Less than a year after Zhao Pengcheng went to Shenzhen, Old Zhao asked Yu Jianguo to bring the child back, saying he wanted him to continue his studies. At that time, Yu Jianguo was unaware that Old Zhao's daughter was ill. By the time Zhao Pengcheng returned home and attended high school for a few years before coming to beg him again, the little girl's illness had become very serious.
Yu Jianguo immediately arranged for a car to take Old Zhao's daughter to a hospital in the city for a check-up. First to the county town, and then to the provincial capital, he paid for all the expenses. In order to save his daughter's life, Old Zhao stopped being stubborn and arguing with him.
After completing the examination at the provincial hospital, the doctor said that Zhao Pengcheng had arrived a bit late, and now the only option was a kidney transplant. All of Old Zhao's relatives came, and after much investigation, only Zhao Pengcheng was a match. But by then, Zhao Pengcheng had already received his university acceptance letter.
Old Zhao sat on the steps behind the hospital and cried all night. His throat sounded like a broken string on an erhu, and he cried out in a deep, hoarse voice, "My child is going to university! My child can't go to university without kidneys!"
Old Zhao disagreed with using his son's kidney to save his daughter's life. Yu Jianguo knew that Old Zhao wasn't a sexist; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Zhao Pengcheng out to work to support his sister's education until she fell ill, at which point he was allowed to return to school. It was simply that their remote mountain village hadn't produced a scholar in centuries, and now it was incredibly rare to see a college graduate.
Yu Jianguo could understand Old Zhao's feelings. He had been struggling in the city for so many years without ever getting ahead, simply because he hadn't studied and lacked education. Zhao Pengcheng was not only the hope of Old Zhao's family, but also the hope of the entire village. In the past, this would have meant producing a scholar who would go to the capital to meet the Laozi and eventually become an official who would benefit the people.
Seeing Old Zhao's pained expression, Yu Jianguo suggested they just buy a kidney. Old Zhao asked where to buy one. Yu Jianguo replied, "Don't worry about it, I can find a kidney donor myself."
Old Zhao asked him how much money he needed, Yu Jianguo wasn't sure, so he casually said 50,000. In reality, he later spent over 200,000, but he didn't tell Old Zhao.
Yu Jianguo had only heard that there were people outside who specialized in selling kidneys, so he asked Old Yan to inquire about it. Old Yan had many connections in the south, so he contacted a middleman, who then became another middleman, going through layers of intermediaries. They first swindled about 100,000 yuan, and finally found a matching kidney donor.
That guy had gambling debts at the casino and was forced by his creditors to sell his kidney to pay them off, even though he didn't want to. After getting the money, the bastard wanted to have one last good time before the kidney was sold, so he went to a prostitute. He happened to run into a police raid on prostitution and got arrested. This not only exposed the kidney-selling gang behind him, but also implicated Old Yan and Yu Jianguo.
Because of Old Zhao's insistence, they scraped together 50,000 yuan. Yu Jianguo he accepted the money. As a result, Yu Jianguo went from being the buyer of the kidney to becoming a middleman in the sale, and the nature of the transaction changed drastically. He was sentenced to five years in prison, but because of good behavior, his sentence was reduced several times, and he was released after three years.
After serving three years in prison, his former company had long since closed down, and his shop had been sold. He wanted to make a comeback, but people were cold-hearted. Seeing that he had been in prison, even his brothers who used to drink with him Tiantian and were loyal to him no longer cared about him. His old customers avoided him whenever they saw him, and even strangers were unwilling to do business with him once they heard that he had been to prison. He drifted along like this for several years, spending all his savings, unable to do anything, and unable to find a decent job.
Yu Jianguo didn't want to go back to his Yu Jianguo either. In the eyes of the villagers, those who went to jail were all bad people; there were no good people left. He had committed the crime to save Old Zhao's daughter, but as time went on, everyone only remembered that he went to jail; no one remembered the good deed he had done. The key point was that Old Zhao Old Zhao away a few years after his daughter.
When Yu Jianguo was desperate, he remembered that Zhao Pengcheng, the son of Old Zhao, had graduated from university a few years ago and was working in a large hospital, so he went to seek refuge with him.
He said to Zhao Pengcheng, "Kid, don't blame your uncle or your dad for your sister's situation."
Zhao Pengcheng arranged for him to work in the hospital's security department. Yu Jianguo would often have a drink with Zhao Pengcheng and reminisce about the past. He would often drunkenly tell Zhao Pengcheng, "Your dad was a good man, a really good man!"
One time, after drinking too much, the uncle and nephew hugged each other and cried. Yu Jianguo said, "Nephew, don't call me uncle anymore, call me Old Yu. Every time you call me uncle, I feel like crying."
Yu Jianguo originally thought he would live like this for the rest of his life, until the guy who promised to sell his kidney and then went to solicit prostitutes appeared in the hospital looking all respectable. He recognized him at a glance. This guy had caused him to go to jail, caused him to lose everything, caused the deaths of Old Zhao and his daughter, and harmed so many people. Even if he were reduced to ashes, he would still recognize him.
Yu Jianguo was already in tears as he spoke. He picked up a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and gulped down several mouthfuls before slamming the bottle onto the table.
"I'm going to kill him! Good people are dead, it's outrageous that someone like him is still alive!"
Although the prison guards watching over them had received instructions from above not to interfere with the conversation, seeing Yu Jianguo's drunken state and his threatening words, they sternly warned, "Watch your step!"
Yu Jianguo jumped up like a startled rabbit, stood at attention, chest out, head held high, his eyes staring blankly at the slogan on the wall. "Repentance purifies the soul, labor reshapes the self." He habitually shouted, "Reporting to the government, I'll definitely pay attention next time."
Qingmu frowned, afraid that Yu Jianguo's train of thought would be interrupted. The prison guard next to him probably noticed Qingmu's displeasure as well. He didn't know who this man was, but he had heard from his superiors that he couldn't be offended, so he waved his hand at Yu Jianguo and said, "Alright, alright, sit down and eat." Then he turned his back and walked to stand in a corner far away from them.
Yu Jianguo sat down again, the sadness in his eyes gone, and the anger on his face subsided. Only then did Qingmu realize that the power of prison was indeed a place that could completely erode a person's will.
"Tell me more about Zhao Pengcheng," Qingmu said.
" Pengcheng is a good kid. He's honest and righteous, but he's too stubborn. Maybe it's because he's read too many books; he's a bit of a bookworm."
Yu Jianguo picked up his glass, intending to drink, but glanced at the prison guard and put it down. Seeing the guard standing some distance away, he suddenly became agitated, leaning forward and slumping onto the table, his face flushed, saying, "Save him! He's a good kid, with a bright future ahead of him! I instigated him to commit the murder; I can't let him be ruined for life because of me. I know you have a way, you can definitely save him..."
Yu Jianguo murmured his plea, convinced that the person who could get him Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) must have extraordinary abilities.
Qingmu, of course, wouldn't readily agree to Yu Jianguo's request, only saying, "Only he himself can save him."
Yu Jianguo, however, seemed to see a glimmer of hope and asked, "How can we save them?"
Qingmu said, "I need to know his situation first. You'd better tell me everything without missing a single detail."
Yu Jianguo said, "Ask away, I'll tell you everything I know."
Qingmu asked, "Have there been any noticeable changes in him in recent years, especially from last year to this year?"
"Change?" Yu Jianguo shook his head at first, then pondered for a moment, "Hmm... if we're talking about changes... does suddenly not like... women anymore... count as a change?"