At the same time, the truth about Liu Hongyan stealing meat came to light. On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the couple found themselves locked up together in the local police station. Before the Lantern Festival had even arrived, they were deported to a state farm in the Great Northwest.
Shen Lin, who had been anxiously waiting for his parents to send him money and ration coupons, was stunned beyond belief to see them arrive at the farm—and under such disgraceful circumstances. He was so terrified that he didn't dare approach them to acknowledge them. It wasn't until the middle of the night that he snuck out to meet them, only to discover the mess they had made. Enraged, he berated Guo'an for squandering such a good hand at life, cursing his parents for their inability to endure a little hardship and their greed for comfort.
Furious, Guo'an slapped him across the face. "We ended up in this state because of you, you unfilial son! You wouldn't settle for being a factory propagandist; you insisted on running off to the countryside as an educated youth. If you're so capable, why don't you endure this hardship yourself? Stop writing to us begging for money and coupons! You knew perfectly well we didn't have a cent, yet you wrote every single day, guilt-tripping us and insisting we send you money, or you’d starve or freeze to death."
Chapter 1397