Actually, Hu Xiaohua had been hanging around the train station for so long that he should have known it was just a cheap chain, but he was only fooling himself and trying to deceive Chen Meilan, wanting her to believe he was doing well.
He wanted to use this method to drive Chen Meilan away, to stop her from questioning him.
But now, he couldn't hide it anymore!
Jim had been pushed into the car by Chen Meilan.
Hu Xiaohua lowered his head, puffing continuously on his cigarette.
Yan Peiheng, seeing that Chen Meilan wasn't leaving, rolled down the window and asked, "Meilan, why aren't you leaving yet?"
"Dad, I want to talk with Xiaohua a bit more. You all go ahead first," Chen Meilan said.
Ever since Hu Xiaohua left 271, Yan Peiheng couldn't even stand the sight of him, but Food Factory 81 definitely had its issues. As Commander Liu's subordinate, Yan Peiheng couldn't investigate directly. Clearly, Meilan could handle Hu Xiaohua, so he'd let her ask the questions.
So he signaled Secretary Mao to drive away with the children.
As soon as the car left, Hu Xiaohua slapped himself hard across the face.
After a pause, another slap came, followed by several more in quick succession, leaving himself dizzy. He then slowly crouched down on the curb.
Chen Meilan had a Jianlibao drink in her bag that she'd just bought on the way but hadn't drunk yet. She handed it to Hu Xiaohua, "I haven't tried it yet. Have some if you're thirsty?"
It seemed there could only be one explanation: something had happened, and Hu Xiaohua felt guilty and couldn't face her.
But regardless of what it was, directly pressuring him wouldn't get answers. She had to let him tell her himself.
As for Commander Liu and his wife treating him like a son-in-law, Chen Meilan didn't believe it at all. Using such a crude gold chain bought from a train as a family heirloom proved they weren't even trying hard to deceive him.
It was July, and the sun hung in the sky like a fireball. At two in the afternoon, the ground seemed about to melt from the heat. Chen Meilan, trying to look fashionable, wore high heels, and her feet were nearly burning on the asphalt surface.
It was still siesta time, and this street had no shops. There wasn't a single person around, nor any trees for shade. Under the scorching sun, sweat rapidly beaded on Hu Xiaohua's forehead, gathering at his brows before streaming down like tears.
After a long silence, Hu Xiaohua finally said, "Sister-in-law, when I first arrived, Liu Jingjing paid special attention to me, always hanging around me, and eventually she fell for me. I could tell she really liked me then."
Liu Jingjing was a young woman just over twenty who had a thing for mature men.
Xue Mingfang was eight years older than her, and she had pursued him the same way initially - being clingy and making a fuss. But later, when she realized she had genuine feelings for him, she started giving gifts, finding excuses to meet, and actively pursuing him until they became a couple.
But that was just a young girl's momentary impulse. As soon as Xue Mingfang was discharged from the military and took off his uniform, Liu Jingjing immediately turned against him. Chen Meilan guessed she liked Hu Xiaohua because he was tall, well-built, and notably always wore a suit and tie.
If Xue Mingfang had fulfilled Liu Jingjing's military uniform fantasy, then Hu Xiaohua fulfilled her suit fantasy.
She remained silent, continuing to listen to Hu Xiaohua.
"But recently, she's been complaining about my age, constantly making a fuss about breaking up with me. Madam Liu and Zhang Xiangming gave me a gold chain, saying it was a family heirloom, and assured me they would convince Jingjing to marry me eventually," Hu Xiaohua continued.
Chen Meilan thought that Commander Liu's family was probably counting on Liu Jingjing's temperamental nature, knowing her enthusiasm for someone only lasted briefly and that trying to control her would only make things worse. So they just let her be - after all, she was just a young girl with passing fancies.
When she was in love, she'd walk through fire for someone, but when she fell out of love, even a knife to her throat couldn't make her care.
As for that gold chain, it was just fake merchandise sold by scammers on trains.
