1970s: My childhood sweetheart ran away, and I turned around and married the wildest chief.

When he saw the numbers and names following them, he frowned. "What's the purpose of this? Why is it so regular?"

A hint of excitement welled up in Qiao Wanqing's eyes. It had finally arrived. She suppressed it and replied with no particular expression on her face, "The assistance provided to the families of martyrs varies from family to family, and we have records of their family circumstances."

He Zhihua paused upon hearing this, then picked up the notebook and looked at it carefully.

Qiao Wanqing explained from the side, "These are basically my husband's comrades-in-arms. He joined the army when he was a teenager and went to the battlefield for a long time. He saw too many comrades leave. Some of these are his close friends, and some are people he still remembers. Before we got married, he sent money irregularly. He probably didn't have time to pay attention to it at that time because he was mostly away fighting and on missions."

"After we got married, I was worried that we would have to raise children in the future, which would increase our expenses. I didn't have a job, and he even reduced his salary a bit. When I found out, I stopped him. I already had some savings, plus the dowry my parents gave me when we got married. At that time, we didn't have any children yet, and my salary was enough to cover the expenses."

"Some of them are comrades-in-arms from many years ago, and some sacrificed their lives in recent years. Because both families have taken good care of my husband and me, we have a lot more money on hand and can support these things. He is quite busy with work, so I am in charge of these things."

Qiao Wanqing is a capitalist's daughter, and she has been very careful about the impact of this identity from the beginning. Naturally, she has to do something to improve her image. Originally, Lu Mingzhou did support some of his former comrades' families, but not this much. After getting married, expenses increased, so she naturally couldn't be as willful as when she was single.

However, Qiao Wanqing had money, so he naturally didn't stop providing these subsidies. Not only did he continue, but he also increased the number of people receiving them. Furthermore, he would regularly contact the martyrs' hometowns to inquire about the living conditions of the martyrs' families.

These are all recorded in these notebooks.

Depending on their living conditions, the amount of remittances varies. Some send an average of five yuan per month, some send ten yuan, and the highest is fifteen yuan. Some people send more money because they are sick or have other special needs, and occasionally they also send some living supplies.

After all, many martyrs came from rural areas, and it was not easy for them to go to the supply and marketing cooperative. They needed coupons to buy things, and even if they had money and coupons, they were not guaranteed to have the goods.

The supplies in Beichuan are much more abundant. Qiao Wanqing would occasionally send some food and supplies to those people. She didn't keep a complete record in her notebook, only a part of it. After all, it was just some daily life. She was just an ordinary person, not an accountant. It would be too deliberate to keep such a clear record.

Looking at the list, He Zhihua was moved. Those who sacrificed their lives, and their comrades-in-arms, were remembered, along with their families.

There are more than a dozen people on the list who are receiving assistance at the same time. Some of them are gradually reducing their assistance as their children grow up and become capable of working, so they naturally don't need as much assistance anymore.

Bai Mei and Bai Yu also craned their necks to look. Seeing so many people, Bai Mei said indignantly, "With so many people, you give them money every month, plus your own living expenses. Even if both your families support you, it won't cover all your expenses. You've bought so many clothes and watches, plus the expenses for five children. No matter how well you keep your accounts, it doesn't change the fact that you might be embezzling. Don't your in-laws and parents need to support others? Don't they need to live their own lives?"

Qiao Wanqing remained calm. "My father-in-law is a veteran of the War of Resistance Against Japan. He was already at a high rank when he retired. My mother-in-law has also worked for many years. Together, they earn more than 200 yuan a month. Their other children also have jobs, so they don't need to take care of them much. At most, they help raise the children. My husband is pampered at home and doesn't live with his parents for many years, so they naturally favor him more."

"Of course, the majority of the money comes from my parents. My dad earns over three hundred yuan a month, and my mom earns over a hundred. Their factory specializes in foreign exchange, and she gets a lot of foreign exchange orders every year. Her bonuses alone are much more than her salary, so earning several thousand yuan a year is no problem. Her total salary is even higher than my dad's!"

"As I mentioned before, my family has few children, and my eldest brother is still unmarried. He's already a regimental commander, so he doesn't need any financial support from his family. On the contrary, he often buys things for my children and gives me pocket money! My eldest daughter has my surname, which makes my parents extremely happy. They give me most of their salary, several thousand yuan a year, which I can't possibly spend."

