In a remote mountain village, there was a woman named Zhang Guihua, who was affectionately called the "Living Bodhisattva" by the villagers. She built schools for the village, helped poor villagers, and took care of the lonely and widowed elderly, and was deeply loved by the villagers. However, no one would have thought that this seemingly kind and compassionate woman would have a dark past that no one knows. On an ordinary day, Zhang Guihua suddenly had a whim and wanted to eat a bowl of braised pork. This seemingly ordinary move has triggered a series of unexpected consequences. Several children in the village smelled the meat and went home to tell their parents. The adults were shocked and began to doubt the true identity of this "living bodhisattva". Why is it that in this era of scarcity, she can easily eat meat? What is the secret behind her good deeds? When the truth was revealed, everyone was stunned. Why did this once highly respected "living bodhisattva" end up being shot?
Zhang Guihua's good deeds
Zhang Guihua has been in this remote mountain village for more than ten years. When she first arrived, the village was desolate. Roads are muddy, houses are low and dilapidated, children have no school to attend, and the elderly have no one to take care of them. Zhang Guihua saw it in her eyes and remembered it in her heart, and secretly made up her mind to change the appearance of this place.
One day, Zhang Guihua approached the village elder Zhou and proposed to build a school for the village. Lao Zhou shook his head when he heard this, and said, "Osmanthus, it's good that you have this heart." But our village is so poor, where will we get the money to build a school? Zhang Guihua smiled, took out a wad of banknotes from his arms, and put it in front of Lao Zhou: "With me, I will come out with the money, so I will ask the village chief to help Zhang recruit some people." Lao Zhou was stunned, and shouted that this was a living Bodhisattva who fell from the sky.
In this way, with Zhang Guihua's contribution and the joint efforts of the villagers, a simple but clean and bright primary school was quickly built. Zhang Guihua ran around again and invited an old teacher from a neighboring village to teach. After the school was built, she went door-to-door to mobilize parents to send their children to school. Some families are reluctant to send their children to school because of their poor family background. Zhang Guihua paid out of her own pocket to give grants to these families to ensure that the children had books to read and clothes to wear.
The old people in the village were also taken care of by Zhang Guihua. At the east end of the village lives a lonely old man, Mrs. Wang, who is old and has no one to take care of her. Zhang Guihua would take time to visit her every day, cook and deliver food to her, wash her clothes, and clean up. Over time, Aunt Wang affectionately evoked Zhang Guihua's "daughter". Not only Aunt Wang, but also other lonely and widowed old people in the village have also become Zhang Guihua's "parents". Every festival, Zhang Guihua will always send condolences to these old people, talk to them, and relieve boredom.
Zhang Guihua's good deeds don't stop there. Whoever has a happy event in the village, she will definitely go to help. Whoever encounters difficulties and finds her, she will always find ways to help solve them. Gradually, Zhang Guihua became the backbone of the whole village, and the villagers affectionately called her "Living Bodhisattva".
One summer, the village was hit by a drought not seen in a century. The crops are wilting, and they are about to lose their crops. Zhang Guihua was so anxious that she couldn't sleep, and finally came up with a solution. She took out her savings, bought a batch of pumps and pipes, and organized the villagers to bring water from the distant river for irrigation. She took the lead in the work, going back and forth in the fields. Under her leadership, the villagers worked together to overcome the drought and save a good harvest.
After this incident, Zhang Guihua's prestige in the village reached its peak. The villagers all said that with Zhang Guihua, it is like having a backbone, and no matter how big the difficulty is, they are not afraid. Whenever she heard such words, Zhang Guihua always smiled and waved her hand, and said: "I'm just doing my little bit of strength, our village can have today, relying on the concerted efforts of the big guys." "
In this way, under the leadership of Zhang Guihua, this once poor and backward small mountain village gradually took on a new look. The roads in the village have been renovated and the houses have been renovated. The living standards of the villagers are also slowly improving, and the smiles on their faces are increasing. Who would have thought that such a beloved "living bodhisattva" would have a dark past that no one knows?
Zhang Guihua's dark past
Before Zhang Guihua became the "living bodhisattva" of the village, she experienced a period of unknown dark years. This past can be traced back to the Anti-Japanese War, when Zhang Guihua was still a young and beautiful rural woman, and her husband Li Dashan depended on each other.
