Zhang Guilan froze, not understanding why Meng Yao had suddenly become concerned about this matter.
“Yes. The factory arranges one every year. That’s one of the advantages of working at a large factory. Small workshops simply can’t compare when it comes to employee benefits.”
There was even a hint of pride and happiness in her voice.
Li Xiaohu scratched his head in confusion.
“How come I’ve never heard you mention it?
“And where are your medical examination reports?
“I’ve never seen you bring one home…”
That was exactly what Meng Yao wanted to know as well.
Seeing the two of them put down their bowls and stare eagerly at her, Zhang Guilan grew a little embarrassed.
Her eyes darted away guiltily.
“That’s because I exchanged the examination allowance for cash and grain coupons.”
The textile factory had a rule requiring employees to undergo a fixed annual medical examination. This was to ensure that every worker was physically capable of handling the factory’s workload and that operations could continue smoothly.
However, employees could choose either to follow the factory’s arrangement or receive the money and go to the hospital on their own.
Clearly, Zhang Guilan had chosen the latter.
She had always been frugal. Unless her body reached its absolute limit, she refused to seek treatment for minor illnesses. Over time, exhaustion and untreated ailments accumulated, eventually costing her life.
Xiaohu became slightly angry.
“Mom, why have you never told me about this?”
Zhang Guilan did not take it seriously.
“It’s only a small matter. I can decide it myself. Do you know the medical examination costs a full fifty yuan? Using that money for living expenses makes things much easier.”
Meng Yao raised her head and shook it.
“Auntie, you must never try to save money meant for medical care. If an illness can be discovered early, that is the real gain.
“A person only lives for a little over thirty thousand days. Every extra day you live is another day earned. If you miss the chance to receive treatment because of fifty yuan, you’re the one who ultimately suffers the loss.
“Listen to me. Tomorrow, have Xiaohu accompany you to the hospital for a thorough examination.”
“Oh, my health is perfectly fine. Why waste money going to the hospital?”
Xiaohu immediately objected.
“I think Sister Yao is right. Mom, just listen to us.”
When Zhang Guilan still refused, Meng Yao spoke decisively.
“Xiaohu, ignore your mother’s objections. Go to the factory this afternoon and request another day of leave. Tomorrow, take Auntie directly to the hospital.”
“You child…”
Meng Yao made the decision without allowing any argument.
“It’s settled. You have to listen to us younger ones about this.”
Unable to outargue the two juniors, Zhang Guilan obediently closed her mouth.
She rubbed her waist.
She had to admit that lately, she had felt more exhausted than usual, and certain areas of her body occasionally throbbed with pain.
Forget it. It would not hurt to have herself checked tomorrow.
She stopped objecting.
Zhang Guilan was truly an excellent cook. Meng Yao ate three bowls of rice and did not stop until her stomach felt ready to burst.
Only then did she stand, burp, and bid farewell to the mother and son.
When she returned to the Meng residence, she found the house completely empty.
Meng Liangcai had probably gone out drinking with his friends to ease his frustration.
Li Yuqin had likely taken the heavily wrapped Meng Ying to some secluded clinic for “treatment.”
After all, the injuries on her body were too embarrassing. If they went to a hospital and encountered someone familiar, there would be no way to explain them.
Since no one was home, Meng Yao decided to finish everything she wanted to do today.
With a clear goal, she entered Meng Liangcai and Li Yuqin’s bedroom and began searching.
She wanted to retrieve her identification documents and completely sever ties with the Meng family.
As long as the marriage with the Qi family had not been finalized, they would continue plotting against her.
After searching for a long time, she found a metal cabinet about the size of a television hidden inside the wardrobe. A solid lock was tightly fastened to its door.
Without the key, it would indeed be difficult to open.
Clearly, it had been secured to deter thieves.
Meng Yao rubbed her hands together, breathed onto them, grabbed the lock, and twisted forcefully.
It snapped apart.
She quickly removed the documents placed on the top shelf.
Beneath them were many banknotes. After carefully counting them, she discovered there was more than one thousand yuan.
Among the loose bills were also two glittering gold rings.
She emptied the cabinet and discovered a hidden compartment at the very bottom. Inside was a metal biscuit tin.
