Lu Qian's expression was a mixture of excitement and anger.
"Xiao Yang, can you contact him now? I want to say a few words to him."
Chen Lan, eager to get out of bed, was stopped by Lu Qian.
Yang Jian nodded, opened the door again, and looked both ways down the corridor. Seeing no suspicious individuals, he dialed Huang Hua's number.
"Brother Hua, it's Yang Jian. What's the situation over there?"
"Nothing for now. The police did investigate you specifically and even summoned me for questioning, but there's no concrete evidence proving you were the one who fired the gun that night, as Feng Taiping and the other two have never admitted to being robbers."
"That's good. Feng Taiping's wife died, how was that handled afterward?"
"She's still causing trouble. The project department intends to give 100,000, but the villagers of Fengjia Village disagree. The power plant is still coordinating. Don't worry, as long as you don't come here, the police won't pay attention to you."
"Alright, Brother Hua, can you let Lu Feng take the phone?"
"Wait a moment, he's downstairs."
Yang Jian handed the phone to Lu Qian and leaned against the doorway, worried about plainclothes officers coming to monitor Lu Qian and his wife.
"Master, have you reached home?"
Lu Feng's voice came from the other end of the phone.
Lu Qian quickly brought the phone in front of Chen Lan and turned on the speakerphone.
"Xiao Feng, it's Mom. Are you doing okay out there? Why haven't you called home in so long?"
"Mom."
Lu Feng on the other end of the line instantly burst into tears. Lu Qian and Chen Lan also wept uncontrollably, the family of three crying their hearts out over the phone.
Yang Jian, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel tears welling up. A single misstep had led to eternal regret. Lu Feng's momentary impulsiveness had caused this family to endure suffering and gloom for the rest of their lives.
"Dad, Mom, I was wrong. I'm sorry for failing your nurturing and raising me for so many years. I'm afraid I'll never be able to fulfill my filial duties in front of you again."
After crying for a full two minutes, Lu Feng finally regained his composure.
"Xiao Feng, why were you so foolish? Was it because the family was short of money? Why did you go and help someone commit murder out of the blue?"
"Mom, I was wrong. I regret not listening to Master's advice and shouldn't have risked my life for others, but now it's all too late."
"Xiao Feng, are you safe over there? Are you doing well?"
"Mom, don't worry, I'm doing fine here. Master has always taken good care of me. If it weren't for him, I don't know where I'd be wandering, unable to even sleep soundly."
Lu Qian, who had been silent, spoke up: "Xiao Feng, do you plan to live the rest of your life hiding like this?"
"Dad, I don't want to either, but what can I do now?"
"Come back and surrender yourself, child."
"No, I can't surrender. I killed someone. Surrendering means a dead end."
Lu Qian sighed, "Things aren't as serious as you think. Your older sister, Wan, specifically came back for your matter. She consulted the most famous lawyer in the province. As long as you return and surrender, she has a way to prevent you from being sentenced to death, and the prison term won't exceed fifteen years."
"Did Sister Wan really say that?"
"Yes, child. As soon as you got into trouble, your uncle, aunt, and cousins all went to bat for you. Your uncle's classmate is the deputy director of the municipal bureau, and he specifically looked into your case. Your shot wasn't fatal to Old Gui; it was the stab that severed his carotid artery that truly caused his death."
Lu Feng's tone held a hint of surprise: "Dad, are you saying Old Gui wasn't killed by my shot, so I won't bear the primary responsibility?"
"Yes, your sister Wan said that as long as you contact the family, she will definitely persuade you to surrender. She will hire the best lawyer to defend you, and your uncle will also use all his connections to try and get the court to impose a lighter sentence. We plan to sell a house to your uncle to cover the expenses for running these errands."
Lu Feng fell silent. He had already been to prison twice. Although the sentences weren't long, he had personal experience and was unwilling to endure those days of lost freedom.
"Child, don't hesitate anymore. Come back and surrender. You're still young. Even if you serve ten years, you'll be less than forty when you get out. We can still see you get married and have children. Such a life still holds some hope. Otherwise, we truly don't know how we'll get through the rest of our lives."
Lu Qian knew that it was difficult for his son to make the decision to surrender and required great courage, so he tried to give him the greatest hope possible.
Lu Feng was silent for a moment and said, "Dad, let my master take the phone. I want to hear his opinion."
The phone was on speakerphone, and Yang Jian had naturally heard the conversation between father and son. He quickly walked over and picked up the phone.
"Master, you heard what my dad just said, right? Do you think I should surrender?"
"I heard everything. If Old Gui's death wasn't caused by your gunshot, then you should surrender immediately. With your family's connections, you really won't be sentenced too harshly. Then, if you behave well in prison and strive for more sentence reductions, perhaps you can get out in less than ten years. If you keep hiding outside like this, you'll never have a future."
"Then, if I surrender, should I expose Yu Feng? After all, I was doing her bidding, and she's a hired killer."
"Let's put this matter aside for now. I called her today, and she should meet with me within three days. I'll see her attitude then. If she readily gives the one million, we'll let her off the hook. I assume you don't have any evidence of her instructing you to kill."
Lu Feng thought for a moment and said, "I really don't. However, I know the person who gave me the cash at the end; it was her driver. Plus, the other four people can testify that her driver gave them the remaining eight hundred thousand."
"Good, this evidence is fatal to her. I'll meet with her first."
"Then I'll wait for your call before deciding whether to surrender."
Lu Qian said from the side, "You don't need to come back. Just surrender directly at the local police station. The police here will send someone to pick you up. This way, you can avoid being arrested by the police while on your way back. There's a significant difference in sentencing between surrendering and being arrested."
After hanging up the phone, Lu Qian sighed deeply. "Xiao Yang, thank you for taking care of Lu Feng during this time. Although you're younger than him, I can tell he listens to your advice. I hope you can help him surrender as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, Uncle. In three days at the most, I'll have him surrender on the spot. Who is this Sister Wan you mentioned? Is she really confident she can prevent him from being sentenced to death?"
"Lu Wan is his cousin. She's the chief scientist at a national key laboratory, and her husband's background is very powerful with extensive connections. He definitely won't be sentenced to death; it's just a matter of how many years."
"Uncle, your family members are so impressive, all of them high achievers."
Lu Qian gave a bitter smile. "Xiao Yang, what you said makes me feel ashamed. My Lu family has been a scholarly lineage for hundreds of years, and even now, talents emerge in abundance. Yet, I, of all people, gave birth to a son who became a hooligan, completely disgracing the Lu family. I won't have the face to meet the ancestors of the Lu family even after a hundred years."
Yang Jian couldn't help but sigh. This was truly ironic. He had brought it upon himself. Lu Feng had truly ruined himself.