Chapter 55

Naturally, Yao Chunyu didn’t need to report this bad deed herself. A few days later, a piece of news caused a nationwide stir. Early in the morning, citizens turned on their radios and heard about a speculator in Y Province, who had made a profit of 60,000 yuan, severely disrupting market prices and causing a rise in the cost of living, which harmed the people.

On the same day, the People’s Daily published this news, sternly criticizing the speculators, calling them “parasites of the people,” “rats in the grain warehouse,” stealing the victory of socialism and cutting off the tail of socialism…

The speculator, who had been singled out as an example by the central government, had made a staggering 60,000 yuan! This huge amount struck a deep chord with the ordinary people.

Ordinary citizens had never dealt with such major cases of profiteering. Who would have thought that speculation could yield such massive profits? Even the workers with the best benefits and most desirable jobs in the country would never save this much money in a lifetime of hard work, let alone the farmers who toil all year round but still can’t afford enough to eat!

Such social scum feed off the people, growing fat while the masses suffer! At once, sharp comments flooded the news, and the public was deeply outraged by the act of “speculation.”

Su Ye selling tea in the family compound had already attracted a lot of attention.

Su Ye came from the countryside, and it was normal for someone to sell tea from their hometown. However, the boxed tea she sold was so high-end and exquisite that it rivaled the luxury items sold in department stores. If people didn’t ask, they might even think it was a premium product.

But someone had found the exact same tea at the Zhiyuan Guesthouse in the city, and Su Ye was often seen at the guesthouse, chatting and laughing with the manager as if they were old friends.

When the director of the Women’s Federation received the report about Su Ye, she thought she was seeing things. She carefully looked over the report again, and her expression gradually became serious.

In her impression, Su Ye was an honest person, and Comrade Gu Xiangqian was upright and devoted to the Party and the country. Fortunately, the report had been sent to the Women’s Federation for handling. If it had been sent directly to the department, they might have had to set up a special investigation team.

Yao Chunyu had waited for several days, and finally, a friend working at the Women’s Federation office told her that the director was very angry after receiving the report and wanted to personally visit the Gu family. After work, she passed by the building where the Gu family lived, thinking about what might be happening upstairs, feeling a surge of excitement inside.

The country was currently cracking down on “speculation” with great severity. How could Gu Xiangqian protect Su Ye?

This time, they wouldn’t be able to avoid a divorce. Yao Chunyu planned to tell her uncle about it—he wouldn’t tolerate such things and surely wouldn’t let it slide.

—

At the Gu house.

Su Ye was drinking the chicken soup that Gu Xiangqian had personally made. In the past few days, she had been busy helping her students review for their middle and high school exams and running errands for work. She had lost a few pounds from all the running around.

Recently, she often went with Gu Xiangqian to the small woods to collect wild chickens, and the food at home had improved significantly. It turned out that after a few days, Gu Xiangqian’s soup-making skills had improved tremendously. The broth was rich and smooth, nourishing and delicious, and it was so good that one could never tire of drinking it.

Before, Su Ye never thought chicken soup was particularly delicious, but in these difficult times, food tastes especially good, almost like a rare delicacy.

The director knocked on the door with a thud. Su Ye opened it, and upon seeing the director, she froze for a moment, then immediately greeted her warmly. “We’re just making chicken soup at home, Director. Would you like a bowl?”

The director’s expression darkened. Upon entering the Gu household, she saw the chicken soup on the table. Taking a closer look, she saw that, just as described in the report, there was a bag of flour, a rice jar filled with white rice, and several elegantly designed tea boxes on the table. Her heart sank, feeling as if it had been filled with lead.

A female colleague who had come with the director saw that there was indeed a pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove, with fragrant braised pork in the pot. She thought that these might have been purchased with money from the people, and her expression immediately turned sour.

“Su Ye, you’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”

The report was slammed onto the table.

Su Ye opened the report and glanced at the materials. After reading them, she curled her lips into a smile, casually tossing the report aside. “I was wondering what it was. The report is even anonymous. I don’t accept anonymous reports. Director, would you like some? Xiangqian made it, it smells so good.”

She cheerfully ladled a bowl of rich chicken soup for the director.