Madam Liu knew that Hu Xiaohua was uneducated and from the countryside, which was why they tried to fool him with such a gold chain.
Otherwise, they would have at least bought a fake antique from Pan Family Garden.
Hu Xiaohua knew this, but he couldn't face it. He wanted to keep believing in this dream that the commander's daughter, who was more than ten years his junior, had fallen for him. He didn't want the illusion shattered.
But something had happened the previous week that made Hu Xiaohua stop calling. It must have been something significant enough to shake even someone like him, who typically had little regard for laws and thick skin.
That's why he didn't dare call her anymore.
Sure enough, after much hesitation, Hu Xiaohua stammered and finally said, "Sister-in-law, I have something to give you. Don't ask me where it came from. Take it home and place it before Aunt Su Wen's shrine."
He then pulled out a jade pendant from his pocket and handed it to Chen Meilan.
When Chen Meilan first saw the pendant, she noticed it was a Guanyin figure. Turning it over, she saw the faint characters "Su Wen" engraved on it, and immediately exclaimed, "Isn't this my mother-in-law's?"
"A few days ago, I went to deliver rice to Zhang Xiangming's mother and saw her wearing this. I recognized it as Aunt Su Wen's, so I stole it," Hu Xiaohua said, holding the pendant. "Sister-in-law, you know, I once stole this from Aunt Su Wen before, sold it outside for two boxes of cookies. Later, my third brother found it and brought it back, even engraved those characters on the back. Look, those characters 'Su Wen' were carved by my third brother."
In this world, there must be many identical pieces of jewelry.
Especially things like jade and pendants.
But Su Wen had a Guanyin jade pendant that her mother had given her, which she always wore.
And Hu Xiaohua had once stolen it from Su Wen and sold it for money.
At that time, Yan Zhao searched many places and asked many people before finding the pendant and discovering who had stolen it. When he caught Hu Xiaohua, he wanted to beat him.
Not only did Su Wen stop Yan Zhao from beating him, but she also used the family's last bit of refined oil to make Hu Xiaohua a golden-brown scallion flatbread.
She repeatedly persuaded Yan Zhao, saying Hu Xiaohua only stole because he was hungry.
Poor child, he shouldn't be beaten.
Hu Xiaohua was eight years old then. His father had just died, and his mother had taken up with a lame man, clinging to him to find food for her children, but they were always either starving or barely fed, never knowing where their next meal would come from.
That was his first time eating bread with oil.
People's hearts are made of flesh after all.
Hu Xiaohua had little integrity when it came to work, doing whatever Zhang Xiangming told him to do.
When asked to introduce Gu Xiao, he did so without hesitation.
Even when the milk powder factory had many irregular operations that Chen Meilan would never have allowed if she knew, Hu Xiaohua saw it all but didn't care, because all he cared about was making money.
But as someone from Yanguan Village, when he learned that Yan Jun had given away Su Wen's temple property, couldn't he figure out that this item must have been given to Liu Peng along with the temple property?
Su Wen, such a kind old aunt, didn't even have her only jade piece with her when she passed away. Hu Xiaohua felt angry and resentful for her. Then thinking about how good Su Wen had been to him, and how he was now working with Zhang Xiangming doing many illegal things, how could he face calling Chen Meilan?
So this was why he suddenly stopped calling.
Grabbing the Guanyin pendant, Chen Meilan said, "At least you still have some humanity. If I were my mother-in-law, I would have let Yan Zhao break your legs back then, to prevent you from growing up to harm people all day."
Hu Xiaohua sighed and said, "Sister-in-law, I really miss the days at 271. The rear area was stable, I only needed to worry about sales. Now as this damn legal representative, I have to worry about everything. It's exhausting."
From his tone, Chen Meilan knew that Food Factory 81 must not be doing well.
So she asked, "How's your new milk powder production line going?"
"We're still using the old equipment, haven't done anything new," Hu Xiaohua said.
"How much have you sold in total so far?" Chen Meilan asked.
