The reason Chen Meilan knew about Su Wen's three temples was as follows.
After Chen Meilan married Yan Xishan, she initially aimed to live a good life, not minding their poverty or his background. She worked hard to maintain the household and make their life better.
However, because Yan Xishan was such a good-for-nothing scoundrel who spent his days stealing and causing trouble - bringing her stolen watermelons one day, and when questioned, admitting they were stolen; another day bringing her a wool coat, which again turned out to be stolen.
So before giving birth to Yuanyuan, Chen Meilan had considered divorce several times.
But in the early 1980s, it was very difficult for a woman to get divorced.
Though she had these thoughts, she didn't dare tell anyone, because as soon as she would open her mouth, everyone would criticize her.
People would say: So what if Yan Xishan is poor and a bit of a rogue? As a woman, you should endure it and educate him to become a better person - otherwise, you're not a virtuous wife.
Why did everyone love Liu Huifang in "Yearning"? Wasn't it because she could endure hardship and was kind-hearted?
But Chen Meilan couldn't suppress her desire for divorce. Unable to bear it any longer, she had once quietly confided in Su Wen about wanting a divorce. She was really just venting her frustrations, using Su Wen as a sort of confidante.
The old lady listened and immediately said, "Then get divorced! Are you afraid of people gossiping about you?"
People would definitely gossip - both her natal family and in-laws, anyone who knew her would mock her and criticize her behind her back. Chen Meilan could handle that, but her elder brother and sister-in-law were struggling greatly at that time. She couldn't bear to burden them by returning home, afraid she'd have nowhere to go.
"Yes, I'm afraid of gossip, but I'm more afraid of having nowhere to go after divorcing," Chen Meilan admitted honestly.
At that time, Su Wen leaned in close to Chen Meilan and said mysteriously, "Don't worry, you have me. I'll give you a temple."
Since the old lady wasn't entirely lucid and what she said seemed too absurd, Chen Meilan thought she was just talking nonsense and replied with a bitter smile, "I don't want to become a nun. I still want to live a normal life." She wanted to find a good man, get married, and have children.
"You don't have any children, no attachments - what's wrong with becoming a nun? If I wasn't worried about making my son sad, I would have become a nun long ago. I have my own temples, three of them!" Su Wen held up three fingers and said with a smile.
So what seemed like a joke at the time was actually the old lady's truth.
Starting in the 1970s, damaged temples across the country were scheduled for demolition. Some devout Buddhists and Taoists, in order to protect the temples, negotiated with the government to buy the land themselves, protecting it as private property. This way, the temples could be saved from being converted into farmland or burned down.
As a result, many major temples in China were recorded under private ownership at that time, saving them from demolition.
In 1978, when land reform policies were implemented, it was determined that land could not be bought or sold. For those who held land certificates and owned many temple properties, the government resolved the issue by issuing them "Land Use Certificates."
They still legally owned the land, but the Religious Affairs Bureau designated it as temple property under their administration.
Therefore, many temples in China, though situated on mountains as religious sites, aren't necessarily owned by the government or temple management - they might be owned by ordinary individuals.
So when Yuanyuan mentioned divorce, Chen Meilan remembered Su Wen's words and boldly deduced that Su Wen's lifetime wealth consisted of temples.
Su Wen was the holder of temple properties.
Gu Xiao, not knowing Chen Meilan, had to ask, "Who are you?"
"Chen Meilan." Chen Meilan stepped forward, reaching out to support the old man before Yan Dongxue could.
Chen Meilan - Gu Xiao had heard about her from Yan Dongping. According to him, she and her husband Yan Zhao had formed a business-government alliance, using protection to thrive in Xiping City.
Gu Xiao had no good feelings toward Yan Zhao, and even less toward Chen Meilan.
Yet Chen Meilan's question left him speechless.
How did she know something that even Yan Zhao didn't know?
"How did you find out about this?" he asked in return.
"I was the person who talked most with my mother-in-law before she passed away. Why shouldn't I know?" Chen Meilan countered.
Gu Xiao didn't believe her, of course. He had heard that Chen Meilan had only been married to Yan Zhao for two or three years.
Before he could respond, Chen Meilan continued, "Those temples are my mother-in-law's legacy. I'd like to know if Wang Gebi had my mother-in-law's permission when she gave them to you. Also, the Land Use Certificate is issued by the Land Bureau and transferred to the holder through the Police Bureau - it requires the owner's signature. Does the certificate you have bear my mother-in-law's signature?"
