Yan Wei and Yan Jun grew up in the capital. Of course, Su Wen did this for educational purposes, and also because she couldn't manage on her own. Yan Peiheng's salary alone couldn't afford a nanny in those revolutionary years. According to Yan Wei, several aunties had helped take care of them.
Yan Peiheng wasn't particularly handsome, and his temper was similar to Yan Zhao's, the type that women tend to dislike at first glance.
But you never know with these things. What if someone actually liked him that way?
"You grew up in the capital, it must have been tough. Who took care of you? Did you hire a nanny?" Chen Meilan asked.
Yan Wei shook his head and sighed, "No way. At first, a few aunties volunteered to look after us, like the wife of Minister Cui from our hometown - her son-in-law now works at Dongfang Group, you should know him. And my mother-in-law too, since we're from the same place. My father-in-law died early, and she was a martyr's widow with extra food rations and time on her hands. When Yan Xing had her accident, Dad chased all those aunties away. He didn't have a house, so he rented a small shabby place and dumped us there. We had to make our own coal balls for cooking, go to school by ourselves, and still get scolded by him all the time... Dad sent most of his salary back to our hometown, leaving us with just a pittance for living expenses. Sigh, in Dad's heart, only Yan Xing was precious - we were just trash picked up from the garbage bin."
This is what they call not knowing what's in someone's heart.
Yan Zhao grew up with Yan Xing, and when she died, his heart was filled only with sorrow and regret.
Yan Wei had barely met Yan Xing a few times as a child. For that girl who died at five, he not only felt no familial affection but also harbored a secret resentment.
Resentment for all the hardships he endured and the scolding he received because of her death.
After a pause, Yan Wei continued, "My older brother had good foresight. As soon as the policies relaxed in '78, he took his whole family abroad. I relied entirely on my mother-in-law's support. You don't know about Dad, do you? He only cared about work, staying at the office until the wee hours every night - they called him the 'King of Hell' at the military district. All these years, he didn't save any money, didn't accomplish anything. Other leaders' children all went abroad, enjoying heavenly lives in America. Nobody said anything about it, but he refused to let us go abroad."
Hearing this, it seemed Yan Peiheng didn't have much going for him.
So why was Zhou Xueqin able to blackmail him for so long, and why was he willing to give her five thousand yuan on and off?
It was now March, and Zhou Xueqin had been in the south selling coal for a long time.
After she fell ill, Lu Jingyu also rushed to the south. Lu Dabao and the former Little Wang brothers had switched places. According to Zhou Qiaofang's gleeful account, Lu Dabao was now living at Zhou Xueqin's parents' house, getting beaten daily by Second Brother Zhou's gang of troublemakers - the same ones who used to beat Little Wang and Little Lang.
How did Zhou Xueqin manage to blackmail the seemingly invincible Yan Peiheng back then?
Just then, a round little head peeked in from outside the courtyard, looked around, and quickly retreated. A moment later, Yan Xishan hurriedly entered.
As soon as he came in, he was cautious and nervous: "Isn't this Yan Wei?"
Yan Wei and Yan Jun occasionally returned to their hometown when they were young, but since Yan Peiheng didn't get along with Su Wen, the two brothers only stayed briefly.
The atmosphere at home was tense. Except for Yan Zhao, the two older ones had already distanced themselves emotionally, only visiting out of obligation.
When Yan Jun went abroad, he only returned to Yanguan Village to kowtow to his mother a few times before leaving with his wife and children.
Yan Wei did know Yan Xishan, but only as a snot-nosed, grinning little "black five category" kid.
When he first heard about Chen Meilan's background in the capital, one reason for Yan Peiheng's furious reaction was that Meilan had been Yan Xishan's ex-wife.
In Yan Peiheng's mind, who was Yan Xishan to amount to anything?
But look at Yan Xishan now - a fitted woolen overcoat, slightly curled long hair, and a felt hat. He looked somewhat like... Fei Xiang?
