Before he even got the money, he was arrested and taken to the police station. Two very serious-looking police officers came to interrogate him, asking why he had abandoned his two young daughters in his hometown.
Jiang Erchun still felt wronged—
"Isn't that how it is where we're from? Men have to go out to work and earn money to support their families. How can they have time to stay home and take care of the children? Aren't the children left in our hometowns to be cared for by the elderly after they're born?"
"Didn't send money home? That's right! I have no money! I only earn two or three thousand a month. I need to eat, right? I also have a wife and son to support. Where would I get the money to send home?"
"How will your two daughters and their old mother live? We still have land, right? We can grow some potatoes and corn; surely no one will starve."
"The poverty subsidy? Yes, it was indeed deposited into my account. Where did it go? I spent it all! My son needs milk powder! He's the son who will carry on the Jiang family line! I had three daughters who were a financial burden, and only this one son. Of course, I have to save the money for him..."
Well, without the police officers even having to put in any effort to guide him, Jiang Erchun just acted like an idiot, spilling the beans and revealing all the facts about how he abandoned his two daughters.
Hearing his feudalistic ideas about "carrying on the family line," the police officers handling the case were practically suffocating.
Now they finally understood why Jiang Cancan's grandmother, despite having a son, still entrusted Jiang Xiaoman and other relatives to bring Jiang Cancan to the competition.
If it were her father who brought her, he probably would have sold his daughter for a good price before the finals even arrived.
Jiang Erchun's later wife was still crying outside the police station.
The reporters, seeing that Zhou Mingxing and Jiang Cancan hadn't come out after going in, figured they had nothing better to do. These people were so cunning; they could even get something out of a celebrity with perfect defenses, let alone Jiang Erchun, whose wife had absolutely no experience dealing with the media!
She had no idea why these people were asking her those questions; all she knew was that they were reporters.
That makes things easier; the reporters will definitely be able to uphold justice for them!
He immediately recounted how he and Jiang Erchun had come out to work with their child, hadn't returned for several years, and now, hearing that their daughter had become successful, they had come to stay with them.
After grumbling, she went on to scold Jiang Cancan, saying that this brat had become rich and then disowned her own father, preferring to give money to a stranger (Jiang Xiaoman) rather than her own father. She was a heartless wretch and deserved that her father didn't care about her...
Oh wow~ This is her admitting that her husband abandoned their two underage children?
The paparazzi must be dying of laughter!
Even worse were those self-media users who, after the reporters finished "collecting evidence," took a selfie stick and shoved it right in front of Jiang Erchun's wife, making her repeat what she had just said to the camera and asking netizens to judge her.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Erchun's wife immediately perked up and began to criticize him enthusiastically in the live stream...
Unfortunate viewers who stumbled into the live stream were absolutely furious at her suffocating remarks!
What to do? Although they promised their motherland that they would retire from keyboard warriors and never be keyboard warriors again, at this moment, their keyboards are already itching to unleash their fury.
Chapter 97
"Great! I came in to read some gossip, but I almost got so angry that I had to call an ambulance."
"Is this woman sure she didn't time travel from the last century?"
"Jiang Cancan's fans are already so angry they're dying on their way to writing scathing posts."
"Give me the manuscript upstairs, I'll continue writing it! My mom has been sitting next to me yelling at me for half an hour already."
"Everyone, calm down! Impotent rage is useless. We've already tagged the local women's federations at all levels. We believe they will definitely uphold justice for Jiang Cancan!"
"It's time to call upon Jiang Cancan's fan club's legal team to march on J Province..."
"Xiaoman's fans are here to help! We've decided to edit out all of Xiaoman's videos featuring Jiang Cancan. Follow us at @RuralXiaomanBigWifeFans"
"Pfft~ Little Man's little wife is here to report for duty! Support Little Man! Down with the heartless scumbag father!"
"Don't hurt anyone upstairs! Xiaoman's dad is a really nice guy! This scumbag is Jiang Cancan's dad!"
However, what netizens didn't expect was that even with such irrefutable evidence, some self-righteous people were still radiating "human brilliance" online—
"No matter what, he's Jiang Cancan's biological father. You're happy to send him to jail, but have you thought about what will happen to Jiang Cancan and her two grandchildren? At least with a biological father, the family still has some hope..."
Holy crap! Jiang Cancan's fans were so angry when they saw this that they wanted to smash their phones.