Hu Xiaohua said, "Just over 150,000."
Chen Meilan immediately said, "You're shorting the weight, aren't you? The original milk powder packages were 500 grams, but you're splitting the old packaging and only filling 300 grams..."
Hu Xiaohua was amazed: "Sister-in-law, how did you know?"
How could merchandise worth only 100,000 yuan be sold for 150,000 yuan without shorting the quantity?
Chen Meilan sneered, "Hu Xiaohua, you better watch yourself. All those former bosses from the liquor factory, motorcycle shop, soap factory, and sausage factory are waiting for you in prison."
Hu Xiaohua felt this couldn't be true: "Sister-in-law, don't try to scare me. When the milk powder factory got in trouble, they arrested the boss, not me."
The reason Hu Xiaohua was willing to follow Zhang Xiangming despite knowing he was breaking the law was because he was just an employee - when things went wrong, the police wouldn't arrest him.
Chen Meilan gave him a cold look and said, "Let's make a bet. When this food factory gets in trouble, you'll definitely be the one arrested. Just wait and see."
Hu Xiaohua wasn't afraid of anything except going to prison.
Because Chen Meilan spoke with such certainty, and because she never lied, he became worried: "Sister-in-law, I'm just a sales manager, how could I be arrested? Hey wait, let's talk about this..."
But by the time he tried to catch up, Chen Meilan had already turned and walked away.
This really got Hu Xiaohua worried.
While marrying the Commander's daughter might be an unattainable dream he wanted to indulge in a bit longer, prison was no joke. Last time he was in prison, he almost had his flower plucked by a prison boss who liked to take the back route. That experience wasn't pleasant at all - he had to be another prison boss's dog for a long time just to protect his male purity.
Prison was Hu Xiaohua's worst nightmare.
...
It was a ten-minute walk from Food Factory 81 to the First-Class Family Compound.
But Chen Meilan didn't know the way and had to ask several people before finding the entrance. At the gate, the security guards wouldn't let her in. She had to show her ID card and fill out forms, which took quite a while. After sitting on the train for a day and night, and then dealing with all this hassle at the gate, her feet were blistered from her high heels.
After entering the compound, she headed straight for the high-rise building. As soon as she got in the elevator, she could smell food cooking.
The front door was open, and the dining table was already full of dishes.
It turned out that to welcome the grandchildren, Yan Peiheng had specially called Aunt Cui and his daughter-in-law Gao Xiaomei, along with a guard who could cook Sichuan cuisine, to prepare a table full of dishes at home.
Not only was there spicy chicken that Little Wolf and Jim loved, but there was also a soup made with ham and Chinese cabbage - this was Yuan Yuan's favorite dish with rice.
As soon as Gao Xiaomei saw Chen Meilan, she got straight to the point: "Meilan, I've withdrawn my shares from the milk powder factory."
"Why?" Chen Meilan asked.
Unlike Hu Xiaohua, who was still hiding things because of his fantasies about Liu Jingjing, Gao Xiaomei started complaining about the food factory situation directly:
"Not only were they shorting the quantity when selling old milk powder, but for the new milk powder to enter the market, it needs to go through food and drug inspection, plus a year-long paid infant trial period with clinical follow-ups and documentation. But Zhang Xiangming didn't strictly follow these procedures. Who knows what connections she used to get all the food and drug permits and business licenses? I reported this to the leaders, but since it's a contracted-out factory, they told me to report it to the industrial and commercial bureau. Why should I bother with all that? I just withdrew instead."
Shorting quantities was currently the biggest problem in the commodity market, but also the most common one.
Everyone was doing it.
And various standard procedures could be rushed through by stuffing some money - get the product out first, then deal with the paperwork later, or sometimes not at all. Many people were doing this.
However, the leaders all said that whether it's a black cat or white cat, a cat that catches mice is a good cat. So these huge problems weren't considered major issues at present, even by the government.
The government's pursuit was: get rich at any cost!
