Chapter 453
Caleb's mother had never been in the best of health.
But she had never been this bad, to the point where eating and drinking were difficult.
What happened around the Spring Festival broke her completely.
The Watson family used to make a living by farming.
Five years ago, Mr. Watson was injured on a construction site.
He was left disabled and could no longer do heavy labor.
He had to stay in the village, tending to their few meager acres.
Later, he cleared the woodlot on the back hill and planted fruit trees.
The first two years were just small-scale trial planting.
He slowly gained experience and expanded the planting area year by year.
The year before last, the weather was favorable.
The fruit trees had a bumper harvest.
They also caught a good market and made a decent profit.
The villagers began to grow envious.
The Watsons had always kept to themselves and didn't interact much with the villagers.
This only fueled more jealousy and resentment.
Last year, the weather was terrible.
The harvest was halved.
The quality of the fruit was poor too.
Continuous heavy rains waterlogged the roots, causing severe losses.
Fortunately, Caleb worked as a ghostwriter for Ashley and got some money from Professor Victoria Lowell.
That eased the family's immediate crisis.
After that, he took a part-time job at an off-campus lab.
His income became stable.
He paid back Professor Lowell the principal with interest.
He even gave the family some leftover money for Mr. Watson to buy high-quality saplings.
The cherry trees planted last year bore fruit this year, as expected.
Mr. Watson tended to them carefully.
The cherries were big and sweet.
This year, cherry orchards in the province were hit by pests.
Cherry prices soared nationwide.
Mr. Watson signed a purchase contract with an out-of-town distributor.
The buyer agreed to take the entire harvest this year.
They even pre-ordered next year's output.
Mr. Watson was overjoyed.
On New Year's Eve, the family reunion was full of hope.
They all felt life was finally getting better.
Who could have guessed things would go wrong the very next day...
Chloe Sullivan spoke up.
"Brother, rest a bit. Let me tell them!"
The Croix family at the village entrance ran a driving school in town.
Business was booming, and they were raking in money.
The Croix family returned to the village and enclosed the best plot of land.
They built a villa.
Since then, everything went smoothly for them, and money kept rolling in.
The Croix family had two sons, Connor and Sebastian.
The two ran amok in the village, bullying men and women alike.
The Croix family never disciplined them, letting them do as they pleased.
If someone came to complain, Vincent Croix would just say, "My sons are grown, I can't control them," and send them away.
If the situation got really bad, he'd pay some compensation.
The Croix family wasn't short on money.
Over time, the villagers learned to avoid the Croix brothers.
They endured what they could and yielded when they had to.
As long as they were still breathing, they gritted their teeth and swallowed their pride.
"Connor and Sebastian took a fancy to our woodlot."
"They said they wanted to move their family graves there."
"They even hired a feng shui master who spent two days surveying it."
"He insisted the land was perfectly suited to their family's destiny."
"They only offered 50 bucks per square meter..."
"Of course Dad refused. So they started finding ways..."
Chloe Sullivan's voice choked up.
The Croix brothers first came with gifts to negotiate the price.
Mr. Watson firmly refused.
The woodlot was planted with fruit trees.
It was the family's only hope.
No amount of money would make him sell.
The Croix's offer was downright insulting.
The two brothers immediately turned hostile.
They overturned the table and smashed things.
Caleb wanted to call the police.
Mr. Watson stopped him.
He said they should just endure it and it would pass.
But their endurance only invited further escalation.
The Croix brothers stole and killed their chickens and dogs in the middle of the night.
They paid people to throw feces at the Watson's walls.
On Lantern Festival, they stormed into the Watson home with their men.
They injured Mr. and Mrs. Watson.
Mrs. Watson's condition worsened.
She still couldn't eat or drink.
They couldn't even take her to the county hospital for treatment.
The Croix family put out the word.
No one in the village with a car was allowed to give the Watsons a ride.
Caleb's phone was deliberately stomped and broken during the conflict.
Jude was also at the Watson home that day.
He was pushed and hit his head.
He bled profusely.
Connor twisted Caleb's arms behind his back.
He pinned him to the ground, unable to move.
Jude's parents rushed over upon hearing the news.
They begged and pleaded desperately.
Only then were they allowed to take their son away.
Jude was sent to the town hospital that night.
When they couldn't treat him, he was transferred to the county hospital.
He remains unconscious to this day.
Chloe Sullivan continued.
"...They never wanted to move graves in the first place!"
"They just saw our cherry orchard was profitable and wanted to seize it!"
Hannah trembled with rage.
"How despicable! How is this any different from outright robbery?"
She looked at Caleb.
"Forget not calling the police the first time. Why didn't you call them after Jude was so badly hurt?"
Caleb gave a bitter smile.
"My brother did call the police! It was useless even when they came..."
A sudden knock sounded at the door.
Caleb walked over and called out, "Dad?"
The door opened.
A hunched, limping middle-aged man entered.
He froze upon seeing Sophia and the others.
Caleb quickly introduced them.
"These are my classmates from MIT. Also good friends."
"They came to see me because I haven't returned to school."
Mr. Watson's expression turned serious.
He tried his best to straighten his back.
"Hello. Thank you for caring about Caleb!"
"We have freshly picked cherries. Let me wash a basket for you. They're very sweet! No pesticides..."
He started heading toward the kitchen.
Sophia quickly waved her hands.
"Uncle, please don't trouble yourself. We just came to see Caleb."
"Beijing is so far away. You must be tired from the trip! Please sit, it'll be ready soon!"
Ignoring their protests, he disappeared into the kitchen.
He soon returned with a basin of bright red cherries, glistening with water droplets.
He turned on all the lights.
"This is brighter!"
He busied himself, anxious not to neglect his son's friends.
Looking at this simple, honest middle-aged uncle, the bruises still visible on his face, yet offering them the best he had...
Hannah's eyes reddened.
Sophia fell silent.
Marcus felt a suffocating heaviness.
All three came from well-off families.
What they saw and heard today completely shattered their perceptions.
So this was the dark, ugly corner where sunlight never reached!
A commotion suddenly erupted outside.
A slovenly voice rang out.
"Hey, Watson! I heard you have guests! Why didn't you call me? Let me have a look too!"
Mr. Watson's body went rigid.
Caleb's face paled dramatically.
Chloe Sullivan hid behind her father in fear, silently crying.
The family was like startled birds.
Who the newcomer was, went without saying.
Sophia narrowed her eyes, looking toward the door.