Chapter 20

The soldiers in the camp were united, and if they were provoked because of a woman, it would be difficult for him to handle. Especially after hearing about the woman’s husband serving on the battlefield for eight years.

Glancing at Shi Tingyu, Hong Bo eventually abandoned the idea of handing her over to the leadership. He had reached his position through calculated tactics and wouldn’t risk losing it over a trivial matter.

The search team didn’t find any evidence. However, a short man emerged from Shi’s parents’ room with a smile, subtly patting his pocket in front of Hong Bo.

Hong Bo’s lips twitched but quickly returned to a calm expression. The others found nothing, feeling uneasy about everything they saw.

The family’s room was in disarray, with the table lamps, balcony plants, kitchenware, and even the chairs damaged. However, this was inconsequential as once they were dismissed, the house and its contents would be confiscated.

When Lu Weiguo returned, he was met with the open door of the Shi family’s house. Stepping inside, he saw the chaos—a stark contrast from the warm atmosphere of the previous day.

His face turned cold, his usual air of defiance reaching its peak. Hong Bo was taken aback, sensing a murderous intent in Lu Weiguo’s eyes. Seeing the bulge in Lu Weiguo’s pocket, he grew uneasy.

Looking directly at Hong Bo, the apparent leader, Lu Weiguo asked, “Did you do this?”

Caught off guard by his cold, narrow gaze, Hong Bo hesitated to meet his eyes. He responded, “Wh-what’s wrong? It’s inevitable to have some collisions during evidence searches.”

“Collisions? The force that can shatter solid wood chairs seems more suited for defending the country on the battlefield than wasting talent.” Lu Weiguo sarcastically remarked. “Whose command are you under? I’ll find out later how intentional damage to public property should be handled.”

Upon hearing this, Hong Bo felt a pang of unease. “Are you in the military, so you can make baseless claims? When did we damage public property?”

“Hmph.” Lu Weiguo chuckled coldly, “So, my in-laws don’t need to be detained, right? If they don’t, then except for my wife’s belongings, everything here will be considered private property. Are you trying to keep it private?”

“Who said they don’t need to be?” Hong Bo replied, somewhat annoyed. He had received orders from above, and messing up this task today was not an option.

“If they need to be detained, then everything here, except for my wife’s belongings, must be considered state property. The things you damaged are all property of the state, so I can rightfully claim you damaged state property,” Lu Weiguo added.

Seeing Hong Bo and his team at a loss for words, Lu Weiguo continued sarcastically, “With your modus operandi, who knows how much you’ve damaged? If this isn’t resolved today, I will report it.”

Hong Bo found himself in a dilemma, realizing he needed to act carefully. He gritted his teeth and had the short man who had signaled to him earlier take out the money they had collected.

Counting it, it totaled two hundred and fifty yuan along with some bills. He slammed the money on the nearby table and pronounced slowly, “For the accidentally damaged items, I’ll compensate!”

Lu Weiguo was surprised by Hong Bo’s actions. He had expected him to throw the money on the ground, but instead, he slammed it on the table. This display gave Lu Weiguo further insight into Hong Bo’s character.

Picking up the money from the table, Lu Weiguo didn’t give it to Shi’s parents or Shi Tingyu but pocketed it himself. He knew that people like Hong Bo, who bullied the weak, might hold a grudge against the person who received the money.

The Lu family had a history of being upright and honest farmers for three generations. Their family background was clean, and even the commendation letters from the village leadership were still kept at home. They had nothing to hide, and even if someone tried to find fault, there was no wrongdoing to be found.

Seeing the money taken by Lu Weiguo, Hong Bo and his team, full of resentment, refrained from causing further trouble. With Lu Weiguo overseeing the situation, the atmosphere softened, and no more collisions occurred.

In the end, Hong Bo and his team found nothing and left with a few uncontroversial books. Shi Tingyu watched them go, knowing her parents would have to move to the countryside. Although they hadn’t found anything, taking a few books was just an excuse—a way to justify their actions.

Shi’s parents breathed a sigh of relief, accepting the inevitable outcome without complaint. In the end, Lu Weiguo even managed to retrieve the “goodwill fee” they had left behind, overlooking the broken items.

Shi Tingyu understood that given the circumstances, this outcome was relatively positive.

Now they were just waiting for the disposal order to come down.

Seeing Shi Tingyu silent with her head bowed, Lu Weiguo thought she was still upset. After all, it was difficult to remain calm when a home meticulously cared for over the years was left in such disarray.

“I’ll tidy up,” he said.

Lu Weiguo began sorting out the broken items, gathering them together to throw away the damaged ones and rearrange the salvageable ones. Shi’s family also pitched in to help clean up.

Shi Tingyu cleared the broken flowerpots on the balcony, wrapping the plants in old newspapers to protect the roots and hold the soil together. She planned to take these to the military family compound; the plants were resilient and could be saved.

As she looked at the still lively plants, Shi Tingyu’s mood lifted. Today, she had planned to spend the night at home but was urged by her parents to go to the military family compound.

“At this critical juncture, you should go back to the military compound, see what usable items are left in the house,” her parents advised.

Shi Tingyu refused, saying, “I’ll only take my clothes; the rest of the items should stay.”

Lu Weiguo nodded in agreement, “Indeed, those people already have a rough idea of what’s here. If we take anything, they might accuse us of misappropriating state property.”

Finding fault was their specialty.

With a sigh, Shi’s father waved his hand, “It’s fine. Handing it over to the state spares it from being mistreated, and I feel more at ease.”

After dinner, Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo returned to the military family compound. The next afternoon, the notification of relocation for Shi’s parents came, scheduled at the former West Brigade, Lu Weiguo’s hometown.

Everyone felt relieved, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. Shi Tingyu and Lu Weiguo could only manage to see them off to the car.

Before they left, Lu Weiguo said to Shi’s parents, “Mom, Dad, I’ve already spoken to the family. Don’t worry and go over there. Everything here is under my care, and I won’t let Shi Tingyu suffer.”

Shi’s parents nodded gratefully. It was the first time Lu Weiguo had called them Mom and Dad, and the first time they had heard him call their daughter Shi Tingyu by her nickname “Xiao Yu.” These firsts combined, leaving them inexplicably believing that this man could keep his promise.