“I went, but…” Grandmother sobbed even more, unable to continue.
Liu Qing knew what the words left unsaid were without having to guess!
He trembled, his brows locked together so tightly they could kill mosquitoes. “Uncle Quanfu. Grandma, you can look for him, tell him and his wife to convince Liu Duo. I really don’t want to go to jail!”
Liu Qing’s grip on his grandmother’s arm was tight, as though he were grasping at straws.
Grandmother Liu only shook her head. If that worked, she wouldn’t have to convince him to surrender.
“Your uncle won’t do it. I’ve talked to them.”
Now that she thought about it, Liu Quanfu was actually right. Liu Qing did something terrible to his son; why would he persuade Liu Duo to drop the case?
Dispirited, Liu Qing sat on the ground in defeat.
Was he fated to go to jail? No, he didn’t want to…
Ultimately, Grandmother Liu couldn’t stop her tears from falling when she saw her eldest grandson in this state. “Qing Er, just… just plead guilty, alright? Your father and I will visit you frequently…” Then she let the crying take over.
Liu Qing’s eyes were hollow now. He didn’t pick up whatever Grandmother Liu had said. He just sat there in a daze.
It was almost noon when Liu Duo and Ye Ling reached home.
“Sis, Ling, you’re back! Where are the others?” Liu Ran welcomed them with open arms and went to help Liu Duo carry the kettle.
Liu Duo was delighted to see his happy face. She said, “They’ll come back later. Ling and I came back first to prepare lunch.”
“Oh. I can help with that, Sis. Let Brother Ling rest.”
He knew Ye Ling had been harvesting rice all morning. He must be tired.
“I thought so too,” Liu Duo smiled, showing her dimples.
Ye Ling grinned at them. “I don’t need rest. Ran Er, on the other hand…you should get on with your revision.”
It was only a few hours of harvesting and he wasn’t tired. Liu Duo had made him rest many times.
In the end, the three of them went to the kitchen together and helped Liu Duo prepare lunch.
At the dining table, Liu Ran suddenly thought of something and said, “Sis, Old Hag Liu came to the house when you all weren’t at home.”
He no longer used the title ‘Grandmother,’ because she was undeserving!
The others didn’t find it too unpredictable. That old hag cared about Liu Qing. It would be weird if she didn’t come to beg Liu Duo to drop the case!
“What happened next? How did you deal with it, kid?” Ye Mo shot him a look.
“I told her to leave! Her head must be overflowing with wishful thinking if she assumes there’s a chance you’ll withdraw the charges from the government office, Sis! I hate that punk Liu Qing so much!”
Liu Ran shot another glance at Ye Mo, as though saying, that’s a stupid question.
After Liu Ran said that, the five of them laughed uncontrollably, except Ye Yang who remained aloof and Ye Mo who didn’t find it funny.
How old was this kid again? And he was already calling Liu Qing a punk?
Liu Duo passed some vegetables to him with her chopsticks. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. They have nothing to do with us. We’ll just live our own lives accordingly.”
Ye Liu sneered, “Looks like Ran Er’s schooling isn’t a waste. He can use ‘wishful thinking’ as a description already!”
He, himself, hadn’t gone to school before, but he knew a few common phrases.
“Of course, I work very hard at school!” Liu Ran accepted the compliment readily.
They broke into laughter again. The confidence he exuded was exactly like Liu Duo!
No wonder they were siblings.