Chapter 4: Lies

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Han Chen pushed Han Wei aside and stared directly at Xiao Liang, demanding: "Liang'er! Look up at your father!"

Xiao Liang shook his head anxiously and said: "Uncle, I don't know. My classmates and I went to the central square to distribute flyers, and we encountered military police driving us away. After that, my classmates and I ran back to school, but we were discovered by the teacher, so we scattered and ran in different directions. Some classmates were taken to the disciplinary office, and I managed to escape back home"

"What evidence did the teacher at school catch you with?" Although Han Wei was both anxious and angry about Xiao Liang's reckless behavior, he was still nervously calculating how to resolve the situation. Han Wei knew that, given his older brother's temperament, he would not weigh his actions carefully when angered. Xiao Liang was usually clumsy with words and never knew how to talk his way out of trouble. Ever since he returned home to Longcheng from his grandfather's side last year, he had faced quite a bit of punishment.

Han Wei lowered his voice and instructed: "Remember, today when you woke up, you had a headache and felt unwell. Your uncle decided not to let you go to school, and you haven't gone anywhere today. Just stick to this statement, understood?"

Upon seeing these crimson publications, Xiao Liang was so frightened that his legs went weak; he knew this time it was over. Han Wei, standing beside him, pulled him from behind, signaling him to stand up straight and to remain calm.

Did you get into trouble again? Han Wei's drowsiness completely vanished

Deputy Officer Chen knocked on the door and called out, "Report! Come in," handing a stack of items and several booklets to Yang Hancheng

Xiao Liang's terrified and melancholic gaze met Han Wei's, and the expression in Han Wei's eyes provided him with a bit of reassurance. Xiao Liang then sorrowfully cried out, "Father, I truly do not know what the flyer is about." After saying this, he began to sob again

"With your current state, how dare you try to cause a commotion like others!" Han Wei scolded while quickly helping Xiao Liang gather the flyers. Just as he was about to step out, Sister Luo knocked and entered, saying, "The master has returned; let the young master go to the study.

"No, it's just... it's just..." Hearing Xiao Liang stammer and unable to articulate his thoughts, Han Wei hurriedly put on a coat and rushed to the bedside to press for answers: "Speak honestly!" At the same time, he glanced at the swinging Western clock on the table; it was 9:40. Han Wei walked to the window and abruptly pulled open the curtains, blinding light flooded into the room. Xiao Liang intentionally shielded his eyes from the dazzling sunlight, yet still stammered and could not express himself clearly.

Brother, are you angry about this? If so, then you have wronged Xiao Liang. This booklet was seized by Han Wei during the recent crackdown on that student movement leader; I was just curious and took a look at what was written inside. It is all my fault, and I should not have shown it to Xiao Liang. If you are angry about this matter, then punish me instead.

Younger brother! The sister-in-law, Yuning, who was pacing outside the study, blocked Hanwei's path and softly advised, "This is not your concern, quickly return to your room. Your elder brother is in a bad mood; do you want to get beaten again?"

Xiao Liang hesitated and nodded. Han Wei comforted him by saying, "Absolutely not! You go first, and your uncle will come over later."

In a state of shock, Han Wei was almost driven to madness; the son of the provincial governor was engaging in student movements and distributing flyers, what a colossal joke! Although he himself was quite radical and had been warned repeatedly by his elder brother, he had always remained on the fringes and never crossed the line. Xiao Liang, who had just entered middle school and was only four years younger than him, was nearly fifteen years old and still acted so recklessly.

When Yang Hancheng, in a fit of rage, threw these booklets at Xiao Liang's face, Xiao Liang was so frightened that he knelt down on the ground

Looking at the increasingly pale face of the elder brother, Han Wei furrowed his brows. He recalled that some time ago, Xiao Liang had shown him pamphlets such as "New Movement" and "Awakening Bell." It seems that the elder brother sent someone to search Xiao Liang's room; these lackeys are quite swift in their actions. Fortunately, the flyers have been dealt with.

Before Han Wei could finish speaking, he was grabbed by the collar and kicked away by his elder brother

Han Wei could sense the intimidating and serious face of his elder brother, whose eyes were wide open in anger, leaving no room for argument. Just thinking about it made him feel uneasy and restless, as if he were pricked by a thorn on his back

"You are driving me crazy! I just asked if you still have any flyers in your hand? If you do, destroy them quickly; the sir will deny everything when he arrives!" Han Wei shouted. Xiao Liang was so frightened that his hands trembled as he fumbled to pull out a stack of colorful flyers from his backpack, still carrying the fresh scent of ink. However, Xiao Liang was too nervous, and as he trembled, the vibrant flyers scattered all over the ground.

Not a single one left

"Uncle, save me, Dad will kill me!" Xiao Liang pleaded with a broken spirit and a crying tone, as Han Wei jumped up from the bed

The recent events surrounding the student movement have captured the attention of the entire central government in Xijing, like dry tinder ready to ignite. A few days ago, the central authorities dispatched personnel to Longcheng and apprehended a teacher from Xiaoliang's school, labeling him as a red element. The atmosphere in Longcheng is tense, with everyone on edge and suspicious of one another. If Big Brother were to find out that Xiaoliang is also getting involved in this turmoil, he would surely punish him severely.

Yang Hancheng cast a glance at his younger brother and, suppressing his anger, said: "Why are you still at home? Go out! This is none of your business."

Damn it! Is it your turn again? You have turned against us!

Nephew Xiaoliang, dressed in a neat school uniform, was sweating profusely. In the dim light of the room, it was still possible to clearly discern the panic and fear etched across Xiaoliang's face

Xiao Liang tightly grasped Han Wei's collar and pleaded, "Uncle, please save me."

