Su Xiaotian looked at the scene before her with a bewildered expression, instinctively glancing at the food on her own table.
There were soft pan-fried cakes made of cornmeal mixed with sweet potato flour, a plate of cold-tossed wild vegetables, and a plate of small bok choy from their own field, also cold-tossed.
Additionally, there was a basin of tofu soup, sprinkled with a little vibrant green chopped scallions. It looked good, but there wasn't much oil or richness.
The dinner was perfectly fine.
"May I ask what brings the team leader to my home?" Grandpa Su asked calmly.
"This is Comrade Liu from the commune. Comrade Liu, this is Su Chuan."
"Su Chuan, someone reported to the commune that your family is practicing capitalism. The higher-ups have sent me to investigate."
Comrade Liu looked at the perfectly ordinary meal on the table with a hint of disdain, but his tone remained unyielding.
The girl who had reported them had specifically mentioned that Su Chuan's family raised many chickens and frequently ate chicken meat and eggs.
He had made this trip for nothing; not only was there no chicken meat, but there weren't even any eggs, nor any oily dishes.
Grandpa Su's face instantly darkened: "Team leader, you know better than anyone what kind of life our Su family lives, don't you?"
The team leader found himself in a difficult position. He did know. How could he not?
The Su family had many members, and their food and drink were among the worst in the village.
But the problem was that Comrade Liu from the commune had directly asked him to lead the way as soon as he entered. He couldn't guarantee anything, and even if he did, Comrade Liu wouldn't believe him.
"Team leader, to put it bluntly, if my family living like this is considered capitalism, then besides the families of Laizi Tou and Widow Li, who in the entire brigade isn't? And there are even more in the whole commune."
Grandpa Su's statement was weighty, leaving the team leader speechless.
He could also see that the flatbread in the Su family's meal didn't even contain a bit of white flour, and there was more sweet potato flour than cornmeal. It was even worse than the meals of other families in the village.
Comrade Liu, however, considered the old man before him to be stubborn, daring to use clever words at a time like this.
If something was found later, he would make him understand the consequences.
The team leader kept watching Comrade Liu's expression, seeing the fleeting ferocity on his face, and knew that this matter could not be resolved amicably.
An investigation was necessary.
After all, Hongxin Brigade had hardly found any typical cases in the past two years, and the commune was already very dissatisfied.
If Comrade Liu found any fault this time, he would likely be in trouble.
Grandma Su couldn't hold back any longer and slapped her thighs, crying, "Who heartlessly slandered us? Our old Su family has been honest poor peasants for generations, eight generations of poor peasants! My old man even saved people with his meager savings in the past. How can such a family be slandered?"
Grandma Su's words reminded the team leader. Earlier, the old Su family had received a parcel notification. Although he didn't know what was in the parcel, he heard that the notification was from the provincial capital.
What if...
The team leader dared not imagine. What if it was indeed sent by a high-ranking official? Then his actions today...
Thinking of this, the team leader trembled slightly.
"It's just a routine inspection, Auntie. Please don't be angry. If someone reports it, we have to come, right?" The women's director quickly stepped forward to appease Grandma Su.
Su Changjiu whispered a few words into Comrade Liu's ear, and Comrade Liu's eyes changed.
"Is it that leader from the provincial capital? What's his name?"
"I don't know. I saw the parcel notification, it was sent from the compound."
Comrade Liu pondered for a moment. Sent from the compound? It could be from a leader, or it could be from someone serving in the compound.
"Continue the search!" Comrade Liu finally said.
Grandma Su, though crying, had been paying attention to the situation.
"I also want to report. I report that the person who reported my family is engaging in division, counter-revolution, and slander." Grandma Su immediately retorted.
The team leader was frustrated. What was going on?
Could it be that the situation of Hongxin Brigade, which had been peaceful for so long, was about to be disrupted?
He cursed the person who went to the commune to report them a hundred and twenty times in his heart.
If there was something, why didn't they tell him first? Why go directly to the commune?
Now, Hongxin Brigade would not be an advanced brigade this year, and they had lost face in front of the entire commune.
He vowed to find out who reported them to the commune and deduct their work points.
Comrade Liu was annoyed by Grandma Su's fussing and snapped, "Old woman, don't be unreasonable, or we'll have you arrested first!"
Grandma Su's clamor made him even more convinced that this family had problems, and he intensified his tone, urging those who came with him to begin the search.
At this time, many people from the village were already gathered around, watching the excitement.
The people of Hongxin Brigade were generally very united, which was why the brigade remained peaceful while other places were in turmoil.
Upon hearing that someone had reported the old Su family to the commune, the villagers began to discuss in hushed tones.
Most of the villagers suspected Granny Chang.
After all, Granny Chang was the only one who had recently clashed with the Su family.
Somehow, these words reached Granny Chang.
Granny Chang spat and cursed, "Don't wrongly accuse me. Although I'm not a respectable person, I know some things shouldn't be done."
"Reporting to the commune, is that something a person would do? We all live in the same village, don't we know each other?"
"Capitalism? If the old Su family can eat their fill without worry, that's a blessing. What capitalism is there?"
The crowd listened to Granny Chang and thought she had a point.
Granny Chang was biased towards males and spoke without thinking, but she wasn't a bad person at heart. Such a life-threatening act was not something someone like her would do.
"Who says not? When did such a black-hearted person appear in our village?"
"From now on, we must be careful in our words and actions. If overheard, who knows what will happen."
These words silenced everyone, and some even quietly went home, not daring to watch the excitement anymore.
Watching the excitement was good, but if it came with danger, it wasn't worth it. It was better to go home and eat!
Su Xiaoqin, watching from afar, could barely contain her excitement.
Her eyes sparkled, her hands clenched tightly, and she murmured words that others couldn't hear.
She was so excited that tears were almost falling.
It finally happened, it finally happened. It wasn't in vain that she made that trip.
The commune had sent people. Let's see how Su Changjiu would continue to protect the Su family.
Su Changjiu was useless. In such a good era, he didn't know how to seize opportunities, and he let these bad people live peacefully in the brigade.
She listened intently to the sounds from the Su family's courtyard, wishing she could rush in and help others search the Su family.
The old Su family was in trouble. Let's see what good life Su Xiaotian could still have.
However, she couldn't go. She couldn't.
If she went, everyone would know that she was the one who reported them.