boyutpedia Chapter 34 Post Office Confrontation and a Game Within a Game
Chapter 34 Post Office Confrontation and a Game Within a Game
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Sha Zhu opened his eyes. He hadn't slept all night, and his eyes were bloodshot.
His first thought was that he was worried about his younger sister, He Yushui. Yushui was in her final year of junior high school, preparing for her vocational school entrance exam. She usually lived at school, sometimes coming home once a week, sometimes once every two weeks. Yesterday, Sunday, she didn't come home, and he didn't know if she had enough money and food coupons. The thought of money immediately brought to mind Yi Zhonghai's hypocritical face and despicable behavior, making him grit his teeth and clench his fists until they cracked.
He took a deep breath, rummaged through the depths of the cabinet, pulled out his household registration booklet, and carefully tucked it into his pocket. With a gloomy face, he walked out of the house and, as he passed the front yard, happened to meet Lin Yan, who seemed to have just finished washing up and was standing at the door.
Their eyes met briefly in mid-air. Sha Zhu felt that the other's eyes seemed exceptionally deep, as if something had silently imprinted itself into his mind. A thought became clear: "We should wait until the police officers are off duty before having them come to the yard to arrest him... in public..."
The thought came abruptly, yet it felt perfectly natural, as if it were his own idea.
"Brother Zhu, so early, off to work?" Lin Yan greeted him with his usual harmless, weak smile.
"Ah... um, something came up." Sha Zhu replied absentmindedly, and without stopping, hurriedly left the courtyard gate.
Instead of going directly to the post office, he went to the steel rolling mill first, found the canteen manager, and bluntly asked for a day off. The manager saw that he looked unwell, but didn't ask any questions and approved the leave slip.
Then, Sha Zhu practically ran all the way to the post office just as it opened for business, and rushed inside.
He found an empty counter, slammed his household registration booklet on it, and spoke to Liu Xiaomei, the female staff member inside, his voice hoarse but trying to remain calm:
"Hello, comrade. My name is He Yuzhu, and I live at No. 95, Nanluoguxiang. My father's name is He Daqing. He... he went to work in another city a few years ago. At that time, I was only 16 years old, and my younger sister He Yushui was only 6 years old."
At this point, Sha Zhu's eyes involuntarily reddened, and his voice choked with emotion: "For so many years, I haven't received a single letter from my father. I always thought he didn't want us anymore. I raised my younger sister little by little, relying on my meager apprenticeship wages, later working in the factory canteen, and even picking up trash..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and continued, "But yesterday, I heard that my father has not only been sending letters all these years, but he's also been sending us money every month! Yet, I haven't seen a single penny in all these years! Comrade, I've brought my household registration book; please help me check and verify if this is true!"
Upon hearing this, the staff at the counter simultaneously felt a chill run down their spines! Oh no! If this were verified, it would be a serious operational error, or even dereliction of duty! The post office would become infamous throughout the entire system!
Liu Xiaomei realized the seriousness of the situation and knew she couldn't handle it herself; she had to report it immediately. She took Sha Zhu's household registration booklet and said gravely, "Comrade, please don't worry. Let me check the records for you first. Please wait a moment."
She quickly found the delivery records and remittance slips for No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. As she turned the pages, her face grew paler and paler.
She found it quickly! A thick stack of remittance slips!
Holding the yellowed remittance slips, her voice trembling, she pointed them out to Sha Zhu one by one: "Comrade He Yuzhu... indeed... indeed there are remittance records. Your father, He Daqing, started remitting money in July 1951, 10 yuan every month without fail. And every year, in March and November, he would send an extra 10 yuan... Over the years, the accumulated amount is... more than 900 yuan..."
She pointed to the signature in the "Recipient" column at the bottom of the remittance slip and said with difficulty, "All...all the remittance slips have the recipient listed as...Yi Zhonghai."
boom--!
Sha Zhu felt his mind go blank. Although he had been mentally prepared, hearing and seeing this irrefutable evidence firsthand, along with the immense shock and the long-overdue grievances, instantly shattered the mental defenses of this tough man. Tears could no longer be held back and streamed down his face like a burst dam.
So... Dad hadn't abandoned them! He'd been sending money all along! He even remembered his and Yushui's birthdays! That extra 20 yuan was the only birthday gift he and his sister ever received! But all of it was swallowed up by that hypocrite, Yi Zhonghai!
Seeing Sha Zhu crying silently, Liu Xiaomei felt a pang of sympathy. She quickly came out from behind the counter, invited Sha Zhu to the rest area inside, and poured him a cup of hot water.
"Comrade He, please have some water and calm down. This matter... is quite serious. I've already notified our bureau chief, and he'll be here immediately to handle it and give you a proper explanation!"
Sha Zhu blankly took the water glass and nodded. His mind was in turmoil, but one thought was crystal clear: Yi Zhonghai must not be allowed to get away with this!
