In a private room at Chang’an Restaurant, the conversation among the group continued.
Suddenly, Hu Zhiqiang’s wife, Guo Hongyu, asked, “Lingyun, did you come here this time to visit Yong County?”
“Yes. It’s been over twenty years since I left. I want to go back and take a look, and settle some unfinished business while I’m at it!” said Ye Lingyun.
Hu Zhiqiang looked at Ye Lingyun and said, “Sis-in-law, honestly, there’s not much point in going anymore. After all, those people have already received their just punishment. Why don’t you just stay in Chang’an? I’ll have your sister-in-law take you around and show you the sights of Chang’an!”
Ye Lingyun shook her head and said, “I’m not going back for those who’ve done wrong. I just want to see the place where Xue’er used to live—a forbidden place I haven’t dared set foot in for the past twenty years—and take a look at the factory where I used to work.”
“As for those who caused my daughter and me to be separated for nearly twenty years, as long as they’re punished, that’s all that matters. The rest doesn’t really matter.”
“The fact that you can think this way, sister-in-law, shows that you’ve truly let go. That’s wonderful!”
As Hu Zhiqiang spoke, his gaze shifted to Li Yi, and he continued, “Nephew-in-law, you must be well aware of the verdict handed down to those people, right?”
Li Yi replied calmly, “I do know a bit about it. Why do you ask?”
“Are you satisfied with the outcome of their cases?”
“What difference does it make whether I’m satisfied or not? I’m not the one deciding how many years they’ll serve!” Li Yi replied.
“So, it seems you’re still somewhat dissatisfied with the verdicts handed down to certain individuals!” Hu Zhiqiang said, fixing Li Yi with a piercing gaze.
Li Yi looked at him and said immediately, “Indeed. In my view, even if the Tang family were to be torn to pieces a thousand times over, it wouldn’t be enough to atone for their crimes. They stole not only twenty years of Xiaoxue’s life, but they also nearly drove her to the brink of despair. Not sentencing them to death is simply too lenient.”
“And those accomplices—sentences of three or five years, or even just two years—are far too lenient!”
As he spoke, Li Yi thought of his past life.
It was precisely because of the pressure from those bastards that Jiang Xue eventually took her own life in despair, effectively destroying her family as well.
Although he and Jiang Xue bore some responsibility for what happened, those people were the real culprits.
Hu Zhiqiang paused briefly, then said, “Son-in-law, take my advice. The matter is over. This time, just go and peacefully accompany your mother-in-law on her final journey. Don’t stir up any trouble! It’s not worth it for those people!”
Li Yi frowned. Just as he was about to speak, the door to the private room swung open, and several waiters walked in carrying dishes.
Hu Zhiqiang could see Li Yi’s stance, so he didn’t dwell on the subject any further. Instead, he smiled and said, “I’m sure everyone’s hungry. Let’s dig in!”
“Alright, let’s dig in…”
………
By the time they finished dinner, it was already nine o’clock.
Back at the guesthouse, Ye Lingyun called Li Yi and Jiang Xue into her room.
As soon as they entered, Ye Lingyun looked at Li Yi and said, “Xiao Yi, it sounded like Brother Zhiqiang was hinting at something. Do you know what he meant?”
“Mom, don’t read too much into it…”
Before Li Yi could finish, his mother-in-law said in a stern voice, “Xiao Yi, I want the truth!”
Li Yi paused briefly, then said, “I think Uncle Hu’s words just now had two meanings. First, he has some grievances against me, and second, he’s giving me a stern talking-to or a warning!”
Ye Lingyun frowned and said, “What gives him the right to have a bone to pick with you? And why would he want to give you a warning?”
“Maybe he thinks I used some unscrupulous methods when I was investigating Xiao Xue’s background earlier, and that makes him, as her husband, feel a bit uneasy!”
Before Ye Lingyun could press further, Li Yi recounted in detail everything that had happened when he and Jiang Xue came to Yong County two years ago, including how he had uncovered the truth.
Although he had employed some unconventional methods along the way, Li Yi didn’t hold anything back; he believed his mother-in-law would understand.
