A few days later, the verdicts were handed down. Li Erzuo and Wu Huidi were sentenced to death, while Li Weiguo and Zhang Fangcao received death sentences with reprieve.
Given Li Aiguo's good behavior and active cooperation in providing clues, he was sentenced to six months of supervised release outside of prison, to be monitored in Kushanli.
Li Baoguo, for concealing information, was sentenced to three months of surveillance, also to be carried out in Kushanli.
Yan Xiaoni, who was unaware of Li Erzuo and his wife's plot to murder Li Rongguo and Li Sanzuo, was released.
Li Baoguo's wife, completely unaware of any wrongdoing, was also released.
Lin Silai, taking his four children, went to the detention center to finalize the divorce. Zhang Fangcao, having no other options and having undergone several days of legal education, knew she couldn't claim the children from Lin Silai and agreed to the divorce.
Lin Silai brought the four children back to Kushanli and took them to Li Erzuo's house.
Li Baoguo and his wife promptly took the four children to Li Weiguo's home at the end of the village.
Yan Xiaoni, already struggling to support her two sons, couldn't possibly raise other women's children. She couldn't even afford the land use fee for her current home.
The two families passed the four children back and forth, with no one willing to take them in.
The four children cried hungry every day.
Captain Ou lost his temper, "If you refuse to raise them, your contracted land will be repossessed, and you will be expelled from Kushanli."
In the end, each family took in two children.
Yan Xiaoni was forced to take in the two youngest, as all four were her husband's children, and it was considered benevolent enough for the elder brother to raise two nephews.
She took her own two sons and these two younger ones to see Li Weiguo.
"Weiguo, do you know how difficult it is for a woman like me to raise four children? Although Weikang and Weiwei are no longer young and can help, can they farm?"
"You said you want to strive for reform and a reduced sentence. Then tell me, where is my hope and expectation? Now, I have to raise these two younger ones. Are they trying to kill me?"
What could Li Weiguo do? He was in no position to help himself.
The next time he was visited, his two sons, each holding one child, said, "Dad, Mom ran away."
Li Weiguo wept and beat the wall.
This is all in the past. Let's return to Tian Jing.
...
Li Rongguo changed his name at the household registration office. The real Rongguo was dead, and Li's mother found the name inauspicious.
Li Dabo Niang, having avenged her great enemy, also asked Li Rongguo to change his name.
Li's mother not only found Li Rongguo inauspicious but also Li Yaoguo, so she changed it to Li Liguo.
Tian Jing laughed until she was bent over, "Big Brother and Zheng Ge combined is 'Lizheng' (stand at attention)."
Li's mother hadn't thought of that, "I just wanted him to stand firm."
Ouyang Meihua, in the past few days, had become familiar with the routes with Xiaohu.
She intercepted the large truck, of course, and took her embarrassed husband to learn how to drive.
Li Zhengguo borrowed two thousand yuan from Tiantian and went to find Li Jianguo.
Li Jianguo was deeply ashamed, "Zhengguo, I, we have let down our cousin, we have let down..."
Li Zhengguo waved his hand to interrupt him, "That has nothing to do with you, but I have one condition."
"You say."
"You will contract the small hills yourself, and Li Aiguo is not allowed to be involved."
"Okay."
Li Zhengguo took back the two thousand yuan IOU and tucked it into the ledger.
Tian Jing secretly shook her head; Zheng Ge was very much like his father.
Captain Ou came to deliver the contract for the two mu of land. "I heard that people from the Yan family have been coming around lately?"
"Didn't notice."
Tian Jing wasn't lying. Li Weiguo was finished, and Li Erzuo's family was ruined. The man's death would only come on the day of execution. She no longer paid attention to those families at the end of the village.
She didn't have the time, and since Xiaosong was always inquiring about various news, she could gather information from him when she wasn't busy.
"Alas~" Captain Ou sighed, "I suspect Yan Xiaoni won't be able to hold on."
"That's Li Erzuo's family business."
"I pity those four children, born as tools and then passed around."
"Captain, just say what you want to say."
"If Yan Xiaoni truly runs away, please help us ask Lin Guangde if he's willing to adopt them."
