Chapter 7

Chasing the adulterous couple away, Gao Jue finally breathed a sigh of relief as he watched their stumbling backs.

Zhang Pei, who had not repeated the mistakes of his past, was grateful that Zhang Pei had not taken the path of no return.

Zhang Pei looked at Gao Jue with gratitude and said from the bottom of his heart, "Brother, thank you! If it weren't for you, I might have made an irreparable mistake."

Although he said this, Zhang Pei's face inevitably showed some disappointment. If such a thing happened in one's home, anyone would be in a bad mood.

"Brother Zhang, there's still a long road ahead. It's not worth being sad over such a woman. I believe that with Brother Zhang's character and determination, it won't be long before countless women chase after you," Gao Jue said.

"Ha ha..." Zhang Pei smiled, his mood easing a bit, and said, "Thanks for your good words, brother. I hope so. Since we hit it off at first sight, why don't we have a drink at my place? By the way, I haven't even asked your name, brother."

"If Brother Zhang gives the order, how can I not accompany you? My name is Gao Jue."

At that moment, Zhang Pei was about to go to the kitchen to prepare the dishes. Cao Shufen and Zhang Pei had always been on good terms. Now that Zhang Pei's family was in turmoil, how could he be busy? She let Zhang Pei talk with Gao Jue in the house and rushed to the kitchen to cook. Yan Bing also helped, and in a short while, they prepared four dishes and a soup.

Zhang Pei took out a bottle of "Lao Longkou" and filled the glasses for Gao Jue. Cao Shufen originally wanted to go home with Yan Bing, but she was persuaded to stay, and the four of them drank together. As Gao Jue and Zhang Pei drank and chatted, they learned that Gao Jue and Cao Shufen were colleagues, and Gao Jue was a graduate of Chunjiang University. Zhang Pei was extremely impressed by Gao Jue. Zhang Pei and Cao Shufen's husband, Qin Guang, both worked at a prefabricated board factory in the county. Qin Guang was responsible for twisting the rebar, while Zhang Pei worked in the processing workshop.

Both Gao Jue and Zhang Pei had good drinking capacity, and they quickly each had a glass. Zhang Pei was about to pour another glass for Gao Jue, but the little girl Yan Bing whispered, "Gao Jue, our unit doesn't allow drinking at noon. If you drink so much, how can you work in the afternoon?"

Zhang Pei quickly stopped and said, "Brother, I forgot about that. You have to work in the afternoon, so you can't drink anymore."

Gao Jue laughed and said, "No problem, pour it." Then he looked at Yan Bing and said, "Yan Bing, aren't we working right now?"

"How can eating and drinking be considered work..." Yan Bing pouted, puzzled.

"Our Women's Federation work is not only about protecting women's rights but also about opposing domestic violence and resolving family disputes. You saw what happened at Brother Zhang's house just now. If we don't do a good job, and he gets angry again and does something extreme, wouldn't that mean we haven't done our job well?" Gao Jue said with a smile.

"That's true," Yan Bing nodded, thinking that what Gao Jue said made sense.

"Xiao Gao is right. We are working now. But Xiao Gao, don't drink too much," Cao Shufen said gently.

"Don't worry, Section Chief Cao, I know my limits," Gao Jue said, and had Zhang Pei pour more wine. The two continued to drink.

After drinking and chatting, it was already one o'clock. Yan Bing looked at her watch and said, "It's time for us to go to work now."

Gao Jue smiled and said, "Yan Bing, what work did our leader assign us when we left?"

"It's about Section Chief Cao's family," Yan Bing said softly.

"Right, the work at Section Chief Cao's house isn't finished yet. If we go back now, how can we explain it to our leader?" Gao Jue said with a smile.

"But, Section Chief Cao's husband isn't at home," Yan Bing was really afraid to face Qin Guang and didn't want to stay.

"If he's not at home, we can wait. Our leader didn't specify a time for us to return, but he did say that we must resolve the issue at Section Chief Cao's house today. Isn't that right?" Gao Jue said.

"That's true," Yan Bing said.

"I think we should do this: I'll talk with Brother Zhang for a while and do some work with him. You and Section Chief Cao can go home and wait for her husband to return. When you see him, don't say anything else, just tell him that Brother Zhang invited him for a drink and ask him to come over," Gao Jue said, looking at Zhang Pei and Cao Shufen for their opinions.

"Right, Sister, when Brother Qin comes back, just ask him to come over," Zhang Pei said first.

Cao Shufen didn't say anything, thinking for a moment, and then nodded. Her husband had been drinking today, and who knew what would happen when he came back. Most likely, he would beat her. Seeing Gao Jue's calm and confident demeanor, and recalling how he had resolved a potential murder case earlier, she decided to follow his advice.

