B5SB -Chapter 54 Shen Family’s Scheme (Part 1)

February 17, 1969 – Lunar New Year’s Day

Gu Yihan got up early.

Today, she was going to send something to Grandma Gu by mail. She took out the items she had bought before the New Year and checked them: a bag of assorted candies, two pairs of liberation shoes, two cans of preserved food, and a piece of dark gray flawed fabric.

When Gu Yihan walked into the post office, she saw Zhao Ju yawning. She teasingly asked, “Sister Ju, any letters for me?”

Zhao Ju pretended to be annoyed when she saw Gu Yihan: “So you remember to come! It’s been a whole month since I last saw you.”

Gu Yihan reached into her backpack and took out an apple, leaning forward slightly and holding the apple high with both hands as she jokingly said, “Then this humble servant offers my apology.”

Zhao Ju couldn’t help laughing at her silly pose: “Pfft.”

Then she seriously took the apple, covering her mouth to pretend to be coy: “That’s more like it.”

Zhao Ju pulled four letters from under the counter and handed them to Gu Yihan: “Two of these are from the military district? Really?”

Gu Yihan was also surprised. She looked at the addresses: one was from the Kuncheng Military District, the other from the Pengcheng Military District.

Gu Yihan didn’t look at the Pengcheng Military District letter. She opened the one from Kuncheng Military District—it was from Lu Huailin.

The gist of the letter was that he wanted her detailed address to send her money.

The last clue she provided had been very important. Using that clue, a human trafficking ring had been dismantled, and the Kuncheng police station had given a 200-yuan reward.

Gu Yihan thought to herself that since she lived alone, she couldn’t casually give a stranger her detailed address. She said, “Sister Ju, could you give me a sheet of stationery?”

Zhao Ju handed her some paper and an envelope.

Gu Yihan took them and wrote down the post office’s address. She then went to the post office to pick up the money transfer form.

After that, she wrote a letter to Gujia Village and handed the package and the letter to Zhao Ju: “Sister Ju, thank you for your help.”

Zhao Ju rolled her eyes at Gu Yihan: “Help? If not you, it would be someone else doing it. This is just our job. I really envy you—you can still have a holiday.”

She patted the package helplessly: “We can only take turns on duty.”

Just as Gu Yihan was about to speak, a loud “BANG” at the post office door startled her. Then she heard a sharp voice: “Ah… what dead dog is this?”

Gu Yihan worried about Maomao: “Sister Ju, Maomao is still outside. I’ll go check.”

Zhao Ju, who liked Maomao, waved her off: “Go quickly and see. If I weren’t stuck here, I’d go with you.”

Gu Yihan nodded and stepped outside. She saw Maomao baring his teeth at someone: “Woof, woof!” growling low.

Mrs. Lin saw Gu Yihan and sneered: “I said, why does this dog look so familiar? Oh, it’s Xiao Han’s Maomao?”

Gu Yihan ignored her and walked over to Maomao, calling softly: “Maomao.”

Maomao looked at Gu Yihan with eyes full of grievance. He stretched out his paw, whimpering from his throat.

Gu Yihan followed the paw with her gaze. It had obvious footprints on it. Feeling distressed, she coldly looked at Mrs. Lin: “You stepped on him. Apologize to Maomao.”

Mrs. Lin was indifferent: “Who asked him to be in the way? You treat this beast like a treasure—what a little brat raising a dog-brat.”

Gu Yihan couldn’t hold back and stepped forward: “Smack!” She slapped Mrs. Lin across the face.

The force was so strong that her own hand hurt. She shook it and said, “Thick-skinned, really.”

Then Gu Yihan deliberately fanned her hand in front of her nose: “You must have gone out right after eating sewage water this morning without rinsing, huh?”

Mrs. Lin was stunned by the sudden slap. The burning pain on her face made her regain her senses: “You little bitch, are you—”

Gu Yihan interrupted her: “Think carefully before you speak. You want me to report you to the Revolutionary Committee because your daughter is messing around.”

Hearing the mention of the Revolutionary Committee, Mrs. Lin fell silent.

Gu Yihan turned to Maomao: “Let’s go home. I wonder which worthless beast stepped on you.”

After a few steps, she turned back and smiled wickedly at Mrs. Lin: “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you—I have a camera and just happened to catch it all.”

“You and different men…” Gu Yihan deliberately gestured with her hand, giving her a look that let her imagination run wild.

Mrs. Lin’s face instantly went pale. Lin Fang, standing nearby, felt a sense of satisfaction seeing her mother’s reaction.

Zhao Ju, standing at the post office door, called out hurriedly as Gu Yihan was about to leave: “Xiao Han!”

Gu Yihan saw her waving and walked over. She whispered mysteriously: “You really took pictures?”

Gu Yihan was frustrated, thinking: “Is that all you care about?” She thought Zhao Ju had something serious to tell her.

Zhao Ju nodded anxiously.

Gu Yihan looked at her, speechless: “It’s fake. Okay, I’ll go home first. We’ll talk later if there’s time.”

The holiday passed quickly. Gu Yihan returned to work, resuming her usual relaxed pace.

The new factory director’s surname was Luo. He was a retired soldier in his forties, and he carried the efficiency and decisiveness of military work.

In just two months, he had identified the flaws in the teams appointed by several deputy directors and removed them, significantly improving the overall efficiency of the machinery factory.

This also caused anxiety among the factory’s leadership.

The Shen Family

When Teacher Shen returned home, she saw her parents sitting on the sofa. She asked: “Dad, Mom, did you urgently call me home for something?”

Seeing her eyes redden, Mrs. Shen immediately got emotional.

Mr. Shen looked at his tall, elegant daughter: “I’ve arranged a marriage for you—with Director Xing of the Revolutionary Committee.”

“Tomorrow, go to the school and submit a marriage report. Get the certificate together with Director Xing.”

Teacher Shen looked at her father in disbelief: “Dad, Director Xing is about your age. You know I—”

Mr. Shen wasn’t in the mood to listen and interrupted: “Don’t you know your own age? If you delay any longer, even Director Xing won’t want you.”

Mrs. Shen grabbed her husband’s arm, choked up, and said: “Old Shen, she’s only 25. Director Xing could be her father. You’re ruining her!”

Mr. Shen shook off her hand, his gaze cold as he looked at Mrs. Shen: “Think about Zixin. Do you want to see our son’s future destroyed?”

Teacher Shen saw the light in her mother’s eyes dim. At this moment, she realized her mother had chosen her brother over her.

Panic rose in Teacher Shen’s heart, but she forced herself to stay calm and looked at her father: “Dad, did something happen at home that requires Director Xing of the Revolutionary Committee?”

Mr. Shen didn’t hide it. He told her about how he and some factory people had been reselling steel illegally.

Teacher Shen looked at her father in horror and screamed: “Dad! How could you do this? You’re undermining socialism!”

Mr. Shen’s eyes were sharp as he sneered at her: “The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the things you use—aren’t they all the best?”

Teacher Shen was so frightened by her father’s gaze that she took a step back.

Mr. Shen suddenly stood up and said to her: “The family has a TV, refrigerator, bicycle, and everyone has an imported watch.”

He advanced toward her step by step, full of pressure. Teacher Shen stood frozen, unable to move.

Seeing his daughter’s fear, Mr. Shen turned to Mrs. Shen with a mocking look: “You eat my food, drink my water, and you’ve been working for years—how much have you given me?”