"Dad, you probably don't know yet, but I'm going to be a little singer!" Yuanyuan rushed in afterwards.
Little Lang followed, nodding repeatedly: "Big sister is going to be a little singer."
As the children chattered excitedly, Chen Meilan briefly explained to Yan Zhao about Yuanyuan recording a song for a movie.
Seeing that it was finally cooling down in September, the children gathered around their father. Yuanyuan lifted her head, smiling as she asked, "Dad, will you come with me when I go to record the song?"
Yan Zhao wiped his hands clean, his expression gentle: "Which day exactly? I'll accompany you all."
This dad was quite busy. Although he came home every day, it was usually around eleven or twelve at night, sometimes even one or two in the morning. Without fail, he would wake up at 6:30 AM to go to work.
Not just the children, but even Chen Meilan often only knew he had come home from the sound of the door opening in the middle of the night.
Moreover, in Yuanyuan's fixed impression, her father was someone who rarely came home. Like Yan Xishan, it was normal for him to be away for ten days or half a month. As for accompanying her to record a song, Yuanyuan didn't even dare to imagine it.
She bounced on the spot a few times before asking, "It's tomorrow, is that okay? Really okay?"
"It's fine. Dad loves listening to music, but it's been a long time since I've heard any pop songs," Yan Zhao said seriously.
Little Wang, who had just heard dad say he would sing for him tonight, immediately went to get the radio: "Dad, I bought a new tape with new songs. You can learn from it. Come quick, I'll play it for you."
With a click, he turned on the radio. The song that came out was: "...Want to be flirtatious even with a wife, want to fear aging even with beauty."
Yan Zhao's brow furrowed again. This was currently the hottest song in nightclubs. No matter which nightclub they raided for vice, this song would be playing as soon as they entered, with hostesses hugging nouveau riche men, singing it tirelessly.
Little Wang also sensed that his dad probably couldn't sing this one. Seeing his father getting angry, he quickly switched to the next song. An even sweeter voice came from the tape recorder. Just from the voice, you could imagine the singer's little figure swaying her hips: "My little sister just turned eighteen, she's as pretty as a flower..."
This was the second most popular song among the nouveau riche.
Yan Zhao turned off the radio with a click and went into the kitchen.
As soon as he entered, he said, "I've been too busy lately, but I can take a break for the next few days. If there's any housework to be done, just let me know."
Regarding the nature of Yan Zhao's work, it could be said to be different paths to the same destination as Yan Xishan's.
It was said that recently they were carrying out a special campaign to crack down on prostitution. Every night, he would also go to nightclubs, but he was there to arrest prostitutes, arrest those soliciting prostitutes, raid pornographic video halls and the mobile "nightingales" in urban villages.
The only advantage was that no matter how late, Yan Zhao would definitely come home at night.
Also, as soon as he came through the door, he couldn't sit still and wanted to do chores.
However, whether he did chores today wasn't important. What Chen Meilan needed to know was, if Zhou Xueqin changed her mind and came back for Little Lang, would Yan Zhao give up the child.
If he really gave up, Chen Meilan would drive Yan Zhao away along with the child. But as long as he firmly said he wouldn't give up the child.
Then she absolutely wouldn't let go either. She had become a stepmother, and having lived an extra lifetime, she had heard and seen that stepmothers just raise children for others, raising them for nothing.
But after all, having lived an extra life, she had the ability to make her own life wonderful. As for Little Wang and Little Lang, she didn't expect anything in return. It was like doing charity, what did it matter if she raised them.
Also, why Little Wang was so resistant to going to school, Yan Zhao was after all his birth father, so she had to ask him about this too.
"We're eating dumplings today?" Yan Zhao asked after surveying the cutting board.
These dumplings were specifically requested by Yuanyuan - lamb with vermicelli noodles and carrots. Not only was she starting school soon, but she was also about to go record a song. She wanted to eat her fill to have energy for the recording.
Seeing Yan Zhao's hands itching to get started, Chen Meilan said, "Why don't you make the dumplings for us?"
She was just joking, but to her surprise, Yan Zhao took the dumpling wrappers and really started making them.
Moreover, his dumplings looked even better than Chen Meilan's - thin skin, plump filling, eighteen pleats. Those two rough, large hands deftly folded the dumplings, one in each hand. In the blink of an eye, the cutting board was full.
