Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn
Chapter 163 - 4: The Truth from Five Years Ago (Part 2)

Chapter 163: Chapter 4: The Truth from Five Years Ago (Part 2)

"Auntie? Is that how I should address you?" Perhaps influenced by the blood of the Zhuo Family running through her veins, Xiao Xian no longer displayed the indifferent attitude she had when she first met Zhuo Feng, "I like Ge Village, the mountains, waters, and the people here. I would feel uncomfortable if I left this place."

"Xiao Xian, you can’t stay here forever. Zhu Shijun... Your grandfather’s case was never closed, and who knows when he might be imprisoned again. What would you do then all by yourself?" Zhuo Feng saw that Xiao Xian’s tone was somewhat mild and, after hearing her words, did not show any displeasure, and smoothly continued the conversation.

"My grandfather has to go to jail? What did he do?" Regarding imprisonment, Xiao Xian had roughly learned some clues from an issue involving Qian Yongcai. According to the village chief, Qian Yongcai was sued by the Lantian Group for embezzling over a hundred thousand yuan meant for greening projects, and he was sentenced to eight years.

Such a sum of money in those days was no small amount; it was absolutely considered a significant economic crime in the country.

During the years in Ge Village, there weren’t many adults involved in Xiao Xian’s life apart from a few long-tongued women in the village who couldn’t clarify what crime Zhu Shijun had committed.

People who knew, such as the village chief, Uncle San Gouzi, and the likes of the Li Family, were not willing to gossip about it in front of children.

Zhu Shijun himself was extremely secretive about his corruption, never mentioning it in front of Xiao Xian.

After hearing Xiao Xian’s account of the situation with Qian Yongcai, Zhuo Feng hesitated for a moment. Talking negatively about her grandfather in front of the child was ultimately not a dignified matter, but the truth could significantly impact Xiao Xian’s true perception of Zhu Shijun, and also relates to whether she should leave the mountains or not.

If acting villainously once could help Xiao Xian return to a normal life like other children her age, then she was willing to be despicable this one time.

"Zhu Shijun was the factory director at the Yunnan cigarette factory for over twenty years before he became the head of the Beijing Tobacco Bureau," Zhuo Feng carefully chose her words, trying not to reveal her hostility towards Zhu Shijun: "He is a very shrewd man, both in business and in officialdom. About five years ago, when you were only five years old, Zhu Shijun had your father quit his stable job and go to Yunnan to engage in cigarette wholesale and retail, saying he knew many people there and it was good for business. Not long after, trouble arose; the tens of thousands of cigarettes your father wholesaled were found to be substandard, containing nearly double the nicotine content of regular tobacco, and all the licenses for these cigarettes were approved by the Tobacco Bureau. Tens of thousands of cigarettes, all from state-owned factories, reached a direct economic scale of tens of millions. Afterwards, your parents fled to another place, and then... Zhu Shijun was also reported and removed from his public position, sentenced to life imprisonment."

Zhuo Feng’s description was very brief; that past event started and ended within three months. During those three months, Xiao Xian went from being a Heavenly Beauty with happily married parents to an orphan whose parents died overnight and whose grandfather clanged into jail.

At that time, Zhuo Feng had just entered university and rarely followed current news. She remained unaware of the full details until six months later, under Zhu Shijun’s deliberate concealment.

Not long after Zhu Shijun was imprisoned, several tobacoo and liquor factories in Yunnan jointly wrote to the central government, appealing for a reduction in Zhu Shijun’s sentence, accompanied by the signatures of tens of thousands of smokers from the Yun Gui area, claiming that for over twenty years, the Yunnan cigarette factory had gone from a nearly bankrupt small factory to the leading large cigarette factory in the country, all thanks to Zhu Shijun.

Everyone has faults, but when evaluating merits and faults, the law also cannot escape human emotions.

After the letter was sent, an unnamed high-ranking central leader intervened, and eventually, Zhu Shijun was secretly transferred to Ge Village in the Southwest Mountain Area, under the guise of medical parole due to old age and health after serving half a year of his sentence.

"Tens of millions? Life imprisonment?" Xiao Xian was shocked by these two phrases, dealing with immense sums of money, condemning a man to lifetime incarceration.

"Yes, it’s precisely because of your grandfather’s autocratic enforcement that my brother, your father, a man uninterested in business, was forced to manage the wholesale of cigarettes in Yunnan. He had no understanding of tobacco, and that batch of toxic tobacco was allowed on the market due to Zhu Shijun’s negligence and even his acceptance of bribes from local tobacco farmers," Zhuo Feng said, tightly gripping the handle of the car, his fingers turning red.

"Grandfather wasn’t that kind of person. He never took money when the villagers asked him to help with the crops, and he lived simply, owning only a few sets of clothes throughout the year. If he benefited from that batch of poisonous tobacco, where did the money go?" Xiao Xian couldn’t believe what Zhuo Feng said, but the words "life imprisonment" were deeply etched in her mind.

In addition, Grandfather was released on medical parole because he was frail and ill. If people knew that he had recovered, wouldn’t he have to go back to jail?

Every now and then, the Guiyang Police Station asked Grandfather to provide written records, didn’t this prefigure something? With her mind preoccupied, Xiao Xian found the walk home less steady.

When returning the car to the village guesthouse, Zhuo Feng hurried to pay the fee, saying, "The toys bought by the auntie, Xiao Xian doesn’t like them. Wait until I take you back to Beijing, then I’ll take you to the malls to choose. Beijing has lots of fun and delicious things."

Xiao Xian didn’t make a sound, her mind was occupied.

The words of Zhuo Feng were not without impact on her. As "fake Xiao Xian," hearing about her parents’ cause of death didn’t upset her emotionally that much. However, physically, especially around her heart, it occasionally gave sharp pains.

To live on behalf of Zhu Xiaoxian, she must also fulfill her uncompleted filial duties. By intuition, Xiao Xian believed that Zhuo Feng wasn’t a person who stirred up trouble without cause. The crimes and sentencing of Zhu Shijun would be the heaviest shackles on the old man.

Each month, after returning from inquiries at the Guiyang Police Station, Zhu Shijun would sit silently at the doorway, gazing towards the northeast, like a migratory bird waiting to fly north.

Beijing, Xiao Xian knew where it was.

Zhu Shijun is in the Southwest, but his heart remains in that bustling city in the North.

When explaining the geography of the homeland to Xiao Xian, he would take out a map to teach her about the capital of China.

In the memory, "Xiao Xian" had little recollection of Beijing, possibly because "Zhu Xiaoxian" was too young back then.

Before she even entered her home, Xiao Xian saw from a distance the square table had already been moved outside. Several dishes of cold vegetables were already set up on the table. In summer, the house was stuffy, and Sister-in-law Lian often set dinner outside, enjoying the meal with a refreshing breeze.

Zhu Shijun, unable to help with the kitchen work, went behind the house and picked a large watermelon, planning to soak it early in the well and chill it for the evening to entertain guests.

Xiao Xian walked to the back of the house, watching Zhu Shijun sidelong choosing watermelons, she opened her mouth, but in the end, did not speak. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)