Xiulan had gone too far.
It was one thing for Ma Tian to say something to Qian Xiulan, but when Qin Zhongguo spoke, Qian Xiulan's eyes immediately reddened with grievance. "If he did nothing wrong, why would someone beat him!"
"You're still saying it!" Qin Zhongguo said sternly.
Wang Qing raised an eyebrow, glanced at Qin Zhongguo, and defended Qian Xiulan. "Qin Zhongguo, you're also going too far. What do you know about this matter? Is anything Xiu Lan said wrong? If it's not wrong, why can't she say it?"
"Wang Qing, why are you joining her in being unreasonable?" Qin Zhongguo simply felt that what they were saying was too excessive, especially before the matter was cleared up, they had already judged Liu Zihua.
This was unfair to Liu Zihua.
"She's not being unreasonable!" Wu Xiaojie said lightly, looking at Qin Zhongguo. "I did see Liu Zihua and Su Xiaoxiao go to the backyard together and didn't come back for a long time!"
Qin Zhongguo froze, and everyone looked at Wu Xiaojie.
This was the first time anyone had spoken out.
Everyone had some suspicions, but out of consideration for appearances, no one had ever said it so directly.
Wang Qing looked at Wu Xiaojie's retreating figure, a hint of sweetness flashing in her eyes.
"We didn't want to say anything, but we've confirmed with educated youth Fu, and she personally told us that Liu Zihua and Su Xiaoxiao had already... had intimate relations!" Wang Qing said seriously to Qin Zhongguo. "The reason Xiu Lan and I don't sympathize with him is precisely because he is currently pursuing the village head's youngest daughter!"
"If he truly had a relationship with Su Xiaoxiao, and is still pursuing the village head's youngest daughter, then it proves that he is, fundamentally, a scumbag, a hypocrite!" Wang Qing said sternly, looking at the few male educated youths who had fallen silent. "Or do you have a different opinion! Feel free to speak, but I hope you will retract your accusations against Xiu Lan."
"Exactly," Qian Xiulan said, wronged, her eyes turning red. "Someone like him, isn't that hooligan behavior? Otherwise, why wouldn't he dare to report to the police when he was beaten? And aren't you aware that he went out so late? Aren't you curious why he secretly went out when everyone was asleep?"
"..." Ma Tian and the others didn't know what to say. This was quite a shock to them.
Among the male educated youths, they had always centered around Liu Zihua; he was their leader. Now they were being told that Liu Zihua, whom they regarded as their center, was not what they thought he was. All his talk of benevolence and righteousness was just pretense?
This dealt a great blow to the few male educated youths.
"Can't answer, can you? Hmph!" Qian Xiulan looked at their inability to refute and snorted heavily, proudly pulling Wang Qing away.
The male educated youths looked at each other.
"What do you think?" Ma Tian asked Zhong Aiguo and Zhao Yue. "Liu Zihua went out last night, did you know?"
Zhao Yue nodded, his face complex. "I knew. I asked him where he was going, and he said he was going to the toilet, but he didn't come back for a long time, so I fell asleep."
"...I heard their conversation, but I rolled over and went back to sleep," Zhong Aiguo gritted his teeth.
"If it's really as they said..." Zhong Aiguo looked at the others, greatly shaken.
"..." Everyone fell silent again.
"Perhaps we need to re-evaluate Liu Zihua!" Wu Xiaojie said slowly. "We can't look up to him just because of his status. Perhaps some of what he says is right, but in terms of his personal conduct, his character is despicable."
"...Let's leave it at that for now! I need time to digest this!" Qin Zhongguo was the one who thought most highly of Liu Zihua. He had always believed him to be a gentleman, and now he doubted himself, wondering if he had viewed Liu Zihua too highly.
"...Let's go to work first!" The crowd exchanged glances and decided to finish their work before discussing Liu Zihua.
The hearts of the educated youths towards Liu Zihua, or rather, Liu Zihua's image in their minds, had already collapsed.