In 1937, the Japanese army invaded Zhang Guihua's village. One day, the Japanese army suddenly broke into her house and forcibly captured Li Dashan to work as a coolie. A few months later, the bad news came that Li Dashan had died on the construction site of the Japanese army. This blow was tantamount to a bolt from the blue for Zhang Guihua, and she suddenly became a helpless widow.
Just when Zhang Guihua was in despair, a person named Wang Degui in the village began to appear frequently in her life. Wang Degui is a well-known local traitor, who relied on his relationship with the Japanese army to run rampant in the village. He had long coveted Zhang Guihua's beauty and took the opportunity to be courteous to her. At first, Zhang Guihua was very disgusted with Wang Degui, but under the pressure of life, she finally succumbed to Wang Degui's coercion and temptation and became his woman.
Since then, Zhang Guihua's fate has taken a turn. Wang Degui took her to the county seat, lived in a bungalow, and put on a dress. While the material life was improved, Zhang Guihua was also slowly eroded in his mind. She began to help Wang Degui do some shady things, such as finding out the information of the villagers and assisting the Japanese army in looting people's wealth.
Once, the Japanese army was preparing to carry out a "clearance" of a neighboring village and needed a guide who was familiar with the local situation. Wang Degui did not hesitate to recommend Zhang Guihua. In this way, Zhang Guihua took the Japanese army and sneaked into the neighboring village in the dark. That night, the village was filled with cries and many innocent villagers were slaughtered by the Japanese army. Since then, Zhang Guihua's hands have been stained with the blood of her compatriots, and she has completely become an out-and-out traitor.
With the passage of time, Zhang Guihua gradually gained some status in the traitor circle. She was no longer satisfied with being Wang Degui's vassal and began to act independently. With her outstanding appearance and quick mind, she soon established her own network in the Japanese army. She began to loot people's wealth independently, enriching her own pockets with the looted property.
However, the good times were short-lived. In 1945, Japan surrendered and the War of Resistance against Japan was won. Zhang Guihua suddenly panicked, she knew that the crime she had committed was enough to be punished with capital punishment. In the midst of the chaos, she was in a hurry, hid all the gold and silver treasures she had looted, and then quietly fled the county seat.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Guihua was still recognized and captured by the angry crowd. She was escorted to the county yamen, where she was interrogated and sentenced to death. However, fate favored her once again. While awaiting the execution, the local regime changed, and the jailer guarding Zhang Guihua took the opportunity to make a windfall. Zhang Guihua seized this opportunity and bribed the jailer with some of the hidden belongings and successfully escaped from prison.
Zhang Guihua, who escaped, did not dare to stay for long, so she fled with the rest of her belongings, and finally came to a remote mountain village, which was later called the "Living Bodhisattva". In order to hide her eyes, she presented herself as a warm-hearted and kind widow, using her savings to build schools, sponsor poor students, and take care of the lonely and widowed elderly.
In this way, the former traitor Zhang Guihua turned into a "living bodhisattva" praised by everyone in the village. Her good deeds are commendable, but no one knows what a sordid past lies behind them. Zhang Guihua thought that she could spend the rest of her life safely, but she didn't know that fate was secretly preparing to give her the final judgment.
Zhang Guihua secretly ate braised pork
The summer of 1958 was in full swing with the Great Leap Forward movement. Zhang Guihua's mountain village is no exception, and the villagers have responded to the call to send their iron tools to the public canteen to be smelted into steel. Wang Dali, the production captain of the village, took the lead in organizing the villagers to carry out the "big steel smelting" campaign, and even the pots and pans were not spared.
In such a period of extreme scarcity of materials, Zhang Guihua's home wafted a tempting smell of meat. At noon that day, several children in the village who were herding cattle passed by the door of Zhang Guihua's house and smelled a strong smell of meat. The children looked into the house curiously, only to see Zhang Guihua busy working in front of the stove, and a large bowl of steaming braised pork was placed on the table.
When the children came home, they told their parents about it. The news quickly spread in the village, causing quite a commotion. In this era of "communism", the slaughter of cattle or the concealment of grain were serious political problems. What's more, at that time, the whole country was responding to the call of "taking grain as the key link", and meat had become a scarce material. Zhang Guihua was able to eat a big bowl of braised pork at this time, which undoubtedly aroused the suspicion and dissatisfaction of the villagers.
The news quickly reached the ears of Wang Dali, the production captain. Wang Dali immediately called a meeting of the village activists to discuss the matter. At the meeting, some people suggested that Zhang Guihua may have secretly hidden grain and meat, which is a serious violation of national policy. Some people also suspect that Zhang Guihua may have a special network and can get meat from outside. What's more, it has been suggested that Zhang Guihua's good deeds may be just a disguise, and that she may well be a latent class enemy.
