sinovels Chapter 54: Hidden Account Books Provoke Son's Indignation; Nighttime Investigation of the Secr
Chapter 54: Hidden Account Books Provoke Son's Indignation; Nighttime Investigation of the Secr
Late October in Beijing was already chilly. In the middle courtyard of the Hongxing Courtyard, Yan Bugui was squatting on the threshold, flipping through a yellowed account book. His pen scribbled on the paper as he muttered to himself, "Last month I bought salt for two mao, vinegar for one mao and fifteen jiao, and a pencil for the eldest son for five fen..." His third son, Yan Jiecheng, stood beside him, his hands nervously clutching the hem of his clothes, a faded cloth bag at his feet.
"Dad," Yan Jiecheng hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "the neighborhood office has a temporary job opening for managing the warehouse at the grocery store. It pays eighteen yuan a month, but you have to pay a five-yuan deposit first. I wanted to borrow some money from you; I'll pay you back when I get paid." Yan Bugui paused in his flipping through the account book, looked up, adjusted his reading glasses, and sized Yan Jiecheng up and down: "Five yuan? Do you know how much five yuan can buy? It can buy fifty jin of cornmeal, enough for our family to eat for half a month!"
Yan Jiecheng's face flushed red: "I know this is a lot of money, but this is a formal temporary job. If I do well, I can become a permanent employee! It's much better than doing odd jobs on the street now. Dad, please lend it to me. I promise to pay you back as soon as I get my first paycheck, and I'll even buy you two extra pounds of brown sugar." "No need for the brown sugar," Yan Bugui said slowly, closing his ledger. "I can lend you the money, but there has to be interest. One percent per month. Five yuan a month is five percent interest, and you'll have to pay back five yuan and five percent next month, including principal and interest."
Upon hearing this, Aunt Liu, who was drying radishes in the yard, was stunned. The dried radishes in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud": "Old Yan, you've gone too far! You want to charge interest on your own son's loan? What kind of father are you?" Yan Bugui's face darkened: "Aunt Liu, you don't understand. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, let alone father and son. I'm teaching him about financial management, letting him know that money doesn't come easily."
Yan Jiecheng looked at his father in disbelief: "Dad, I'm your own son! You're charging me interest? When my eldest brother got married, you gave him twenty yuan without asking for interest!" "How can that be the same?" Yan Bugui puffed out his beard and glared. "Your eldest brother is the eldest son, and marriage is a lifelong event. As his father, of course I have to support him. This is just a temporary worker's deposit, not an emergency. What's wrong with charging interest?"
Just then, Lin Chen returned carrying the coal briquettes he had just bought and overheard the father and son's conversation. He put down the briquettes, smiled, and stepped forward: "Teacher Yan, Brother Jie Cheng's job is really good. Managing the warehouse at the grocery store, he's sheltered from the wind and rain, much more stable than doing odd jobs. The five yuan deposit isn't much; if you're short on cash, I can lend it to Brother Jie Cheng first."
Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "Xiao Lin, no need to trouble you. It's not that I'm short of money, I just want to teach him how to manage his finances. Jie Cheng, if you agree to pay interest, I'll give you the money right now. If you don't agree, you'll have to figure it out yourself." Yan Jie Cheng gritted his teeth, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "I agree. But I want an IOU, stating that the monthly interest is one percent, and that I'll repay it on time next month."
Yan Bugui immediately took out paper and pen from the house, wrote an IOU, had Yan Jiecheng put his fingerprint on it, and then slowly took out five yuan from a wooden box under the bed, counted it three times, and handed it to Yan Jiecheng. Yan Jiecheng took the money, didn't even look at his father, and turned to leave. Lin Chen watched Yan Jiecheng's retreating figure and shook his head—Yan Bugui was too cunning; sooner or later he would chill his sons' hearts.