"Hello, Second Brother. Meilan, quick, sign this for me." Yan Xishan was practically beaming with joy. "Zhou Xueqin... no, no, let's not talk about her. You won't believe what just happened. A state-owned factory in Shanghai wants to sign a year-long contract with us for 300,000 yuan worth of coal supply. I'm waiting to sign the contract right now."
He was indeed holding a contract, and the header showed that the other party was indeed a state-owned enterprise from Shanghai.
It was a coal supply contract, and a long-term one at that.
Chen Meilan had seen plenty of contracts in her previous life. With a quick glance, she could generally tell if there were any pitfalls or if the other party was trying to play tricks in the contract.
Yan Xishan continued, "A few days ago, someone ordinary-looking came from Shanghai and visited all the coal factories in Xiping City. When he came to our Xishan Company, I kicked him out because he was being picky and mumbling vaguely. But just today, he came back with a 30,000 yuan down payment, wanting to sign a contract with me. He says it's for a year, 300,000 yuan total, with payment first and delivery later."
This was a standard contract from a state-owned enterprise, with no pitfalls or tricks.
The other party would pay a sum and receive a batch of coal, with the important factors being the contract duration and coal quality. They specifically noted that the coal must be washed.
No wonder Yan Xishan was so happy, almost dancing with joy.
In all of Xiping City, only Xishan Company's coal was washed. The other party had come back after being scolded away.
It was because his coal quality was superior.
Yan Xishan actually felt quite ashamed. When Chen Meilan had forced him to install the coal washing line, he had sworn he'd eat shit if it actually made money.
Chen Meilan took the pen and signed silently, then held out her hand: "Where's the money?"
The 30,000 yuan down payment should rightfully go to Meilan.
"Here, here, here."
Yan Xishan handed over the money without hesitation. He had recently heard rumors that most of the coal being transported south had spontaneously combusted on the way. Those people were stuck in the south, unable to return. Lately, several had called Yan Xishan, asking if he wanted to take over their mine shafts.
If he could acquire several more mine shafts, he might become the biggest mine owner not just in Xiping, but in all of Shaanxi Province.
Once upon a time, Yan Xishan thought Little Mei was a good woman - gentle, considerate, and understanding. Later, he discovered that Zhou Xueqin had changed, becoming money-savvy.
He always felt that Meilan was both stupid and stubborn, thinking he'd lose his last pair of shorts if he listened to her.
But now, a real 300,000-yuan deal had arrived. This deal could recoup at least half the cost of the foundational work he had done.
Yan Xishan was overjoyed. He was happy and now believed that working with Meilan was the key to making big money.
"By the way, where's Yan Zhao?" he asked after taking the contract.
Yan Wei jerked his chin, "In the cellar."
Speaking of which, Yan Xishan thought of something else. Fan Xiang and his son had been arrested, and although the trial hadn't started yet, Yan Zhao had somehow managed to keep himself completely out of it.
Xishan knew it was dark and mean of him, but clearly, Yan Zhao couldn't have died in a car accident.
He was actually in the cellar? The cellar was a snake pit. No one had been in the old house's cellar for a long time, right? What if he got bitten by a snake and died?
If that happened, then Meilan, who was so good at making money, and Yuanyuan, who played the piano best at Dongfang Elementary School, would...
"The cellar is good, it's cool. Let him stay there a while longer."
"Where's Second Uncle?" Yan Xishan asked casually.
"With Third Uncle, in the cellar," Yan Wei replied nonchalantly.
"There are snakes in the cellar that can bite people. Why don't you call Second Uncle out?" Yan Xishan was shocked. "Second Uncle is the only big shot in our village. How could you let him go down to the cellar?"
Being a big shot wasn't about money, but about status and the power one could wield.
Neighbors didn't usually need such big shots, but for instance, there was once a man named Yan Baodong from Yanguan Village who was beaten to death while doing small business in the capital. The capital's police didn't take it seriously and refused to handle the case. So Yan Baodong's father tried sending a telegram to Yan Peiheng, briefly explaining the case.
Just half a month later, the murderer was arrested by the capital's police and executed during that year's "Strike Hard" campaign.
