Thinking about the large sum of money she would soon have, Ye Li walked home lightly. When she reached Mumian Alley, she saw neighbors gathered in small groups, whispering among themselves.
Seeing Ye Li return, Aunt Zhou stepped out from the crowd, frowning as she said, “Li Li, something serious happened at your house. Your dad’s furious—be careful not to get in his way.”
Next to her, Li Chunyan also looked at Ye Li with concern. “Li Li, maybe you should wait a bit before going home, don’t let your dad take it out on you.”
Ye Li felt touched but pretended not to know. “Aunt Zhou, Aunt Li, what happened at my house?”
Aunt Zhou slapped her thigh, her eyebrows twisting tightly. She sighed, “Oh dear, today your house got robbed! Some thief stole all the money hidden in your dad’s room.”
Ye Li feigned surprise, covering her mouth. “Ah? How could this happen? How much did they take?”
Aunt Zhou shook her head. “I’m not sure exactly, but your dad’s furious—he’s throwing things around the room.”
Li Chunyan chimed in, “Yeah, that thief is strange—only targeting your house. I heard even the two new quilts in your dad’s room and a rocking chair were stolen.”
Nearby, the curious neighbor Mrs. Chen, squinting through her cloudy eyes, added, “I was inside all the time, but didn’t hear a thing. That rocking chair in Ye Jianguo’s house is made of huanghuali wood and quite heavy. How did that thief carry it off without making a sound?”
Li Chunyan’s husband, Wang Baoqiang, scratched the back of his head. “Exactly! The officers from the police station just came—they said the thief was skilled; it might be hard to catch them.”
Another person added, “And Liu Hongmei and her daughter were at home? They didn’t notice the thief? Even weirder, no one knows when it was stolen—this is just unreal!”
For a moment, the onlookers fell silent. Everyone was thinking the same thing: how could stuff get stolen right under the noses of Liu Hongmei and her daughter in broad daylight, if not for something strange?
Then someone timidly said, “Could it be someone from the family?”
Ye Li felt a jolt in her chest. She had to admit, the crowd’s eyes were sharp. She was the family thief.
Feeling slightly guilty, Ye Li still put on an anxious, concerned expression. “I’d better go home and comfort my dad.” Saying that, she quickened her pace toward the house.
Once inside, she heard Ye Jianguo shouting angrily, “That damned thief! Took all my hard-earned money! If I catch them, I’ll skin them alive!”
Liu Hongmei sat on a stool, crying her heart out, sobbing uncontrollably. That damn thief had stolen everything in their house—how were they going to survive now? Thinking of all the money she had painstakingly saved, now gone in an instant, her heart ached as if bleeding.
Seeing Ye Li enter, Ye Jianguo’s anger surged. “You good-for-nothing! Something so big happened at home, and you’re still wandering around outside?”
Ye Li lowered her head, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. Seeing their pitiful reactions made her heart exceptionally pleased. She then looked up, her expression turning cold, and shot back without hesitation: “Dad, what you’re saying makes no sense. I’ve been at the factory all day—I’m not some clairvoyant. How could I have known something happened at home?”
Ye Jianguo, already furious, became even more enraged at her defiance. “What kind of attitude is that? I say one thing, and you argue ten back. Money’s gone from the house, and you don’t even care?”
Ye Li tugged at her washed-and-faded jacket, smirked, and said, “Dad, look at these clothes—I’ve been wearing this since Mom was alive.”
Ye Jianguo’s face froze like ice. “I’m talking about money, and you’re talking about clothes? What does your mom’s gift have to do with anything?”
Ye Li sneered, mocking him. “Exactly. What does it have to do with me? The money at home isn’t for me to spend. I’ve been wearing this jacket for three to five years. Take a look at Aunt Liu and Ye Zhizhi in their brand-new wool coats—they’re the ones who should be worried.”
Ye Jianguo’s hand trembled as he pointed at her, his whole body twitching. “Ye Li, I’m your father, and you talk to me like this?”
Feeling good-natured, Ye Li didn’t bother arguing further, replying perfunctorily: “Yes, yes, I’m wrong. As long as you’re happy.”
With that, she turned to head toward her room. She hadn’t even checked the spoils she collected from her useless dad’s room that morning. Now she wanted to inspect them properly.
Just as she reached her door, she heard Ye Jianguo yelling behind her, “Stop right there! Was it you who stole the money from the house?”
Liu Hongmei joined in, “Li Li, if you took the money, give it back! That’s your dad’s hard-earned savings!”
Ye Li spun around, face full of innocent anger. “Dad, you can’t just accuse me! I’ve been at the factory all day; my coworkers can vouch for me. If you don’t believe me, go check at the factory. How can you so casually accuse someone?”
“And Aunt Liu, you and Ye Zhizhi were home, and didn’t notice the theft? How do you even manage a household? Or maybe someone inside was stealing and is now crying ‘thief!’?”
Ye Jianguo was momentarily speechless, staring at her in disbelief.
Liu Hongmei was trembling with anger. Meeting Ye Jianguo’s suspicious glare, she shuddered inwardly and, in her heart, cursed Ye Li viciously.
Ye Li ignored them, quickening her pace into her room and slammed the door shut with force. Once inside, she quickly locked it, eager to enter her space. She plopped down into the huanghuali rocking chair, closed her eyes, and swayed leisurely for a while. With the quality of this chair, it would fetch a high price once she took it out in the future.
With such a big incident at home today, there probably wouldn’t even be dinner. Ye Li ate the Yunpian cake that Ye Jianguo had given her last time, just enough to fill her stomach, and drank a cup of Lingquan water, instantly washing away her fatigue.
After eating and drinking, she took out the box she had retrieved from Ye Jianguo’s wardrobe and opened it, beginning to tally her “spoils.” Inside were several large-denomination bills, along with scattered receipts and loose change. This must have been for Liu Hongmei’s daily expenses.
Ye Li set the box aside and counted the money she had found in the secret compartment. The total came to 3,500 yuan exactly. She then looked at the stack of receipts and found quite a few valuable items among them: a bicycle voucher, a sewing machine voucher, two watch vouchers, as well as fabric coupons, meat coupons, and numerous national grain coupons, along with various other miscellaneous vouchers, plus ten shiny silver “Yuan Datou” coins.
She hadn’t expected her family’s savings to be so substantial. Ye Li organized all the money and vouchers neatly, placing them into the small money box, feeling pleased with herself.
Then she looked at the two new quilts. Soft and warm to the touch, they were a welcome upgrade from her own bedding, which she had been using for years and had become stiff and worn. Once she left the Ye household, these two new quilts could finally be put to good use.