Chapter 42: Hand Over Half Your Salary

Lin Zhiguo reached out to grab Tongtong, intending to teach her a “lesson.”

“Let’s see who dares lay a hand on her!”

An icy, furious shout came from the doorway.

Everyone turned to see Gu Yanbin, Liu Zhenjun, and several military officers from the ward earlier, all standing at the entrance with grim expressions. Clearly, they had heard every word just spoken!

Lin Zhiguo was terrified out of his wits, his face instantly paling: “C-Commander Gu… Commander Liu… I… I was just disciplining the child…”

“Disciplining the child?” Commander Liu sneered, his gaze sweeping over the messy room and Lin Jiaojiao wearing Tongtong’s dress. “Teaching her to pick locks? Teaching her to steal others’ belongings?”

Gu Yanbin also stepped forward, picking up the furious little girl and soothingly patting her tousled head.

Then he turned a cold gaze toward Deputy Battalion Commander Lin and spoke frostily: “You said you bought it with your money? Ha!”

Pointing at the scattered dresses and clothes on the floor, as well as the dress stained by Lin Jiaojiao, he said with disgust: “These… and that pink dress in her wardrobe—I bought them all for my daughter!”

Liu Zhenjun’s face darkened as if it could drip water: “And many of the snacks were given to Tongtong by my mother and our family. So, Deputy Battalion Commander Lin, can your money buy things from my household?”

Neighbors watching the commotion also chimed in.

“I gave those biscuits to Tongtong!”

“The fruit drops were from me!”

“I saw that snowflake cream was brought by Wanqin herself…”

It seemed… Lin Zhiguo had never bought anything for the mother and daughter.

Liu Lan, still fuming, spat out viciously: “Pah! Lin Zhiguo! Have some shame! Your measly salary every month went to raising someone else’s wife and children. My sister Wanqin never benefited from you at all, and now you have the nerve to bring people here to cause trouble!”

Lin Zhiguo was left speechless, cold sweat pouring down his forehead, wishing he could vanish into the ground.

He stammered with difficulty: “City life is expensive… I don’t have that much money. They should just be sent back to the countryside…”

Just then, Tongtong burst into loud sobs.

She cried as if her heart were breaking, her little body trembling with each sob.

Her pitiful appearance was utterly heart-wrenching: “Wah… Daddy is bad! Daddy only likes my cousins!”

“In the countryside, Mommy worked all day. Tongtong had to cook, feed the chickens, gather firewood when she was only three, and even carry Grandma’s chamber pot at night… We never had enough to eat or wear…”

“Daddy bought new clothes for my cousins in the city, bought them tin stationery boxes, took them to restaurants… Wuwu… Tongtong has been here so long, and Daddy never bought me even a piece of candy… Now he even wants to take things others gave Tongtong… Wah… Tongtong is a poor little unwanted child…”

Between sobs, she poured out her grievances, her small voice trembling but every word clear and distinct.

She laid bare all the hardships she had endured in the countryside and Lin Zhiguo’s blatant favoritism.

Everyone listened with pity and sighed, their gazes toward Lin Zhiguo filled with contempt and disdain.

Gu Yanbin and Liu Zhenjun’s expressions grew even more terrifyingly dark.

Lin Zhiguo’s face completely fell. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he could only muster a stern rebuke: “Stop crying! What nonsense are you spouting! Daddy… Daddy was just…”

He wanted to defend himself but had no grounds to do so.

After all, everything she said was true.

Shen Wei stood nearby, anxiously glaring.

Lin Zhiguo had no choice but to try to coax Tongtong: “Tongtong, be good. It’s Daddy’s fault. Daddy was wrong. Daddy will definitely make it up to you properly in the future.”

Tongtong sniffled, raising her tear-streaked little face: “Does Daddy really know he was wrong?”

Meeting her large, watery eyes, Lin Zhiguo inexplicably felt a sense of foreboding.

That damned feeling from last time when she asked for the bankbook was back!

Then he saw the little girl, as if greatly encouraged, sob and cry: “Then… then from now on, Daddy’s salary goes to Mom! You can’t spend it on unrelated people anymore!”

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at Shen Wei.

Shen Wei was the first to jump out: “How can that be!” After saying it, she realized her reaction was too intense.

She quickly tugged at Lin Zhiguo’s clothes, urging him to say something.

Under pressure, Lin Zhiguo spoke with difficulty: “Tongtong, it’s not that Daddy doesn’t want to give the money to your mom. It’s just that Daddy promised to help your eldest uncle take care of your aunt and them. Living in the city is expensive. We can’t just watch your cousins starve, can we?”

Tongtong tilted her head: “Then why not send them back to the countryside?”

Lin Zhiguo choked on his words.

Shen Wei trembled with anger, her gaze venomous.

This little bitch! How dare she!

Gu Yanbin frowned, subtly blocking her line of sight, and said coldly: “Shen Wei! If you glare at my daughter with those eyes again, I’ll gouge them out!”

Shen Wei was startled and quickly averted her gaze, reverting to her pitiful, wronged expression.

“Commander Gu… I didn’t!”

Gu Yanbin snorted coldly, not bothering to engage with her. He turned to Lin Zhiguo and said sternly: “The military naturally won’t stand by when it comes to the children of martyrs. The state provides a subsidy every month. Lin Zhiguo, helping relatives is not an excuse for you to shirk your responsibility to provide for your own family!”

Tongtong immediately covered her face and wailed again: “Wah… Daddy lied! Daddy’s salary doesn’t support Tongtong and Mom… Last time, he even took someone else out to eat…”

Liu Zhenjun’s gaze shot toward Lin Zhiguo like icy daggers.

He knew this matter best; the old lady had told him everything that happened that day.

He never expected Lin Zhiguo to remain unrepentant even after receiving a disciplinary warning.

Lin Zhiguo felt like he was being roasted over a fire, breaking out in a cold sweat from fear. He didn’t dare hesitate any longer and quickly said: “Okay, okay! Daddy will definitely provide for you from now on! My salary… half of my salary will go to your mom!”

Anyway, once the salary reached him in the future, how he distributed it would still be up to him.

He had to get through this immediate crisis first!

Tongtong’s crying stopped abruptly, her little face serious. “Words are not proof! We need Uncle and Godfather as witnesses! From now on, when the finance officer issues the salary, send Daddy’s half directly to Mom! It can’t go through Daddy’s hands! Otherwise, Daddy will definitely give it to someone else again!”

Lin Zhiguo gritted his teeth in anger, but under the murderous gazes of the two chiefs, he could only swallow his rage and agree through clenched teeth: “…Fine! We’ll do as Tongtong says!”

Shen Wei, standing to the side, turned green with fury, wishing she could tear Tongtong apart.

“And one more thing!” Tongtong pointed inside the room: “Pack up all the things! Restore everything to how it was! And they have to pay for everything they broke! My dress! Take it off!”

Lin Jiaojiao, frightened, quickly took off the soiled pink dress.

Gu Yanbin glanced at it and directly threw it into the trash bin, saying coldly: “It’s been stained with something dirty. We don’t want it anymore! Godfather will buy you a new one!”

Lin Jiaojiao felt deeply humiliated and burst into tears with a loud wail.

Shen Wei was so furious that her vision went dark.

In the end, after Lin Zhiguo and Shen Wei, looking utterly disgraced, cleaned up the mess and even paid fifty yuan as compensation, the farce finally came to a temporary end.