bigabreads Chapter 112 Street Visit, Truth Revealed
Chapter 112 Street Visit, Truth Revealed
As the morning light began to spill over the gray bricks and tiles of the Hongxing Courtyard, the sound of clothes being scrubbed echoed from the communal pool in the central courtyard. Qin Huairu squatted by the pool, the coarse cloth she clutched already white from being rubbed, her eyes glancing every now and then toward the courtyard gate—the news of Lin Chen exposing the deaf old lady's fake status as a martyr's relative at the street office yesterday had spread like wildfire throughout the alley. Today, the street director was personally leading a team to "visit" her, and everyone knew this wasn't a gesture of goodwill, but rather a trip to settle scores.
"Mom, Uncle Lin said not to talk nonsense today, can we hide inside?" Jia Dang, carrying her schoolbag, came closer, her little face full of fear. Yesterday, she had witnessed her grandmother, Jia Zhangshi, collapsing to the ground and wailing at the street gate, and Uncle Yi being scolded by the staff so badly he couldn't even lift his head. That scene had given her nightmares all night. Qin Huairu patted her daughter's head and wrung out the clothes in her hands: "We can't hide from it. We didn't get involved in this, so we'll just stand up straight." Although she said that, her hands still trembled uncontrollably—yesterday, when they came back from the street, Yi Zhonghai gave her a gloomy look at the courtyard gate, his eyes like ice, making the back of her neck go numb.
Suddenly, a bicycle bell rang outside the courtyard gate, followed by the loud voice of Xiao Li, a street clerk: "Director Wang, this is Hongxing Courtyard!" Qin Huairu quickly pulled Jia Dang towards home. Just as they reached the door, they saw Yi Zhonghai supporting the deaf old lady standing in the center of the courtyard. The old lady was wearing a newly made blue cotton-padded jacket today, with a silk flower pinned to the collar. Her usually cloudy eyes revealed a forced composure, but the knuckles of her hand gripping Yi Zhonghai's arm were white.
"Oh, Grandma Zhang, you're in good health!" Street director Wang Huai'an strode in, followed by two clerks carrying rice and oil. "We're here today to check on your living conditions and to finalize the follow-up support for the families of martyrs. We heard that someone reported your vegetable garden was taken over a few days ago?" His gaze swept across the yard, finally landing on Lin Chen standing under the eaves, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry—the evidence chain Lin Chen submitted yesterday was too complete, from the Republic of China business license to the clerk's account book from back then, every item hit the nail on the head. He wanted to see what this young man, who had turned the tide, would do today.
The deaf old woman immediately adopted a pitiful expression, her lips trembling as if tears were about to fall: "Director Wang, you've finally come! I'm just an old woman with no one to rely on, living off this meager allowance for a martyr's family member, who would have thought..." Before she could finish speaking, Yi Zhonghai quietly tugged at her. Yi Zhonghai, with a smile on his face, stepped forward and took the bag of rice from Director Wang's hand: "Director Wang, thank you for your trouble. The old lady has been in good health lately. The vegetable garden incident was a misunderstanding; it's all been resolved."
"Misunderstanding?" Wang Huai'an raised an eyebrow and gestured for the officer behind him to take out his notebook. "Master Yi, you can't just say things like that. Yesterday, Grandpa Zhang came to the office with the 1950 registration book, saying that you gave him two jin of flour back then so he could get a fake martyr's family certificate for Zhang Cuihua. How do you explain that?" His voice wasn't loud, but it rang out in the courtyard like thunder. Yan Bugui in the front yard pushed open the window with a "whoosh," poked his head out, and watched with great interest, even forgetting to turn the abacus in his hand.
Yi Zhonghai's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, and he frantically stammered, "Director Wang, don't listen to old man Zhang's nonsense. He was punished back then for issuing the wrong certificate, and now he's deliberately retaliating! The old lady's martyr's family certificate was officially issued by the neighborhood committee; how could it be fake?" As he spoke, he winked at Jia Zhangshi, who was standing in the corner, signaling her to chime in. But Jia Zhangshi was still shaken from yesterday's ordeal, and now she huddled against the wall, clutching Jia Huaihua, her mouth agape for a long time without uttering a single word.
"Officially issued?" Lin Chen walked out from under the eaves, holding an oil paper package. "Director Wang, take a look at this." He walked to the center of the courtyard, opened the package, and inside was a yellowed business license for a silk shop from the 25th year of the Republic of China. The gilded words "Beiping Zhang's Silk Shop," though faded, were still clearly visible. "I found this at a scrap yard on the outskirts of the city. The system analysis shows that the shopkeeper on the license, Zhang Cuihua, is this 'martyr's relative' old lady. Photo comparison and secret mark verification all match."
