Chapter 6 – The Search Team Arrives

“Shiqing, why are you back?” Xu Minzhi asked in surprise.

Gu Shiqing repeated the explanation he had given earlier to Gu Honglang, this time to Xu Minzhi.

Xu Minzhi nodded and said: “It’s good that you’ve come back. How long has it been since you returned? It’s time you came home for a visit.”

Even if he did not consider her and Gu Honglang, he should at least think of Banxia. Back when Gu Shiqing and Banxia had just gotten married, he had left for the army not long after. Two years had passed since then, and Banxia had lived alone right after getting married—it truly had not been easy for her.

If Gu Shiqing could hear what Xu Minzhi was thinking, he would definitely cry out in grievance.

Back then, he had asked Lin Banxia to join him with the army unit, but Lin Banxia had firmly refused. They were nearly at the military base when she suddenly complained the place was too remote and the conditions too poor. She insisted on buying a ticket and returning to Hu City.

Because of that, word spread around the unit that he had married a delicate and pampered wife. Even now, people still joked about it.

Seeing how unhappy his marriage seemed, some of his comrades had even become afraid of finding partners themselves.

“But I only bought two portions of breakfast. Shiqing, have you already eaten? If not, I can light the fire and cook you some noodles.” Xu Minzhi said as she looked down at the breakfast in her hands.

She had already eaten outside and had only bought breakfast for Lin Banxia and Gu Honglang.

Gu Shiqing replied: “It’s alright, Mom. I’ve already eaten, no need to go to the trouble.”

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After washing up, Lin Banxia began eating her little wontons. They were filled with pork, the wrappers thin but the filling substantial, with some bamboo shoots added in for a refreshing bite.

The soup had dried shrimp and seaweed, and with a generous drizzle of sesame oil, the bowl of little wontons was incredibly fragrant.

Lin Banxia was thoroughly satisfied as she ate and said sweetly to Xu Minzhi: “The little wontons are so delicious. Thank you, Mom~”

“Ai, as long as you like them, I’ll go buy more for you tomorrow.” Xu Minzhi quickly responded.

Gu Shiqing looked at the scene of mother-in-law’s kindness and daughter-in-law’s filial piety before him and couldn’t help but feel a bit suspicious.

Since when did Lin Banxia become so good at coaxing people?

And his mom—clearly, she had been coaxed so well that she didn’t even know which way was north anymore.

Zhoujia Steamed Dumplings Stall had great sales, with a long line in front of the shop every morning. Yet his mom had just promised to go buy them again for Lin Banxia tomorrow?

He remembered that when he was little, his mom would only buy those little wontons from Zhoujia if he was sick.

But Lin Banxia, healthy as could be, got to eat them every day.

Gu Shiqing could clearly feel his mother’s favoritism.

However, the most urgent matter now was resolving the issue of being reported. Both Gu Honglang and Xu Minzhi had been questioned at their respective work units the day before, and the investigators were likely arriving soon.

At a time like this, even the smallest item could be used against them.

“Dad, Mom, I’ll go check if there’s anything else in the house that needs to be put away.” Gu Shiqing said.

Just as Gu Shiqing entered the study, a group of people walked through the front door, all wearing Red Armbands on their arms. The man leading them said: “We’ve heard that the Gu Family is secretly hiding banned items. Search thoroughly—don’t even let a fly slip by!”

The man at the front was named Cao Qiuwang, infamous for his reputation. Though he claimed to lead investigations, his actions were no different from banditry.

Earlier in the year, a colleague of Gu Honglang’s had been searched. Afterward, half of his belongings were gone, and all his money had been “confiscated.”

At the time, Gu Honglang had sighed over the matter—he never imagined it would happen to him so soon.

At Cao Qiuwang’s command, his men immediately spread out and began rummaging through the place.

But Cao Qiuwang’s gaze landed on Lin Banxia standing to the side. His slanted eyes narrowed, revealing a row of yellowed teeth as he smiled. Stroking his chin, he said: “Professor Gu, who is this comrade? She’s really quite pretty. Introduce us—”

Cao Qiuwang hadn’t even finished speaking when Gu Shiqing stepped out of the study, quickly striding over to stand in front of Lin Banxia, using his body to block Cao Qiuwang’s line of sight.