That's what you call power. He was one of the few people in the capital who wielded such authority.
The difference in perspective between people was right here. Even a scoundrel like Yan Xishan respected Yan Peiheng, but Yan Wei was indifferent. He shrugged and smiled, "If he doesn't want to come out himself, who can do anything about it?"
Although Yan Wei was known for his gentle and polite demeanor, Chen Meilan still felt uncomfortable with the casual and indifferent tone he used when mentioning his birth mother and sister.
But she didn't feel like chatting with Yan Wei, so she asked Yan Xishan, "After leaving here, don't you need to make a trip to the public restroom?"
Yan Wei and Yan Bin didn't understand, but Yan Xishan had boasted about his big mouth in front of Meilan several times before.
Every time, he was prepared to eat eight jin of excrement.
Meilan always guessed correctly, and he followed her like a dung beetle that had fallen into a pile of hot cow manure, feeling absolutely blissful.
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Happy now?" He turned back and patted Yuanyuan, who was following Little Wang. "Daughter, wait here. Daddy's going to make big money for you."
The group that went south really did lose their pants due to spontaneous coal combustion, and Yan Xishan was preparing to acquire their coal mines, thus becoming the biggest mine owner in Shaanxi Province.
He handed a stack of 30,000 yuan in cash to Meilan, waved goodbye flamboyantly, and walked away like a strutting peacock with its tail feathers on full display.
Yan Wei was particularly surprised: "Xishan, this nouveau riche, is impressive. He can make 300,000 in one deal. Are the nouveau riche in our country so wealthy now?"
Chen Meilan didn't respond because she saw her daughter holding hands with Little Lang standing outside the threshold, smiling at them. So she waved and said, "Come in."
Yan Wei followed Meilan's gesture and suddenly exclaimed, "Yan... Yan Xing?"
Yan Bin also smiled and asked Yan Wei, "Doesn't this girl look like Xing Xing when she was little?"
Yan Bin only remembered Yan Xing from when she was little, who looked a bit like Yuanyuan. But before Yan Wei came home, he had seen Yan Xing's photo in his father's book, so Yan Wei's reaction was more direct – Yuanyuan looked exactly like Yan Xing in the photo.
"This is my sister, Yuanyuan," Little Wang said as he pulled Yuanyuan and Little Lang into the courtyard. Then he asked Yan Wei, "Second Uncle, where's my grandfather? Is he really in the cellar?"
Although Little Wang was afraid of his grandfather, he felt more guilty towards him.
Back then, Zhou Xueqin and her mother would sit facing each other with worried expressions every day, crying about how "If only Yan Peiheng was willing to have a word with the provincial leaders, pull some strings, we wouldn't have to repay the debt to the wool mill. Father-in-law is still such a high-ranking official, he still has so much money, wasn't it supposed to be for Little Wang? Why won't he give it to us? Look at how we're living."
And every time he called and said "Grandfather" on the phone, there would be a deep sigh from the other end, followed by a silent hang-up.
After hanging up, Zhou Xueqin would kiss him several times and take him to buy something good to eat, and she'd also be willing to play with Little Lang for a while.
But every time he made a phone call, Little Wang would feel as if his relatives were tearing him apart.
This was truly the first time Little Wang was meeting his grandfather. He wasn't timid anymore; he knew his grandfather wouldn't eat him. He felt very guilty towards his grandfather and wanted to improve their relationship. He also thought his grandfather would surely like Yuanyuan.
After all, Yuanyuan could play the piano and sing – how lovable!
"That's not your grandfather, it's my grandfather," the son of the second brother, little Yan Ha, who had been quiet all along, suddenly spoke up.
Little Wang, being the big brother, reached out his hand to shake hands with Yan Ha: "Hello, my name is Yan Wangqi. Grandfather belongs to all of us." He also gently pushed Yuanyuan and Little Lang forward.
Yan Ha suddenly stretched out his arm, which was white and chubby, and surprisingly wore something like a pager. It was dark green in color. He looked at it and said, "Okay, but it's really about time, we should go."