During lunch, Lin Chen deliberately and "casually" brought up the matter of Yan Bugui charging interest on loans to his son in the courtyard. Liu Haizhong, who was eating, spat out his porridge with a "pfft": "Old Yan is going too far! He charges interest even on his own son, who knows how much more he's hiding in his ledger!" Aunt Liu chimed in: "That's right, last time I lent him a pound of flour, he even wrote it down in his ledger, and the next day he was urging me to pay it back."
Yan Bugui, who was inside the house, overheard this and rushed out with chopsticks in hand: "Aunt Liu, don't make false accusations! When did I ever urge you to pay me back for the flour? That's just a habit of mine, not urging you to pay a debt!" "You didn't urge me?" Aunt Liu retorted angrily, "The very next day you asked me, 'Have you finished the flour? My children are waiting for me to make steamed buns.' What is that if not urging you to pay a debt?"
The two argued heatedly, their faces flushed. Lin Chen quickly stepped in to mediate: "Teacher Yan, Aunt Liu, you're all neighbors, don't hurt each other's feelings. By the way, Teacher Yan, I heard you keep very clear accounts, even remembering when the children steal a single piece of candy?" Yan Bugui proudly replied, "Of course! As an arithmetic teacher, I'm an expert at keeping accounts. I remember every penny that goes in and out of the household perfectly."
"So, do you keep track of what you buy for the children?" Lin Chen pressed. Yan Bugui replied, "Of course! Five cents for a pencil for the eldest, three cents for an eraser for the second, and two cents for candy for the youngest. I remember it all; they'll have to pay me back when they grow up." This remark immediately sparked a discussion among the neighbors: "What kind of father does that? Keeping track of what he buys for his kids and expecting them to pay him back?" "That's too calculating. No wonder this family can't be harmonious!"
Yan Bugui, feeling humiliated, glared at Lin Chen before turning and going back into the house. Lin Chen knew that his words had planted the seeds of conflict between the father and son. Sure enough, when Yan Jiecheng returned home from get off work that afternoon, he was immediately pointed at and gossiped about by the neighbors as soon as he entered the yard, who said he "had to charge interest on the money he borrowed from his father." Yan Jiecheng's face flushed red and then turned pale as he rushed into the house.
"Dad, let me see the account book!" Yan Jiecheng rushed into the room and snatched the account book from Yan Bugui's hand. Yan Bugui was furious: "What are you doing? This is my account book, you can't look at it!" "Why can't I look at it?" Yan Jiecheng opened the account book, flipped through a few pages, and then became angry, "You gave twenty yuan for my eldest brother's wedding, without interest; you gave fifteen yuan for my second brother's bicycle, without interest; but when you borrow five yuan from me, you want interest? Are you being unfair?"
The ledger clearly recorded: "Eldest son's wedding subsidy: 20 yuan," "Second son's car purchase subsidy: 15 yuan," while his own account showed "5 yuan loan, 1% monthly interest." Yan Jiecheng trembled with rage: "We're both sons, why are you so harsh on me? Just because I'm the third son, do you think I'm easy to bully?"
Yan Bugui was speechless, only able to argue, "Your eldest brother is the eldest son, his marriage is a big deal; your second brother is going to work in the suburbs, buying a bicycle is a necessity. This is just a temporary worker's deposit, how can they be the same?" "How are they different?" Yan Jiecheng slammed the ledger on the table, "If I get this job permanent, I can earn more money for the family! You're just being biased! I won't lend you this money, I'll figure out how to pay the deposit myself!"
Yan Jiecheng pulled five yuan from his pocket, slammed it on the table, and turned to leave. Yan Bugui quickly grabbed him, "Jiecheng, Dad was wrong. I'll waive the interest, okay? Don't be impulsive!" "Too late!" Yan Jiecheng shook off his hand. "I've finally seen through you. In your eyes, there's only money, no father-son relationship. I can't stay here anymore. I'm moving to the company dormitory!"