Everyone: "..."

Could you be any more infuriating?

What does she mean by that?

Are you saying that her husband, her father-in-law, her mother-in-law, her father, and her mother all give her their salaries?

None of these people have low salaries; they are all ridiculously high.

Oh, by the way, she also has a bachelor brother who is the head of a troupe, and he gives her money to spend whenever he has free time.

Because the child takes the mother's surname, the grandparents and even the uncle's side will give some subsidies.

The expressions of the staff who came together were clearly divided into two camps: some were insanely jealous, while others were drooling with envy.

After Chen Lin finished recording, she handed over what she had written down and the preliminary results to He Zhihua. Although the expenses were high and the family did seem a bit wealthy, it was normal for high-income families to have good living conditions.

If such a high-ranking military officer can't even support his family, how can ordinary people survive?

With so much support from her family, Qiao Wanqing's expenses weren't too outrageous.

He Zhihua examined it carefully for a long time, then stood up and gave Qiao Wanqing a solemn military salute. "Comrade Qiao, thank you for your support of the martyrs' families. We apologize for disturbing you today. May we take this notebook with us?"

Qiao Wanqing was taken aback, her expression seemingly hesitant. "This... will you return it to me later? I don't have a backup."

He Zhihua looked down and said, "How about this? We'll be staying here for a while longer. You make a copy first, and we can take the original with us. We'll come back to get it after we finish our work."

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "That's fine."

He Zhihua returned the notebook to Qiao Wanqing, who asked, "So... is the matter of the report settled now?"

He Zhihua replied, "Comrade, we still need to verify this further. Rest assured, we will never wrong our revolutionary comrades."

Qiao Wanqing nodded, "Alright!"

Lin Zhengjun, who was standing next to him, had been watching the whole time. His hands were clenched tightly at his sides, and he was almost unable to maintain his composure.

When so many things were found in Qiao Wanqing's house, heaven knows how excited he was, but in the end, the Lu family's income was actually able to cover these expenses.

Every word Qiao Wanqing said felt like a stab to his heart. How could Lu Mingzhou be so lucky? Both families were supporting him.

Supporting comrades?

Ah!

Who wouldn't want that kind of reputation?

The key question is: how many people have the capability to provide support?

Why not raise his own children or help his relatives back home? Some people are already exhausted just taking care of themselves, but he has so many children at home and so many relatives back home, yet no one bothers him, and he still has so much money to support his comrades.

His wife's family sends him several thousand yuan every year. How come he's so lucky?

Lin Zhengjun was so angry that he almost lost his mind. Even though He Zhihua had stood up to leave, he still sat there blankly.

He Zhihua glanced at him. "Deputy Division Commander Lin, let's go!"

Lin Zhengjun realized what was happening, took a deep breath, stood up, and politely walked out with He Zhihua.

No matter how unwilling Bai Mei and Bai Yu were, there was nothing they could do at the moment. They had done everything they could, and they had searched the entire house, but there was really nothing of value left. They didn't find anything suspicious, but they did find the account books that had been used to support their comrades.

The group followed He Zhihua downstairs. A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the courtyard. They had initially thought something had happened to the Lu family, but now that the people had come out, something seemed a little strange.

Qiao Wanqing wasn't arrested either!

Seeing so many people, He Zhihua turned to Qiao Wanqing and exchanged a few polite words with her, thanking her for her cooperation before leaving with his entourage.

Sun Xiaoqin and Wu Yuxiu were both in the crowd, their gazes towards Qiao Wanqing somewhat complicated.

As everyone exited the main gate, Lin Zhengjun was about to lead the way, taking He Zhihua back, when He Zhihua stopped in his tracks. "Deputy Division Commander Lin, let's go to your house!"

Lin Zhengjun was taken aback. Before he could ask, Chen Lin explained, "The reports we received didn't just target the Lu family; your family was included as well."

Lin Zhengjun's brain exploded with a thunderous roar, leaving him completely stunned.

He Zhihua knew where the Lin family lived, so he turned around and headed towards the house next door.

Lin Zhengjun realized what was happening and quickly chased after him, "Comrade He, Comrade He, it's a misunderstanding, it must all be a misunderstanding..."

