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Chapter 624: Chapter 614 The Daughter-in-Law Is Unhappy Now
After putting their two children to bed that evening, Li Hongjun and his wife lay in their big bed and began discussing the incident that had occurred that afternoon.
"What on earth happened this afternoon?" Shen Yunfang asked.
"I’m not very clear on it myself; I was called away as soon as I arrived at work, then they just told me I’d been reported and asked me to confess truthfully." Li Hongjun had been pondering the matter all afternoon.
"Isn’t that a bit too aggressive? They didn’t even ask if it was true before making you confess. Isn’t that forcing a confession?" Shen Yunfang was displeased. If those leaders had come to her like that today, she surely would have made a scene. Who cares if they are leaders or not? What kind of people are they to not treat others like human beings?
"It’s not as exaggerated as you say. This is their usual practice, just to break through my psychological defenses and make me admit if I have done anything wrong. I haven’t broken the law; I’m not afraid." Li Hongjun wasn’t as angry because this was not new to him.
"What happened after that?"
"Nothing happened afterward. After they told me what the report was about, they just left me in the room to write a statement. I had to detail my monthly income and expenditures. My monthly salary is fixed, and I have evidence of where I’ve spent it over the years. Besides, I’ve actually been doing good deeds. Since someone wants to publicize it for me, I just wrote it down." Over the years, Li Hongjun had been using his salary to support the families of comrades in difficulty. He supports three families, giving each five yuan per month, totaling fifteen yuan. This support had started before he and his wife were married and had continued without interruption for many years.
When they got married, Li Hongjun had also reported this to his wife, explaining that he would support these three comrades’ orphans until they turned eighteen and then he would stop. The remittance receipts for every month were kept for verification. In addition to that, he sent a hundred yuan back home every year, which was also recorded. There wasn’t much left of his salary; it was just enough for a modest living for a family of four.
Of course, for Shen Yunfang, who always wanted the best, it definitely wasn’t enough to provide for her.
"These people are really cunning; they controlled you first, and then they went to question me. If they managed to break through by talking to me, it wouldn’t matter how tough you were," Shen Yunfang realized. These people were indeed very sly.
Indeed, for a soldier, strong willpower is indispensable. Hence, the best point of breach during such investigations is often the wife at home who isn’t familiar with the ways of the world.
"What did you say?" Li Hongjun asked his wife, anxious about what she had confessed.
"I told the truth, but I only talked about the cooperation with Joseph. I didn’t mention the small businesses I’ve run in the Capital these past two years, nor did I say how much money I’ve actually made. I guess they can find out on their own." She hadn’t wanted to scare them, after all, in this era, even households with tens of thousands were rare, and her as a millionaire, the news alone could frighten people.
"Hmm, the money transferred from abroad can always be traced at the bank." Li Hongjun nodded; that was indeed something they couldn’t hide.
"I’m thinking, if your leaders know that we have money, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, if someone accuses you of corruption or bribery in the future, the leaders definitely won’t believe them," Shen Yunfang said with a nod and a shake of her head, feeling somewhat smug. Having a wife like her who could earn so much money had helped him avoid so many risks.
"Heh, my wife is really capable. I might as well just sit back and enjoy the good life from now on." Li Hongjun playfully tweaked her nose, cherishing her little mannerisms, seeing how much their daughter resembled her mother.
"Alright, leave it all to me. Oh, there’s something else I want to discuss with you. I was thinking about taking advantage of the downtime to lease some land and start a farm," Shen Yunfang thought that she had stabilized her situation and could begin the next journey.
"You’re suddenly working and starting a farm at the same time, won’t you get very tired?" Li Hongjun isn’t worried about anything else, just concerned about his wife’s health.
"It’s okay, I only have six classes on Monday and Tuesday at the school, and I’m free the rest of the time. Instead of doing nothing, it’s better to do something meaningful. Besides, the farm will only be busy at the start. Once everything is on track, I’ll find someone to help me out. I can’t manage everything myself," Shen Yunfang had already thought through the general situation.
"Alright, as long as you have a plan, that’s fine. But let’s get one thing straight, I won’t interfere with whatever you do, but you must put family first. Nothing is more important than me and our kids," Li Hongjun was reminding his wife not to forget them in her busyness.
"Don’t worry, I can’t be like you, gone for over two years," Shen Yunfang rolled her eyes, thinking of her own past faults, yet he dared to criticize her.
Li Hongjun fell silent; this was no way to have a proper conversation.
Before going to sleep, Shen Yunfang remembered something, "I heard that military families here can get a plot of land to grow vegetables. Since we’ve just moved in, will we get one too? Ask about it tomorrow, please. If we get one, find out exactly where it is. It’s almost time to start planting, and we can’t rely solely on buying vegetables from the city."
"Okay, I’ll ask about it tomorrow. Now let’s hurry up and sleep," Li Hongjun couldn’t wait to pull up the thick quilt, covering them both.
Early the next morning, before going out for training, Li Hongjun had prepared the meals for his wife and kids, just as he had done years ago in the military. When Shen Yunfang got up and called the kids to wash up, Li Hongjun returned, drenched in sweat.
"Hurry and rinse off in the bathroom," Shen Yunfang turned up her nose in disgust and hurried him away.
Although the bathhouse was close to the residential area and not very expensive, it still wasn’t as convenient as showering at home. So, later on, she installed a water tank like the one they had at their old house, but the bathroom was simply too small. It was only used for quick rinses, and whenever Shen Yunfang had time, she still preferred the bathhouse, where she had more room to move around.
After finishing their meal, the couple left the house together, Li Hongjun to work and Shen Yunfang to take the kids to school. This time she was experienced, pointing out landmarks along the way, helping the kids remember the way home in preparation for them commuting to school on their own in the future.
By noon, when Li Hongjun returned, he brought news of the exact location of their plot of land. After dinner, the whole family headed out to their plot, ready to start tilling the soil.
The military stipulated that each family was allocated two points of land; not too big, but more than enough to grow vegetables for the family.
Seeing that other families had demarcated their plots with branches, Shen Yunfang had her children gather some so they could do the same.
Both having a decent amount of strength, the two of them wielding shovels had the land turned over in just an hour.
Then the family squatted together, figuring out how to get the fence erected.
"There we go, in a few days, I’ll come and prep the ridges. Then we can start some seedlings at home, and when the time comes, we’ll plant them here," Shen Yunfang looked proudly at their small vegetable garden.
