After speaking, Jiang Si handed over the list. "Director Qi, Captain Ma hasn’t left yet. It’s best he takes a look at this list too."
She was afraid he might not get another chance later.
Director Qi waved it off. "No need. I trust Comrade Jiang. Let’s proceed as you suggested."
"Better not. He should see it now, so he can’t later claim our Jiang family framed him."
Seeing Jiang Si’s firm stance, Deputy Director Li didn’t wait for Director Qi’s approval and had Captain Ma brought back from the vehicle.
Months had passed since the incident, and the items had been moved by subordinates. Captain Ma barely remembered any of it.
But one thing was clear in his mind—the more he’d taken, the heavier his charges would be.
The moment he saw the list, Captain Ma immediately started arguing.
Jiang Si arched an eyebrow but said nothing.
Director Qi, however, wore an expression of utter embarrassment. "Enough! Shut your mouth!"
After Captain Ma’s outburst today, the Red Committee had lost all face, inside and out.
Once both men fell silent, Jiang Si produced a receipt for furniture purchases—something she’d found in her scoundrel father’s room when she emptied the house earlier.
"The furniture receipt is here. It shows the original prices and dates. Compare it with what’s left in the house now, and we’ll see who’s lying."
As she finished speaking, Uncle Zhong brought out his ledger.
He had a habit of keeping accounts, meticulously recording every missing item, when it was taken, and its value.
With these two pieces of evidence, Ma Changxing’s earlier hysterics became nothing but a joke.
Time was running short, so Jiang Si cut to the chase. "If there are no objections about the items, let’s discuss compensation now."
The confiscated furniture had already been sent to the secondhand market. Retrieving them now was nearly impossible.
As for clothes and bedding—once used by others, Jiang Si wouldn’t take them back even if returned.
Director Qi understood her meaning. "Then we’ll convert everything to cash. It’ll be simpler that way."
Jiang Si nodded and began clacking away on an abacus.
The bulk of the losses came from furniture, totaling over 2,000 yuan. Clothes added another 1,000 or so.
Including miscellaneous items, the final sum exceeded 5,000 yuan.
To prevent future disputes, Jiang Si swiftly drafted a compensation agreement.
"Director Qi, take a look. If everything’s in order, sign here."
In this era, 5,000 yuan was a staggering amount. Jiang Si had braced herself for haggling.
To her surprise, Director Qi signed without a word of protest.
Next, Director Hu and Deputy Director Li added their signatures as witnesses.
"The money will be delivered tomorrow morning," Director Qi assured.
Jiang Si nodded. "Also, the pits dug in the yard—please arrange for workers to restore them tomorrow."
She wasn’t about to clean up their mess.
At this point, Director Qi couldn’t refuse. "Of course."
Glancing at his watch, he stood. "Comrade Jiang, shall we call it a day?"
Just then, Jiang Si fixed him with a serious look. "Director Qi, my husband and I will return to Qiongzhou Island in a few days. I hope your people won’t empty our house again the moment we leave."
"Absolutely not!" Director Qi hastily waved his hands.
Only a fool would step into the same trap twice.
"Good."
With that, Jiang Si calmly retrieved a photo frame from her bag—a gift from her mother-in-law.
"Looting our home is one thing, but losing these photos would be far worse."
Director Qi didn’t think much of it—until he saw the faces in the photo.
That… wasn’t that the Vice Premier?
And from the looks of it, the Vice Premier had officiated their wedding!
Noticing Director Qi’s stunned silence, the others in the room turned to look.
Their expressions shifted from shock to something beyond words.
But this was only the beginning.
Jiang Si then produced a family portrait, followed by a photo of her grandfather standing among high-ranking leaders.
The house might lack many things, but photo frames weren’t one of them.
Taking in their reactions, Jiang Si allowed herself a small, satisfied smile.
They say humility is virtuous, and she’d once believed it too.
Yet experience proved that humility earned no respect—only further disrespect.
Honestly, the feeling of having powerful backing wasn’t half bad.
Perhaps because she’d revealed her hand, Director Qi’s attitude toward her did a complete turnaround.
What was supposed to be a subordinate delivering the money the next day became Director Qi arriving in person.
By morning, Red Committee workers had restored the Jiang residence to pristine condition—filled pits, relaid bricks, everything.
Before leaving, Director Qi handed Jiang Si a "Class Component Reassessment Notice" issued by the Red Committee.
Seeing the words "Red Capitalist" stamped on the document, Jiang Si couldn’t help but feel bitterly amused.
Before, they’d refused to acknowledge it no matter how much her family pleaded.
Now, after just a glimpse of those photos, they’d handed it over willingly.
Still, irony aside, Jiang Si carefully stored the notice.
With this, at least the Jiang family could enjoy some peace in the coming years.
With matters settled, Huo Tingzhou arranged for the house’s paperwork.
Meanwhile, Jiang Si moved with Third Uncle to his suburban property.
Since they’d return to Qiongzhou Island soon, packing in advance was wise.
Yet barely three days after relocating, Deputy Director Li came knocking.
Jiang Si welcomed him inside and served tea.
Deputy Director Li accepted it with a smile. "So this is where you moved to. Took me quite some effort to find you."
"Looking for me?" Jiang Si was puzzled. "Did something happen with Captain Ma’s case?"
"No, no." He shook his head.
Strangely enough, Ma Changxing had been defiant during initial interrogations, refusing to speak.
Only after a family visit did he start confessing.
After summarizing this, Deputy Director Li explained his purpose.
"According to Ma Changxing, the false accusations about you hiding contraband—and those repeated searches—were all based on tips from Shen Xiuwen."
"We’ve already detained Shen Xiuwen for questioning."
Knowing they’d severed ties, Deputy Director Li still felt she should know.
"Jiang Si, I came to share two updates."
"Go ahead." She listened attentively.
Deputy Director Li glanced at her and said, "The first piece of news is that if Shen Xiuwen is sentenced, his prison term will likely be around ten years."
Jiang Si thought to herself, That’s great news!
If she weren’t worried about startling Deputy Director Li, she would have clapped in celebration.
Deputy Director Li continued, "The second piece of news is that Shen Xiuwen has been on a hunger strike for two days in detention."
A hunger strike?
Jiang Si was puzzled. "What does that have to do with me?"
As it turned out, it had everything to do with her. Deputy Director Li said, "Shen Xiuwen has only one demand for ending his hunger strike—he wants to see you."
