When finalizing the project bid with Teacher Huang, he was particularly surprised: "You came here yourself?"
"Little Wang came on our behalf," Chen Meilan said with a smile.
She could hardly believe it, but the fact was that in the Dongfang School, full of hidden talents, Little Wang was obscure and even lacked presence in front of teachers due to his small stature and insecurity.
But he didn't hit others, didn't bully other children, and liked to take care of younger classmates. That little bit of kindness had earned her a bidding opportunity.
After listening to Chen Meilan, Teacher Huang said, "This is why I love teaching. Teaching children to be kind is more important than anything else. I'll write the bid."
The incident with Little Xiang had passed, and although Teacher Huang and his wife were still grief-stricken, at least now they had new hope.
Yan Zhao only had ideas about barbecuing, so Chen Meilan had to implement everything.
She bought charcoal, cleaned a few bricks, built a trough, lit the charcoal, and created a simple grill.
Then came cutting meat and vegetables for skewers. She cut, Yuanyuan threaded, with a perfect ratio of three lean to one fat piece.
Little Wang was originally hiding, but because Chen Meilan and Yuanyuan's preparations looked so fun, he couldn't help but come out to help.
She had borrowed skewers from a nearby lamb kebab shop. Not only did they have lamb, but also green beans, eggplant, peppers, oyster mushrooms, tofu skin, rice cakes, and sweet potato noodles.
Especially the sweet potato noodles - they looked thin and hard. Would they taste good grilled?
The outside stalls didn't have this grilling method.
She also ground up lots of peanuts, sesame seeds, and roasted, crushed almond bits, saying she would sprinkle them on the skewers.
Moreover, she had simmered half a jar of chili oil, saying it was for brushing onto the skewers before eating.
Outside, the Uyghur vendors with flowery hats would just burn the meat on the fire for a bit and sprinkle some cumin on top.
They would occasionally pick their noses and scratch their bottoms, not paying attention to hygiene at all. Eating there often led to stomachaches, but Chen Meilan's method not only smelled delicious but was clean and hygienic.
Little Wang had once experienced a lifelong nightmare at a kebab stall, but at this moment, he was experiencing the most unforgettable and exciting meal of his life.
His father hadn't returned yet, but Little Lang couldn't wait anymore and kept jumping around.
This child loved to bite people too much, wanting to bite everyone he saw. But he was gentle with his hands and didn't like to hit people. This habit wasn't good - if it wasn't corrected, what if someone got angry and hit him? Could he handle it?
Chen Meilan first grilled a skewer of meat for Little Lang, using a tissue to clean the tip of the skewer. She said, "Our Little Lang won't bite people anymore, okay?"
"Won't bite mommy, won't bite brother, won't bite sister," Little Lang said.
"It means not biting anyone at all," Chen Meilan took away the skewer. "Otherwise, you're not allowed to eat."
Little Lang became unhappy, grunting and trying to grab the skewer. Unable to get it, Chen Meilan asked again, "Will you dare to bite people in the future?"
"No biting, teeth itchy," Little Lang said, opening his mouth wide and tugging at his teeth.
This child still had his baby teeth, not yet time to lose them or get new ones. How could his teeth be itchy?
Chen Meilan carefully looked at the little one's teeth and suddenly noticed a gap on the side. The gap wasn't big, but two teeth were leaning towards each other, growing crooked.
"Little Wang, why does Little Lang's tooth look strange?" Chen Meilan reached out to touch it, feeling like there was something inside.
Little Wang said, "He broke a tooth once. At the time, the doctor wanted to pull it out, but they said it wasn't necessary and it would be fine when it grew back."
So Little Lang had actually broken a tooth, but the root was still inside. The outside of the tooth was missing, so the teeth on either side were growing towards each other. The root inside was itchy, which was probably why he always unconsciously liked to bite things.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? He must be so uncomfortable, and his teeth will become completely deformed. We need to pull out that tooth and put in a spacer, otherwise his entire gum line will have problems."
No wonder this child was often irritable and liked to bite things.
Little Wang asked Chen Meilan, "Doesn't pulling a tooth cost money? Does my dad have enough?"
Zhou Xueqin always complained about Yan Zhao not making enough money, complaining about lacking money, which had planted a psychological shadow in this child's mind.
"It's enough. I'll take him to get it pulled tomorrow," Chen Meilan thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "We'll use your salary."
Little Wang, imitating the adults, was brushing oil on the grilled meat. He pouted, "What salary do I have?"
"Teacher Huang gets five yuan a day. You run to the construction site every day, working so hard, and even helped us get business from Qinchuan Group. I must pay you a salary," Chen Meilan said.
Little Wang was delighted to hear this: "Then I won't go to school anymore. I'll just do engineering work with you. Don't look down on me because I'm small. I can run errands really fast."
"That's fine, but you need to learn how to draw blueprints, do budgets, and write bids first," Chen Meilan said. "Take these skewers over to Teacher Huang and your Aunt Huang, and ask Teacher Huang how to properly do engineering work."