Before I even reached the study door, I could already hear my elder brother's thunderous roar: "You've gone too far, and you still dare to argue! If you don't speak honestly, I'll break your legs today!"

"If you don't speak, Uncle will go wash up." Han Wei knew Xiao Liang's timid nature; if there was something to discuss, it needed to be carefully considered. Fortunately, his elder brother should be at the provincial office at this time, allowing Xiao Liang to calmly elaborate on even the gravest of matters.

Brother, Xiao Liang woke up early with a headache and feeling unwell, so Han Wei didn't let him go to school in the morning and they just chatted in Han Wei's room

"Xiao Liang, why did you make your father angry so early in the morning?" Han Wei deliberately tried to ease the tension

Xiao Liang then reluctantly let go.

The servants were polishing the railings of the building and, upon seeing Han Wei, respectfully greeted him, saying, "Good morning, young master"

"Sister, don't worry about it!" Han Wei pushed aside this "successor" sister-in-law, knocked on the door twice, and without waiting for his elder brother's response, directly barged in. "Elder brother, why are you back so early? Don't you have a meeting at the provincial department?"

Han Wei politely responded, quickening his pace

Skipping class? Han Wei was even more shocked, "Do you not want to live anymore?"

"Have you thought it through? Speak quickly, as your uncle also needs to rush to the camp for important matters." At this point, Han Wei suddenly furrowed his brow and asked, "Did you skip class?"

Xiao Liang looked pitiful, his expression flustered as he dared not look at Han Wei. He timidly replied, "I was handing out flyers with my classmates and was caught by the school's teacher."

Seeing Xiao Liang, he still took his hand and walked outside. Han Wei helplessly smiled and said, "Uncle can't possibly go out wearing pajamas, can he"

Han Wei remained remarkably calm in the face of the situation, a quality attributed to the years of guidance from his elder brother hetushu.com. He understood that his brother must be furious this time, which is why he hurried back home without delay

Han Wei used to stand between his elder brother and his nephew Xiao Liang, speaking lies without a change of expression or a flutter of the heart

Yang Hancheng knew that his younger brother was clever and mischievous, but his son Xiaoliang never dared to tell a lie. Xiaoliang hesitantly raised his head, his eyes filled with tears, and murmured: "Father, I was wrong"

"Who saw you distributing flyers in the square?" Han Wei pressed. Xiao Liang, even more anxious, shook his head and trembled as he replied, "A lot of military police chased me at the school gate, and I don't know who saw me. Anyway, I just ran home all the way."

Um ... ...

Han Wei was startled awake from his dream by his nephew Xiao Liang, who barged in without knocking. Han Wei turned over; he had stayed up until 3 AM last night helping his elder brother revise documents, and now he could hardly open his eyes. He murmured, "Why are you up so early? It’s not even dawn yet"

Han Chen pushed his younger brother aside and directly kicked Xiao Liang, who was on the ground, angrily shouting: "Where did you go this morning? Speak!"

Han Wei had vowed at the deathbed of Xiao Liang's biological mother—his elder sister-in-law Xian Ru—that he would protect Xiao Liang just as his sister-in-law had cared for him, a child who had lost his mother at a young age. Moreover, Xiao Liang had been frail and sickly since childhood, timid by nature, and whenever he was subjected to a beating by his elder brother, he would suffer from high fevers that lasted for several days.

As soon as the words fell, a solid slap landed on the face.

Han Wei calmly bent down to pick up the booklets and flipped through them, then turned to Xiao Liang and asked, "Why are you still keeping these? Didn't I tell you to tear them up after reading?" Xiao Liang lowered his head and stole a glance at his uncle Han Wei, his face full of confusion

"Father, Father, Liang Er does not know, Liang Er is wronged." The sound of little Liang Er crying came from inside the room

Han Wei felt somewhat anxious, as he was aware that his sister-in-law had longstanding conflicts with Xiao Liang. Moreover, not long ago, she had exposed the Ni family's misappropriation of public assets and land grabbing to the press, causing significant losses for the Ni family and creating enmity with his stepmother. Sister Yu Ning had indeed caused quite a scene over this matter. However, at that time, Xiao Liang was still in the right and had no ulterior motives, so Han Chen merely taught him a lesson, punishing him to kneel for a day as a way to vent Sister Yu Ning's grievances, and that was the end of it. In the following instances, when Sister Yu Ning subtly set traps for Xiao Liang, Han Wei noticed everything and remained somewhat cautious. Now that she was involved, would she really take the opportunity to strike him when he was down?

Han Wei casually put on a white tennis shirt and quickly left the bedroom, heading towards the study

"Uncle..." Xiao Liang's voice was tinged with tears, looking pitifully at Han Wei, turning back with every step. Han Wei knew that Xiao Liang had a gentle temperament since childhood, so he softened his tone and comforted him, saying: "Hurry along, if you are late, your father will be even angrier"

Have all the flyers been distributed? Han Wei pressed for an answer

He turned around and instructed Sister Luo, saying: "Sister Luo, please help me quickly throw these useless confidential documents into the stove and burn them, so that no one sees them." Sister Luo glanced at the young master Han Wei's expression, which was as if he were facing a formidable enemy, and understandingly took the stack of flyers and left.

Xiao Liang nodded and shook his head again

Brother, is it worth it for that little booklet? It's everywhere on the streets, can it really silence everyone? Let's just listen to it casually and speak of it casually. I just want to see what they are saying over there, so that we can understand both ourselves and our opponents.

You scoundrel, do you still want to lead him astray

"Minghan, don't scare the child." Hancheng noticed that his wife, Ni Yuning, had appeared behind him with a worried expression on her face, though he did not know when she had come.