What kind of brainless, saintly mentality is this?
Is there still "something to look forward to"? It's more like a prison sentence, isn't it?
Abandoning minor children is a clear crime!
"Hehe~ What are you saying? If I remember correctly, when that scumbag abandoned our CanCan, she was only three years old, right? She survived such a difficult time, so why couldn't she survive later?"
"Since you think this scumbag dad is alright, dear~ we suggest you take him back and support him yourself~"
"That's why I've always advised you to read more books! You haven't even learned about cause and effect! Get it straight, okay? Jiang Cancan was living a perfectly good life, but now she's so embroiled in this mess that she's afraid to even show her face, all because of this so-called biological father, right?"
"Agreed! It's better to have no father at all than to have one like that."
"The original poster is undeniably ignorant of the law! Get this straight, okay? It's not that netizens aren't letting this scumbag father off the hook, it's that the national law won't let him get away with it!"
"Professor Luo Xiang, what's the maximum sentence for this situation?"
"Wow! If Professor Luo Xiang were to compete, not only would his scumbag father be in jail, but his second wife would probably be serving three years in prison too... That's exciting!"
The online outrage was palpable. Seeing that the public opinion had reached a boiling point, Zhou Mingxing left Jiang Xiaoman and the others with Jiang Cancan while he went to find the station's leaders.
With so many news programs on the provincial TV station, shouldn't they pay attention to this current hot topic?
The Taiwanese leaders were quite helpless.
The social news department has already submitted a topic for this matter. In fact, as the unit directly in charge of the program, the wise thing to do in this situation is to avoid suspicion and let other media continue to follow up, which is commonly known as asking an ally to cover it up.
But, how should I put it?
Having spent half his life in the media, the station leader also possessed a passion for media. Thinking of Jiang Cancan's pitiful state, preferring to hide in the arms of her "nephew" Jiang Xiaoman rather than see her biological father, the station leader gulped down half a cup of cold tea.
Let's do it! At worst, I'll write a self-criticism later!
Why would they ask him to write a self-criticism?
Have you all forgotten? Ever since Jiang Cancan opened her golden voice and sang "Sending Off My Love" on stage, she has gained a large number of fans among uncles and aunts.
You know, those who grew up listening to this song are now basically the backbone of society. For example, when the station's leader cautiously called to ask for instructions, a leader in charge of broadcasting paused for a moment, then said to him earnestly—
"Old Song! Don't forget you're a journalist!"
"A journalist should never forget their original aspirations when they entered the profession, understand?"
"Understood, understood!"
No one who can reach the position of a leader in the station is stupid. What is there to be confused about in what the big leader is saying?
Let him go and get started!
What is the original aspiration of journalists? Isn't it to shoulder the responsibility of upholding justice?
If you don't even dare to uphold basic social ethics and morality, what kind of journalist are you?
Thinking of this, the station leader waved his hand and said: "Let's start the meeting!"
That evening, J Province TV's long-running local news program was the first to report Jiang Cancan's story as its lead story.
A child from a poor mountain village possesses amazing musical talent, but her talent was almost buried due to her family's poverty. She was unexpectedly discovered and participated in a competition. She originally planned to use the prize money to continue her studies and pursue her musical dreams. However, her biological father, who had abandoned her and her sister years ago, came with his whole family to try and steal the prize money...
Everyone here is a TV reporter. The cameraman who went to Langshan with Wei Sheng back then readily brought out the footage he had never been willing to delete.
Thus, through the program, viewers saw Jiang Cancan's dilapidated old house, the kitchen with light streaming through the roof, and the granary so small that even rats would starve to death if they went in...
The general public simply can't believe it! In today's world where everyone is striving to escape poverty and become wealthy, there are still families in China living in such dire poverty!
No, this is not the country's fault; it is clearly a man-made disaster!
As the report progressed, viewers learned that the family was impoverished because the old man's son had remarried and was heavily in debt. He had taken his new wife and fled to avoid his debts, and had not returned home for several years, nor had he sent a single penny back to the elderly and children in the family!
I also learned from interviews with villagers and relatives (Jiang Xiaoman) that the government did not abandon this impoverished family. However, the annual minimum living allowance was embezzled by the man who kept saying in the interview that he "had to earn money to support his family"...
Holy crap! Is this about making money to support your family or about murder for money?
