Chapter 108: Eight Years, a Total of 8,220 Yuan

So, Grandma wanted to go to the post office herself to ask whether Dad and Mom had really sent them money. She even gave him the household registration book.

Qin Tian’s feelings were complicated. If Sister Gu’s guess was right, then Uncle De...

Qin Tian’s small hand instinctively clenched into a fist.

He still remembered his parents. Over these eight years, besides missing them, Qin Tian couldn’t deny that he also felt some resentment—especially when Grandma was sick, or when the three of them faced hardships and could barely get by. At those times, he truly resented his parents.

Why, after giving birth to him and his sister, did they just leave them behind?

Why could they abandon Grandma, who was already so old?

Back then, his parents had held him when he was two and said they would come back.

But eight years had passed, and they still hadn’t returned—not even a single word from them.

Sometimes, Qin Tian was afraid—afraid that he might never see his parents again for the rest of his life.

But now, things seemed a little different.

If—if his parents really had been sending them money all these years, then they hadn’t truly abandoned them.

But... was that possible?

And what about Uncle De? He had always treated them so well. Did he really pocket the money his parents sent?

Qin Tian stared out the window, his eyes full of confusion.

Half an hour later, the car slowly stopped in front of the post office.

Because of the weather, there weren’t many people at the post office.

Sheng Zexi took Qin Tian’s small hand and walked over.

At the counter was a young woman named Chen Fang.

When Chen Fang saw Sheng Zexi’s face, she was momentarily stunned by his looks. But when she noticed his olive-green military uniform, she immediately straightened up with respect.

She knew there was a Northwest Military District garrison nearby—perhaps this soldier was from there.

Chen Fang quickly stood up. “Comrade soldier, are you here to send a letter or...?”

Sheng Zexi handed over Qin Tian’s household registration book. “Comrade, this is my friend’s child. My friend and his wife are state employees working in a confidential position. They haven’t been back for eight years.”

“I’d like you to check if they’ve sent any money home during that time.”

So that’s how it was.

Chen Fang took the booklet. “Please wait a moment, comrade. I’ll check for you.”

Soon, Chen Fang had the results.

“Comrade soldier, I found that Qin Zhihong and Bai Wei have indeed been sending money home. They’ve sent money every month for the past eight years.”

Hearing this, Qin Tian’s face turned pale, and his eyes reddened.

Sheng Zexi’s expression darkened as well. Ningning’s guess had been right.

Chen Fang was surprised and puzzled by their reactions.

Sheng Zexi asked, “Can you check how much was sent each month, and what the total amount is?”

Chen Fang nodded, a bit dazed.

Her instincts told her something was wrong here.

“It shows here that eight years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Qin Zhihong started sending money home every month. At first, it was 70 yuan per month for three years, totaling 2,520 yuan. Starting from the fourth year, it was 95 yuan per month for five years, totaling 5,700 yuan. Altogether, over eight years, that’s 8,220 yuan.”

8,220 yuan—in this era, while not astronomical, was still a huge sum.

Back then, some rural families might only save up a hundred yuan in an entire year.

Sheng Zexi snorted coldly in his heart. “8,220 yuan, is that right? But as the children and mother of Qin Zhihong and his wife, in these eight years, they haven’t received a single cent.”

Chen Fang’s eyes widened in shock. “How could that be? The records show the money was collected by relatives every month, with signatures.”

Sheng Zexi said coldly, “Neither the two children nor the mother of Qin Zhihong ever received any money. They didn’t even know that Qin Zhihong and his wife were sending money home.”

“They never authorized any other relatives to collect it, either.”

“So, who exactly are these so-called ‘relatives’?”

“Do you know what kind of life Qin Zhihong’s two children and elderly mother have been living these past eight years? They’ve nearly starved or died from illness.”

“Qin Zhihong and his wife work for the country, sacrificing their family for everyone else. If they come back and find out the money they sent for their children and mother was stolen by someone else, while their loved ones suffered—how heartbroken do you think they’ll be?”

“Can you bear the responsibility for this?”

“Waaah...” Qin Tian couldn’t hold back his grief any longer and burst into tears.

Chen Fang was startled by both Qin Tian’s crying and Sheng Zexi’s questioning.

“This—this wasn’t authorized by me. I—I’ll go get the manager.”

Soon, Chen Fang left, and shortly after, a middle-aged man arrived.

When he saw Sheng Zexi’s military uniform and the crying Qin Tian, his expression turned serious.

“What happened? Tell me quickly.”

Chen Fang hurriedly explained and showed him the records.

After hearing everything, the man’s face turned completely dark.

“Who authorized the previous pickups?”

“All done by Lu Ping.”

“Where’s Lu Ping?”

“He’s off today, not here.”

The manager gritted his teeth. Lu Ping had really gotten him into trouble this time.

He didn’t need to investigate further—he could already guess what had happened.

Lu Ping must have colluded with someone to steal the Qin family’s money.

Damn Lu Ping! If Qin Zhihong and his wife really were working in confidential positions for the state and had been gone for eight years, their work must be extremely important.

Weren’t they afraid that the Qin couple would come back and settle accounts with them?

How could they dare!

And now, they’d even provoked a military officer. Judging by the uniform, if he wasn’t mistaken, this man was at least a battalion commander.

So young and already a battalion commander—his future was limitless. Besides, he’d heard that people from the military district fiercely protected their own.

No, this matter had to be handled seriously.

The manager quickly explained the situation to Sheng Zexi, then said, “Comrade soldier, this was indeed a mistake by someone at our post office. How would you like to proceed?”

Sheng Zexi’s face was grim. He spat out, “Of course, we’ll call the police.”

The manager gritted his teeth. “Alright, let’s call the police.”

Over 8,000 yuan—there was no way not to report it. He knew that once the police were involved, not only would Lu Ping be arrested, but he himself, as the manager, would also be held responsible for poor supervision.

But at this moment, he hated Lu Ping and whoever else was involved in the theft.

So, the manager, Sheng Zexi, and Qin Tian headed to the police station together.

When the police heard what happened, and that the victims were the family of state confidential workers, and the amount involved was a staggering 8,000 yuan, they knew this was a major case.

The police immediately sprang into action..."