Chapter 1, The Sudden Calamity

The last descendant of the Hong family? Hong Qingsheng is indeed a member of the Hong family, and there is only one household. Therefore, the boy in his wife's womb is the only descendant of the Hong family

At this moment, Hong Qingsheng also did not know where he had gone, and had not made an appearance

I endured my impatience and dialed again, only to receive a voice prompt: The number you have dialed does not exist

Resolutely combat the act of evading life; one may escape the first day of the month, but cannot evade the fifteenth

"Mom, please help me watch the store, I will go take a look." I was feeling uneasy in my heart, so I hopped on my motorcycle and headed straight to Hong Qingsheng's house.

My mother reminded me, saying: "It's to the north, next to the old well, the one called Hong Qingsheng, the pig butcher. You should call him Uncle Qingsheng."

It is the kind where there is no conversation when the call is connected, followed by hanging up after a few seconds, and when calling back, it indicates that the number does not exist

"Is it really necessary to be so harsh just for a little inconvenience?" I felt angry inside; there is a pregnant woman in this household, and if she gets scared and has a miscarriage, who will take responsibility for that

My name is Ma Chun. The year I graduated from college, due to my specialized field being somewhat niche, I was unable to find a suitable job in the city. Not wanting to work in a factory, I returned to my hometown, Hongcun, and opened a store specializing in mobile phones and computers.

Better to have rivers of blood than to allow even one to be reborn

The incessant harassment has ignited my anger; regardless of who you are, I will simply delete the records and block you.

In the countryside, whichever surname has a large population is the one that holds power. Gao Mingchang only dared to act against the Hong Qingsheng family, who are isolated and few in number. Let’s see if you have the courage to provoke the prominent families in the village and whether you can still remain in this village.

The next day, after I had breakfast and was preparing to open the shop for business, I saw a van driving along the dirt road outside the village, followed by an agricultural tricycle. Both vehicles were filled with people, some of whom were wearing police uniforms, rushing past my shop. The vehicles were also adorned with red paper slogans:

I initially thought as you do, but later, I found myself entangled in strange occurrences caused by that ghostly phone call

I am somewhat annoyed by this. Who is this? Sending such messages in the middle of the night is quite problematic. I picked up my phone and called back, but the number still indicated that it did not exist. Unwilling to accept this, I sent another message, which also failed to send.

On the third day, it came again, and the text message contained a few more words: Protect the last descendant of the Hong family

He is tall and imposing, and when he roars, it carries a remarkable presence, causing the morale of the crowd to diminish instantly

Thus, in consideration of the future of himself and his spouse, Gao Mingchang led a large group to pay a visit.

Such a situation, where hostility comes knocking at the door, has not been seen for many years

Seeing Gao Mingchang's rudeness, the villagers of Hongcun became agitated. With Hong Qingsheng's wife having such a large belly, it is very easy for something to go wrong. The locals are being bullied by outsiders, and some people began to curse, saying that he is bullying a woman and is not a decent person. They are waiting for Hong Qingsheng to return to see how he will compare with you using a pig slaughtering knife

You have returned

It is indeed dragged out, Gao Mingchang, who is over 1.8 meters tall, and Hong Qingsheng's wife is probably only about 1.5 meters, petite in stature, with a large belly, being dragged by Gao Mingchang resembles dragging a pregnant cat

After speaking, he called a few of his nephews to drag Hong Qingsheng's wife onto the tricycle, intending to take her to the town's hospital for an abortion

I let out a sigh of relief; once the child is born, there is no turning back. Regardless of whether it is a premature birth, it is still a life, and Liang Gaomingchang would not dare to do anything.

A sudden flash of inspiration struck me, and I recalled the ghostly message I received last night: Protect the last descendant of the Hong family

I thought it was a familiar acquaintance calling, so I called back. The call connected, but before I could say anything, the other party hung up.

What is going on? I wondered.

"This is not good, the amniotic fluid has broken, this means preterm labor!" Someone exclaimed.

Does the person sending the text message know that the family planning office will come to the Hong family's door? The most critical point is the implication within, which seems to suggest that something is about to happen

It was precisely this action of his that triggered a series of strange events that followed

The door of Hong Qingsheng's house should have been secured from the inside, but the door was too old and not sturdy at all, and it was being shaken violently by Gao Changming, who was striking it with a hammer.

It is quite common for rural residents to violate policies regarding childbirth. I remember that during my childhood, the regulations were particularly strict, but in recent years, they have largely been relaxed. When pregnant, one can simply keep a low profile, and after giving birth, paying a fine will resolve the matter.

Their actions infuriated me greatly, and I extended my arms to block the tricycle. Several of my fellow clansmen came up to support me, and at the signal of Gao Mingchang, those ruffians began to shove us.

The person who led the charge and was the most aggressive is someone I recognize, named Gao Mingchang. He is the deputy director of the family planning office in the town. Next to him is his wife, Chai Jinhua, who is also from our Hong Village. She secured the position of the village's women's director through Gao Mingchang's connections and is also responsible for family planning work.

Gao Mingchang, enraged and humiliated, pointed at the villagers of Hongcun and shouted: "What are you shouting about? The Hong family has seriously exceeded the birth limit, which is against the law. According to regulations, forced abortion must be carried out. Anyone who dares to shout again will be taken away to spend time in jail!"

