Chapter 122 Money to Survive
Before going to Qiongzhou Island, Jiang Si said that once she was settled there, she would bring her third uncle and Uncle Zhong over.
It's not a short stay or a visit to relatives; it's about taking care of them in their old age.
Jiang Si said earnestly, "After the banquet, you and Uncle Zhong can come back to Qiongzhou Island with us. Azhou has already arranged the house."
Seeing that her third uncle hesitated, Jiang Si added in a low voice.
"You don't need to worry about what's in the secret passage; the tenants he found are all his old comrades-in-arms."
“They are just registered under the house name. They will occasionally come over to help us clean when they have time. They will not live there permanently.”
Third Uncle wasn't worried about that.
In fact, during the months that Jiang Si was gone, the Red Cross Committee would come over for a visit almost every two weeks.
To put it bluntly, these people were practically digging up the Jiang family's house.
Since they had searched for so long without finding the entrance to the secret passage, Uncle San naturally had nothing to worry about.
However, he recently inquired about it and learned that not just anyone can join the army.
Even in harsh places like islands, one must be an officer at the deputy battalion level or above, or have more than 12 years of military service.
Moreover, only spouses or minor children can accompany the military.
Even parents are not included in the scope of military dependents, so it's even more out of the question for those who have no blood relation to them.
Not being able to join the army is a minor matter; what Uncle San is worried about is that it might affect the young couple.
If Third Uncle could think of it, Jiang Si naturally thought of it too.
Under normal circumstances, someone like Third Uncle would not meet the requirements for accompanying the army, but there are always exceptions.
Because rank and years of service only apply to command-level officers, while officers in technical positions are not subject to these restrictions.
Because he participated in all the plans before the H-6 bomber's test flight, Huo Tingzhou was recently promoted to the seventh rank of technical officer.
In addition to a special monthly allowance, his review file is directly under the jurisdiction of the military, and the local Red Army Committee has no right to access it.
When Jiang Si heard this, she didn't quite understand until Huo Tingzhou said something.
"This is equivalent to being on the military's key protection list. Even if something happens, you can enjoy political immunity."
"If I get promoted to another level, I will be able to enjoy a special allowance from the State Council."
Jiang Si then realized just how valuable the seventh-level technical officer qualification was.
Huo Tingzhou couldn't say too much about military matters. Only now that the news of the successful test flight of the H-6 bomber has been officially released to the public have he been able to say some of what he could.
Overall, the threshold for technical-level officers to become military dependents is quite low.
In special circumstances, some family members may be required to accompany the military personnel.
The accompanying report and explanation have been submitted by Huo Tingzhou to the division's political department.
They've been busy these past few days and haven't called to ask, but Huo Tingzhou thinks it's not a big problem.
If there were any real problems, given Director Cao's personality, he would probably have called long ago.
Jiang Si wasn't too worried about this, since she had already made preparations for both possibilities.
If the higher-ups don't approve it, she'll spend some money to build a house in a small fishing village near the family compound.
There are many rules and regulations in the family compound. Knowing her third uncle as she did, she thought he might be more comfortable living outside.
As expected, Uncle San stopped eating after hearing this.
"There's a small fishing village next to their unit, isn't there?"
"Yes, there are several."
Although Jiang Si hasn't gone there yet, Sister Hu has talked about it quite a bit.
"This small fishing village is actually quite big, with several hundred households. There is also a pier next to the village."
"Several hundred households, that's no small place."
After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "How far is it from the small fishing village to your residential compound? Can it take half an hour to get there by bike?"
"No need. It takes at most half an hour to walk there, and about ten minutes by bike."
After listening, Uncle San seemed to be deep in thought. Ten minutes was quite a short time.
If that's the case, he would still prefer to live outside.
He and Ah Zhong could usually just stroll over there.
Oh, right, he needs to buy a small fishing boat so he can go out to sea to fish whenever he has free time.
When Si Yatou has children in the future, they can help take care of them hand in hand.
The more Uncle San thought about it, the more excited he became. Wasn't this the kind of life he had always dreamed of?
"Ah Zhong, what do you think?"
Uncle Zhong smiled and said, "It's up to you to decide. I'll follow you wherever you go."
