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墨書 Inktalez
The day after my son was taken away, my partner and I finally returned to that empty house. The rooms were desolate and cold. I sat on the sofa, staring at the unfinished sales contract on the coffee table, unable to articulate the emotions swirling within me.
"Old man, we managed to keep the house, but this family is shattered," my partner sighed. I remained silent. At seventy-five years old, having endured so much, I no longer knew whether to feel happy or sad.
Three days later, the police station notified me to come in for a statement. Officer Xiao Wang informed me, "Master Hou, after investigation, your son and daughter-in-law are indeed suspected of fraud. However, considering this is an internal family dispute, if you choose not to pursue it, we can mediate."
"Not pursue it?" I chuckled bitterly. "They forced me to live in the stairwell for half a month, nearly freezing to death. And I shouldn't pursue it?"
"So your stance is..."
"Handle it however you see fit; I have no son," I replied coldly.
A week later, the court's verdict was announced. The house belonged to me; Hou Zuo Qing and his wife were convicted of fraud and sentenced to one year in prison with a suspended sentence.
Once the news spread, the entire neighborhood buzzed with gossip.
"That old man Hou Deyuan is ruthless; he sent his own son to jail."
"Ruthless? His son was the one who lost his humanity first!"
"But he's still his biological son; isn't this too extreme?"
"Too extreme? Where was he when his son forced him into the stairwell?"
Listening to their discussions, I felt a mix of emotions.
Two months later, one afternoon, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Hou Zuo Qing standing there, looking much thinner than before, with dark circles under his eyes.
"Dad..." he started.
I looked at him without saying a word.
"Dad, I was wrong." Suddenly, he knelt down before me. "I truly realize my mistakes."
My heart softened a bit, but I still remained silent.
"Dad, please forgive me. I promise to be filial to you and Mom from now on."
"Filial?" I scoffed. "When you were forcing us into the stairwell, did you think about being filial?"
"Dad, I was blinded by my own desires..."
"What about it?" I interrupted him. "Have you ever considered that if I hadn't discovered your plan to sell the house, we wouldn't even have this home anymore?"
"Dad, I really know I was wrong..."
"Know you were wrong?" I became increasingly agitated as I spoke. "Did you know you were wrong when you kicked your mother down the stairs? Did you know you were wrong when you said it would be just fine if we froze to death?"
Hou Zuo Qing lowered his head, unable to look at me.
"Dad, just think of me as a dog and give me one more chance."
"A dog?" I trembled with anger. "Even a dog knows how to protect its owner; you're even worse than a dog!"
At that moment, my wife walked out of the room.
Seeing our son kneeling on the ground, her heart softened. "Old man, let it go. After all, he is our son..."
"Our son?" I pointed at Hou Zuo Qing and said to my wife, "Does he still count as our son? When we were almost freezing to death in the stairwell, what was he doing? Planning to sell the house!"
My wife fell silent.
I looked at Hou Zuo Qing kneeling on the floor and suddenly remembered something.
"Hou Zuo Qing, let me ask you this: if I hadn't discovered that you were planning to sell the house, what would you have done?"
Hou Zuo Qing didn't dare to speak.
"Speak up!" I shouted.
"I... I..."
"Were you planning to sell the house, take the money, and leave us to fend for ourselves?"
Hou Zuo Qing still remained silent, but I could see the answer in his expression.
That was it. If I hadn't found out, he really would have done that.
"Get out," I said calmly. "From now on, I have no son."
"Dad..."
"Get out!"
Hou Zuo Qing slowly stood up, glanced at me, then at my wife, and ultimately walked away.
Since then, he never came back.
Now, three years have passed. My wife and I live in this house; though lonely, at least we are stable.
Our younger son and daughter occasionally come to see us, but they have their own lives and can't rely on them all the time.
Some people ask me if I regret it—regret sending my eldest son to jail?
I thought about it for a long time, and my final answer is: no regrets.
At 75 years old, I've been through it all.
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