The quick-witted Yan Bugui immediately stepped forward. If he didn't explain now, he might never have the chance again. Because Yan Bugui saw the large characters "Family of a First-Class Meritorious Official."
This is far more valuable than anything from a martyr's family. Why should a nation allow people to sacrifice their lives for it? And why should all soldiers support it? It's because of the generous treatment given to meritorious individuals.
No matter how reasonable Yi Zhonghai's reasons may be, they cannot overcome these few words. Moreover, Yi Zhonghai's reasons are not sufficient.
“Director Wang, this matter has nothing to do with us. The suggestion to exchange houses was made by Yi Zhonghai. We agreed to Yi Zhonghai's suggestion because we thought it made a lot of sense.”
Yi Zhonghai said that the deaf old lady and Wei Hua were like grandmother and granddaughter, and that Wei Hua should move to the backyard so that he could better take care of the deaf old lady, who was also a family member of a martyr.
"That's why Liu Haizhong and I agreed to Yizhonghai's proposal. Even so, Liu Haizhong and I are actively trying to secure better conditions for Weihua."
"Director Wang, Yan Bugui is right. We also strongly insist that Yi Zhonghai sign a written agreement, so that the Jia family won't deny it later."
"It wasn't us who started the fight, it was Jia Dongxu. The people moving the things were Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family. None of us were involved."
"We are simply upholding the virtues of respecting the elderly and caring for the young. We have no intention of bullying Wei Hua. Moreover, the matter is still under discussion; it's just that the Jia family is forcibly moving because of their superior numbers."
Just as Liu Haizhong was about to continue speaking, the deaf old lady stepped forward. At this moment, the deaf old lady's hearing was no longer impaired at all.
"Don't talk nonsense. When did I say I was a martyr's family member? Don't spout nonsense here. I'm just an ordinary person receiving the five guarantees."
Upon hearing the deaf old woman's words, everyone in the courtyard looked at Yi Zhonghai. At this point, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to stand up and offer his defense. He knew that if he didn't forcefully explain himself, he would either die or go to jail.
"Grandma, you can't do this to me! You said your family died in the War of Resistance against Japan."
“Yi Zhonghai, my family died in the War of Resistance against Japan, but I never said that my family members were martyrs. You misunderstood me, how can you blame me for that?”
Upon hearing the deaf old woman's words, Yi Zhonghai was stunned. Seeing one person after another kicking him when he was down, Yi Zhonghai could only swallow his anger and resentment.
If he reveals the truth, he'll only face execution. The only thing he can do now is to try and smooth things over.
"Director Wang, I really didn't expect the old lady to have this kind of background. I thought the old lady was like Wei Hua, a family member of a martyr. That's why I wanted Wei Hua to take care of the deaf old lady."
“When Wei Baoguo was alive, he treated the old lady like family. The old lady also treated Wei Hua like her own grandson. I never thought of taking Wei Hua’s house.”
“Even if it’s a matter of taking the house, I will take it for myself. There is absolutely no need to give the house to the Jia family. I am doing this only for the sake of harmony in the courtyard.”
"Yi Zhonghai, you'd better go to the neighborhood committee and give them a proper explanation. If you can't give them a straight answer today, you can expect to be shot!"
Upon hearing Director Wang's words, Yi Zhonghai quickly and discreetly gave the deaf old lady a meaningful look.
Seeing Yi Zhonghai's expression, the deaf old lady knew what she had to do. She immediately stood up from the stool, then, leaning on her cane, went to Director Wang's side, hugged his leg, and began to cry.
The deaf old lady now regrets her decision to cooperate with Yi Zhonghai, and even more so, she regrets her scheming against Wei Hua.
"Director Wang, it's all the old lady's fault, no matter what. She's over 70 and has no children, so she's very close to the younger generation."
“Yi Zhonghai preached respect for the elderly and care for the young in the courtyard every day. This made me think that Wei Hua was also willing to be close to me, so I specifically asked Yi Zhonghai to find a way to let Wei Hua take care of me and fulfill the dying wish of this lonely old woman.”
“As you know, I’m over 70 this year. So I’ve always wanted to find someone to take care of me in my old age. Yi Zhonghai did this after he knew what I was thinking, and I’m not forcing Wei Hua to take care of me. Everything I own will go to Wei Hua after I die.”