Cao Shufen took Yan Bing back to her own home, leaving Zhang Pei and Gao Jue alone. They took a sip of wine, and Gao Jue said, "Brother Zhang, you and Section Chief Cao's husband are colleagues, and your families are neighbors. You should know about Section Chief Cao's family, right?"

Zhang Pei nodded and sighed, "Brother Qin is good in every way, except for his stubborn temper. He gets out of control when he drinks."

"Brother Zhang, don't fool me. I don't think it's entirely true. I've learned about their situation. After their marriage, he did often beat Section Chief Cao, but after they had a child, he stopped. For many years, their family was peaceful. However, four months ago, he started beating her again. I believe there must be a hidden reason; it can't be for no reason. My colleague once asked Section Chief Cao's husband, but he wouldn't say anything. Brother Zhang, you are neighbors with Section Chief Cao's family, and you see each other often. You don't want their family to continue like this, do you? You must know more than we do. Can you help us think about what happened to Section Chief Cao's husband four months ago that could have changed his personality?" Gao Jue said.

"About this..." Zhang Pei hesitated and said, "I can't be sure, but something did happen at the unit four months ago. The unit's performance has been getting worse since last year, and after the New Year, it plummeted. Four months ago, the unit started paying only half the salary, and last month, there was talk of laying off some workers. Brother Qin works hard at the unit, but his temper is bad, and he has offended many people. No one knows who will be laid off, but Brother Qin is definitely on the list."

"Oh..." Hearing this, Gao Jue took a deep breath and recalled what Yan Bing had told him on the bus. Four months ago, Qin Guang started drinking and beating his wife, but he still had some restraint. Recently, about a month ago, he started beating her without any restraint.

The timing of the events at the unit matches when he started beating his wife, but why would he beat his wife just because of this?

In this world, there are indeed people who, when they encounter something unpleasant outside, drink and then take it out on their wives at home. However, after careful consideration, Gao Jue still found it hard to understand.

If Qin Guang started beating his wife because of the troubles at the unit, why did he beat Cao Shufen frequently right after their marriage? And after they had a child, his temper changed, and he stopped beating her. As Zhang Pei said, Qin Guang has a bad temper and has offended many people at the unit. It's not easy for the factory leadership to fire someone in a state-owned enterprise, especially during the era of the "iron rice bowl," when many people didn't work but still received salaries, and the factory manager couldn't do anything about it. The factory leadership couldn't fire him, but they could make his life difficult. Qin Guang, having offended so many people, would naturally face such treatment, and his mood would be bad, but why didn't he beat his wife then? Why did he wait until four months ago, when the unit started paying only half the salary, to start beating her again?

With a series of questions in mind, Gao Jue asked again, "Brother Zhang, were you neighbors with Section Chief Cao when she got married?"

"Yes. Brother Qin and I grew up together," Zhang Pei nodded.

"If that's the case, I have another question for Brother Zhang. I heard that Section Chief Cao's husband often beat her right after their marriage. The early days of marriage are usually the most affectionate and loving. There must be a reason why her husband beat her then. Brother Zhang, as lifelong friends, you must know something about what happened to Section Chief Cao's husband during that time," Gao Jue asked.

"Ah..." Hearing this, Zhang Pei sighed heavily.

From this sigh and the look of difficulty on Zhang Pei's face, Gao Jue could tell that Zhang Pei knew something but had some reservations about speaking.

"Brother Zhang, Section Chief Cao is beaten by her husband every day, and she can't work or rest properly. If this continues, she will either divorce him or lose her job. You said that her husband will be laid off. If she divorces him, how will he support their son who is still in school? Even if she doesn't divorce him for the sake of their son, she won't be able to continue working at the Women's Federation. If both of them lose their jobs, how will they live? Brother Zhang, I don't think you want to see this happen."

Gao Jue knew Zhang Pei well. Zhang Pei was soft-hearted and very emotional and loyal. Therefore, Gao Jue was confident that if he appealed to his sense of righteousness and emotion, Zhang Pei would help and share what he knew.

Sure enough, after hearing Gao Jue's words, Zhang Pei nodded silently and said after a long pause, "Brother, I do know something about their family, but will it help? I've tried to persuade Brother Qin before, but he is too stubborn and won't listen to anything."

"There's a saying that the one who tied the bell must untie it. Many things can't be resolved just by persuasion. Only by knowing the cause and effect can we distinguish right from wrong and handle the situation calmly. Two heads are better than one. Tell me what happened, and then we can think of a proper solution," Gao Jue said.

"Alright, brother, I can see that you are a good person and really want to help Brother Qin and his family. But I will only tell you, and you must not tell anyone else," Zhang Pei said.