I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 107: The Killing Blade

"How else can I change my personality..."

Aunt Zhou's voice trembled, "I don't know when it was passed down, but it's said that if a girl is reincarnated into this family, it must be because this family is good to her. If they want their daughter to stay away from this family in the future, they kill the girl after she is born to scare away the little ghosts that are supposed to be reincarnated. If they don't want to be involved in any deaths, they just throw the girl away and leave her to fend for herself far away..."

"When your third aunt's mother-in-law was young, she did this. She had three daughters in a row. When she was pregnant with your uncle, she was afraid it would be another girl, so she abandoned her third daughter. She abandoned her on the mountain in the dead of winter. The girl was only two years old. By the time she was found, she had already frozen to death. Not two months after the girl died, she gave birth to a son."

Zhou Lei's face turned pale: "How come I've never heard of this?"

"That happened so long ago, how would you know?"

Aunt Zhou patted the little flower, who had opened its eyes at some point, and said, "These days everyone talks about science and doesn't allow feudal superstition. If anyone talks about this, they'll be reported and criticized. Who would dare to say such things?"

"That's exactly what your mother-in-law is planning!" Aunt Zhou said sternly. "Shitou, you should divorce Yuan Juan. You can't continue living with her. Who knows what might happen if you do!"

Zhou Lei's face was full of bitterness: "Divorce."

He had to distance himself from her; he couldn't let her and her mother drag their whole family into the abyss.

……

When Zhou Lei arrived, Yuan Xiu and Jiang Zhou were having dinner.

Hearing the knock, Jiang Zhou opened the door. Zhou Lei didn't come in, but stood at the door and thanked Jiang Zhou and Yuan Xiu.

He has a stain on his record now, and people he encounters along the way avoid him.

Most of the people in the compound were still unaware of the situation. They only knew that the Zhou family's child had gone missing and then been found, and that Yuan Juan had been taken away by the security department. As a military family member, she still had some political sensitivity. Coupled with the ambiguous statements from her husband, she naturally knew that she should stay away from the Zhou family at this time to avoid being implicated.

Zhou Lei had naturally thought of these things as well, so despite Jiang Zhou's invitation, he didn't go inside. After thanking Jiang Zhou and Yuan Xiu, he bowed and left.

A few more days passed, and the security department made new progress: Master Cheng's identity as a spy was officially confirmed.

Her missing sister wasn't really missing; she had fled to the other side of the strait and became the wife of a high-ranking official there. The two had been in contact for years through undercover agents planted on the mainland.

Meanwhile, the human trafficker Master Sun from the coal briquette factory and the old farmer wearing a straw hat were two hidden agents planted here even earlier than Cheng Yufen.

It was only officially launched after Cheng Yufen arrived.

"Cheng Yufen, tell me the truth! Besides Cheng Dazhu (Aunt Yuan) and Yuan Juan, who else have you been in contact with?"

"There are plenty," Cheng Yufen said, moving her hands and feet which were bound by heavy iron chains. "Quite a few people have introduced me to potential partners. I almost became your commander's lover."

"Be serious! Tell me the truth!"

"It's not that I don't want to get married, but I know how strict the vetting process is in your military. You have to go through a political vetting process every time you get promoted. My identity already has issues, and if I get married, it might be exposed one day."

"My original target was Yuan Xiu, but she was too wary and wouldn't listen to reason. She was nothing like a country girl. It was much simpler with Cheng Dazhu. All it took was a little favor. I didn't initially like her, but then she came looking for me..."

"I just gave her a hint, and then had Lao Sun contact her, and she brought the child out."

Where is Cheng Dazhu now? Where is your other accomplice?

"I don't know, I guess he took her away." Cheng Yufen smiled.

"Does Cheng Dazhu know your identity? Has she been infiltrated by you?"

"I don't know, you'll have to ask her..." Cheng Yufen said ambiguously.

The interrogators exchanged glances, then lowered their eyes and continued asking questions.

After Cheng Yufen's testimony was given, more people were invited to have tea by the security department, including Yuan Xiu.

