Chapter 226: Too Late for Regrets, a Sensible Girl
Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Too Late for Regrets, a Sensible Girl
Wang Cuihua was inconsolable and completely incapable of handling the funeral arrangements. The villagers took pity on the widow and her orphans and helped with the service. Not long after Wang Dadan’s death, his elderly mother passed away from the shock, and the villagers had to arrange a funeral for her as well.
By the time the dust settled, half a month had passed. The villains had finally received the punishment they deserved.
Liu Lanhua, Li Siming, Zheng Delin, and Wang Pozi were sentenced to prison terms ranging from ten to twenty years for child trafficking. Li Shan was now a fugitive. Though he hadn’t been caught yet, he was a wanted man who could never return.
Now, in Li Siming and Liu Lanhua’s home, only their sixteen-year-old daughter, Li Ying, remained.
The young girl was completely stunned. ’Her brother had just been talking about getting her a job in a factory so she could find a good husband someday. How, in the blink of an eye, had her parents become child traffickers and her brother a murderer? It might be a frame-up, but it’s impossible that *everyone* in the village would claim her brother killed Wang Dadan.’
’Then there was that time her parents were pulling the flatbed cart to the county town with two sacks on it. She’d asked what was inside, and her mother, Liu Lanhua, had said it was a couple of piglets. She hadn’t thought anything of it then, but to think Little Red Carp and Zhao Xiaohai had been in those sacks...’
Li Ying was terrified. Her parents were arrested, her brother was a fugitive, and she felt too ashamed to face the other villagers, so she hid at home. But she couldn’t just sit around until her resources ran out. She had no choice but to go out and ask Li Guihua to find some work for her.
She understood that from now on, she could only rely on herself.
Li Ying also asked Miao Dahai to take her to visit her incarcerated parents so she could bring them some clothes.
Seeing Li Ying’s filial piety and knowing she was innocent of her family’s crimes, Miao Dahai agreed.
When Liu Lanhua and Li Siming heard their son had killed Wang Dadan and fled, they were heartbroken, but a small part of them also felt a sense of relief. ’The world is vast; let Li Shan find his own way out there.’ In front of her daughter, Liu Lanhua no longer dared to speak ill of others. She knew that with her and her husband in prison, the only people their daughter could rely on were the villagers.
"Daughter, we brought this on ourselves. We know we were wrong now, and we’re facing the consequences," Liu Lanhua said, choking back sobs. "If we hadn’t done those terrible things, we wouldn’t be paying for it like this today."
Hearing her mother’s words, Li Ying burst into tears. She knew her parents were wrong, but they had doted on her since she was little, and she couldn’t bring herself to blame them. After a long moment, she managed to say through her sobs, "Mom, Dad, please take care of yourselves. Serve your sentences well and try to earn leniency. I’ll work hard out here and wait for you to come out."
Liu Lanhua sighed. What she feared most was that her daughter would get fixated on revenge. If that happened, she would end up in prison or on the run, just like them. "People might gossip at first, but don’t pay them any mind. It will pass. Also, you’re still young. Don’t go to your maternal grandmother’s house, and don’t trust anyone. If you need anything, go find Miao Dahai and Li Guihua. They’re good people. Even if they don’t like our family, they’re respected figures in the village and won’t deliberately make things difficult for you."
At this moment, Liu Lanhua had to admit that Miao Dahai and Li Guihua were good people.
"Mm, I know, Mom." Li Ying nodded, choking back tears. Then, their time was up. As reluctant as she was to part, she had to leave.
Miao Dahai went to see Li Siming.
When Li Siming saw Miao Dahai, he was overcome with shame. But for his daughter’s sake, he forced himself to speak. "Brother Miao, please be the bigger person and don’t hold our faults against Yingzi. We did so many terrible things, but she didn’t know. She wasn’t involved at all."
"I know. If she were involved, she’d be in prison with the rest of you," Miao Dahai said. "Li Siming, while you’re in here, I want you to think long and hard about everything you’ve done over the years! It’s not shameful for people to be a little selfish, but you can’t go around harming others. Just look at what you and Wang Dadan did. If you still don’t understand what you did wrong, then you’ve wasted your life."
Li Siming flushed beet-red, his face a mask of shame. Outwardly and inwardly, he was filled with regret.
’Miao Dahai was right. It was one thing to be selfish, but you couldn’t harm others. Though Wang Dadan had pressured them at first, he and his wife later started doing these things of their own accord. Especially after their son showed up; he gave them hope and made them want to strike back.’
’Now, everything was ruined.’
’They were prisoners, and their son was a fugitive. There was no telling what would happen next.’
’But it was too late for words, too late for regrets.’
"I know I was wrong. I will serve my sentence properly," Li Siming wept, not daring to meet Miao Dahai’s gaze. He choked out, "Brother Miao, Yingzi is still so young. Please look after her. When I get out, I’ll work like an animal to repay your kindness."
Seeing Li Siming break down like this, Miao Dahai was filled with emotion. ’A person just can’t afford to take that first wrong step. If you do something wrong, you have to fix it right away. If you can’t, then even if you recognize your mistake, you’re doomed to keep making one wrong move after another!’
"Yingzi is a good girl. As the village chief, I’ve watched her grow up. Of course I won’t make things difficult for her," Miao Dahai said. "I just hope you two can truly reform yourselves in there and earn an early release. Don’t disappoint Yingzi again."
As the head of the village, Miao Dahai found what Li Siming and Liu Lanhua had done utterly despicable. At the same time, as someone responsible for the village, he felt he had failed in his duty to manage Nianqiao Village, letting down both the villagers and his ancestors.
After Miao Dahai came out, he let Li Ying say a few final words to her father before ending the visit.
On the way back, Li Ying sat on the ox-cart. She was still deeply saddened, but she wasn’t crying anymore.
Back in Nianqiao Village, Li Ying bowed deeply to Miao Dahai. "Uncle Miao," she said gratefully, "I’m going to work hard from now on. I won’t be like my parents, only remembering people’s faults and never their kindness! Thank you for taking me to see them today. I’ll be fine, and I’ll wait for them to reform themselves and be released. Then I’ll be there to care for them in their old age."
Hearing her words, Miao Dahai nodded. "You’re a good child! You have a long road ahead of you. If you run into any difficulties at home, you just have to say the word. As long as you’re determined to improve and you respect yourself, the good people of Nianqiao Village won’t give you a hard time. You might hear some gossip, but don’t take it to heart. It will die down after a while. Just focus on living a good life."
"I understand, Uncle Miao." Li Ying nodded. "I see things clearly now. I won’t follow in the footsteps of my parents and my brother. I’ll keep my feet on the ground and live an honest life."