A whole big cake, with candles to be lit. Yan Zhao held Little Lang in his arms, glanced at Chen Meilan, and softly taught him to say: "Yan Minglang, happy birthday."
Little Lang didn't care about this. Chen Meilan had just inserted the candles when Little Wang gestured for Yuanyuan to sing the birthday song. She boldly grabbed both of Yan Zhao's hands, indicating he should clap along to the beat. Everyone was solemn, and just as Yuanyuan opened her mouth, Little Lang blew out the candles with a puff.
Little Wang only took one bite before letting out a muffled sound.
Yuanyuan giggled: "Brother, are you remembering the cake you knocked over?"
The first time dad bought a chestnut cake, he had knocked it to the ground with one swipe, and it was thrown away.
"If brother likes it, he can have another piece." Yuanyuan gave her piece to Little Wang.
But Little Wang, when Yuanyuan wasn't looking, tugged at her little braid.
Yuanyuan was hurt by the tug and wanted to tattle, but seeing her dad and mom laughing, she swallowed her complaint.
The little girl wrinkled her nose at her brother, wanting to snatch back her cake, but seeing how much he was enjoying it, she held back.
Brothers are so annoying.
In Yan Zhao's bedroom, the blanket was folded like a block of tofu. Of the four pairs of underwear, three were always washed clean and hung in the corner. The three toothbrushes were always at a 45-degree angle. On the floor was a simple table he had bought himself, on which "Criminal Law," "Police Encyclopedia," "Practical Handbook for People's Police," and "Complete Police Dictionary" were arranged like four policemen on duty, making Chen Meilan feel uncomfortable all over.
Chen Meilan only came in after Little Wang had finished his homework and lain down.
As soon as Little Wang saw Chen Meilan, he started snoring, obviously pretending, with unrealistic snoring sounds.
Chen Meilan didn't say anything, just sat on the edge of the kang bed, smiling and watching.
Little Wang had his eyes closed and couldn't hear any sound. Thinking Chen Meilan had left, he just opened his eyes to secretly observe when Chen Meilan unexpectedly said: "I'm going to ask you something now, and don't lie. Yuanyuan told me you were bragging to her, saying you could eat fifty lamb skewers in one go. Tell me the truth, can you?"
Among drinking, arm wrestling, and eating lamb skewers, Chen Meilan chose one to test, to see if she could catch him out. Clearly, she had bet right.
Little Wang blurted out: "Of course I can."
"You're lying. Second Brother Zhou said you couldn't," Chen Meilan said.
Second Brother Zhou was from Little Wang's maternal grandmother's village, the boy who had snatched Little Lang.
Little Wang blurted out: "What does he know? It was Chen Ping who took me to eat them, the Chen Ping we know, he can vouch for me."
"I still don't believe you, because Zhou Xueqin also said you couldn't," Chen Meilan said again.
The child was briefly stumped, then suddenly understood Chen Meilan's meaning. His eyes filled with panic, looking to her for help: "My mom was there too that time, she said not to tell my dad at all costs. You absolutely can't tell my dad."
Chen Meilan quickly raised her hand too: "I won't tell, I won't say anything."
She was a bit worried now. What if Yan Zhao really fell out with Zhou Xueqin?
Little Lang was still too young to understand, at least for now he wouldn't be hurt, but how would this child caught in the middle cope?
But just as he closed his eyes, he opened them again: "Remember to wake me up early tomorrow, I'm on duty and need to clean."
Chen Meilan noticed something hanging around his neck, and when she reached out to take it, she found it was that pen knife, wrapped in a little cover Yuanyuan had knitted.
Just as Yan Zhao had guessed, Chen Ping was the one who had teased Little Wang into eating lamb skewers until he vomited, but hadn't paid.
It was a small matter, and Little Wang himself didn't mind. He didn't even want to tell anyone that his mom had drunk with Chen Ping.
Coming out of that bedroom, Chen Meilan had just entered her own room when she felt uncomfortable all over, as if two hot beams of light were staring at her.
Until Yan Zhao suddenly spoke: "Done asking?"
It was like he'd risen from the dead; he was actually standing by the window.
Chen Meilan went to turn on the light but fumbled for the light cord in her panic. Just as she found it, she felt a warm hand reach around her from behind.
His muscles were particularly developed and powerful, right behind her.
Chen Meilan thought to herself, young man, hurry and turn on the light. This old auntie is getting on in years and has a weak heart, afraid of being startled and afraid of the dark.
"It's so dark, quickly turn on the light," she said.