Taking advantage of the situation, I brought a few of my brothers to push those ruffians aside and called over several women to carry Hong Qingsheng's wife inside. The women checked her briefly and then drove all the men out of the room, saying that she was about to give birth. After that, there was a commotion inside, with many aunts and young wives going in to help.

My mother thought for a moment and said: "There is no one else, just the Hong family, a solitary household."

The menacing slogans made my heart tighten; looking at this situation, I can't tell which family with excess births is going to be unfortunate.

From Ma Jialiang's words, I learned the true reason why Gao Mingchang came to kill.

I felt a sudden jolt in my heart

After graduating from middle school, I rarely stayed in the village, and there are some people's nicknames that I truly do not know

You must think it was someone using a number-changing software to play a prank

However, I never anticipated that what Gao Mingchang did next was utterly insane

I am baffled; there was someone on the line just now, and suddenly they are no longer there

It was about a week after opening the store when a number began sending text messages to my phone, at a particularly strange time, precisely at midnight, very punctual.

I uttered a curse; Hong Qingsheng, a person of integrity, has unexpectedly become embroiled in the political struggles of the town government. This matter is likely not so easily resolved

Gao Mingchang was also driven out, squatting on a stone beside the ancient well, smoking one cigarette after another, appearing both frustrated and irritable. From time to time, he would look up and glare at me fiercely, his eyes surprisingly filled with many bloodshot veins, bright red, which looked somewhat bizarre

Shazhu Hong

Gao Mingchang also seems unwilling to let the matter rest, as two cars brought over more than ten people, including three police officers from the local precinct, two or three of his own relatives, and four or five unfamiliar faces that looked like thugs, holding iron rods and similar implements in their hands

Soon, Gao Mingchang forcefully broke open the door of Hong Qingsheng's home and entered. Inside, the sound of a woman's scolding could be heard, and before long, Hong Qingsheng's wife was dragged out of the room by Gao Mingchang

At the northernmost part of Hong Village, there is a small ridge, beneath which lies a very deep ancient well. Next to it, there are many peach trees. When I was a child, I often ran there with other little friends to steal peaches to eat. Those peach trees belonged to a family named Hong Qingsheng. When we were young, we obediently called him Uncle Qingsheng, and he would smile and give us a few peaches. I remember him as a very nice person

Gao Mingchang was bewildered by the sudden turn of events, unsure of how to respond, and even the group of ruffians appeared somewhat dazed

The next day, it sent a text message on time again, five words: I have been waiting for you for a long time

Others may be afraid, but I am not. I have fought my fair share of battles back in school, so this little situation does not intimidate me. Moreover, the Ma family is a prominent clan in the village, and many of my relatives have come here. If it really comes to a fight, who is to be afraid of whom

Gao Mingchang, aware of his own guilt, changed his expression. However, he seemed resolute, pointing at me and threatening, "Ma Chun, you better not act tough here. Have you paid taxes for the shop you run? Do you believe I can have your shop shut down by the industry and commerce bureau, and send you to jail?"

If this matter were to occur in another village, it would be a common occurrence and would not significantly affect Gao Mingchang's promotion. However, the woman in charge of family planning in our village happens to be Gao Mingchang's wife, which makes this situation quite serious.

"Chun Ge, you just returned and still don't know, this matter is not that simple." At this moment, my brother Ma Jialiang from my family came over to talk to me

So I asked my mother, "How many households in our village have the surname Hong?"

At that moment, my mother ran over from the house and said to me: "It's bad, it must be the Hu family from the pig slaughtering business. His wife is pregnant with their third child; the first two were girls, one died and the other is foolish. This time, after much difficulty, she is pregnant again and has even said that someone checked and it's a boy. In two months, she will give birth, and we must not let anything happen to scare her."

Not long after, a baby's cry was heard from inside the house; Hong Qingsheng's wife had given birth

Not far north of Hong Village, it takes about ten minutes to arrive. When I got there, the personnel from the Family Planning Office had already gotten out of the car and were smashing the door of Hong Qingsheng's house, with a large crowd gathered outside.

The subordinate who is also my wife has not performed her duties well, yet she still wishes to be promoted to a formal position; this is a situation where the name does not match the reality.

What a nonsensical matter

Get lost

The matter must be traced back to the case of forced abortions related to family planning in our village.

This reminds me of something.

It turned out that the director of the family planning office in the town had been transferred, and Gao Mingchang, the deputy director, was presented with an opportunity for promotion. However, there were those who did not want him to ascend to this position, and they exposed the matter of Hong Qingsheng's wife being pregnant with an unauthorized child.

I have only received it.

The atmosphere suddenly became very tense, just as both sides were about to engage in a confrontation. However, Hong Qingsheng's wife suddenly cried out in pain repeatedly, and then they saw a pool of water spreading beneath her.

Have you ever received a phantom call

"Get lost, who do you think you're fooling? The regulations clearly state that a seven-month pregnant woman is not allowed to have an abortion. Don't think I don't understand the law; you are abusing your power!" I was filled with rage and stood up, pointing at Gao Mingchang and shouting.