Zhou Xueli tossed and turned all night without sleep, and early the next morning, he went to the County Government Office prison.
When he saw Zhou Xuennian and Madam Lu again, Zhou Xueli was momentarily at a loss for a reaction; it felt as though ages had passed since they last stepped out, dressed for the mid-year festivities in proper attire, full of smiles. But now, as the year had ended, the people before him seemed like complete strangers compared to those he remembered.
They were in tattered clothes, with disheveled hair, emaciated, looking no better than beggars.
"Big brother," Zhou Xueli uttered from his throat.
Zhou Xuennian staggered forward and, reaching through the bars, grabbed his clothes: "You finally came, you actually came. I thought you all didn't care whether we lived or died!"
Madam Lu also crawled over, looking expectantly at Zhou Xueli and asking, "Second Uncle, are you here to take us out?"