"Comrade Yuan Xiu, don't be afraid. This is just a routine inquiry. We mainly want to know the details of when Cheng Yufen came into contact with you."

Yuan Xiu was naturally not afraid. She was upright and had nothing to hide. If it weren't for her, who knows when this spy would have been discovered.

The security personnel were clearly aware that Jiang Zhou hadn't kept it a secret when he reported to his superiors. The reason he investigated Cheng Yufen was because his wife discovered something was amiss through contact with Cheng Yufen.

Many of the military families in the compound had been contacted by Cheng Yufen, and none of them were as wary as she was. Some even introduced military officers to the secret agents!

All those anti-espionage and counter-espionage courses were a waste of time.

Yuan Xiu stayed in the security office for half an hour before leaving. As she was leaving, she heard Yuan Juan shouting.

From that day on, she was kept in the security office. When the military families in the compound saw that she had not been released, they avoided the Zhou family even more.

With today's interrogation, everyone now knows that Chef Cheng of the state-run restaurant is a spy.

And Yuan Juan...

As soon as Yuan Xiu came out, Sister Chunmei rushed over to help her, asking, "Are you alright?"

She was terrified!

"My goodness! My God! That Master Cheng is actually a spy! And Yuan Juan, she's connected to spies! Her mother ran away with a spy!"

Yuan Xiaoshen's disappearance became a mystery due to Cheng Yufen's testimony. Whether she was murdered or infiltrated and taken away, only the old farmer wearing a straw hat and Yuan Xiaoshen, the person involved, knew.

Cheng Yufen's testimony was clearly very unfavorable to Yuan Juan, no, it should be said that it was very unfavorable to the entire Yuan family.

The only one whose influence can be ruled out is Yuan Xiu.

……

Yuanjia Village.

A group of people suddenly rushed into the farmhouse courtyard, led by Wang Dajun, the commune director.

"What are you doing? What are you doing!" Yuan Xinmin, who was sipping his drink, stood up. "Director Wang, what are you doing? What do you want with so many people in my house?"

Ever since he learned that his daughter had married a battalion-level officer, Yuan Xinmin has become very arrogant and bossy in the village. People who don't know him might think he's a government official now.

Wang Dajun waved his hand dismissively, "Tie them up! Search them!"

After he finished speaking, two men took ropes and went to tie up Yuan Xinmin.

The rest of the people rushed into their homes.

Old Man Yuan and Old Woman Yuan ran out of the house and were horrified by what they saw. "Why are you kidnapping my Xinmin? Why are you ransacking our house? My Yuan family has been poor peasants for eight generations. We have impeccable revolutionary credentials. You can't do this! Heavens! The officials are beating people to death! Help!"

The elderly couple lay on the ground, throwing a tantrum.

The educated youth living in Yuan Xiu's two rooms were also frightened. People entered their rooms, but quickly came out.

The elderly couple's shouts quickly attracted a large number of villagers.

"Director Wang, what trouble has the Yuan family gotten into?"

"Dajun, you can't do anything reckless. The old couple are too old to take this kind of thing."

Wang Dajun stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back. When most of the people had arrived, he took out a red-headed document from his breast pocket, unfolded it, and showed it to everyone. "Cheng Dazhu is colluding with spies. The higher-ups have already issued a document ordering the commune to send anyone associated with Cheng Dazhu to the county for interrogation. The old couple won't be able to escape either. I'm just doing this on official business. You are close to Cheng Dazhu..."

Before he could finish speaking, everyone took a big step back and shook their heads, saying, "It's okay, it's okay."

In those days, ordinary people had zero tolerance for spies. After learning the reason, no one stood up to speak for the Yuan family anymore, not even their relatives.

Yuan Xiaogu was also in the crowd. She had originally come with her husband and children to help her family, but upon hearing this, her legs went weak.

Her man grabbed her and pulled her away, saying, "Hurry up and leave, do you want to get arrested too?"

Yuan Xiaogu's son suddenly turned pale. "Mom, can I still join the army?"

Yuan Xiaogu's legs went weak, and she plopped down on the muddy ground. "That damned Cheng Dazhu, she's trying to kill someone!"