Now that she was certain the inheritance involved temples, Chen Meilan wanted to know how Wang Gebi had managed to take possession of them.
The Land Use Certificate in Gu Xiao's possession had been handed to him by Milan under Wang Gebi's instructions.
Faced with Chen Meilan's questioning, Gu Xiao remained remarkably calm, speaking slowly and deliberately: "Ms. Wang Gebi has Su Wen's handwritten letter. I can recognize Su Wen's handwriting, and the letter proves that Su Wen gifted that precious inheritance to Ms. Wang Gebi, who then transferred it to me."
After a pause, he added, "I apologize, but the documents are in my car, and I won't be showing them because you younger generations aren't qualified to inherit this precious legacy."
Actually, Chen Meilan could guess without seeing the documents. The property deeds had likely always been in Su Wen's possession. Being temple property with no commercial value, Su Wen hadn't thought about leaving it to her descendants and had never mentioned it, keeping it to herself.
It would only have come up when the Land Use Certificate needed to be updated.
That must have been when it was transferred to Wang Gebi's possession.
Who exactly had given it to Wang Gebi? She couldn't guess.
But how dangerous - if it weren't for Yuanyuan's casual remark, if it weren't for Chen Meilan's previous conversation with Su Wen about divorce...
Would Wang Gebi have become the nominal owner of the three temples?
But there was a will?
And even Gu Xiao believed it was Su Wen's handwritten will?
How capable was old lady Wang Gebi, to be able to forge a will, and forge it so well that even Gu Xiao believed it was genuine?
It was much more convenient to receive someone in person. When Yan Dongxue arrived, she only brought one suitcase. When Yan Wei heard Gu Xiao say the items were in the car, he turned and left the temple gate, already carrying the suitcase back.
It was a wheeled suitcase, something he had never seen before, so he didn't know how to handle it properly and carried it in his arms instead.
The suitcase was very heavy, and Yan Wei struggled to carry it. Inside the temple, there were steps everywhere, either going up or down. Just as he approached, Yan Wei let out a yelp, and the suitcase crashed to the ground.
First, Yan Dongxue burst into laughter, followed immediately by the other two people who had come with Gu Xiao.
Being refined people, they didn't say anything.
Only Yan Dongping was crude enough to laugh and say, "Yan Wei, really now - your family used to be quite prominent in our Yanguan Village, with your red-blooded father being a big shot in the military in the capital. Isn't Yan Zhao impressive? A force to be reckoned with in Xiping City's police circles. Aren't you impressive too, sitting with the city committee, enjoying public funds, frequenting nightclubs? If you just want to ask Professor Gu for some investment to maintain your current lifestyle, you should be more sincere. I'm sure Professor Gu would give you some money - why are you trying so hard?"
The group naturally divided into sides - those from Singapore stood together on one side.
The Yan Zhao brothers stood together on the other.
It was already nine o'clock at night, and everyone was hungry, their stomachs growling.
Yan Wei looked both anxious and flustered, without any sense of direction, appearing extremely foolish.
Actually, it wasn't about the money. Shamefully, Yan Wei barely remembered what his mother looked like, and he was indeed an unfilial son. Upon hearing that his mother miraculously owned several temples, he desperately wanted to know where these temples were and what they looked like.
All talk of attracting government investment or Singapore businessmen meant nothing compared to those temples that would bring him no wealth or income.
His current busy state was all for his birth mother, Su Wen.
He simply wanted to be closer to the woman who gave birth to him.
But often, the more you rush something, the more likely you are to make a mess of it.
Yan Dongxue's suitcase wasn't just a wheeled one - it was difficult to carry and had a combination lock that couldn't be opened.
The combination lock was something Yan Wei had only heard of but never seen before. After fiddling with it for a moment, he looked up at Yan Dongxue with a pleading expression: "Dongxue, what's the combination?"
Yan Dongxue turned to look at Gu Xiao, her eyes asking whether they should open the suitcase for Yan Zhao's brother.
Gu Xiao appeared to be in poor health - he was very thin and pale, but he was undeniably handsome. In the eyes of older women like Chen Meilan, while Chow Yun-fat was considered handsome, his features weren't particularly delicate, and Andy Lau was good-looking but possessed an aggressive masculinity.
