Gu Xiao stood frozen in place.
He had been corresponding with Wang Gebi for many years, considering her a kindred spirit.
When he came to visit Wang Gebi this time, he saw a woman not yet sixty, with snow-white hair, skeletal thin, sitting behind iron bars. She looked at him with tears in her eyes, saying she wanted to become a nun and dedicate her life to praying for Su Wen's blessing.
She also mentioned that her elder daughter had unfortunately contracted syphilis, and begged him to take her to Singapore for treatment.
She added that her younger daughter could barely make ends meet, living meal to meal, and pleaded with him to take her to Singapore as well.
Gu Xiao agreed to everything at the time, even promising to help secure Wang Gebi's release from prison so she could manage the temple properties Su Wen had left behind.
He truly believed she was Su Wen's closest friend.
But Yan Zhao's words now completely demolished everything Gu Xiao had believed in just a few sentences.
If Wang Gebi wasn't Su Wen's friend, if what Yan Zhao said was true - that she had even switched Su Wen's medicine - then all his years of effort had not only failed to help Su Wen but may have actually made her living conditions even worse.
Yan Zhao had said too much; Gu Xiao couldn't process it all at once.
He tried to pull away, but Yan Zhao kept holding his hand firmly and continued: "In my mother's later years, after copying Buddhist scriptures for so long, her handwriting lost the sharpness of her youth. If you'd like, I can show you her real will, and what her current handwriting looks like."
Once, when they were young, Yan Zhao was just a child while Gu Xiao was a tall adult.
Now, that child had grown into a man, standing tall and straight, imposing in stature.
The once-vigorous man had become elderly, stooped and thin.
Gu Xiao not only disliked Yan Zhao but harbored a particularly deep prejudice against him.
Twenty years ago, after Yan Xing's death, he was detained by the Revolutionary Committee and hung up and beaten. The guard was Yan Sanye, so Su Wen had begged Yan Sanye to secretly release him, as he had planned to take Su Wen away at that time.
By then, Su Wen's mind was already confused - one moment crying over Yan Xing, the next fearing her husband would kill her, then asking what would happen to Gu Xiao after he escaped. So Gu Xiao described to her the wonderful life in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, repeatedly promising that he had the means to make money once they escaped, and that with money would come good days ahead. If she went with him, she wouldn't have to worry about being killed by her husband or continue living in such hardship.
He coaxed her all the way to the train station, where a coal train was roaring past. If they could just get on that train, whether she wanted to leave or not, she would have to go with him.
But just as he had climbed onto the train and reached out his hand to pull Su Wen up, Yan Zhao called out "Mother" from behind. Su Wen immediately broke free from his grip, ran back, and held Yan Zhao tightly.
No matter how much Gu Xiao called out to her, she never looked back.
That single cry of "Mother" from Yan Zhao brought Su Wen back, but also sealed her fate for twenty lonely years to come.
How could Gu Xiao possibly feel kindly toward him?
He was a filial son, utterly devoted, but it was precisely this complete filial piety that had ruined Su Wen's life.
Yet he would never understand or comprehend Gu Xiao's feelings. Even now he was saying: "My father misunderstood my mother for twenty years with his subjective assumptions and arbitrary judgments, and I have never forgiven him. Professor Gu, you consider yourself someone who understands my mother, not just superficially but deeply, you think of yourself as a rare confidant in her life - how could you even misidentify her will?"
Turning back, he said to Yan Dongxue: "Dongxue, open the box and take out my mother's things." After a pause, seeing Gu Xiao not only pale but trembling all over, he added, "Take Professor Gu to the provincial hospital, he needs medical attention now."
One of the assistants from Singapore supported Gu Xiao and said to Yan Zhao: "Mr. Yan, please don't worry. I am Professor Gu's personal physician, I will take care of him."
The old gentleman having his own personal physician indeed meant Yan Zhao didn't need to worry.
At this moment, Yan Zhao was being particularly aggressive, reaching his hand out toward Yan Dongxue.
