Chapter 360 - 316: The Hu Family (2)
Chapter 360: Chapter 316: The Hu Family (2)
Hu Laosan’s anxiety was far from over; an even bigger problem had just arrived at his doorstep.
One day at noon, a procession of vehicles drove up the road outside the village. Leading the way were two three-wheeled motorcycle sidecars and a jeep, followed by a large truck. Behind the truck trailed six or seven men on heavy-duty bicycles. The entire group stopped at the village entrance. The people who disembarked were a mix of police officers—wearing large-brimmed caps, white shirts, blue trousers, and holstered pistols—and official-looking cadres in Zhongshan suits. The sight drew a massive crowd of curious villagers. A short while later, blood-curdling wails erupted from the dusty courtyard of the Hu Family’s home on the eastern edge of the village.
The crying moved from inside the house, to the yard, and soon, outside the courtyard gate. The first to be dragged out by the police were two young women, between eighteen and twenty years old. They were dressed neatly and respectably, not like girls who did farm work. But after their struggle, their clothes were now in disarray and their hair was a mess. Their faces, streaked with tears and contorted in terror, were a deathly, bluish pale. They looked no different from ghosts.
These two women were Hu Xiu’e and Hu Aiyi, the ones who had conspired to trick Xinghua, take her to the county town, and personally hand her over to the traffickers. Hu Xiu’e was Hu Laosan’s younger daughter, while Hu Aiyi was the granddaughter of Hu Laoer, who also lived in the Hu Family Courtyard. The two of them—paternal aunt and niece—were both teachers at the local primary school, hired by the community.
Behind Hu Xiu’e and Hu Aiyi were four or five more people, also in handcuffs. They were all from the Hu Family!
Hu Laosan, Mrs. Hu, and his younger son, Hu Jia’an; Hu Laoer, his eldest son, second son, and eldest grandson—all were cuffed in pairs and dragged forward by the police, their faces fraught with panic and despair.
Hu Laosan’s eldest brother, Eldest Hu, had moved his family out of the old residence years ago to build a new homestead and no longer lived in the Hu Family Courtyard. He now rushed over, demanding to know what was going on.
The village secretary and a few other village cadres were standing with the officials from the county and the commune. When Eldest Hu grabbed him to ask about the situation, the secretary’s face hardened. He said sternly:
"You have the nerve to ask? Your family is full of delinquents who refuse honest work, always getting into crooked, criminal schemes. You’re a disgrace to our entire village!"
Another village cadre, who was related to Eldest Hu by marriage, sighed and explained, "Hu Laosan was never a good person, not even in his youth. He was always involved in illegal speculation and profiteering. People have always said his eldest son, Hu Jiabao, was stolen from somewhere else by him and his wife. Now, Hu Jiabao has found his birth parents in G Province. He’s not coming back ever again; he’s going to live with his real parents! Then there’s the recent business with Xinghua. The evidence is irrefutable—witnesses, material proof, everything. It proves your family’s Hu Xiu’e and Hu Aiyi tricked her, sold her to traffickers, who then sold her into G Province. And there, by sheer coincidence, she ran into her biological grandparents! Her grandparents are not ordinary people. They went straight to the Public Security Bureau. Of course, the police bureaus across the country coordinate with each other. The two provinces worked together, followed the leads, and took down a whole trafficking ring. And guess what? A relative of Hu Laosan’s wife was part of that ring! His wife and your family’s two girls were all in on trafficking Xinghua. They all took the money! With all that, how could the police not come and arrest them?"
"It was Hu Laosan... they... they worked together to sell Xinghua?"
Eldest Hu was dumbfounded, his eyes nearly popping out of his head. He glanced over and saw the gentle, scholarly-looking Hu Jia’an, wearing glasses. This was Hu Laosan’s younger son, a very bright young man. He had just graduated from the Worker Peasant Soldier University and been assigned a job. His future was boundless; he was the pride of Hu Laosan and, indeed, the entire Hu Family. He had a state-assigned job! He couldn’t possibly be involved in a trafficking crime. How could he have been arrested too?
Eldest Hu quickly pointed at Hu Jia’an and asked the village cadre, "This one, this one! My nephew, he’s a university graduate. He wouldn’t commit a crime, would he? And Hu Laoer’s sons and grandson, what did they do?"
Before the cadre could answer, the village secretary shot a sidelong glance at the pale, handcuffed Hu Jia’an. He snorted loudly and declared, "You know the saying, ’you can know a person’s face, but not their heart’? That’s Hu Jia’an! All those years of education, completely wasted! While he may not have overtly participated in the trafficking ring, he was right there beside Hu Xiu’e and Hu Aiyi when they took Xinghua to the county town and handed her over to the trafficker! That trafficker is a relative from his mother’s side of the family, and they’ve testified to it! That’s harboring a criminal, which is as good as participating! As for Hu Laoer’s family, they’ve committed other crimes besides this. They’re all being taken in for interrogation and sentencing!"
After he finished speaking, the village secretary let out a silent sigh of relief. ’That punk Hu Jia’an is finished for good this time. He’ll never be able to make a comeback! This is perfect. My niece can finally be at ease! Hu Laosan is rotten to the core, and that son of his is no better. I remember when the two of them came to my house, begging for a university recommendation slot. The son sweet-talked my niece into a relationship. But who knew that the moment he graduated and got his job assignment, he’d want to break up with her. I hadn’t even figured out how to deal with him, and now he’s gone and dug his own grave!’