Chapter 5

"Right now, this is a major issue for our Women's Federation. Director Yang has already lost her temper several times over this. If we still can't resolve it after we go today, I'm afraid we won't even be able to have lunch tomorrow. Listen to me as I explain in detail..."

Yan Bing then recounted the specific situation to Gao Jue in detail.

It turned out that since Cao Shufen got married, she had often been beaten and verbally abused by her husband, especially when he was drunk. However, at that time, she was not yet working at the Women's Federation. Later, Cao Shufen became pregnant and gave birth to a son. As the son grew older, her husband's temper gradually improved; he drank less and rarely hit her, even occasionally showing some concern. Three years ago, Cao Shufen was transferred to the Women's Federation, and her salary increased. She thought that from then on, the three of them could live a happy life. Who would have thought that four months ago, her husband's personality suddenly changed, and he started drinking heavily again, beating her after every drink. When she asked him why, he only responded with punches and foul words. At first, her husband still had some restraint, and Cao Shufen could avoid being hit in the face, wearing long sleeves even in summer to hide her injuries from her colleagues. However, a few days ago, her husband became even more violent, hitting her without restraint, even on the face. He slapped her dozens of times, leaving her with a bruised and swollen face. This made it impossible to hide at work, and under Director Yang's questioning, Cao Shufen had no choice but to reveal the truth.

The Women's Federation always advocated for women's rights, gender equality, and opposed domestic violence. They would certainly intervene in such cases, especially when it involved one of their own. Director Yang immediately ordered Gao Yanhong to take full responsibility for the matter and resolve it as soon as possible. Gao Yanhong and Cao Shufen had a good relationship, so she was determined to do her best. However, when she went to Cao Shufen's home, she found that Cao Shufen's husband was like a stubborn mule, refusing to listen to anything she said. At the slightest provocation, he would resort to violence. Fortunately, Cao Shufen managed to shield her a few times. Gao Yanhong called the police, and they took Cao Shufen's husband to the police station. There, he acted even more arrogantly, as if beating his wife was a natural right. Domestic violence is considered a family matter, and the police station found it difficult to handle the situation. Cao Shufen did not want to send her husband to prison or even have him detained. She cried and begged the police to release him. This was not because she was weak, but because if her husband were detained, he would lose his job, and the family would lose a source of income. If he were unemployed, he would likely drink all day, making life unbearable for her.

Seeing that Gao Yanhong was ineffective, Director Yang had to send others. Most of the people in the Women's Federation had experience in resolving family disputes at the grassroots level. Led by the office director, Shang Jin, several people went to Cao Shufen's home, but all returned without success, even Lü Dawei was beaten. The police had been called three times, and eventually, they were unwilling to intervene. Little Yan Bing had gone twice and was already terrified by the man's violent appearance. If not for Gao Yanhong's insistence today, she would never have set foot in Cao Shufen's home again.

After hearing the story, Gao Jue thought to himself that in his two lifetimes, he had seen many people, including those in prison, but he had never encountered someone as stubborn as this.

Finally, they arrived at Cao Shufen's home, which was on Zhenba Street, not a wealthy area, mostly consisting of single-story houses. As they got closer, the little girl became increasingly nervous. She whispered, "Gao Jue, when you meet Cao Section Chief's husband, be very careful. He's very violent. He knocked Lü Dawei down with one punch, and his eye is still bruised. He works at the construction site, and he's very strong."

Gao Jue smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you, I'll be careful."

As they walked, they were just a few steps away from Cao Shufen's yard when they suddenly heard the sound of a bicycle bell. Gao Jue and the others turned around almost simultaneously, and Gao Jue's heart skipped a beat when he saw the person on the bicycle, who was very familiar.

"Zhang Pei, how did you come back? Don't you usually eat at the unit?" Cao Shufen asked.

"There's not much work at the unit today, and we have the afternoon off. The lunch is still in the basket," Zhang Pei said, stopping the bike with his foot.

"Since it's a day off, why didn't Qin Guang come back with you?" Cao Shufen asked quickly.

Cao Shufen and Zhang Pei lived in the same courtyard and were neighbors. Moreover, her husband, Qin Guang, was a coworker of Zhang Pei.

