Chapter 37, The Result
After settling in Xingfeng Brigade, Lin Qingqing worked at the brigade headquarters and knew very well who the brigade's cadres were. However, she wasn't very familiar with the brigade secretary; she only knew he was a plump, kind-looking old man, but she had never spoken more than a few words to him.
So when Lin Qingqing heard that the brigade secretary was looking for her, she was a little surprised. But what surprised her even more was that Xie Baoshan was also in the secretary's office when she arrived, and the atmosphere between the two of them was not very good.
"Secretary Zhao, you wanted to see me?" Lin Qingqing asked as she walked in.
Secretary Zhao said in a gentle tone, "I have something I'd like to ask you."
"Please feel free to tell me what's on your mind," Lin Qingqing said. Although they hadn't spoken much, they often saw each other, so she wasn't nervous in front of Secretary Zhao.
Upon hearing this, Secretary Zhao remained silent and simply looked at Xie Baoshan.
Xie Baoshan held out the letter of complaint and said in a deep voice, "Take a look."
Looking at the letter in his hand, Lin Qingqing was puzzled. The original owner of this body had no relatives, so who would write her a letter? Moreover, what kind of letter could alarm the top two leaders of the brigade and make them specifically call her over?
A vague thought formed in Lin Qingqing's mind. She reached out and took the letter Xie Baoshan handed her, opening it to read. After only two or three lines, her expression changed. She looked up from the letter, her face filled with anger, and said, "This is a frame-up!"
"Whether it's true or a fabrication, we'll discuss that later. Please read the letter first," Secretary Zhao said amiably.
Xie Baoshan nodded, and Lin Qingqing had no choice but to continue reading the letter.
The letter wasn't short; Lin Qingqing estimated it to be over a thousand words. The first five hundred words described how she had arrived at Xingfeng Brigade penniless, but in a short time had managed to acquire many things, including a newly made dress. The last thousand words analyzed the illegitimate source of her money and suspected her of engaging in speculation and undermining socialism. It was written in an extremely inflammatory style; if Lin Qingqing hadn't been involved, she might have been brainwashed as well.
After reading it, Lin Qingqing placed the letter on the coffee table and said, "This is slander, a frame-up!"
Secretary Zhao glanced at Xie Baoshan, who remained calm and unresponsive. He sneered inwardly, but feigned surprise: "Is the letter not true? You didn't buy many things, didn't make new clothes?"
This is a tricky question, as if admitting to buying things to make new clothes is equivalent to admitting to speculation.
"I did buy a lot of things and made new clothes, but I earned the money by exchanging grain for it," Lin Qingqing paused, then asked, "That doesn't seem to violate any regulations."
Bar? "
Speculation refers to the act of buying low and selling high, hoarding goods and disrupting the market. However, at this time, supplies were scarce. Urban residents were relatively better off, as their employers provided generous monthly ration coupons. The situation in rural areas was far less optimistic; besides grain, oil, and cloth coupons, farmers had almost no other ration coupons.
But they also need cigarettes, alcohol, snacks, and industrial products sometimes. What if they have money but no coupons? Exchange them! What if they have neither money nor coupons? They still have to find ways to exchange them.
Once the first person brought out grain to exchange for money or tickets, a second person brought out their homemade handicrafts to exchange for them, followed by a third, a fourth... and so on, and even a market was set up.
These people only occasionally take out excess items from their homes to sell for money or exchange for necessities. The scale is small and they do not cross any lines, so even if the higher-ups know, they turn a blind eye.
Secretary Zhao sneered inwardly, but his expression remained gentle, and his tone was tinged with doubt: "You've been buying things and getting new clothes made, it must have cost at least twenty or thirty yuan, right? How many kilograms of grain could you exchange for that much money?"
"Comrade Lin, you haven't been to the black market, have you?"
Exchanging grain for money or daily necessities is not against the rules, but black market trading is considered speculation and profiteering.
Secretary Zhao thought to himself, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at Lin Qingqing: "Comrade Lin, I know you've just settled in our brigade and are having financial difficulties, but you can tell the leaders if you have any problems. The organization will definitely help you solve them! But it's wrong of you to keep your problems to yourself and go astray."
Lin Qingqing found it amusing, but feigned complete innocence: "Secretary Zhao, what exactly is this black market you're talking about? Is it the market you go to at night? Are there any in the nearby brigades? I've never heard of it!"
She scratched her head sheepishly and said in a flustered manner, "I only knew how to work in the fields before. My mother... Comrade Zhao Chunhua wouldn't even let me go to the supply and marketing cooperative, so there are many things I don't know. Please don't mind."