Chen Meilan then asked, "What about the new product? Do you think the production meets standards?"
Gao Xiaomei said, "Originally, we had 150,000 yuan for equipment. We should have imported drying towers from abroad - one costs 80,000 yuan, and we needed two. They can effectively eliminate Salmonella in milk powder. But Zhang Xiangming used the money to buy herself a house and a car. Now they're using the old towers that the factory hasn't used for years. What do you think about that?"
Milk powder safety wasn't just about melamine - there was also Salmonella.
If milk powder contains Salmonella, when babies consume it, they could get mild diarrhea or severe bloody stools. Not only would it provide no nutrition, it would basically be poison.
That's why drying towers are absolutely crucial for a milk powder factory.
Zhang Xiangming had money but didn't import drying towers, instead rushing to buy herself a car and house.
No wonder Gao Xiaomei didn't want to work with her anymore.
Hearing this, it was no surprise that Yan Peiheng was so worried. Zhang Xiangming was like an ignorant child playing with fire, but because of policies and current circumstances, no one could stop her even if she did cause a fire.
Just like with melamine - it was only exposed after harming so many children.
After it was exposed, the criminals got what they deserved, but those children's lives were already ruined forever.
However, just as Gao Xiaomei chose to withdraw her shares when she couldn't stand it anymore, who would want to investigate all these problems with the milk powder factory? It would be time-consuming, difficult, and make enemies.
Right now, Chen Meilan needed to give that jade piece to Yan Zhao first.
That jade pendant could at least prove the illegal transactions between Yan Jun's couple and Liu Peng's couple - this was most important.
Chen Meilan asked, "Sister-in-law, have you seen my Yan Zhao? Where did he go?"
Gao Xiaomei had just finished cooking and was putting on her bag to leave. She looked around and said, "He was here just now, probably went out to buy something. Let's eat first, I need to go."
"Sit down and eat with us, where are you going?" Chen Meilan asked.
Aunt Cui was also leaving with her daughter-in-law and said with a smile, "Though Xiaomei might not be as accomplished as Meilan, she's very down-to-earth. She enrolled in a food engineering correspondence course at the Agricultural University to help with the milk powder factory. I'm going to attend classes with her - learning more things can't hurt."
Gao Xiaomei smiled and said, "After I finish studying food engineering and graduate, I'll find a factory and work as a workshop supervisor."
Chen Meilan hadn't known much about Gao Xiaomei before and thought she was similar to Zhang Xiangming in personality.
But seeing her today, she suddenly realized this woman was quite grounded and had high aspirations.
No wonder she and Minister Cui's couple had such a good relationship. Although three generations of Minister Cui's family lived together, they rarely had conflicts. Everyone in Minister Cui's family was both cautious and practical.
Just after seeing off the mother and daughter-in-law, she saw Yan Zhao coming upstairs carrying a bag of rice, a bag of flour, and a large container of oil.
It turned out that since Yan Peiheng lived alone, he always ate at the cafeteria. Today they were planning to cook at home, and not just vegetables - even the rice, flour, and oil had been borrowed from Minister Cui.
Yan Zhao couldn't stand this kind of thing, so he had gone downstairs to buy groceries.
Yan Peiheng had specially taken the afternoon off today. Seeing Yan Zhao bringing rice and flour upstairs, he was quite angry: "The children are about to faint from hunger. These things could have been bought in the afternoon. Come eat quickly."
"Dad, you take the children to eat first, I need to talk to Third Brother about something," Chen Meilan said.
It was almost three in the afternoon. Yan Peiheng looked at his watch, very unhappy: "What can't wait until after we eat?"
Jim mysteriously told his grandfather: "Uncle always likes to check my aunt's mammary glands, and he does it secretly in bed." He liked to eavesdrop, and this was what he had overheard.
Little Wolf looked confused: "Brother, what are mammary glands?"
Little Wang pressed Jim's face against his thigh: "You're too nosy."
The most beautiful time in life is youth.
