A former prisoner is returning to normality thanks to his new family and a measured approach. Cao Yin reports

Six years ago, Yu Huan lost his life as an "ordinary" person after he was involved in a high-profile criminal case.

Now, the recently married father-to-be is returning to the "ordinary life" he longed for in prison. To Yu, this means a home to return to after work every evening, where he can share his day's experiences with his family.

The 27-year-old, from Guanxian county, Liaocheng city, Shandong province, was willing to talk about his case because "I made that mistake, and I have to admit it and accept the consequences".

In February 2017, a court in Liaocheng sentenced Yu to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of stabbing four debt collectors in 2016, killing one and injuring the others.

However, he appealed to a higher court, saying that he had acted to protect himself and his mother, Su Yinxia, after the men forcibly detained them.

When the life sentence was posted online, it sparked a public outcry, with many netizens questioning the severity of the punishment and asking if Yu's behavior was justified as an act of self-defense.

Self-defense

In June 2017, the Shandong High People's Court announced that Yu's actions constituted a form of self-defense, albeit excessive, and reduced his sentence to five years in prison.

Under China's Criminal Law, justifiable self-defense is not subject to criminal responsibility. However, if the action leads to serious injury or death, the perpetrator will be held criminally liable but treated leniently or even exempted from punishment.

The court's ruling noted that Yu and Su's dignity had been harmed by the debt collectors, whose insulting behavior was also censured and penalized. Despite the serious injuries and death Yu had caused, the judges decided to commute his sentence to a shorter prison term.

"The change of sentence was like riding a roller coaster, giving me hope out of despair," Yu said. "Life imprisonment sounded too long to see a way ahead, but five years was a specific period, which made me believe I could get through it."

The days behind the bars also taught him the importance of using his time wisely.

"After my release, I didn't spend much time digesting my emotions or thinking too much when I experienced difficulties finding a job or love because that would have been pointless," he said. "Being practical and devoting myself to concrete things was what I wanted to do and did do."

Separation and reunion

As a child, Yu often visited an autoparts factory owned by his mother to learn welding skills. After graduating high school, he was admitted to a junior college, but he abandoned his studies because he thought he would probably take over the factory.

"Life was quite simple and peaceful, so I thought my future would progress step-by-step — running the business and living comfortably," he said.

However, the family fell into financial trouble because of a lack of funds for the factory after a sharp rise in the price of the steel used to manufacture some components. That resulted in Su borrowing 1.35 million yuan ($193,000) from an illegal lender at a monthly interest rate of 10 percent.

The family house was mortgaged and they obtained funds from other people, but they still could not pay off the debt.

Eleven debt collectors barged into Su's office in the factory and held her and Yu hostage on April 14, 2016. They verbally abused Su, slapped her face and muffled her mouth with soft shoes, according to a report in Southern Weekly.

One of the debt collectors, Du Zhihao, even exposed himself to Su and verbally insulted her using "extreme language", the report said. It added that the police were summoned, but the officers didn't stop the abuse. Instead, they allowed the men to continue to demand payment.

After the police left, Yu lashed out randomly with a knife, injuring four people, including Du who was fatally wounded.

Yu was eventually sentenced to five years in prison, while his parents and older sister received prison terms ranging from three to four years for using the services of an illegal money lender.

The incident separated the family members and made Yu's name well-known among the public, including local residents and even inmates.

In prison, Yu helped oversee the supervision of prisoners, but he said that he was no different from the other inmates. "We all served sentences and were rehabilitated together," he said. At the end of 2019, Su was freed, and a couple of weeks later, Yu's sister was also released. On Nov 18, 2020, Yu left prison after being given time off for good behavior.

A hard restart

In the first few months after his release, Yu felt anxious and lost as many of his friends had already married and obtained stable jobs.

He needed money for daily life and to help his family repay some debts they owed from before the incident. However, his criminal past meant he could not even get unskilled work such as a job as a deliveryman or as a driver for ride-hailing services.

"The employers' refusals were understandable. It's normal for them to worry about someone with a criminal record," Yu said. "I would be sad for a short while, but quickly move on to the next thing, because there was no point in being depressed for too long, after all."

In August last year, a relative who works in the food industry suggested that Yu help sell mooncakes at a market during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yu agreed. To his surprise, lots of customers recognized him and came to the stall to support his endeavor.

At the same time, a few companies asked Yu if he was willing to do livestreaming to help sell goods to people nationwide. However, he declined as he knew his notoriety would attract online views that might bring much more money for the family, but could also be risky as livestreamers can easily be criticized online if goods turn out to be faulty.

"I just wanted a simple, ordinary life," he said, adding that he has become more cautious and has learned to think twice before acting.

The success of the mooncake sales made him confident, so he thought he might be able to start a small business. After about two months' preparation, Yu and his sister opened a shop selling snacks in Guanxian.

Making food safety and product quality a top priority, he patiently answered questions from consumers and actively communicated with manufacturers to guarantee supplies.

Now, the income from the shop helps Yu to cover basic daily expenses and also repay the family's debts.

Meeting Ms. Right

Yu's username on WeChat is Gui Lai Qu, meaning "Back on the right track."

"Specifically, it's what I should be at my age, including having my own career and family," he said.

As his criminal record made some women worried about or even frightened of him, he didn't date anyone for almost a year after his release from prison until he met Chang Lidan, also from Guanxian, at a party last year,

"She's beautiful, and she was kind enough to say 'Hi' and talk to me during the party," Yu recalled. "So, we added each other on WeChat."

At the beginning, instead of having physical dates they just shared interesting things online because Yu was busy preparing to open his shop and he was also a little shy.

Chang, who is a year older than Yu, heard about his case when she was a college student, but she told him that she only cares about the future, not the past.

After Yu's shop began operating satisfactorily, the two really began dating. They watched movies, went shopping and had often dinner, establishing a relationship based on mutual support and understanding. They married and held a wedding ceremony on Aug 5.

Now, Chang is pregnant, and she and Yu are looking forward to their new family member.

"I'm living the life I dreamed of in prison. The most important is to be with my family, even if we just do nothing," Yu said.

Contact the writer at caoyin@chinadaily.com.cn