The Overlord Flower's Guide to Intercepting a Woman's Wife's Death and the Male Lead&

Su Xingmian nestled on the kang (a heated brick bed), the quilt pulled up to her chest, her hands clenching and unclenching inside the quilt.

Fang Lan's last words were still lingering in her mind.

"If he dares not to give it to you, then tell me."

There was the sound of water coming from the kitchen; Zhou Bingheng was washing dishes.

It was dark when Fang Lan and Zhou Bingwen returned to the guesthouse, leaving only the two of them in the room.

She waited until he finished washing the dishes and came over, then climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and leaned against the headboard while flipping through the kraft paper notebook, before finally speaking.

"elder brother."

"Um."

"Mom told me to manage your money."

Zhou Bingheng's hands never stopped flipping through the notebook.

"You forgot?"

Su Xingmian blinked twice.

"Forgot what?"

I told you the night we got our marriage certificate.

Su Xingmian's mind raced.

On the night they got their marriage certificate, she was kissed so much that her body temperature soared to 38 degrees Celsius. What happened and what she said afterward was all a blur of hot smoke.

"What did you say?"

Zhou Bingheng placed the notebook beside his pillow and turned his head to look at her.

"The money and tickets are in the tin box in the corner. Here's the key."

"When did you say that?"

"When I hug you after kissing you."

Su Xingmian opened her mouth, then closed it again.

At that time, her brain was already severely oxygen-deprived.

Zhou Bingheng reached under the pillow and pulled out a small brass key, placing it in her hand.

Su Xingmian gripped the key, glanced at him for two seconds, then got off the kang (heated brick bed), slipped on her cotton shoes, and walked to the corner of the wall.

The tin box wasn't big; it was placed in a corner, next to the coal shovel in the kitchen, and was completely inconspicuous.

She crouched down, inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and clicked it open.

The box was opened.

On top of it was a red-covered savings book, the very one for the five thousand yuan dowry.

Below it was a bankbook and a neatly stacked pile of banknotes.

The ten-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, two-yuan notes, and one-yuan notes were sorted according to their face value, and each stack was tied with a strip of paper.

Below that was a stack of tickets, stacked even more neatly than banknotes.

Cloth coupons, grain coupons, non-staple food coupons, and kerosene coupons were all grouped together separately, clipped with paperclips, and each type was marked with its number.

At the very bottom, there were three pieces of stiff cardboard stamped with red seals.

Industrial vouchers.

Su Xingmian recognized this thing.

A notice was posted on the shelves of large items at the Beijing Department Store, stating that purchases could only be made with industrial coupons.

She squatted down, opened her savings book, and found a full thousand dollars.

Take out the banknotes and count them.

Eight hundred and forty yuan.

All the money added up was six thousand eight hundred and forty dollars.

Su Xingmian quickly did some mental calculations.

For an average dual-income family, the combined monthly income is only sixty or seventy yuan, and they have to be very careful with their money to support the whole family.

Six thousand eight hundred and forty yuan is equivalent to more than ten years' wages for an ordinary worker.

Her fingertips, gripping the passbook, were slightly warm, and the stems and leaves of the variegated nightshade plant in the yard swayed gently without any wind.

She turned to look at Zhou Bingheng.

He leaned against the headboard, one hand resting on a kraft paper notebook, the other hanging idly at his sides, his whole posture very relaxed, as if waiting for her to finish reading a book that had been put away long ago.

"Is this all your savings?"

"I was just promoted to regimental political commissar this year, administrative level 14, my monthly salary is 144. I didn't save much before."

That's not all; Zhou Bingheng is really good at saving money.

But he said it so casually.

Su Xingmian looked down at the neatly stacked tickets and money in the box, then at the two bankbooks on top.

"You included my betrothal gifts as well."

"Yes, we were always together."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I said so."

Su Xingmian's ears burned.

He did say it.

She said it when she was so dazed from being kissed.

She closed the box, grabbed the keys, climbed back onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and sat cross-legged next to him.

"elder brother."

"Um."

