Meanwhile, when the Qi family members were brought to the police station one after another from their home, workplace, and school, they looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing what was happening. Qi Zhijun supported his father, while Xiao Cui leaned against Qi's mother, trembling with fear as they stared at the police officers before them. Dongfang Hong clung to Qi's parents, trembling with fear.
"Qi Zhifang is suspected of forgery and fraud. Did you, as her family members, know that?" The police officer's bombshell announcement left the Qi family stunned!
"Impossible!" "How could that be!" "The police wouldn't dare say that!" "I just married into the Qi family, it has nothing to do with me, I don't know anything about it!" "No, my mother didn't fabricate anything!" The Qi family's reaction didn't seem fake!
Qi Zhijun reassured his family and said, "Officer, is there some misunderstanding? Qi Zhifang has always gone to work properly and hasn't done anything illegal or disorderly."
A young male police officer next to him sneered with extreme disdain, saying, "Behave yourself!" The older officer glared at him, coughed lightly, and beckoned to the others, "Take them to the interrogation room and interrogate them separately to avoid collusion!"
The Qi family members were each taken to an interrogation room separately.
“We visited the site and found that after martyr Wang Yanda died in the line of duty in 1956, the government gave him a pension. However, Qi Zhifang did not use the money to raise her children. Instead, she used the money for herself and the whole family would go back to her parents’ home for meals all year round!”
Faced with this question, the Qi family members reacted differently. The parents unanimously replied, "It's just our child coming home for a meal; there's nothing wrong with that. And it's not illegal, is it?"
Qi Zhijun lowered her head and said, "She has come back to eat a few times...it's normal for her to eat at her parents' home!"
Xiao Cui was so scared she almost cried. "I really didn't know! I only entered their house on the eighth day of the first lunar month this year!"
Dongfanghong's explanation was even simpler: "There's no food at home, and we're hungry, so we have to go to our grandparents' house to eat."
“You only need to answer yes or no. Confess and you will be treated leniently; resist and you will be punished severely. Just tell the truth whatever you are asked. We have already interviewed Comrade Wei Shuqing and your neighbors, and they all testified that this happened. Until August 1958, after Qi Zhijun and Wei Shuqing divorced, your whole family was deprived of her monthly salary of 36 yuan, and your family's life was in dire straits. There were several times when you had to borrow money and grain. Is the above true?”
When questioned by the police, the Qi family members had no words to refute the allegations; all of them, except for Xiao Cui, nodded in agreement.
The police opened the record book and said, "In October 1959, Qi Zhifang suddenly became extravagant, taking more than 200 jin of grain coupons, a large number of various receipts, and more than 1,300 yuan in cash home. Did you ever think about where these things came from?"
Seeing the Qi family's pale faces, the policeman closed his notebook, slammed it on the table, and said sternly, "The source of these things far exceeded her normal income. How can you spend them with a clear conscience?"
The Qi family members stammered and couldn't say anything. After a day of interrogation, the Qi family members, including Dongfang Hong, still didn't know the specifics. All they knew was that Qi Zhifang had made a friend surnamed Dai, and that the things had been borrowed and that Qi Zhifang had signed an IOU.
The police confirmed that the Qi family members were not accomplices, but they were still given a reprimand and education. They were released that evening. When they came out, Qi's mother asked, "Officer, when will Fangzi be released?"
The police officer snorted coldly, "Her case is serious. Even if this matter is explained, she's three months pregnant, and that's still considered 'picking up shoe insoles.' She'll be sent to a labor camp!"
Upon hearing this, Qi's father clutched his chest, gasping for breath, his face turning blue and purple, and collapsed to the ground. "Dad!" "Old man!"
When Qi's father was taken to the hospital, the Qi family was in for a double whammy. They all gathered around his bed, and the quiet ward seemed especially desolate that night. For some reason, Qi's mother and Qi Zhijun had a premonition that Qi's father might not make it out of this ward.
Qi's mother held Qi's father's hand tightly, put her ear close to his mouth, and nodded while tears streamed down her face. After a while, she looked at Qi Zhijun and said, "Your father wants to see Aiguo!"
Covering her mouth to stifle her sobs, Qi Zhijun said with red eyes, "Dad, I'll bring Aiguo here right now!"
Meanwhile, on the Zhao family's side, the whole family was eating a mixed stew—a meal made from lunchboxes that the father and son had brought back from the canteen. Zhao's mother had added lard, salt, and soy sauce to the stew.
Besides Aiguo eating white flour steamed buns, the whole family drank millet porridge and ate cornbread while chatting. Zhao's father glanced at Wei Shuqing and said, "I heard that the police asked you about the Qi family today?"
Wei Shuqing blushed deeply and could only nod. "It seems Qi Zhifang got into some trouble. The police came to me to ask about the situation, but I don't know the specifics." She thought to herself, "Could it be that the person who forged the tickets has gotten into trouble now? The Qi family is really a menace. Even though she's so far away, how come she still can't get away from them?"
Zhao Dahu took a bite of cornbread and smeared some porridge on his lips. "I heard about this from the security department. Qi Zhifang has gotten herself into big trouble this time. The Qi family is really in deep trouble now. I heard she's involved with a scoundrel who forges tickets. I wonder if she was involved in the forgery..."
Zhao's mother exclaimed in surprise, "What forgery?"
Zhao Dahu swallowed his rice and took a sip of porridge. "That kid's got some talent too. He forged all these tickets we use. Hey! Dad, could you get me some steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water? The cornbread from your workplace is harder than a rock, I can't even swallow it!"
Zhao's father also slurped up some porridge and said, "Two-grain steamed buns? We're lucky if we can even get full from this cornbread. In a few days, we won't even be able to get this back!"
Zhao's mother quickly interrupted the father and son's conversation, patting her chest and staring wide-eyed in disbelief, whispering, "You two talk later. The tickets we used, are they faked too? That's inhuman! The country is in such dire straits, people like that should be shot!"
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