He Zhihua wouldn't listen to what these people were saying. Whether there was a misunderstanding or not, they would find out by investigating themselves.

So, the group went to the Lin family's house next door in a grand procession.

Wu Yuxiu turned pale and quickly ran home.

As a result, the Lin family found just as much as the Lu family, and in fact, much more.

Wu Yuxiu and Lin Zhengjun alone have dozens of coats and leather shoes, and more than a dozen watches in total, most of which are imported. Their cabinets are full of malted milk powder, milk candy, and melon seeds. The kitchen is well-stocked with supplies, all of which are refined grains. They still haven't finished eating the cured meat at this time of year.

There are four children in the family. The eldest daughter and eldest son are away at university, and the remaining twins live at home. Each of the children has their own room, and after checking, it was found that each of them has dozens of sets of clothes and shoes.

This number would not be considered much in later generations, but it was 1980, an era when you needed cloth coupons to buy clothes. Sometimes you had to save up two or three months' salary to afford a good coat. Lin Zhengjun's eldest daughter and eldest son had seven or eight coats in their wardrobes.

This is even though they are not at home. Both of them are studying in other cities and live on campus, so the school must provide them with clothes.

The couple both owned bicycles, their child had a huge collection of toys, and the house was filled with over a dozen high-quality quilts, as well as many expensive bedding items. He Zhihua could tell at a glance that these things were not cheap.

There are also some valuable tea sets and fine wooden furniture at home. Not everyone in the military gets new furniture; most of it is old. Lu Mingzhou got the best furniture because of the relationship between the Qiao and Xu families, and Chief Jiang took care of him. But Lin Zhengjun didn't have that privilege, so the things he received were incomplete and not new.

But at this moment, there are many beautiful new pieces of furniture in their home. He Zhihua looked at them carefully and realized that they were made not long ago, probably within the last year or two.

The worst part was that they found over 40,000 yuan in savings accounts and over 60,000 yuan in cash in the house.

The cash of over three thousand was kept in a special box for storing money, while the other sixty thousand was found in another hidden place.

These findings clearly far exceeded the income of Lin Zhengjun and his wife. As Lin Zhengjun looked at the findings, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, his legs went weak, and his throat went dry.

He stared tremblingly at the things before him, then quickly fixed his gaze on Wu Yuxiu, demanding sharply, "Where did these things come from? Where did you get them? My salary can't possibly buy these things. How did you end up with these things in your home?"

Wu Yuxiu's face paled again. She stared blankly at Lin Zhengjun, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Where did they come from? Yes, I got them all. I secretly got them behind his back."

Wu Yuxiu looked at He Zhihua and said, "Comrade, these things have nothing to do with my husband. I'm the one who manages the household, and he doesn't know anything about these things."

Lin Zhengjun hurriedly defended himself, "Comrade He, I really didn't know about these things. I'm usually very busy with work, and she takes care of everything at home. I really didn't know there would be these things in the house, I..."

"No need for explanations!" He Zhihua's voice was icy cold. "You'd better come back with us and cooperate with the investigation!"

He has more than a dozen coats and more than a dozen pairs of leather shoes. Apart from the two imported watches that Wu Yuxiu owns, all the rest are his. Can you tell them you don't know anything about them?

Do you think they're fools?!

He Zhihua sent people to take all of the Lin family's belongings away, including those of Lin Zhengjun and his wife.

The onlookers were all terrified, staring at Lin Zhengjun who was being taken away, speechless.

Good heavens!

terrible!

The Lin family is so rich!

Qiao Wanqing saw and heard everyone's discussions from next door. She raised an eyebrow. They actually found so much money?

This couple is amazing! Just a few years ago they were so poor they couldn't even afford decent food, and in such a short time they've become so wealthy.

This is also why, despite Wu Yuxiu's consistently good attitude towards Qiao Wanqing over the past few years, Qiao Wanqing has never opened up to her.

When she first moved to the family compound, she knew exactly what the Lin family's children looked like. In just a few years, Wu Yuxiu and her husband became richer and richer, frequently changing their coats and leather shoes, and their children often wore new clothes and started eating better.

Wu Yuxiu gradually started buying more and more skincare products.