Chapter 290: Why Aren

"Half a lifetime's savings, gone just like that!"

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant; if we had honestly saved in a bank, how could this happen?"

"Enough, enough, let's not bring it up, it's all over. Drink, drink—come on, Old Lu, let's have a toast!"

Ding Yongxin's bitterness was all brought out by the alcohol, and he kept pulling Lu YongQiang to keep drinking.

Ding's mother quietly wiped tears from the corner of her eyes with a tissue, her heart full of sorrow.

People always like to put on a carefree front.

Half a lifetime's saved money and family assets, gone just like that, no one can stand it.

Both spouses are in their forties or fifties, no longer able to work; trying to rebuild that kind of livelihood is extremely difficult.

Seeing their children growing up, in a few years they'll be discussing marriage, and no matter how anxious they are, there's nothing they can do.

The older generation of parents are mostly the same; even if they live a bit poorly, bitterly, and tiredly, they still fully support their children.

But losing the financial safety net has plunged the couple into new anxiety and fear, worrying that the road ahead won't be smooth.

Lu Yang comforted him: "Uncle Ding, the money will definitely be recovered; it's just a matter of when. Just consider it as being trapped in the stock market."

Ding Yongxin's tears fell then: "Nephew, your uncle already had money trapped in the stock market; if it's trapped again, I'll start glowing green all over!"

Lu Yang: "......"

He originally wanted to offer some comfort, but didn't expect to hit a sore spot.

Suddenly, an old man at the left stall, who was eating a meat sandwich and drinking Fuding sliced pork, started coughing violently from being choked.

Lu Yang only glanced, didn't think much of it, then turned back and started to reassure: "Uncle Ding, you must trust the country, trust the troops; the head of the Armed Forces told me that Yuan Fengxiang has already been listed as a red notice, he can't escape."

"Maybe next week, or next month, everyone's hard‑earned money will be recovered."

Lu YongQiang also patted his old classmate's hand and said: "We must look on the bright side; the higher‑ups have already acted, Zhao Xiong's group has all been arrested, that's a good thing."

Yuan AiQin, who had been doing business these past two days, relayed the news she heard: "I heard Qiangsheng City Construction has collapsed, and the big boss behind it was arrested. It was a joint operation by the troops and local authorities; even tanks were deployed."

"With such a massive deployment, you can see how much the higher‑ups value it; the money will surely be retrieved."

Ding's mother rubbed her eyes and nodded: "We had already consulted a lawyer before; they said this case wouldn't see results for two or three years. We didn't expect progress this quickly."

"So I wondered, could it be that on the day the old master's funeral was held, some thugs caused a disturbance that amplified the matter, making the higher‑ups pay attention?"

"Definitely......"

Lu Yang was about to nod confidently when Ding Tengfei immediately shook his head.

"It definitely isn't!"

"Why?"

"I was on the bus during the day and heard a few elderly passengers with a Jinling accent discussing a big incident that happened there a few days ago. They said this Yuanbao scandal involved a martyr's widow among the victims."

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it too!"

Lu YongQiang immediately recounted what he had heard at a night‑market stall: "It was someone who had earned a first‑class merit, supposedly a paramilitary soldier; the child got leukemia, the mother was desperate, so she went to the Eastern Theater Command headquarters for help."

"A paramilitary soldier going to the Eastern Command for help?? That's like turning the heavens upside down; no wonder it blew up!"

"Tengfei, I don't really get it—aren't the paramilitary and the PLA both soldiers? What's the difference?"

"Um, actually, I'm not quite sure either; Lu Yang should know, he reads a lot of books?"

At the table, everyone's gaze fixed on Lu Yang's face, making him feel a bit uneasy.

He was reluctant to discuss it, after all he was the originator of the whole affair.

"When the matter is settled, brush it off and hide one's merits and fame"; that's Lu Yang's motto.

The more one talks, the more likely one is to slip up.

He still wishes to live a long, stable life, not to die prematurely.

"Hahaha, why is everyone looking at me? Honestly, I'm not really sure; I don't think there's any difference."

"Anyway, they're all soldiers—whether paramilitary, Army, Navy, or Air Force, they all defend the country and protect the people."

Lu Yang originally intended to make a joke and brush the topic aside, but didn't expect Ding Tengfei to be so serious.

He simply took out his phone and began searching what the actual differences are between the paramilitary and the PLA.

In fact, it's not just him; many ordinary people can't tell the two apart.

Even at rescue scenes, some hold banners thanking PLA comrades.

But in reality, the paramilitary troops work themselves to death, and seeing the banner almost breaks their hearts.

Thus, a "grudge" between the sides forms invisibly; whenever there's a military competition, the paramilitary side goes all‑out, while the Army gets lost.

But before Ding Tengfei could find specifics on his browser, the old man at the neighboring table, still eating his meat sandwich, murmured:

"One handles internal affairs, the other external; their functions differ."

"Insightful!"

Ding Tengfei turned his head to look.

The old man pivoted on his hips, moved his feet, and actively joined the conversation.

"You were earlier talking about the incident at Jinling City, at the military district gate, right?"

"I'm just a genuine old Jinling person; that matter? I know it better than anyone."

The old man spoke in thick Jinling dialect, seeming ready to shout the next line: "You want spicy oil?"

The night market is essentially an information hub where night‑owls gather.

Neighbors toast each other, chat, and even share tables regularly.