Yan Jiecheng went back inside, packed a few clothes, picked up his cloth bag, and headed out. Yan Bugui chased after him, calling, "Jiecheng, come back! Isn't it enough that your father apologizes?" But Yan Jiecheng didn't turn back and walked straight out of the courtyard. The neighbors watched this scene and sighed. Aunt Liu said, "Old Yan, you're too calculating. You've driven your son away." Yan Bugui squatted on the ground, holding his head in his hands, unable to say a word.
Watching the farce unfold at the Yan family's house, Lin Chen nodded inwardly—Yan Bugui's weaknesses were his shrewdness and pride, and this debt saga had struck a nerve. However, Lin Chen also knew this was just the beginning; Yan Bugui certainly wouldn't let it go easily and might even hold him accountable. Sure enough, early the next morning, Yan Bugui arrived at Lin Chen's house with his account books.
"Xiao Lin," Yan Bugui said, sitting down and adjusting his reading glasses, "Yesterday's incident was all your fault for talking nonsense in the courtyard. Otherwise, Jie Cheng wouldn't have gotten into this mess with me." Lin Chen, holding his teacup, said slowly, "Teacher Yan, I was just telling the truth. I didn't say anything inappropriate. The neighbors were all watching. It was really inappropriate for you to lend money to your son and charge interest."
"No matter what, it's all because of you that my son moved out." Yan Bugui opened the account book. "Look, I spent a lot of money buying things for Jiecheng. Now that he's moved out, we need to settle these expenses. Also, last time you asked me to help you calculate the workshop bonuses, I spent an entire night on it. You have to give me some compensation for my trouble. At market price, it's 50 cents per calculation."
Lin Chen couldn't help but laugh at Yan Bugui's serious expression: "Teacher Yan, you helped me calculate the bonus because I asked you to. I've already bought you two pounds of apples as a thank you. Those apples are worth one yuan, which is much more expensive than your hard-earned money. As for the money you spent on Brother Jiecheng, that's between father and son, how can you attribute it to me?"
Yan Bugui was speechless, and could only say sullenly, "The apples were given voluntarily, so they don't count as a favor. Anyway, you have to compensate my son for the loss of moving out, or I'm not done with you." Lin Chen's face darkened: "Teacher Yan, if you keep making trouble, I'll go to the school and talk to your superiors. I heard that you're privately tutoring students and charging them food coupons. If the school finds out, you should know the consequences."
Yan Bugui's face turned pale instantly. He hadn't expected Lin Chen to know about his paid tutoring. He quickly stood up, "Fine, I didn't say anything. I'll leave, okay?" With that, he grabbed his ledger and slunk away. Lin Chen watched his retreating figure and sneered—people like Yan Bugui, if you don't teach them a lesson, they won't know their place.
Having resolved Yan Bugui's problem, Lin Chen focused his attention on the deaf old woman. According to the system's prompts, the old woman's certificate of being a martyr's relative was forged, but to expose her, he needed to obtain the original certificate. After observing her for several days, Lin Chen discovered that the old woman would spend an hour every morning in a small hut in the backyard. That hut was usually locked, presumably where she hid her valuables.
That night, after everyone in the courtyard had fallen asleep, Lin Chen, equipped with the system-integrated "night vision goggles + master key," quietly went to the backyard. There was no light in the windows of the deaf old woman's hut. Lin Chen used the master key to unlock the door and tiptoed inside. The room was dark and filled with a musty smell. Lin Chen turned on the night vision goggles and began a careful search.
In the corner of the hut sat an old wooden box, locked with a brass padlock. Lin Chen used the "wire and screwdriver" fused from the system to create a simple lock-picking tool, and with a gentle twist, the brass padlock opened. Inside the wooden box were a few old clothes and a red cloth bundle. Lin Chen opened the red cloth bundle, and sure enough, there was a certificate of martyrdom and a yellowed photograph inside.
