While the Sun family was enjoying their drinks, the Jia family, also in the courtyard, seemed unusually quiet.
Yang Laoshi drank alone, Qin Huairu was preoccupied, and Huaihua sat silently beside him. Neither of them were in the mood for eating.
Because of the holiday, several dishes were cooked on the table tonight. Yang Laoshi drank wine while observing the locust flowers, but the more he looked at them, the more frustrated he felt.
"Huaihua! Ever since we arranged this marriage for you, we haven't seen you happy for a single day. What's wrong? Your parents raised you all these years, and now you're turning into a grudge?"
"Heh!" Huaihua scoffed. "You're arranging a marriage for me? Should I thank you? But that person has a leg disability, didn't you know that?"
"You can't say that. Apart from this little problem, Xiao Yang has a job and a house. What does he have that makes him unworthy of you? You should be secretly happy."
Despite how honest Mr. Yang is, the "Little Yang" he's talking about is actually named Yang Wei, and he's his cousin's son.
Having suffered from polio since childhood, he has difficulty walking and is now 26 years old, but still cannot find a wife.
As the locust flower grew, Yang Wei began to have designs on her, offering to pay a dowry of 100 yuan to marry her.
He also promised that if Yang Laoshi could make this happen, he would reward him handsomely.
But to their utter surprise, Huaihua only met him once and then refused to come, which led to tonight's scene.
"Alright, stop talking. I won't agree to this marriage," Huaihua said again.
"If you dare not marry me, I'll break your legs! Since ancient times, marriages have been arranged by parents and matchmakers. Your mother has already agreed and accepted the dowry. What right do you have to refuse?"
Faced with Yang Laoshi's threat, Huaihua didn't tolerate him and glared at him fiercely.
“If you dare to push me, I’ll complain to Grandma Lin. I refuse to believe that no one can deal with you.”
After saying that, Huaihua was so angry that she didn't want to eat anymore, and got up to walk outside...
Yang Laoshi was furious at her lack of respect and took it out on Qin Huairu, who was standing to the side.
"Qin Huairu, what's wrong with you tonight? Your daughter is about to rebel, aren't you going to do anything about it? You took the bride price, and now it's all my business?"
Yang Laoshi's shout brought Qin Huairu back to reality. She was still unaware of what had just happened.
"What's wrong, Lao Yang?"
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong? I'm talking about your daughter's marriage! What are you thinking about?"
Yang Laoshi was furious. What kind of people were these?!
So, he talked for ages, but everyone else just ignored him.
"I'm sorry, Lao Yang. You know, Banggeng is getting out of prison tomorrow. I'm thinking about his situation. After all, once the kid comes back, we need to find him a job and a wife!"
In fact, Qin Huairu was lying when she said that.
Because these are not her biggest concerns. What she fears most is whether her son and Lao Yang will fight when they meet.
After all, she knew her son's temper better than anyone.
When Yang Laoshi heard his wife's explanation, he didn't get angry this time. Instead, he nodded in agreement, which was quite unusual for him.
He hasn't had any children in recent years, and he'll be relying on his family for retirement, so necessary expenses can't be reduced.
...
Soon, all the families in the courtyard had finished their dinner, and the next step was to pay New Year's greetings to their elders.
The Sun family children love this kind of thing the most, simply because they have many elders in the family, so they receive a lot of lucky money.
After the excitement, it was 8 p.m., and Grandpa and Grandma decided to stay the night.
With nothing to do, Sun Zhengguo was dragged by his cousin to play cards. They played until very late before the family returned to the compound.
...
A new day begins, the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Laughter and joy filled the city, with firecrackers popping everywhere.
However, in Fangshan, a suburb of Beijing, there is a very quiet place: the Quarry Farm.
Early in the morning, right after breakfast, our chosen one from another dimension, Comrade Banggeng, stood at the cell door, carrying a cloth bag and looking around.
At this time, his face was aged, his eyes were lifeless, and he looked even older than when he was young.
"Jia Geng".
Upon hearing Officer Li's familiar voice, Bang Geng instinctively shouted, "Here!"
"Pick your luggage and come to the duty room. You're ready to be released." Warden Li's voice came from the corridor again.
Upon hearing the words "release from prison," Bang Geng's eyes lit up, and he revealed a long-lost smile.
He even forgot the rules, and without even answering "yes," he limped toward the duty room.
Upon arriving at the door of the duty room, Banggeng finally came to his senses, remembered the rules, and shouted, "Report!"
"Come in!"
With Li's permission, Bang Geng entered the duty room.
Looking at his limping leg, Warden Li shook his head helplessly. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have wasted a sentence reduction quota.
“Jia Geng, you know how you got this sentence reduction, so I hope you stay clear-headed. We can reduce your sentence and make up for it, so please remember that.”
"Yes, please rest assured, Inspector Li, my sentence reduction of one year is entirely due to my meritorious service in saving someone, and has nothing to do with anything else."
"Um!"
Li, the warden, nodded, then opened a drawer and took out a court commutation judgment, release certificate, and other documents, placing them all on the table.
"Sign here, and I'll take you out in a bit. If you can catch the first bus, you might be able to go home for lunch."
"Thank you, Instructor Li."
Bang Geng didn't care about anything else; as long as he could get out, he would sign wherever he was told to.
Soon, all the release procedures were completed, and Manager Li took out another 5 yuan and handed it to Bang Geng.
"These are for your expenses on the way back. Don't lose them. If you have any problems, you can ask the nearest police station for help anytime you present your release certificate, understand?"
"Understood, thank you, Instructor Li."
After everything was explained, Inspector Li didn't waste any more words. He led the stick through layers of checkpoints and finally arrived at the main gate.
"Alright, that's my way of seeing you off, Jia Geng. I hope you go back and start anew, and never come back again."
"Thank you for your concern, Instructor Li," Banggeng said again.
Only when the prison gates slowly closed did he breathe in the air of freedom, slowly look up at the sky, and vent his frustration loudly.
"Ah~~~ I'm out again... Those who wronged me, just you wait..."
After a long while, having vented his anger, Bang Geng glanced at his left leg again. He had paid a considerable price to get his sentence reduced this time.
Several months ago, due to his own improper operation, a rock accidentally hit his left leg during blasting.
Although he ultimately saved his left leg, he was left with a disability and walks with a limp.
Later, the prison authorities investigated and found out the reason, but in order to cover it up, they reduced his sentence by one year.
However, can a one-year prison sentence compare to a foot injury?
Bang Geng dared not hate the prison, so he directed all his hatred towards the Sun family.
...
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