Hearing the other side understand the whole backstory, Ding Yongxin and Lu YongQiang quickly shifted to the side, trying to invite him to join.

After all, the matter has become a huge uproar, involving many locals; especially Ding Tengfei's family, who almost faced ruin because of it.

Naturally, they hope to learn the full sequence, which also concerns whether the Ding family's half‑lifetime savings can be recovered.

"Big brother, to be frank, our whole family are victims of the Yuanbao Liquor scandal; half a lifetime's savings vanished, and we still don't know if we can get it back."

If you know something, just tell us; we'll treat this late-night snack. Tengfei, go to the convenience store and buy a bottle of liquor, then head to the stall next door and get a few stir-fry dishes, and grill some lamb skewers!

No need, no need, no need to go to all that trouble; I've already eaten; I just happened to know about this, so I'm just chatting casually.

You say, you say, what exactly happened?

The old man wiped his hands and said solemnly: 'I happen to have a cousin's nephew who works in the Military Region; he happened to be on the scene at that time.'

The old man vividly recounted the scene at that time.

Including the woman's disheveled appearance and the child's pallid skin tone.

And how this mother, with her bare hands, forcibly lifted the signboard over her head.

He described it so vividly it was as if he had been there and seen it himself.

Especially the little girl's words, which made listeners feel anguished; her maturity made them feel heartbroken.

"I heard they're the families of armed police martyrs? This is a cross-unit matter—does the Military Region also handle it?" Ding Tengfei asked anxiously.

"How could we not take care of martyrs' families? If we can't handle this, how will ordinary people ever trust the troops again, and who would dare send their children to join the army?"

"Then, will the armed police side be unhappy about it?"

"Hehe..."

The old man gave Lu Yang a meaningful smile: "You guys guess, young man—what do you think the armed police's reaction would be?"

Lu Yang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and shook his head guiltily: "I, I can't guess."

The old man said: "Guess hard?"

"Even if I try hard, I still can't guess—I'm not armed police, how would I know this?"

"Older brother, my son is also a soldier, but he's in the Army, so he doesn't know anything about armed police affairs."

"Oh oh oh, anyway I heard the situation is that the armed police side blew up a pot, the headquarters leadership flew into a rage, and supposedly they're not issuing new shoes this year."

"Holy crap, that can be said to be quite serious!"

Lu Yang forced himself to stay calm and went along, letting out a sigh.

The People's Liberation Army's navy, army, and air force each year receive new weapons and equipment.

Online, people often joke that the navy gets new warships, the army gets new tanks, and the air force gets new bombers.

As for the armed police side, they usually just get new shoes, and it's always shoes......

"Shoes are still really important!"

Lu Yang again emphasized the importance of shoes, because he just wants a good pair of shoes.

Compared to the combat boots of regular troops, those of reconnaissance and special operations units are definitely still inferior.

But where exactly the difference lies, Lu Yang isn't clear; supposedly their shoes can be custom-fitted to the foot, perfectly matching the foot's contour, just like professional athletes'.

"Besides, I've heard this matter isn't as simple as it looks on the surface."

"Where does that come from?"

"That mother and daughter didn't make this decision on a whim; actually someone behind the scenes quietly gave them advice, teaching them to do this. They were even told to hire a vehicle and bring the plaque of the first-class merit family."

"Holy shit!"

Ding Tengfei nearly fell off his stool.

Everyone else also looked greatly shocked.

"That advisor is really malicious—having the armed police martyrs' families go kneel at the Army Headquarters—isn't that deliberately stirring trouble?"

"If the armed police catch them, they'll surely be beaten to death with sticks."

"But you really shouldn't say that—this trick is actually brilliant; otherwise this matter couldn't have blown up so big; if it didn't blow up, there'd be no way to resolve the problem in such a short time."

"However, I'm really curious—who exactly is the person giving advice behind the scenes? Is it a relative of that mother and daughter, or someone else entirely?"

Lu Yang felt uneasy, but he still had to brace himself and pretend ignorance, then go through the motions of analyzing and discussing.

He kept trying to point the behind-the-scenes person toward the mother and daughter's relatives and family.

Anyway, the main tactic is just to flatly deny everything.

Otherwise, they might really end up having feces flung at them.

"Whoever it is, doesn't matter, doesn't matter? Old man, come eat a skewer and shut your mouth?"

Lu Yang kept trying to confuse things, but the effect was minuscule.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the current topic; even Lu Yang's parents really wanted to know who exactly that behind-the-scenes person is.

But just then, the old man leaked that he still had insider information, which made Lu Yang frantic.

He wished he could take off his shoes and stuff them into the old man's foul mouth.

"Who exactly is that person giving advice behind the scenes?"

"You say it's not a relative, not a friend—then who could it be?"

"Surely it's not a complete stranger, right? That would be too unbelievable."

Faced with everyone's questioning, the old man didn't beat around the bush; he just smiled and stared at Lu Yang.

Being looked at made his back break out in goosebumps, made his scalp tingle, as if sitting on pins and needles.

"I also heard people say that the person giving advice behind the scenes is young, scheming, and his surname is... I think it's... Lu?"

"Huh, that's the same surname as us?"

Lu YongQiang was also quite pleased, thinking the old Lu family had produced a great hero who petitions for the people.

But when he turned to look at Lu Yang, he saw his face ashen and beads of sweat covering his forehead......