Chapter 119

"Okay!" Yubao ran toward the new house in high spirits.

These past few days, watching the house being built bit by bit, he checked on it three or five times a day, like a little beast patrolling its territory.

Lin Shichang saw his eldest nephew from afar and called out, "Gu Da Cai, run slower, be careful not to fall."

"Eldest Uncle, I'm not called Gu Da Cai anymore; Grandfather gave us formal names. I'm called Gu Zhiyu, the second cub is called Gu Zhiheng, the third cub is called Gu Zhiqian, and the fourth cub is called Gu Zhiyao," Yubao's cheerful voice rang out.

"Eldest Uncle, Mother calls me Yubao, you call me Yubao too."

Lin Shichang was stunned for a moment, "Okay."

It wasn't until he asked his younger sister at the Gu house that he learned which characters were used for the cubs' names.

He smiled, "These names are quite good."

Lin Zhao was somewhat proud, "I just felt that Yubao and the others' grandfather would be good at naming, which is why I entrusted this troublesome task to him."

Their biological father was also very good at naming, but since the cubs were surnamed Gu, he had to be made to put in some effort.

Lin Shichang shook his head helplessly.

"You called me here for something?"

Lin Zhao's gaze lowered slightly, her expression somewhat serious, "Eldest Brother, among the people sent back to our brigade to receive education, there is a young man named Meng Jiusi; he has a small leaf-shaped birthmark behind his ear."

Yes, Gu Chenghuai had verified it early in the morning; that small leaf behind Meng Jiusi's ear was indeed a birthmark.

The hand Lin Shichang was using to hold his enamel mug trembled violently, and he no longer had the heart to drink water; he set the mug down and looked at his younger sister, "You suspect he is the fourth one?"

"I think it's possible, otherwise it's too much of a coincidence." Lin Zhao did not deny that she had this suspicion.

Lin Shichang said, "You don't need to worry about this matter. I'll go find him and ask."

The identities of those people at the foot of the mountain were sensitive; as an older brother, he would never let his younger sister risk danger.

He and Lin Zhao had the same plan—to play it straight and ask the person directly; if he didn't know his own background, then they would have to entrust someone to investigate.

"Okay."

Today, the results of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative's handling of Liu Chunhong came down.

It required Liu Chunhong's husband's family—the Zhang family—to return the embezzled money, and it dismissed Liu Chunhong herself; the nature of the mistake she committed was extremely vile, so she was to have it recorded in her file while also receiving labor education, and she was to be sent to a farm for ten years of reform through labor.

Liu Chunhong was also quite funny; she hadn't dared to spend the embezzled money at all, and it was all kept in an iron box. As soon as the investigation team arrived at the door, the Zhang family voluntarily offered it up, being so obedient that it was surprising.

The leader sneered, "If you had known it would come to this, why do it in the first place?"

All that effort for nothing.

In the tenement building, neighbors were all watching the spectacle; the Zhang family members were red-faced and wished they could dig a hole to crawl into.

After returning the money, the Zhang family hurriedly closed the door.

The Zhang family's eldest son thought about how people at the factory had been looking at him with strange eyes for the past two days, and there were quite a few people gossiping behind his back, so he couldn't help but feel full of resentment toward Liu Chunhong.

"It's not like the family was too poor to afford a meal; why did Mom have to embezzle money? Now the whole factory knows about our family's business, and it's being spread everywhere. I can't even hold my head up at the factory, and I don't even know how to get along with my colleagues in the future..."

The head of the Zhang family smoked his filter-tipped cigarette without saying a word.

He knew everything his wife had done.

They had thought about giving up halfway through, but the kickback money was really quite substantial, and they hadn't been discovered all these years; if they didn't continue, it felt like losing money they had picked up for free, and the two of them couldn't bear it.

Who knew...

A flash of malice crossed his eyes; he could be considered to have hated Lin Zhao.

The Zhang family's eldest son saw his father's mood and, worried that he would provoke someone he shouldn't, hurriedly said, "Dad, that person named Lin Zhao, her husband is a military officer, and that officer is capable and has wide connections. I heard that many high-ranking leaders in the county are his comrades-in-arms; you must not be impulsive, don't ruin our Zhang family."

The head of the Zhang family slapped the table and said angrily, "So our family can only swallow this insult? Your mother has been sent to the farm, ten years, ten years! And I don't know if we'll ever be able to see her again in this lifetime!"

Hearing him mention Liu Chunhong, the Zhang family fell silent.

After a long time, the Zhang family's eldest daughter-in-law couldn't help but say, "It's all the younger sister's fault. If she hadn't kept making a scene and refusing to go to the countryside, Mom wouldn't have targeted that new salesperson at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. If she hadn't had bad intentions and reported the person, she wouldn't have been unlucky, and our family wouldn't have become a laughingstock!"

Thinking about how the younger sister had wanted to scheme for her job in order to avoid going to the countryside, and how she had been sowing discord between her and her husband all day long, the woman's teeth itched with hatred.

Most people wouldn't look for reasons within themselves; the Zhang family's morality wasn't high, and they were even more prone to shifting the blame when things happened.

