Yuanyuan only bought three steamed buns, but Little Wang also came back, so there wasn't enough to eat. Therefore, Chen Meilan took out a beef pie that had been baked earlier and stored in the fridge, and steamed two more lion heads that she had made over the weekend and frozen. She also scooped out a spoonful of braised beef and added tomatoes and potatoes to stew together.
In the hot summer, she and Yuanyuan ate lightly and didn't consume much, but Yan Zhao worked under high intensity, and Little Wang was a growing teenager who needed to eat some meat.
Yan Zhao was naturally displeased. He had planned to gradually kick Little Wang out of the house starting now, intending to keep him out for eight years. But after only 14 days, he was back home again?
The young man looked serious: "Dad, why don't you believe me? I really came back to sell generators and water pumps. The sales weren't great before, but since I've been here, business has been booming, honestly."
In the kitchen, Yuanyuan was using cold water to chill some bitter melon. Once chilled, she arranged them on a plate, creating a vibrant green dish.
Little Wang liked vinegar and spicy flavors, so she drizzled plenty of vinegar and chili oil over the bitter melon. She also added a few drops of sesame oil, sprinkled some garlic and green onions, and then poured hot oil over it, creating a sizzling sound and a fragrant aroma.
Little Wang continued: "Dad, don't worry. I'll leave for Wuhan the day after tomorrow. Most of the generators and water pumps are ordered by companies in the capital, but the installations are in Wuhan. I'll leave as soon as I get paid."
In fact, Yan Zhao believed him. This year, there had been unusually heavy rains, and the Ministry of Water Resources predicted a major flood peak in the Yangtze River from July to September. Chen Meilan had also mentioned that this year would see a large-scale flood disaster.
Currently, there were multiple areas along the Yangtze River with sediment accumulation. Since floods would first affect hydropower plants, and damaged power plants would mean blackouts, the entire power system was currently purchasing the most water pumps and generators.
The army had also prepared troops to go all out in flood relief efforts.
Hua Country was now facing a huge storm. The surge in sales of generators and water pumps was like low-flying petrels before a storm, serving as a warning. However, these events were unrelated to ordinary people's lives.
Turning on the TV, one after another, ads featuring the currently popular idol Lu Fei appeared. One moment it was ice cream, then drinks, and then milk. The entire screen was filled with her.
Chen Meilan recognized her because she had seen Lv Erniu after her plastic surgery.
But Little Wang and Yuanyuan hadn't seen her before, so they shouldn't have recognized her. However, as soon as Yuanyuan turned on the TV, Little Wang glanced at it and said: "Mom, isn't that Lv Erniu from the Lv family? How did she change so much? Did they cut her double eyelids with a kitchen knife? They're so wide!"
Chen Meilan, who was cutting watermelon, was quite surprised: "How do you know her?"
"I'm very familiar with her glare," Little Wang said, not wanting to watch anymore, and switched the channel with a flick.
But even after switching, it was still Lv Erniu, now in a sanitary napkin ad.
The girl was naturally voluptuous, and with the current lax TV ad regulations, the sanitary napkin ad, with her bouncing around, was almost like a tidal wave.
Little Wang quickly turned off the TV, then asked Yuanyuan: "Let's go upstairs. I'll take a look at your grades."
Yuanyuan immediately jumped up and grabbed her backpack: "Okay."
This was great—brother and sister both focused on studying.
But in Yan Zhao's eyes, Little Wang was already a potential troublemaker. It was only 8 PM, and while he was using studying as an excuse, what was he really thinking? Yan Zhao could guess.
However, just as he was about to speak, Chen Meilan said: "You must be exhausted. It's so hot; hurry up and take a shower."
Yan Zhao's gaze followed the two kids, and just as he was about to speak again, Chen Meilan quickly added: "I'll scrub your back."
After Yan Zhao finished showering, Chen Meilan took her turn. Although it was still early, Yan Zhao was indeed tired and should rest after the shower.
However, Chen Meilan had many calls, and she often left her phone in the living room. Just as the couple lay down, Chen Meilan's phone rang. Yan Zhao went out to get it for her. As he picked up the phone, he heard Yuanyuan exclaim "Oh!" from upstairs: "Brother, please, just do it!"
Yan Zhao didn't know what the two kids were doing upstairs.
There were three bedrooms upstairs, and it used to be better with another child in the middle. Now there were only two.
As an old father, Yan Zhao was genuinely worried but couldn't say anything.
He took a step, wanting to rush upstairs, but as he reached the staircase, Chen Meilan, wearing only a small tank top and shorts, pushed the door open: "Brother..."
Yan Zhao wanted to go upstairs, but seeing that the living room curtains weren't closed properly, he was afraid someone might see Chen Meilan like this. He quickly went to close the curtains. Just as he finished, his wife's fragrant arm wrapped around him: "Let's go to bed."