Little Lang leaned in closer: "A beeper."
"Don't be silly, this isn't a beeper, it's an electronic watch," Yan Ha said proudly. Seeing Little Lang reach out to touch it, he immediately said, "Don't touch it. If you break it, you'll have to pay. This one costs twenty yuan."
If pagers were the symbol of the nouveau riche in this era, then electronic watches were the most glamorous toys for children. If someone at school wore an electronic watch on their wrist, it proved their family owned a mine.
Little Wang and Yuanyuan together pulled back the biggest troublemaker, Little Lang: "Don't touch it." They were afraid they couldn't afford to pay if it got damaged.
Meanwhile, in the cellar, the shadows of two men illuminated by the flashlight filled the entire space, both hunched over with bent backs.
Yan Peiheng's hand kept touching the spot that had been patched, his forehead lightly touching it.
He suddenly understood why his wife always cried so sadly, yet couldn't say a word.
In that era, the country required everyone to have children, so they worked hard to have children for the sake of strengthening the nation.
Once born, the children needed to be raised. Heavy labor, work points, various tasks – the children grew up exposed to the elements.
They were husband and wife, comrades, each other's support in the revolutionary torrent. Like everyone else in the country, they were just small cogs in the machine.
She was probably afraid that he couldn't accept the truth if he knew, but it was clearly his fault. She had told him so many times to dig open the cellar and find the rat's nest, but he always said "next time" and never took the hole seriously.
She could have blamed him, scolded him, brought him to this cellar and made him kneel down in remorse.
That way, he would have been the one to bear a lifetime of guilt and shame.
But she had planned to take the truth to her grave, intending to let him live his whole life with a clear conscience.
She had even said to let him take Yan Zhao away. At that time, she must have been thinking about dying, right? What should have been a hell for two, she had pushed him out of it with her own hands, then built herself a solid prison, guarding it alone until death.
What could Yan Peiheng say?
He had always wanted to repair their relationship, so he left Yan Zhao in their hometown. He always sent large portions of his salary back home, hoping Su Wen would live well.
When his mother told him to divorce, he scolded her into silence.
Yan Zhao was always silent, and he often scolded him too, feeling he wasn't as good as the two in the capital.
But looking back now, he had three sons. The eldest son was disobedient, insisting on going to America, refusing to come back several times, which angered him to the point of coughing up blood each time, losing face at work.
The originally most considerate and obedient second son, disregarding the good job he had arranged for him, was also itching to go to America.
Only this one, though silent, if he hadn't stubbornly stood by his wife, standing in for him to guard Su Wen, Su Wen might have committed suicide.
So, those times when he came back every year, gazing at his wife's window in the moonlight, listening to her voice from next door, hearing her occasionally speak to neighbors – those moments of both sorrow and warmth would no longer exist, right?
If that were the case, his sins would be even heavier, and he might never have understood the truth in this lifetime?
Reaching out, Yan Peiheng wanted to touch his son, but this son, who had never been close to him since childhood, strongly rejected Yan Peiheng's affection, immediately brushing his hand away.
Yan Peiheng felt he still had to hate Gu Xiao. If it weren't for Gu Xiao's escape back then, if he hadn't fled all the way to Hong Kong, causing him to be unable to explain himself in the army for several years and constantly bear a political stain, if he hadn't repeatedly written provocative letters, how could he have misunderstood his wife for so long?
"A few days ago, Gu Xiao wrote a letter to the government from Southeast Asia, saying he wanted to return to invest in the country. I didn't approve it," Yan Peiheng paused, "In this lifetime, he can forget about returning to his homeland."
Yan Zhao suddenly exhaled sharply, threw the flashlight on the ground, and left the cellar alone.
"Let's go home," he said as he came out.
"Where's Dad? What's going on, Third Brother? Why didn't he come up with you?" Yan Wei hurriedly asked.
They had agreed to meet the local leaders at 4:30, and now it was already 5:00. The old man still refused to come out, and Yan Wei was anxious too.
"Let him stay there by himself," Yan Zhao said hoarsely.
