Shanzi stood up.
“The money was taken by my sister. She told me to steal my mom’s key and take all the money from the little box. She said she needed it for travel expenses—to go over there and take a look, then come back.”
Qiao Xiaohong panicked as soon as she heard this. “Shanzi, stop talking nonsense! Are you all trying to ruin me?”
Jiang Xiu sat on the stool, seething with anger and hating herself for being powerless. If there had been even one man in the family, Qiao Xiaohong wouldn’t have dared act so arrogantly or bully them like this.
Lin An’an “comforted” Jiang Xiu. “Mom, just consider yourself unlucky. I already told you I’ll make money selling things from now on and try to pay back the betrothal gift money as soon as possible. Seven hundred yuan is worth it if it lets you see someone’s true nature.”
Seeing that the entire family had taken this attitude, Lin Dong turned and asked Qiao Xiaohong, “Xiaohong, tell the truth. Did you take it or not?”
Qiao Xiaohong looked at Lin Dong with tearful eyes. “No. Everyone else doesn’t believe me, but you don’t believe me either?”
Qiao Xiaohong’s eyes had been rubbed red. Lin Dong felt a little guilty. Wasn’t asking her this question proof that he didn’t believe her?
“I know what to do.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Cheng pushed open the door and entered.
Lin Dong froze when he saw him, then suddenly rose to his feet and strode over. He punched Ji Cheng on the shoulder. “Ji Cheng, what are you doing here?”
The two of them had once served in the same platoon. Lin Dong had retired in his third year because of an injury, and they had gradually lost touch after that.
Lin Dong glanced at Ji Cheng’s crutch and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re the one Xiaohong got engaged to?”
“It’s me.”
Lin Dong already had some issues with his younger sister, Qiao Xiaohong. Getting injured was an honorable thing for a soldier—how could she describe someone as a cripple?
“Ji Cheng, you came at just the right time. Tell me, what should we do?”
“That’s easy. When someone secretly left, she bought something at the village shop. The shopkeeper took a ten-yuan bill, and there was a character written on that bill. Since this is your line of work, that counts as a clue, right? I suggest we report it to the police. Seven hundred yuan is enough to meet the threshold for opening a case.”
Lin Dong asked, “What character?”
“I can’t tell you right now. You’re the suspect’s relative, so I don’t trust you. Once the police arrive, I won’t conceal a single detail.”
Lin Dong still couldn’t believe Qiao Xiaohong could be so awful, but with everyone saying the same thing, reporting it to the police was the best way to clear her name.
“Then let’s report it.”
Ji Cheng looked at his mother. “Mom, have my father call the local police station and tell them someone in the village had money stolen.”
Ji Cheng’s Mother was more than happy to kick someone when they were down and readily agreed. “All right. I’ll go right now.”
Qiao Xiaohong finally panicked. She secretly tugged at Lin Dong’s sleeve. “Brother, don’t report it.”
Lin Dong’s expression turned grim. “Why not? Don’t you want to know who did it? Are you just going to let people accuse you of something you didn’t do?”
Qiao Xiaohong had no choice but to tell the truth. When she had left that day, it had still been dark, and she had several miles to walk before reaching the station. She really had knocked on the door of the village shop and bought a flashlight.
She had paid with a ten-yuan bill and received change. What if there really was a character written on that bill?
She didn’t dare take the chance.
“Brother, I took it. I just wanted it for travel expenses. I was also afraid that if I couldn’t find my way home, I’d have nowhere to sleep.”
Lin Dong looked at Qiao Xiaohong, deeply disappointed in his younger sister.
He turned and went to find Ji Cheng.
“Qiao Xiaohong has admitted that she took it. I’ll pay the money back, so forget about reporting it. It’s a family matter, after all. Nothing will come of it.”
Ji Cheng smiled faintly, and his tone held unmistakable sarcasm. “This time there’s evidence. What if there hadn’t been any? Would you have thought we were conspiring to frame her?”
Qiao Xiaohong’s tearful act had truly fooled Lin Dong.
“Give her another chance. I’m a police officer, so I understand this better than you do. A single banknote with writing on it isn’t enough to convict Xiaohong.”
“So you’re planning to protect her no matter what?”
Lin Dong was somewhat uncomfortable. “She suffered for twenty years. As her brother, it’s normal for me to show her some favoritism.”
Ji Cheng swore. “You really are blind. Stay here a few more days. Maybe it’ll cure you.”
