On the first day of the Lunar New Year, according to custom, it is a day to pay respects to the deceased. However, nowadays, with the opposition to feudal superstition, Yuncheng is not like my hometown in Northeast China, where children go out to pay New Year's visits early in the morning.
So on this day, Huo Haocheng finally had a day off, but he didn't know what to do. Should he take his wife shopping? The supply and marketing cooperative was closed for the holiday. Should he go to the movies? The projectionist wasn't there today either. Sigh, on the first day of the new year, he had nothing to do.
After the couple finished breakfast, they opened the front door and placed sunflower seeds, peanuts, and dried fruit on the table, wondering if anyone would come to visit today.
But they were overthinking it. On the first day of the new year, they had nothing to do, but other families had things to do. Even if it was just a rare opportunity to check on their children's studies, that would be great!
"Ah, brother, I suddenly feel so bored today!" The two sat on the sofa, Huo Haocheng sitting and Ruan Ruan half-lying on him. She didn't know who made the rule that you can't sleep in on the first day of the new year. She munched on sunflower seeds as she sighed.
"Is there anything your younger sister wants to do?"
In previous years, if he couldn't go home for the New Year, he would go on duty so that his comrades in the family compound could spend more time with their families. Today, with Ruan Shaolin and a few other single people on duty, he was happy to have some free time. It was a rare opportunity to spend time alone with his sister, and he felt quite content just sitting at home like this.
Hearing his question, she thought about it for a while, and then she remembered the agreement she had made with her uncle and the things she had asked the system to do.
Then I contacted the system.
"Commander, how's it going on your end?"
"Host, there are quite a lot of people this time. Since yesterday, people have been sending gifts to these people. And do you know what I found out?" The kitten was particularly excited when it came to this.
Sensing the system's joy, Ruan Ruan sat up straight. "What's wrong? Did you find something over there?"
"Host, I've discovered the wall of gold. Surprised?"
Last night, the system shuttled back and forth between those households. The other section chiefs were alright; although they accepted gifts, they weren't too excessive. But the deputy mayor's house was a different story. He subtly hinted to those who came to give him gifts that he only accepted gold.
At first, the system was puzzled by his behavior. After the gift-giver left, it saw him take out a brick from a corner of the living room and put the gold gift inside. Out of curiosity, the system followed him inside.
It turned out that the wall had been hollowed out and filled with two-thirds gold bars. By the time he realized what was happening and tried to get out, the entrance had been blocked. So he had no choice but to wait until this morning when someone came to give him another gift, and the entrance was reopened, allowing him to escape.
"A wall full of gold?" Ruan Ruan couldn't believe what she heard and screamed. How could anyone hide gold in a wall these days?
"What? A wall full of gold? Did the kitten find something?" Huo Haocheng asked, puzzled, upon hearing her meow.
"The system said he found a wall full of gold in the deputy mayor's house. That deputy mayor required that any gifts he received had to be gold, and he hid all the gold in the wall. I think that's why Uncle Guo couldn't find any evidence against him."
He hid the bribes he received directly in his home. No wonder those watching him never saw him take anything out of the house. Who would have thought?
"Now that the evidence has been found, what are you planning to do?"
Regarding this question, Ruan Ruan thought about it seriously and said, "It's the New Year, why don't we let Uncle and Uncle Guo come over after the New Year is over?"
"...Well, it's up to you. In that case, I guess the little kitten will have to keep an eye on them for two days. Today is the first day of the lunar new year, and tomorrow is the second day, which is the day for the bride to return to her parents' home. Your uncle's daughter will also be coming back then. Now that the Gu family is your maternal family, you will also be going. So we'll talk to your uncle on the third day of the lunar new year. I'll lead a team to cooperate with the police to arrest them."
"Wait, wait, does my uncle have a daughter? I've never heard of her before." She's been in Yuncheng for so long and has never heard her uncle and aunt mention that they have a daughter, and Gu Jinghe and Gu Jingming never mention it either.
"Yes, they have a second daughter, two years younger than Gu Jinghe. Back then, she fell in love with a man, who I heard was a petty thug. Her uncles and the others disapproved, but she was too bold and went straight to him... um..."
As you know, Uncle has a temper. In the end, he had no choice but to agree since the Gu brothers still wanted to get married. After their wedding, I heard that Uncle arranged jobs for them in the city, but the price was that he severed ties with her. In the years that followed, no one ever mentioned her again; the Gu family treated her as if she didn't exist.
Huo Haocheng didn't know how to tell her about Gu Jingxi. When he first arrived in Yuncheng, Commander Gu thought highly of him and, seeing that he had a good relationship with Gu Jinghe, wanted to introduce his daughter to him. However, when Gu Jinghe came to ask him about it, he said that he already had a fiancée, and the matter was dropped. But for some reason, Gu Jingxi found out.
That day, right after their training ended, she ran to the training field and, in front of Gu Jinghe and the other comrades, scolded and beat Huo Haocheng, telling her not to be a toad trying to eat swan meat, saying that she would never be interested in her, and that she already had a boyfriend and that they would be getting married soon.
Because so many people heard about this incident, it was impossible to cover it up. Commander Gu and Teacher Shen found out about it that very day. Afterwards, Commander Gu sent someone to investigate her boyfriend and discovered that he was just a street thug. Not only was he incompetent, but he also had a younger brother and a younger sister. The family of seven or eight people lived in a cramped apartment of about 50 square meters. The whole family relied on his parents working as temporary workers, earning only about 20 yuan a month, to support them. His parents would also occasionally use their belongings to help their youngest son in the countryside, which made their family's life even more difficult.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com