Yan Dongxue, who was indeed afraid of her stern-faced brother, promptly opened the box and handed over several land use certificates and Su Wen's supposed 'will' to Yan Zhao.
Prejudice blinds people, and blindness leads to arrogance.
Since Gu Xiao now knew everything, Yan Zhao said nothing more.
Giving him time to think, now they should examine their mother's belongings.
Watching Xiong Dapao's polished Crown car drive away, Yan Wei eagerly took the land use certificates from Yan Zhao's hands and began examining them.
One was for the Qingliang Temple in the city, another for the Longyuan Temple not far from Yanguan Village, and the third was for the Lotus Temple. On all three land use certificates, Su Wen's name was indeed signed with flourishing calligraphy, identical to Yan Peihen's handwriting.
This was it - these were the assets Su Wen had accumulated throughout her life.
They had no real economic value, as you couldn't charge Buddha for money, and their ultimate destiny would be either self-preservation or donation to the National Religious Affairs Bureau.
They would only be useful if the temples faced demolition or renovation, but they would never be about money.
They were wealth that could never be converted into currency.
But as Yan Wei looked back at the nunnery embraced by the gentle autumn night wind, his heart suddenly felt incredibly warm. In his lifetime, he had finally touched something of his mother - she was like the gentle autumn breeze. He had thought she had left no trace, thought she must hate this unfilial son from heaven above. But now he discovered she was everywhere, enveloping him - lost, heartbroken, and destitute - in this vast world.
So perhaps she had forgiven him after all? Forgiven this destitute, pitiful child of hers who struggled to survive in adversity?
But there was still one question: who had given these to Wang Gebi?
Wang Gebi was in the capital while Su Wen was in Yanguan Village; they had never met. As for the temple properties, even Yan Zhao didn't know about them, so how did Wang Gebi know?
After thinking for a long while, Yan Wei suddenly looked up at Yan Zhao and blurted out: "Big Brother, it must have been First Brother who did it."
First Brother Yan Jun had gone abroad in '82, and he was the only one who had returned to Yanguan Village that year. Looking at the application date on the land certificates, it was exactly 1982.
Could it be that it coincided with the time for certificate renewal, and Su Wen had given her original documents to Yan Jun to exchange them, but Yan Jun took the old certificates and gave the new ones to Wang Gebi?
Seeing Yan Zhao's silence, Yan Wei sighed and said: "First Brother wanted to go abroad, but Father strongly disagreed and wouldn't let him go. It was Wang Gebi who helped him get Commander Tao at the consulate to arrange for his official overseas assignment."
Yan Jun's relationship with Wang Gebi wasn't particularly good, and he was very proud and arrogant, the type who looked down on everyone.
But when it came to going abroad, that was different. The Cultural Revolution had just ended, and people were desperate to go to America. Yan Jun and his wife were especially keen, frantically searching for connections to secure that official overseas funding.
Could it be that Yan Jun had given the certificates to Wang Gebi in exchange for help going abroad?
The temple properties might not generate income, but they were Su Wen's life's wealth.
For Yan Jun to give them to Wang Gebi - wouldn't that make him truly unfilial?
Yan Wei was trembling now.
He thought he had been unfilial enough, but never imagined his eldest brother could be even more heartless and conscienceless.
In comparison, Yan Zhao was much calmer: "You should call Big Brother first before jumping to conclusions."
Even though their eldest brother had remained abroad, and his occasional letters couldn't hide his pride in how he and his children had fully integrated into American life as American youth.
But without concrete evidence, Yan Zhao was unwilling to believe that Yan Jun had given the certificates to Wang Gebi.
However, for their eldest brother to know about Su Wen's temple properties and not tell his younger siblings - that was truly the behavior of an ungrateful wolf.
Late at night, under the moonlight, Yan Wei kept trying to start the car, but like an exhausted old dog, it would roar a few times before dying out again. Well, not only was the air conditioning broken, now it wouldn't even start.
Yan Zhao and his wife had already driven away. Yan Wei slammed his fist on the steering wheel and cursed, "Damn it!"
