Chapter 26

Qiao Anle woke up completely, startled awake.

She believed Li Fengbei had money.

After all, military personnel weren’t poorly paid, and Li Fengbei wasn’t a spendthrift; he certainly had savings.

But this much? She couldn’t imagine it.

Could it be…

Dirty money?

Holding the passbook, Qiao Anle had some unpleasant guesses racing through her mind.

She hesitated, “Is this really your money?”

Li Fengbei nodded. “Mm, I haven’t checked my passbook before, I didn’t expect there to be so much.”

Qiao Anle became even more afraid.

Oh no, oh no!

Li Fengbei must have gone down a bad path.

Her face paled with anxiety.

Li Fengbei watched Qiao Anle’s expression change repeatedly, finally settling into a sorrowful look of unspoken worry.

He guessed her thoughts almost perfectly.

He chuckled softly.

“Wife, what are you thinking! I haven’t done anything illegal, and I haven’t taken any money from dubious sources. Look at the passbook again; every transaction is recorded.”

Hearing this, Qiao Anle relaxed slightly.

She quickly lowered her head and examined it carefully.

In this era, machine printing wasn’t widespread; the passbook entries were handwritten by bank staff.

The handwriting was neat and clear, written plainly.

The first entry was about four or five years ago.

A deposit of a few hundred yuan, marked as “Meritorious Service Award.”

The second entry was three years ago.

The amount increased from a few hundred to a thousand, still marked as “Meritorious Service Award.”

Qiao Anle vaguely recalled something from Li Fengbei’s resume; she remembered he received a third-class merit and a first-class merit while in the army.

These two awards matched the entries perfectly.

A first-class merit award while alive – Li Fengbei was truly lucky.

Then, in the following two years, more money was deposited.

Almost every month, there was a deposit.

The amounts varied, but were always between one hundred and several hundred yuan.

It didn’t seem like much, but each deposit was equivalent to a year’s salary for an ordinary worker.

These entries were marked as “Technology Dividends.”

Li Fengbei actually received dividends?!

Qiao Anle raised her eyes in surprise.

Li Fengbei said slowly,

“When I was in the army, my old leader was always good to me, and even sent me to military academy. Later, I did some mechanical research and applied for several patents. A brother who transferred out of the army used my patents to start a small business. I said I didn’t want the money, but he still transferred money every month, all into this passbook.”

Studying…

Mechanics…

Patents…

Each of these achievements required a lifetime of effort for many people.

But Li Fengbei seized every opportunity, striving to do his best.

Even more remarkable was that Li Fengbei showed no pride or arrogance from these achievements.

He hadn’t forgotten his original aspirations and chose the most difficult path.

Going to the countryside with the army.

Reclaiming wasteland in the mountains.

Working in the fields.

He did everything himself, never delegating tasks.

In Qiao Anle’s hand was a light passbook.

But she knew that this was something Li Fengbei had earned with his life, something heavy.

Qiao Anle finally understood the source of the money, but still wasn’t completely at ease.

“But with so much money, is it really okay for us to keep it? Won’t it affect you?”

Li Fengbei answered softly, “I’ve already reported it, and my superiors know, it’s okay to keep it.”

The last stone in Qiao Anle’s heart finally fell.

Her pale face regained its color.

She even joked,

“I never knew I married a hidden tycoon, you kept it well hidden.”

Li Fengbei’s lips curved into a faint smile.

He seemed finally proud.

He said, “Wife, now it’s your turn to be a rich woman. This passbook, and this envelope, are all my assets, I’m giving them all to you. From now on, you’ll manage the money for our family.”

This was the real reason Li Fengbei brought out the passbook.

Hearing this, Qiao Anle felt a sudden weight in her hands and heart.

But this weight was…a sweet burden.

Only with true love could one hand over all their assets to another person.

“Really all to me?”

Qiao Anle asked again.

Li Fengbei nodded firmly.

“Mm, all to you. The money is yours to manage, and I’m yours to manage. The three children are also yours to manage. From now on, you’re the boss of the house.”

Listening to these words, Qiao Anle felt like a pampered kitten.

She raised her eyebrows, a little proud.

Her eyes sparkled.

She pretended to be arrogant,

“Then if you need money, just tell me. I won’t shortchange your allowance!”

“Okay. I’ll listen to my wife.”

Li Fengbei smiled, a satisfied expression on his face, and turned to take a bath.

Qiao Anle turned around and lay on the bed.

She put the passbook aside.