Wang Huai'an took the business license and compared it with the photo on the martyr's family certificate in the clerk's hand. His brows furrowed deeper and deeper: "This photo... is definitely a copy!" He flipped to the back of the license and saw the blurry "Zhang's Secret Seal." He turned to the clerk behind him and said, "Bring out the account book that Grandpa Zhang provided yesterday!" The clerk immediately pulled out an account book with a blue cloth cover, flipped to the page for March 1950, and pointed to the handwriting: "Master Yi, look at this registration handwriting. It's completely consistent with Grandpa Zhang's handwriting. And it says 'ghostwriting, suspicious' at the end. How do you explain this?"
Cold sweat beaded on Yi Zhonghai's forehead as he muttered repeatedly, "Impossible, this is a fake..." He suddenly glared at Lin Chen, his eyes filled with venom: "Lin Chen, you must have framed me! You've been going against me ever since you came to the yard, trying to ruin me!" These words caused an uproar among the neighbors. Liu Haizhong came out from the backyard, arms crossed, and said, "Old Yi, that's not fair. When Master Lin first came, you even considered taking him in as a backup plan for retirement, and now you're turning around and accusing me?"
"I didn't!" Yi Zhonghai jumped up and down in a panic. "The old lady's husband did indeed die back then. I saw her pension receipt with my own eyes!" Lin Chen sneered and took out a photocopy from his pocket: "Is this what Master Yi is talking about? In 1945, Zhang Cuihua's husband fell into the water while working at the dock. The pension was given by the dock union, a total of fifteen silver dollars. It had nothing to do with the Korean War. This is a record I retrieved from the dock archives. It even has her signature and fingerprint on it."
The evidence was irrefutable, and the deaf old woman could no longer pretend. She shoved Yi Zhonghai away, sat on the ground, slapped her thigh, and cried, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't encouraged me to forge this certificate back then, would I be in this state today? I used to run a silk shop in the city, and I was living a good life. You said that if I got a martyr's family certificate, I could get food coupons and coal briquettes, so I followed you and did this stupid thing!" Her crying shifted all the blame to Yi Zhonghai, and the gossip in the courtyard grew louder. Yan Bugui simply moved a small stool to the doorway, muttering to himself, "Forging a certificate will get you punished, and recovering the subsidy will cost at least several tens of yuan. Old Yi, this level eight fitter, has completely lost face."
Yi Zhonghai trembled all over, pointing at the deaf old woman, unable to speak. He never expected that this "martyr's family member" he had protected for twenty years would betray him so completely at this crucial moment. Back then, when he had just been promoted to the eighth-level fitter, he wanted to establish his authority in the courtyard, so he set his sights on Zhang Cuihua, who had no children. He thought that by making her a "martyr's family member," he could gain a good reputation and have her help him control Sha Zhu in the future. But no matter how much he planned, he never expected Lin Chen to dig up so many old grievances.
"Quiet!" Wang Huai'an slammed his hand on the table, and the courtyard instantly fell silent. He looked at Yi Zhonghai, his tone stern: "Yi Zhonghai, according to the 'Regulations on the Management of Veterans' and their Families,' assisting in forging certificates of martyrs' families and fraudulently obtaining state benefits will be investigated and held accountable if the circumstances are serious! Zhang Cuihua's martyrs' family benefits are officially cancelled starting today, and all previously received grain coupons and subsidies must be returned in full! We will send a letter to the steel mill, suggesting that they handle the matter according to factory regulations!"
Yi Zhonghai's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. His most prized possession in life was his status as an eighth-grade fitter and his prestige within the factory compound. If the factory punished him for this, he would be finished. He looked sharply at Lin Chen, a pleading expression on his face: "Lin, please, for the sake of us all living in the same compound, show some mercy..." Lin Chen shook his head: "Master Yi, when you helped Jia Zhangshi steal eggs and withhold apprentice benefits, didn't you think about neighborly relations? A person should have a conscience; the country's welfare isn't for personal gain."
At this moment, Qin Huairu suddenly spoke up: "Director Wang, I have something to tell you." She took out a cloth bag from the house, inside which were several crumpled grain coupons and a few yuan: "These are the subsidies that the old lady received over the years in the name of a martyr's family member. I kept them for her, and now I'm handing them over together. Also, the money that Master Yi sponsored Jia Dongxu back then was deducted from our apprentices' welfare, and he also deducted a portion of the work injury compensation. I have records of all of these." She handed over a small notebook, which was filled with detailed records of income and expenditure from that year. She had secretly recorded it in case Yi Zhonghai would renege on his promises later.
Yi Zhonghai's face turned deathly pale. He hadn't expected Qin Huairu to betray him at this moment. Back then, he thought Qin Huairu, a widow, was easy to manipulate, which was why he dared to withhold compensation and resettlement fees. He never imagined she would write all of this down. Wang Huai'an glanced at the notebook, his expression growing even darker: "Yi Zhonghai, we will investigate this matter as well! Withholding apprentice benefits and embezzling workers' compensation are more serious than forging documents!"