Then, burying his head on the steering wheel, he began to sob along with the sudden roar of the engine.
They were miserable enough, but no, there were even more miserable ones.
Zhou Xueqin was the last to leave the temple. By now the buses had stopped running. She stood alone, shivering with her arms crossed, thinking about how pitiful these people were, all because of money.
...
When the couple returned home, the courtyard gate was locked from the inside. As Chen Meilan reached out to knock, Yan Zhao gestured for her not to. He stepped back, kicked off the wall, and leaped into the courtyard. As soon as he entered, he heard giggles coming from Yuanyuan's bedroom. Yan Zhao quietly opened the door, signaling Chen Meilan to tread lightly. Just as they reached Yuanyuan's bedroom door, they heard Little Wang's deliberately hushed boasting: "God of Gamblers is great enough, right? And there's also All for the Winner. You think All for the Winner is good? No, God of Gamblers Returns is even better..."
But before he could finish, Chen Meilan's intentional cough announced their presence, startling Little Wang.
Yan Zhao waited by one window while Little Wang scrambled out through another, hopping and skipping back to his own room.
Chen Meilan held back Yan Zhao, who was about to rush to Little Wang's room, saying, "Yuanyuan just got back, what's wrong with the kids playing together?"
"Little Wang has been to the video hall," Yan Zhao said.
Children going to video halls was a serious matter. Normal movies weren't a problem, but there was always the risk of adult content being shown.
Little Wang was only ten years old, and not only had he gone to the video hall himself, but from his tone, he wanted to take the younger ones too. How could Yan Zhao's hand not itch to discipline him?
"I promise I'll handle this. Don't go hitting the child again," Chen Meilan blocked Yan Zhao.
It was just a visit to the video hall - she could handle it. She didn't understand why Yan Zhao was getting so worked up.
Back in the bedroom, Yan Zhao threw several certificates on the table.
It hadn't been appropriate to discuss family matters in front of others earlier.
That's why Yan Wei had kept mentioning Yan Jun, but Yan Zhao hadn't said a word.
"Could it really have been your older brother who gave them to Wang Gebi?" Chen Meilan finally ventured to ask.
Yan Zhao explained, "The procedure for transferring certificates is to first send them to the police station, then to the Land Bureau. There's another possibility - the certificates could have been switched at the Land Bureau."
In Yan Zhao's mind, there was yet another possibility: the executed Mi De might have used his connections at the Land Bureau directly. After the certificates were sent there, knowing Su Wen was unconscious, Mi De simply didn't return them but had them taken through his connections at the Land Bureau.
The Land Bureau was at the municipal leadership level - who would dare to do something so bold?
Looking at the bigger picture, the country had only recently opened up commercial building construction and sales. Land was supposed to be allocated through bidding to developers who wanted to build. If Land Bureau officials could arbitrarily transfer other people's land use certificates, what was stopping them from secretly operating behind closed doors and giving prime land to their own relatives and family members?
And thinking even further, there always seemed to be several leaders at the provincial and municipal levels sending reports up the chain, constantly watching and criticizing Yan Zhao.
So perhaps it was these same leaders who were always reporting on him who had quietly taken the certificates.
Following this line of thinking, if they could find out who had secretly taken the certificates, they could discover who was constantly sending reports up the chain and finding ways to make trouble for Yan Zhao at work.
"Time for bed, come on," Chen Meilan said, turning down Yan Zhao's covers and patting them.
Yan Zhao had just closed the certificates when he turned to look at Chen Meilan, hesitating: "Didn't you say you'd sleep with me?"
"One night was enough. From now on, let's sleep separately," Chen Meilan said softly, still patting the bedding.
Yan Zhao felt this wasn't right: "That won't work. I still need to use your connections with them for a while longer."
Hadn't she said that whoever wanted to use her connections had to sleep with her?
Rationally speaking, Chen Meilan shouldn't have too many emotions about this. After all, she only wanted to raise the children with Yan Zhao, just like her previous marriages with Yan Xishan and Lu Jingyu - she shouldn't expect too much from him.
But the impact of the ex-wife was too great.