She put the grilled lamb, sweet potato noodles, oyster mushrooms, and eggplant on a plate and handed it to Little Wang.
Little Wang took the plate of skewers and walked off enthusiastically.
Chen Meilan's goal was to boost Little Wang's confidence and not let him feel inferior because his father didn't earn much money.
But this ambitious little pup who wanted to make money always misunderstood her intentions.
Let Teacher Huang give him a reality check and let him know how difficult engineering work really is.
After Yan Zhao returned, he took over the barbecue stand and officially started grilling.
Next door, Qin Yu and Yan Dawei had been arguing all day. Ningning was leaning on Chen Meilan's door, curiously watching the barbecue stand.
Usually, Ningning would have all sorts of delicious foods and fun things that Yuanyuan could look at and smell but not touch or eat. However, Yuanyuan was much more generous. With her mother's permission, since they had made so many skewers today, she invited almost all the little girls in the village to come eat barbecue.
Fortunately, Chen Meilan had prepared plenty of skewers, and barbecue is best enjoyed with a crowd anyway. The little girls' mouths were all oily as they curiously observed that fierce-looking, dark-skinned uncle.
As the couple grilled skewers, Yan Zhao took the opportunity to discuss the case, talking about the results of the execution by firing squad.
Reportedly, because the scene was too chaotic, the judicial police were disturbed, and the first shot only hit the chest accurately. It took a second shot to the head. The officer carrying out the execution would be disciplined with a demerit. The brain matter that splattered out was like tofu pudding. Looking at the tofu she was currently grilling, Chen Meilan suddenly felt she couldn't eat it anymore.
To make matters worse, Yan Zhao held up a piece of tofu, brushing it with chili oil, and said, "Brain matter covered in blood looks about the same as this tofu."
Mentioning that Deputy Bureau Chief Ma had been scared into shock, losing control of his bowels and bladder, Chen Meilan became a bit curious: "How much money did he actually embezzle?"
"His wife had 50,000 yuan, his mistress had 150,000 yuan, and counting the discounted goods, it came to about 30,000 yuan," Yan Zhao said.
A deputy chief of a local police station had cash flow comparable to Yan Xishan.
Yet how many risks had Yan Xishan taken, how much hardship had he endured, how much suffering had he gone through to do business?
In Hua Country, becoming a corrupt official was truly the best path to getting rich quickly.
Chen Meilan swallowed hard: "He really knew how to rake it in."
"There's no special technique. In that position, anyone can rake it in. If you include family members, you can rake in even more," Yan Zhao said, glancing at Chen Meilan.
His gaze wasn't right - it was hot and scorching.
So his serious recounting of this case, describing the scene so vividly, was to warn her not to use his position of authority to make money?
Was Chen Meilan that kind of person?
She deliberately patted her chest and said, "It's not easy being the family of a police officer. In the future when we go out, try not to wear your uniform. The children and I will also keep our distance from you. If anyone dares to come to our door with a bribe, I'll call you immediately. Don't be distracted from your work. I'll take care of things on the home front while you maintain law and order in Dongjin District."
This flattery was so over-the-top that even she felt a bit nauseated.
But Yan Zhao seemed to really appreciate it. "Thank you," he said. Noticing that Chen Meilan liked the sweet potato noodles, he tried to feed her a bite while the children weren't paying attention.
But suddenly a little girl turned her head, probably never having seen a man feed a woman before. She wanted to pull Yuanyuan to turn and look too, but Yan Zhao glared at the little girl, scaring her so much that she ran away holding back tears.
"Did you get any reward for solving the case?" Chen Meilan asked.
Chen Meilan remembered that Yan Xishan had offered a 5,000 yuan reward to the police to solve the case quickly. Although she wouldn't think of being greedy and would work hard to earn money herself, that money should have been Yan Zhao's.
"It was given as a bonus to all military-transferred police officers. I got 300 yuan, to be paid with the salary at the end of the month," Yan Zhao said.
"It's alright, I'll earn money for us," she tried to report the details of the contract work and all the money in her hands.
Yan Zhao looked at her, his eyes seeming to see right through her, but he quickly looked away: "I won't check your accounts, but you can't do anything illegal either."
This man was capable of personally reporting his wife and immediately divorcing her if he discovered she had broken the law. In the future, when he was promoted to bureau chief in the capital, many people would want to investigate him, but they wouldn't find any flaws in this police chief.
Chen Meilan finally understood a bit of Zhou Xueqin's difficulties in her past life.
In this era, even if you didn't want to get rich quickly, you couldn't live too poorly. Poverty made life difficult not just for yourself, but even more so for your children.
Now Little Wang was like Yuanyuan in her past life. No matter how much she encouraged him and showed him kindness, the child felt inferior because his father had no economic status at home.
Even if children don't actively compare themselves, when others have new clothes and they don't, when others have new pencil cases and they don't, they still feel inferior.