Seeing her feign ignorance, Secretary Zhao's expression gradually turned cold, and his tone became slightly icy: "Comrade Lin, you're not being honest!"
"How is Comrade Lin being dishonest?" Xie Baoshan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up. "She's just a young girl who has only ever buried herself in her work and has hardly ever left the brigade. It's normal that she doesn't know what the black market is. To be honest, I don't really know what the black market is either, but Secretary Zhao seems to know a lot about it."
"Comrade Xie, please be careful with your words!" Secretary Zhao's face turned completely cold, and he no longer seemed to be facing Lin Qingqing like he used to.
He was so friendly just now, but then he asked, "Since you don't know about the black market, who did you trade your grain with? And how much money did you get?"
...
When Lin Qingqing was called away, Director Yang was in the office. Hearing that Secretary Zhao wanted to see her, Director Yang was very curious about what Secretary Zhao wanted, but since he was a leader, he let Lin Qingqing go.
Lin Qingqing had been gone for almost half an hour, and Director Yang couldn't help but worry. She thought for a moment and then walked out of her office, pacing back and forth in the corridor of the brigade headquarters, trying to hear some noise. However, the sounds coming from inside were too faint and she couldn't hear them clearly, so she had to give up and instead sneakily peek inside.
The door to Secretary Zhao's office was closed, but there was a small hole in the paper covering the window; it wasn't big, and you could see inside if you looked closely. Director Yang peeked in and saw that besides Secretary Zhao and Lin Qingqing, Xie Baoshan was also there, which made him even more puzzled.
Although she felt that Lin Qingqing was reliable and trusted her, she was just a errand girl working under the Women's Federation and not even a junior staff member. What important matters could she possibly need to discuss with her?
Director Yang sensed something was wrong. Just then, an officer from Xie Baoshan's office came out, and she quickly pulled him aside to ask what was going on. However, the officer was also confused and said with a pained expression, "Sister Yang, I really don't know what happened. I only know that the brigade leader was called away by Secretary Zhao as soon as he arrived at the brigade headquarters this morning, and not long after, Comrade Lin was also taken in."
Seeing Director Yang's serious expression, the junior staff member asked, "Could something really have happened?"
"Of course not." Director Yang shook his head decisively. Xie Baoshan had been rooted in Xingfeng Brigade for so many years, how could he get into trouble so easily? Thinking that the matter involved Lin Qingqing, Director Yang pondered for a moment and said, "Go to the Lin family and find Xie Wei."
...
Lin Qingqing remained silent in the office.
Seeing that she refused to say who she had traded the grain with, Secretary Zhao became even more certain that something was amiss. Thinking of the intricate relationship between Lin Qingqing and the Xie family, he felt a surge of excitement, but his expression softened considerably. He said earnestly, "Comrade Lin, I know you're scared, and you don't want to talk about it or dare to talk about it, but do you really think that nothing will happen if you don't talk about it?"
"No! With the tip-off letter, we will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. If you confess now, the organization might be lenient with you because of your good attitude in admitting your mistake. But if you don't confess and your attitude is bad, it won't just be jail time; to put it more seriously, you could be shot..."
There are people outside.
Secretary Zhao was somewhat displeased at being interrupted, but Xie Baoshan had already gotten up to open the door, so he had no choice but to stop talking and ask, "Who is it?"
Xie Baoshan opened the door and saw Xie Wei standing outside. He looked surprised and asked, "Why are you here?"
Xie Wei had run all the way here. Although the distance wasn't far, he was slightly out of breath when he stopped because he had run so fast. He calmed his breathing a little, glanced over Xie Baoshan's shoulder, looked into the office, and said calmly, "I need to talk to you."
When Secretary Zhao saw Xie Wei appear at the door, his heart skipped a beat; he had a bad feeling. But having heard Xie Wei's voice, he had no choice but to greet him: "Commander Xie, you've arrived?"
Xie Wei stepped aside from Xie Baoshan and entered the office, saying, "I need to speak with the captain." He seemed to only then notice Lin Qingqing, asking, "Qingqing, what are you doing here?"
"It's nothing major, just a little problem that I need to ask Comrade Lin about." After saying this, Secretary Zhao paused for a moment, hoping that Xie Wei would leave on his own, but he did not respond, so he forced a smile and said, "Since you came to see Comrade Baoshan, then... Comrade Xie, you can go out with him. I'll ask Comrade Lin about the rest."
