The thin and long face stared at the young man in astonishment, and a surge of anger instantly burned in his chest.
"Sister Hong, how come you didn't notice such an obvious impersonation?" The thin and long-faced man turned around and began to question Sister Hong.
Sister Hong couldn't help but tremble, but she gritted her teeth and said nothing.
"Of course she didn't realize that, out of the 22 yuan subsidy, she took 7 yuan and others took 15 yuan. They distributed the money in a certain ratio, so it's obvious that they are familiar with each other." Wei Dingbang sneered.
This was simply too shameless, and the thin and long face was shaking with anger.
"So, you exposed this matter, and Sister Hong turned the tables and made up a lie that a mentally ill person was beating people up, hoping to use me to bring people to deal with you?"
Wei Dingbang nodded, looked at the thin and long face coldly and asked: "Do you want to solve this matter, or should I file a complaint and let the higher authorities handle it?"
The thin and long-faced man took a deep breath and said to Wei Dingbang with an apologetic look: "This is obviously a problem within our organization. Can you please give me some face and let us handle it ourselves first? If you are not satisfied with the result, you can appeal to the higher authorities?"
"Then I'll wait." Wei Dingbang hummed, "Are there other staff members who can handle the resettlement work?"
"Yes, yes, yes. I'll call Director Xu over for you right away." The man with the thin and long face asked the man next to him to call Director Xu while taking out a cigarette.
Wei Dingbang waved his hand and said, "I don't smoke, no thanks."
"My name is Li Guoqing. What happened today is really like a flood that washed away the Dragon King Temple, with family members fighting against each other.
"Brother, which unit did you retire from? You are so good at fighting, why don't you continue to serve the country?" Li Guoqing looked at Wei Dingbang with admiration.
Wei Dingbang narrowed his eyes, remained silent for a while, and slowly uttered two words: "I'm sick."
"That's a pity. You are a rare talent in our army." Li Guoqing lit a cigarette, took a deep puff, and said with great regret: "I was injured during actual combat training and retired. Otherwise, I would have wanted to be a soldier for life until the day I die."
"There are more ways to serve the country than just being a soldier. People in all walks of life can bring glory to the country. The prerequisite is to stay alive." Wei Dingbang looked into the distance with a somewhat empty look in his eyes.
It’s like looking at those old people through space and time.
They were all so young and lively. Some were drafted into the army voluntarily, and some were forced to take up guns to defend their country. They came from all corners of the country and from all walks of life.
They once told him that once the war was won and the country was stable, the first thing they would do would be to go home.
I want to make steel. I heard that in order to make cannons like the ones the enemy has, we must first make good steel.
I want to be a carpenter and first make a wooden stool for my father so that he can sit on it and take a shit without any effort in the winter.
I want to go home and eat the pot cakes cooked by my blind mother. They are so delicious.
I want to learn how to drive and be a driver. This time, many people died while running before I arrived at the battlefield before the enemy. I ran like crazy and I never want to run like this again. I want to drive a four-wheeled car and take my comrades to run. In this way, no comrades will die while running.
Hehe, you all have lofty ambitions, but I am a timid person. I want to go home and marry a young wife and have a warm bed with her.
…
The words are still fresh in my memory, but none of the people who said them survived.
Wei Dingbang looked solemn, his eyes shrouded in sadness. Although he was standing in front of Li Guoqing, he felt as if this person was separated from him by thousands of miles.
Director Xu, who had short hair cut to her ears, followed the male comrade who went to report the news. She was about 45 or 46 years old, with wrinkles all over the corners of her eyes and rough skin on her face, looking weathered.
"Hello, I'm Xu Yuemei, director of the Resettlement Section of the Veterans Affairs Department.
Please show me your ID, I will check it and arrange for your resettlement." She stretched out a hand towards Wei Dingbang.
Only three fingers were left on that hand, and the other two fingers had uneven cross-sections and the scars were a bit ugly.
Wei Dingbang looked at her right hand which was obviously injured by the explosion, and his attitude softened a little. He silently took out a small notebook, opened it and handed it to her.
Xu Yuemei first looked at him gratefully, then lowered her head to check her ID. After just one look, her eyelids began to tremble.
Shaking all the time.
“Do you have any requirements for placement?”
"I don't have any requirements, but it would be better if it were closer to the Hongxing Steel Plant."
"Okay, I will check and verify the remaining places and the placement details and then notify you. I need to copy this ID page."
Wei Dingbang hummed.
Xu Yuemei carefully took the certificate and copied it.
Looking at her cautious look, Li Guoqing figured out something and became more respectful towards Wei Dingbang.
"Sister Xu is a volunteer soldier who fought in the battlefield. Her husband was in the first batch and she was in the second batch. She has always been old-fashioned and cold to everyone. I see that she treats you very differently. You must be a veteran who fought in the battlefield, right?" Li Guoqing asked.
Wei Dingbang glanced at Li Guoqing indifferently and hummed.
Li Guoqing had an idea in his mind.
As his attitude changed, the attitudes of the men who came with him naturally became much more serious.
When Sister Hong saw this situation, she became even more panicked. She lowered her head and cursed Qin Shu in her heart.
It was clearly agreed at the beginning that there wouldn't be any trouble.
Everything was fine in the past few years. When she was getting used to it, the real owner showed up and caught her red-handed.
I thought he was just a soldier from the countryside and should be easy to deal with, so I wanted to use the same tricks as before to get rid of him.
If she had known that this guy was so troublesome, she should have kept her head down from the beginning.
Ten minutes later, Xu Yuemei came out of the office.
The certificate returned to Wei Dingbang's hand. He casually tucked it under his armpit and walked out.
Xu Yuemei looked at his casual appearance, opened her mouth again and again, but in the end said nothing.
Every word on this certificate is soaked in blood and fire, and is a testimony to that era.
Li Guoqing came over, pointed at Sister Hong and asked Xu Yuemei: "Director Xu, how do you deal with her?"
Sister Hong also looked at Xu Yuemei eagerly, "Director Xu, don't judge by appearances, but by appearances. I know that I was blinded by evil and made a mistake.
But no one is perfect. I will return the money and promise not to make the same mistake again. Can you consider my uncle's friendship with you as we served in the same unit?"
Xu Yuemei didn't even look at Sister Qin Hong, and said directly to Li Guoqing: "Expel him immediately, and criticize him in an internal notice and put it on file."
Sister Qin Hong stared at Xu Yuemei in disbelief. "How could it be so serious? It's obviously just a demerit at most. Xu Yuemei, have you disliked me for a long time, so you are using this little thing to take revenge?"
"Veterans shed blood and tears for the country. Every penny of their subsidies was earned with their lives. How dare you take such money and think that you can just get away with it by giving them a warning?
Don’t say I’m following the rules. Even if I were to go too far, no one would dare to criticize me!”
"I don't accept it! I'm going to find my uncle!" Sister Qin Hong ran out of the Veterans Affairs Office angrily.