After the meeting, Wang Dali decided to take someone to Zhang Guihua's house to search. When they broke into Zhang Guihua's house, Zhang Guihua was cleaning up the dishes. Wang vigorously questioned the source of Zhang Guihua's meat, but Zhang Guihua was hesitant and couldn't say why. Wang Dali ordered a search of the entire house, only to find a small wooden box under Zhang Guihua's bed, filled with gold and silver jewelry and some foreign banknotes.
This discovery shocked everyone. Wang Dali immediately ordered Zhang Guihua to be brought under control and reported the situation to his superiors. Soon, the county sent an investigation team to interrogate Zhang Guihua closely.
Under high pressure, Zhang Guihua finally told the truth. It turned out that she had been cautious and had never used her hidden belongings. But as time went on, she let her guard down. That day, she suddenly wanted to eat meat, so she secretly took out some money and asked Li Laosi, who went to the county seat to do business in the village, to help her buy some meat and come back.
Zhang Guihua's confession revealed her true identity. The investigation team quickly found out Zhang Guihua's traitor history. She once assisted the Japanese army in massacring compatriots, looting people's property, and committing heinous crimes. What's even more infuriating is that after she escaped from legal punishment, she actually used these ill-gotten gains to pretend to be a good person in the village and deceive everyone.
When the news spread, the whole village was boiling. The villagers, who once respected Zhang Guihua, felt extremely angry and deceived. Those who had been helped by Zhang Guihua felt even more ashamed and angry, and some even wanted to rush to the detention center to settle accounts with Zhang Guihua.
Under the anger of the masses, the superiors quickly made a decision to deal with it. Considering the extremely bad nature and impact of Zhang Guihua's crime, the verdict of Zhang Guihua's execution was finally made. In this way, a bowl of braised pork became the fuse to reveal Zhang Guihua's true identity and the end of her life.
Zhang Guihua's Last Judgment
August 15, 1958, a sweltering summer day. A large crowd gathered outside the gate of the county courthouse, all of whom came to witness the final fate of a woman who was once called a "living bodhisattva". Zhang Guihua, whose name has been associated with kindness and compassion for more than a decade, has now become synonymous with traitors and deceivers.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, the court began an open trial of Zhang Guihua's case. The courtroom was packed, and many villagers came to observe. When Zhang Guihua was escorted into the courtroom, the scene was in an uproar. The once benevolent "living bodhisattva" now has a haggard face, his hands are handcuffed, and he walks into the courtroom with his head bowed.
The prosecutor read out the charges against Zhang Guihua: colluding with Japanese criminals, betraying compatriots, looting people's property, evading legal punishment, concealing crimes, and deceiving the masses. Each accusation angered the crowd present. The prosecutor then began to present the evidence.
First, the prosecutor showed a list of belongings recovered from Zhang's home: 20 gold bars, 500 silver dollars, $1,000, and a large amount of jewelry. The source of these belongings is clearly inconsistent with her claim to be a widow and destitute.
Secondly, the prosecutor read out the testimonies of several survivors. An old man wept silently as he described how Zhang Guihua led the Japanese army to massacre his family; Another woman recounted how Zhang Guihua assisted the Japanese army in looting the villagers' belongings. These testimonies exposed Zhang Guihua's cruel and ruthless side.
In the end, the prosecutor presented Zhang Guihua's handwritten confession. In her confession, Zhang Guihua explained in detail how she became a traitor from an ordinary rural woman, and how she used her ill-gotten gains to pretend to be a good person in a mountain village.
In the face of ironclad evidence, Zhang Guihua almost did not defend herself. When the judge asked her if she pleaded guilty, she just nodded silently.
At the end of the trial, the prosecutor began to make his closing arguments. He severely condemned Zhang Guihua's crimes, pointing out that she not only betrayed the motherland and the people, but also used her good deeds to cover up her sins and deceived countless good villagers. The public prosecutor believes that Zhang Guihua's conduct is extremely bad in nature and has an extremely far-reaching impact, and should be severely punished in accordance with the law.
After hearing the prosecutor and the defender, the court adjourned. Two hours later, the court reconvened and announced the verdict.