Lin Chen used the system to verify that the seal on the martyr's family certificate was forged, and the photo was from the Republican era, showing a man in a long robe and mandarin jacket who was definitely not a revolutionary soldier. Just as Lin Chen was about to put the certificate and photo away, he suddenly heard light footsteps outside the door. He quickly put the things back and hid behind the door.
The door was gently pushed open, and a familiar figure walked in—it was the deaf old woman. She held a kerosene lamp in her hand, walked to the wooden box, unlocked it, and carefully took out a red cloth bundle, muttering to herself, "Old woman, it's a good thing you died young, otherwise how could I have enjoyed so many years of happiness? This certificate of being a martyr's family member cannot be lost; if it is, my good days will be over."
Lin Chen held his breath, watching the deaf old woman put the package back into the wooden box, lock it with the brass lock, walk around the room once more, blow out the kerosene lamp, and slowly walk out. Lin Chen waited until she was far away before emerging from behind the door, gently closing it, and returning to his own home. He knew that now was not the time to expose the deaf old woman; he had to wait for the right opportunity to strike a fatal blow.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Chen arrived at the workshop, Director Zhou called him over: "Lin, good news! The Municipal Technological Innovation Committee has approved your membership. You'll attend the first meeting next week. Also, the factory has decided to put you in charge of a new project: improving the workshop's stamping equipment. The budget for you is two thousand yuan."
Lin Chen was overjoyed: "Thank you, Director Zhou, I will definitely do my best!" Director Zhou patted him on the shoulder and said, "I believe in your abilities. By the way, Yan Bugui came to the school to see me yesterday, saying that you bullied him and threatened him. I have already spoken with his superiors. The school already knows about his private tutoring and collecting food coupons, and they are investigating. Stay away from him in the future and don't stoop to his level."
Lin Chen nodded, "I understand, Director Zhou." As he walked out of the office, Lin Chen sneered inwardly—Yan Bugui had really shot himself in the foot; he tried to complain about him, but instead exposed his weaknesses. It seemed Yan Bugui would never dare to cause him trouble again.
During the lunch break, Sha Zhu came to Lin Chen with a lunchbox: "Director Lin, congratulations on joining the Technical Innovation Committee! This is braised pork I made for you, try my cooking." Lin Chen took the lunchbox and said with a smile, "Thank you, Chef Sha Zhu. By the way, I've spoken to Director Zhou about your transfer to the logistics department as head chef, and he's agreed. You can report for duty next week."
Sha Zhu's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! Director Lin, thank you so much! If you want anything to eat in the future, just tell me and I'll cook it for you." Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder and said, "No need to thank me, it's because you're a good cook. Work hard in logistics from now on, and don't let Qin Huairu scheme against you again." Sha Zhu nodded: "I know. Ever since you reminded me last time, I haven't sent anything to her family. Qin Huairu has changed now too; she stays home mending clothes every day and hasn't asked me for anything anymore."
As Lin Chen and Sha Zhu were talking, Qin Huairu walked over carrying a cloth bag, her face showing some restraint: "Junior Brother Lin, Master Sha Zhu." She handed the bag to Lin Chen, "These are the work clothes I mended, ten in total. I've already sent them to the garment factory. Here's your payment of fifty cents. Also, thank you for the 'Introduction to Fitter Techniques' book you gave me last time. I've read a few chapters and have a few questions I'd like to ask you."
Lin Chen accepted the wages and said with a smile, "Don't be shy, just ask me if you have any questions." Qin Huairu took out her notebook, which was filled with densely packed questions, and Lin Chen patiently explained them to her. Seeing Qin Huairu's earnest expression, Sha Zhu couldn't help but say, "Qin Huairu, if you had studied this diligently earlier, you wouldn't be in this situation now." Qin Huairu blushed and nodded, "I know I was wrong. I will definitely study hard in the future and earn a living with my own hands."
