Old Man Gao looked at Zhishan. Seeing him with his head bowed, he finally understood—Lin Guihua’s words were exactly what Zhishan was thinking in his heart.
"Then what do you propose we do? We can’t just let your mother and Zhi Guo go to prison. That’s a capital offense," Old Man Gao said, still reluctant to give up.
"That’s none of my business. He should have thought of the consequences when he did it. Why should we be dragged down with him?" Lin Guihua flatly refused to agree. "Furthermore, Dad, Zhishan and I plan to leave here and head to the West."
She had heard about this opportunity back when she was visiting her maiden family. Right now, they were opening up wastelands in the West, and people could migrate directly. Once there, no one would know them, and they could start anew. She had acquaintances through her maiden family anyway; it would just take a phone call. If they finalized their decision, they could get their household transfer papers and leave the very same day.
"What?" Old Man Gao was shocked upon hearing this. "Where are you going?" He had never imagined Zhishan would actually leave his homeland.
"To the West. They are reclaiming wasteland there and need a large number of people," Lin Guihua explained casually. She said no more. She decided that if Old Man Gao continued to show favoritism to Zhi Guo, he could just stay here and look after him.
Old Man Gao looked at Zhishan and Lin Guihua. He understood now; if he didn’t go along with Lin Guihua’s wishes, he was afraid Zhishan would...
Gao Yulan ran in from outside at this moment.
"Dad, I’m going to the West with Zhishan’s family." She had been listening outside for quite a while. Since her mother had become a murderer, what kind of good life could she possibly have in the future? Zhi Guo was also in trouble, and it was impossible for Li Hongxing’s family to look after them anymore. If Zhishan’s family left, leaving only her and her father, how could they even survive?
Old Man Gao looked at Zhishan, then at Yulan. Eventually, he lowered his head.
Li Hongxing finally understood what was happening.
"Dad, are you just going to abandon Zhi Guo?" she asked, still unwilling to give up.
Old Man Gao looked up at Li Hongxing. He opened his mouth, but it took a long time before he squeezed out a single sentence. "The family has no money left."
Hearing this, Lin Guihua breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was aggressive and competitive, she still had some humanity; she hadn’t planned on abandoning the old man and leaving on her own.
"Dad!" Li Hongxing cried in desperation.
Meanwhile.
Bai Jiu knew nothing of this drama. She was discharged from the hospital after resting for two days anyway. The first thing she did upon discharge was to go to the Public Security Bureau to inquire about the progress of the case. Seeing that she refused to compromise in the slightest, the leader gave up trying to persuade her. Although he was somewhat concerned that the events occurring during this period might implicate him, he wasn’t the type of incompetent fool who would shirk his duties when trouble arose. Therefore, since Bai Jiu was unwilling to drop the matter, he asked no further questions.
"The results will be out in a few days. We will notify you when the time comes," the leader said, his expression fairly mild.
Hongxing Commune had also received the official notice from the police and learned about the incident in Gaocun Village. During the year-end summary, the production team leader and the village head were severely reprimanded.
Because of this matter, Lin Guihua accelerated her plans significantly. A day before the New Year, she completed all the migration procedures. No one knew about this except the team leader; not even the village head was informed. The team leader had listened to what Lin Guihua and her husband had to say. Given the circumstances in their family, it was only natural for them to seek a way out elsewhere, so there was no reason to stop them. Furthermore, it meant one less family’s worth of trouble for his production team, which was exactly what he wanted.
Old Man Gao had been very quiet lately. He didn’t go out to plead for leniency, choosing instead to stay home and pack the things they needed to take. Leaving one’s hometown often meant facing hardships, so many things had to be packed and taken along. He did have some money on hand, but not much. Although Zhishan was ultimately taking him along, he still had a daughter. After all, Yulan was the daughter he had doted on for most of his life, and he couldn’t bear to just marry her off carelessly. He wanted to find a good family for her to marry into once they reached their new destination.
Without Old Mrs. Song in the house, the entire family seemed to be pulling in the same direction, and their lives finally had some hope.
"I want to go see your mother one last time tomorrow," Old Man Gao said at the dinner table. He didn’t know if they would ever return after leaving, so he wanted to see her.
Hearing this, Lin Guihua fell silent. She kept her head down, continuing to eat and taking care of Er Gen.
Gao Zhishan glanced at Lin Guihua before looking at his father. "Dad, I’ll go with you, and let Yulan go too." It was time to have a final word with her.
"Alright." Old Man Gao felt much more at ease hearing Zhishan agree.
Far too many things had happened to the family over the past year. He didn’t know who to blame, and he was terrified. He didn’t dare to make any more trouble, afraid of ruining the entire family. In his heart, he knew that Zhi Guo had been ruined by him and his wife. If only he had stepped in to stop it at the time, maybe...
And then there was his third son’s family.
He let out a heavy sigh.
The next day.
Old Man Gao took his children to the Public Security Bureau. The culprits were being detained, but their sentences hadn’t been handed down yet. However, it would only be a matter of days; the execution might even take place by the end of the year. Seeing the family members arrive, the officers led them in to see the prisoners one last time.
After this, they would never see each other again.
"Old man, you’re here. How is Zhi Guo?" When Old Mrs. Song saw her husband, the very first thing she asked about was the second son she had doted on her entire life.
Gao Zhishan stood right next to his father, but his mother didn’t even glance at him. It would be a lie to say he felt no resentment. He hated her too. He hated his mother for her favoritism. He hated her for never considering him. Yet, all that hatred dissolved into nothingness when he saw her emaciated figure. Realizing that he would soon be leaving this place, he let go of his hatred and resentment. Soon, she would be gone; what was the point of hating? What was the point of resenting?
"Zhi Guo is in the same situation as you, old woman. I came today to tell you that Zhishan, Yulan, and I are planning to leave this place," Old Man Gao said, feeling terrible. A perfectly good family was gone, just like that.
"L-leave?" Hearing that they were leaving, Old Mrs. Song couldn’t quite process it. "Are Zhi Guo and I really beyond saving?" Tears finally covered her wrinkled face.
No one spoke; they merely nodded.
Gao Yulan cried until she was drenched in tears. Although she was selfish, she still loved the biological mother who had given birth to and raised her. Now that her mother had ended up like this, Yulan felt as if her entire world had collapsed.
Gao Zhishan also felt awful. He pulled Yulan down to kneel in front of Song Caihua, and kowtowed three times firmly on the ground.
"Mother, I’m sorry!" Gao Zhishan cried out in grief.
Song Caihua slumped to the ground, the light fading from her eyes.
Did she feel regret? She did not regret what she did. She only regretted that she hadn’t stayed there to keep watch a little longer, allowing that bitch to climb up.
After seeing Song Caihua, they went to see Gao Zhiguo. Gao Zhiguo’s side was much noisier than Song Caihua’s. As soon as he saw his family, he began screaming and shouting. He kept yelling for them to save him and get him out.
But what ability did the Gao family have to save him? Even if they did, they wouldn’t dare. Seeing his family remain unmoved, Gao Zhiguo started cursing profusely.
With red eyes, Old Man Gao led Gao Zhishan and Gao Yulan away.
Meanwhile.
Bai Jiu had no idea about the Gao family’s movements. After returning home, she was showered with love and care by all her family members.