And if you want to make money without breaking the law, it's too difficult.
Regarding the construction project, she hoped Yan Zhao wouldn't object if she took it on.
Otherwise, she probably wouldn't be able to maintain her current gentle and understanding persona, and would have to argue with him.
"Xishan is getting out of prison today. I've already talked to Third Uncle, he won't come and make trouble anymore. Come over by yourself tonight."
Chen Meilan stared at him for a long time, watching as Yan Zhao's ears turned red, then his neck, until he finally avoided her gaze: "Eat a bit more, I'll clean up the dishes."
This dog of a man, couldn't he speak in a gentler tone, say something nice, make it sound like an invitation?
Would it kill him to say something tender?
"No," she said defiantly.
Yan Zhao's hand paused for a moment, but he didn't look at her, just continued clearing away the plates and bowls the children had dirtied.
"Wait until I'm clean, then we'll see," Chen Meilan said, holding back a smile.
She saw it clearly - Yan Zhao's lips curled into a smile, and oh, he even showed his teeth.
His teeth were so white, the kind that could be used in toothpaste commercials.
...
At the gate of Xiping Detention Center, Yan Xishan carried a red and blue plastic woven bag, looking up at the entrance.
It had been less than two months, and he was already being released.
He was about to spit a mouthful of phlegm on the detention center gate when two young, pretty women approached from across the street. He immediately put aside his vulgar intentions and prepared to flip his long hair.
Then he got angry again - the long hair he had worked so hard to grow, styled in big waves, had been buzzed off by those bastards as soon as he entered the detention center.
The walk to the bus stop was long, and the place was so remote that Yan Xishan's feet ached.
A cunning hare has three burrows. A few days ago, he had only told Hu Xiaomei where he had hidden a 10,000 yuan note, telling her to use it for the children's nutrition. But the key to the coal mine and the rest of the money were hidden elsewhere.
Yan Xishan was a man who had been scared of poverty. He wouldn't let go of the falcon until he saw the rabbit.
The 100,000 yuan he had given to Chen Meilan would go to Zhaodi if he died, but now that he was out, he would definitely keep it for himself.
As for the coal mine's property rights, he had written an agreement, but unless he personally transferred it at the Coal Resources Bureau and the Land Bureau, that paper agreement wouldn't take effect.
Now, he would first withdraw some money to buy things for Hu Xiaomei, give her a surprise.
A 380 yuan Yu Xi set, and the state-owned department store had recently opened a Montagut counter, so he'd get a set of lace underwear.
When he arrived home, it was past 10 p.m. Seeing the living room window dark, his first thought was that when Meilan had just gotten pregnant with Zhaodi, she was always sleepy, sleeping all day. Hu Xiaomei, three months pregnant, must have gone to bed early.
His heart felt so warm.
With his shaved head, still wearing the old clothes Chen Meilan had sent him, he looked very different from the dashing figure he had been before going to prison. Carrying the woven bag, he went up the stairs, his hand on the key, when he saw Wang Ding'an, a small contractor from Jinxi, with his ear pressed against his door, looking so sneaky.
Yan Xishan wasn't stupid. He quietly approached and patted the guy on the shoulder: "Brother, what are you listening to?"
Wang Ding'an and Yan Xishan were just drinking buddies, having met only a few times. Moreover, Yan Xishan had shaved his head. Turning around, Wang Ding'an said: "Hu Xiaomei is clearly at home, I knocked today but she wouldn't open the door. Damn it, her favorite Chen Ping was executed, Zhou Fulong is at Little Hong Kong today, Sun Maocai is at Dream Paris, all her old friends are away, but she heard my voice and deliberately didn't open the door. She must have a new friend."
This massive amount of information was like a large bucket of dog blood poured over Yan Xishan's bald head.
Wang Ding'an's chubby, half-bald face pushed closer to Xishan's: "You're here to pursue her too, right? Let's keep watch together and see who she's entertaining tonight." Suddenly recognizing Yan Xishan's familiar high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and thin, delicate face, he stammered: "...Xi... Xishan?"
Xishan grinned, in the darkness looking just like a smiling Yama, the king of hell, about to take a life.
He gently patted Wang Ding'an's shoulder, gesturing for him to leave quietly, then took out his key and opened the door as softly as possible.
In the familiar living room was the genuine leather sofa that Chen Meilan had been saving for but couldn't bear to buy, and the big color TV that he had managed to get a ticket for and wanted to move back home, but Hu Xiaomei had kissed his face and repeatedly promised to give him a son, saying she would raise him from childhood to be a nobleman, so he had personally carried it back.
The living room light was off. Yan Xishan listened quietly and heard a man's voice from the dining area: "Go cry at the detention center again tomorrow, get Xishan to marry you quickly. Once you're married, I'll find someone to approve the mining rights for the other five big mines. With seven big mines, if we open them up for coal production, we'll be Xiping City's first millionaires."
So not only were there horns on his head, but they were also colorful and brilliant.