The judge solemnly read out: "This court believes that the defendant Zhang Guihua has committed many serious crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. In view of the extremely serious nature of his crime and the great harm to society, this court sentenced the defendant Zhang Guihua to death, deprived him of his political rights for life, and confiscated all his property in accordance with law. "
When the death sentence was announced, there was silence inside and outside the courtroom. Then, there was a burst of applause and cheers. Many shed tears of emotion as they felt that justice had finally been served.
After Zhang Guihua heard the verdict, her legs went weak and she sat in the defendant's dock. Her eyes were hollow, as if she had suddenly aged by a decade. When the bailiffs took her out of the courtroom, the crowd outside erupted in angry roars. Some people threw stones at her, some spat on her, and many more were chanting "Down with the traitors" and "Punish the criminals".
In this way, Zhang Guihua, who was once known as the "Living Bodhisattva", came to the end of her life in the spurning of everyone. Her case has become a well-known textbook in the local area, and people often use it to warn future generations that good deeds are valuable, but if they are built on the foundation of evil, they will eventually be crushed by the wheels of history.
The impact and enlightenment of Zhang Guihua's case
After the trial of Zhang Guihua's case, its impact caused huge repercussions in the local area and even in the entire province. This woman, who was once known as the "Living Bodhisattva", exposed her true identity because of a bowl of braised pork, and finally came to an end. This case is not only a simple legal incident, but also a profound examination of the social morality, political atmosphere and historical memory of the time.
First of all, Zhang Guihua's case has set off a huge "exposing and criticizing" campaign in the local area. The county organized a number of critique meetings, inviting villagers who Zhang Guihua had helped to speak on stage and expose her hypocrisy. Some of these villagers wept bitterly, regretting their gratitude to Zhang Guihua; Some cursed angrily, saying that they wanted to draw a line with Zhang Guihua. The campaign lasted nearly two months and affected almost everyone who had contact with Ms. Zhang.
Second, Zhang Guihua's case has become a vivid teaching material for local patriotic education. The schools organized students to visit the place where Zhang Guihua once hid stolen goods and to see an exhibition about Zhang Guihua's crimes. Teachers used this case to explain to students the shameful deeds of traitors and emphasized the importance of patriotism. For a time, "I'd rather die in battle than be Franco" became a catchy slogan among the students.
At the political level, Zhang Guihua's case was seen as a major political victory by the higher authorities. The province held a special meeting to sum up the lessons learned from this case. The meeting stressed the need to heighten vigilance to prevent "class enemies" like Zhang Guihua from blending into the ranks of the people. At the same time, the meeting also criticized the paralysis and carelessness of grassroots cadres and called for strengthening the investigation and management of suspicious persons.
At the societal level, Zhang Guihua's case has sparked reflection on philanthropy. For a while, many people became suspicious of their neighbors who were eager to help others. Some people even stopped helping each other on a daily basis for fear of being misunderstood as having "ulterior motives". This atmosphere led to tension and alienation in social relations for a time.
However, as time went on, people began to think more deeply about the Zhang Guihua case. Some people of insight have pointed out that the case of Zhang Guihua should not be used to completely deny good deeds. They called on society to establish a more scientific charity system, which not only encourages people to help each other, but also prevents people from using the name of charity to do illegal things.
In terms of historical research, the Zhang Guihua case provides scholars with a new perspective on the issue of traitors during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. Some historians have begun to focus on the traitors who managed to hide their identities after the war, exploring how they fit into society and how society's attitudes towards them changed. These studies provide new ideas for us to understand that complex history.
The Zhang Guihua case also had a profound impact on local folk culture. In the decades that followed, the story was circulated among the people in various forms. Some have been adapted into local operas to warn people not to be confused by superficial phenomena; Some of them have been compiled into textbooks and have become typical cases of patriotic education; Some of them were written into the local prefectural records and became historical witnesses of that era.
In addition, the Zhang Guihua case has also raised people's attention to the legacy of the war. Some have begun to call for a more thorough reckoning of Japanese war criminals and their accomplices, and for the Japanese government to make more sincere apologies and reparations for war crimes. To a certain extent, this kind of voice has promoted the development of Sino-Japanese relations, and has also provided a reference for the subsequent handling of historical issues.
In general, as a typical incident, Zhang Guihua's case is not only an ordinary criminal case, but also a mirror, reflecting all aspects of that special era. It reflects both the complexity of human nature and the heaviness of history; It not only reveals the contradictions of society, but also shows the progress of the times. The impact of this case continues to this day, and it is an important case that cannot be ignored when people study that period of history.