Yuanyuan continued recording songs until late in the evening.
In the middle of the session, Chen Meilan's family was invited in for a simple meal of noodles with minced meat sauce. Because the taste was ordinary, Little Wang only ate two bites. Little Lang, on the other hand, devoured two bowls and wanted more, but was stopped by Chen Meilan.
He was the kind of child who could chew flavor out of a wooden stick.
Yan Zhao seemed to genuinely love music, listening very attentively and intently. As he listened, he suddenly said to Chen Meilan, "Yuanyuan sang well this time, better than the previous attempts. She should pass this time."
This man actually understood music?
She hadn't noticed he had any artistic sensibility.
Sure enough, after a while, Yuanyuan came out, accompanied by the assistant director: "Yan Shengnan's parents, could you leave a phone number? This child not only sings well but also has a good image. We're preparing for our next film 'Yellow River Ballad,' and the director specifically requested her to play the younger version of the female lead. If you're interested, please leave a contact number."
So Yuanyuan might have a chance to become a child actor?
They didn't have a phone at home yet.
Yan Zhao gave his office phone number.
"You can go home now. We'll mail you the sample recording and the labor fee together later," the assistant director reached out to pat Yuanyuan's head, but Yan Zhao stopped him with his hand.
"Mom, did you hear that? I sang really well, and Uncle Gu Feng praised me!" Yuanyuan said excitedly.
"Gu Feng, is that the one who sang 'Great China'?" Little Wang, a child with both self-esteem and carefree nature, had been unhappy because of Chen Ping, but now jumped up happily again: "It's actually Gu Feng! Our little Yuanyuan sang with Gu Feng!"
Gu Feng was currently the most popular mainland pop singer.
He actually recorded a song with Yuanyuan. That just shows how great Yuanyuan is.
They still had to take a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi home. This time, Yan Zhao was smarter - he had taken off his uniform early. As soon as he stood by the street, a group of motorcycle taxis swarmed around, almost fighting to get their whole family as passengers.
That night, Little Lang and Yuanyuan held hands, wanting to sleep on the spring mattress.
Little Wang still slept with his father.
As autumn was getting cooler, the children all bathed with heated water.
However, Yan Zhao still chose to shower in the courtyard.
After showering, seeing that Meilan's bedroom light was still on, he gently knocked on the door.
"Are you asleep?" he asked.
Chen Meilan softly responded with a "Mm."
"Are you still afraid of me?" Yan Zhao asked again, his words strikingly direct.
Chen Meilan thought to herself, who asks people like that? Couldn't you be a bit more tactful?
But before she could open her mouth to answer, heavy footsteps sounded, and with a creak of the door, Yan Zhao had already left.
He was truly a man of action, as fast as lightning.
...
The next day was the weekend, and also the first day for Little Wang and Yuanyuan to go to school. They had to go register.
Yan Zhao was off work again today, but he chose to do housework and didn't want to go out.
Yan Xiaowang kept looking back at his father, then to the courtyard gate, biting his lip anxiously.
"Why don't you go too? Little Wang doesn't like studying, but we don't need to beat him. I think what he needs is encouragement," Chen Meilan persuaded.
Yan Zhao was reorganizing the toilet. The village's latrine was separate, with sewage diverted to the public toilet outside, but it often got clogged. Yan Xishan was a coward, making things look flashy on the outside but never putting his heart into these matters, so the toilet was severely clogged. Yan Zhao, on the other hand, had already unclogged the toilet early in the morning without a word.
Hearing Meilan's words, he washed his hands and put on his clothes: "Let's go. I'll meet the principal and discuss the school's security issues."
He was going to meet the principal?
In any era, parents' identity and status always relate to their children's status at school. With his father showing up, Little Wang would definitely have more face at school in the future. Why would he still want to skip school?
Not to mention Chen Meilan, it was clear that Little Wang was quite happy too.
Many parents and children had gathered at the school gate, waiting for the school to open.
It could be said that this was a gathering of Xiping City's elites, because not many people could afford the 2,600 yuan to transfer their children to this school. Apart from the factory workers' children, only the children of prominent families in the city studied here.
There were seven or eight Xiali cars alone, and several Volkswagen Santanas.
Among them were several nouveau riche, each holding a brand new Lacoste small leather bag under their arms, and some wearing shiny new pagers. It was a new fashion trend from somewhere - for a while, some people would even tuck their cotton jackets into their pants just to show off their Pierre Cardin belts at the waist, which looked both rustic and vulgar.
And all the nouveau riche uniformly had large oily combed-back hairstyles, so slick that even flies couldn't stand on them.
Xiping City was one of the four furnace cities, and there was still an Indian summer in September, making people sweat profusely.
But now the Shanghai Bund style was popular, and the standard outfit for the nouveau riche was a trench coat. With their hair oiled to keep strangers at bay, they looked like they had just been fished out of a water tank. The smell on the scene was strong enough to kill.
