Once Qiu Shaocheng confessed, the matter became serious. It was an attempted arson, coupled with theft, which meant he had now unequivocally found himself a place to stay.
Qiu Shaocheng realized this and started shouting: "I was stopped as soon as I walked out of the guesthouse, beaten up like this; surely, this can’t just end like this, can it?"
Thinking he might not get out, he considered settling privately with those people to get some money to save his son.
But he never expected that the group who beat him was in another interrogation room. By the time Qiu Shaocheng got the news, he was completely stunned.
Those people were none other than Qiu Chunli’s widowed mother’s family and former husband’s family. They caught Qiu Shaocheng because someone had deliberately given them the tip-off.
Qiu Shaocheng was truly in despair now; forget about rescuing his son, he was finished. He regretted coming to find Qiu Chunli, thinking if he hadn’t come, he wouldn’t have stirred up so much trouble.
After receiving the news, Han Jingchen instructed over the phone: "Send someone to deliver the message to the team he’s with."
The person on the other end acknowledged and hung up the phone.
The issue concerning Qiu Chunli quickly spread to their work unit. After verification of the facts, the unit promptly made a decision to dismiss Qiu Chunli.
Due to Han Jingchen’s involvement, Qiu Chunli’s case quickly reached a conclusion, resulting in multiple charges, sentenced to thirteen years in prison, and ordered to compensate the victim Qiu Qingmei two thousand yuan.
Director Zhang was not only dismissed from the hospital due to this incident but also sentenced to two years in prison. Additionally, the hospital was ordered to compensate the victim Qiu Qingmei three thousand yuan due to inadequate supervision.
Though Qiu Jouxuan was unwilling, he understood that there was no alternative now.
The couple stayed in the Capital to care for their daughter and waited for the outcome.
Finally, three days before the college entrance exam, Qiu Qingmei felt as if living through a nightmare, preparing to leave the Capital accompanied by her parents, but they were held up by Qiu Chunli’s widowed mother’s family and former husband’s family before they could leave.
Originally, Qiu Jouxuan resisted the matter concerning Qiu Shaocheng, even more so toward people from Qiu Chunli’s side. However, the outcome was that they wouldn’t leave the Capital without paying.
Apparently, those people had been guided by someone and treated them very politely, but said in short, the debt of the father must be repaid by the child; regardless of his willingness, they could only compensate for Qiu Shaocheng in order to leave.
Unable to counter, Qiu Jouxuan had to pay a large sum of compensation, and those families directly invited police officers to witness, leaving Qiu Jouxuan without any means to complain.
The compensatory amount that had just been obtained barely warmed in hand, soon diminished by two thousand.
But they didn’t know, as they boarded the train, various pickpockets gathered on board, only realizing their money was gone when they got off.
They reported the theft at the station, but the train had already left.
Qiu Jouxuan pounded his chest in regret, before Huang Yufeng reacted: "Those people never intended to truly let us have it easy."
Qiu Jouxuan didn’t understand at first, but after thinking it over, he calmed down and sighed: "Fine, losing it might as well ease the burdens of others coveting. My poor young lady."
The family returned to the Mechanical Factory dispiritedly. Qiu Qingmei remained trapped in the shadow of being deceived, speaking little.
When she returned, there was only one and a half days left before the exam. Initially, the Qiu couple thought about skipping the exam this year, letting her recuperate, and retake the exam after spending another year.
But Qiu Qingmei refused and insisted on trying.
*
Ji Linfeng ran frequently to Han Jingchen before Qiu Chunli’s sentencing, but Han Jingchen did not see him and solemnly published an announcement breaking off relations with Qiu Chunli, without showing her any leniency, publicly revealing her deeds.
Ji Linfeng initially intended to appeal using Ji Xiaowen and Ji Xiaolei���s sentiments, but Han Jingchen was unmoved, thinking of his daughter’s unknown suffering over the years increased his hatred toward Qiu Chunli.