Yan Zhao took a deep breath, wanting to push her away, but Chen Meilan whispered in his ear: "Hurry up, I'll give you a hickey."
Yan Zhao felt this wasn't right. Yuanyuan's academic performance was average, but she was likely to take the exam for film and television schools, which didn't require high academic scores. Little Wang asking about her grades was out of concern for Yuanyuan.
But was there no ulterior motive?
He wanted to go upstairs, even if just to glare at Little Wang. A teenager in puberty would be a bit more restrained.
But Chen Meilan wouldn't let him. She kept intentionally or unintentionally helping the two kids.
"Come on, I'll give you a hickey," she said, lightly tapping Yan Zhao's chest.
His chest muscles suddenly tensed, and Yan Zhao felt his mouth dry. He gave up and went into the bedroom.
Upstairs, in fact, Yan Zhao had misjudged Little Wang. The two kids were actually focused on studying.
Little Wang was sitting at the desk, asking Yuanyuan for her mock exam papers. After flipping through them, he handed her the biology paper: "54.5 points—how did you score that?"
Then he gave her the chemistry paper: "60 points—dare you score one more point?"
"Brother, teach me," Yuanyuan said.
Little Wang took a deep breath: "We have a hukou in Shaanxi Province, and we'll be taking the college entrance exam there. You know the admission score line in Shaanxi. With your current scores, you can get into an ordinary university, but not Tsinghua."
"Then let's study. Biology and chemistry are crucial now. You have to help me," Yuanyuan said.
Little Wang pondered for a moment before saying: "Alright, let's go. I'll explain your mistakes. Let that fat girl from the Lv family dominate the entertainment industry. Our Yuanyuan is going to Tsinghua."
"Tsinghua," Yuanyuan repeated.
Little Wang looked at his sister and snapped his fingers at her.
Last year, Yuanyuan's dream was still to become an actor or singer.
However, after returning from the "Huanzhu" crew last year, Yuanyuan completely gave up her dream of entering the entertainment industry. The reason for this, apart from Little Wang, no one else in the world knew.
Here's what happened.
Last year, Yuanyuan joined the crew of "Huanzhu".
Since it was a closed-set shoot, she was supposed to stay in the crew until the end of summer.
But on that day, the crew made her feel extremely uncomfortable. The actors from across the strait had divided themselves into two groups, and they always said "our country" and "your country." The mainland actors, who were young and inexperienced in acting in a show from across the strait, were particularly submissive in front of the other group.
This was tolerable, as the current environment encouraged friendly exchanges between the two sides.
The deputy director in charge of the mainland actors had sternly warned everyone that it was crucial not to upset the guests from across the strait.
Given this environment, Yuanyuan could only swallow her discomfort.
But what made her most furious and unbearable was that the next evening, the crew went out to sing together. One of the older actors, once inside the karaoke hall, kept drinking, and while drunk, he hugged each of the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls one by one.
He hugged them one by one, and in his drunken state, he even pressed his mouth against Yuanyuan's ear.
Yuanyuan couldn't stand this, so she slapped the older actor and then, to her shock, he said: "Yan Shengnan, what's wrong with you? I treated you like my own daughter, and I even wanted to be your godfather. What I gave you was fatherly love. How could you be so ungrateful?"
Godfather? Fatherly love?
What did real fatherly love look like? Yuanyuan knew.
Take Yan Xishan, for example. Whenever Yuanyuan stayed over for a day, Yan Xishan would smile and watch her brush her teeth, even drooling.
While she slept, Yan Xishan would prop his elbow on the bed and sit there like a fool, smiling for half the night. When she woke up in the morning, her eyes crusty with sleep and her hair a wild mess, Yan Xishan would still say, "Look at my daughter, so beautiful, the most beautiful in the world."
Not only did he think she was beautiful, but he would also force Chen Chunmei to agree with him. If she didn't, he would give her a cold look.
Although Yan Xishan loved Yuanyuan so much that he wanted to hold her in his hands and keep her in his mouth, he never patted her bottom, touched her shoulders, or did anything as disgusting as kissing her face or ears.
Yan Zhao, her stepfather, also loved Yuanyuan. He always washed her socks until they smelled fresh and kept her schoolbag neatly organized. But when they went out together, he wouldn't even hold her hand.
That old actor, supposedly a national second-tier actor, made Yuanyuan feel sick.
However, after she hit him, the crew didn't give her a fair response.
From the director to the producers, even the other girls, when they came to persuade Yuanyuan, they all said the same thing: "Yan Shengnan, why are you like this? XX only treats you like a daughter, he wants to be your godfather. You're overthinking it. In the crew, we're like a family, it's normal."