However, despite their rustic appearance, among the thousands of nouveau riche in Xiping City, only those whose sons showed promise were qualified to stand here. Those whose sons weren't promising weren't even qualified to stand at the school gate.
Yan Zhao stood with the children far away from the crowd.
Because it was too hot, Chen Meilan was going to buy some popsicles for the children. She happened to run into Yan Dawei, who was also buying a popsicle for Ningning. Hu Xiaomei was holding hands with a chubby little boy who was sucking on an ice cream, while she herself was carrying four or five ice creams as she left the small shop.
"Meilan, did you know that Xiaomei sold Xishan's new car? She sold it to Chen Ping," Yan Dawei said, feeling emotional after seeing Hu Xiaomei.
In this era, although people didn't mock poverty as much as promiscuity, everyone still liked to gossip about others' affairs behind their backs. Yan Dawei said in a low voice, "I heard that Xishan might be sentenced to life imprisonment. Did Xiaomei and Xishan actually get married? If they didn't, that car should rightfully belong to Yuanyuan."
Chen Meilan had always had one attitude towards Yan Xishan's belongings - she didn't care for them.
He earned his dirty money by running illegal coal mines, bribing officials, and exploiting coal miners.
Moreover, in the future when he gets liver cancer, Hu Xiaomei and her son won't care for him.
Not only will Hu Xiaomei disappear, but she'll also give Yuanyuan's phone number to the hospital, throwing that stinking burden of Yan Xishan onto Yuanyuan. But what can Yuanyuan do? If she doesn't go, as a daughter, when it comes to emergency treatment, the hospital will report to the police, and the police will call her, ordering her to come.
Even if Yuanyuan pays, in the hospital ward, especially among other patients, what they love to compare most is not whose child hired a better caregiver, but whose child is more filial, willing to stay longer by the sickbed.
Even if everyone knows that the old man once abandoned his wife and daughter, what they'll say most is: "He has already admitted his mistake. After all, you're father and daughter. You should take care of him until he dies."
The grace of a single sperm, a lifetime of resentment, but when he's sick, when he's dying, you have to be responsible for running around in the hospital until he dies.
Yuanyuan doesn't have to work, isn't time money? She started from scratch, opened her own shop and ran her own business. If she's not in the shop for a day, will the workers work diligently?
Moral kidnapping can only kidnap the kind and those who care about face.
So her attitude is firm now, not to be involved with anything of Yan Xishan's, especially cutting off all connections between Yuanyuan and Yan Xishan.
It's just so that in the future, Yuanyuan can also let go of that big burden of Yan Xishan.
"I don't care. Let her sell it. Just don't come looking for us when Yan Xishan falls on hard times," Chen Meilan said as she took four popsicles and was about to leave.
Yan Dawei added, "Also, those two big coal mines of Xishan's, Hu Xiaomei is probably planning to give them to Chen Ping too. The little chubby boy she was with just now is Chen Ping's son. Not only are the two of them getting along well recently, but I heard that Chen Ping is also divorcing his wife back in his hometown, probably for her."
Most of the nouveau riche came from humble beginnings. Chen Ping also had a wife back in his hometown, along with a string of daughters, all with names like Zhaodi, Yindi, and Laidi.
However, in this era, it was too common for men to divorce as soon as they became rich.
They could abandon their daughters and wives, but not their sons. No wonder Hu Xiaomei was with Chen Ping's son.
Just then, another nouveau riche came to buy ice cream. Although they didn't know each other, everyone knew Yan Xishan.
"It's not just the coal mines. Hu Xiaomei used to have some connections. She introduced Chen Ping to the Qinchuan Group's project. Look, isn't that the car of the Qinchuan Group's secretary?" said this nouveau riche.
In the distance, a Volkswagen Santana was parked, far from those Xiali cars. It was clearly a car from a state-owned enterprise.
Hu Xiaomei was smiling as she tapped on the window. However, when it opened, the person inside didn't accept her ice cream. They chatted for a bit, and as the window was being rolled up, she kept waving until it was completely closed. Then she stopped waving and walked away with her chubby companion.
Yan Dawei slapped his forehead, "It really is Leader Ma's car. Meilan, you go back first. I'll go say hello to Leader Ma."
The other nouveau riche man, sucking on his ice cream, said, "You must be Chen Meilan. Although I don't know the specifics, half of Xishan's property belongs to your daughter. No matter how Hu Xiaomei messes with that coal mine, or what becomes of Xishan in the future, you should at least take some money to protect yourself. If he falls on hard times later, he'll come looking for his daughter. At least then you won't have worried yourself to death for nothing."
"Doesn't he have any shame?" Chen Meilan retorted.
