Listening to his mother’s familiar scolding, Liao Xianghe felt warm inside, "Mom, how did you get here?"
"If I didn’t come, were you planning to leave me behind, this old lady, and go serve time in jail?" Liao’s old mother snorted coldly, "Xianghe, how have I raised you since you were little? A person must be upright and honest, and should not engage in petty theft. Over the years, you have been a hoodlum behind my back, and I have let it pass. What have you done now?"
Liao Xianghe immediately knelt before Liao’s old mother, "Mom, your son has let you down, your son..."
Before Liao Xianghe could speak, a member of his gang stepped forward and said, "Auntie, you might not be aware, but Fiveth had made a foolish mistake while he was in the gang. The police are looking for him now, and we are persuading Fiveth to turn himself in."
Liao’s old mother ignored the gang member, her eyes fixed on Liao Xianghe as she spoke with deliberate emphasis, "Xianghe, your mother is asking you, what have you done?"
Liao Xianghe stammered, not daring to meet Liao’s old mother’s eyes. Could he say that he was about to confess to crimes he hadn’t committed, to take the fall for someone else, and spend the rest of his life in prison?
In front of his mother, he didn’t dare to say it, and he didn’t have the courage to either.
"Auntie," seeing Liao Xianghe not speaking, the gang member thought he had changed his mind, "Fiveth has committed a murder. Though time has passed since the incident, it doesn’t mean that the authorities will not pursue it. Auntie, if you care about Xianghe’s well-being, let him surrender himself to seek a lenient sentencing."
He had made a promise to the elder brother; if Liao Xianghe changed his mind, where would he find someone else to take the fall for the elder brother?
Listening to the gang member’s words, Liao’s old mother felt as if he was just farting, "Gang Member, I watched you grow up since you were little. I always thought you and my Xianghe were true brothers, but now it seems you are the one who stabs him in the back."
"Auntie, look at what you’re saying. I’m doing this for Fiveth’s own good. Besides, Five and I are as close as brothers, it’s not just talk. If I weren’t, I would definitely persuade Fiveth to run away rather than surrender. And I promised him that as long as he behaves himself inside, I’ll take care of you on the outside." Look, isn’t he the true brother? To tell the truth, he was even touched by his own loyalty.
"Mom, I didn’t kill anyone," Liao Xianghe knelt on the ground, choking up, "Mom, I didn’t. You have to believe your son. I’ve been taught by you since I was young and wouldn’t dare to commit such a serious crime."
The gang member’s expression changed, "Liao Xianghe, you better think carefully before you speak. If you anger the elder brother, you know what the consequences will be."
"Gang Member," Liao Xianghe stood up from the ground, looking the other man in the eye, "Mom taught me to be upright my whole life, to face up to my own actions. I refuse to admit to things I have not done, no matter what. I didn’t kill anyone, period."
"Liao Xianghe, the elder brother has irrefutable testimony and evidence against you. Don’t you think you can choose to admit guilt or deny it as you please," the gang member glanced at Liao’s old mother, puzzled. The old lady was supposed to be critically ill in the hospital at this time; how could she be here and looking quite well?
Nothing like the dying person she seemed to be before, about to meet her maker.
Could it be that the old lady’s previous condition was all an act?
With that thought, the gang member sneered, "Liao Xianghe, don’t think that just because Auntie is here, you can refuse to admit it. You have no choice in this matter, no one else but you is the second option."
The gang member signaled to his fellows, with two gangsters directly pulling out sharp knives from their pockets, threatening to coerce the old mother.
Who was Tie Bao? In his day, he was not a good man, especially known for highway robbery. Now, with these thugs getting tough on him, of course, he disagreed.
With a sweep of his legs, he knocked the sharp weapons out of their hands, standing protectively in front of the old lady, "Bullying an old lady, what sort of skill is that? If you have the guts, face me one-on-one."
The old lady was over eighty; bullying one so old truly is the vilest of deeds that only the lowest of brutes would commit.
Only then did the gang member notice Tie Bao, seemingly recalling him as someone who, like Liao Xianghe, worked for that woman Su Xiaofeng.
He smirked, "Brother, this is a matter between me and Fiveth. I would ask you, an outsider, not to meddle in our business."
An outsider dares to interfere, aren’t you afraid of retaliation?
Tie Bao scoffed, "I certainly can’t manage your business with Xianghe, but I am looking after the old lady; if you want to use the old lady to make your point, you’ll have to see if I agree first."
Liao Xianghe looked at Tie Bao gratefully. Their friendship was of short duration, yet here he was, displaying such loyalty, committed to protecting his mother, a true brother.
With a brother protecting his mother, Liao Xianghe suddenly felt a surge of confidence. Yes, if it’s something he hadn’t done, he definitely couldn’t admit to it. If he admitted to guilt, what would happen to his mother? She would surely be heartbroken.
If he confessed to being guilty, it would surely be a blow his mother couldn’t bear, even more painful than if he had killed her.
Realizing this, his heart felt much clearer.
"Yo, still some backbone, I see," the gang member couldn’t just be intimidated by an outsider, "You have to understand, this is Xijiang County, our turf, not the place for you to play hero."
Before coming, Boss Su had instructed him just to protect the old lady, and the rest was up to Xianghe to resolve. If Xianghe couldn’t solve it himself, others’ help would be useless.
Of course, Tie Bao understood Boss Su’s meaning; the old lady was Xianghe’s weakness. As long as she was safe, Xianghe would dare to be his true self.