The white, tender dumpling soldiers were arranged by him in a fierce formation.
Prioritizing the most pressing matters, Chen Meilan first brought up Little Wang's situation.
Yan Zhao's reaction to this could be said to meet her expectations: "He doesn't want to go to school? Let me give him a good thrashing."
A few days ago at the construction site, Little Wang, almost seven years old, weighed in at a mere 42 pounds. Such a skinny little monkey, and this man's first instinct is always to beat and punish.
If she really had a wicked stepmother's heart, and added a few exaggerating words, wouldn't Yan Zhao beat his son to death?
"Forget it, forget it. I'll guide Little Wang myself. There's another matter..." Chen Meilan quickly explained the true intention of Zhou's mother's visit.
"You're saying Little Wang's grandmother wants to take Little Lang away?" Yan Zhao's hands paused in making dumplings. "That's impossible."
The situation with Yan Zhao and Zhou Xueqin was like this: When they first got married, he had sent her to stay with his family in the capital.
But after all, in the capital it was in a military compound. According to her words, the mother-in-law and sisters-in-law all bullied her and looked down on her, so Yan Zhao had no choice but to let her return to her own family.
Because Yan Zhao was always on the battlefield and it was difficult to communicate, not only did Zhou Xueqin never write to him, even when he came down from the front lines and struggled to make a call to the city from the mobile command center, the head of the United Front Work Department had to personally send a car to bring Zhou Xueqin to the department before she would take his call.
However, according to her, she was taking good care of the children.
The photos sent to the army showed the children dressed neat and clean, looking very cute.
Little Wang was born in the first year of their marriage, and Little Lang was conceived during Yan Zhao's second home leave. Under the family planning policy, they shouldn't have had a second child. Zhou Xueqin wanted to abort, but Yan Zhao was on the front lines, and as the company commander of the spearhead infantry combat formation, with over a thousand officers and men dying in the Vietnam War, it wasn't guaranteed that everyone who went would come back alive. The United Front Work Department didn't allow Zhou Xueqin to have an abortion, and monitored her to ensure she gave birth to the child.
After demobilization and returning home, as soon as he walked in the door Zhou Xueqin brought up divorce. Of course, Yan Zhao had fought bloody battles on the battlefield and only received 30,000 yuan in demobilization money, which was the highest amount among everyone in the army. Meanwhile, the nouveau riche were said to be able to earn 30,000 in a month if they were doing well.
After the divorce, although they had one phone call, it was still about borrowing money.
Yan Zhao wasn't a fool. As soon as the divorce was finalized, he joined the police force. Although he couldn't investigate Zhou Xueqin's whereabouts completely, he could find out about seventy or eighty percent. There were quite a few things, mainly because he didn't have conclusive evidence yet, but if he did, there were still many people he wanted to deal with.
Of course, he had indeed wronged Zhou Xueqin by not being able to return home for years while on the battlefield.
In Zhou Xueqin's words, she had lived as a grass widow for eight years.
But on Yan Zhao's first day home, Little Wang had no shoes and was fighting barefoot with someone, while Little Lang was eating half a bowl of raw corn flour paste, wearing a little undershirt that didn't even cover his belly, with nothing on the bottom half.
The child didn't even have a pair of pants that fit. Yan Zhao took the children to buy clothes that very day.
Even when Yan Zhao was on the battlefield, he didn't smoke or drink, and regularly sent his monthly allowance back home. That was how Zhou Xueqin raised the children for him.
Although because Zhou Xueqin had indeed been a grass widow for eight years, and he was indeed faced with divorce as soon as he returned, at that time he hadn't yet investigated the situation clearly and had given the money to Zhou Xueqin.
But for him, what's past is past. His attitude towards this matter was very firm.
The children, he would absolutely never give to that family again.
"In the future, if anyone from the Zhou family comes to the door, don't waste words with them, just call the police directly. Especially Little Wang's grandmother, if she comes again, call me immediately," he said concisely.
This was the first time Chen Meilan had mentioned Zhou Xueqin in front of Yan Zhao. She couldn't very well say that Zhou Xueqin had also been reborn.
But she still had to ask what needed to be asked: "What if she comes to the door herself to ask for the child? After all, she is Little Lang's birth mother."
Yan Zhao's attitude towards Zhou Xueqin was very important.
Chen Meilan was very fond of Little Lang and Little Wang.