The director and the Women’s Federation colleague both had unpleasant expressions, their brows furrowing slightly, as if to say, “You’re the one being reported, and you think you’re in the right?”

The director couldn’t help but feel a throbbing pain at her temples.

Su Ye shrugged. “Am I wrong? They didn’t even have the guts to leave their name. I’m a clean and honest military wife, so why should I work myself to the bone to prove my innocence just because someone lightly gossips about me?”

“If a thousand people reported me, I’d probably stop working altogether and spend my days refuting rumors and proving my innocence. Just think of all the time I’d lose doing real work.” Su Ye noticed the growing darkness on the faces of the director and her colleagues, so she smiled and added, “But of course, Director, you’re not an outsider. Since you care about me so much, I’m still happy to explain things to you.”

Su Ye waved at the director and pulled her into the small bedroom separated by a partition.

She took a stack of thin documents from the cabinet beside the bed. At the top of the pile was a notice from the “Qingxi County Revolutionary Committee,” stamped with a large red seal.

The notice read in black and white, “Please provide support to the leaders of the cities, counties, and villages.” The director immediately understood what was going on, and her gaze softened.

She then carefully compared the accounting book Su Ye handed her. Every entry and amount matched exactly with the funds received by Shanggou Village.

She held the letters from the cadres of Shanggou Village to Su Ye, reading them one by one. As she got further into the letters, her heart involuntarily trembled in shock. It turned out that others had assumed Su Ye was making money and had been commenting on her tea, secretly speculating that she was engaging in speculation and profiteering. In reality, she had been quietly helping others!

When the director looked up at her again, her gaze was filled with deep admiration. Such good deeds deserved to be published in the newspapers or displayed on the bulletin boards for recognition!

She gently brushed the hair falling at Su Ye’s forehead and said earnestly, “This is a good deed, a really good deed. You should report this to the department and let everyone work together to find a solution. The power of a collective effort is always tremendous.”

Su Ye laughed heartily, her smile carrying a touch of carefreeness and strength. “It’s fine! These days, it’s hard for everyone, and no one’s life is easy. I’m able to handle it on my own, and I’m very happy to contribute a little to help the villagers solve their food problems. Telling the military might help solve the issue collectively, but it would also bring trouble to the group.”

She was almost moved by her own words! If it weren’t for the fact that she knew her own abilities… cough, cough.

“But—” Su Ye’s tone turned with indignation. “The person who wrote this anonymous report clearly had malicious intent. Even the contents of the report were investigated. If the report were true, how many good-hearted people would be disheartened by it!”

The director thought about this and nodded thoughtfully.

Su Ye cleared her throat and smiled. “The purpose of doing this was to help the villagers gather food. I didn’t want to make it public, add trouble for others, nor seek any recognition. So, Director—would you like some chicken soup?”

After hearing this, the director’s face broke into a bright smile. She looked at Su Ye with increasing fondness. “Of course I would!”

Although the Gu family’s home was only a large single room, Gu Xiangqian was a person who valued neatness. He had used a partition to separate the living room and bedroom, and the female colleague from the Women’s Federation was craning her neck, unable to hear what was being discussed in the other room. Her curiosity was getting the best of her.

After a moment, the director emerged with a warm smile and began tasting the chicken soup.

The soup, carefully simmered for an hour, had a golden color with a layer of oil floating on top. The jujubes were soft and opened up, and the yam was as white as jade. A sip of the soup captured the taste buds with its delicious richness.

The chicken was free-range, with dense and chewy meat that carried a hint of sweetness and an unforgettable savory flavor. The director felt a light sweat on her skin, satisfied and pleased.

“You always have such delicious food here!”

Su Ye touched her nose modestly and said, “Just lucky. Sometimes, when luck comes, you can’t stop it.”

The director thought about Su Ye’s enviable luck in always finding things, and when she thought about all the good deeds she quietly did, she felt that fate would not overlook such a kind-hearted person.

The Women’s Federation director walked out of the Gu family’s home, not with a face full of disappointment or indifference, but with a spring-like smile, satisfied as she walked out of the building. Yao Chunyu immediately felt something was off.

A few days later, there was still no punishment or clarification from the Women’s Federation regarding Su Ye, and the complaint letter seemed to have vanished without a trace.