On his way home from get off work in the afternoon, Lin Chen passed by the Yan family's house and saw Yan Bugui squatting at the door, holding a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), drinking alone and muttering, "Jiecheng, Dad was wrong, please come back..." Lin Chen sighed and went over to him: "Teacher Yan, please stop drinking. Brother Jiecheng is just angry for a moment, he'll come back once he calms down. If you really want him to come back, go to his workplace, apologize to him, burn the account books, and stop scheming so much."
Yan Bugui raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "Xiao Lin, I know I was wrong, but I can't bring myself to apologize." "Is your pride more important than your son?" Lin Chen looked at him. "If you continue to be so stubborn, not only will Jie Cheng not come back, but your other sons will also distance themselves from you. When you're old, who will take care of you?"
Yan Bugui fell silent. He thought about how he had schemed his whole life, only to drive his son away in the end, and he was filled with regret. He stood up and threw the wine bottle into the trash can. "Xiao Lin, thank you for reminding me. I'll go to Jie Cheng's workplace tomorrow and apologize to her." Lin Chen nodded. "That's right. There's no grudge between father and son that lasts overnight. As long as you sincerely apologize, Brother Jie Cheng will definitely forgive you."
The next morning, Yan Bugui indeed went to Yan Jiecheng's workplace. Around noon, Yan Jiecheng returned to the courtyard house with his father. Although the two didn't speak, Yan Jiecheng carried his luggage home, clearly indicating he had forgiven his father. The neighbors were all happy for them. Aunt Liu said, "Old Yan, that's more like it! Father and son getting along is better than anything else." Yan Bugui smiled sheepishly and offered cigarettes to everyone.
Having resolved the conflict with the Yan family, Lin Chen began working on improving the stamping equipment. Utilizing the newly unlocked "technical drawing generation" function of the system, and considering the actual conditions of the workshop, he created a detailed set of improvement drawings. To test the feasibility of the drawings, Lin Chen, along with Liu Haizhong and Liu Guangtian, built a small model using discarded parts from the workshop.
During testing, the model performed exceptionally well, increasing production efficiency by 50% and reducing the scrap rate by 70%. Director Zhou, beaming with joy as he looked at the test data, exclaimed, "Xiao Lin, you're amazing! If this improvement project succeeds, our workshop will definitely exceed its production targets, and the factory will certainly give us a hefty bonus!"
Just as Lin Chen was fully immersed in the project, the deaf old lady in the backyard started causing trouble again. Lin Chen discovered through the system's night vision camera that the deaf old lady would sneak into the front yard every night and whisper something with Grandpa Zhang, who lived in the front yard. Lin Chen had an idea and used the system to combine an "old radio + microphone" to create a simple listening device, which he secretly placed under Grandpa Zhang's window.
Through the eavesdropping device, Lin Chen overheard their conversation. The deaf old lady said, "Old Zhang, that kid Lin Chen is getting more and more capable. Now he's joined the Technical Innovation Committee, so his position in the factory will definitely rise higher and higher. He caught me eavesdropping last time, so he's definitely suspicious of me. I need to find a way to kick him out of the courtyard."
Grandpa Zhang said, "What do you plan to do? Lin Chen is a big shot now; even Director Li from the neighborhood committee gives him face." The deaf old lady sneered, "I have my own way. Next Wednesday is the day the neighborhood committee visits families of martyrs, and Director Li will be at my house then. I'll say that Lin Chen stole my martyr's certificate and wants to sell it for money. Director Li values the honor of families of martyrs most, so he'll definitely punish Lin Chen severely. Then he'll be disgraced and naturally leave the courtyard house."
Lin Chen sneered inwardly upon hearing this—the deaf old woman was indeed up to no good, trying to frame him. However, despite her careful planning, she hadn't anticipated that he already had evidence of her forging the martyr's family certificate. Lin Chen decided to play along and expose her false identity in public on the day the neighborhood committee visited to offer condolences.
