How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Since Qingru started working at the police station, Mr. Lü's treatment has improved dramatically. At least he no longer gets beaten or scolded at the drop of a hat, or gets to eat cold or spoiled food.

Today, someone even came to clean his cell thoroughly.

Father Lü sat against the wall, a cornbread bun in his hand, watching the jailer who came to clean with a smile.

"What's wrong? Did you take the wrong medicine today? Why are you being so attentive?"

The two had known each other for more than half a year and were already familiar with each other. Not to mention that after Qingru entered the police station, she would send things in every now and then, and the prison guards were more willing to do Lu Peijun a favor.

"Hey, what are you saying? Haven't I been good to you usually?"

"Okay, okay, thank you for taking care of me."

"Hehe, you gave birth to a good daughter. She did a few good things for the director, who is also the eldest son. The eldest son was so happy that he decided to release you."

Lu Peijun asked in surprise, "Let me out?"

"Yeah, you don't still not want to go out, do you?"

"Hehe, not at all. No matter how reluctant I am to leave you, my own home is still the most comfortable place."

After cleaning the last spot, the jailer laughed and said, "That's right, you're just waiting to enjoy your good fortune."

Lu Peijun smiled but didn't answer. After the jailer left, the smile on his face didn't disappear, but his eyes were cold.

"Did you hear me? I'm going out."

The cell next door was still piled with weeds, and a small bulge appeared in the pile of weeds. After a moment, it moved slightly.

Lu Peijun said, "I'm going out. Go to the Lu family home and find me."

"Ah."

There was a long pause before a response came from the other end. The voice was rough and even a little cracked, indicating that the person hadn't spoken in a long time.

Not long after, Qingru was imprisoned and headed straight for the prison guard.

"Dad," Qingru said, her voice trembling with tears. Before she could even throw herself into her father's arms, tears were already streaming down her face.

"Qingru, you've had a tough time these past few days," said Mr. Lü as he helped her up and lovingly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"It's not hard work," Qingru shook her head and said, "You've suffered, Dad."

“Let’s go home,” said Mr. Lü, then took Qingru’s hand and turned to walk out. Every step he took was firm and composed, not at all like someone who had experienced imprisonment, but more like a father who had just returned home after wandering around.

After the father and daughter went outside, a car was parked on the side of the road. Guo Zixing stood to the side and smiled at Mr. Lü, saying, "Hello, Uncle Lü."

"Greetings, Young Master Guo. I am so grateful for your care of my daughter during this time. I also had a good time in prison thanks to your help. I'm sorry to have troubled you," said Mr. Lü politely, without mentioning why he was imprisoned.

Guo Zixing breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this. It seemed that this former Qing dynasty scholar was a sensible and discerning person.

The journey was smooth, and the car drove into the southwest alley of the city.

There haven't been any cars here for a long time, so when they see one coming, everyone cranes their necks to see who it is.

Especially when the car stopped in front of the Lü family's house, the surrounding neighbors exclaimed in surprise.

"Oh my, isn't this Manager Lü?"

"Isn't that the eldest daughter of the Lü family?"

"What's going on? There's an extra policeman?"

...

After everyone got out of the car, the neighbors gathered around with concern and asked, "Manager Lü, what's going on?"

"Sir, does this mean Manager Lü has been released?"

The crowd began to discuss amongst themselves, asking questions all at once.

Lu Peijun simply smiled and said it was nothing, without explaining why he was in jail.

Guo Zixing understood the situation immediately. If he wanted Lü's father to live peacefully here, he would have to prove the innocence of Lü Peijun's family in front of everyone.

So he cleared his throat and stepped forward, saying, "Please calm down, everyone. Uncle Lü had some misunderstandings with the police station before, which is why he assisted in the investigation. Now the case has been cleared up, and Manager Lü has nothing to do with it. To express our apology and compensate Uncle Lü for the damage to his reputation during this period, we are offering a special sum of one thousand silver dollars."

In front of everyone, Zhang Xun stepped forward carrying a tray filled with sealed silver coins.

"Young man, do you even keep your word? Manager Lü was personally convicted by Commander Guo."

Guo Zixing blushed, wishing he could sew the man's mouth shut, but still said kindly, "I am Guo Zixing, the police chief. I can vouch for Uncle Lü's character. As for Commander Guo, the misunderstanding has already been cleared up. The previous notification was made because it was of great importance, and we didn't want to alert the suspect. Now that the case is closed, it's only natural that the Lü family's reputation should be restored."

