NOVPUB
Chapter 330: 320
This afternoon, Sister Wu had spent three hours telling Shen Yunfang about the grand achievements her in-laws had made during their few days’ visit.
She started the story from the incident at the gatekeeper’s post.
Old Li, encouraged by Qiu Shuping, came to the base with her to find their second son, while also taking the opportunity to visit the provincial capital before heading south to see their youngest son.
The old couple brought a small bag and made their way to the base, but were stopped right at the entrance.
Besides being able to give their son’s name, they knew nothing else. However, with a name, the personnel could find the person, so this was not a problem.
But the young soldier assigned to fetch someone quickly returned with the news that Li Hongjun, the person they were looking for, was temporarily absent from the base on a mission.
Qiu Shuping immediately wanted to find her daughter-in-law, saying that it didn’t matter if her son wasn’t there, the daughter-in-law had accompanied the troops and would definitely be at home.
As a result, the young soldier went back inside and returned to report that Captain Li Hongjun’s wife was also not in the military district; she had gone back to her hometown for a visit just the day before.
Since there was no one to confirm that the elderly couple really were Li Hongjun’s parents, the soldier couldn’t let them in for the moment. Even if they were let in, they had nowhere to go, as their son and daughter-in-law were both away.
However, Qiu Shuping didn’t see it that way, and kept pulling on the young soldier, explaining that they really were Li Hongjun’s parents. She said a lot of nice things, but the young soldier stood by his principles and didn’t let them in, although he explained that he had reported the situation to his superiors and that someone should be available to handle it soon.
But there was something wrong with Qiu Shuping’s head; when she saw that sweet talk was useless, she changed tactics and began threatening the young soldier, saying that if they weren’t allowed in, their son Li Hongjun would surely hold him accountable when he returned.
The young soldier stood erect, granting her only a glance before resuming his vigil with unwavering focus, yet he couldn’t help but feel pity for Captain Li, such a capable person stuck with parents like these.
Finally, the regimental commander of the Second Regiment sent someone to verify the introductory letter carried by the couple and allowed them to be let in. Knowing that the Li couple were not home, the old pair were arranged to stay at the guest house and to eat in the canteen.
But once Old Li got into the base, maybe influenced by the military atmosphere, he rediscovered the dedication of a soldier and refused to take anything from the state. He insisted on staying at his son’s house, not taking "a needle or thread" from the government.
Unbeknownst to him, his stubbornness was causing trouble for others. With Li Hongjun and his wife both away and their home locked up, how could the old couple insist on staying there without having someone break into Captain Li’s house? It was not an honorable act.
Moreover, after Qiu Shuping saw the lock on her son’s door, she began to curse loudly—not at her son, but at Shen Yunfang, which certainly didn’t encourage anyone to help them break the lock.
Sister Wu was busy keeping Taxue from going forward to bite someone. By the time she had secured Taxue and came over from next door, quite a crowd had gathered to watch the commotion.
Worried that this could tarnish the reputation of Li Hongjun and his wife, she quickly took out the keys, opened the door for the old couple, and let them in.
They had been living in the family quarters for a week, going to the military region to find the regimental commander no fewer than ten times, sometimes twice in a day, all for one purpose—to negotiate with the leadership to advance the salary of their son.
Commander Ye of the Second Regiment was Li Hongjun’s direct superior, and reaching such a high position was no small feat. Initially, Commander Ye received Qiu Shuping warmly, but once he understood her intention and assessed her demeanor, his reception remained friendly, yet sincerity was missing.
"Commander, you don’t know, my younger son is a college student. He just started this year and is studying down south. As soon as he got there, he started missing home and wrote asking his dad and me to visit. We’ve always been around him since he was little, and he’s on our minds, so we want to see him.
But as you know, we’re just old farmers, and the little money we have saved isn’t enough to cover the travel expenses. We were hoping Hongjun could help us out. Unfortunately, we got here only to find out that Hongjun was out on a mission. His wife, I don’t know if she’s avoiding us on purpose, went back to her hometown early and we don’t know when she’ll be back. We’re anxious to visit our boy, so we thought we’d ask if we could discuss with you the possibility of advancing Li Hongjun’s salary so we can leave early. Don’t worry, Hongjun will surely take responsibility for this when he returns. There won’t be a problem with the money," Qiu Shuping rambled on praising her younger son before finally stating her purpose.
Commander Ye listened with a frown, not saying a word.
Seeing this, Qiu Shuping hurriedly added, "Commander, we won’t take much, just two hundred yuan for now would be enough."
Only then did Commander Ye really look at the old lady in front of him and spoke cautiously, "Madam, do you know how much Hongjun’s monthly salary is?"
"No, I don’t know... It should be over fifty yuan, right?" Qiu Shuping answered, not entirely certain but she thought it should be around that much.
Upon hearing this, Commander Ye’s frown deepened, "Hongjun’s monthly salary is just over fifty yuan. If you take two hundred yuan all at once, how do you expect your son to repay this money?"
Qiu Shuping dismissed the concern with a wave, "Ah, my son earns that much in a month; he can pay back the two hundred in four months." She meant it wasn’t a big deal.
Commander Ye thought for a while and said, "Madam, Hongjun has a family now, and a child. Their monthly expenses are not insignificant..."
"You don’t need to worry about that; my son will guarantee he can help me repay it. Even if it can’t be done in four months, he’ll surely settle it in six," Qiu Shuping was very confident about this. As long as she got her hands on the money, she did not believe Shen Yunfang could pry it out from her control. As for how her son and daughter-in-law would repay the loan, that didn’t concern her. After all, if the son couldn’t pay, the daughter-in-law would, and in the army, they wouldn’t starve, so they could just take their time repaying.
After a moment’s thought, Commander Ye’s brows relaxed, and he said with a smile to Qiu Shuping, "Madam, I’ll keep your request in mind, but this matter is not for me to decide. How about this—you go back and rest, and I will report to the leadership, then we’ll have a meeting to discuss it. As soon as we have a conclusion, we’ll definitely inform you right away."
Qiu Shuping, seeing Commander Ye’s amiable manner, thought the outcome would surely be favorable and left cheerfully, waiting for someone to deliver the money to her home.
But after waiting for a week, no one came with the money. Her husband kept urging her to leave, so she had no choice but to seek out Commander Ye again to find out what was going on.
Commander Ye was just as welcoming as before, but his response wasn’t what she wanted to hear.
The salaries were all allocated by the state, issued punctually each month—neither a penny more nor less. Regarding Qiu Shuping’s request, the matter had been discussed in a meeting, and ultimately, they decided that they couldn’t set a precedent for one individual’s personal problem. In other words, there was no way for Qiu Shuping to get an advance on Li Hongjun’s salary.
Commander Ye, with a smile still on his face, showed Qiu Shuping out of the office and then sighed, lamenting that Li Hongjun had such a mother.
