"I want everybody in my village to know that they came back innocent," said Zhang Gaofa. "I even borrowed 20,000 yuan (3,200 U.S. dollars) to buy firecrackers and shoot them off in front of our house."
Zhang Hui is not used to the hearty dishes his mother prepares for him every day, as he has become accustomed to the simple diet he had in prison.
His fiancee left him after he was jailed and married someone else.
"I want to find a job first to serve my parents," said Zhang Hui. "I have nothing now and cannot give them a good life."
Zhang Gaoping was once one of the richest men in the village, thanks to his booming transportation business. He was even planning to buy more trucks to start a logistics company in 2003.
The unexpected jail sentence crushed his dreams. His wife divorced him and left his two young daughters in the care of their uncle.
His daughters, currently 23 and 20, respectively, dropped out of school and are working at a factory.
"How can they survive in the village and how can anybody marry them if they have a 'rapist father'?" Zhang lamented.
Although his health is getting worse due to the hardships he experienced in prison, Zhang said he can still work and will never let his daughters suffer again.
Their attorney will ask for compensation from the government soon, Zhang said.
"I will buy a truck with the compensation funds and continue with my transportation business," said Zhang Gaoping. "I will pay for my daughters' dowry."
"Sure I will," Zhang said when asked if he would still be willing to give strangers free rides in the future.
"But I will do better. I will make sure they arrive at their destination," he said.
Bird flu takes toll on poultry industry
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