And the phrase "developing feelings at work" made Chen Meilan uncomfortable just thinking about it.
If it were Yan Xishan or Lu Jingyu, she would have dismissed them as a worthless couple and not cared at all.
But looking at Yan Zhao's fair, attractive muscles and his confused expression, Chen Meilan just felt uneasy: "Go sleep by yourself. Don't you find it hard to control yourself when you sleep next to me?"
Yan Zhao directly grabbed another quilt and threw it on top of the cabinet. Stripping down to just his tank top and shorts, he lifted the covers and climbed in, countering: "If I can't control myself, why should I try?"
This man - could he be any more shameless?
And with such a righteous expression too, as if he were sacrificing himself for official business, forced to sleep in her bed.
Chen Meilan really wanted to grab his ear, just like Yuanyuan scratching Little Wang, and make him howl in pain.
...
Early the next morning, Yan Zhao had to go to the First Division to meet with Gu Xiao again.
He still carried those certificates, apparently choosing to believe that Wang Gebi had directly manipulated things at the Land Bureau.
It was time to investigate this matter at the Land Bureau.
As soon as Yan Zhao left, Cui Min called.
"Meilan, something's not right. Last night, Gu Xiao stayed at our hotel, but as soon as he checked in, his female assistant threw several magazines out of the bedroom, and I heard they're leaving today?" Cui Min said.
The situation was indeed concerning.
Chen Meilan hadn't anticipated one thing: Gu Xiao had originally been driven away by Chinese military men, and had failed in his attempt to steal a Chinese soldier's wife. He hated Chinese military men the most.
So all her previous efforts had been in vain. Emotionally speaking, it was almost impossible to get Gu Xiao to invest in a military factory.
Those two film magazines were the only things that could currently change his mind about investing in her business.
But Yan Dongxue had taken them away right from under Gu Xiao's nose.
"What should we do? They're leaving today. How about this - I'll call you later, and we'll wait at the hotel to stop him. We'll tell him about our difficulties directly. Even if we have to beg for an investment - after all, he wronged your mother-in-law back then, so it wouldn't be too much to ask for his support," Cui Min suggested.
On this point, Chen Meilan disagreed.
Though Gu Xiao said he was leaving, she felt certain he would stay.
Seeking investment wasn't like being a country bumpkin visiting a grand mansion, relying on others' pity for handouts.
Investment was a win-win business arrangement. Before meeting Gu Xiao, Chen Meilan had only wanted 700,000 yuan, but after meeting him and observing his two assistants' manner of speech and dress, she could tell that asking the old man for a few million would be easy.
In business, especially for a large factory like 271, the more capital available, the larger the market that could be developed, and the more money could be made. Chen Meilan now wanted one million yuan, and he could invest in more than one place. With China's current development prospects being so promising, Gu Xiao's investment would be profitable all around.
She wanted Gu Xiao to stay of his own accord and, setting emotions aside, make a large investment in Xiping City.
Thinking of this, she said, "Don't worry, Sister Cui. Oh, and please tell the hotel staff to take good care of the food - we don't want any problems with Old Master Gu's health."
"But his assistant said they're leaving today," Cui Min said.
Chen Meilan said decisively, "They won't. Don't worry, he'll definitely come looking for me."
"You're something else! Why would he come looking for you? I've seen that old man - he's quite handsome. He probably wouldn't be interested in women like us," Cui Min said half-jokingly.
Chen Meilan just laughed and hung up the phone.
Why would he come?
Because yesterday Chen Meilan had personally told Gu Xiao that she was the only person who had had a deep conversation with Su Wen before his death.
If he truly loved Su Wen, he would definitely come to find her.
So Chen Meilan wasn't worried at all.
Today, the children finally went to school. Since she didn't have to go to work, Chen Meilan decided to wash all the clothes that Yuanyuan brought back from Northern Shaanxi. While checking through the little girl's luggage, she found a cassette tape labeled "Beautiful People, Sweet Songs - Yan Shengnan Folk Song Collection."
