The next day, He Lang personally drove his father to the police station entrance.

"I’ll wait for you out here. You can go on in."

Mr. He glanced at him and slowly walked inside.

The first thing Mr. He noticed when he saw He Yun again was a sense of surprise. There was no anger on her face; she looked very calm.

"Dad."

Mr. He looked at her with a complicated expression. "Did you want to see me to say something?"

He Yun asked Mr. He, "Did you know beforehand that Third Brother was plotting against us?"

Mr. He looked at her and frowned. "You had me come here just to ask this? Do you feel wronged, that your third brother framed you?"

He Yun didn’t say anything.

Mr. He said earnestly, "Xiao Yun, I don’t know how you became this way. I can say for a fact that your mother and I never mistreated you at home. Was your third brother ever bad to you in the past? You’re the one who broke his heart. Why is he so good to Daya? Isn’t it because she’s your child? You’re a woman yourself—those children came from your own body! Your brother treats Daya so well, so how can you not even treat them like human beings?"

Then, Mr. He sighed again. "Forget it. What’s the point of me saying all this? Your mother said these things countless times when she was alive, and when did you ever listen? You’re not a child anymore. You reap what you sow. You can’t blame anyone else."

He Yun didn’t argue. She just said, "Dad, can I see Daya?"

Mr. He shook his head. "Daya isn’t in Beijing City. She’s gone to a military base."

"So she really did get married," He Yun said softly. She hadn’t really believed it before, thinking it was just a lie He Lang and his wife made up to trick them.

"That’s right. They got married shortly before you all came to Beijing City. Your third brother even gave her a new house in the city. Think about it. If he didn’t treat Daya like his own daughter, who would do as much as your third brother has?"

He Yun’s eyelids twitched, and her mouth fell slightly open.

Mr. He continued, "Her husband is a good man, a soldier. You shouldn’t have come here and disturbed her life. That child has had it hard enough. It was you all who were too greedy."

He Yun hesitated for a moment before saying to Mr. He, "Dad, can you get Jinbao out? Jinbao is still young, he has his whole life ahead of him. We can’t let him have this stain on his record. Besides, everything was our—the adults’—idea. It had nothing to do with him."

Mr. He thought of the quiet boy and felt a pang of emotion. "As his parents, this is the example you set for your child? Even if your son is released, how will he live on his own? Even if he tries to find work, who would dare hire him?"

He Yun fell silent.

’That’s right, how would Jinbao survive on his own if he got out?’

"Dad, we—"

Mr. He cut her off. "If you’re going to plead for the Liu Family, then don’t bother. Your third brother won’t agree, and the Liu Family is getting what they deserve."

He Yun leaned forward anxiously. "No, I’m not pleading for the Liu Family. I won’t make excuses for myself, either. That family never treated me like a human being. Now, I hope they stay in prison for the rest of their lives. It’s just Jinbao I’m worried about. Dad, can you ask Daya to take care of Jinbao? He’s her biological brother."

Hearing this, the look in Mr. He’s eyes grew even colder.

He said coldly, "In the end, you’re still only thinking about your son. Xiao Yun, even now, you haven’t given a single thought to Daya. Your third brother was right. I shouldn’t have come."

He Yun tried to explain, "No, Dad, it’s not—"

Mr. He stood up, gave He Yun one last deep look, and walked away without turning back.

"Dad—! Please, get Jinbao out—!"

He Yun was still screaming behind him as she was restrained by a prison guard. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He Lang watched his father come out, his face dark.

He asked curiously, "Judging by your expression, did He Yun make some other outrageous demand?"

Mr. He said in a low voice, "She wanted me to plead with you to get her son out."

He Lang raised an eyebrow. "Is that all? The boy isn’t an adult yet. The police won’t do much to him. At most, they’ll hold him for a few days, lecture him, and then let him go."

Mr. He looked at He Lang in surprise.

He Lang smiled. "It’s true. I didn’t mention it before because I wanted to teach them a lesson."

"But was that her only request?"

Mr. He shook his head. "She wants Daya to take care of that boy."

He Lang frowned. "Take care of him how? Hah. So now she remembers she has a daughter. Why didn’t she think of this when she was disowning her? Did you agree?"

Mr. He shot him a look. "I’m not an idiot. Daya just got married. How could she take care of him? What would the Gu Family think of her?"

He Lang smiled.

"As long as you understand. Let’s go, then. Don’t think about this messy business anymore. All that matters is that you don’t feel too bad for your daughter."

Mr. He said, "There’s no use feeling bad for her. I’ve already accepted it."

A week later, the Liu Family’s sentences were announced, and it even made the newspapers.

According to the "Strike Hard" campaign decisions issued in ’83, the maximum penalty for theft was death, and stealing over ten thousand yuan was enough to trigger the death penalty clause.

However, considering the money was not state property, the sentencing would be handled with some discretion.

A few days before the sentencing, He Yun voluntarily confessed in prison.

She said the whole idea came from Mrs. Liu. Because Mr. Liu and Mrs. Liu were the heads of the Liu Family, the others had no choice. She also added that Liu Jianwei had participated.

Seeing this, Mr. Liu also pushed all the blame onto Mrs. Liu.

Although Liu Jian Country didn’t speak, his silence was taken as tacit agreement.

When Mrs. Liu saw them abandon her and kick her while she was down at a time like this, she cursed them as ungrateful bastards. She became so agitated she nearly died of rage; fortunately, doctors treated her in time, and she avoided having a stroke.

Mrs. Liu was sentenced to twenty-five years and would spend the rest of her life in prison.

Although Mr. Liu had pushed all the blame onto Mrs. Liu, he was still sentenced to twelve years. By the time he gets out, he will likely be a frail old man.

Liu Jian Country was sentenced to eight years.

Because He Yun had voluntarily confessed and showed significant remorse, her sentence was reduced to five years after consideration.

For organizing gambling and for theft, Liu Jianwei was sentenced to fifteen years.

Liu Jinbao was sent to a special educational facility for three months before being released.

When the results came out, the entire Liu Family was stunned. They caused a huge scene at the procuratorate, and Liu Jianwei even injured a police officer, adding to his crimes.

Except for He Yun. Knowing her son was safe, she felt a surprising sense of calm, as if all the struggles of the past years had been lifted in an instant.

When Liu Jinbao was leaving the prison, He Yun stroked his head.

"My child, I’ve wronged you by dragging you into all this. After you get out, live a good life."

Jinbao just shed tears. "Okay."

He Yun wiped his tears. "What is a big boy crying for? The deed to our house is in your grandparents’ room. Go back and look for it. If you can’t make ends meet, sell the house. Take that money, rent a smaller place, and you can definitely hold on until you’re an adult. I’ll be out in a few years, and then it’ll be just the two of us."

Jinbao nodded. "Okay."

"Alright, go on now."