Although he didn't know exactly what his son and daughter-in-law were up to, Yan Peiheng could guess from the children's snippets that their marriage was very good, which was excellent.
The old man then said: "Go ahead, we'll eat first."
Yan Zhao hadn't changed into slippers yet. He changed into slippers first before preparing to enter the bedroom.
Chen Meilan had first found a handkerchief to wrap the jade in. Now as Yan Zhao entered, his face and ears were red from Jim's teasing.
Thinking Chen Meilan had something private to tell him, he had just closed the door and turned around when he saw a familiar object.
It was an egg-sized Guanyin statue made of jade, with an especially smooth and lustrous quality. The Guanyin's eyebrows and eyes looked exactly like those of Su Wen, Chen Meilan, and other women from Shaanxi Province.
Of course, this belonged to Su Wen, as she had worn it for many years and never parted with it.
At a glance, Yan Zhao could recognize it.
As for where this item had gone, Yan Zhao didn't know. He had always thought it was cremated with his mother or taken by someone else.
But after nearly ten years, this item had suddenly resurfaced?
When he turned it over, his childhood handwriting was still on the back. After the jade pendant had been lost once, he had carved it with a knife, stroke by stroke, the characters "Su Wen."
Yan Zhao grabbed it, his voice changing: "This thing... where did it come from?"
Chen Meilan told Yan Zhao everything about where and how she got the item, leaving nothing out.
Then, she lifted her foot to show Yan Zhao: "After you all left, I couldn't find the door and wandered outside for a full half hour. My high heel got stuck, look, my foot is all blistered."
Her voice was filled with enormous grievance.
Yan Zhao was already sensitive to such things, and hearing his wife complain like this, even if he were made of wood, how could he not feel sympathy?
"It hurts, massage it," Chen Meilan said.
From Su Wen's experience, she had learned one lesson: never coddle a man, but rather use him well - the more you use him, the more obedient he becomes.
When a woman has grievances or discomfort, she must speak up immediately. Otherwise, like Su Wen, she'll spend her whole life suffering in silence.
Yan Zhao mechanically bent down, removed Chen Meilan's sock, and massaged her foot with one large hand while gently placing the jade pendant on the bed with the other.
While massaging Chen Meilan's foot, he stared intently at the jade pendant.
It was obvious now - when the Yan Jun couple returned to their hometown, they not only took the land deed but also ransacked Su Wen's valuable belongings like rings and jade pendants, then sold everything to Liu Peng.
Subsequently, he took the money and went to America.
But why would Liu Peng buy things that couldn't be converted to cash? He had given all those items to Wang Gebi.
And back then, Wang Gebi had credibility among the leaders in this building.
He was sophisticated and diplomatic.
At that time, facing the most severe military downsizing, wave after wave, a full million soldiers were cut. Not only was Yan Zhao discharged, but eventually even Yan Wei was laid off. All the leaders' children, as long as their rank wasn't high enough or their parents didn't work hard enough to prevent it, were all cut.
Liu Peng wasn't just spared from the cuts; he stood out among the hundreds of children in the compound, becoming the only division-level cadre, all thanks to Wang Gebi.
Chen Meilan was feeling hungry, and figuring Yan Zhao would need some time to process this information, she pulled back her foot, got up, and headed out to eat.
But just as she reached the dining room, the doorbell rang.
Chen Meilan was sitting right by the front door, so she got up and opened it.
"Oh, Meilan, you're here?" It was Liu Peng, accompanied by Zhang Xiangming, entering with a smile. He first saluted Yan Peiheng, then said, "Uncle Yan is truly blessed in this life, look at these four little ones, each more adorable than the last."
"What brings you here?" Yan Peiheng asked.