"Talk first," Yan Zhao's tone carried the implication that darkness was good for doing things.
Surely he wasn't thinking of doing something today?
They were already married, and if he really wanted to do something Chen Meilan wouldn't refuse, but surely not on this kang bed.
This was the kang that Yan Xishan had slept on, and Hu Xiaomei too. Yan Zhao might not care, but Chen Meilan minded.
"I can't tell you..." Chen Meilan thought for a moment and still chose not to say.
"I heard it all."
"Don't argue with Zhou Xueqin because of this, and don't fall out with her. Don't fight. Even if you're divorced, Little Wang doesn't like you two arguing," Chen Meilan said.
Yan Zhao was silent for a moment before saying: "Yan Wangqi is an adult now, he should be able to discern right from wrong. I can leave his mother alone, but not her boyfriends."
Not male friends but boyfriends, so was he explicitly stating he had been cuckolded?
He suspected Zhou Xueqin had actually had improper sexual relations with those men.
Yan Zhao was rubbing, squeezing, and kneading her hand, while their hands together held onto the light cord.
Chen Meilan suddenly remembered a joke. It said that for a while, the CIA received confidential intelligence that the big terrorist Bin Laden was hiding in Shaanxi Province. The reason was that every night at 10 o'clock there, someone would keep saying: "La deng, sleep" (which sounds like "Bin Laden" in Chinese).
If the light cord she was used to pulling hadn't been in her hand right now, she wouldn't have thought of this old joke from the 90s.
But because of this joke, she laughed inappropriately, laughing so hard her waist ached.
But she didn't dare laugh out loud, so now it was a particularly funny scene. She was shaking in the dark, the man behind her was kneading her hand, his rough large hand repeatedly gripping her hand into his then releasing, squeezing tight again, then releasing. His breathing grew heavier, and Chen Meilan even caught a whiff of the scent of lust from a young man, vigorous and long pent-up.
When she struggled, he raised her hand higher. When she struggled again, he raised it even higher.
Suddenly her hand touched something soft and warm. She remembered, it was Yan Zhao's ear. Indeed it was soft, extremely soft.
She tensed up and pulled back forcefully, and in the tangle their hands accidentally went "click."
The light came on just like that, a 60-watt bulb illuminating Chen Meilan's sunset-like face, smiling particularly brightly, her eyebrows dancing, her expression radiant.
She was shy and timid, afraid that her image of him had probably crumbled to dust in an instant.
Yan Zhao looked at her, his eyes slowly narrowing into a line.
He probably thought she was laughing at him, laughing at his cuckoldry?
Would he be thinking of murder at this moment?
Chen Meilan had a sudden inspiration: "Let me tell you something really funny."
The man was still gripping her hand, squeezing hard, still kneading, but he held his breath, his voice hoarse: "Speak."
Chen Meilan could finally laugh out loud without burden: "Hu Xiaomei says she's pregnant with a child, it's Yan Xishan's, and it's three months along. But in fact that ultrasound report is someone else's. She probably isn't pregnant at all. Second brother just came to tell me about this."
Yan Zhao's hand paused. On his naturally chiseled, aggressive face, his features were falling back into place, as rigid as the golden shield on his shoulder.
Could it be this joke wasn't funny? In her past life, Yan Xishan had given up five large coal mines and the demolition houses in Salt Barrier Village for the sake of his son, and that son wasn't even his own.
What was being cuckolded compared to this? This was even more tragic than being cuckolded.
"Funny," Yan Zhao spat out two words, reaching out to gently smooth her hair behind her ear where he had mussed it.
Chen Meilan took the opportunity to suggest that she wanted to go see Yan Xishan.
Yan Zhao was already heading out: "Alright."
He could at least ask what she was going to do, but he didn't.
The detention center was in Jinnan District, too far away, so Chen Meilan simply had Yan Bin drive her there.
Yan Bin smiled the whole way, laughing non-stop.
"Yesterday, Xiaomei went to see Xishan. After she came back, she went to the post office. It seems Xishan gave her a savings book. Your sister-in-law said she withdrew 10,000 yuan at the time. It looks like after Xishan heard about having a son, he handed over his savings to Xiaomei," said Yan Bin.
Yan Xishan was as cunning as a fox, with his only weakness being his son.
For this son, he would probably be willing to call Hu Xiaomei his ancestor, let alone give her money.
As for Chen Meilan, she also needed to take advantage of that 'son' to secure Yuanyuan's share as soon as possible.
