Qiu Mei's Punishment

She lay there, ignoring the pain, only knowing how to scream and make a scene.

Gu Hui ignored his wife, who was roaring like mad. He turned to Du Yueyao and asked with concern, "Second Sister-in-law, are you alright?"

Everyone was astonished by this scene. Who didn't know that Gu Hui had always been a quiet, taciturn man who rarely showed concern even for his own children? Yet now, he was publicly showing concern for Du Yueyao, the woman rumored to have run off with another man?

Everyone felt that something was amiss. Only Qiu Mei, who was mad with rage, continued to screech at Gu Hui, "Gu Hui! You shameless bastard! You dare yell at me for the sake of that runaway fox?!"

Believing she was in the right, Qiu Mei's face turned venomous, her shrill voice filled with smugness.

Gu Hui's expression darkened. He didn't care how she insulted him, but when he heard her using such vicious words to curse someone who had just performed a great service for the country, he could no longer hold back and roared, "Shut up!"

Seeing her own husband stand up for someone else time and time again, Qiu Mei's anger was fueled like oil on fire. In her extreme rage, she began to speak without any restraint.

"Defending her like this, could it be that you have feelings for her? Taking advantage of when no one is home, how many times have you and that bitch slept together..."

Gu Hui finally lost his patience. He turned, stepped in front of Qiu Mei, raised his hand, and delivered a swift, powerful slap to her face.

"I told you to shut your mouth!"

Qiu Mei was slapped so hard her head whipped to the side, her eyes wide with utter disbelief. Gu Hui actually dared to hit her, and in front of so many people at that!

Most of the people present were familiar with Qiu Mei, and they fell into a collective silence at the sight. Normally, Qiu Mei took great pride in having given birth to the eldest grandson of the Gu family, earning her some respect from both her parents-in-law and her husband, allowing her to speak with an air of authority wherever she went.

A fierce hatred flashed in Qiu Mei's eyes. For someone who valued her reputation as much as she did, being beaten by her husband in front of so many people was a humiliation that cut deep into her bones.

Gu Hui looked at Qiu Mei's unrepentant state, took a deep breath and ordered, "Apologize to Du Yueyao."

Qiu Mei shrieked, "In your dreams! Why on earth should I apologize to that bitch?!"

"Why?"

"Based on the fact that Du Yueyao disregarded her own reputation to work for the country. Based on the wound on her neck—she is a hero of this nation," Gu Hui said in a stern voice.

He did not explicitly mention catching the spy because, subconsciously, he understood that without permission from the higher-ups, this matter absolutely could not be leaked.

"Impossible! How could Du Yueyao have such capability!"

Hearing this, Qiu Mei's body swayed, her momentum weakening slightly as she continued to argue in disbelief. However, her eyes were filled with panic.

Qiu Mei knew Gu Hui very well. Having been married for nearly ten years, she knew he was a quiet man who never lied. Yet, she could not accept that Du Yueyao, whom everyone had previously reviled for adultery, was now being hailed as a hero.

"We came here to cooperate with Du Yueyao. If you don't believe it, go ask the Village Secretary; he is still waiting. Xiao Du, let's go."

Gu Hui secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he had returned to find Du Yueyao. Otherwise, given Qiu Mei's temperament, there was no telling how much injustice Du Yueyao would have had to endure.

Before leaving, Gu Hui sternly warned everyone not to spread word of today's events, or else they would have to face the consequences.

Only Qiu Mei and the group of women were left standing there in a daze, their faces pale. Only then did they realize they had been incited by Qiu Mei to attack a woman who had performed a great service for the country. If the higher-ups investigated this, none of them would escape accountability.

To wash their hands of any involvement, they quickly pinned all the blame on Qiu Mei.

"Qiu Mei, it was because we believed your words that we went up the mountain to catch her in the act. Who knew you were pushing us into a dead end!"

"Exactly! We've always treated you well. Why did you harm us like this?"

"Who would have thought you were such a malicious person!"