Chapter 802: Now You Want to Talk to Me About Conscience — Do You Really Think That's Appropriate?

At Willow Tree Village, Liu Shangang's face darkened terribly upon hearing that the second brother had already changed his name to Xiao Changsheng.

Just as he was sitting with a sullen face, lost in thought, the third brother Liu Shanling came running in: "Big brother, the second brother is back, let's go find him now."

Liu Shangang looked up at the third brother: "Now that he's even changed his surname and given name, you think he'll agree to help us?"

Liu Shanling glared at the eldest: "Big brother, what do you mean? How would you know it'll work without trying? No matter what, our parents raised him too — he can't just stand by and watch them die, right?"

Afraid the eldest wouldn't go with him to find the man, he quickly added: "How old are our parents now? If they really get sentenced, will they ever come back? As their son, if we don't speak up for them at a time like this, wouldn't that be far too unfilial?

Big brother, Mom and Dad doted on you most of all — you can't back out at a moment like this."

Liu Shangang caught on then too, and said in a hard tone: "Third brother, what do you mean by that? When have I ever not cared about Mom and Dad? If word of this gets out, how am I supposed to face people?"

With that, he got up and headed outside.

Liu Shanling saw the situation and quickly followed; once in the courtyard, he didn't forget to call the younger generation along: "Jianqiang, Jiandong, Qiufen, Lidong — come with us."

They had naturally overheard the conversation inside the house from the courtyard; hearing their names called, they didn't dare refuse and answered in unison: "We're coming."

The villagers had long had their eyes on the Liu family; seeing them come out, they naturally tagged along.

Xiao Changsheng and his family hadn't planned to move everything into the city — even if the village took back their private plot, they figured they could still grow things in their own courtyard, and they'd come back to check from time to time. After all, the house needed a door or window opened for air every so often, or it'd fall into ruin over time.

Zhao Lamei had sorted out all the clothes, thinking she'd leave half a body's worth at home as spares and take the rest with her.

Just as they were packing, they heard the courtyard gate being slapped from outside.

Xiao Changsheng, who was helping on the side, frowned and stood up at once — he knew the Liu family would surely come to their door: "You just keep packing, I'll go out and see."

Zhao Lamei was a little uneasy: "Be careful, don't go head-to-head with them."

Xiao Changsheng nodded: "I know."

He opened the main gate and saw not only the Liu family but also the onlookers who'd followed to enjoy the show.

Not only was the slope above packed with people, but down below, those who couldn't squeeze up were sitting around wherever they could find a spot to listen — plenty of them.

Xiao Changsheng looked at the Liu family: "Something you need?"

Liu Shangang spoke first: "Second brother, even if Mom and Dad aren't your birth parents, they still raised you. You not being grateful is one thing, but you had them taken away — where's your conscience?"

Xiao Changsheng hadn't expected Liu Shangang to slap a label on him right off the bat: "You're good at muddying the waters, aren't you? They were taken away because they broke the law. They were willing to lose their conscience so their own son could live well — and you want me to be grateful to them? Is something wrong with your head?"

Liu Shanling hadn't expected the eldest to come out with such offensive words either, and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Second brother, you've got it wrong. Big brother was just anxious and spoke out of turn — said the wrong thing."

Before coming back, Liu Chuxue had predicted every possible scenario for him and taught him quite a few tactics for handling them: "First, I'm not your second brother — your real second brother is now in Haishi, enjoying life on my behalf. Second, what comes out when someone speaks out of turn is usually exactly what's in their heart. You all need to understand — I'm the victim here.

All these years, how that old couple treated me, how they treated my wife and children — you all know perfectly well, unless you're blind. Now you want to talk to me about conscience — do you really think that's appropriate?"