Chapter 767: Matters of the Past

Old Liu had been pretending to stay calm, but upon hearing the words "public security," he broke out in a cold sweat.

Before they could devise a plan, the public security officers had already arrived at the Liu family's door.

A busybody shouted loudly from the courtyard: "Old Liu the Fifth, are you home? Public security comrades are looking for you."

Ge Pozi trembled all over; after all, the shadow of being caught on the mountain before still lingered. Now hearing that public security had come knocking, she felt uncertain, not knowing if it had anything to do with those people.

Old Liu, annoyed just moments ago, had taken off his shoes and stepped on them; hearing the commotion outside, he tried several times but failed to slip them back on.

He couldn't help but push his eldest son: "You go out first and see what's going on."

Having said that, he gave his youngest son a signal with his eyes: "You go too."

Seeing both sons had gone out, Old Liu hurriedly grabbed his old wife's shoulders: "Remember, if they really come for the second son's matter, bite down hard and insist it wasn't intentional. At that time, we weren't even home; we only discovered the children had been swapped when we returned. We had absolutely no idea who the person we entrusted with the children was, or where they were.

That is how the matter was covered up. Do you remember?"

Ge Pozi was terrified at this moment; hearing her husband's words, she nodded frantically: "K-knew, I know."

No sooner had he finished instructing her than she heard people entering the courtyard.

Just as Old Liu slipped his shoes on and stood up, Liu Shangan had already brought the public security officers inside: "Mom, Dad, the public security comrades are here to ask you some questions."

Old Liu forced a calm demeanor: "As soon as the weather turns cold, my legs don't feel right. I was just about to go out; come in and sit quickly."

With the three public security officers entering, plus the party secretary and the village head, along with the Liu family's two sons, there was no empty space left in the room.

The older public security officer spoke first: "Are you Liu Dazhu?"

Old Liu nodded: "Yes, I am."

The public security officer then looked at Ge Pozi beside him: "Are you Xu Sanni?"

Seeing the public security officer in uniform, Ge Pozi was so frightened her voice trembled: "Yes."

"Is your second son, Liu Shanliang, your biological son?"

Seeing Old Liu about to speak, he warned: "Think carefully before you speak, so we don't have to take you back to the station for re-interrogation."

Upon hearing this, Old Liu's forehead was covered in fine sweat; he could only answer honestly: "He indeed is not our biological son, but there is a reason for it. Please, comrades, listen to our explanation."

That public security officer looked at another public security officer nearby and nodded at him.

The other man then took out a notebook and began to record.

Old Liu tried hard to put on an honest appearance: "That year, not long after my wife gave birth to our second son, a young woman came to our door one day holding a child. She gave us some money and asked my wife to look after the child for a few days, saying she would come back to pick him up in a few days.

At that time, our family was so poor we could barely lift the pot lid; the eldest was so thin he was skin and bones, so we agreed.

Two months later, someone came to the door, saying they were here to pick up the child. They arrived in a hurry and were particularly anxious, saying they had to catch a train.

At that time, both of us had gone up the mountain to gather mountain goods, and only my old father was at home. His legs were not good either, so he entered the room a step too slowly. The person coming to pick up the child entered the room a step ahead of him. At that time, both children were sleeping on the kang; who knew they got them mixed up.

By the time we returned, we discovered the two children had been swapped. We had absolutely no idea who the woman who entrusted the children to us was, nor did we know where the person who came to pick up the child that day went. We went to the station but couldn't catch the man my father described as the one picking up the child, so we could only accept it."