Chapter 5

"Mom, I'm heading out too. Sorry to trouble you with the baby today."

Liang Ying tucked her lunchbox into a cotton cloth, gathered her things in a few quick motions, and spoke.

"All right." He Chunlian came out holding Gu Yousi. "If lunch isn't enough, spend a little money on steamed buns. Don't go hungry."

Liang Ying smiled and agreed.

If there was one thing Liang Ying had never regretted, it was marrying her husband. Outsiders thought everyone in their family was a mess, but she found them all wonderfully considerate.

"Oh, right. What New Year's gifts is your Textile Factory giving out this year?"

Seeing Liang Ying about to leave, He Chunlian asked, "Will there be much?"

Liang Ying stopped. "Probably the same as always. Sunflower seeds, peanuts, candy, that sort of thing. Maybe some cloth coupons at most."

"Cloth coupons would be nice. I'm thinking of making our little one a new outfit for the New Year."

He Chunlian rubbed her cheek against her granddaughter's tiny face.

Gu Yousi froze as a memory struck her. "Mom, Mom! Be careful today. Someone's going to frame you for stealing!"

Liang Ying's mind buzzed.

She instinctively looked at her daughter.

Seeing her mother stop, Gu Yousi hurriedly reached out to be held. If she remembered correctly, someone would hide a television coupon in Liang Ying's locker today, and Liang Ying would be branded a thief.

Gu Yousi had no other way to help. All she could do was try to keep her mother home until the day had passed.

Liang Ying drew a quiet breath.

"Mom, I'd better go," she said.

She stroked her daughter's head, picked up her mesh bag, and went out.

Work at the Textile Factory was anything but easy.

Liang Ying was responsible for tending the weft yarn. The job demanded constant attention and care; otherwise, the yarn's quality would suffer and drag down her team's rating.

By the time they finished the morning's work and headed to the canteen, everyone's stomach was growling.

"Liang Ying, shall we go to the canteen together?"

Bai Xiaoyan walked naturally up beside Liang Ying as she spoke.

Liang Ying smiled and glanced around at the others. "Sure."

"Don't rush off to eat. The factory's handing out New Year's gifts. Pick yours up first," the team leader called.

At the mention of gifts, everyone perked up and forgot their hunger.

The gifts were distributed in an office on the factory's second floor.

Sure enough, they received little more than sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candy.

"Xu Wen, your television coupon." The logistics director handed her a slip of paper.

Everyone turned to look, their eyes bright with interest.

"Thank you, Director." Xu Wen's face flushed as she accepted it with both hands.

Some people praised her; others looked on enviously.

"Xu Wen, you've really done well for yourself."

"So that's a television coupon? I've never seen one. Xu Wen, let us touch it!"

Xu Wen was generous enough to let everyone handle the coupon.

Lin Lianhua touched it with a grin. "Liang Ying, why don't you have a feel? It's a television coupon."

Xu Wen looked at Liang Ying and bit her lip, her expression uneasy and guilty.

"I'm in a hurry to eat. I'd rather not."

Liang Ying gave a faint smile.

Everyone carried their gifts to the changing room before heading to the canteen. Liang Ying declined Bai Xiaoyan's invitation to eat together, saying she needed the bathroom, then secretly returned to the changing room.

The factory let out around four or five that afternoon.

Everyone returned to the changing room to change and collect their gifts.

Suddenly, Xu Wen screamed. She yanked her padded coat out of her locker and rummaged frantically inside.

"What's wrong?" The others immediately crowded around.

Xu Wen turned to face them.

"My t-television coupon! It's gone!"

"Gone?!"

Bai Xiaoyan pushed to the front. "Xu Wen, are you sure? Could you have put it somewhere else?"

"No, no!"

Xu Wen shook her head hard.

Her face had gone pale, all her earlier joy wiped away. Her lips trembled. "I remember putting it under my padded coat. How could it be gone?!"

"Could someone have stolen it?"

Lin Lianhua spoke softly. "I've heard television coupons are worth quite a bit. Someone might have been tempted."

The changing room fell silent.

Expressions varied around the room.

Those with nothing to hide showed no fear, but others looked uncomfortable.

"Lianhua, that's a nasty thing to say. The only people in this changing room are us, and we're all on the same team. Are you saying one of us is a thief?" an older woman demanded angrily.

"Sister Zhao, please don't be upset," Lin Lianhua said. "I'm only guessing. But a television coupon is valuable. If it's missing, we can't just leave it at that."

As she spoke, she looked at Liang Ying. "Don't you think so, Liang Ying?"

The sixth day of being overheard

"You're asking me?"

Liang Ying looked at Lin Lianhua, finding it absurd.

"Of course. Aren't you the most popular one on our team?" Lin Lianhua said. "Tell us what we should do."

Xu Wen looked at Liang Ying, her eyes red.

After a moment's silence, Liang Ying said, "I think everyone on our team is decent. I don't believe any of us would steal. Besides, theft is a crime. If you're caught, you lose your reputation and go to prison."

"All the more reason to investigate properly," Lin Lianhua said. "Who knows whether someone gave in to temptation?"

"I think we should search everyone's lockers and see if it's there."

The women looked from one to another.

No one spoke.

"What's going on? Why haven't you all gone home?" The team leader came in, sensed the tense atmosphere, and asked.

"Good timing. Xu Wen's television coupon is missing, and we were just discussing whether to search the lockers." Lin Lianhua spoke first, taking the team leader's hand and gesturing toward Xu Wen. "Look how worried she is."

The team leader frowned. "Is it really gone?"

Xu Wen said nothing, only nodded through her tears.

