CH 356

At this time, the sun was already halfway setting for the day as it was hanging in the western part of the sky. The evening breeze was cool, but Han Qingsong felt a surge of warmth in the pit of his heart.

When he arrived at the Commune by bicycle, Sun Zhuowen and Huang Weizhong ran over and waited on him attentively.

Han Qingsong’s facial expressions were normal, “Did Han Qinghua catch it?”

“Caught… We caught him!” Sun Zhuowen laughed and said, “If one doesn’t have food tickets or a letter of introduction these days, there’s really nowhere to go.”

Huang Weizhong added, “He turned himself in because he was too hungry. He is locked up in our courtyard right now.”

Han Qingsong nodded and not a noticeable change in expression could be seen on his face as he said that he was going to have a look.

Sun Zhuowen hurriedly led the way, no longer the haughty and tentative man he was at the beginning. Now, he only wished he could carry a sedan chair for Han Qingsong.

Originally, he was thinking about competing with Han Qingsong, but he had stopped thinking about it. He only hoped that Han Qingsong would be promoted as he didn’t dare to try pulling any stunts any longer. Upon looking at Zhao Anpin’s family, and how pitiful they ended up, Sun Zhuowen noted that although he didn’t do anything to him, Han Qingsong could very easily deal with his arrogant manner back then at any given moment.

This time though, things were different.

Han Qinghua no longer behaved the same as he did. Last time, he was still putting on airs, trying to flex his prideful self and sway with his position in the family to his Third Brother. He wanted to make his Third Brother troubled by not being able to live up to their parents’ requests.

But now, when he saw Han Qingsong, he rushed forward and cried loudly, “Third Brother, please let me go home, I really can’t take it anymore.”

Han Qingsong stood as tall and straight as the pagoda tree in the yard with his hands behind his back, “Do you know what you did wrong?”

“I was wrong, I know my faults now. I was wrong, I was really wrong…” Han Qinghua almost knelt down and kowtowed. If kowtows were useful, he would do a thousand of them there and then.

From the moment he ran out of the farm, he was put in a sack. Upon opening his eyes, he found that he was trapped in a small dark room and knew that everything was over for him. Fortunately, no one beat him up there, but there was no food at all. Finally, he opened the wooden door and ran to the Public Security Bureau as he didn’t dare to return home.

“Then work hard and strive for a reduced sentence.”

“Ah? Y-you won’t let me go home?” Han Qinghua looked at his Third Brother in horror, “I’m your own brother!”

Han Qingsong, “And if I break the law, I will be convicted. Will I be exempted just because you’re my brother?”

Sun Zhuowen thought to himself, how ruthless.

Han Qinghua burst into tears, fighting that he would be tormented by Zhao Jianshe.

“No one will bully you anymore, so if you work hard, you’ll find that the situation is almost the same as being at home,” Han Qingsong said, “Father and mother can also visit you and you can go home for occasional visits in 3 and a half years.”

As long as it was not a serious crime, even if someone was sentenced to 8 or 10 years, anyone who would work hard in the labour camp were the same. After all, the camp was mainly prepared for some political prisoners who have been denounced. Most of the prisoners were just people with bad backgrounds; rarely were there any true convicts.

In addition, crimes such as theft and hooliganism would be sentenced to the labour camp after being denounced, but some would be forced to take a myriad of other lessons as well. For some people, mental shackles were more effective as a punishment compared to physical labour or imprisonment.