Sure enough, after hearing Li Yi’s account, Ye Lingyun immediately said, “That’s exactly the kind of approach you should take against those bad and evil people. You don’t need to feel guilty, and don’t worry about what they think. I support you in this!”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Mom, I don’t have a guilty conscience!”
“Really?”
“No!”
Then Li Yi added, “You can’t advise others to be good unless you’ve suffered yourself; and even if you have suffered, you might not be as good as I am! They don’t know what Xiao Xue went through, but I do. Just for the pain she endured, they all deserve to die.”
“Honestly, they should be grateful for the law and for being born into this peaceful society!”
Although Li Yi didn’t voice the rest of his thoughts, both Jiang Xue and Ye Lingyun understood exactly what he meant.
Jiang Xue immediately stepped forward, took Li Yi’s hand, and gently comforted him: “You mustn’t act on impulse. Uncle Hu was right—it’s not worth getting your hands dirty over those people!”
Ye Lingyun added, “That’s right. The government and the law have already punished them for their crimes. We shouldn’t get involved any further!”
Li Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t want to get involved either, but Uncle Hu’s words just now have made me a little suspicious!”
“What are you suspicious about?” Ye Lingyun asked.
“I can’t shake the feeling that his last words were a warning, telling me to stop while I’m ahead. And the reason he’s doing this is likely because something has happened in Yong County that we don’t know about!” Li Yi said.
“But… what could possibly be happening over there?” Jiang Xue frowned.
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just overthinking it!” Li Yi said.
Ye Lingyun immediately replied, “Don’t overthink it. We’re heading to Yong County tomorrow anyway—we’ll find out once we get there!”
“Right!”
“Alright, we’ve got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. You two should go back and get some rest!” Ye Lingyun said.
“Okay…”
………
Downtown. The Hu Family Home!
Just as Li Yi was discussing the matter with his mother-in-law, Hu Zhiqiang also returned home.
Upon entering, he went straight to his study, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.
After a few rings, the call was answered.
“Who is this?”
“Shiying, it’s me!” Hu Zhiqiang said.
“Did you pick up Lingyun and the others?”
“We picked them up ages ago. We just finished eating!”
Then Hu Zhiqiang added, “Are you busy right now? If not, I’d like to talk to you about something!”
“I’m very busy, but I have time for a quick call. What’s up?” Jiang Shiying said.
“Here’s the thing. Do you remember Tang Bing, the youngest daughter of the Tang family, and that young man from the Tan family?” Hu Zhiqiang asked.
“I do. What’s up?”
“They’ve been released from prison!”
“They’re out? When did that happen? How did they get out so quickly?” Jiang Shiying frowned.
“Their crimes weren’t that serious to begin with. Even with the harshest sentences, it was only two years for one and three years for the other. Tang Bing was released early after having five months knocked off her sentence for good behavior in prison!”
Hu Zhiqiang continued, “As for Tan Cheng, although his sentence was a bit harsher, he performed meritoriously during his rehabilitation in prison—and his contributions were significant—so he was also released early not long ago.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then he said, “Fine, let them be released. They weren’t the main culprits anyway. You didn’t call just to tell me all this, did you?”
“No, I’m worried about your son-in-law!”
“Xiao Yi, what are you worried about him for?” Jiang Shiying asked, puzzled.
“That guy holds a grudge for the slightest offense. He’s smart and cunning. I’m really worried that once he finds out those two were released early, he’ll stir up more trouble!” Hu Zhiqiang said in a low voice.
“I don’t think so. Xiao Yi knows his limits. As long as those two scoundrels don’t go looking for trouble, he shouldn’t do anything extreme!” Jiang Shiying said.
“Let’s hope so. I don’t mean anything by this; I just wanted to give you a heads-up. If you have time, you could…”
Before Hu Zhiqiang could finish, Jiang Shiying cut him off: “No need!”
Jiang Shiying knew her son-in-law very well. He was a billionaire and held great favor with the higher-ups—why would he bother with those two nobodies?
Then, before Hu Zhiqiang could say a word, Jiang Shiying spoke again: “I’ve got things to do. We’ll talk later. Bye!”
Listening to the steady beeping coming from the receiver, Hu Zhiqiang looked utterly helpless…
…….