Local residents were furious and called for the best man to be severely punished for abandoning his elderly mother and two young daughters!
Some elderly people who don't know how to use the internet even went to the police station featured in the news to personally urge the police not to let this scumbag go, otherwise the elderly and children in their families would be in big trouble when he returned home.
Besides condemning the incident online, netizens also tagged major media outlets and influential figures, hoping they would follow up with reports and prevent Jiang Cancan and her grandmother from falling into the hands of this bloodsucker.
To put it bluntly, they're just a bit poor now, with limited food and clothing, but they can still survive thanks to the help from the villagers and the school. If they really fell into Jiang Erchun's hands, they probably wouldn't even have a life left.
Zhou Mingxing also took the opportunity to contact some marketing accounts with whom he had good private relationships and released some bombshell information.
For example, according to a certain villager, the reason why Jiang Cancan's mother had a difficult third childbirth was because Jiang Erchun always wanted a son, so he forced his wife to have one child after another and was reluctant to let her go to the hospital, which delayed the best time for rescue. This is simply murder!
For example, some informed villagers revealed that after Jiang Cancan's third sister was born, Jiang Erchun reportedly wandered around the market with his infant daughter in his arms, presumably trying to abandon her. However, because there were so many people at the market and people watching everywhere, he didn't succeed...
The most shocking thing is that the production team actually found the Jiang family's creditors, who revealed an even more shocking revelation: it is said that after Jiang Cancan's mother died in childbirth, Jiang Erchun borrowed money everywhere in order to find another wife to give him a son as soon as possible. He even told the creditors that he had three daughters and that if he couldn't repay the money, he could take any one of them he wanted...
Holy crap! The reporters who went to Langshan Village to interview people back then couldn't help but want to punch someone when they heard this.
Are sons precious treasures, while daughters are objects that can be bought and sold at will?
As the incident unfolded, quite a few official media outlets began to follow up with reports, and even a well-known anchor from a national news program spoke out for Jiang Cancan on his personal social media platform.
It's worth noting that this host has a personal account with millions of followers and the prestige of being a national television station. His statement sparked a flurry of discussion among other influential self-media figures, covering a wide range of social issues. However, they all ultimately reached a consensus—
Jiang Erchun must be stripped of his custody rights over the Jiang sisters!
It's important to know that Jiang Erchun now has a son. In some remote and impoverished mountainous areas, daughters are often seen as stepping stones for sons, a fact that has become almost universally accepted.
If Jiang Erchun were to continue having custody of Jiang Cancan and her sister, wouldn't the two daughters be sold off by their own father once they grew up?
Forget about the future, let's talk about now! Listen to what those creditors are saying in the news.
Jiang Erchun told them personally that there was no money to be had, and if they couldn't pay, they could just use one of their daughters to settle the debt!
What kind of feudal remnants from the old society are these? They're not Yang Bailao and Xi'er!
Although the creditors were not very educated, they had been influenced by the village's diligent efforts in painting legal propaganda slogans on the walls and knew that human trafficking was illegal. No one actually went to arrest Jiang Cancan and her sister to pay off their debts. But what happened next?
When a girl grows up and is old enough to get married, things change...
How many single men in rural areas can't find wives these days? Especially considering that the Jiang sisters are both very beautiful, it's unsettling to think about!
Netizens became increasingly worried, and Jiang Cancan's fans even created a hashtag on Weibo called #HasJiangCancan'sScumbagDadBeenStrippedOfChildRightsToday?#
Many fans come to this topic every day to ask questions and tag the relevant departments, clearly demonstrating their intention to exercise their supervisory power and urge the relevant departments to help Jiang Cancan and her sister get rid of this bloodsucking scumbag father as soon as possible.
The pressure from public opinion was immense, especially since it concerned the future generations of the nation. Soon, Jiang Erchun's verdict was handed down: he was stripped of his custody rights over Jiang Cancan and Jiang Yueyue and sentenced to five years in prison!
In fact, the sentence could have been reduced by a few years. The lawyer representing Jiang Erchun had advised his current wife that if they were willing to return the low-income subsidies they had embezzled over the years, and also make up for the child support they owed to Jiang Cancan and her sister and their grandmother, the court would likely reduce the sentence accordingly.
Who knew that when Jiang Erchun's wife heard that she had not only failed to make any money but would also lose tens of thousands of yuan, she disappeared that afternoon with her son... taking all the family's savings with her.