The head of the Zhang family also resented his troublesome daughter, "Xiaoxiao is indeed out of line."

He looked at his eldest son and said blandly, "Your mother has been sent to the farm, and her good job is gone too. The subsidy for your sister... let's stop it."

The Zhang family's eldest son had long since not wanted to give it; his salary wasn't high, and five yuan going out every month really made his heart ache.

But he also didn't want his father to think he was heartless.

"Isn't that bad?" the Zhang family's eldest son said hesitantly, "Sister is in the countryside, and it's not easy for her."

The Zhang family's eldest daughter-in-law glared fiercely at her husband, her face full of displeasure.

Unlike her reaction, the gaze of the head of the Zhang family softened.

For no other reason than that his son had a conscience, which would make it easier for him to provide for his old age later.

"Five yuan is too much, you still have to live; send two yuan to your sister every month."

The Zhang family's eldest son agreed immediately, "Okay, I'll listen to Dad."

The Zhang family's eldest daughter-in-law: "..."

Just then, the door was pushed open, and a dispirited young man walked in.

Seeing the few people in the living room, he seemed to have just come to his senses and rushed over violently.

"Dad, my temporary job is gone!" The Zhang family's youngest son was broken and desperate.

He had finally managed to get into the electrical machinery factory as a temporary worker, but because of the matter Liu Chunhong had committed, he was fired by the factory on the grounds of having a bad influence...

"What?" The head of the Zhang family stood up abruptly.

The eldest couple was also very shocked.

They didn't want the younger brother to be without a job; having no job meant eating for free.

"How could this be?" the Zhang family's eldest brother said incredulously.

The Zhang family's youngest son sat down on the sofa, his eye sockets red from being too emotionally agitated.

"It's all Mom's fault; the matter of her taking kickbacks spread to the factory. I'm just a temporary worker, so how could I continue to work there?"

He felt very uncomfortable, and his whole spirit was gone, "I worked so hard, doing all the bitter and tiring work, just wanting to become a regular employee sooner, and now I have nothing, nothing at all!!"

Liu Chunhong was best to this youngest son, which he knew clearly; he couldn't blame his own mother, so he could only attribute all the faults to his own younger sister.

"It's all Zhang Xiaoxiao's fault; if she hadn't been making a scene wanting Mom to find her a job, Mom wouldn't have kicked an iron plate and lost her own job too. I hate Zhang Xiaoxiao to death; I don't have a younger sister. In this family, there's either her or me, there's either me or her," he said, making harsh threats.

In the eyes of the head of the Zhang family, the daughter who had already been ruined naturally couldn't compare to the youngest son, and he was also furious, immediately saying coldly, "Eldest, starting next month, you don't need to send money to your sister anymore. You write her a letter and just say the family doesn't have the ability to help her, and tell her to fend for herself."

The eldest daughter-in-law was overjoyed, and suppressing her smile, she said, "I'll write it."

She was so happy that she didn't have to send money!

Regarding this, the Zhang family's youngest son didn't care much; what he cared about was what he would do in the future.

"Dad, my job..." he looked at his father with dependent eyes.

How could a father bear such a look? "I'll think of a way."

"Thank you, Dad."

The Zhang family's eldest daughter-in-law curled her lips.

The youngest son's treatment was just different; as long as he acted a little spoiled, his parents-in-law were willing to give him anything.

The Zhang family's business spread quickly; Li Fen heard it from the neighbors' mouths and told Lin Zhao and the others as soon as she arrived.

Her tone was full of sighs.

"You say, why did Liu Chunhong have to do it? She didn't dare to spend a single cent of the embezzled money, and she was trembling with fear every day. In the end, she lost her job and still had to go receive education; I heard she was sentenced to ten years! Ten years! By the time she comes back, who knows what the family will have become."

Lin Zhao didn't feel that Liu Chunhong was pitiful at all.

"She took what she shouldn't have, and having this outcome is what she deserves," she said. "Clearly, she had a salesperson's job with a stable monthly income, so why did she have to covet that little bit from the country folk? Country folk have few sources of income, and every cent has to be spent while counting on one's fingers."

When Liu Chunhong goes to the farm to work, she will know how bitter the lives of country folk are.

Wang Ju had never tasted the bitterness of farming; she purely felt that bullying pitiful people to fill one's own pockets was a very abominable behavior.

"Zhaozhao is right; that person isn't worth sympathizing with. The Zhang family has several workers, and their lives are very good; her doing that thing was purely out of greed."

Li Fen felt the same, "I don't know how the position at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative will be arranged; it's been several days, and there's still no word."

There were plenty of people eyeing the job at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, and Lin Zhao was one of them, though she didn't think this quota could become her own.

"Who knows."

Wang Ju looked at her and suddenly asked, "Zhaozhao, do you have any thoughts?"

Lin Zhao was surprised.

Was she being that obvious?

It didn't matter, and this was also a fact, so there was nothing to hide.

Lin Zhao was very frank, "Of course, this is an iron rice bowl, so how could I not be thinking about it."

Wang Ju, however, said, "If you want a job, I just happened to hear that someone wants to sell one."