Tian Jing turned and shouted outside, "Damai, escort Captain Ou out."
Captain Ou knew Tian Jing was angry and left quickly. Being kicked out, how embarrassing would that be?
Watching Captain Ou's retreating back, Li Zhengguo smiled and put his arm around his wife's waist, "Why did you scare him?"
Tian Jing was displeased, "Who told him to push his luck? Can Lin Silai live a normal life?"
"Don't worry," Li Zhengguo comforted his wife, "Lin Silai is already looking for a match. Ouyang Lei has a younger sister who is willing to come and accompany Ouyang Meihua."
"Really? Is that true?" Tian Jing was very surprised. "Ouyang Meihua had no choice but to marry into this remote mountain village. What is that girl after?"
"She's after her brother gaining favor with Ouyang Lei, and she's after safety. That family only has siblings; her brother doesn't trust her to be alone."
"But what about those four children?" Tian Jing also felt the four children were too pathetic.
"Wait, wait until Li Weiguo begs me in extreme pain."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Among the people he knows, besides me, no one can arrange for four boys."
Tian Jing added, "He must agree to permanently give up all rights to support and visitation for the four children. In other words, you can help him send the four children to be raised by others, but he can never regret and take them back."
"Okay," Li Zhengguo agreed readily, as that was his intention.
...
The watermelon seedlings were ready, and families came to pick them up, all immensely grateful to Tian Jing.
Because Captain Ou's "home visit" mentioned what Tian Jing had revealed in the office about Ouyang Meihua taking over Ouyang Lei's channels, Ouyang Meihua, being a wife in Kushanli, would surely buy their watermelons and vegetables.
Didn't they see Li Liguo learning to drive a large truck? The channels and the large truck had been taken over.
Tian Jing was easier to talk to than Ouyang Meihua. They had a good relationship and were sisters-in-law. They wanted to build a good relationship with Tian Jing.
...
Li Jianguo came with Huang Sulian to buy seedlings on credit, lowering his head in shame. "Cousin-in-law, if it weren't for the two children, I would truly be too ashamed to accept the help from Zhengguo and you."
Tian Jing didn't mind. "Everyone is responsible for their own actions. They have nothing to do with you. Li Shengguo came to buy seedlings, and I sold them to him. I am a person who clearly distinguishes between favors and grievances."
Li Jianguo was even more ashamed. "Everything I have is thanks to Zhengguo's help."
"Then work hard and try to repay it within a year. Don't let down his kindness to you."
"Yes, yes, I must work hard." Li Jianguo didn't dare to promise repayment within a year.
Tian Jing gave him ten thousand watermelon seedlings for his twenty mu of land. "Plant watermelons on all twenty mu of your land. You can plant five hundred plants per mu. Leave only one melon per vine, and each melon weighing eight to ten pounds. If you sell them at one mao per pound, calculate if you can repay me in a year. Be confident."
Li Jianguo's lips trembled, unable to speak.
Huang Sulian, being a quicker calculator, said, "If there's absolutely no loss, that's eight to ten thousand? Then your family last year?"
Tian Jing nodded. "Yes, last year we reported half of that to the outside, but even then, it made everyone jealous. What I said at the general meeting that day was true; once the market is saturated, everyone's watermelons are either sold at a reduced price or rot in the fields."
"Ouyang Meihua has taken over Ouyang Lei's channels, but no matter where they sell, once the quantity increases, the price drops. This not only impacts my family's income but also greatly affects the delivery personnel."
"My family's vegetables and watermelons have always had the best taste, so starting this year, I will have them sent to the provincial capital for sale."
"The members who see the income this year will definitely increase their planting area next year. You'd best only plant for this year, and you must guard them well, lest they be destroyed or stolen out of jealousy."
"Yes, yes, thank you, Tian Jing. There is much more I should thank you for, but I still owe Li Min and you an apology. That year, my resolve wavered, and I was incited by Zhang Fangcao."
Tian Jing waved her hand at her. "Minmin and I no longer mind. Otherwise, we wouldn't have agreed for Zheng Ge to help you. Hurry back and plant the seedlings."