PCJ – Chapter 635 Buying a Wife

To Zhang Jiaohua’s surprise, the saline-alkali remediation project didn’t receive unanimous support from the villagers. The news had barely spread around the village, and while most people were overjoyed, a few were dissatisfied.

“Comrade Zhang, how much is this project going to cost?” Gu Quansuo’s first question to Zhang Jiaohua was about the budget.

“At least a few hundred thousand,” Zhang replied. He wasn’t sure how much funding would be approved from higher up, but this wasn’t going to be a cheap or simple undertaking.

“That much? Spending that much money on saline-alkali treatment? Are you out of your mind?” Gu Quansuo sneered.

Zhang was puzzled. “What do you mean? The government is helping to fix our village’s soil problems, and you’re not happy?”

Gu Quansuo nodded. “I’m against the project. Our village is so poor, and fixing the soil won’t change that. We’re too remote. Future road construction will cost even more. Instead of spending that money on land, why not just distribute it to us villagers? With that much, we wouldn’t have to suffer for a long while. Besides, we already get various relief funds every year. Once the land is treated, those will stop. Don’t think this is a good thing—this is a one-time deal. Afterward, we’ll be on our own, and it’ll be worse. We’d be better off without the project—slow and steady, and we can live off relief money each year.”

“So that’s how you think,” Zhang said coldly. “Then why are so many young men in our village still single?”

“How would I know? I’m not a bachelor myself,” Gu Quansuo retorted, tilting his head.

Zhang sneered. “I heard your bride was tied up during the wedding. Wasn’t she trafficked? You know trafficking women is illegal. If you’re caught, you’ll lose everything.”

“Zhang Jiaohua, mind your own business! You can go ahead with your project, I don’t care. But if you dare stick your nose into my affairs, I’ll fight you! My wife was taken home, not bought!” Gu Quansuo was flustered.

“I was just speaking casually. Why so nervous? Seems like I hit a nerve. Maybe I should drop by your place sometime. Human trafficking and rape are serious crimes,” Zhang said, having long suspected something was wrong. But he’d been preoccupied with the land treatment project—now Gu Quansuo had basically delivered himself to Zhang’s door.

Gu Quansuo snapped. “Zhang! Don’t think I’m scared just because you’re some official sent from above. You meddle in my business, and I’ll fight you!”

“Oh? You think you’re in the right for trafficking women? I’m calling the police right now.” Zhang pulled out his phone and dialed 110.

Gu Quansuo panicked and lunged to grab the phone.

Zhang dodged easily, and Gu Quansuo stumbled, landing near a temporary desk in Zhang’s room—on it, a shiny stainless steel kitchen knife. The moment he saw the knife, a murderous glint flashed in his eyes. He grabbed it and shouted, “You pushed me into this! I’ll kill you, you bastard!”

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Zhang barked.

“What? I’ll take your life!” Gu Quansuo charged, knife raised high.

“Help! Quansuo is trying to kill someone!” Gu Chuangui cried out in panic from a distance.

“It’s bad! Quansuo’s trying to kill Comrade Zhang!” he shouted again, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the sound.

Zhang dodged the first strike with ease, but Gu Quansuo, eyes bloodshot, had only one thought in his mind—kill Zhang Jiaohua.

Villagers began running over in a commotion.

“Quansuo! Don’t be crazy! Killing someone means paying with your life!” Gu Yongyi shouted.

“I don’t care! It’s Zhang who forced me to this point! I’m going to kill him!” Gu Quansuo was beyond reasoning now.

Zhang dodged twice, but he wasn’t planning to keep running. “You’d better put that knife down now. If you do, I won’t press charges. Otherwise, even if you don’t hurt me, this is attempted murder. That’s ten years in prison, at least. Your life will be over. As for buying a wife—if you turn yourself in and let her go, you might get a lighter sentence.”

“I can’t live without a wife! This is all your fault! All of it! No one will marry into this godforsaken place unless we buy them! All our local girls marry out! Who would stay in this mountain village?” Gu Quansuo shouted, losing all control.

“If we fix the soil, the village will thrive. We’ll have crops, mountain products, herbs. Why can’t we live well? Once the village is prosperous, women will willingly marry here. No need to buy wives. But if you keep going down this path, you’ll spend a decade behind bars, and still end up a bachelor.” Zhang’s voice was calm but firm.

“You won’t report me?” Gu Quansuo hesitated.

“I won’t, but you must turn yourself in. Do that, and I won’t press charges for your attempted attack today either,” Zhang said, pointing at him.

“Quansuo! What are you doing? Put the knife down! Can’t we talk this through? If you hurt Comrade Zhang, you’ll be committing a capital crime!” cried Gu Baishui from afar.

But Gu Quansuo became even more frenzied. “He’s going to expose me! Take away the wife I bought with my blood and sweat! He’ll only get her over my dead body!” he screamed and charged again.

“Ahhh!”

The villagers cried out in horror.

Zhang calmly stepped aside, avoiding the attack. He swiftly grabbed Gu’s wrist, clenched hard until the man cried out and dropped the knife. With one move, Zhang twisted Gu’s arm and slammed him to the ground.

The villagers were stunned. They’d thought Zhang would suffer a terrible fate—but he subdued Gu Quansuo as easily as flipping his hand.