Due to the relationship between the two sides of the strait, Yuanyuan didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so she didn't tell anyone else, only telling Little Wang.
Little Wang supported her decision to leave the crew and go home.
Later, she thought about enrolling in the PLA Music Academy and becoming a military singer.
But one of her friends from singing folk songs had also enrolled in a music academy. One time, she invited Yuanyuan out, and the friend brought along a "godfather." Throughout the entire meal, the "godfather" kept touching the girl's thigh.
Yuanyuan almost vomited on the spot and ended her friendship with the friend.
Around that time, "Huan Zhu" became a hit, and a new generation of idols emerged, including Lu Fei.
As a former child star, Yuanyuan was constantly dragged out by the entertainment press.
On the surface, she seemed fine, but inside, she was furious.
Besides singing and acting, Yuanyuan had one last, more difficult dream.
She wanted to work as a formula engineer in her mother's factory, making baby formula. She loved children, and this job would allow her to interact with them.
But after having fame, suddenly stopping acting and doing something else, how would the reporters write about her? What would the neighbors say behind her back?
So, the determined Yan Shengnan decided to aim for the most prestigious university in the country, Tsinghua's School of Biological Engineering.
She wanted to work hard, get into Tsinghua, and quietly amaze everyone.
But dreams are plump, reality is bony.
While she was fine in other subjects, biology and chemistry were her weak points, and this was what troubled her the most.
But studying biology requires talent. Little Wang had explained photosynthesis multiple times, and Yuanyuan had listened carefully each time. But when Little Wang asked a question from a different angle, she was lost again.
"Did you even bring your brain when you listened? Where are your ears?" Little Wang asked angrily.
Yuanyuan said, "Can you explain it again?"
Looking at the clock, it was almost 11 PM. If Little Wang didn't go to sleep soon, his father would come up and scold him.
"Alright, we'll continue tomorrow. Go to bed now," Little Wang said.
Yuanyuan was unwilling though. Little Wang rarely came home, and she was determined to work hard and get into Tsinghua to amaze everyone. How could she sleep so early?
She said, "Brother, can you explain it one more time? I promise I'll listen carefully, okay?"
It was already eleven o'clock. Could she even stay awake?
"Go to sleep. We'll talk about it tomorrow," Little Wang said, and with a slap, he turned off the light and left the room.
But instead of going to sleep, he went to the bathroom, opened the window, and peeked out. He saw Yuanyuan's room light up again. Listening closely, he heard the little girl quietly reciting physics.
After taking a leak and zipping up, Little Wang sighed deeply. Yuanyuan was in a tough spot now.
Was Tsinghua easy to get into?
Actually, he had a solution. Biology and chemistry were weak for Yuanyuan because her foundation was poor. To really improve, she could memorize all the notes he had taken over the past three years for those two subjects.
Rote memorization was the best way.
Little Wang's high school notes were all on the bookshelf, with a copy of his father's "Criminal Law" stuck in the middle. Little Wang ran his hand over them, but in the end, he couldn't bear to let Yuanyuan suffer through memorizing six notebooks.
So, what to do? Could Yuanyuan get in?
Little Wang had already been back in the capital for two days, and his company's business was done. The next morning, after breakfast, he brought out all the notes he had made last year and started explaining the problems to Yuanyuan.
If he could make her understand, he wouldn't force her to memorize the entire notebooks.
Yan Zhao, being oblivious, came upstairs early in the morning to clean.
Seeing the two kids starting to study, he brewed a cup of tea and sat next to them, listening in.
Chen Meilan was not yet aware of Yuanyuan's grand ambitions, but in her eyes, since Little Wang was already in college, the kids would soon part ways. It was best to let them spend time together now. Maybe in the future, they would each have their own paths, but love, like a flood, should be channeled rather than blocked. And whether or not it led to anything, love was one of the happiest things in life.
Yan Zhao's constant watchful eyes made her feel very uncomfortable.
Thinking for a moment, Chen Meilan said, "By the way, Brother Three, why don't you come with me to go shopping today?"
Yan Zhao put down his teacup and asked, "Shopping? Didn't you say you had to work overtime today?" He felt like his wife was trying to get rid of him again.
Chen Meilan said, "It's both shopping and work. You forgot, today is the launch of our new products at Dongpai Clothing. Let's go, help me carry a bag, I need to check the market."
When it came to Dongpai Clothing, Yan Zhao immediately stood up.
Times were changing, and so was the market.
The two factories, 271, currently employed over a thousand retired soldiers, all relying on the clothing business to make a living.
With inflation, the soldiers' wages needed to increase, but Dongpai Clothing's sales hadn't grown. Last year, Chen Meilan took out a 5 million loan, plus all the company's profits, investing over 10 million to open new production lines, find spokespersons, and enter the teenage girl clothing market.
