Song Dalong searched through the black cotton-padded coat.
"Mom, no, are you sure you're not mistaken? There's no money in this cotton-padded coat."
Old Mrs. Song didn't believe it. "Impossible. I'm not senile yet. I clearly remember hiding the money in my cotton-padded coat. Look carefully again."
Song Dalong searched carefully again, but still couldn't find it.
"Mom, no."
"How is that possible?"
Grandma Song was so excited that she tried to get up and find it herself, but she couldn't get up even after her face turned red.
Song Dalong: "Mom, I really searched carefully, but it's not there. Think again, did you hide it in a different place later?"
After calming down and thinking for a moment, Old Lady Song said with certainty, "No, I'm sure I hid it in my cotton-padded coat."
Song Dalong found a pair of scissors. "Mom, the money might be stuck in the cotton. Let me cut it open and see."
Just as Old Lady Song was about to stop him, Song Dalong had already swiftly cut open the cotton-padded jacket with his knife, and the black cotton inside came out.
Old Mrs. Song was heartbroken. "This is my only cotton-padded coat. What will I wear if you cut it?"
Grandma Song wore this cotton-padded coat for four or five years without ever washing it, because she felt that the coat would lose its warmth after being washed.
"My God, all the money is gone! What do I need a cotton-padded coat for?"
Old Mrs. Song, suppressing her heartache, asked, "Did you find it?"
Song Dalong emptied all the cotton from his cotton-padded jacket.
"Mom, no, where did you hide the money?"
Old Mrs. Song wailed, "Which heartless bastard stole my money? A whole 500 yuan! My money..."
Li Zhen heard the noise and pushed the door open to come in. "What's wrong?"
Song Dalong said with a bitter face, "Damn, the money is gone."
"What?"
Li Zhen rushed over like a madwoman, grabbing Song Dalong's arm and shaking him.
"What do you mean 'disappeared'? What do you mean 'disappeared'? Explain yourself!"
Song Dalong broke free from her in pain and hid to the side, saying, "The money is missing. I suspect Mom's money was stolen."
Li Zhen's face turned pale. "Then what do we do?"
Li Zhen suddenly grabbed Old Lady Song by the neck and shook her violently.
"You old hag, hand over the money! Hand over the money right now!"
"Cough cough...cough..."
Song Dalong immediately jumped over and rescued Old Lady Song from Li Zhen's clutches.
"Honey, what are you doing? Mom's money is gone, she's upset too, why are you pinching her?"
Li Zhen plopped down on the ground, crying out, "What are we going to do? We don't have any money, what will we use to pay our work points? How will we get our grain?"
Old Mrs. Song lay there, her heart ashen, her eyes lifeless.
He kept muttering, "My money's gone... my money's gone... I want to die..."
Song Dalong was so worried that he didn't know what to do.
While gloom hung over this side, the other side was bustling with activity.
The villagers who received their share of grain wore excited and simple smiles.
Some families with more able-bodied members received more work points and thus more grain, requiring several people to carry it.
Fang Jie was the only one who earned work points, and she received 300 jin of grain, mostly corn, with a small amount of rice, wheat and soybeans.
Fang Jie carried corn on her back, while Song Yaohui carried other grains, and the family happily returned home.
The distribution of grain did not end until evening.
Song Guoqiang asked Wang Erzhuang, who was in charge of registration, "Have all the people from our village come?"
Wang Erzhuang glanced at the list. "There's still one family that hasn't shown up."
Who is it?
"Song Dalong's house."
Song Guoqiang frowned. "The couple doesn't work, but they spend money to buy work points and grain every year. Go ask them if they're buying them this year."
"OK."
Wang Erzhuang stood up and walked towards the Song family's house.
As soon as they arrived at the Song family's door, they heard ghostly wails and howls coming from inside.
In the courtyard, Li Zhen and Huang Juan were fighting, and the four children joined in the melee.
Seeing this, Wang Erzhuang turned back and called the brigade leader.
With a sullen face, Song Guoqiang and Wang Erzhuang arrived at the Song family home.
He shouted, "Stop it, all of you!"
Li Zhen and Huang Juan then stopped. The two stood up with disheveled hair and bloody scratches on their faces. The faces of the four children were also covered in scratches.
Song Guoqiang asked coldly, "Li Zhen, Huang Juan, what are you doing?"
Li Zhen: "Captain, you've come at the right time! Arrest Huang Juan immediately! She stole 500 yuan from my mother-in-law! She's a thief!"
Upon hearing this, Song Guoqiang immediately looked at Huang Juan and asked, "Huang Juan, is this true?"
Huang Juan: "Captain, I've been wronged. I didn't steal any money. Li Zhen beat me for this without even asking what happened. Please arrest her and take her to the commune."
Song Guoqiang was in a complete mess. "What exactly happened? Where are Song Dalong and Song Dapeng? Tell them to come out here!"
Song Dalong immediately came out of his house. He really didn't want to get involved in the women's fight, so he hid inside.
Song Dapeng slowly came out of the house, leaned against the door frame, and looked like he hadn't woken up yet.
Song Guoqiang: "What exactly happened? Song Dalong, you tell us."
Song Dalong recounted the whole story.
"Captain, my mother's money is really gone."
Song Guoqiang: "Is it that 500 yuan from last time?"
"Mmm-hmm-hmm."
"Did you see Huang Juan steal it?"
Song Dalong and Li Zhen shook their heads.
Li Zhen: "Although I didn't see it, I know even with my toes that it was Huang Juan who did it. We all live in the same courtyard. Our family would never steal my mother-in-law's money. It must have been Huang Juan who did it!"
Huang Juan: "Bullshit! Didn't you two steal the money last time?"
Li Zhen retorted, "Last time it was Haitao who was being unreasonable, what does it have to do with us, my husband and I!"
"Come on, it was you two who did it, and you're trying to drag the child into it, shameless!"
"Huang Juan, stop talking nonsense. We're talking about this matter now. Hand over the 500 yuan!"
"Why do you say I stole the money? We all live in the same courtyard. I suspect your family stole it, but don't pin it on me. I'm not going to take the blame for this."
Li Zhen pulled Song Guoqiang aside, "Captain, the money must be in Huang Juan's room. Search it quickly."
Huang Juan's eyes darted around, and she said, "Alright, search them then. Captain, search Li Zhen's and the others' rooms as well."
Li Zhen hadn't done it, so of course she wasn't afraid of being searched. She raised her chin and shouted, "Okay, I agree to the search. Anyway, we haven't done anything."
Song Guoqiang and Song Erzhuang had no choice but to search the house.
However, the 500 yuan was not found after searching both rooms.
Li Zhen, hands on her hips, questioned Huang Juan, "You bitch, where did you hide the money?"
Huang Juan: "Li Zhen, are you sick? I didn't take it, how many times do I have to tell you?"
"If it wasn't you, then who was it? You did it!"
“It’s not just my family that entered this courtyard; your family and your sister-in-law also came in. Why don’t you suspect your sister-in-law?”
One sentence was a revelation to Li Zhen.
Yes, Fang Jie was busy taking care of Old Lady Song, so it's possible that she stole the money.
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