The post office manager, surnamed Zhang, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing Liu Xiaomei's report! Such a serious, years-long case of fraudulent claims within his jurisdiction was a major blunder! He realized that this matter was exposed by the victims themselves, a completely different matter from something discovered through internal investigation!
His mind raced, and he instantly devised a "crisis public relations" plan: the post office's responsibility must be minimized, ideally to the point that "the post office discovered the problem itself and actively cooperated with the victim to recover the loss."
Director Zhang hurriedly went downstairs to the lounge, where he first solemnly apologized to Sha Zhu with a pained expression, deeply reflecting on the huge losses and pain caused to him by the negligence in the post office's work.
Then, he immediately picked up the office phone and called the dispatch room, his tone stern but subtle: "Immediately notify Li Changhai, the deliveryman in charge of the Nanluoguxiang area, to come to my office right away! Just say there's an urgent work arrangement, nothing else!" He had to subdue Li Changhai and Yi Zhonghai before they could collude.
He offered Sha Zhu a "solution": "Comrade He Yuzhu, our post office bears undeniable responsibility for this matter. To compensate you for your losses, our post office is willing to pay you 900 yuan as compensation. At the same time, I suggest that a post office staff member accompany you to the police station to report the case! Our post office accuses deliveryman Li Changhai of dereliction of duty, while you accuse Yi Zhonghai of fraud and embezzlement! This way, the incident can be characterized as our post office proactively correcting its mistakes after discovering the problem through self-inspection and actively cooperating with the victim's report, minimizing the negative impact… What do you think?"
As Sha Zhu listened, a chill ran down his spine. Was this the kind of tactic used by people within the system? Trying to absolve the post office of its main responsibility with just a few words, while still managing to gain a reputation for "self-examination and self-correction"? But right now, he only wanted Yi Zhonghai to pay the price; holding the post office accountable was secondary.
He nodded: "I can take the money first, but how you report the case is up to me. I request that the police officers come to our compound to arrest the person after they finish get off work today."
Director Zhang was taken aback, but then realized that the aggrieved party wanted to expose the hypocrite in public. He was naturally happy to cooperate: "No problem! Absolutely! Everything is up to your wishes."
About half an hour later, Li Changhai, the postman responsible for delivering mail in Nanluoguxiang, rushed into the director's office, panting and looking completely bewildered. Upon entering, he saw the unfamiliar face of Sha Zhu sitting there and, assuming he was a guest of the director, tried to leave with a forced smile.
"Li Changhai! Come in!" Director Zhang shouted coldly.
Li Changhai's heart skipped a beat. He quickly came in and cautiously asked, "Director, you wanted to see me?"
Director Zhang didn't waste any words with him, directly slamming the remittance slips in front of him and demanding sternly, "Were all these remittance slips from He Daqing at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang to He Yuzhu handled by you? Why is Yi Zhonghai listed as the recipient on all of them?! Why has Comrade He Yuzhu never received any of them?!"
When Li Changhai saw the lists and then the murderous look in Sha Zhu's eyes, he instantly turned pale and his legs went weak! He cursed Yi Zhonghai a thousand times in his mind, but he didn't think at all about the greed he felt when he accepted the benefits.
Under Director Zhang's relentless questioning, Li Changhai's psychological defenses quickly crumbled, and he confessed everything with a mournful face:
It turned out that he always delivered letters and money orders around 4:30 pm on Saturdays. The first time he received He Daqing's letter and money order, Yi Zhonghai happened to see him. Yi Zhonghai immediately offered to receive and "check" the letter on his behalf, claiming to be the "liaison officer" of the hospital and needing to check for any "suspicious mail." He said he would pass it on to He Yuzhu after checking it and finding nothing wrong. He even gave him two yuan as a "service fee" and told him to deliver it at this fixed time from then on, as no one would be at the hospital at other times.
And so this "habit" continued year after year. And the extra "hardship fee" never stopped.
"Brother He! Big Brother He! I was wrong! I didn't mean to! I was deceived by that old bastard Yi Zhonghai! I really didn't know he didn't give you the money!" Li Changhai knelt down in front of Sha Zhu with a thud, confessing with tears streaming down his face.
Director Zhang watched this scene with a cold smile. Now they realize they're wrong? Too late! He needed just such an "example" to demonstrate the post office's determination and strength in handling problems!
Without saying a word, he immediately called for men to gag Li Changhai with a rag, tie him up tightly with a rope, and drag him to an empty room to keep him under close guard.
"Comrade He Yuzhu, I'll have someone collect the compensation from the finance department right now. As soon as it's time to leave work, we'll take Li Changhai to the police station to file a report!" Director Zhang said to He Yuzhu, his tone resolute.
A storm targeting Yi Zhonghai was already brewing within the post office, waiting to sweep through the entire No. 95 Nanluoguxiang courtyard at sunset. Sha Zhu clenched his fists, sitting in his office waiting for that moment to arrive.