Now was the time to test the market with the new products.
Yan Zhao needed to go with her to take a look.
They went to Scitech Shopping Center, the largest clothing market in the capital.
On the second floor, in the best location, there was a Dongpai Clothing store, selling teenage girl clothing.
To its left was a Japanese-Korean style brand, and to its right was a Hong Kong brand. Both were the most high-end and expensive in the teenage girl clothing market in Hua Country.
Chen Meilan's Dongpai Clothing, a local brand, had the same high prices and was new to the market. The number of people passing by, entering the store, trying on clothes, and finally making a purchase—all of this was a direct comparison with the competition. Standing at the door, counting the traffic and observing the sales was what they called market research.
Yan Zhao had done his homework on this and knew a lot.
They arrived early, and the Scitech mall had just opened.
Chen Meilan focused on the young women and girls coming to shop.
Yan Zhao took out a notebook and started recording for her.
Chen Meilan could do this too, but she wasn't as good as Yan Zhao.
After all, he was a former policeman. Just by looking at a girl's clothes, posture, and expression, he could roughly guess her background and profession.
The work was dry and boring. The couple sat on a bench, never moving from their spot, and kept notes all morning. By noon, Chen Meilan was so tired that she leaned her head on Yan Zhao's shoulder, ready to take a nap. But before sleeping, she called Yan Xishan and asked him to come to Scitech.
Just as she dozed off, she heard Yan Xishan call out from a distance, "Yan Zhao?"
Yan Zhao looked up and saw a pink T-shirt, white pants, big wavy hair, and a pair of sunglasses hanging around his neck. It was none other than Little Feixiang, Yan Xishan.
When he first saw Yan Zhao, he was, of course, disappointed.
After all, Chen Meilan had called and arranged to meet at the mall. He had thought his ex-wife wanted to meet privately. Earlier, while eating, he had been so eager to come that he had bitten off a mouthful of noodles before rushing over.
Glancing back at several clothing stores and then at the notebook in Yan Zhao's hand, Yan Xishan finally realized that Chen Meilan had invited him to check out the market.
He said, "What's going on? Oh, the new ad is already up. How's sales doing?"
"What do you think?" Chen Meilan retorted.
At that moment, a few young girls came out of a store on the left and walked around Dongpai, heading to a store on the right.
Yan Xishan crossed his arms and raised a hand. "Chen Meilan, I'll say it again. If your clothing line takes off, then I, Yan Xishan, wasn't born from my father."
He then asked Yan Zhao, "How's the foot traffic in the stores? What did you count?"
Yan Zhao, always straightforward, replied, "Three stores. About 300 people each entered the stores on the left and right, while 200 entered Dongpai."
Yan Xishan hadn't expected Dongpai to have so many visitors and felt a bit regretful but still proud. "Look, Chen Meilan. If you hadn't fired Lu Fei, your store's foot traffic wouldn't be less than the others."
Chen Meilan knew Yan Xishan's capabilities, so she said, "Go inside and ask about the sales figures of the three stores, then we'll talk."
Yan Xishan, who was handsome and had a mature charm, plus the look of a knowledgeable professor, could easily strike up a conversation and find out the sales figures when he entered the stores.
Now, he went in to inquire about the sales figures.
Chen Meilan and her husband watched from outside.
Soon, Yan Xishan came out of the third store, looking dejected.
He walked up to Chen Meilan, his voice filled with disbelief. "The sales at Dongpai are on par with the other two stores. Chen Meilan, how did you do it?"
The billboard on the left featured a girl with wiggling hips, while the one on the right showed a sexy girl with a tiny waist and enormous hips. Chen Meilan's ad, however, featured a girl with a normal figure, similar to the average girl in Hua Country.
In Yan Xishan's eyes, this was the type of woman he disliked the most.
No bust, no hips—so why were these clothes selling so well?
"Women with higher cultural levels and strong opinions are the ones with true purchasing power. When women are educated and have income, they don't choose to please men but instead choose to please themselves," Chen Meilan said, looking at Yan Xishan, each word deliberate. "The kind of girl you like isn't the kind of girl who likes herself. Yan Xishan, the market now, or most of it, is still dominated by men's perspectives, but sooner or later, women's own perspectives and aesthetics will become the dominant force. And it won't be long, it will be soon."
The millennium was just around the corner, and women in Hua Country, due to increased education levels and economic autonomy, were gradually taking control of their lives and lifestyles.
This state of affairs was reflected in the strong sales performance of Chen Meilan's clothing.
The success of Dongpai had nothing to do with Yan Xishan.
But Chen Meilan had called him over to let him, a man who always liked to objectify women, know that women in Hua Country were gradually breaking free from male dominance and slowly standing up.