The matter was considered settled. Lin Dong had only a little over a hundred yuan in cash, so he wrote a promissory note for the rest and would mail the money once he returned to He City.
Lin Dong’s main reason for coming this time had been to see Lin An’an and, while he was at it, stand up for Qiao Xiaohong.
Whether things were really as bad as Qiao Xiaohong had claimed would require staying for two days to observe before he could reach a conclusion.
This put Jiang Xiu in an awful position. They were so poor—what were they supposed to eat?
Lin An’an was applying medicine to Shanzi’s hand. The weather was warm, and there was dirt on his injury. It would be bad if it became infected.
After hearing Jiang Xiu, Lin An’an remained unmoved. “Just cook what we usually eat. They aren’t paying for their food.”
Jiang Xiu shot her an exasperated look. “That’s your brother.”
“He isn’t just my brother. He’s taking Qiao Xiaohong’s side now.”
“It’s normal for him to favor her. Compared to Qiao Xiaohong, we’re all outsiders.”
That sigh from Jiang Xiu was truly devastating.
In the west room, Lin An’an calculated today’s earnings. She had made only 12.4 yuan. After factoring in the cost of the stickers, she had earned even less.
Lin An’an pinched a stack of small-denomination bills and sighed. Even if she could make twelve yuan a day selling apples, that would only amount to 360 yuan a month.
She couldn’t possibly work every day without a break, nor could she possibly make that much every single day.
When people were poor, even their ambitions shrank. When people were poor, they could hardly afford to talk about dreams.
Lin Dong knocked and came in. Seeing the money in Lin An’an’s hand, he asked, “You’ve started a business?”
Back in He City, his younger sister had always been unwilling to settle for anything mediocre but also unwilling to strive for anything better. Their family had found her plenty of jobs, but An’an hadn’t liked a single one.
Yet after only a few days, his sister had changed.
Lin An’an answered bluntly, “Qiao Xiaohong left with seven hundred yuan in betrothal gift money. If I don’t find a way to make money, how am I supposed to pay it back to the Ji family?”
Lin Dong’s face burned as if someone had slapped him. “This time, Xiaohong was in the wrong. Don’t worry. I’ll send the money when I get back and call off your marriage to Ji Cheng.”
Lin Dong moved a little closer to Lin An’an and asked, “There are only the two of us here. Tell your brother the truth. Has the Qiao family treated you well? Do you get enough to eat?”
Lin An’an figured Qiao Xiaohong must have embellished all kinds of terrible things about the Qiao and Ji families. Otherwise, Lin Dong wouldn’t be asking her this.
“I haven’t suffered any mistreatment. My mom and Shanzi eat black-flour noodles, while she gives me noodles made from white flour. It isn’t anything especially good, but it’s the best she can provide.”
In the kitchen, Qiao Xiaohong edged up to Jiang Xiu. “Mom—”
Jiang Xiu hurriedly stopped her. “Don’t. You’re so noble and important now. I’m not worthy of being your mother.”
“Mom, please don’t be like this. Isn’t it enough that I admit I was wrong?”
“You’re not apologizing to me. You only admitted it because you had no choice after being exposed. Before that, you stubbornly insisted we were framing you.”
Qiao Xiaohong couldn’t get a word out, because that was exactly what she had done.
Jiang Xiu simply couldn’t accept it. After giving birth to her daughter, she hadn’t had another child for more than a decade. During that time, Qiao Xiaohong had been the family’s sole darling.
Even after Shanzi was born, Qiao Xiaohong was spoiled, and anything good was always given to her first.
People really did change so quickly. No—perhaps Qiao Xiaohong had always been like this. She had only stopped pretending now.
For dinner, Jiang Xiu made dumplings entirely from white flour. She absolutely refused to let Qiao Xiaohong have her way and provide proof of how badly she had supposedly been treated.
The next day at noon, Lin Dong invited the Ji family over. Taking charge, he returned Qiao Xiaohong’s betrothal gift money—by settling the promissory note—and dissolved the marriage agreement between the two families.
Ji Cheng thought it was for the best. He was finally free.
“Ji Cheng, don’t you think An’an looks familiar?”
Ji Cheng gave his former comrade a puzzled look. “Lin Dong, what are you talking about? There are many male soldiers and few female soldiers in the army. We barely see a few female comrades in an entire year. How could Lin An’an look familiar?”
Lin Dong was reassured.