Thanks to the items Zhang Zhiyuan brought, the entire Li family was now speaking in his favor. If Li Cuihua married Zhang Zhiyuan, not only would Li Cuihua benefit, but the Li family would also gain considerable advantages. Everyone was swayed by money, and no one was willing to let such a golden opportunity slip away.
“I need to think it over. After all, he’s my own son,” Li Cuihua said.
In her heart, she had already convinced herself, but agreeing too quickly would make her seem somewhat indecent. Everyone exchanged glances, understanding her true intentions but choosing not to expose them.
News of Zhang Zhiyuan swaggering into the Li family with gifts quickly spread throughout the area. It wasn’t long before these rumors reached He Jiang’s ears.
“Old He, it seems Zhang Zhiyuan really has deep feelings for Li Cuihua, still holding onto her after all this time,” a coworker working alongside He Jiang remarked.
He Jiang said nothing, silently packing up his tools. When he had married Li Cuihua, she had already given herself to Zhang Zhiyuan. On their wedding night, he struggled to accept it, but Li Cuihua’s desperate pleas eventually made him let the matter rest. A man always holds a special place in his heart for his first woman, and Zhang Zhiyuan’s lingering attachment to Li Cuihua was due to their past affair. Now, hearing about Li Cuihua, He Jiang felt entirely calm. She had nothing to do with him anymore—they were divorced.
As evening approached, He Jiang was eating at home when Li Cuihua came to see him.
“Li Cuihua, what are you doing here?” Wang Shufen and He Junshan, who had been eating in the main room, along with the younger members of the He family, came out to see her. It was clear that the former daughter-in-law was not welcome.
Li Cuihua crossed her arms and looked at He Jiang. “Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving the island with Zhang Zhiyuan. Before I go, I want to ask you one thing: when Qiangzi is released from the juvenile detention center, will you take care of him or not?”
After all, he was the son she had raised for over ten years. How could she not worry about him? Before leaving, she had to make sure: if He Jiang remarried, would he still treat He Qiang well?
He Jiang was about to say that he would, of course, take care of his own son, but He Junshan stopped him.
“He Qiang is now in a juvenile detention center and won’t be released for a year or two. If you don’t want to raise the child, you’ll have to provide regular financial support,” He Junshan said.
He had heard from Ji Shuyu that after a divorce, the parent who does not have custody of the child must pay child support to the other. How could Li Cuihua simply walk away without any responsibility? If He Jiang had to raise the child alone, he would never be able to find another wife.
“Financial support? In your dreams! Your family ruined my son, and you still expect me to pay?” Li Cuihua shrieked.
“You’re the one who spoiled the child. Both sides are at fault. Now that you don’t want to raise He Qiang, you must provide for him financially,” He Junshan retorted.
He wasn’t doing this solely for the money. He Jiang couldn’t remain unmarried forever, and it was uncertain whether a new wife would truly accept He Qiang. This money was a safeguard for He Qiang’s future. If the new daughter-in-law didn’t want to live with He Qiang, he and his wife would raise the child themselves.
Regardless of whether Li Cuihua got married or not, the He family had no intention of embezzling the money she provided. They would save it all for Qiangzi’s future use.
As the two sides were talking, a uniformed officer approached from a distance.
“Who here is He Qiang’s parent? We’re from the juvenile detention center.”
Hearing this, He Jiang immediately stepped forward and said, “I am He Qiang’s father, and this is his mother. Has something happened to He Qiang at the detention center?”
Since they had come in person, He Jiang instinctively feared the worst.
“Here’s the situation: Today, He Qiang got into a fight at the detention center and stabbed someone with a homemade weapon. We’re here to inform you.”
“We now need to transfer him to a detention center outside the island. It’s unlikely he’ll return, so you can see him one last time.”
Upon hearing this, both He Jiang and Li Cuihua were stunned.
“How is that possible? My son is so well-behaved.”
“If he were truly obedient, he wouldn’t have been sent to us in the first place. You should come with me to the detention center right now,” the officer replied coldly.
Without another word, He Jiang and Li Cuihua hurriedly followed him to the detention center. When they arrived, they saw He Qiang covered in blood, his hands and feet shackled. One of his handcuffs was even chained to the wall.
His once plump figure had thinned considerably, and his eyes were filled with fierce resentment.
“Qiangzi, what happened?” Li Cuihua stepped forward.
At the sound of her voice, He Qiang looked up. But when his gaze shifted to He Jiang, his eyes flashed with hatred.
“We called you here today so you could see him one last time. After his transfer, he will be charged with intentional assault, and the severity of the sentence will depend on the victim’s injury assessment,” the officer explained.
He Qiang’s behavior had escalated beyond what the juvenile detention center could handle. He was showing signs of homicidal tendencies, and if not addressed, he could potentially become a criminal threat to society in the future.
“Qiangzi, say something! Why did you stab that person?” The officer’s words were stern, and Li Cuihua grew increasingly frantic.
But no matter how she pressed him, He Qiang refused to speak.
It was only when He Jiang stepped forward and looked at him with a cold gaze that He Qiang finally spoke.
“He said none of you want me anymore. Even if I get out, no one will take me in.”
“If it weren’t for that bitch Ji Shuyu! If it weren’t for her, you wouldn’t have divorced, and I wouldn’t be here!”
He Qiang’s words grew increasingly venomous, as if he were blaming Ji Shuyu for all the suffering he had endured.
He Jiang looked at his son, feeling as though he no longer recognized him.
“He Qiang, do you realize what you’re saying? Just because someone said those things, you resorted to violence?”
No weapons were supposed to be inside the detention center. The object He Qiang had used was something he had secretly hidden away, sharpening it over who knows how long until it became a deadly point.
This indicated that He Qiang had long harbored such violent intentions. The words spoken by the other person were merely the trigger that ignited the seed of brutality within him.
“What right do you have to blame me? Why didn’t you stand up for me when others bullied me? Why did you let her send me to this place? Do you have any idea what kind of hell I’ve been through here?”
“I! Hate! You!”
He Jiang’s words did nothing to persuade He Qiang. Instead, they fueled his sense of injustice even further.
This version of He Qiang terrified He Jiang.
After a moment of silence, He Jiang turned to Li Cuihua.
“I’ve decided to give up custody of He Qiang.”
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