The nouveau riche man chuckled, "To be honest, when I was doing well, I gallivanted around. But if I ran out of money, I'd definitely go home to my wife and kids. Having shame means losing out. In this world, people like us survive by being shameless."
Chen Meilan paused, realizing this was the truth.
Even if she lived another lifetime, family ties couldn't be severed. When Yan Xishan got liver cancer, he would still look for Yuanyuan.
This had nothing to do with whether she wanted the coal mine or Yan Xishan's money.
After all, Yan Xishan was well-versed in the art of shamelessness.
Yan Dawei came running back and, without a word, pulled Chen Meilan towards the Passat.
Having a car was indeed nice. Outside it was as hot as a steamer, but when the car window opened, a gust of cool air rushed out.
Inside were an elderly couple, probably there to drop off their grandchild for school.
Yan Dawei, bowing and scraping, said, "Hello, Leader Ma. You asked me who built our canteen, the one that looks like a bunker. Let me introduce you to Chen Meilan, our little contractor. Meilan, this is Leader Ma from Qinchuan Group, and his wife, Sister Ma."
Leader Ma was quite friendly, extending his hand through the window. "Hello, hello. How rare! We have a female contractor in Xiping City?"
However, the woman beside him looked unfriendly, eyeing Chen Meilan up and down.
Men and women have a natural attraction, while women often have a natural aversion to each other. This old lady didn't like Chen Meilan; she might as well have written "disgust" in her eyes for Chen Meilan to see.
Chen Meilan thus gently pulled away from Leader Ma's hand and reached out to shake Sister Ma's hand, changing her form of address: "Hello, Mrs. Ma. I'm Chen Meilan."
Hearing this, Mrs. Ma smiled, "Are you the Chen Meilan who beat up that scoundrel Yan Xishan?" She glared at her husband as she spoke.
"Yes," Chen Meilan replied firmly. "He's nothing but trash."
Mrs. Ma smiled warmly and shook Chen Meilan's hand vigorously. "You're impressive, daring to hit a coal boss. But you should have beaten up that shameless mistress of his too. What kind of world is this where mistresses can flaunt themselves while legitimate wives have to keep their tails between their legs?"
The disgust disappeared, replaced by a look of motherly love in Mrs. Ma's eyes.
Yan Dawei seized the opportunity, saying, "Our Meilan may be a woman, but she does solid work. She uses quality cement and sand. Leader Ma, if you have any projects, please consider her."
Mrs. Ma, still holding Chen Meilan's hand, glared at her husband. "This is the woman who dared to beat up that scoundrel Yan Xishan. You must consider her."
Earlier, Hu Xiaomei, the mistress, had been rebuffed. Now, a strong resonance formed between the legitimate wives.
Leader Ma glared at his wife, then turned back with an official tone, "If there are any projects, I'll definitely consider you."
Qinchuan Group did indeed have a big project recently.
A construction project.
Yesterday, Chen Ping and Yan Bin had gone to negotiate for that project.
Although Chen Meilan didn't have grand ambitions and only wanted to earn a modest living, she wouldn't turn down business if it came her way.
So she added, "Leader Ma, although my construction team is small, we have technicians and foremen. I personally oversee the construction quality. I can guarantee our quality, and of course, we won't forget to show our appreciation to you."
Kickbacks were the main point, and it had to be mentioned, because in this era, such things couldn't be discussed openly, only implied through mutual understanding.
Obviously, the previous exchange had been mere pleasantries. After she said this, Leader Ma pondered for a moment before saying, "Leave your phone number."
This was the second time someone had asked Chen Meilan for her phone number. Her heart was screaming that she absolutely needed to install a phone at home.
Yan Dawei was quick-witted, immediately giving his office phone number.
As Leader Ma slowly rolled up the window, Yan Dawei and Chen Meilan's smiles remained frozen on their faces. Once the window was fully closed, Yan Dawei turned and rubbed his face, stiff from smiling, and gave Chen Meilan a thumbs up.
As they walked away, Yan Dawei said, "Meilan, I've introduced this project to you, but you must keep it a secret from Qin Yu. Don't let her know."
Yan Dawei wasn't an ambitious man; a steady paycheck was enough for him to get by.
But Qin Yu had high hopes for her husband's success. If she found out he had introduced the project to Meilan, she would be angry.
"I won't say anything, but you'd better keep it secret too. Avoid arguments," Chen Meilan said.
Seeing Hu Xiaomei in the distance, Yan Dawei added, "Hu Xiaomei is really something. Sister Ma cursed her so harshly in front of you and probably gave her the cold shoulder earlier, but look how nicely she was smiling just now. Flattery and bootlicking, turning the other cheek when slapped – not everyone can do that."
So, in this second life, being good wasn't enough. One had to be tough too. She couldn't let anyone take what was rightfully hers.
After all, shameless people would always be shameless.
And shamelessness was the passport to success in this era!
