In that instant, Lin Wanwan felt that what she was touching was not a pile of cold letters, but broken, still bleeding hearts.
Her mind was blank.
She couldn't imagine what kind of inhuman greed would drive someone to commit such a beastly act as withholding even a soldier's letter home!
This is not just about greed; it's about severing the only spiritual bond between soldiers on the front lines and their families back home!
"Lady Lin? Lady Lin?"
Qian Canjun's voice came from the small house, tinged with impatience.
Lin Wanwan shuddered and suddenly came to her senses.
She quickly stuffed the letter back into the sack, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the surging anger and nausea in her heart.
She stood up, her face now calm and composed again.
"They're here."
She responded, turned around, and slowly walked back to the small house that reeked of sin.
Inside the small house, Xiao Che was still happily working with Qian Canjun, looking at the account book.
Xiao Che's acting skills are worthy of an award-winning performance. At times, he questions the price of a certain "goods"; at other times, he praises Qian Canjun's "boldness." He perfectly captures the image of a greedy, shrewd, yet cautious "big businessman," completely dispelling the last trace of doubt in Qian Canjun's mind.
"Master Xiao, what do you think of my accounts?" Qian Canjun asked smugly, pointing to the ledger.
"Not a single leak, flawless." Xiao Che nodded, sincerely "admiring" it.
As he spoke, he subtly gave Lin Wanwan a look.
That look was both an inquiry and a reassurance.
Lin Wanwan nodded slightly, indicating that she was alright. Then, she stepped forward to refill their teacups, and said in a very natural tone:
"My lord, I see that Master Qian's warehouse is piled high with goods. Why don't we work a little harder tonight and take stock of all the different kinds of goods? This will help us prepare for our future cooperation."
These words were exactly what Qian Canjun wanted to hear.
He couldn't wait to finalize a cooperation agreement with this "big money god" and turn these accumulated "stolen goods" into piles of silver as soon as possible.
"Madam Lin is right! Madam Lin is so thoughtful!" Qian, the military advisor, slapped his thigh and immediately stood up. "Master Xiao, then I'll have to trouble you two! I'll go and call a few trusted men to help!"
"No need." Xiao Che waved his hand, a hint of "businessman's" caution on his face. "Master Qian, this business between us is no small matter. The fewer people who know about it, the better. It's more reassuring for my husband and I to handle the inventory inventory ourselves."
Upon hearing this, Qian Canjun was even more impressed by Xiao Che's "professionalism" and nodded repeatedly in agreement.
In this way, Lin Wanwan successfully secured an excellent opportunity for herself to move freely in the warehouse.
For the next hour, Xiao Che continued to use the excuse of "verifying the true accounts" to keep Qian Canjun firmly in that small house.
Lin Wanwan, holding a blank booklet, a pen, and a lamp, began to "inventory" in the huge warehouse.
She didn't touch the neatly stacked grain and weapons, but went straight back to the dark corner where miscellaneous items were piled up.
Once again, she squatted down in front of the old burlap sack filled with letters from home.
This time, her heart was much calmer than before.
But beneath that calm lay a volcanic rage, raging torrents of fury.
Her hand reached into the sack, groping in the darkness.
Finally, she pulled out a letter with a yellowed and brittle envelope, the edges of which were even worn and frayed.
In the dim light, she could make out the words on the envelope.
It was a mother's handwriting, trembling yet full of strength.
She didn't open it immediately.
Instead, he secretly hid the letter inside his wide sleeves.
Then she stood up and continued to pretend to take notes in the warehouse.
Half an hour later, she slowly walked back to the hut.
Inside the small house, Xiao Che and Qian Canjun's "account reconciliation" seemed to be coming to an end.
"Master Xiao, look! This batch of my fine aged rice, if I resell it outside the Great Wall, will yield at least three times the profit!" Qian Canjun was pointing to a certain entry in the ledger, spitting as he boasted to Xiao Che.
