Chapter 313 - 311: It Was the Sheep Horn God Who Punished Them

Chapter 313: Chapter 311: It Was the Sheep Horn God Who Punished Them

"I don’t know if you understood things like that at your age, but I didn’t understand anything back then."

"That night was the first time my dad didn’t come home late. My mom had been drinking and was in a terrible mood. She smashed a lot of things in the house and even hit the three of us kids."

"My mom kept telling me to go out and find my dad, but I had no idea where he was. All I could do was wander aimlessly through the village, with no idea where to look for him. By that time, most of the families in the village had already turned off their lights and gone to bed."

"I just went from street to street, hoping to see a house with its lights still on. I hoped I could knock on the door, see my dad inside, and we could go home together."

"I didn’t find my dad, but I ran into a drunk Tian Dajiang in front of his house. He reeked of alcohol; it was a foul, disgusting smell. It was very dark, so he couldn’t see me clearly. He asked who I was, and I told him I was Xiao Min, from Tian Ming’s family. He asked what I was doing, and I said I was looking for my dad and asked if he’d seen him."

"He said he hadn’t, so I kept walking. But just a few steps past him, he suddenly came up, grabbed my arm, and dragged me onto his haystack."

"I tried to scream, but he covered my mouth. I couldn’t make a sound, no matter how hard I tried. I kicked him, but he pinned me down with his legs and started pulling off my clothes."

"I was terrified and kept struggling. He whispered in my ear, telling me not to scream, not to scream. I kept hitting him with my hands, but I couldn’t push him off, and my blows did nothing. I was too weak. There was nothing I could do."

The sign language translator’s voice was flat. He simply conveyed the meaning of the signs, with no discernible inflection in his tone.

It made all the words feel chillingly cold.

Tian Min was very emotional. Tears streamed down her face, and her signs were forceful. They could all palpably feel her anger and sorrow.

Chu Xingrou’s eyes reddened in sympathy.

Su Miaoyi found it hard to listen, her heart aching with sadness for the girl.

Su Miaoyi had asked her why she never called the police, and Tian Min had started to tell the story of that year on her own.

Tian Min wiped away a tear with her hand and continued to sign.

The translator continued, "You don’t have to worry about me or feel sad for me. I want to say this. I want to tell you. No one else would listen. No one ever listened to me talk about this. I have to tell you—it wasn’t my fault. It was never my fault. It was Tian Dajiang’s fault! His!"

"It was his fault," Chu Xingrou said.

Tian Min nodded, tears still streaming down her face as she continued to sign.

The translator said, "And it was my parents’ fault, too. It was their fault."

"I was assaulted and terrified. Tian Dajiang threatened me, telling me not to tell anyone, especially not my family. He said if I did, I’d never be able to get married."

"I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand any of it. No one had ever told me about things like that. My family was poor, and we were cut off from the world. I understood nothing. All I knew was that I felt horrible, I was in pain, and I wanted to go home. When I got home, my mom saw my clothes were torn, and I told her what Tian Dajiang had done."

"She cursed at me, called me a little beast, screamed that I was a bad kid doing those kinds of things outside at such a young age. It wasn’t me! It wasn’t me! It was Tian Dajiang who assaulted me."

The expressions on Su Miaoyi and Chu Xingrou’s faces darkened, shifting from sadness to anger.

"My mom started crying again, wailing about what would happen to me now, that no one would want me, that I’d never get married. I was so scared. I didn’t know what to do. My dad came back the next morning, and my mom got into a huge fight with him. She told him Tian Dajiang had slept with me. My dad grabbed a kitchen cleaver and went looking for Tian Dajiang."

"My mom just sat in the courtyard crying, muttering about how she couldn’t go on living like this. The neighbors heard her wails and came out to ask what was wrong, but my mom wouldn’t say anything. She just kept crying."

"I wanted to find my dad, I was worried something would happen to him. But I was too afraid to go to Tian Dajiang’s house. Just thinking about it terrified me. Just thinking about it terrified me. I couldn’t go."

"So I sent Tian Shi to go. It wasn’t long before my dad came back. Tian Shi was following behind him, carrying the cleaver. I asked him what happened. Tian Shi said he saw Tian Dajiang give our dad money, and then Dad came home. And after that... everyone in the village found out what had happened."

"I didn’t dare go outside for a long time. I heard everything from Tian Shi and Tian Xuan. They said some people found out because my dad had been shouting at Tian Dajiang’s door with the cleaver. Others heard it from Tian Dajiang himself. Since Tian Dajiang had given our family money, he felt wronged, so he went around telling everyone that I had seduced him. He claimed my dad had put me up to it to get his money."

"When my aunt found out that Tian Dajiang had assaulted me and was spreading lies, she wanted to call the police and have him arrested. But my mom stopped her. She said, ’Everyone already knows, isn’t that embarrassing enough? You want to stir things up and humiliate us all over again?’ She blocked her from calling the police. Besides, my dad had already taken the money to pay off his gambling debts. My dad wouldn’t let my aunt go either, and he even hit her. After that, my aunt never mentioned calling the police again."

"From that day on, I lost the ability to speak. My dad started staying out all night, gambling. My aunt, feeling guilty that she couldn’t call the police and heartbroken for me, took me to a doctor in the city. When they couldn’t cure me, she found a teacher to teach me sign language."

"It was Tian Dajiang who assaulted me! I did nothing wrong! Nothing!"

Tian Min’s final signs were sharp and forceful.

"It was Tian Dajiang’s fault," Su Miaoyi said.

’He deserves to die. They all deserve to die,’ the voice in her head said coldly. ’They should all be killed.’

Su Miaoyi suppressed her own rage. She had to keep a clear head. She needed to make a rational judgment.

Even though her chest ached with anger.

Tian Min wiped the tears from her face.

Su Miaoyi and the others fell silent for a moment.

After a moment, she took out the recording that had been restored in the city and asked Tian Min, "Have you heard this voice before?"

With that, she played the recording.

A restored female voice emerged from the device.

The moment the nursery rhyme began, Tian Min flinched, her shoulders jumping in fear.

Su Miaoyi watched her.

After it played through once, Su Miaoyi played it again.

"Have you heard this voice before?" Su Miaoyi asked again.

Tian Min shook her head, then began to sign.

The sign language translator said, "They are all sinners—the rapist, the gossips, the gambler. The Sheep Horn God will deliver divine retribution. This is the Sheep Horn God’s punishment. The Sheep Horn God wants them dead."

"Then what about Wu An? What was his crime?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Tian Min thought for a moment, then shook her head.

"Do you believe the Sheep Horn God can kill people?" Su Miaoyi asked.

Tian Min nodded.

"Why?"

Tian Min signed.

"The Sheep Horn God is very powerful. It will grant any wish."

"For example?" Su Miaoyi asked.

The translator relayed, "I prayed to the Sheep Horn God. I asked to be taken far away from here, so I wouldn’t have to hear those awful words or see those hateful people anymore. I told the Sheep Horn God of their sins, and the Sheep Horn God listened."

"My aunt and I went to Chang City. We left this place. After that, all those terrible people also left, one by one. The Sheep Horn God heard my accusation and punished them."

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