"I knew it! I've been neighbors with Lao Lü for so many years, and he's always been honest and kind."

"That's right, congratulations, Lao Lü."

"Old Lu, let's have a drink together to celebrate."

Lu Peijun smiled and bowed to everyone to express his gratitude. "I, Lu, would like to thank all my relatives and friends for their concern. After I go to the temple to fulfill my vow and cleanse myself of all bad luck, I will definitely prepare a few cups of wine to thank everyone for their support."

Regardless of the facts, one must always maintain appearances and save face.

The alley was bustling with activity for a time.

"Alright, everyone, you can all go your separate ways now. My yard isn't quite ready yet; I'll let you all know when we've set a time." Seeing that the time was right, Lü Peijun apologized to everyone.

"Okay, let's call it a day. Just take care of yourself. If you need anything, just let us know and we'll definitely help you."

Lu Peijun was exonerated and, seeing that he had even gotten on the good side of Young Master Guo, everyone was happy to do him a favor.

After smilingly seeing everyone off, Guo Zixing also came to say goodbye. "Uncle Lü, Qingru, you should rest well. I have already instructed someone to clean the courtyard, and I have also sent word to your old servant. He should be here soon."

"Okay, you can go now. I'll go to the police station tomorrow."

"You don't need to worry about the police station. Take a few more days to rest and spend some time with Uncle Lu. I'm leaving now."

After seeing Guo Zixing off, Qingru breathed a sigh of relief and followed her father into the Lü family home.

The weeds, dead branches and fallen leaves in the yard have been cleared away, and the dust has been swept away. Further inside, the messy rooms that had been searched earlier have also been tidied up.

Everything seemed perfectly organized and flawless, but a closer look revealed a slight imperfection, since everything in the house was newly purchased and hadn't been touched much.

Seeing that Lü Peijun's face had darkened, Qingru quickly said, "Everything here is gone. Guo Zixing must have had someone rearrange it."

"Hmm," Lü Peijun replied, her expression unreadable.

Upon closer inspection, it has been restored to the original Lü family style as closely as possible, and even the materials used are better and more expensive.

“Qingru, I told you before that you have to repay the same amount of kindness you have received, and you must also repay the same amount of loss you have suffered.”

“I remember, Dad. You should rest first. As for how much money I spent, don’t worry about it. I will work hard to pay it back.”

Seeing Qingru's oblivious expression, Lü Peijun said nothing more. Fine, he'd pay it back someday; there was no need to shatter his daughter's beautiful dreams.

"What about your sister?"

When Yanru was mentioned, Qingru paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"My sister, my sister..."

"Did you find her?"

Qingru asked curiously, "Why do you seem to know we would get separated, Dad?"

“At that time, you were not in the city, so I entrusted her to an acquaintance, the richest family in the Song family. I saw that his son was quite fond of Yanru, and Master Song was also my classmate in the imperial examination, so I thought he would surely take care of her.”

Thinking of Song Yuanliang's confession that day, Qingru really didn't know how to start the conversation.

Seeing her distress, Lü Peijun asked with concern, "Is Yanru not doing well?"

Qingru steeled her resolve. "It's not that she's doing badly, but she seems... she seems to be pregnant. Young Master Song came to tell us himself."

"what?!"

Lu Peijun exclaimed in surprise, "Your sister is pregnant?"

"Yes, it belongs to Young Master Song, who is also her classmate."

"You wretched child! You wretched child! You're so foolish!" Lü Peijun exclaimed angrily.

Qingru quickly pulled her father back and comforted him, "Dad, I think Young Master Song is sincere. Maybe the two young people couldn't control themselves for a moment. Don't be angry. We'll bring her back, ask her what happened, and then make up for the lack of proper etiquette."

Lu Peijun was still indignant. "I spoiled her too much, which is why she became weak and spineless, only knowing how to depend on others. It's all my fault. What kind of karma have I created? Our whole family has been dragged into this storm."

"Dad, don't be sad. Isn't Mr. Song an old friend of yours? He must be a good person and will surely give us an explanation."

"Let's go to the Song family."

Lü Peijun had made up his mind, and Qingru couldn't persuade him otherwise.

He had no choice but to hurry up and catch up, hoping to offer some advice to his father and sister.

While Yan Ru was wallowing in melancholy at the Song family home, she was unaware that a storm was quietly brewing for her.