Chapter 502 - 172: The ’80s Drama Queen is Forced to Become a Top Student (7)
Chapter 502: Chapter 172: The ’80s Drama Queen is Forced to Become a Top Student (7)
Xiao Xuezhen and Ren Xingchen would have been only too happy for Sheng Leyun to get lost. After a single glance, they got on their bicycles and rode away.
Once the two were out of sight, Sheng Leyun turned and left.
The day before, she had gotten some information from Grandma Gu. Family members of soldiers from a disbanded unit seeking assistance needed to go to the local armed forces department.
This was the district center under the Capital City’s jurisdiction. A walk of about ten minutes brought a row of beautiful red buildings into view.
"Where are your parents, little girl?"
The gate guard, seeing Sheng Leyun try to enter, poked his head out of his window and asked.
Sheng Leyun’s lower lip trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red. "My daddy died a hero saving someone, and my mommy got remarried. I... I came to ask if the organization can find someone to take me in."
The gate guard noticed the little girl was dressed decently, but even though it wasn’t yet June, her small face already showed the distinct signs of a severe sunburn.
"What’s really going on?" he couldn’t help but ask.
Rubbing her eyes, Sheng Leyun quietly explained, "Yesterday, Mr. Xiao brought us to the Capital City. I heard from a neighbor, a grandma, that my daddy was a hero and that there’s supposed to be a large sum of compensation money."
"My mommy only remarried because she had no money and couldn’t survive. But last night, he beat her until she was screaming. I felt so bad for her, so I came to ask about this."
"My daddy’s gone, and I don’t want to live in someone else’s house. It’s my mommy’s home now, not mine..."
"And I don’t like them..."
The gate guard said quickly, "Don’t cry, little girl. I’ll take you to see a director right now."
With that, he said a word to another colleague and led Sheng Leyun to an office on the first floor.
"Director Zhuo, this child is the dependent of a martyr. She says they never received the compensation we issued." The guard seemed to have a good relationship with the director, as he got straight to the point. "She and her mother were forced to start a new family just to get by."
Director Zhuo quickly invited Sheng Leyun to sit down and asked for more details.
The moment he heard her father’s name was Sheng Xibao, Director Zhuo paused. "You’re Comrade Sheng’s daughter?"
Sheng Leyun nodded. "That’s right. I’m my daddy’s only child."
Director Zhuo looked at her with pity, his eyes full of compassion. "You’ve been through so much, child. I knew Comrade Sheng. He was an exceptionally fine comrade who worked with our unit in the past."
"He died a hero’s death saving a comrade-in-arms. We were all deeply saddened when we heard the news, and we even collected donations for his family through his comrades. It may not have been a huge amount, but many people contributed. You didn’t receive that either?"
’Seeing Sheng Leyun show up like this, looking so pitiful and as if she hadn’t been well-cared-for since coming from the countryside, he was certain she hadn’t received the compensation. But for even the funds his comrades raised for Sheng Xibao not to have reached his wife and daughter... that was more than just outrageous; it was pure greed!’
Director Zhuo called for the clerk from the adjacent records room and asked them to pull the file on the original compensation payment.
With the year, name, and unit provided, Sheng Xibao’s file was quickly located.
Director Zhuo took the file and examined it carefully. He discovered that the entire process had been handled by Sheng Xibao’s partner at the time, Xiao Xuezhen. Furthermore, the file included a signed letter of authorization from Ren Xingchen.
He placed the file in front of Sheng Leyun. Fearing she was too young to understand, he explained everything step-by-step. "The disbursement process for the compensation followed all the proper procedures."
’As for where the money actually went, and how much there was,’ he suspected, ’only Xiao Xuezhen would know!’
Sheng Leyun looked over and sighed inwardly. ’Just as I thought. The original owner of this body never went to school, so now I’m completely illiterate. The neat lines of characters seemed to stare back at me, but I couldn’t recognize a single one.’
"Uncle, could you read it to me, please?" Sheng Leyun asked earnestly.
Director Zhuo wasn’t usually busy, so he agreed and quickly read through it for her.
The compensation was a one-time, lump-sum payment. Based on Sheng Xibao’s rank, his next of kin were entitled to one thousand yuan. On top of that, his comrades-in-arms had raised over three hundred yuan more. That donation had also been recorded by the armed forces department, which acted as an intermediary for his unit’s leadership at the time.
Sheng Leyun now had a clear picture of the situation. "Thank you, sir. I’ll go home and ask my mommy if she ever received this money."
Director Zhuo nodded. "That’s right. There can be no mistake about this. This is the last bit of security Comrade Sheng could provide for you and your mother. If anyone dared to embezzle this money, you come find Uncle Zhuo again."
"I promise I’ll get justice for you and your dad!"
In truth, the moment he heard that Xiao Xuezhen and Ren Xingchen had married, combined with the sight of Sheng Leyun’s worried little face, he had already pieced most of it together.
After thanking him gratefully one more time, Sheng Leyun slowly made her way back.