Xie Wei, however, was not convinced and said, "I wanted to talk to the brigade leader about the women's resettlement site. This is something Comrade Lin is in charge of, so I need her to be there. I don't know what Secretary Zhao wants to know from her. If it's not urgent, could we postpone it until we finish talking?"
Secretary Zhao's smile faded: "I'm afraid that's not appropriate."
In Secretary Zhao's view, neither of the Xie brothers was easy to mess with. Now that he had let Lin Qingqing go, it would be difficult for him to pursue the matter further.
Since that's the case, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's like this, this morning I received a letter of complaint saying that after Comrade Lin settled in Xingfeng Brigade, she had money from unknown sources and was suspected of engaging in speculation. Of course, I trust Comrade Lin very much, but since someone has reported this, this matter should be investigated in accordance with the rules, shouldn't it? So I called Comrade Baoshan over to supervise and called Comrade Lin over to understand the situation."
At this point, Secretary Zhao looked at Lin Qingqing with a disappointed expression and sighed heavily: "The results of our investigation are not optimistic."
As Secretary Zhao was speaking, Xie Wei walked over to the sofa and sat down. Hearing this, he asked, "What's not optimistic about?"
"Comrade Lin has been buying daily necessities and making new clothes. In just half a month, she has spent at least twenty or thirty yuan. She said that she exchanged grain for money and ration coupons, but when asked who she exchanged grain with, how many kilograms of grain she exchanged for, and how much money she received, she refused to say. Isn't that strange?" Secretary Zhao said while observing Xie Wei's expression.
For as long as he was transferred to Xingfeng Brigade, he was suppressed by Xie Baoshan. Over time, this resentment extended to the Xie family as well. The thought that Lin Qingqing was Xie Wei's girlfriend brought a sense of satisfaction to Secretary Zhao's words; he hoped to see panic and worry on Lin Qingqing's face.
But no.
Xie Wei's expression remained unchanged; he even raised an eyebrow and said, "So Secretary Zhao was looking for Qingqing about this."
Seeing his expression, Secretary Zhao's ominous premonition deepened. He frowned and asked, "Judging from your tone, it seems you know the inside story?"
“I gave her the money and the tickets, so of course I know the inside story.”
Lin Qingqing looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with shock as she stared at Xie Wei. Secretary Zhao, equally shocked, saw her expression and snorted coldly, saying, "Commander Xie, I know you and Comrade Lin are dating, but you are a soldier. You cannot let personal feelings lead you astray and let those with impure thoughts and opportunistic behavior go unpunished!"
"So Secretary Zhao can conclude that she did something speculative just based on a single letter of complaint?" Xie Wei said coldly. "If letters of complaint can be used as evidence, and everyone writes letters of complaint to the brigade headquarters, commune, or even the county, wouldn't it be possible to arrest whoever one wants?"
It's said that the weak fear the strong, and the strong fear the ruthless, especially when the ruthless one has a special identity. Secretary Zhao felt things were getting tricky. He was unwilling to give up, and after a long while, he asked with a cold face, "So, according to you, from now on, when we receive a letter of complaint, we don't even need to look at it or care about it?"
“Secretary Zhao, there’s an element of spite in what you’re saying,” Xie Baoshan said. “Of course we have to read and take action when we receive a report, but before we can determine the nature of the matter, we have to ask questions and investigate thoroughly. We can’t just kill someone based on a report, can we?”
“Comrade Baoshan, you saw it yourself just now. Didn’t I ask or investigate? But Comrade Lin is not cooperating!” Secretary Zhao pointed and shifted the blame onto Lin Qingqing.
“Secretary Zhao, you must have misunderstood. I think Comrade Lin is very cooperative. Maybe he has some unspeakable difficulties and is not saying anything, which is why he is not speaking.” There were not many seats in the office, so Xie Baoshan did not sit down like Xie Wei. Instead, he stood opposite him and pointed at him, saying, “Since you say that you gave him the money and the tickets, then tell me what exactly happened.”
He knew his younger brother well; he wasn't someone who didn't know the importance and urgency of things. He said that he gave him the money and tickets, so it must have been him. He just didn't know why Lin Qingqing acted as if she didn't know anything about it.
"The whistleblower letter also stated that when Qingqing first arrived at the educated youth settlement, she had nothing; she even had to ask a fellow educated youth for her lunchbox."
It was borrowed from one of the educated youth in the dormitory. I liked her, and seeing her like that made me feel sorry for her, so I found a way to exchange money and tickets with her.