Lin Chen immediately used the system to combine an old camera and a printer to create a photo printing device, printing out the photos he had taken of the deaf old woman eavesdropping and the authentication report for the martyr's family certificate. At the same time, he also found Grandpa Wang, the old street office worker who had issued the certificate to the deaf old woman years ago, and asked him to help testify. Grandpa Wang was very angry when he heard that the deaf old woman had forged her martyr's family status, and immediately agreed to help.
Wednesday arrived quickly. Director Li from the neighborhood committee brought gifts to the courtyard house, and all the neighbors gathered around. The elderly deaf woman, dressed in clean clothes and leaning on her cane, greeted him with a broad smile: "Director Li, you've come! Please come in and have a seat." Director Li smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, we've come to see you. How have you been lately?"
Just then, the deaf old woman suddenly burst into tears: "Director Li, my life is so miserable! My martyr's certificate has been stolen, it must have been Lin Chen who stole it, he wanted to sell it for money!" She pointed at Lin Chen standing in the crowd, "It's him! I saw him sneak into my little house last time, that must have been when he stole it!"
All eyes turned to Lin Chen. Director Li frowned: "Comrade Lin Chen, is this true?" Lin Chen smiled slightly and took out a stack of photos and forensic reports: "Director Li, please take a look. This is a photo I took of the deaf old lady secretly eavesdropping under my window. This is the forensic report for the certificate of a martyr's family member, which states that the certificate is forged, the seal is fake, and the photo is from the Republican era. Also, Grandpa Wang, who issued the certificate to her back then, is here; he can testify."
Grandpa Wang stepped out from the crowd, looked at the deaf old woman, and said coldly, "Back then, when you asked me to make a certificate saying your husband was a revolutionary martyr, I was suspicious because you couldn't produce any supporting documentation. Now it seems it was indeed a forgery." The deaf old woman turned pale and trembled all over: "You're lying! I didn't forge it!"
Lin Chen took out the photo he found in the wooden box and handed it to Director Li: "Director Li, this is a photo of her husband. He's wearing a long robe and mandarin jacket, and he's not a revolutionary soldier at all. Her husband was actually a small merchant during the Republic of China era. He disappeared during the war, and she forged the identity of a martyr's family member in order to get welfare benefits."
With the evidence irrefutable, the deaf old woman could no longer deny it. She collapsed to the ground, crying, "I was wrong! I shouldn't have forged my identity. I just wanted to get more subsidies so I could live a better life..." Director Li's face was ashen. He said sternly, "Your behavior is outrageous! Forging the identity of a martyr's family member to fraudulently obtain national subsidies—we must deal with this seriously! From today onwards, your martyr's family member benefits are revoked, all subsidies are taken back, and you will be publicly criticized!"
The neighbors looked at the deaf old woman slumped on the ground and whispered among themselves: "You can know a person's face but not their heart. I never thought she was a fake martyr's family member!" "No wonder she was so arrogant all the time. She got all the benefits by cheating!" The deaf old woman looked at everyone's contemptuous gazes, felt so ashamed that she covered her face and cried.
Lin Chen watched this scene with a sigh of relief—the deaf old woman's false identity had finally been exposed, eliminating a major hidden danger in the courtyard. He knew that although the deaf old woman was dealt with, the story of the courtyard was not over yet. Yan Bugui's scheming, Yi Zhonghai's revenge, and Xu Damao's resentment could all become new troubles. But Lin Chen was not afraid. He had the system at his disposal and the sincere friends around him. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he was confident he could overcome them.
That evening, Lin Chen returned home and opened the system panel, which displayed: "Side quest 'Exposing the deaf old lady's conspiracy to forge her identity as a martyr's family member' completed, reward 5000 points, current points: 84500 points. New feature unlocked: Material Analysis." Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. The Material Analysis function would be perfect for the stamping equipment improvement project, making the project run more smoothly.