There was a Taiwanese actor called Zhao Wenxuan - if he were a bit older and thinner, he would look very similar to Gu Xiao.
His was the kind of face that women particularly loved - his eyes, nose, and mouth were all flawless, exactly what women found attractive. He had a refined demeanor, but his thin lips suggested someone extremely aloof and difficult to get along with.
"No," he said curtly, just that one word.
"Shall we go straight to the airport then, or stop at a hotel first?" Yan Dongxue asked again.
Gu Xiao glanced at Chen Meilan before saying, "The hotel."
One of the two assistants came to take the suitcase, but couldn't get it back from Yan Wei, so they simply pressed the handle release and wheeled it away right in front of him.
The other assistant handed Gu Xiao his crutch.
Leaning on his crutch and holding onto Yan Dongxue with one hand, Gu Xiao walked alongside Yan Zhao and asked, "You're working at the Jindong Police Station now - is it still at the same old precinct?"
This gentleman had spent three years in Xiping City and was very familiar with the area.
Yan Zhao answered, "Yes."
"The public security is quite good," Gu Xiao commented.
Yan Zhao replied, "Only on the surface. The police force is severely understaffed, and with rural workers flooding into the cities en masse, urban crime rates remain high. Moreover, criminal methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Not just in Xiping City, but across all of China, we're facing severe challenges due to the urbanization process following the Reform and Opening Up policy."
The sudden urbanization process was the pain of this era.
Following behind them, Yan Wei couldn't understand why Yan Zhao was so calm, and why he hadn't shown any curiosity about the temple matters from the beginning.
He could even have a peaceful conversation with Gu Xiao.
This wasn't like Yan Zhao's usual character - hadn't he always been particularly stubborn and deeply resentful of Gu Xiao, unwilling to exchange even a single word with him?
When Gu Xiao needed to climb the steps, he seemed to have rheumatism as his leg was somewhat deformed, making it difficult to climb stairs. Yan Dongxue was struggling to support him alone, and surprisingly, Yan Zhao reached out to help.
Gu Xiao then said, "I heard your wife used your mother's three hundred thousand to buy herself a building, and a military factory, and some of the money went to support her younger daughter in making a TV drama." With a soft sigh, Gu Xiao turned to look at Chen Meilan and added, "Women should all be like her, skilled at spending money."
The same words can have different meanings depending on who says them and how they're said.
After hearing Gu Xiao's words, Chen Meilan immediately turned to look at Yan Dongping.
This fellow was a heavy smoker with brownish-yellow teeth more revolting than tetracycline stains, and he actually grinned, saying, "Well, it's all true, isn't it?"
It was true, but nothing good could come from his foul mouth, making Chen Meilan sound completely worthless.
Yan Zhao could only truthfully answer, "Yes."
After climbing a few steps, Gu Xiao needed to rest, and then said to Yan Zhao, "That money was my gift to your mother, and I have no opinion on how it's used, but personally, what I despise most in life are Chinese soldiers. They appear passionate but are mostly reckless and impulsive, and they've been brainwashed by so-called party spirit - they have party spirit but no humanity."
The implication was that he despised Chinese soldiers the most.
Both Yan Bin and Yan Wei looked at Chen Meilan with sympathetic gazes.
While Gu Xiao wouldn't say anything about her initial investment in Project 271, now that he had clearly expressed his hatred for soldiers, how could she possibly get any more investment from him?
The situation wasn't just bad - it was extremely unfavorable for all of them!
Well, this wasn't receiving a Southeast Asian businessman - this was receiving nothing but disappointment.
From Yan Wei representing the government, to Yan Zhao representing the police force, to Chen Meilan representing the business sector - everything was a complete mess, utterly worthless.
Yet at this moment, Yan Zhao remained as calm as ever.
Facing Gu Xiao, a man who had also wronged his mother, he showed none of the aggressive, unyielding, and unbending spirit he had displayed toward his father. Instead, his quiet and mild manner made Chen Meilan feel as if he had become a different person.
After climbing the steps, he suddenly stopped and gestured for Gu Xiao and the others to wait while he returned to the underground palace entrance.
However, he didn't go into the underground palace but walked to the nearby grove, staring intently at it.
Yan Wei was scratching his head, and Yan Bin lit another cigarette, but suddenly noticed Gu Xiao frowning at Yan Dongping, seemingly very disgusted by him. Realizing that the old gentleman could smell the unpleasant tobacco odor on him, he tactfully extinguished his cigarette and threw it far away.