"Did Dad bring up that Gu fellow again?" Yan Wei had a knowing look, but immediately, Yan Zhao hissed.
Yan Bin also became angry at once: "Second Brother, I'm getting upset with you behaving like this. Our second sister-in-law is pure and innocent, everyone in our village can testify to that."
Yan Wei quickly said, "Alright, alright, let's not mention it anymore."
Gu Xiao, after fleeing to Southeast Asia, had struggled and become a tycoon.
Although Yan Peiheng never mentioned him, there was something strange: the two children in the capital always felt there must have been something between him and their mother.
But in Yanguan Village, even the neighbors didn't think there could be anything between Su Wen and Gu Xiao.
This is probably what they call "distant relatives are not as close as near neighbors."
The adults might not have mentioned it, but the children were huddled together, and the adults didn't avoid talking in front of them. Suddenly, Yan Ha blurted out, "Dad, is it that Mr. Gu who gave Mom a lot of money?"
The money Gu Xiao had sent after fleeing to Southeast Asia had always been managed by Yan Wei. Zhou Xueqin had repeatedly called to borrow from it when she took Little Wang back.
Yan Wei didn't want to talk about it, but Milan and her mother-in-law must have discussed it, and that's where Yan Ha had heard about it.
If it weren't for Yan Ha's comment, Yan Zhao would have forgotten about this money: "Second brother, hasn't that money been returned yet?"
"We've tried to send it back, but old Mr. Gu Xiao refuses to accept it. How about this, when we get back to the capital, I'll negotiate with them again, and this time I'll make sure to send it," Yan Wei said.
Yan Zhao said, "It's been about ten years, hasn't it? If you can't send it back, transfer the money to me, and I'll send it."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely send it this time," Yan Wei quickly replied.
Chen Meilan had to ask, "That money, second brother, did you put it in a fixed-term deposit at the bank?"
"My mom plays the stock market, does investments," Yan Ha chimed in.
Yan Wei frowned slightly, "No, your mom has always used my salary for stock trading."
Turning to explain to Yan Zhao, he said, "The child doesn't understand anything, he's talking nonsense. That money is from our mother and her..."
Yan Zhao suddenly glared at Yan Wei, who immediately shut his mouth.
The matter between Gu Xiao and Su Wen couldn't be mentioned in front of Yan Zhao; whoever brought it up would get hit by him.
Yan Zhao might not understand financial management, but how could Chen Meilan not?
She decided to ask directly: "Second brother, how much money did that Mr. Gu actually send?"
Now Yan Wei couldn't dodge anymore: "Three hundred thousand, it's been about 10 years since it was sent."
Chen Meilan gasped, and Yan Bin also exclaimed. It was now 1989, and three hundred thousand in 1979 was truly a huge sum.
"Three hundred thousand, if you really used it to trade stocks, buying Capital Petrochemical, you could make a hundred thousand in five days," Chen Meilan said bluntly. "It's been ten years now, and it was only after Little Wang was born that you sent us some interest. What about the original interest? Have you been using it yourselves?"
"Meilan, our father doesn't want us to mention that money," Yan Wei raised his voice. "Three hundred thousand might seem valuable to us, but it's not much when converted to US dollars."
"Second brother keeps talking about America, clearly really wants to go to America. Now that visas are so easy to get, if you transfer to America after retiring from the military, how will you send the money? Give us the account, we'll send it. We're not going abroad," Chen Meilan said.
Yan Wei was about to speak again, but Chen Meilan was holding the LV bag and continued, "This Montsouris bag must cost over a thousand, right? You said your wife has so many of these bags at home she can't even use them all, so your family must not be short of money, right? When will you transfer the money to us so we can send it back to them?"
Huh, Yan Wei just realized that while his wife Milan was quite sharp-tongued, Chen Meilan was even more so.
"You persuade Dad to put in a good word for me up there, let him arrange my transfer from the military sooner, so we can go abroad sooner. That money... as long as he agrees, I'll send it back," Yan Wei had to say.
