Sun Zhiqing fainted, and the other four members of the work group quickly carried him into the house, fanning him and pinching his philtrum. Li Jin gave a signal, and Li Kang took everyone away.

"Father, do you regret it?" Li Xiangdong asked Li Jin, looking at the empty courtyard.

"A bit, this time I might really end up in jail," Li Jin sighed. "But I won't be able to get over this without giving him a good beating!"

Li Xiangdong looked at Li Jin and suddenly felt like he didn't recognize him anymore. Wasn't he always a sophisticated egoist? He was even willing to sacrifice his own daughter for him!

"This isn't like you at all!" Li Xiangdong blurted out, "Father, aren't you most concerned about your official position?"

"Bullshit! Who said I care about that the most! I'm a human being too, of course I have to do human things." Li Jin smacked Li Xiangdong on the head.

Li Xiangdong didn't want to analyze his father anymore. The development of his past life and this life was different, and there was no need to look at Li Jin with the prejudices of his past life.

The past is past, and the future will always come.

We'll see in the future!

"Dad, should we call Uncle Ming over to take a look at Sun Zhiqing?" Li Ming was the village doctor of Lijiapo Brigade, a barefoot doctor.

"Go! Let's see how they are doing, so we can have a better understanding of the situation."

When Li Jin and Li Xiangdong arrived with Li Ming, who was carrying a medicine box, the brigade headquarters was empty; even their luggage was gone.

...

"Father, they've escaped."

The investigation team, which had arrived in Lijiapo Brigade in a grand manner, was soundly beaten and fled in disgrace.

"Dad, they must have run back to the commune to call for reinforcements." Li Xiangdong looked around and figured Sun Zhiqing was probably afraid of getting a second beating.

"Let's go too. Let your mother get me ready. I'll probably be going to jail in the next few days." Li Jin shook his head and walked home with his hands behind his back.

Looking at his retreating figure, Li Xiangdong felt a sense of desolation, like a hero departing for his final journey. A smirk appeared on his lips, and he didn't chase after him. Instead, he strolled off to find Li Kang.

When Li Jin returned home, he saw that his eldest son, Li Weijun, was also there, along with Zhao Sufang, Li Zhen, Li Jiabao, Li Ping, and Li Yan, all sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Father, you're back?" Li Zhen saw Li Jin through the window and quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) to open the door and greet him.

"You're back, Zhenzhen. Pack your father's luggage, just a few clothes will do," Li Jin instructed Li Zhen.

"Father—" Before she could finish her sentence, tears welled up in Li Zhen's eyes.

"It's alright!" Li Jin patted his daughter's head. He rarely had such a close interaction with his fourth daughter.

"Dad! How could you be so impulsive!" Li Weijun said with dissatisfaction.

Li Jin looked up at him but didn't say anything.

Li Weijun continued, "Dad, to put it bluntly, the commune didn't hold you accountable for leading the way on the capitalist road, that's good enough. Besides, this is a matter for the whole brigade, why do you have to drag yourself into it!"

"According to you, I should thank Sun Zhiqing!" Li Jin's words were ambiguous.

“You should go apologize to Director Sun right away. You didn’t hit him. Hand over the person who did it, and let them be dealt with according to the law.” Li Weijun helped Li Jin sit down and said softly, “Dad, if you maintain a good relationship with the commune, my job will be a piece of cake in the future. How could you be so foolish…”

Li Jin's pent-up emotions finally broke down, and he slapped his eldest son, Li Weijun, across the face!

Li Weijun's eyes widened in disbelief. "Dad! You hit me!"

His father never even touched him when he was a child. When he went out to join the army, he could still hear his father crying secretly at night.

Today, he only said a few heartfelt words, and his father slapped him!

"Dad, why are you hitting your son!" Zhao Sufang looked at her eldest son's swollen cheeks and felt a pang of heartache.

Li Jin didn't speak, but Li Jiabao interjected, "Mom, doesn't Dad always beat me and my second brother? He just really likes to beat his sons!"

Zhao Sufang: ...

Li Weijun felt a little disheartened. How could he have ended up with such an unreasonable father?

"Father, you won't listen to me now, but you'll realize sooner or later that I'm doing this for your own good. Second brother, he's still young, and he's causing trouble. Are you just going to let him do whatever he wants? Now, not only will you be going to jail, but we'll all be implicated!"

Li Weijun's mouth hurt as he spoke; his father really went all out!

Li Jin suddenly smiled and said, "Wei Jun, if I go in, you'll still have to take on the responsibilities at home!"

Li Weijun took a step back. "Dad, I'm still young and haven't even started a family yet. How can I shoulder such a heavy burden!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Weijun noticed the disappointed looks in his mother's and siblings' eyes, so he quickly changed his words, "What I mean is, this family still needs you. You'll be alright."

"Mom, let's cook."

Li Jin suddenly felt a little disheartened. This was his eldest son, and he actually said such a thing.

What a fine son he is!

Overwhelmed with disappointment, Li Jin lost all motivation and desire to educate him further.

"Sixth Brother! Sixth Brother!" came a voice from outside.

Li Jin greeted them, "Come in!"

Li Kang strode in. "Sixth Brother, Xiang Dong just came to see me. They have no idea who beat up the work team members. Even if the police come to arrest us, as long as we deny it to the death, they can't do anything about it!"

"Xiang Dong said, 'The law doesn't punish everyone!' They can't arrest all 700-plus people in our village!"

"As for you, Xiang Dong said he was afraid you'd stick your neck out, so he told me to keep an eye on you. Besides, you didn't actually hit anyone."

Li Jin took out a box of "Golden Leaf" cigarettes from the cabinet, lit one for Li Kang, and asked, "Where's Xiang Dong?"

"Xiang Dong just gave us instructions, telling everyone to deny hitting anyone and just say the work group was joking with us. After saying that, he rode away on his bike, and we don't know where he went."

Li Kang took a drag of his cigarette and sat by the door, determined to keep a close watch on his sixth brother.

Sun Zhiqing, his face smeared with gentian violet and looking disheveled, sat in Chen Yigan's office. "Send men immediately to arrest Li Jin and the others! Arrest them all! Send them straight to the labor camp!"

Sun Zhiqing was the deputy head of Wudaohe Commune, and Chen Yigan was the head of Wudaohe Police Station. Sun Zhiqing was Chen Yigan's superior.

Director Chen looked at the five people. Although they looked seriously injured, they shouldn't be seriously injured. It was just that the victims had come to report the case. Regardless of whether they were leaders of the commune, he had to take care of it.

Soon, four policemen arrived at the Lijiapo Police Station in a car with a sidecar and sirens blaring.

Before even entering the village, I saw a large group of people standing at the village entrance.