Chapter 657 The Passing of Time 22

Zhou Xiuhua: It's only because her own husband doesn't play tricks on her, otherwise she would be helping the other party count the money even if she were sold out.

The couple worked very quickly, packing everything up that day, hiring an oxcart that evening, and arriving at their new house in the county the next morning.

The house is small and unremarkable, just three ordinary rooms with open space in the front and back yards, and a one-and-a-half-room wing on the east side. It will be enough for my daughter and son-in-law to live in when they come back in the future.

As soon as Zhou Xiuhua entered the courtyard, she was filled with joy. This was their home. After working hard for most of their lives, they finally had a home.

After a long day of cleaning, Zhou Xiuhua asked her husband as they lay in bed that night, "Can't we keep our steamed bun stall up and running?"

"How desperate are you to want to start a business? I'm planning to exchange all the remaining money for grain, and tomorrow we'll dig a cellar in the yard, make it deep, sturdy, and well-hidden."

The gold remained unmoved; that was the daughter's confidence.

Why?

"Didn't you notice? Grain prices have been rising, and we don't have any land, so we can only hoard more grain."

Having food in hand brings peace of mind.

Once I've gathered all the food, I'll go out and find some work. It doesn't have to be much, just enough for the two of us to eat for a month.

Our house is a bit short from top to bottom, but it's long from north to south. We grow vegetables in the front yard and corn and potatoes in the back yard. We harvest everything we can't eat, store what can be stored, and sell what can't be stored to make some money.

From now on, we'll only live better than before.

His description filled Zhou Xiuhua with longing.

"If I raise more chickens in the yard, we can save money on meat."

"Yes, that's right. It's just the two of us. If we can't finish the eggs, we can sell them."

Anyway, the two of them have planned their life together quite well. At the same time, they both have the same thought in mind: they must not cause trouble for their daughter, and they also hope that their son-in-law will treat their daughter well.

Should we let our daughter know about the move?

Ningxia said, "Send it. I'll have someone write a letter to my daughter so she won't worry about not being able to find us."

...

Qiu Juncheng glanced at the clock hanging on the Luo family's wall and saw that it was already ten o'clock. Director Luo had originally wanted to take him out for drinks and entertainment, but Qiu Juncheng said he had to go home to be with his wife, which led to Director Luo teasing him for a while.

Luo Siyuan had three concubines and kept several other women outside, including some who were originally sold in the Eight Great Hutongs, a foreign woman, and women who were sent up from below. But that didn't stop him from going to such places to seek pleasure.

Qiu Juncheng listened with a smile, but his expression changed as soon as he stepped out of the Luo family's gate.

It was already 10:30 when I got home.

Aunt Wang had already gone home from get off work. In the bedroom, the young woman was curled up in a ball under the covers, fast asleep.

After washing up quietly, he lifted the covers and pulled the person into his arms.

Ning Yan had been awake for a while, but when she realized it was her man coming back, she went back to sleep. However, this man was not honest and started touching her as soon as he got into bed.

"It's so late, go to sleep."

"Okay, you sleep yours, I'll sleep mine."

Damn, Chinese characters are truly profound. They're clearly sleeping separately, yet they've somehow ended up sleeping together.

Moreover, Ning Yan was certain that this man had been slacking off during his days working overtime at the police station, otherwise how could he have been so energetic?

The next morning, Qiu Juncheng got up full of energy, while Ning Yan continued to catch up on sleep in bed.

As soon as he came downstairs, Aunt Wang came to greet him.

"Sir, is Madam still asleep?"

Qiu Juncheng didn't understand the meaning and responded in a light tone.

Aunt Wang wiped her hands on her apron and then recounted the argument that had taken place between the two of them that day.

"Tell me, does Madam dislike me? Or did she notice something and deliberately single me out?"

Honestly, she must have been agonizing over this for the past seven or eight days. If you say that the madam doesn't like her, apart from that argument the other day, the madam's attitude towards her has been pretty good, at least she hasn't made things difficult for her again.

If the lady likes her, then why did she cause such a scene that day?

After thinking it over and over, she still couldn't figure it out, so she had no choice but to ask the master.

After hearing this, Qiu Juncheng pursed his lips and said, "She just likes to put on a show. She's not a bad person, so you don't need to take it to heart."

However, she's not wrong. I am, after all, a deputy director; even if I don't eat this meal, I can't just settle for something less.

Those words were a bit harsh, so Aunt Wang quickly admitted her mistake, "I misunderstood before, but I corrected myself after Madam spoke to me."

"That's good." After saying that, he handed the three promissory notes to Aunt Wang. "Give them to our people to withdraw this money. It should be enough to exchange for a lot of grain."

Aunt Wang took the promissory note and looked at it. Good heavens, there were tens of thousands of dollars in it! This was really something. No matter how hard she tried to save, she probably couldn't save up so many dollars in her whole life!

"Then I'll go back this morning. Anyway, Madam sleeps for most of the day, so I can just come back at noon to cook."

Qiu Juncheng frowned. "You should wait until we get back tonight to talk about it. Madam's matter reminded me that it's better to be careful than to make a big mistake. Just be the same as usual today, or it will arouse suspicion."

Aunt Wang looked annoyed. "Sir, you're right. I was too hasty."

It's no wonder she lost her sense of proportion when it came to money. The Kuomintang had already refused to provide military funding to the Red Army, and since last year, grain prices had been rising due to drought in the south, so her hometown was in dire need of supplies.

The gentleman had only recently been promoted to deputy director and had some extra income before, but he had to maintain good relations with his superiors and win over the patrol officers below him, so he spent a lot and had little left, which was less than what he brought back this time.

"Okay, I'll be more careful next time."

Aunt Wang added, "By the way, sir, we received a call from our hometown mentioning Ghost. The commander spoke highly of Ghost, suspecting that he is still working alone. Our superiors have asked us to find a way to win Ghost over."

Qiu Juncheng hadn't been home for the past few days. He could still get through on the phone, but it was being tapped. Besides, the matter wasn't that urgent, so Aunt Wang only told him about it when he got home.

"Okay, I understand."

After saying what he needed to say, Qiu Juncheng finished his breakfast and went to work at the bureau.

Around nine o'clock, the Japanese arrived.

The leader was Kawasaki Itō, followed by two attendants and a translator.

This man was one of Commander He Rui's most important confidants.

Basically, his words represented Ha Rui's meaning.

When Luo Siyuan learned that Kawasaki Itō had arrived, he personally went out to greet him. Of course, he didn't forget to call Qiu Juncheng as well. There was no other way; in the entire East District Branch, Qiu Juncheng was the only one who could speak fluent Japanese, and he was afraid that he would be misled by the translator if he didn't bring him along.

Kawasaki Itō came here today to commend the East District Precinct and, incidentally, to execute Kan San-tsei.

Because Luo Siyuan exposed Guan Sanqing, saving him from further harm by He Rui, Kawasaki Itō was in a good mood.

"Luo Sang, you did a very good job this time. The headquarters is very satisfied with your performance and has decided to promote you to deputy director of the police department."