Because Mu Liankui and others were to be released, as the son, younger brother, and uncle, Mu Zhongqing should go to the prison to receive them. Cai Wei was afraid they would take advantage of her absence to bully her father or make unreasonable demands. Hence, she also intended to go. However, Mu Zhongqing stubbornly refused, not allowing Cai Wei to accompany him under any circumstances.
The reason Mu Zhongqing refused his daughter was simple. Because Cai Wei had turned in three generations of Mu Liankui’s family, the old man must have harbored deep resentment. If the old man saw her now, he would most definitely fly into a rage! He knew his daughter could handle herself, but he couldn’t accept the sight of her fighting with her father in the street.
Seeing that her father was adamant about her not going, Cai Wei understood his worries and did not insist. Now that the main house was out of trouble, they should return to Qingyun Town to organize the move. Before leaving, she wanted to bid farewell to Sanchun’s family and visit Young Master Huo, to inquire about the ginseng market.
Before parting, Mu Zhongqing gave the horse-carriage to his daughter, dismounted, and stood at the prison entrance, waiting for the main house family.
Not long after, the prison door opened, and Mu Liankui, hunched over, walked out, stumbling as if he had aged ten years, his movements noticeably slow.
Once outside, the blinding sun in the sky forced him to shield his eyes with his withered old hand.
Having spent only a few days in prison, he already felt like each day was a year and preferred death to life.
Inside the prison, it was hardly suitable for humans. Such a small cell held over a dozen criminals. They ate, slept, defecated, and urinated all in the same place. When he was first thrown in, he nearly suffocated from the foul stench. Ignoring the cold, there was not even a spark of warmth in the cell. The water turned to ice. He was so cold that he wet himself, earning the mockery and a severe beating from his cellmates, nearly losing half his life in the process.
As for the food, they were given wo wo tou (cornbread) made from coarse black rice twice a day, one per person, per meal. Once, he even found a rat bone in the soup. When he first arrived, he was disgusted watching the other prisoners eat the wo wo tou, squatting next to the stinking shit basin, but by the second day, his empty stomach and hunger forced him to eat. By the third day, he was eating next to the shit basin, just like the other prisoners, ignoring the unpleasantness.
He thought that he would have to endure such days in the dark for a long time. He didn’t expect to be released today. He was overwhelmed with joy as if he had been resurrected, wanting to cry and laugh. Upon seeing his son, Mu Zhongqing, he genuinely burst into tears, laughing and crying at the same time.
After not seeing his father for a while and seeing his father’s current state, Mu Zhongqing quickly stepped forward to pay his respects.
With tears streaming down his face, Mu Liankui sobbed while speaking, "Zhongqing, you are a good son. If you truly respect your father, then divorce the slut in your house and hand over the beast, Mu Caiwei, to me. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’ll die of resentment, unable to rest in peace...oh, oh, oh..."
Following behind Mu Liankui, Mu Zhongli staggered out. With just a few days in prison, he was visibly thinner. Besides the degrading prison life, what pained him more was the disgrace brought to their family. Now, the marital affairs of his two sons and daughter had to be dealt with humbly. After all, decent families wouldn’t marry their children to a family with prison records.
All of this was because of the beast, Mu CaiWei. She disregarded any familial ties, landing her whole family in an abyss from which they could never recover with one move.