After completing the procedures at the detention center, there was a small self-operated store just inside the entrance. As Yan Bin passed by, he saw Chen Meilan walk in and asked, "After how Xishan treated you, you still want to buy things for him?"
The detention center wouldn't accept outside items, but necessities could be purchased at this small store at one's own expense.
Chen Meilan bought a pack of cigarettes for Yan Xishan, exchanged 50 yuan worth of chicken leg coupons, and also bought him new towels and toothpaste, as well as a few pounds of bulk biscuits.
Hu Xiaomei would of course prefer if he died tomorrow, but Chen Meilan had to take care of his health. After all, if Yan Xishan fell ill, it would only burden Yuanyuan.
At this moment, Yan Xishan was sitting with a group of fellow inmates knitting sweaters.
That's how it was in the detention center. As soon as you entered, you had to work - knitting sweaters, sewing buttons, embroidering, as well as folding and gluing envelopes.
"Do you have a son?" he asked an inmate opposite him while the guard wasn't paying attention.
This inmate happened to be detained for resisting family planning officials during a birth control crackdown. He sighed and said, "You don't have a son either, right? Were you also arrested for beating up family planning officials?"
"How could that be? I'm about to have a son soon, already three months along," said Yan Xishan.
The rough-faced man opposite him burst into tears: "Damn it all to hell, how can you be so lucky?"
Taking advantage of another moment of inattention, Yan Xishan asked a coal boss: "How long until you can get out?"
This question only made things worse, as the coal boss broke down in tears: "There were two deaths under my watch. At least ten years."
Having made two people cry, Yan Xishan, despite his growling stomach, couldn't help but laugh out loud while continuing to knit.
For him, the case hanging over his head was still Huang Xiaoxiang's, and he had only reported a bribe amount of 10,000 yuan. It wasn't his man who hit someone, and it was only 10,000 yuan. At worst, he'd be sentenced to three months' detention. He hadn't told anyone yet, but he was secretly delighted.
If he could just have a cigarette now, he'd be as happy as a god. Unfortunately, he had no money, and the detention center didn't allow smoking. He, a heavy smoker who used to go through two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes a day, had been forced to quit for over a month.
Just then, a guard informed him that someone had come to visit him with cigarettes.
At that moment, Yan Xishan knew it must be Meilan who had come.
Unlike Hu Xiaomei who needed to be taken care of, she was the woman who understood him best, who was most considerate of him, and would never change in this lifetime.
If Hu Xiaomei came, she would only cry and ask for money. When Meilan came, she would bring him cigarettes.
This is why one should never abandon their original spouse.
If Yan Xishan could live his life over again, he would rather be beaten to death by Meilan than divorce her. He would kneel before her and beg for forgiveness, spending his entire life atoning for the sins he had committed. Even if he died, he would die kneeling before Chen Meilan.
He would rather die than divorce.
In life, it was rare to feel as good as Yan Xishan did today.
...
Yan Bin wanted to tell Yan Xishan the truth directly, but Chen Meilan wouldn't let him.
She also advised him to try to find the other ultrasound report.
After all, the ultrasound report Hu Xiaomei had belonged to someone else, with only the name changed at the time. Rather than telling Yan Xishan about this directly, it would be better to find the other ultrasound report first.
As soon as they met, Yan Xishan's face was beaming with joy. Seeing Chen Meilan holding chicken leg coupons and biscuits for him, he was even more delighted: "Meilan, you're so good to me. By the way, Xiaomei is pregnant, carrying my son. Have you heard?"
Yan Bin almost burst out laughing.
Yan Xishan, wearing handcuffs, waited for Chen Meilan to light a cigarette for him. He took a deep drag and said, "I'm getting out tomorrow to marry Xiaomei. Is the car at the coal yard? I'll send someone to get it tomorrow. Don't worry, you can still drive it in the future. Can I just borrow it for tomorrow?"
In balancing his mistress and his original wife, Yan Xishan could be considered a model among men. If it were any other woman, he could generally smooth things over.
Unfortunately, Chen Meilan was not just any woman. She said, "It's indeed great news that Xiaomei is pregnant, but Xishan, we should also divide our marital assets. You currently have five unopened mines and two operational ones. I won't mention the five unopened ones, but you need to give Yuanyuan the two operational mines. And it needs to be transferred now, otherwise you can forget about getting married."
Yan Xishan laughed in anger: "Yuanyuan is just a little girl. You want to give her two of my coal mines? Are you out of your mind?"