Liu Peng glanced at Zhang Xiangming beside him. Zhang Xiangming stepped forward, smiling, and said, "Uncle Yan, it's like this. Professor Gu will be coming to the capital on the 9th. We can use my father's car to pick him up at the airport, but afterward, he wants to stay at our August First Hotel. He made a request, saying he has trouble sleeping, so he wants to book the entire hotel for himself. My father has already agreed, and Minister Cui and Minister Xu said they'll follow your decision. Just give me your word, and I'll go clear everyone out right away to prepare for Professor Gu's reception."
The August First Hotel was where soldiers from various military regions stayed when they came to report for work, training, or business.
The hotel wasn't large, with limited beds.
Many soldiers coming from military regions often couldn't get beds and had to be arranged in extremely basic single dormitories.
Sometimes, soldiers coming for training couldn't get beds and had to sleep wrapped in blankets in the military district's grand hall.
After all, the capital's cost of living was high, and soldiers' allowances were low - they couldn't afford to stay at other hotels.
Summer was manageable, just dealing with mosquito bites, but in winter, many soldiers who came to the capital for training would end up catching cold for ten to fifteen days after returning home.
Moreover, Food Factory 81 had already been contracted out and belonged to Zhang Xiangming. In Yan Peiheng's view, giving Gu Xiao one room to stay in was already showing him great face, as his visit had nothing to do with the military district.
But Gu Xiao actually demanded to book the entire hotel, and Commander Liu had agreed?
The children were eating, and this was an opportunity for a teaching moment. Besides, Yan Peiheng had become more temperate in recent years, so he took a deep breath and asked Liu Peng, "Liu Peng, what year were you born?"
"Uncle Yan, I was born in 1950," Liu Peng said with a smile.
"How many years did you spend in Qinghai?" Yan Peiheng asked again.
Liu Peng held up two fingers: "A full ten years."
"It must have felt very difficult, and you must feel the country really wronged your generation?" Yan Peiheng continued.
Liu Peng sighed deeply: "That's all in the past, let's not bring it up. Aren't we doing well now? We have Reform and Opening Up, and everyone's going to become wealthy."
"You were born in 1950, when our country had just been established. Because we insisted on socialism, capitalist countries imposed the most severe economic blockade and political isolation on us, two forms of attack, attempting to split our country and starve our people. You went to Qinghai in '68, when we were forced into economic isolation and had to be self-sufficient. Such a large country, in such difficult times, we didn't fear power or capitalist hegemony. We plowed every inch of land in the entire country and planted food crops just to escape starvation. That came from the hard work of your generation. So you, more than anyone, shouldn't forget how capitalism once ruthlessly whipped and blockaded us. But look at your attitude now - capitalism shows you just a little favor, and you forget who you are. Have you forgotten your ten years of hardship in Qinghai?"
Yan Peiheng's voice grew louder as he spoke: "Who is Gu Xiao? He's a capitalist, representing capitalism. Why should we drive out all our soldiers from our military district's hotel just to let him stay there alone?"
Liu Peng's face was awkward, and he remained silent for a long time.
Zhang Xiangming had long known that Yan Peiheng had issues and couldn't be bothered to argue with him, but Gu Xiao had made his request, and he was preparing to invest over a million yuan in her business. She had to deal with this slow-witted, pedantic, and stubbornly ridiculous old man.
So she smiled and said, "Uncle Yan, that's not quite right, is it? Haven't you been telling everyone that your daughter-in-law is fighting an economic battle with capitalists? I'm also planning to make money from capitalists, fighting a battle for us, aren't I?"
Yan Peiheng was so angry his hands were shaking. The children sat with their bowls, listening intently.
At some point, Yan Zhao had come out of the bedroom and was standing in the hallway, watching the Liu Peng couple.
Regarding Chen Meilan's cooperation with Gu Xiao, there had been many dangerous moments when Factory 271 had nearly been taken over by Gu Xiao. If Chen Meilan hadn't been smart enough, she wouldn't have escaped those situations.
Not to mention the initial 800,000-yuan bet.
If Chen Meilan had lost back then, she would now not only be penniless but also buried in debt.
As the saying goes, people only see the thief eating meat, not getting beaten.