Chen Meilan followed Yan Zhao's gaze and saw Zhou Xueqin standing in the shadows under the dim streetlights, holding a large stack of papers, exchanging looks with Yan Zhao.
The busy Zhou Xueqin had come along to seek investment.
Gu Xiao was like a piece of fat meat - as soon as he arrived in Xiping City, not only was Yan Wei hovering around trying to secure investment for the government, but Zhou Xueqin, busy making a living, was also trying every way to create opportunities for herself to get money.
It was the pot calling the kettle black - Chen Meilan was the same, seeking investment from Gu Xiao for Project 271 and for those veterans who would threaten to execute her as their commander at the slightest provocation.
The world bustles for profit, and all gather for gain - it was just that simple.
After Yan Zhao glared for a while, Zhou Xueqin retreated back into the grove.
Then Yan Zhao returned to the group.
Everyone continued walking, heading out of the temple.
It had been an eventful day, and Chen Meilan was wearing high heels with thin stilettos. While everyone else had walked ahead, she couldn't move her shoe, which was stuck. When she pulled her foot out, she discovered the heel was caught in a crack between two stone steps.
"Third Brother," she called out.
It was nine o'clock at night, and although the nunnery wasn't closed, there were no more visitors, and there weren't many streetlights - it was dark all around. Chen Meilan hugged herself, standing alone in the darkness, trembling slightly with fear.
By this time, Yan Zhao had reached the main gate, but hearing Chen Meilan's call from afar, he turned back.
Seeing Chen Meilan standing on one foot, he knelt on one knee, gesturing for her to step on his knee while he tried to retrieve her shoe.
As he worked on the shoe, he asked, "About the temple matters, did you hear about them from my mother too?"
How strange it was that they had no connection in the past.
Yet Chen Meilan was the only person who had shared heart-to-heart conversations with Su Wen in her final days.
If Yan Xishan hadn't foolishly gotten divorced, if Zhou Xueqin hadn't frantically insisted on divorce as well.
If they both hadn't been stripped raw by their marriages and stumbled together by chance, Yan Zhao wouldn't have remarried her, wouldn't have been with her.
But it was precisely because of marrying her and becoming husband and wife that Yan Zhao not only changed his own life but also touched something he had never reached before - the desolate, lifetime-lonely heart of his most beloved person, his mother.
Chen Meilan also found it fascinating. Standing on Yan Zhao's foot, she enthusiastically told the story of how her mother-in-law had encouraged her to get divorced and promised to give her a temple.
Under the moonlight, Yan Zhao lowered his head to work on the shoe, suddenly pulled it free, and while kneeling on one knee, looked up at Chen Meilan with a smile. As he listened, he took her foot and slipped it back into the shoe.
Chen Meilan was about to step away, but Yan Zhao still held her foot firmly in his large hand, refusing to let go.
"Thank you, Chen Meilan." After a pause, seeing that Chen Meilan was trying to pull her foot away again, he said, "You know, don't you? To me, to Yan Minglang and Yan Wangqi, you are an especially important person in our lives."
The moonlight filtered out some of Yan Zhao's particularly dark skin tone, and when he smiled, his features were exceptionally handsome.
His smile made Chen Meilan feel somewhat regretful. If only he had worked in an office like Yan Wei, if only his skin hadn't been darkened by the sun, he would have been even more handsome than Yan Wei. Unfortunately, after more than a decade of military service, his skin would never return to its original fairness.
Originally, Chen Meilan hadn't been curious about Yan Zhao's love life in his previous marriage.
But she had to admit, his ex-wife's words had been incredibly impactful.
Just one sentence from her had planted the seed of curiosity in Chen Meilan's mind.
Thinking about how Yan Zhao, such a rigid person who almost never looked at women, could somehow get involved in a workplace romance made Chen Meilan furious, absolutely livid.
But never mind, don't think about it, don't be curious. The old lady needed peace of mind to stay healthy and live a long life.
In her previous life, Chen Meilan had loved two men, both of whom had hurt her deeply. She had never been curious about Yan Xishan and Lu Jingyu, and she absolutely wouldn't be curious about Yan Zhao's romantic affairs.
Gu Xiao and the others had already walked to the temple gate.
A Crown and a Passat were parked outside the temple gate.