"It's all my fault in the end. If I hadn't missed my family, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
Director Wang was stunned when he heard the deaf old lady's words. He also understood the meaning behind her words.
Recalling the past, Director Wang could only try to smooth things over.
"Battalion Commander Wang, do you think this matter should be handled by you, or should it be handed over to our street office?"
"Director Wang, this kind of thing should be handled by your subdistrict office. But the results must be sent to us in the form of a document to the Political Department and the Civil Affairs Department."
Hearing Battalion Commander Wang's words, Director Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't handled directly by the military, he had many ways to minimize the problem and resolve it peacefully.
"Deputy Director Liu, take Yi Zhonghai and all the others back to the subdistrict office. Interrogate them thoroughly, and when I return, I will deal with them severely."
Upon hearing Director Wang's words, Deputy Director Liu immediately took Yi Zhonghai and the others back.
Seeing that everyone had left, Battalion Commander Wang immediately walked over to Wei Hua and gave him a perfectly standard military salute.
"Comrade Weihua, I have some very unfortunate news to tell you. Your uncle was killed in the Battle of Kinmen. These are his belongings and the country's recognition of him."
Wei Hua was thankful that her eyes were still watering. Otherwise, she would have had to rub her eyes with ginger again. Wei Hua didn't know what to do in this situation, as she had never experienced it before.
All Wei Hua could do was accept his uncle's belongings and then give them a clumsy military salute.
"Thank you for bringing my uncle back."
"I am very sorry, Comrade Wei Huguo encountered the enemy during a mission in October. His assault ship was hit by the enemy. With his own assault ship damaged, he gave his life jacket to an uninjured comrade. Despite being injured himself, he chose to steer the assault ship to fight the enemy, and in the end, the assault ship was sunk by the enemy."
"After the war ended, we searched the area for a month but couldn't find Comrade Wei Huguo."
"According to the description of Comrade Wei Huguo's comrades, Comrade Wei Huguo had already been shot twice. Yet, under these circumstances, he still launched a desperate attack on the enemy. Based on all the circumstances, we judged that Comrade Wei Huguo had been killed in action."
"After deliberation by our Political Department, it has been decided to award Comrade Wei Huguo a First-Class Merit. This includes Comrade Wei Huguo's pension, his salary, and his certificate of honor."
Wei Hua accepted the items, saluted the soldier in front of him, and then carried them home. Wei Hua naturally recognized the contents, as they were all rewards from the system.
Compared to these things, what Wei Hua cared about most was the "Home of a First-Class Hero" sign at the gate. With this, he wouldn't need to worry about what would happen eight years from now. As long as he didn't do anything reckless, he wouldn't die.
He placed these items before his parents' memorial tablets. A dozen or so People's Liberation Army soldiers outside, seeing this, couldn't help but salute Wei Hua's parents as well.
Battalion Commander Wang even moved a batch of stools and placed the plaque for the family of a first-class meritorious official on the door of Wei Hua's house.
"The orphans of martyrs should not be insulted. I hope Director Wang will not make a mistake. The behavior of that old man just now deserves to be executed. If we hadn't arrived at the right time, Wei Hua's house would probably have been taken away long ago."
"If this isn't handled properly, it will discourage all soldiers. They're risking their lives on the front lines, but their families are being bullied. Who will dare to risk their lives for the country in the future?"
"Battalion Commander Wang is right. We will definitely deal with people like Yi Zhonghai severely and strictly, and we will never let him off easily."
Battalion Commander Wang didn't respond to Director Wang's words, but instead gave him a meaningful look. Director Wang then left with his men.
It wasn't that Battalion Commander Wang didn't want to get involved, but he was simply too far away to do so. If he really offended Director Wang, it would be his comrade's nephew who would suffer in the end.
Battalion Commander Wang, a veteran of many battles, could naturally discern the change in Director Wang's expression. Although he didn't know the specifics of their relationship, he knew that Director Wang had some connection with those people from earlier.
All Battalion Commander Wang could do was put pressure on Director Wang and his team, trying his best to get justice for his fallen comrades.
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