Chapter 26: Imprisoned Until Death

Wei Xiu’s relationship with his family was, in fact, quite decent. He could understand the concern his elders had for him, even if he couldn't bring himself to respect their perspective. After all, as parents, they believed that stability for their children was paramount, especially in a small place like this. Civil servants, doctors, and teachers were always considered top-tier professions. Even if one were to work as an electrician at a school, having no actual connection to the teaching staff, his parents would still view it as a respectable job that brought honor to the family name.

Unlike now. Whenever friends in town asked about Wei Xiu’s work, Wei Jianguo would brush it off with a vague excuse about him working hard down south.

"Brother, haven't you thought about going for a Ph.D. or something?" Hoping to divert the heat, Wei Xiu steered the conversation toward Wei Xianjun.

That was a mistake. As soon as he mentioned it, Wei Xianjun’s face swelled with smugness. "My master’s degree is already quite impressive. You know how our field is—anything beyond this is strictly high-end, cutting-edge stuff."

Wei Xiu played along with a half-hearted, "That’s true." His cousin studied aerodynamics and graduated from Xike University. It was a prestigious school with a solid major—a perfect resume. Students graduating from such fields were highly competitive. The top-tier graduates went straight to the Academy of Sciences for macro-strategic research. The second-tier graduates landed at first-rate research institutions like the Aviation Industry Corporation or Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, forging swords for the nation. As for his cousin, a third-tier graduate, he could only teach at a university. To those in the know, Wei Xianjun’s career path was a bit lackluster, but to his uninformed elders, it was the best job in the world.

His second aunt beamed with doting pride. "Your cousin is finally on the right path. He just needs a wife. Fortunately, I’ve already started arranging blind dates for him."

Wei Xiu’s ears perked up, full of gossip. "Really? Any leads?"

His second uncle chimed in, "Yes, he met a girl a couple of days ago. Everything else was fine, but her job was… well, you know."

"Why? Is it bad?" Wei Xiu could sense the disdain from his elder.

"Well, her family runs a construction business. It’s not great."

"???" Wei Xiu slowly formed a line of question marks in his mind. Construction business isn't great? What is, then? *Good grief, give me a wife whose family runs a construction business, and I’ll provide my own steel wool scrubbers, crying out that I don’t want to work anymore.*

To avoid having the subject of marriage circle back to him, Wei Xiu stood up and grabbed two empty bowls.

"What are you doing? One bowl isn't enough for you?" Wei Jianguo asked, confused.

"I’m getting some food for the soldiers outside. They’ve had a tough time."

"???"

***

As those words fell, the family looked at Wei Xiu in utter bewilderment. Did those soldiers outside have anything to do with them? Before Wei Xiu spoke, everyone had assumed the men were just passing by.

"Why?"

Wei Xiu said nonchalantly, "Didn't I go on a business trip to fix a car..."

Before he could finish, his cousin interrupted, "Holy crap, a military vehicle?"

"Yeah, they are..."

His cousin interrupted again, "You didn't break it while fixing it, did you?"

In an instant, the family lost all appetite. Fixing a military vehicle was one thing, but the fact that two buzz-cut, six-foot-tall men were standing guard outside was telling. Even with their toes, they could figure it out: Wei Xiu had caused trouble.

Wei Jianguo felt his scalp tingle. "Did you break their vehicle? Are they guarding the door to make sure you don't run away?"

Wei Xiu looked up and thought about it. "That’s a possibility."

In truth, he didn't quite understand what was going on himself. The commanding officer had told him to go home but then sent two hulking men to follow him. As for the matter of the car, no one said a word. Who knew what they were thinking? Wei Xiu was not the type to dwell on things; if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't think about it, and eventually, he’d forget.

But his father was not like that. "Every single day, you can't earn a cent, yet you only cause trouble!" Wei Jianguo felt a surge of rage. "You broke a military vehicle? How much is that going to cost to repair?"

The old man had spent his life fixing things; he had a rough idea of vehicle prices. Military vehicles might look inconspicuous, even a bit rugged, but their price tags were terrifying. A standard truck could cost over a million. The most critical part was that Wei Xiu had caused such a disaster and still had the nerve to leave the soldiers waiting outside. "Are you stupid? Hurry and invite them in! Ask them exactly how much you need to pay!"

"I'm talking about the city gate tower, and you're talking about a hip bone..." Wei Xiu sighed repeatedly, thinking it was impossible to explain to them. But since the old man was pressing him with authority, he had no choice. The whole family walked outside, respectfully carrying two bowls of rice.

The moment they stepped out, they realized that several more soldiers had joined the ones at the door. In the distance, a military-green off-road vehicle was parked.

***

"Oh my! This is a big deal!" As soon as Wei Xianjun saw the shoulders of the man in the lead, his face turned pale.

His second aunt was still confused. "What’s wrong?"

"The commanding officer is here! The one with the white hair—he has two stars, a general's rank!"

At that, the hearts of the Wei family turned cold. They didn't know much about military ranks, but they understood the word "General." That was a high-ranking official, the kind ordinary people never saw in their entire lives. Now, a white-haired, upright old man was standing at their front door.

It was over! Wei Jianguo’s legs went weak. "How much trouble did this brat Wei Xiu get into!?"

"Hard to say. If a General has been dispatched, I suspect a million won't even cover it."

"!!!" Wei Jianguo felt a tightness in his chest, as if he were having a heart attack. He could scrape together a million—sell the house, borrow some money—he could at least pay that much. But anything over a million, he was helpless. How many lifetimes would it take to pay that back?

...

Five meters away, Wei Xiu walked toward the old man, his own face clouded with doubt. Before Wei Xiu could speak, a smile appeared on the old man’s face.

"I saw you were eating, so I didn't want to intrude. You must be Mr. Wei, right?"

Wei Xiu searched his memory and was certain he had never met this old man before. "Mr. Wei is my father. I am Wei Xiu."

"Hahaha!" The old man laughed heartily, exuding a powerful aura with every gesture. "I’ve already heard about your affairs from Huang Han."

Wei Xiu frowned. *Huang Han?* Huang Han must be that stern, fierce old man from the military district who never gave anyone a pleasant look. Even someone as powerful as Zhang Mingrui was like an ant before him. Everyone in the military district addressed Huang Han by his title. Wei Xiu had never seen anyone call him by his name. This suggested that this old man’s status was even higher than Huang Han’s.

Thinking of this, Wei Xiu pursed his lips in resignation. "Since you already know, just tell me how you intend to deal with me. How many years is the sentence?"

The old man laughed loudly again upon hearing this. "Around here, you won't be sentenced to many years. But you shot down an aircraft—that’s not an easy thing to explain to the Americans. If you were to fall into their hands, they’d keep you locked up until you died."