After a moment, the team leader asked, "Why did you start talking about searching lockers?"

"Team leader, the changing room is right beside our workshop. We'd have seen any outsider come in. So I wondered if it might be one of us..."

"If it was, we can't let them off lightly. You don't steal from your own team. If someone steals a coworker's coupon today, they'll steal a coworker's money tomorrow."

The team leader's headache only worsened. If one of their own had stolen it, that would be truly disgraceful.

"Go ahead and search. I've nothing to fear," Sister Zhao said gruffly. She opened her locker, pulled out her belongings, and shook them out with a clatter. "You see? Nothing here, right?"

The others opened their lockers too, whether to keep the peace or avoid suspicion.

As everyone searched, Liang Ying alone stood still.

Lin Lianhua looked at her. "Liang Ying, why aren't you searching your locker?"

"Why should I? I know I didn't steal anything!"

Liang Ying's tone was sharp.

Lin Lianhua smiled gently. "If you didn't steal it, you could let someone else check. Come to think of it, you're the most suspicious one here."

Everyone stopped moving.

Xu Wen looked at Liang Ying with reddened eyes. "Do you resent me for taking the factory's outstanding worker award from you?"

"I don't," Liang Ying interrupted. "I was upset before, but that's behind us."

Liang Ying was actually the hardest-working and cleverest person in their workshop. She had originally been slated for the factory's outstanding worker award, but management later said her class background was bad and gave it to Xu Wen instead.

Though the country had spent years correcting past wrongs, Liang Ying's family had still not been rehabilitated. She remained the daughter of a capitalist.

"That's what you say. Who knows what you really think?" someone muttered.

"Liang Ying, if you're innocent, open it and let us look," Lin Lianhua said sweetly, though her words were anything but kind. "Otherwise, people will only start wondering."

"Exactly. We've all searched. Why should you be the exception?"

"She's acting so cagey. What if she really did take it?"

Those who usually got along with Liang Ying found it hard to speak up. A few who disliked her, however, were quick with their insinuations.

Liang Ying's face darkened. "I'll let you search. But if you find nothing, Lin Lianhua, will you all apologize to me?"

"If we find nothing, of course we will!" Lin Lianhua said without hesitation.

Liang Ying turned to the team leader. "You heard that. Please be our witness."

The team leader nodded.

Liang Ying went to her locker and took everything out. She shook out her padded coat, then removed the lunchbox from her mesh bag and opened it for everyone to see.

They inspected each item.

Liang Ying turned out her pockets with a scornful look. "Check my pockets too. See anything? Anything at all?"

Lin Lianhua's expression shifted. She shot Bai Xiaoyan a bewildered, uneasy glance.

But Bai Xiaoyan was even more shocked.

I put it in there myself. How could it be gone?

"All right. Comrade Liang is clearly innocent. Apologize to her," the team leader said sternly, looking around the room.

In truth, the team leader had never approved of searching the lockers. Suspecting their own people over the missing television coupon and making everyone submit to a search would damage the trust between them.

But once everyone had started, it had been difficult to stop them.

"S-sorry."

The women exchanged awkward glances and mumbled their apologies.

Xu Wen wiped at her tears in panic. "What am I supposed to do? The coupon's just gone. My mother-in-law will kill me when I get home."

Television coupons were hard to come by in those days. Unless you were in management, an ordinary worker had to beg everyone they knew to get one.

The team leader frowned. Liang Ying said, "Xu Wen, don't cry yet. There are still two lockers we haven't searched. Everyone else was treated the same, so Lin Lianhua and Xiaoyan shouldn't be exceptions."

With a smile on her lips, Liang Ying looked at the two of them.

Something about that smile made Lin Lianhua's heart lurch.

"That's right. Open your lockers too!" Xu Wen finally realized, looking eagerly at Lin Lianhua and Bai Xiaoyan.

A moment ago, Lin Lianhua would not have been worried at all.

But the television coupon that should have been in Liang Ying's locker was gone, and now Liang Ying had suddenly said this. Lin Lianhua couldn't help feeling uneasy.

"Lianhua, everyone else has shown us their lockers. Let us see yours too," the team leader said.

Everyone looked at Lin Lianhua. Sister Zhao said, "Exactly. You were the one who first suggested checking lockers. Why are you dragging your feet now?"

Lin Lianhua's palms were slick with cold sweat.

Forcing a smile, she gripped her locker door. "There's nothing much inside."

"Why all the fuss?" Sister Zhao snapped. She pulled the door open herself. Lin Lianhua's heart leaped into her throat, but then she heard Sister Zhao say, "Oh, Lianhua, this padded coat of yours is far too thin."

Lin Lianhua blinked. Sister Zhao shook out the coat, its patches layered over patches, then handed it back with a look of distaste. "Why isn't there a lunchbox in your locker?"

"I—I'm not hungry."

Naturally, Lin Lianhua couldn't say that her mother-in-law had packed her only two coarse buns. She hardly needed an aluminum lunchbox for those.

Liang Ying knew the reason but said nothing. Instead, she looked at Bai Xiaoyan. "Xiaoyan, only yours is left."

Bai Xiaoyan thought nothing of it and flung her locker open. "What could be in mine? See for yourselves."

The locker door banged open.

The changing room went silent for a beat.

In full view of everyone, a television coupon lay beneath Bai Xiaoyan's lunchbox.

"That's my coupon!"

Xu Wen rushed forward, picked it up, and examined it carefully. "Yes, it's mine."

Everyone froze.

Bai Xiaoyan opened her mouth. Only then did she seem to grasp what had happened, and she waved her hands frantically. "It wasn't me! It wasn't me! How could the television coupon be in