Chen Meilan remained very calm: "Xishan, Yuanyuan won't take a penny of the money you earn in the future, but now we must make a written agreement. You transfer the two coal mines to Yuanyuan's name, and I promise on her behalf that she will take care of you in your old age and arrange your funeral. She will keep her word."
Yan Xishan realized that Chen Meilan was trying to take away his lifeline. He sneered, "I've already arranged for leave. I'm getting out tomorrow to marry Xiaomei. Meilan, I'm sure I'll be out soon, so why divide the assets so early? Don't worry, Yuanyuan will get her share of the coal mines, but not now, okay?"
He always thought he would be prosperous for life, never believing there would be a day when he would fall on hard times. But illness can strike like a landslide, and he might end up lying in a hospital bed, incontinent, crying for help with no response. But he just didn't understand this principle, and would never understand it, even to his death.
Yan Bin couldn't hold back anymore: "Xishan..."
"Second brother, shut up. Yan Xishan, if you dare to go out and get married tomorrow, I'll burn the 100,000 yuan you've stored with me, bill by bill, right in front of you and Hu Xiaomei," Chen Meilan said bluntly, adding a harsh threat.
His son was Yan Xishan's life, and money was Hu Xiaomei's life. Burning money in front of Hu Xiaomei - wouldn't that risk causing her to miscarry?
"You wouldn't dare. Meilan, are you my ancestor or what?" Yan Xishan was so frightened he nearly lost his soul.
Chen Meilan took out a pre-written contract and handed it to Yan Xishan: "This is a coal mine transfer agreement. You can still operate it, but the property rights must be Yuanyuan's, and the profits will belong to her too. If you sign it, I won't burn the money. If you don't sign, tomorrow at the civil affairs bureau, when you two get your marriage certificate, I'll burn funeral money for you."
Property and money were two different things. Yan Xishan was willing to leave some property for Yuanyuan, after all, she was a quiet, simple-minded little girl without much promise. It would be good for a girl to have some property to fall back on.
Besides, he was the one operating the coal mines, so he could still decide how much profit to report.
If Chen Meilan really brought 100,000 yuan to burn in front of Hu Xiaomei, the shock might cause her to lose his son.
After pondering for a while, Yan Xishan took the pen and quickly signed his name on the "Coal Mine Transfer Agreement." He looked up, pointing the pen at Chen Meilan: "I won't go get married tomorrow. Xiaomei might get so upset she miscarries. Meilan, if my son really is lost, we'll become enemies. Let me tell you something - my case isn't serious. I might be able to get out soon. When I do, you better watch out."
"Behave well and strive for early release," Chen Meilan took the agreement and handed Yan Xishan another cigarette, even lighting it for him. "Add a chicken leg to each meal to keep your health up."
Yan Xishan had been very angry, but after taking a drag of the cigarette, he smiled again: "Meilan, you're the best to me in this world. If Xiaomei can't give me a son, she's nothing."
Yan Bin shook his head and sighed as he stood up.
He realized Meilan was quite clever. Why bother telling Yan Xishan about the cuckoo's egg? As long as the coal mines belonged to Yuanyuan, it didn't matter if he was wearing a green hat or not. It would be best if he ended up raising someone else's son for life.
Hopefully, he would get out later rather than sooner, and someone could warn Hu Xiaomei before he did, because she had been seeing quite a few men lately.
It wouldn't be good if he caught her in the act.
...
At the police station, Yan Zhao and Bureau Chief Sun Nutao were also discussing how to handle those nouveau riche in the detention center.
There were too many people pulling strings from above, and Sun Nutao could barely hold out. He wanted to ask Yan Zhao whether those coal bosses should be released or not.
"For these nouveau riche, sentencing is not the ultimate goal. Intimidating them and making them obey the law in the future is what's most important. Let them go. Release those old ones and let them teach the new ones how to behave properly," said Yan Zhao.
Sun Nutao, who worked as a staff officer in the military and specialized in military strategy and tactics, was surprised by Yan Zhao's words.
So from the beginning, he hadn't intended to give harsh sentences to the nouveau riche. First, he would crush their arrogance, then release them. When the newly emerged group was acting all high and mighty, the old big brothers would be released to teach them how to behave.
The important thing was to maintain good public security.
As Yan Zhao was about to leave, Bureau Chief Sun suddenly asked, "How's sleeping on the memory foam mattress? Comfortable?"
Yan Zhao paused for a moment, then said, "I'll try it tonight."
Does this mean he hasn't slept on it yet?