She held the box in her hands and carefully counted its contents.
There were two expensive foreign-made leather watches and two bankbooks.
One bore Meng Liangcai’s name, while the other belonged to…
Meng Yu?
The balances were 8,775 yuan and 3,090 yuan respectively.
Suddenly, the 831 yuan Meng Yao had taken no longer seemed impressive.
The couple’s favoritism was truly outrageous.
The New Year’s money they had given Meng Yu was more than three times what they had given her.
So much for the family being short of money.
It turned out they had only been deceiving her and putting on an act for her benefit.
In her previous life, Meng Yao had pitied the couple. She had even pawned the gold necklace her grandmother had given her in exchange for money.
When she returned home, she caught the family secretly locking themselves in a room to enjoy an extra meal.
Although she felt deeply hurt, she remained grateful that the Meng family had raised her to adulthood and believed she was the one who owed them.
Therefore, she swallowed her grievances and handed over all her money.
How laughable.
In this life, she would take everything the Meng family owned.
She would consider it compensation for all the money and sacrifices she had made for them in her previous life.
In the end, without being greedy in the slightest, Meng Yao swept away every valuable item in the cabinet.
She replaced the cash with newspaper, making everything appear “exactly as it had been,” and casually placed a small brick inside the biscuit tin.
Finally, she disguised the damaged cabinet door so that it looked intact.
Only then did she leave in satisfaction.
Without looking back, she hurried toward the bank.
Because she had the household registration booklet and identification documents proving their relationship, Meng Yao successfully withdrew all the money from both bankbooks by claiming that the family factory was in crisis and urgently needed funds.
She then stored all the cash and valuables inside the small wooden cabin in her spatial realm.
She lay comfortably beside the lake, imagining the Meng family’s reaction when they discovered that their entire fortune had been emptied.
It would certainly be spectacular.
Meanwhile, at the public security bureau, Jiang Jun had just finished his work when he received a phone call.
“You rascal, who is she to you? Why are you protecting her so much?”
“Don’t tell me the two of you are dating?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and the atmosphere became awkward.
Then a deep, clear, and magnetic male voice replied impatiently, “Why do you care so much?
“Just tell me whether you’ll help or not.”
Jiang Jun scoffed twice.
“You brat. I never thought there would come a day when you fell for a woman. Hahaha…
“Does your old man know about this?
“If you hadn’t called me today, I would’ve thought the same as him—that you weren’t interested in women…”
Before he could finish speaking, the sound of the call being disconnected came from the other end.
Jiang Jun pretended to be angry.
“Damn brat. Is that the attitude you use when asking someone for help?”
Suddenly, the office door was pushed open.
His subordinate, Fan Tong, reported politely, “Captain, someone is here to see you.”
“Who?”
“You’ll know once you go outside.”
In the empty hall stood two familiar figures holding a commendation banner and looking around uneasily.
They were Wu Zhifa and his daughter, whose student enrollment status had been stolen two days earlier.
Seeing the father and daughter smiling brightly, Jiang Jun guessed that the matter had already been resolved.
He walked forward and asked curiously, “You came to see me?”
Wu Zhifa excitedly grabbed Jiang Jun’s hand, tears welling in his eyes.
“Officer, I came especially to thank all of you.”
He wiped the tears from his face.
“Without your help, my daughter Xiaoxia’s life would have been completely ruined. She loves studying so much…”
Fan Tong stepped forward to comfort him.
“Don’t rush. Take your time and explain.”
Jiang Jun placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“We didn’t do much. We simply followed procedure and reported the facts we learned and investigated.”
As he spoke, his gaze casually swept toward another familiar figure near the entrance.
“Actually, the person you should truly thank is that young woman.”
Following the direction of Jiang Jun’s finger, the father and daughter turned and suddenly looked toward Meng Yao at the doorway.
At that moment, Meng Yao was peeking inside as she entered, planning to strike while the iron was hot and transfer her household registration out of the Meng family.
Unexpectedly, she found herself facing the focused gazes of Wu Zhifa and his daughter.
She was momentarily stunned.
After a while, she finally recognized them and spoke first.
“You’re the father and daughter whose student enrollment status was stolen that day, right?
“How did it go? Has everything been resolved?”