"I was wrong."

Zhou Bingheng didn't reply, but he pursed his lips slightly.

"Mom said she'll give you pocket money, how much do you want?"

"The base doesn't need much money, you can keep it."

Su Xingmian tilted her head and thought for a while.

A picture popped into her mind.

When Wu Qiuli came to visit yesterday, she had a hair clip on her head. She said that Liang Jin picked it out for her at the local supply and marketing cooperative and it cost two yuan.

Wu Qiuli said she was wasting money, but Su Xingmian could tell she was very happy.

Su Xingmian recalled the things her brother had done for her in the past two months.

She was happy too.

But she also wanted a hair clip, or something else.

"no."

Zhou Bingheng raised his eyes.

"You should give it."

Su Xingmian tugged at his sleeve.

"I want my brother to buy me a present."

The voice was soft, yet assertive.

There was no coquettish beating around the bush, no scheming little thoughts; it was just said very directly.

Zhou Bingheng looked at her.

He knows himself all too well.

He is deep in thought; every word he utters goes through many twists and turns in his mind.

When dealing with people, at least one and a half of every three sentences should be intended to guide them.

He had even schemed against her.

From getting the marriage certificate to moving to writing a report for her, every step was carefully considered.

But she's different.

She says whatever she wants, likes what she likes, says she's cold when she's cold, and says she wants a kiss when she wants a kiss.

Now she says she wants a gift.

Without being reasonable or beating around the bush, it's just the most straightforward "I want it".

This clean and straightforward dependence, without any hidden agendas, was more intoxicating to him than all her coquettishness combined.

Zhou Bingheng closed the notebook and put it aside, then reached out and pulled her over.

When Su Xingmian was pulled into his arms, she heard a vibration in his chest.

"it is good."

Su Xingmian closed her eyes, nuzzled her face against his chest, and couldn't stop smiling.

Three thousand kilometers away, in the capital city, at the Zhou family compound.

The study light was on, and the curtains were drawn tightly shut.

Zhou Zhenguo sat behind his desk.

Several documents were spread out in front of him, the top page being the circulation record retrieved from the thorough investigation.

Xiao Zhenshan sat opposite him.

The two old men, who had fought each other their whole lives, remained silent at this moment.

They had already read the words on the document.

The whistleblower's letter passed through three hands from Pingxi Village to the Political Department of the Military Region, and the name of the final signatory pointed in one direction.

Xiao Zhenshan tapped his fingers twice on the handle of his cane.

"Old Zhou."

"Um."

"You found it?"

The old man turned the last page, pressed his index finger on the line of text above, and didn't look up.

The room was very quiet.

He stubbed out the cigarette that had burned down to the tip between his fingers.

"The Jiang family."

Xiao Zhenshan tucked the fingers on the handle of his cane together.

"It's that kid from the Jiang family, there's no one else but him."

"Everyone in the industry avoids him now; they all secretly call him a mad dog."

Xiao Zhenshan's cane struck the ground with a thud.

"He kept bringing up that old Li family's mess the other day, which got Old Li sent to a May Seventh Cadre School. We haven't heard a word from him since. That guy has no bottom line; he'll attack anyone he can."

Old Master Zhou snorted coldly, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"He's testing us, testing whether the connections Yuanzhen left behind are still useful, and testing the higher-ups' attitude towards this matter."

Grandpa Zhou placed the teacup heavily on the table.

"But he miscalculated. The higher-ups haven't forgotten the people Yuanzhen saved."

He paused.

"When the confidential documents were approved, the higher-ups had already spoken with the Jiang family and warned them not to overstep their bounds."

Xiao Zhenshan's expression softened a little, but he was still angry.

"The Jiang family has been reprimanded, but what about the Song family? That girl from the Song family has a secret relationship with the boy from the Jiang family, this matter cannot be left unresolved."

"Of course it doesn't count."

Grandpa Zhou picked up the internal phone on the table.

"Old Xiao, our two families don't need any solid evidence. Since the Song family can't discipline their daughter, we'll take care of her for them."