Looking at the still-smirking Liu Peng couple, Yan Peiheng thought of three words: wasteful descendants.
If aerospace industry is the nation's weapon, then infant formula is the nation's hope.
Yan Peiheng knew Gu Xiao's character far better than these people did. Now he firmly controlled Chen Meilan - for every 100 yuan she earned, he could take 49 yuan, and his ultimate goal was to list Factory 271 on the stock market. Then he could walk away with a huge sum of money, while all he had invested was 800,000 yuan.
As for the milk powder factory, Gu Xiao's investment was meant to humiliate Yan Peiheng and the Chinese military.
The more money invested and the bigger the operation became, the more damage it could do, given Zhang Xiangming's current approach.
Gu Xiao had no children and didn't love children. The children of socialism weren't his hope - like pouring oil on fire, he only hoped for bigger problems and more chaos from Zhang Xiangming's operations.
When things became unsalvageable, he would take over the food factory, gaining both fame and fortune, and the factory would ultimately bear his name.
Meanwhile, the successor groomed by the military district, this wastrel, was eagerly setting fires according to Gu Xiao's wishes, ready to burn down the glory they had built over several decades.
The old man remained silent for a long while, but Zhang Xiangming couldn't wait and continued, "Let's not talk about Chen Meilan, you praise her every day, saying we can't compare to her. Mi Lan uses Gu Xiao's money to profit from stocks and wears designer brands every day. What do you say about the Yan Jun couple..."
The Yan Jun couple - they were practically ready to call Gu Xiao their father.
They were Yan Peiheng's weak spot, capable of leaving him breathless.
At this mention, Yan Peiheng suddenly clutched his chest and began coughing violently.
But just then, Yan Zhao coldly questioned, "What about the Yan Jun couple? They sold my mother's temple property to you, and you then transferred it to Wang Gebi. Isn't that the real reason behind Commander Liu's promotion? Otherwise, during such strict military downsizing when almost all leaders' children were laid off, how did Commander Liu keep getting promoted?"
Liu Peng clearly had something to hide; his face changed instantly. "Yan Zhao, you can't make such reckless accusations. My wife and I have no connection to Wang Gebi. I spent ten years in Qinghai, I even fought on the battlefield..."
"Fought on the battlefield as a commanding officer? When your command nearly got our entire regiment annihilated by the enemy?" Yan Zhao took out the jade pendant, holding it between two fingers, and questioned Liu Peng, "This jade piece - how much did you pay my elder brother for it?"
Liu Peng couldn't immediately recognize the jade.
When Zhang Xiangming took a closer look, her face changed dramatically.
This jade piece was originally part of a package deal that Yan Jun had sold to them along with the temple property.
There were also some small silver rings, gold earrings, and other trinkets - all bundled together and sold for 800 yuan.
At that time, Yan Jun was desperate to go abroad, and he was ready to sell everything of his mother's - he would have sold his own mother if he could.
He even sold all the household pots and pans.
Because the jade was of such fine quality with pure color, Zhang Xiangming couldn't bear to use it to bribe Wang Gebi.
Knowing Yan Peiheng would recognize it, she never dared to wear it and gave it to her mother to wear instead. Just a few days ago, her mother had mentioned that she had lost her jade, and Zhang Xiangming thought the old lady had misplaced it somewhere and was still searching for it at home.
How did it suddenly appear in Yan Zhao's hands?
Although this item was sold to Liu Peng by Yan Jun, even if Yan Jun returned and faced his father in court, he wouldn't easily reveal where these items had gone. After all, among the three brothers, Yan Zhao had Su Wen's verbal will and witnesses to the will.
If he admitted to it, he would be confessing to stealing his mother's private property and would face imprisonment.
So although they had guilty consciences, Liu Peng and his wife had never considered this a major issue. Of course, they never imagined that Chen Meilan and her husband would be able to uncover this matter within just half an hour of arriving in the capital.
But how did this jade piece end up in Yan Zhao's possession?