Don't bother thinking about the job at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative; she knew several families were eyeing it, and with the strength of those families, getting their hands on it would be an easy matter.

"!"

Lin Zhao was overjoyed, "Where?"

"It requires money, and also grain," Wang Ju was afraid of affecting her relationship with her, so she said it upfront.

"Money and grain are nothing," Lin Zhao didn't care at all.

Following that, she asked anxiously, "A-Ju, hurry up and tell me, what kind of job is it exactly?"

Wang Ju said, "Someone at the electrical machinery factory wants to sell a job."

Electrical machinery factory?

Isn't this the factory where Yuncheng is!

Lin Zhao excitedly grabbed Wang Ju's arm, her smile bright and moving, her words filled with deep joy, "Really? What kind of job is it?"

"It's a warehouse keeper; it doesn't require a very high level of education, just literacy," Wang Ju was shy but meticulous; she thought Lin Zhao must be finding a job for someone in the countryside, where even middle school was considered a high education, and there were plenty who hadn't even finished elementary school, so she specifically said it didn't require a high education.

If the job position to be sold was... a broadcaster or a propagandist, she definitely wouldn't have told Lin Zhao about this, so as not to let people be happy for nothing and end up disappointed.

"I want it!" Lin Zhao happily hugged Wang Ju, wishing she could kiss her, "No matter how much money or grain, I want it!"

Wang Ju was shy from being hugged, but she didn't feel repulsed; instead, she was very happy.

Social anxiety didn't mean she didn't like being close to people.

"Okay, after work, I'll introduce you," she said.

Lin Zhao meant the same, "Okay, no time like the present; it's better to settle it sooner to be at ease."

However...

"Why does that person want to sell the job?" She asked one more question, also worried about whether there were any problems.

Wang Ju didn't think much and said, "Because her husband's job has changed, and she's going to follow him."

"I see, thank you," Lin Zhao thanked her sincerely.

Wang Ju saw her seriousness and was a bit embarrassed, "It's nothing, I just happened to know. If I hadn't seen that you had thoughts about the job at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I wouldn't have thought about telling you."

After all, Zhaozhao had a job herself.

"Who would complain about having too many jobs?" Lin Zhao said amusingly.

She grabbed Wang Ju's arm and shook it gently, her brows and eyes smiling, "A-Ju, if there are any more jobs, you must tell me; my family only has me and my Mr. Gu with jobs, and no one else does, so we are desperately in need of jobs."

Wang Ju took it to heart, "Okay."

Li Fen also said, "My family is also missing one; Xiao Song has a partner, and when he gets married, I'll have to buy a job for my younger sister-in-law too."

"We women, we still have to have jobs," she was a woman and understood the hardships of women best; she never thought about letting her sister-in-law stay at home to wash clothes and cook, becoming a yellow-faced woman who reached out for money.

Li Fen wasn't afraid that her future sister-in-law's mind would change after getting a job; sincerity for sincerity, she trusted her own judgment.

"I'll let my mother help pay attention too, and if there are any, I'll tell you," Wang Ju said with a good temper.

Her personality was truly soft, she rarely spoke loudly, and she was also kind; she was a top-notch good girl.

Li Fen smiled, "I'm just joking, you ask for Zhaozhao, my family's is not in a hurry."

Xiao Song had connections, so finding a job shouldn't be difficult; why bother people.

Wang Ju smiled and didn't speak.

Regarding the money the Zhang family returned to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, the authorities required it to be taken from the people and used for the people; fortunately, Accountant Liu handed over the real account book to make up for his faults.

Lin Zhao and the others, following the new account book, returned the money to the common people who had suffered losses.

The country folk who had insisted on selling eggs to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative for so many years inexplicably had dozens of yuan more in their hands, and their sorrowful faces were filled with smiles.

The news spread quickly, and those who had suffered losses all came to collect their money; clutching the pie that had fallen from the sky, they happily bought a jin of fruit candy, thinking about letting the children at home be happy too.

Three o'clock sharp in the afternoon.

Gu Chenghuai came to pick up his wife from work and saw Lin Zhao smiling with curved brows and eyes, showing a good mood; he was somewhat surprised.

Before he could ask, Lin Zhao said first, "Don't go back yet, I need to go to the electrical machinery factory first."

Hearing his wife's words, Gu Chenghuai was even more puzzled, "What are you going to the electrical machinery factory for?"

Lin Zhao kept him in suspense, also afraid of any changes, and said mysteriously, "I won't tell you yet, wait until I finish my business."

"Okay," Gu Chenghuai's tone was helpless yet doting.

Lin Zhao followed Wang Ju to the electrical machinery factory and only came out after more than half an hour.

Her brows and eyes were coated with a faint smile, and she ran toward Battalion Commander Gu with light steps.

Gu Chenghuai wiped the fine sweat from his wife's forehead and bridge of her nose, his voice gentle, "Why are you running so fast? I'm waiting for you."

Lin Zhao looked up at him, the curve of her lips unable to be suppressed at all, "I've accomplished a big thing; why don't you guess what it is?"