Daijiworld Media Network – Beijing

Beijing, Oct 21: In a bizarre case from northern China, a man who stabbed his wife over a butcher’s discount, suspecting her of infidelity, has been sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.

The Songyuan District People’s Court in Ningjiang province found the accused, identified by his surname Zou, guilty of attempted deliberate homicide. Zou attacked his wife, Zhao, at their home in Songyuan, Jilin, in March this year after suspecting she was having an affair with a local butcher who sold her meat at a discounted rate.

Investigations revealed that Zou hid a wooden-handled knife in a drawer near their bed and stabbed Zhao multiple times during a heated argument in their living room. Zhao, who suffered severe internal injuries, later told authorities she could not recall how many times she was stabbed.

Despite the seriousness of the attack, the court took into account mitigating factors, including the couple’s long marriage and the wife’s forgiveness. The couple had been married for more than 30 years.

In court, Zhao stated that she did not wish to pursue the matter further, refusing to undergo an official injury assessment or claim compensation. “We have always had a good relationship and never had any serious conflicts. I don’t want to drag this any further because of our son and grandson,” she said, adding that her husband “has always worked hard and handed all his earnings to the family.”

The case, which began with a misunderstanding over a simple butcher’s discount, has drawn widespread attention both in China and abroad for its strange trigger and the victim’s unexpected forgiveness despite being seriously injured.