“I have no objection to how it is handled. My family also left with nothing, and we didn’t steal any grain from the Han family. Besides, when we divided the family property, we agreed to sever all ties.”
Yunniang's meaning was clear: let the Han family make a fuss as they please, but don't involve her branch of the family.
Han Qiang sighed; he still had to clean up this mess at the Han family's place.
"Han Datou, do you mean that if they don't return the grain, you'll report them to the authorities?"
"Yes, we, the old couple, also need to survive."
Han Datou nodded solemnly. He had figured it out today; he couldn't count on his three sons at all. Even though his two sons weren't completely useless yet, they were still willing to risk their lives to steal his food.
When the two get old and can no longer do anything, is it possible for their three sons to take care of them in their old age and see them off in their final days?
The only person he could rely on was Mingyuan. Although they had severed ties, he believed that as long as he didn't continue, Mingyuan wouldn't abandon them to their fate under the right circumstances.
"Brother Han, what do you three brothers think? Don't say the grain has nothing to do with you. If Han Datou really reports it to the authorities, you should know that the government isn't just sitting around doing nothing."
"These kinds of things are always investigated and confirmed."
"I……"
Just as Han Laoda was about to argue, Han Laoer tugged at her arm and spoke first: "Uncle Han, we had no choice."
“Look at our three families, with several mouths to feed, adults and children, we don’t have a single grain of food. How are we supposed to survive?”
“My father and mother clearly had several hundred pounds of grain, but when the family property was divided, they didn’t say a word and just watched us adults and children starve. Yet they…”
As Han Lao Er spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. It was truly unbelievable that a grown man could cry so easily.
“That’s right, Uncle Han. You have no idea how we’ve survived this past month. We were starving, our stomachs were practically touching our backs, and we were living a life worse than death. But my parents had hidden hundreds of pounds of grain and just watched us starve to death. We had no other choice.”
The onlookers were stunned; the Han family had truly crossed a line. Whether old or young, their actions were beyond human comprehension.
Han Qiang looked at Han Datou, who spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "There really wasn't any food left when we divided the family property. The food we had later was given to us by Xue Yatou. She's been so kind to us old folks, should we give it to you too?"
When everyone learned that the Han family had several hundred kilograms of grain, they were somewhat surprised, as everyone knew the Han family's situation. But when they heard that the grain was given by Han Luoxue, they suddenly understood.
However, everyone was even more curious. Han Luoxue was not an easy person to talk to, so why would she give the Han family so much grain?
"Impossible! Why would the girl give you so much grain for no reason? This must be our old stock."
Han Laosi jumped out and loudly retorted.
"That's right, Xue Yatou hates you guys the most, she's not going to give you any food."
Han Lao Er couldn't believe it either.
"These two really were given to me by Xue Yatou. You can ask Han Qiang if you don't believe me."
The group then turned their attention to Han Qiang. They knew that Han Qiang wouldn't lie for Han Datou. Under their expectant gazes, Han Qiang slowly nodded: "Although I don't know why Xue Yatou left food for Han Datou, it was indeed what she said before she left. The food was also taken from me."
"No, it's impossible!" The Han brothers were still shouting frantically, refusing to believe it.
Yunniang lowered her head, concealing the bitterness in her eyes.
Han Qiang didn't know why Xue'er had left the food behind, but he knew. Wasn't it all for her? He wondered if Xue'er had found out about her background.
Yunniang's feelings were extremely complicated. She wanted to know who her parents were and why they had abandoned her.
Yet she was also afraid to know that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, it was a fact that they hadn't contacted her all these years. Perhaps they had long forgotten they even had a daughter.
Regardless, she still wanted to know where her roots lay.
"There's no need to report this to the authorities for such a small matter, Han Datou. Xueya gave you sweet potato vines last time, and this batch of sweet potatoes will be ready for harvest soon. The two of you can't possibly eat that much grain. These three are still your sons, after all. How about this: you lend them some grain, and when the harvest comes next year, they can pay you back double. What do you think of this idea?"
Han Datou thought about it carefully and finally nodded. Although he would also be at a disadvantage by doing this, they were still his sons and grandsons. Could he really be so heartless as to let them starve to death?
"We can lend them some first, but we need to leave enough for the two of us to eat."
What do you three think?
"These sweet potatoes will be harvested soon, so you can just eat the sweet potatoes. It's so convenient for older people to eat sweet potatoes, isn't it?"
Han's eldest daughter-in-law pouted.
"That's right, Dad, Mom. Sweet potatoes are easy to digest. You're getting old, so it's best to eat something easy to digest."
Han Lao Si's wife also spoke up to persuade him.
Everyone was stunned by what the two women said. "You know sweet potatoes are easy to digest, and your sweet potatoes are almost ready for harvest, why don't you eat them yourselves?"
This time, Han Datou was smart enough not to say anything. He looked up at Han Qiang and waited for him to handle the situation.
"You guys are really something..." Han Qiang was at a loss for words.
"Fine, I can't handle your family's affairs. You two can discuss it yourselves. Han Datou, if you want to go and sue the authorities, go ahead."
None of the Han family members are normal. Old Mrs. Han was ignorant before, but now that I see it, none of her sons are normal.
"What happened?"
When Han Mingyuan returned home and didn't see his wife, he heard from Doctor Xu that she had come to Han Qiang's house, so he rushed over.
Upon seeing him arrive, the group chattered and explained the situation. Han Mingyuan was speechless: "Uncle Han Qiang makes a lot of sense. You really want to see an official? These days, once you're inside, you can't get out."
Everyone outside was starving, including the jailers. The prison is now empty; the people inside weren't released, they all starved to death. As for what happened to them after they died, nobody saw their bodies.
"Third brother is right, let's borrow the grain then." Second brother Han reacted quickly and hurriedly agreed.
Firstly, he wanted to save face for Han Mingyuan, and secondly, he was afraid that Han Datou would actually report him to the authorities. He had heard that the people in prison had been eaten, and he didn't want to become someone else's food.
"Then let's listen to the second brother," Han the eldest said. Han the fourth wanted to say something, but now he was the only one who remained silent, and he couldn't stir up any trouble.
The matter is considered over, but Han Qiang is still troubled: "The Han family just won't stop causing trouble for a moment."
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