"Impossible! Since you were the one who exchanged the money and tickets with her, how could she not know anything about it?" Secretary Zhao interrupted Xie Wei, pointing at Lin Qingqing.
Although Lin Qingqing suppressed her surprise and controlled her expression, her expression was so shocked when Xie Wei first said that he had given her the money and tickets that Secretary Zhao seized on her reaction.
Xie Wei explained, "At first, I wanted to give her the money and the vouchers directly, but I was afraid she wouldn't accept them, so I asked Director Yang from the Women's Federation for help. That's why she acted as the middleman. If Secretary Zhao doesn't believe me, he can ask Director Yang to come and ask her."
He spoke with absolute certainty, and Secretary Zhao actually believed him in his heart.
But the thought of losing such a great opportunity left him feeling somewhat resentful: "How can you prove that what you and Director Yang said is true?"
Xie Wei laughed angrily: "So you think we're all lying, but the whistleblower letter is real?"
Even Secretary Zhao himself felt that his words were somewhat untenable, so he had to change his tune and say, "After all, you two are dating, so it's understandable that you speak up for her, but you need to have evidence, right?"
"I didn't tell anyone about this, so I didn't tell my mother after I received the grain. I put the grain under my bed in my room. Also, Comrade Lin was given a thermos flask coupon. I got that coupon from Chen, the commune officer, who was my high school classmate. Comrade Lin didn't use the thermos flask coupon, so he should still have it. If you don't believe me, Secretary Zhao, you can take the coupon to the commune and ask Chen if it was the one he gave me."
After hearing Xie Wei's explanation, Xie Baoshan finally felt relieved, his heart having been hanging in suspense all morning. Then, remembering something from before, he asked, "Was it about this when you asked me for the tickets last time?"
Xie Wei nodded: "That's right."
The brothers sang in unison, and Secretary Zhao sighed inwardly, thinking, "The tide has turned against us!"
Although he didn't believe everything Xie Wei said was true, since he dared to say it, the food and thermos ration coupons under the bed must be real. He just didn't know where the food came from or when the coupons were given to Lin Qingqing.
But whatever the truth is, he can say that he and Lin Qingqing traded for the food.
Whether their grain exchange was in accordance with regulations, and whether Lin Qingqing's intention was speculation, is hard to determine. After all, Xie Wei and Lin Qingqing are dating, and exchanging grain is just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other. Or, they could argue that they are helping each other out.
On the contrary, if this matter continues to escalate and reaches Secretary Zhou of the commune, it will truly...
It didn't end well.
Since that's the case, Secretary Zhao said, "That's where you went wrong. You kept it a secret and almost caused a misunderstanding. And you, Comrade Lin, young women shouldn't be too strong-willed. Look at the mess this has made. Luckily, we're all on the same side, otherwise, it would have been troublesome if it had reached the commune level."
Secretary Zhao clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "Since it has been proven to be a misunderstanding, then let's leave it at that."
Secretary Zhao relented, but Xie Baoshan refused, saying, "Isn't this inappropriate? Although Xie Wei can testify for Comrade Lin, the veracity of his words still needs to be verified. I think we should still arrange for someone to check under his bed, and Director Yang should also verify the situation. If necessary, we should arrange for someone to go to the commune."
“This…” Secretary Zhao hesitated.
Xie Wei asked, "If it is proven that Comrade Lin was wronged, how should this report be handled?"
"Of course we have to find the person who wrote the whistleblower letter and criticize and educate them, otherwise what will happen if whistleblowing becomes the norm!" Xie Baoshan said righteously, then asked Secretary Zhao, "Secretary, what do you think?"
"Well... this matter has indeed had a terrible impact and should be severely punished!" Secretary Zhao understood. Regardless of what Lin Qingqing, the person involved, thought, the Xie brothers would definitely not let this matter go easily. Since his plan had failed, he didn't intend to take the blame for them. He said slowly, "Let Comrade Baoshan handle this matter. Just let me know when there are any results."
With things having come to this point, Xie Baoshan couldn't just abandon the matter. He immediately sent an officer to Xie's house and had someone call Director Yang over. In front of Secretary Zhao, he explained everything clearly before letting the matter rest.
After saying this, Xie Baoshan asked Lin Qingqing to go back and get the thermos ticket, and said to Secretary Zhao, "I'd appreciate it if you could accompany me this afternoon, otherwise it won't be good for anyone if this matter drags on."
Secretary Zhao inwardly groaned. He now understood how the former secretary felt when Xie Baoshan had confronted the educated youth.
I'm holding my breath!
Author's Note: First update
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