Yan Zhao was willing to continue investigating the case of Teacher Huang's son being hit by a car, so his character seemed quite decent.
But she regarded her two ex-husbands as tombstones. It wasn't that she expected Yan Zhao to be completely heartless, but if he still harbored pity for Zhou Xueqin, or was entangled and unclear...
Even though he had fought for her to get the house, Chen Meilan wouldn't divorce him out of humanitarian reasons. But she had no intention of truly living as his wife. The children were the most precious thing; as for this dog of a man, she would just let him be and not bother with him anymore.
As a result, Yan Zhao said without hesitation, "While I'm here, Zhou Xueqin wouldn't dare come. If she comes when I'm not around and you discover it, call me immediately."
"What if she tries to snatch the child? Would a phone call be quick enough? What if she quietly takes the child from school without a fuss?" Chen Meilan was getting a bit angry.
Weren't there plenty of news stories about divorced couples where one parent secretly took the child, leaving the other parent clueless and thinking the child had been kidnapped?
"I'll resolve her desire to take Little Lang once and for all," Yan Zhao said decisively. Seeing Chen Meilan remain silent, he repeated, "I guarantee that if there's any sign of it happening, it will be dealt with once and for all!"
As expected of a soldier, his words were truly decisive.
Well, she would wait and see what he'd do if Zhou Xueqin really came to snatch the child.
It was only after marrying that Chen Meilan could understand why Zhou Xueqin had become so bitterly disappointed with Yan Zhao. His tone and way of doing things were indeed completely out of sync with the naturally romantic, passionate Zhou Xueqin who loved to hear sweet nothings.
Chen Meilan had just put the buns in the steamer when she turned around and bumped into Yan Zhao's broad chest.
This man was actually standing right behind her, and she collided with him as she turned.
Because of his dark face and fierce appearance, Chen Meilan was so startled she stumbled backward, nearly falling onto the stove.
His two large hands suddenly caught her, but Chen Meilan also swung her arms, struggling to walk away.
She always felt this man was strange, fierce and angry, as if he had a grudge against everyone.
Chen Meilan instinctively tried to slip away, but Yan Zhao suddenly tightened his grip and asked in a hoarse voice, "Chen Meilan, are you afraid of me?"
...
"Or are you angry?" he asked again after a moment's hesitation.
Chen Meilan thought to herself, "I'm an old auntie, why would I be afraid of you? Afraid of your big head, ghost."
But the way she was acting now did indeed seem like she was afraid of him.
However, Chen Meilan wasn't afraid; rather, it was that Yan Zhao seemed shy, blushing at the drop of a hat.
But his actions weren't hesitant at all, they could be described as straightforward.
Chen Meilan felt that they weren't familiar enough as husband and wife yet, and moreover, while sex could happen if she was willing, she didn't want to get too emotionally involved with a man.
In her previous life, she had loved two men, and neither turned out well. She had been hurt deeply.
Besides, it was broad daylight, and the children were playing just outside. If he embraced her now, what would that look like?
After thinking for a moment, Chen Meilan chose one option between fear and anger: "I'm afraid of you. Please let me go."
Yan Zhao's entire body tensed up.
The man's face suddenly darkened, and it looked quite ugly.
Chen Meilan quickly said, "Don't keep talking about beating and disciplining Little Wang, then I won't be afraid of you."
Mainly, she was afraid he'd get angry, and constantly mentioning disciplining the child wasn't a bad habit she wanted to encourage in a man.
Yan Zhao suddenly let go, not because of what Chen Meilan had said, but because Little Lang came bouncing in: "Mom, are the buns ready? I'm hungry."
The first batch of buns was about to be done. Little Wang's dipping sauce was all vinegar. Although Little Lang was small, he loved spicy food, so his sauce was just chili oil. Only Yuanyuan was the mildest, not eating spicy or vinegar. The little girl didn't even eat green onions, so Chen Meilan specially prepared the bun filling for her, and the buns even had a mark on them, made just for her to eat.
"I saw Dad hugging Mom," Little Lang stretched out his arms. "Little Lang wants a hug too."
Yan Zhao had already gone out. Little Wang and Yuanyuan had smelled that the buns were ready and were likely to come in soon.
Chen Meilan knew all too well that for a remarried couple, harmony would make the children happy, but if they showed affection to each other, it could damage the children's friendships. This balance was particularly difficult to maintain.