"Don't mention it. I asked Qin Guang to come with me, but he said he wouldn't come back for lunch since it's a day off. He's going to drink with some colleagues and invited me to join. I thought it was a rare chance to have lunch with Xiao Yan, so I came back alone," Zhang Pei said.

"You two are so loving, it's enviable. If our Qin Guang were like you, I... sigh..." Cao Shufen said, her face showing envy and then a sigh.

"Sister, don't think about the unpleasant things. Qin Guang is a good person, just a bit stubborn. I believe he will come around soon. Sister, I'll go back now to cook for Xiao Yan," Zhang Pei said.

"Okay," Cao Shufen nodded.

Zhang Pei pedaled and entered the yard.

"Our husband is drinking again. I think... you should go back first..." Cao Shufen said, always fearful when her husband drank, worried that he might not only beat her but also hurt others.

Yan Bing, who was already reluctant to come, was even more panicked upon hearing that Cao Section Chief's husband was drinking. Seeing Cao Shufen suggest they leave, she felt relieved and looked at Gao Jue, ready to leave with him.

However, Gao Jue seemed not to have heard Cao Shufen's words at all.

"Zhang Pei! It really is him!" Gao Jue muttered to himself, his body trembling involuntarily. He then fell into a flashback.

He remembered that during his first stint in prison, in the sixth year, a new prisoner arrived, sentenced to death with a reprieve. In prison, prisoners were divided into different levels. For example, petty thieves and rapists were at the lowest level, and upon entering, they would be beaten up. Rapists were especially targeted. The highest level was murderers, who, knowing their days were numbered, were not to be provoked. The new prisoner was a murderer who had killed two people: his wife and the man she was having an affair with. The old prisoners told him that his case was pitiful, and with a death with a reprieve sentence, he would not be executed and would soon be changed to life imprisonment.

This prisoner was Zhang Pei. The other prisoners admired his courage and did not bully him. Zhang Pei was indeed a tough guy and got along well with Gao Jue. After two months, they became close friends. Zhang Pei told Gao Jue that he usually brought his lunch to work and ate at the unit. One day, he brought his lunch as usual, but the unit notified him that they were off in the afternoon. Zhang Pei thought he would go home and have lunch with his wife, but when he arrived, he saw a man lying in bed with his wife. In a fit of rage, he grabbed a kitchen knife and chased the man, cutting him from the house to the yard, eventually killing him. After killing the man, he still felt unsatisfied and went back to the house to chop up his wife. Finally, he turned himself in. In court, Zhang Pei began to regret his actions, thinking it was not worth spending his life in prison for a woman and that his eight-year-old son, who was in elementary school, would become an orphan without a mother and a father who would never be released.

When Gao Jue was first released from prison, he visited Zhang Pei's mother and helped his son, who was being bullied at school. When Gao Jue was sent back to prison for the second time, Zhang Pei had become a leader in the prison and took special care of him, and they remained good friends.

Gao Jue was so lost in his memories that he did not notice Cao Shufen and Yan Bing talking. Yan Bing gently pushed him and said, "Gao Jue, what are you thinking about?"

"Ah!" Gao Jue was startled by her push and immediately realized the situation was dire. He shouted, "Not good!" and ran into the yard.

Recalling the past and seeing the current situation, Gao Jue realized what was about to happen. Having lived his life again, he could not let his old friend from his previous life go down the same path.

Yan Bing and Cao Shufen were stunned by Gao Jue's sudden rush into the yard but followed him.

As soon as Gao Jue entered the yard, the expected scene unfolded.

From a house on the left, a naked man suddenly rushed out, not even wearing shoes. His face was full of fear, and blood was streaming from his left shoulder, clearly from a knife wound. He stumbled as he ran, clearly terrified.

Just as the man came out, Zhang Pei, holding a bloody kitchen knife, rushed out of the house. His eyes were wide with rage, and he roared, "You bastard, where are you running? I'll cut you to pieces!"

Seeing the situation, Gao Jue rushed forward. The man, seeing him, forgot to dodge and was about to collide with Gao Jue. Zhang Pei, running fast, was already behind the man, and his raised knife was about to come down.

At the critical moment, Gao Jue reacted quickly, sidestepped, and kicked the man with a loud "bang." The naked man was kicked to the side, rolling on the ground and ending up against the wall. Zhang Pei's knife came down, but it missed by a fraction of a second.