"It’s Big Brother’s turn to take care of you now. It won’t be my turn for another four months." The voice on the other end of the phone paused, then added gloomily, "And besides... Big Brother’s already been locked up because of you. I’m a bit scared too. Why on earth did you have to go and steal those melons in the first place?"

These words infuriated Zhao Fangquan to the point of steaming rage. He hung up the phone, cursing his unfilial son.

Afterward, once he had calmed down, he dialed his third son’s number.

The result... was not much different. They all claimed they had their own lives to lead and couldn’t get away to help.

His sons’ reactions left him extremely angry, yet helpless.

Now, when he went to town to buy daily necessities and food, he couldn’t get anything. When people in the town learned he was from Zhaojia Village, they flatly refused to sell to him.

If this continues, I might actually starve to death at home.

BRRRING—

At that moment, the ringtone of his old cell phone sounded.

Zhao Fangquan hesitated for a moment, then picked up the phone. He found that the call was not from his son but from his eldest grandson—his eldest son’s son.

"Hello? Grandson..."

His expression softened, and a gentle smile spread across his face, contrasting sharply with the cursing and swearing from just before.

Yet, on the phone, his grandson’s voice was filled with anger, "Grandpa, what on earth has happened at home? I just applied for the civil service exam, but they told me I didn’t pass the political screening and sent my application right back!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fangquan’s brain suddenly went blank.

"What... what do you mean?"

"It means there’s a criminal record among direct blood relatives, it’s already on file! Now I can’t even apply. I tried calling my dad, but I can’t get through. What’s going on?"

The grandson’s angry voice continued.

Zhao Fangquan finally panicked and shakily sat down in his chair.

He said cautiously, "Your... your dad is in jail right now."

The civil service exam! That’s a job for life! If he could pass it, it would bring such honor to the family! My grandson prepared for a whole year... and now he can’t even apply?

"What?"

On the other end of the phone, the grandson was terrified. After a barrage of questions, he finally learned about the melon-stealing incident.

This matter... Zhao Fangquan had never told his grandson or anyone else.

"It’s over, my life is over now. The civil service and graduate school exams all require a political screening. I definitely won’t be able to get into a public institution..."

On the other end of the phone, the grandson was muttering to himself in despair, as if his future had suddenly turned bleak.

Listening to his grandson’s voice, Zhao Fangquan also slumped in his chair. He looked utterly bewildered. What am I going to do?

My grandson just graduated from college this year. And because of me... his entire future is ruined. He wouldn’t be able to work for public institutions. Even some larger private companies would require a certificate of no criminal record for the entire family. In the future... they might be held back from advancing in life because of my eldest son’s crime of selling stolen melons!

「Zhaojia Village.」

Besides Zhao Fangquan’s family, many other villagers, at this moment, had not yet felt the impact the criminal records would have on their grandchildren’s generation.

Their most direct experience was the cold words and sneers from other villages. Whenever they left their village for a stroll, they would hear people gossiping.

"Have you heard? It’s that Zhaojia Village, a whole nest of thieves. The father’s a thief, and the son is also a thief."

"Really? What about the grandchildren? Many of their grandchildren are in our town’s elementary school. I’ll have to tell my grandson not to play with them."

"If the father’s a thief, how could the grandson be any better? You can’t raise good people in that kind of family environment."

"We heard all their sons got arrested. If there was nothing wrong, why would the police arrest them?"

"..."

Sarcasm and ostracism filled the air everywhere. They could only communicate with people from their own village.

When encountering people from other villages, they all hung their heads in shame. When going to town to buy necessities, they were also shunned by people from other villages. People flat out refused to sell to them.

In such an environment, many elders felt too ashamed to face their ancestors. The reputation of Zhaojia Village... was completely ruined by this verdict.

After school, the children who had been left behind would innocently ask their grandparents about what was happening in Zhaojia Village.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, my classmates say everyone in our village is a thief. They also called me a thief and falsely accused me of stealing their pencil case, but I really didn’t!"

"Grandma, is everyone in our village really a thief? My teacher says thieves are bad people, and the police uncles are going to arrest them."

"I want my daddy! I want my daddy! Why hasn’t Daddy come back yet?"

"Grandpa, I don’t want to go to school anymore..."

"..."

Hearing their grandchildren’s words, they all blushed, not knowing how to respond.

As for the fathers of these children, they were all locked up in detention centers. The grandparents didn’t dare tell the children the truth, so they could only evade their questions and talk about other things.

But the children kept asking, their aversion to school growing stronger. Clearly, they also faced ostracism and different treatment at school.

This same thought arose in the hearts of all the elders: If only we’d known, we never would have stolen those few pumpkins.

Those few pumpkins... they weren’t worth much money at all. They certainly weren’t worth devastating our families for!

They had been sentenced to probation.