So she quickly explained, "No, no, I just ate too many buns and felt uncomfortable, so he was helping me rub my stomach. Oh, my stomach hurts so much from eating too many buns."
Her intention was to use this to persuade Little Lang to eat fewer buns, as he had already grown as fat as a little piglet.
But Little Lang pondered thoughtfully, stretched out all his fingers, and started counting: "Today I'll eat eight, and when my tummy hurts, Dad will rub it."
Why didn't this child follow the script?
Having eaten too many buns, the children were all tossing and turning excitedly that night.
Little Wang was even more excited than Yuanyuan next door, because Dad said he would sing for him.
Dad sat cross-legged on the kang bed, with Little Wang sitting on his lap: "Dad, sing a song."
"What do you want to hear?" Yan Zhao asked.
Little Wang thought for a moment, then hummed: "Hengshui hundred years... Wan Lai Huang and Sui Tao Tao... Wolf run, wolf flow, barbaric Tao Tao vat water wing forget excellent also line"
"Speak clearly," Yan Zhao said sternly.
Little Wang got angry too: "This is a Cantonese song, that's how it's sung!"
Yan Zhao laid his son down flat and lay down himself: "Dad doesn't know how to sing it yet. I'll learn it and sing it for you another day."
Not just Little Wang himself, but how many people in all of Xiping City could sing "Wolf Run Wolf Flow" well? But Dad was so capable, he would surely learn it well another day.
Little Wang was so looking forward to it.
The next day was Saturday, and Yuanyuan was going to record her song, of course, still accompanied by her proudest police dad.
They had agreed on 10 AM, but fearing they might be late, everyone left an hour early at 9 AM. They tried to hire a three-wheeler for half a day on the roadside, but all the vehicles that saw them sped up to escape, and not a single one was willing to stop.
The children were all getting anxious, especially Yuanyuan, who almost wanted to rush into the middle of the road to stop a car.
Finally, Yan Zhao ran after one and managed to stop it. The driver stopped the car and raised both hands: "Officer, please spare me, I haven't committed any crimes."
It turned out they couldn't get a ride for so long because Yan Zhao was wearing his police uniform, and recently the police on Jindong Road had been exceptionally diligent, checking and arresting people everywhere, causing the whole district to be on edge.
"Big sister is going to be a singer, that's so cool," Little Lang said admiringly, looking at Yuanyuan who was holding her head high but nervously bouncing along with the three-wheeler.
Little Wang was unhappy: "Isn't your brother awesome? I can eat fifty skewers in one go."
Little Lang's mouth watered: "Meat skewers smell so good."
Yuanyuan also became interested: "Brother, your belly is so big, you can eat fifty skewers?"
"I can also drink a lot, I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk," Little Wang added.
Yuanyuan's voice got a bit louder: "Little Wang brother is really amazing."
Afraid his dad might hear, Little Wang shushed quietly: "This can't be known by adults, come here, sit beside me."
Yuanyuan and Little Lang moved closer, full of admiration.
Like a real man, with one on each side, looking at his parents sitting at the back of the car, each at one end, seemingly not knowing each other, bouncing along with the vehicle, Little Wang felt incredibly cool.
The recording was still in that big courtyard, but today there were banners hanging on the main gate, with big red characters welcoming some star to record.
Many people were gathered at the entrance, all trying to peek inside. The family couldn't get in, but when Yan Zhao called out in a deep voice for people to make way, everyone immediately parted to create a path when they saw a police officer.
Chen Meilan's family wasn't allowed to go in.
The staff only called Yuanyuan in, leaving the rest to wait outside.
This place was also in the suburbs, with Qinchuan Group, Xiping City's third-largest factory, just across the street.
Now people were also into chasing stars, and many from Qinchuan Group had snuck out to watch at the gate, everyone curious about what the star coming today looked like.
At this time, Yuanyuan's voice came from inside the courtyard, clear and bright.
As more people gathered, everyone found it more intriguing. The courtyard wall was low, and Little Lang, wanting to see the excitement, had already climbed onto his dad's shoulders.
Little Wang didn't like crowds and stood with his arms crossed, far from the crowd.
Chen Meilan looked at Qinchuan Group across the street. Last time she came, there was an empty plot of land, but today they were laying bricks, looking like they were starting some project.
Suddenly, she saw Yan Xishan's flashy red Xiali car parked outside Qinchuan Group's gate.
