Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Within half an hour, several police officers arrived at my home, confirmed Wang Qiang's death, and took me away. The entire process was surprisingly calm; there were no handcuffs, no shouting, and even the questioning was not harsh.
I thought this was the calm before the storm, and that once I entered the interrogation room, I would face severe torture. But to my surprise, the police officer interrogating me had a complex look in her eyes.
“Zhang Hong, we need you to tell us what happened in detail,” the female officer said softly, handing me a cup of hot water.
I recounted everything truthfully—from the hell of a twenty-year marriage to the day I finally decided to take action. I spoke of how my husband beat me with a belt, burned me with cigarette butts, threatened to kill me and our children, and treated me like a dog...
As I spoke, I suddenly realized that this was the first time someone was truly listening to me—without interruption, without questioning, without saying "just endure it and it will pass." At that moment, the grievances and pain of twenty years burst forth like a flood, and I cried uncontrollably.
The female officer did not rush me; she simply waited quietly for me to calm down before asking, “Have you ever called the police or sought help over the years?”
“I have, many times,” I replied, wiping my tears with a bitter smile. “But every time the police came, they just said it was a domestic dispute and advised us to reconcile before leaving. He has connections in the village and knows many people; no one would really help me.”
In the following days, I was held in a detention center. It felt safer and calmer than my home. There were no beatings or threats, not even insults—just regular meals and a place to sleep.
A week later.
“Zhang Hong, someone is here to see you.” The guard handed me a thick stack of papers. “These are letters of petition signed by people from the village.”
I opened the letterhead to find it densely filled with signatures—almost everyone from the village had signed. The letter read:
“We all know what kind of person Wang Qiang was; he not only abused his wife but also bullied the elderly and weak in our village. Zhang Hong has endured humiliation and hardship for many years; she has been a good wife, a good mother, and a good neighbor. We ask the court to consider her special circumstances and show leniency…”
After reading the letter, tears streamed down my face. It turned out that all these years, the villagers were not unaware; they were just as afraid of Wang Qiang as I was—afraid yet resentful—yet powerless to resist.
Soon after, more witnesses came forward.
The Public Security Director from the village came to testify, stating that he had mediated our family disputes multiple times, with the most serious incident being when Wang Qiang threatened to kill me with a knife. My colleague also testified, saying that Wang Qiang frequently caused disturbances at the factory and publicly assaulted me. Even the Village Doctor stepped forward to confirm the number of times I had been hospitalized due to injuries and the severity of those injuries over the years.
My two children also stood up to testify. My son, his voice choked with emotion, said, "Since I can remember, my father has often hit my mother. Once, when I tried to stop him, he locked me in the wood shed for an entire day without giving me any water." My daughter described how, when she was sick, her father took the money meant for her medicine to buy alcohol instead, which worsened her condition and nearly cost her life.
I never imagined so many people would stand up for me. I always thought I was alone, but it turns out I was not.
The progress of the case was faster than I expected. The Public Security Bureau quickly clarified the facts of the case, and the prosecution moved swiftly to file charges. Before the court hearing, my lawyer shared some good news with me: "The court may find that Wang Qiang bears significant responsibility for his actions. Since you turned yourself in, there is a possibility of a lighter sentence."
Comment 0 Comment Count