Third Uncle laughed heartily, "Alright, then let's go to Qiongzhou Island together!"
The matter was settled happily, and after the meal, Uncle San brought over another savings book.
"This is?"
"This is the dowry that Ah Zhong and I are giving you."
Uncle Zhong was still quite serious. "Miss Si Si and her husband are getting married twice, so it can't be called a dowry. This is money to keep them safe."
"Yes, yes, that's right, this is the money we're giving you to keep safe."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Si couldn't help but twitch her lips.
Since getting married, she hasn't spent a single penny; all she's earned has been money.
Why would I need any money to protect myself?
"Just keep what I'm giving you. There will be many more expenses when you have children."
What others think is none of my business.
He only believed one thing: "Children of the Jiang family are born to enjoy a life of luxury; they cannot suffer any injustice."
Jiang Si wholeheartedly agreed with this point.
As long as her child doesn't become obsessed with romance, they will definitely have a life free from worries about food, clothing, and everything else!
After all, besides her father's distinguished military achievements and her mother's financial independence, she also has a father who is a military leader.
The uncles and elders in the family, as well as the younger generation of the Huo family, are all capable individuals who can stand on their own.
Not to mention that there were also his grandparents, in-laws, and third uncle sitting behind him.
It can be said that it has a wide reach across five sectors: the underworld, the legitimate world, the military, the government, and the business world!
However, Jiang Si was somewhat puzzled.
"Third Uncle, didn't you already stuff a lot of things into my bag before I went to Qiongzhou Island? And the two cartloads of stuff we bought today must have cost a lot of money too. Where did you get so much money?"
Third Uncle thought to himself, "This is nothing!"
Despite the chaos of the past, the saying "antiques in prosperous times, gold in chaotic times" is no joke.
"What I gave you before was what I saved up during the first half of my life when I was involved in organized crime."
"Later, your grandfather sensed something was wrong and stopped me."
"After that, I followed him in doing legitimate business for more than ten years. Rest assured, all this money is clean."
"After I sell the houses I have, I should still have some left, but the houses in the eastern suburbs aren't worth much anyway."
"...Eastern suburbs?"
Jiang Si looked shocked. Wasn't that Pudong in later generations, where a square meter could cost hundreds of thousands of yuan?
"Third Uncle, you sold the house in the eastern suburbs?"
"Not yet, they're not selling well."
Uncle San sighed, "They originally bought shops to do business at the docks, but later they were not allowed to do private business, so they were converted into public housing."
Unlike Beijing, in Shanghai, the trend is still to exchange houses privately.
However, getting around the eastern suburbs relies entirely on ferries, so not many people are willing to move there to change their homes.
Otherwise, there wouldn't be the joke: "I'd rather have a bed in the city than a house in the eastern suburbs."
Upon hearing that it hadn't sold, Jiang Si was relieved.
"Third Uncle, don't sell those houses in the eastern suburbs yet. Find a few people to rent them out under your names later."
The third uncle didn't have any objections. Anyway, it was all left to the little girl, and how she dealt with it was her business.
"The property deed is still in Shanghai. I'll give it to you when I get back."
After finishing his sentence, Third Uncle added a special reminder.
"Keep the passbook safe and don't tell anyone."
"Men turn bad when they get rich. You need to keep all these things under your own control, understand?"
Jiang Si nodded; she knew that her third uncle was afraid.
He was afraid of repeating his mother's mistakes.
"By the way, young Huo must have amassed quite a fortune over the years. Has he handed it all over?"
“He gave it to me; he gave it all to me the very night I arrived on the island.”
After saying that, Jiang Si told her third uncle the amount on the savings account.
"So many?" Third Uncle was extremely surprised.
I never expected that this kid would have quietly saved up almost 60,000 yuan during his ten years in the army!
Fortunately, he gave quite a lot, otherwise he would have been outdone by this kid.
After looking at the savings book given to her by her third uncle, Jiang Si subconsciously swallowed.
One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand... This is too much!
[Something urgent came up at home, but I'll update as usual tomorrow. Speaking of which, why did I write only one chapter today? It felt like I was skipping class back in my school days—panicked, anxious, and very uneasy.]
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