She poured out all the banknotes and coupons from the envelope.

She felt like she was playing Monopoly and had won big.

Food coupons were separated from cloth coupons… everything was neatly organized.

Ten-cent notes, one-yuan notes, two-yuan notes…were all stacked neatly.

Qiao Anle carefully smoothed every corner, perfectly like a person with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

These miscellaneous items added up to two hundred and eighty-nine yuan and forty-five cents.

That was a considerable sum of money.

Qiao Anle even saw a “television ticket,” she didn’t know where Li Fengbei got it from, it was casually placed among the others.

“Such a waste… Too bad, our village doesn’t even have electricity, let alone a television.”

After simple sorting,

Qiao Anle classified and arranged them according to their practicality in daily life.

The unused coupons and some large-denomination banknotes, she would hide at the bottom of the dresser, preferably with an additional hidden lock.

Some coupons that could be spent at the supply and marketing cooperative, and small amounts of loose change, she put in Li Fengbei’s military uniform pocket.

The uniform was imposing; no one dared to touch it, it would definitely be safe.

And they were in a military family compound; no thief would dare to come here.

Qiao Anle looked at the pile in front of her and couldn’t help but laugh.

When Li Fengbei returned from his bath, he saw Qiao Anle lying on the bed, covering her mouth and giggling.

She looked like she had fallen into a money pot, a little money-mad.

But also lovely and charming.

After a simple tidy up, they went to bed.

That night, Qiao Anle tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She suddenly muttered to herself,

“If I had known you were so rich, I should have bought that watch at the supply and marketing cooperative! I’m so embarrassed, I naively thought we’d live a hard life together.”

After a few minutes of silence,

She denied herself,

“No, no, no! Money is hard-earned, we can’t spend it lavishly, it’s better to save some. Don’t show off your wealth, only you and I know.”

Qiao Anle turned over again.

“But such a large sum of money, just sitting in the bank as a current account, is such a waste…”

Finally,

Li Fengbei couldn’t take it anymore.

He hugged Qiao Anle, who was tossing and turning, and kissed her deeply and long.

He only stopped when she was dizzy.

The man asked, “Can you sleep now?”

The woman whispered, “Mm…”

…

The next day,

Was the day the village distributed grain.

To ensure everything went smoothly, Li Fengbei went out early to prepare.

Qiao Anle wasn’t idle either.

She separated the things she bought yesterday, especially the fruit candies and peanuts, into many portions to give to the neighbors in the compound.

Most families had children, especially fruit candies, which children would love.

As for the Da Bai Tu milk candies…

Qiao Anle made a small exchange.

She put the ones Li Fengbei bought for her into her magical space, carefully placing them in the best spot.

She wouldn’t even let Xiaobai touch them, sometimes she was reluctant to eat them.

Then she took out a similar amount of Da Bai Tu milk candies from her magical space.

She put them in an enamel can and placed them in the dresser, to prevent the little gluttons at home from finding them.

She took the things and walked around the military compound, getting to know most of the people.

Finally, she came to the house closest to theirs.

Qiao Anle prepared not only fruit candies and peanuts for this family, but also added several expensive Da Bai Tu milk candies.

Because she often heard the crying of a baby from the next door.

Especially at night, the baby’s cries were particularly noticeable.

It was the sound of a baby in swaddling clothes.

Qiao Anle thought of the baby, so she prepared more.

When she approached,

She found that the next-door house was closed all day.

The yard was also overgrown with weeds, unlike other houses, which were at least somewhat tidy.

She knocked on the door.

No one answered.

But Qiao Anle clearly heard someone moving inside.

She knocked again.

“Is anyone home? I’m from next door, Li Fengbei’s house, just dropping by.”

Perhaps it was her sudden voice, the person inside seemed startled, and something fell to the ground.

The sound was clear.

It couldn’t be concealed.

“Someone… someone’s here.”

A weak voice came.

It was a woman’s voice.

Timid and shrinking.

After a while,

The tightly closed door finally opened slowly.

But only a crack.

The woman inside showed half her face.

She was very thin and seemed malnourished, making her eyes look large and dark, but lacking luster.

The woman’s face was pale, and her eyes were dark.

But she looked young.

Maybe even a few years younger than Qiao Anle.

But in her arms, she held a baby of about eight or nine months old.

In the late summer weather.

In the closed room, the child was wrapped in a thick blanket.

Qiao Anle frowned and was startled.

Her eyelids twitched.