Gu Xiao, probably scared by the stuffy car without air conditioning, was now standing directly next to the shiny Crown that Yan Dongping had borrowed, waiting to say goodbye to Yan Zhao.
Yan Dongping seemed quite cheerful but kept yawning. He had a serious smoking addiction, and right now he was probably craving a cigarette. Though he couldn't show it openly, he kept urging Yan Dongxue to hurry Gu Xiao along.
Yan Dongxue was glaring at Yan Dongping, signaling him to behave himself.
A heavy smoker having withdrawals, with his constant yawning and drooling, was incredibly unpleasant.
Gu Xiao was a particularly perceptive person and had already noticed that Yan Dongping was a heavy smoker. He was extremely disgusted by this, and Yan Dongping's current behavior was making things very awkward for Yan Dongxue.
He extended his hand from afar, wanting to shake Yan Zhao's hand: "I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning. Before that, I'll visit the courtyard where we used to live. Will you wait for me?"
"Alright," Yan Zhao said, returning the handshake.
Yan Wei was anxious, and so was Chen Meilan.
In Chen Meilan's opinion, they might not need to discuss investments or the grudge between Su Wen and Wang Gebi, but even if Gu Xiao wouldn't give it up willingly, they should break open the box and find the Land Use Certificate.
Although the temple wouldn't generate any income, it was Su Wen's property. Why should they just let Gu Xiao take it away?
Hadn't Yan Zhao always been meticulous in handling matters, and never let anyone push him around?
What was wrong with him today?
This concerned his mother, yet he was so calm about letting Gu Xiao leave?
He wasn't just being stubborn as a mule, he was being worse than a mule!
Of course, Yan Zhao was still Yan Zhao, and he had his own calculations for everything. Chen Meilan had worried for nothing.
"You and Wang Gebi seem to have been kindred spirits for a long time," Yan Zhao said first.
Gu Xiao leaned on his cane and said, "She was your mother's only confidante and friend."
Yan Zhao followed up immediately: "She once secretly switched my mother's life-saving medicine from the capital for four years. Indeed, they had a long-standing connection. If it hadn't been for her continuous medicine switching, my mother's illness probably would have been cured long ago."
Gu Xiao stood there stunned, as if struck by lightning.
Actually, Wang Gebi's ability to manipulate situations so easily came from exploiting the information gap between the domestic market, the capital, and Xiping City.
Previously, Yan Zhao might have been too proud to discuss this with Gu Xiao, but now he had to continue the conversation: "She also spread rumors tirelessly in the capital about some unspeakable relationship between my mother and you. I ask you, Professor Gu, do you think there was any truth to that?"
The reason Yan Zhao dared to ask this in public was because he was certain there wasn't any truth to it, and he hoped Gu Xiao would deny it in front of him.
But Gu Xiao remained silent, neither confirming nor denying.
He seemed to have been stunned by Yan Zhao's words.
Chen Meilan was silently cheering for her husband, while Yan Wei and Yan Bin's spirits were also lifted.
Sure enough, Yan Zhao gripped Gu Xiao's hand and asked another question: "You say you have my mother's will, and that it was written by her own hand?"
"Then do you know who taught my mother to write?" Yan Zhao asked again.
Gu Xiao immediately replied, "Yan Peiheng. She loved literature and art, enjoyed reading, and had very beautiful handwriting."
Su Wen hadn't attended school as a child, and although she had attended some government literacy classes for a few days, because she was a girl, and in those years the rural attitude was still that 'a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent,' the adults didn't support girls learning to read and write, so she hadn't learned many characters.
It wasn't until after marriage, under Yan Peiheng's fierce instruction and threats, sometimes with storms of anger and sometimes with gentle coaxing and scolding, that she gradually learned to write, stroke by stroke.
Books like "How the Steel Was Tempered" and "The Song of Youth" were all taught to her by Yan Peiheng, character by character.
She was the only woman of her generation in Yanguan Village who could read and write.
Because she had started by tracing Yan Peiheng's characters, her handwriting was flowing and elegant, exactly like Yan Peiheng's.
The so-called 'will' that Gu Xiao received had handwriting that matched Yan Peiheng's exactly.
This was the reason why Gu Xiao had believed the will was genuine.
"Wang Gebi took care of my father in the capital for more than ten years. It would have been very easy for her to imitate my father's handwriting," Yan Zhao said, then added, "I don't even need to see it to guess that your so-called will was written by Wang Gebi, imitating my mother's handwriting."