His sword-like brows were tightly furrowed as he said coldly: “She is my wife! What kind of introduction are you looking for? Is this how your search team conducts investigations?”

When Lin Banxia saw the yellowed teeth in Cao Qiuwang’s mouth, she nearly vomited up the little wontons she had just eaten.

She had been planning to properly deal with this disgusting man who upset her stomach. She had just retrieved a specially made Itch Powder from her spatial storage, but before she could use it, Gu Shiqing had already appeared.

With his tall and imposing figure standing in front of her, Gu Shiqing completely blocked that revolting face of Cao Qiuwang from her view.

Tch, who would’ve thought this man was actually quite protective of his wife.

Cao Qiuwang was taken aback by the sudden appearance of a tall man wearing a military uniform—with a side pocket no less. This wasn’t an ordinary soldier. He was an officer!

Their search team could throw hats on anyone—teachers, professors, all of them had suffered under their accusations. But soldiers… soldiers were another matter entirely.

What a pity that such a pretty female comrade had someone protecting her… Otherwise…

Cao Qiuwang secretly ground his teeth and said: “I was just casually asking, nothing else.”

Then he turned and barked orders to the people still rummaging inside: “You all better search thoroughly! Professor Gu is an intellectual—make sure to go through his books and documents carefully. The higher-ups are strictly cracking down on ideological corruption!”

The meaning of his words was quite clear—he was hinting for them to make a fuss over Gu Honglang’s books and materials.

But those people were bound to be disappointed.

Lin Banxia had done her homework on this era. She knew very well what kind of items were considered dangerous, and which ones could protect them.

Last night, she had personally gone through the study once more. Any books or documents that even seemed questionable were all stashed away in her spatial storage.

There were many among them that Gu Honglang himself didn’t think problematic, but Lin Banxia understood one thing—when they want to bring you down, they’ll make trouble even if there’s none to begin with.

She also deliberately placed a Red Book and some slogans on the desk, arranged to look like they were often read.

On top of that, she had Gu Honglang copy some of them out by hand at the last minute, to demonstrate his ideological devotion.

To avoid arousing suspicion, she even left some money tucked under the pillows of Gu Honglang and Xu Minzhi. After all, if these people didn’t walk away with some kind of benefit, they’d just find other ways to stir up trouble.

This group searched for a long time—practically turning the Gu residence upside down—but they couldn’t find a single fault.

Cao Qiuwang watched as one team member after another returned and shook their heads, signaling they hadn’t found any suspicious things. His expression grew darker by the second.

He had been in the search team for several years and raided countless homes, but had never encountered one this clean.

Just then, the last man to emerge from the study—a Red Armband—held a notebook in his hand. “Captain, I found a notebook. Come check if there’s any counter-revolutionary content written in here!”

Cao Qiuwang’s eyes lit up. He knew it—there’s no way they’d walk away empty-handed!

Scholars like Gu Honglang always liked scribbling their thoughts and reflections. It was the perfect trap.

Gu Shiqing’s heart tensed as he saw the notebook. He knew his father did indeed like to write things down. If there was even a single inappropriate phrase inside, they would be in real trouble.

But beside him, Lin Banxia and the couple Gu Honglang and Xu Minzhi all had calm expressions. There wasn’t the slightest hint of nervousness.

Cao Qiuwang flipped open the notebook, eyes blazing with anticipation. But what did he see?

There wasn’t a shred of counter-revolutionary material. Instead, every line was copied straight from the Red Book, and each sentence was full of boundless positivity!

Unwilling to give up, Cao Qiuwang flipped through several more pages—each one the same. All of them!

Lin Banxia took the opportunity to step out from behind Gu Shiqing. He was so tall that he had completely blocked her view—it was affecting her ability to watch the drama unfold.

“If I remember correctly.” she said: “this notebook is the one my father uses to copy Slogans, isn’t it? He said slogans are sacred and treasures this notebook above all. He even packed it carefully in a box. And you people dare say slogans are counter-revolutionary? I think you’re the ones who are truly counter-revolutionary!”