The neighbors in the courtyard were stunned. Liu Haizhong's eyes widened: "Old Yi, you're a real scoundrel! The apprentices' benefits are their hard-earned money, and you dare to withhold it?" Yan Bugui slapped his thigh and said, "So that's why you've been sending things to the Jia family all this time! You're using other people's money! You'll have to refund a lot of money!"
Seeing the situation was turning against her, the deaf old woman scrambled to her feet and tried to hide inside, but was stopped by the staff member. Wang Huai'an said to her, "Zhang Cuihua, you are suspected of defrauding the state of preferential treatment benefits. Come with us to the office for investigation!" The old woman cried and struggled, but she was no match for the young and strong staff member, and was eventually dragged away. Yi Zhonghai was also taken away by the staff member to give a statement. Before leaving, he looked back at the courtyard where he had lived for decades, his eyes filled with regret and resentment.
After everyone left, the courtyard fell silent. Qin Huairu looked at the cloth bag in her hand and let out a long sigh of relief. For years, she had lived under Yi Zhonghai's control, pretending to be virtuous every day while scheming to get food from Sha Zhu. She had been seething inside for a long time. Yesterday, Lin Chen reminded her that "earning a living through skill is more sustainable than scheming," and only then did she finally decide to tell the truth and completely break free from Yi Zhonghai's control.
Lin Chen walked over to her and handed her a bottle of ointment: "This is for frostbite; your hands are all cracked. Focus on your sewing business from now on, and let me know if you encounter any difficulties." Qin Huairu took the ointment, her eyes reddening: "Master Lin, thank you. I was foolish before, always thinking of taking shortcuts. I'll never do anything like that again; I'll support my child with my own skills."
Yan Bugui sidled up, beaming, "Master Lin, you're amazing! You managed to find this out! You'll be the backbone of our institute from now on!" Lin Chen smiled, "Teacher Yan, try to focus less on petty calculations and more on building good relationships with the kids. That's more important than anything else." Yan Bugui blushed and walked away sheepishly. Liu Haizhong also came over and patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, "Lin, you did the right thing! Old Yi was just too greedy; he'd get into trouble sooner or later. Guangtian and Guangfu will need your guidance in the future."
Lin Chen nodded and looked at the neighbors in the courtyard: "Fellow neighbors, we live in the same courtyard, so we're one family. If we encounter difficulties in the future, let's help each other out. Let's not do those petty thefts or scheming things, so that we can live a peaceful life." The neighbors all nodded. After what happened today, they all understood that things gained through scheming will not last. Only by being honest and upright can we live a stable life.
As the sun set, the courtyard gradually returned to tranquility. Qin Huairu set up her sewing stall at the entrance, while Jia Dang helped sew on buttons, a long-lost smile appearing on his face. After returning home, Liu Haizhong took out the savings ledger hidden under his bed, burned it clean, and then said to Liu Guangtian, "From now on, learn the skills properly from Master Lin, and don't learn those crooked ways." Yan Bugui also put away the ledger he used to keep accounts for his children, and at dinner, for the first time ever, he gave each of his children a piece of sweet potato.
Lin Chen returned to his side room and activated the system. A notification popped up on the panel: [Completed the mission "Exposing Yi Zhonghai's Crimes," earning 1500 points, system level increased to 6, unlocking the new function "Material Enhancement."] He smiled and looked out the window. In the old locust tree in the courtyard, several sparrows were chirping merrily on the branches, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled shadows on the ground. He knew the turmoil in the courtyard was not over yet, but as long as he stayed true to his original aspirations and relied on his skills and conscience, he would definitely be able to live a different life in this era.
It was late at night, and Lin Chen lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. He thought about Qin Huairu's change of heart that day, and the way Liu Haizhong burned the account books, his heart filled with mixed emotions. People in this era may have many flaws, and may resort to petty tricks to make a living, but deep down they are still kind. As long as someone enlightens them and gives them a chance, they are willing to correct their mistakes and live a good life.
Suddenly, a slight noise came from outside the courtyard gate. Lin Chen got up and went to the window, seeing a dark figure peering into the yard. Upon closer inspection, he recognized Xu Damao. He had heard during the day that Yi Zhonghai had been arrested and had come specifically to gather information. Seeing that no one was in the yard, he had sneaked to Yi Zhonghai's doorstep, hoping to steal something to make up for his pay cut. A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Chen's lips as he picked up a small bell from the table—a security bell he had integrated with the system, which would ring at the slightest touch. He tossed it gently, and the bell landed at Yi Zhonghai's doorstep, its clear "ding-a-ling" ringing particularly distinct in the night.
Xu Damao was terrified and turned to run, but was caught by He Yushui and Li Jianguo who had just returned. Li Jianguo grabbed him: "Xu Damao, what are you doing here?" Xu Damao stammered and couldn't speak. He Yushui immediately saw the crowbar in his hand and sneered: "You're trying to steal something, aren't you? Perfect, come with us to the police station!"
Lin Chen smiled as he watched Xu Damao being led away.