His face was filled with a desire for money and a longing for the future.
He was completely unaware of the turbulent emotions hidden beneath Lin Wanwan's calm expression as she entered the room.
Lin Wanwan walked to a secluded corner, turned her back to the two of them, and quietly took the letter out of her sleeve while adjusting her clothes.
Her fingertips trembled slightly as she carefully opened the fragile envelope.
The letter paper was very thin and brittle.
The text above contains only a few lines, yet it seems to have exhausted the strength of a mother's entire life.
The handwriting was crooked and messy, with a few misspellings mixed in, clearly the work of an elderly woman who was not very literate.
"Tiger...my son..."
"It is as if we have met in person upon receiving this letter..."
"Everything is fine at home, don't worry..."
"But... your father's illness has worsened... the doctor said he needs ginseng to prolong his life..."
"My son... In your letter you said that you had performed a great service and that the court would issue a large sum of compensation... Why hasn't it arrived yet?"
"The rice jar at home... is empty... Your younger brother and sister haven't had a proper meal for two days..."
"My son...you sacrificed your life for the country, your mother is so proud of you...but how can the court...abandon us, a widow and her orphan..."
At the end of the letter was a huge, dried tear stain that had soaked through the thin paper, causing it to wrinkle.
Lin Wanwan's hand suddenly trembled!
The letter almost slipped from her fingers.
Before her eyes, she seemed to see an elderly mother with white hair, writing this heart-wrenching letter to her family with trembling hands, tears streaming down her face, under the dim light of an oil lamp.
Her heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain so intense that she could barely breathe!
However, what suffocated her even more was yet to come!
With trembling hands, she poured out the remaining contents of the envelope.
"Clatter".
Two things landed in her palm.
It was the same, a neatly folded document stamped with a bright red seal... a "First-Class Merit" death notice!
The inscription clearly reads: "Soldier Zhao Hu, in the battle of xx outside Zhenbei Pass, died from exhaustion after sustaining multiple knife wounds while protecting his comrades. He is posthumously awarded a First-Class Merit!"
And another thing...
It was a huge "compensation gold and silver note," also stamped with the imperial seal!
The amount on that banknote was enough to bring that impoverished family back to life and allow them to live a peaceful life!
However, at this moment, these two things, which should have been the glory of a hero and the hope of his family, were discarded like trash in this dark corner, along with that tearful letter home!
turn out to be……
It turns out that Qian Ming was embezzling not only military rations, but also cotton-padded clothing...
What he devoured was the glory of heroes!
It's the flesh and blood of suicide squad members!
It's the life-saving money for orphans and widows!
"Bang!"
Just then, Qian Canjun's smug laughter came from the small house next door.
"Master Xiao! Look! Just this batch of old rice alone, we can make three times the profit just by reselling it! It's practically picking up money off the ground!"
On one side are pieces of evidence stained with blood and tears.
On one side, there is greed that is smug and boastful.
The stark contrast made Lin Wanwan's stomach churn, and she felt so nauseous that she almost vomited!
Without making a sound, she carefully folded the letter, the death notice, and the banknote again, and then steadily hid them in her most intimate pocket.
When she looked up again, all the emotions on her face had been perfectly concealed.
She turned around, a polite smile even on her face.
She walked to Qian Canjun's side and whispered:
"Master Qian's business is indeed... earth-shattering."
Upon hearing this, Qian Canjun became even more smug, thinking that she was praising him.
Lin Wanwan didn't look at him again.
She quietly turned her gaze to Xiao Che, who was sitting opposite her.
Then, her heart sank!
Because she noticed that the relaxed emoji "[Hooked.gif]" above Xiao Che's head had disappeared sometime earlier.
Instead, she was presented with a terrifying emoji that she had never seen before, radiating endless bloodlust!
It was a blood-red backdrop.
Against the backdrop, there are only three enormous, constantly twisting and changing characters, also composed of blood—
[Kill! No mercy!]
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