Chen Meilan was a bit curious. Yan Xishan had been locked up, so how was this flashy car running around outside? Could it be that Hu Xiaomei had really sold the car?
Just then, two people came out from the construction site. One was Yan Bin, and the other wore a trench coat with his hair so oily that flies couldn't even land on it, slicked back even shinier than Chow Yun-fat's.
Chen Meilan recognized this man as an acquaintance of Yan Xishan, named Chen Ping.
For a while, he had called himself the Chow Yun-fat of Xiping, but compared to Chow Yun-fat, he was rather ugly, mainly because he looked so tacky.
To show off his Pierre Cardin belt, he always walked with his hands on his hips, which made his buttocks sway from side to side.
This look was too tacky, so the Chow Yun-fat nickname never really caught on.
He was talking and laughing with Yan Bin, discussing the development of that plot of land, as well as matters related to cement, sand, and steel bars.
Chen Meilan guessed correctly; Qinchuan Group wanted to build on the vacant lot, and Chen Ping and Yan Bin were there to discuss the construction contract.
Seeing the commotion across the street, the two men stopped. Chen Ping's gaze swept over Chen Meilan, but he hesitated and said, "Isn't that Zhou Xueqin's son?"
Chen Meilan thought he was talking to her, but she heard Little Wang snort behind her: "Go to hell!"
This was a dirty, vulgar curse.
How could Little Wang use such foul language?
It turned out that Little Wang, uninterested in the commotion, was just tagging along with Chen Meilan.
Yan Bin tried to pull Chen Ping away, suggesting they should leave, but Chen Ping wouldn't budge. Instead, he walked towards Little Wang: "This little brat, Zhou Xueqin's son, used to beat up my son when they went to school together."
Then he turned back, smiling, and asked Yan Bin: "His father is your brother, right? I've only seen photos, never met him in person. I heard the kid was given to his father's custody. Since the child is here, his father must be around too, right? Why don't we go meet your brother?"
"Why do you want to meet Yan Zhao?" Yan Bin said, "He's not someone who can be corrupted by nouveau riche like you. Even that loser Yan Xishan couldn't win him over, so save your breath."
"Come on, he looks so handsome and dashing in the newspapers," Chen Ping gently smoothed his greasy slicked-back hair, apparently quite confident about his own appearance. "His wife used to say that Yan Zhao was nothing but a pretty face. Let's just meet him."
Little Wang's face turned red with anger, and Chen Meilan couldn't hold back anymore: "Mr. Chen, I am Yan Zhao's wife, and I don't remember ever saying such things."
"Oh, isn't this Meilan?" Chen Ping seemed to have just noticed Chen Meilan, and spoke rather arrogantly, "That loser Yan Xishan was your ex-husband, right? He's been locked up, hasn't he? Are you doing alright?"
His information was severely outdated; apparently, he didn't know about Meilan's marriage to Yan Zhao. Yan Bin frantically nudged him: "She's my brother's wife now, you idiot. Stop talking nonsense."
Chen Ping let out an "Ah," stunned for a while, then looked at Little Wang: "This kid isn't...?"
"This is my son," Chen Meilan said, pulling Little Wang close.
Chen Ping laughed for a while, probably processing this large amount of information. After a while, he finally said, "Little Wang, my son has transferred to Dongfang School. You two won't be able to fight anymore. Remember to say hello to your father for me."
Little Wang took a deep breath and ran off.
Watching Chen Ping drive away in his gaudy red car, Chen Meilan suddenly understood everything.
Chen Ping and Yan Xishan were good friends. She had heard that Hu Xiaomei had sold Yan Xishan's car recently, and it must have been sold to Chen Ping.
Chen Ping's son used to live in Jinxi District, in the same area as Little Wang.
Now he had also transferred to Dongfang School, and it was probably Hu Xiaomei who helped arrange it.
Little Wang's aversion to school and tendency to skip classes might not be about avoiding school itself, but rather certain people.
Skipping school was a big problem, but now that they had identified the root cause, it would be easier to address.
However, with Yan Xishan in jail, Chen Ping immediately took over his car, and it was from Hu Xiaomei's hands.
Did he know that Hu Xiaomei and Yan Xishan were only living together and hadn't officially married?
And did he know that if Yan Xishan really got a long sentence, or worse, died in prison, that car would belong to her daughter Yuanyuan?