The person who wrote the complaint was not easily discouraged and wrote another letter to report to the military. The military, however, did not respond either.

When the Women’s Federation director received the complaint letter, she calmly slammed it on the table. It was clear that she had intercepted it from the political commissar.

“Our military has always been open and transparent. If there is an issue, it should be raised, if there is an error, it should be corrected. If someone is too afraid to even sign their name on a complaint letter, this kind of atmosphere is unacceptable.”

“Su Ye has been preliminarily investigated by the Women’s Federation, and there is no issue. If a formal investigation is required, we suggest providing real-name evidence.”

Everyone understood—after the investigation, it was clear that Su Ye was not at fault, and the matter was settled. But some people couldn’t help but think that the director was clearly protecting Su Ye. After all, who writes an anonymous complaint but includes a name?

What qualifications did Su Ye have?

The military wife who had written the complaint heard the news and felt even more frustrated. She couldn’t help but mutter angrily, “I almost forgot—the director’s husband is the political commissar. The two of them have a great relationship with Gu Xiangqian. Helping Su Ye is so easy for her.”

Yao Chunyu, hearing this, thought to herself, “As expected, Gu Xiangqian helped her smooth things over. In the previous life, Su Ye also passed this crisis safely.”

However, Yao Chunyu never considered the possibility that this “Su Ye” might not actually be Su Ye. Since fate had given her a second chance at life, how could it send another person to make things difficult for her?

“Xiaoyu, can you help me pass this complaint letter to General Yao?”

Yao Chunyu agreed, “Alright, I’ll help you.”

Soon, before the Women’s Federation had a chance to post the results of the investigation into Su Ye’s case, everyone in the family compound already knew about Su Ye’s involvement in speculative tea sales, her frequent consumption of meat, and her indulgence in chicken soup.

Originally, the Women’s Federation office had not acted, suppressing the complaint without conducting a proper investigation. The complaint had to be forwarded to the military for an investigation. When the complaint letter leaked from the office of a certain division commander, that was when the matter became known.

People despised the idea of “speculation and profiteering” so much!

Gu Xiangqian’s wife had been married off too hastily without properly investigating her character. As it turned out, her character was flawed, and she was greedy for money, even willing to take advantage of the hard-earned savings of soldiers. She was too ruthless.

Zhou Honghan, hearing the opinions that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, couldn’t help but look down on the idea of voluntary buying and selling. As for the claim about military blood and sweat money—whose money isn’t earned through hard work? Should the tea farmers just give it away for free?

However, the nature of speculation and profiteering was serious, so Zhou Honghan rushed to find Su Ye to remind her of the matter.

Su Ye listened, smiled calmly, and shook her head. “Grandma Zhou, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

What is a perfect victim? Su Ye now fits the image of a perfect victim. She was a respected teacher and an outstanding figure in the province, not involved in any theft or robbery. Although she sold tea, she didn’t keep a single penny for herself. She had been running around under the scorching sun, and the money she raised had been used to buy food and save the lives of many villagers—how touching!

She could still be falsely accused? The whole village of Shanggou would be the first to object! If even a hero like her could be wronged, then who would dare to be a hero?

Su Ye smiled as she made a cup of tea for Zhou Honghan. “I want to make sure that they never dare to report me again.”

Damaging someone’s reputation also comes at a cost, and Su Ye was, in a way, doing good deeds for others.

Zhou Honghan was so anxious she could only stare blankly, unable to figure out what was going on.

When the Women’s Federation director heard the rumors, her face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. She hadn’t expected that the atmosphere would become so bad!

She remembered what Su Ye had said back then, “I don’t want to trouble the collective” and “I’m not doing this for recognition from others.” Just thinking about it made her feel embarrassed!

All the ideological education the Women’s Federation had provided over the years seemed to have been in vain. How heartbreaking this must be for good-hearted people!

The Women’s Federation director stormed into the office of a certain division commander.

According to the soldiers on guard, that day, the office was filled with the sound of loud banging, and the division commander seemed to leave the office with red ears. The Women’s Federation director walked out like a victorious rooster, head held high, as if she had won a glorious battle.

What did this mean?

It meant that although Su Ye was selling tea, she wasn’t speculating for profit. Otherwise, could the Women’s Federation director have been so confident and righteous?