Chapter 101: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 101

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

The matter of building the house was already imminent; construction had to resume next spring.

But she now had no savings at all, and simply could not afford the cost of building a house.

What could be done about this?

This matter caused Li Xiulan to suffer insomnia for a whole night.

She could only hope that Wang Zhanggen would bring some money back this Spring Festival.

However, to Li Xiulan's unexpected surprise, in the blink of an eye it was already New Year's Eve, yet Wang Zhanggen still had not returned.

Her premonition was likely to come true.

Wang Zhanggen would not be coming home for the New Year this year.

"Mom, how come Dad still hasn't come back?"

That evening, while Li Xiulan and her three sons were eating the New Year's Eve dinner, Wang Dashan suddenly asked this sentence.

Li Xiulan's heart trembled slightly, and she instantly felt that the chicken and pork on the table were no longer fragrant.

"I don't know either; maybe he's busy with work..."

Li Xiulan could only answer like this.

On Wang Dashan's small face, a look of dejection appeared.

"Don't think so much. Whether your dad comes back or not, we'll celebrate the New Year all the same. After eating, go find your other little friends to play!"

Li Xiulan said this.

Wang Dashan lowered his head, gloomy and unhappy.

Wang Erhai lowered his head gnawing on a chicken leg; he didn't seem to care much.

Wang Xiaohua was eating a chicken wing, and didn't say anything either.

"Other people's dads definitely all come back for the New Year; only our dad doesn't come back. Does he not want us anymore?"

Wang Dashan lowered his head.

Li Xiulan felt very uncomfortable in her heart; she could only comfort Wang Dashan:

"Even if he doesn't want you, isn't there still Mom? Mom will never give up on you!"

Just then, footsteps came from outside.

Li Xiulan looked up.

Only to see Li Yunxia running over in a great hurry.

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, your husband called back!"

Li Yunxia was panting heavily, her face full of anxiety:

"Something big is about to happen; hurry up and go answer the phone!"

Li Xiulan's face immediately changed with shock, and then she hurriedly stood up and followed.

She jogged to the Village Entrance Convenience Store, and answered the call from Wang Zhanggen.

"What happened to you? Why aren't you coming back for the New Year?"

Li Xiulan opened her mouth to ask this sentence; her mood was very complex.

She both hated this man, yet also worried about this man.

"Can't go back." Wang Zhanggen's familiar yet strange voice came from the other end of the phone.

"What exactly is going on?"

Li Xiulan asked anxiously.

"I'm working in Dongguan. Because I didn't get a Temporary Residence Permit, I was caught by the Lianfang Law Enforcement Team, sent to the Zhangmutou Shelter. They beat me, cursed me, robbed me of everything valuable on me, and nearly beat me to death, wuu wuu..."

As Wang Zhanggen spoke, he actually choked up and cried, "Wife, I know I have no face to see you. These years I've done many things sorry to you, but I truly don't want to die here. Can you bring money to redeem me home? If I stay here any longer, I really might die..."

Li Xiulan didn't know what Wang Zhanggen had experienced in the Zhangmutou Shelter, that it could make a grown man cry like this in front of his own wife.

Back then, going to Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan to work all required a Temporary Residence Permit. Without one, if caught, light punishment was a fine, heavy punishment was being dragged to a shelter and locked up.

Quite a few people died inexplicably in shelters, especially the Zhangmutou Shelter in Dongguan, which was even more a nightmare for migrant workers at that time!

"Don't cry, I'll save you. How much money?"

Li Xiulan couldn't bear it in her heart, and hurriedly comforted him.

Shenpo had once told her that her husband did things sorry to the family, and would naturally have his own retribution. Could it be that his current encounter is his retribution?

Wang Zhanggen suffering retribution, Li Xiulan should be happy, but for some unknown reason, her heart was twisted like a knife. After all, he was the children's father, and she couldn't be heartless, couldn't sever all ties with Wang Zhanggen. After all, that unfinished building at home still needed Wang Zhanggen to earn money and come back to build it.

"They said, it takes eight hundred yuan to redeem me out."

Wang Zhanggen said sobbing.

He originally went out to work together with Liu Xiaoli, and even rented a house with Liu Xiaoli to cohabit. Later the Joint Defense Team people came, checked their Temporary Residence Permits, and discovered both didn't have permits, and moreover weren't a husband-wife relationship, so they separated them and detained them.

Now Wang Zhanggen also didn't know where Liu Xiaoli was detained.

These days in the shelter he was tortured by those people until he was terrified, really had no way out, only then did he call home to seek help from Li Xiulan.

"Eight hundred yuan? Why so much? Did you break the law?"

Li Xiulan's face was full of stunned surprise.

She was still hoping Wang Zhanggen would bring money back to build the building; never expected he wouldn't bring back a single penny, but instead she had to spend money to redeem him!

"I didn't break the law! I've always worked honestly! Just because I didn't have a Temporary Residence Permit, they arrested me!"

Wang Zhanggen was telling the truth; he indeed had not broken any law, he had found a job in Dongguan and worked honestly, he simply had not done anything illegal at all!

Yet he did not know that in those years, not having a Temporary Residence Permit was also an illegal act!

The law stipulates it just like that; what method could you have?

Arrest you into the shelter, a fine is absolutely unavoidable!

If you don't pay the fine, then just stay inside the shelter!

Inside the shelter, they have plenty of methods to make a lowly migrant worker's life worse than death!

Wang Zhanggen had actually been arrested over half a month ago; he was also tortured until he truly could not bear it anymore, only then did he call Li Xiulan to seek help, otherwise with his personality that cared so much about face, he would absolutely never have lowered his head to beg Li Xiulan for help.

He originally thought that after being locked up for ten days or half a month, those people would release him; the result was he thought too naively; these days, he not only frequently suffered abuse, he even personally saw a migrant worker big brother who was still alive and kicking the day before yesterday, today had his family members come to identify the corpse.

He was truly afraid!

Only then did he hurriedly call Li Xiulan to seek help!

"Wife, you must save me, I was still thinking of going back for the Spring Festival!"

Wang Zhanggen wept and pleaded.

Li Xiulan's heart softened, and she said:

"Rest assured, I'll go save you tomorrow, give me a specific address!"

Li Xiulan right now simply could not come up with eight hundred yuan, but saving the person was urgent, she did not think that much, agreed first so as not to let Wang Zhanggen worry so fearfully; as for the money matter, she would do her utmost to think of a method!

"Dongguan Zhangmutou Shelter! You come to Dongguan and inquire a bit, it's very easy to find out!"

Wang Zhanggen said so.

Li Xiulan silently noted it down in her heart.

After hanging up Wang Zhanggen's phone, she couldn't help but shed tears.

This eight hundred yuan, how should she scrape it together?

"Sister-in-law Xiulan, what happened?"

Li Yunxia at the side, at this moment carefully asked.

She had been listening at the side the whole time, vaguely heard some of the conversation, saw Li Xiulan now sad and weeping, knew things were not good, so she asked with concern.

Li Xiulan looked up at Li Yunxia, as if seeing a life-saving straw:

"Yunxia, can you lend me some money? My husband is locked in Dongguan Zhangmutou Shelter, he said it takes eight hundred yuan to redeem him..."

Li Xiulan's face was full of humble pleading.