The tape must have been recorded by the production crew for Yuanyuan, and it even had Yuanyuan's photo on it.
Well, she might as well play the tape in the radio while cleaning.
The first song was the one Yuanyuan sang when she first arrived: "Flowers all over the sky, clouds all over the sky, fine sifting for gold yields half a basket of sand." The song felt strangely familiar, and Chen Meilan particularly enjoyed listening to it.
Just as she started cleaning, someone knocked on the door.
Surprisingly, standing at the door were Xiong Dapao and Yan Dongping.
Their combination seemed a bit odd, but it wasn't hard to understand - after all, Xiong Dapao was also a private entrepreneur looking to attract investment.
And he had chosen to build connections through Yan Dongping.
But what was Yan Dongping? A heavy opium smoker with a strong smell of opium about him.
Gu Xiao, an old fox who had done business in Southeast Asia for decades, had seen all sorts of people - would he be impressed by an opium addict like Yan Dongping?
So even though the investor had ridden in Xiong Dapao's car last night.
Reportedly, right after getting out of the car, Gu Xiao had tactfully told Yan Dongxue to tell her brother not to come again today.
Thus, not only Zhou Xueqin and Chen Meilan, but Yan Wei's group had also hit a wall.
Xiong Dapao, who had tried to win with an unexpected move, had his car used by Gu Xiao, but getting investment was impossible.
However, something strange was happening - Xiong Dapao, known for his cannon-like voice that could make people temporarily lose their voice, had not said a word since entering.
"Meilan, things aren't looking good. Old Mr. Gu doesn't seem to have any intention of investing in our Xiping City," Yan Dongping said, getting straight to the point.
He had hoped to help Zhou Xueqin and Xiong Dapao secure investment and get some commission.
But Gu Xiao wasn't giving him any chance at all.
Looking worried, he continued, "The old gentleman plans to sit at your house for a while today, then return to the capital, and then back to Singapore. What should we do? We came to see if you had any way to make him stay."
"What to do? We'll deal with whatever comes our way," Chen Meilan said while making tea for both of them, then asked Xiong Dapao, "Mr. Xiong, why aren't you speaking?"
Xiong Dapao had fair skin and looked particularly young. Though already in his early thirties, he looked like a young man just like Xue Ming. When anxious, his face would turn pink, but he still wouldn't speak.
Chen Meilan thought he was trying to be proper by not speaking to her while Yan Zhao wasn't present, so she handed him a cup of tea, saying, "Well, have some tea then?"
Xiong Dapao's eyes were as wide as brass bells. He suddenly gave Chen Meilan a thumbs up but still didn't speak. Yan Dongping looked at him and said, "Mr. Xiong means that no matter what, you must make Old Mr. Gu stay."
Could it be that Xiong Dapao had fallen ill, become mute? Would that beloved cannon-like voice be gone forever?
"I'll definitely keep him here. Have some tea," Chen Meilan said.
Another thumbs up, and Xiong Dapao moved closer to Chen Meilan, nodding vigorously.
Just then, the courtyard gate opened, and Yan Zhao strode in. Upon seeing Xiong Dapao and Yan Dongping, his brows furrowed, his eyes asking: Why are they here?
Chen Meilan thought Xiong Dapao would finally speak when he saw Yan Zhao, but he remained silent.
So Yan Dongping repeated to Yan Zhao what he had just told Chen Meilan.
Yan Zhao nodded and asked Xiong Dapao, "What's wrong with you, gone mute?"
Xiong Dapao both nodded and shook his head, alternating between giving thumbs up and making various gestures, waving his arms and legs about.
Yan Zhao didn't know what had happened to his friend, so he set that aside for the moment and handed Chen Meilan a book: "Gu Xiao went to rest at the hotel and gave me this for you to read. He said he wants to come to our house this afternoon to talk with you, but he requires you to read this book first."
Actually, Gu Xiao had also said that if Meilan spoke sincerely during their conversation, he would consider investing some money, but the prerequisite was that she must read this book first.
It was quite novel - the investor wanted to chat with her but required her to read a book first.
Xiong Dapao and Yan Dongping immediately crowded around, eager to see what book it was.
The ancient saying that books contain both beauty and gold wasn't wrong - could reading this book really lead to money?
Concerned about the investor, Xiong Dapao, quick as lightning, had already snatched the book from Yan Zhao's hands.
Chen Meilan hadn't even seen what book it was yet: "Mr. Xiong, how could you? Give me the book."
"Dapao, hand over the book," Yan Zhao said as well.
Xiong Dapao kept slapping the book with his large hand, frantically flipping through it, refusing to return it.
Chen Meilan snatched it back from Xiong Dapao's hands, and when she first looked at it, she immediately understood Gu Xiao's meaning.
It was a book in traditional Chinese characters, titled "The Bridges of Madison County." She wasn't very familiar with traditional characters, and the book was quite thick. She couldn't finish reading it today, but after briefly flipping through it, Chen Meilan knew what this book was.
This book would later be made into a movie, and quite a famous one at that.
It was called "The Bridges of Madison County."
Thus, Chen Meilan also knew what Gu Xiao wanted to discuss with her.
"The Bridges of Madison County" was a story about extramarital affairs.
The male and female leads meet by chance while both are married, develop a deeply moving love affair, then return to their separate ways and their ordinary lives. After the male lead's death, he is cremated and his ashes are sent to the female lead.
After the movie's release, the most debated topic among viewers was whether the female lead would have lived a happier life if she had abandoned her loveless marriage and beloved children to go with the male lead.
Gu Xiao wanted to discuss "The Bridges of Madison County" with her because, at least in his view, Su Wen would have been happier if she had gone with him.
That was his life's greatest regret.
The reason he said he wanted to meet Chen Meilan alone wasn't to ask questions, but to convince her to admit that Su Wen would have lived a happier life if she had gone with him.
Wasn't this asking her to implicitly admit that her mother-in-law had an affair with him?
Wasn't this slandering Su Wen?
And what was his actual attitude toward Wang Gebi? Would he still help get him out of prison?
Fortunately, Yan Zhao hadn't read this book and didn't know its plot, otherwise, he might have been furious.
Though he was their lifesaver, he was now turning against them. Chen Meilan had no desire to discuss "The Bridges of Madison County" with him. When he came later, she would need to help him clear his head.
Xiong Dapao, hoping to secure investment, though unable to speak, was passionately scratching his head in frustration, wishing he could telepathically transmit his thoughts to Chen Meilan.
Yan Dongping stood with his hands on his hips, also wiping sweat.
Yan Zhao finally couldn't bear it anymore and grabbed Xiong Dapao's shoulder, asking, "What's really wrong with you?"
Xiong Dapao pulled out his mobile phone from his waist, slowly pressed it against his face, then pointed at it, before putting it back in his belt.
It was at this moment that Chen Meilan finally understood what had happened to Xiong Dapao.
The first generation of mobile phones had very strong electromagnetic radiation. If someone spent too long on calls, the radiation would paralyze the facial nerves, causing tooth pain and facial paralysis, making it impossible to open one's mouth.
The thirty-thousand-yuan mobile phone that had made Xiong Dapao the most prestigious person in all of Xiping City had now betrayed him.
It had rendered him unable to open his mouth and secure investment when the investor arrived.
...
As a side note.
Among all the businessmen in Xiping City, Yan Xishan was the calmest after Gu Xiao's arrival.
He had abundant cash flow, plenty of money, and his coal mines were bringing in fortune daily. Not only was he acquiring small coal mines everywhere, but under Chen Meilan's planning, he was installing safety production and coal washing facilities with each acquisition. The high-quality coal was selling well, not just nationwide, but now he was also an expert with seven or eight qualification certificates in computers, accounting, and business administration.
Upon hearing that the People's Representative Xiong Dapao had developed facial paralysis from his mobile phone.
Yan Xishan visited forty nouveau riche that day, and over a hundred more the next day.
He spread the news far and wide!
It was said that for several consecutive days, his laughter sounded even more terrifying than a donkey's bray.