Yan Zhao glared at his second brother. Yan Zhao naturally couldn't understand; his older brother being stranded in America was already incomprehensible to him, how could his second brother also be so fixated on going to America?
Chen Meilan, however, said confidently, "We'll definitely persuade Dad to let you go abroad."
America was paradise, let those who want to go, go. Chen Meilan wouldn't stop anyone who wanted to go to America in this era. After all, not everyone who goes to America can make it big; plenty of people end up washing dishes.
In a blink, the family left the old house.
Actually, Chen Meilan was very curious about the relationship between Su Wen and that Professor Gu Xiao.
She didn't believe her mother-in-law was the type of woman who would have an affair, but she wanted to know what the truth really was.
As for that scumbag father-in-law Yan Peiheng, Chen Meilan actually hoped Su Wen had betrayed him.
But if Su Wen had never betrayed her husband, and her son didn't respect her because of it, what was the point of her lifelong forbearance and suffering?
Compared to that sum of money, Chen Meilan felt this was more important.
Back home, Yan Zhao saw work everywhere: the toilet needed cleaning, it was spring and the small garden at home needed to be turned over to prepare for planting flowers, the big iron gate had been dented by Yan Bin's three-wheeler a few days ago and Yan Zhao needed to slowly hammer it flat. Chen Meilan had to cook and eat, and after eating, because school registration was tomorrow, Yan Zhao washed the dishes while also supervising the two older kids to organize their schoolbags, sharpen pencils, pack pencil cases, and then he had to watch Yuanyuan practice piano.
Although Yuanyuan had been learning piano for a while, Chen Meilan knew nothing about it. To her ears, almost all the notes Yuanyuan played sounded the same. But strangely enough, even though Yan Zhao was either reading or doing housework, folding clothes, or ironing, he could always tell when Yuanyuan occasionally hit a wrong note.
Little Wang and Little Lang stood by Yuanyuan's piano in horse stance, watching her play.
Using both hands and feet, they stood motionless. Logically, they shouldn't disturb Yuanyuan, but Little Wang still could. He raised his eyebrows up and down, keeping time for Yuanyuan, making her both angry and amused, almost hitting the wrong notes.
"Yuanyuan, you hit the wrong note," Yan Zhao immediately said, with his back turned, while organizing the wardrobe.
Yuanyuan glared angrily, but still said politely, "Dad, I'll play it again."
Little Lang was like a millstone, steady and stable, casually blowing bubbles with his mouth.
Little Wang swayed like a hemp stalk and asked his dad, "Dad, it all sounds the same to me, how can you tell when Yuanyuan plays wrong?"
Yan Zhao calmly continued organizing clothes: "Sign up for a music class later and practice, then you'll be able to hear it."
"Dad, you understand music? What instrument did you learn? Can you tell us about it?" Yuanyuan stopped playing the piano and turned around, also curious.
Yan Zhao paused folding clothes: "Focus, play your piano."
Little Wang pouted and turned to wink at Chen Meilan: "Mom, you ask. Dad never answers when we ask."
Chen Meilan then smiled and said, "Come on, Third Brother, what did you learn before?"
Yan Zhao's ears suddenly turned red. He gave Chen Meilan a deep look before saying, "Harmonica, accordion, violin, I learned a bit of each."
Who would have thought, he was quite the musician.
"Who did you learn from? In the army?" Chen Meilan probed further.
Yan Zhao was the type who probably wouldn't answer such questions from others, but he was willing to tell Chen Meilan: "The educated youth who came to our village taught me."
No wonder, Chen Meilan had heard that Gu Xiao was an artist. Could it be that Gu Xiao had also taught him many things about art?
Little Wang, being an expert in popular music, immediately asked his dad, "So do you like listening to current popular music? Do you prefer Hang Tianqi or Feng Fei-fei? Or Danny Chan, Leslie Cheung?"
"Focus on your horse stance," Yan Zhao said. "Keep talking and you'll do it for another twenty minutes."
"You said you wanted to learn Cantonese, sing 'The Great Wall Will Never Fall' for me, hmph," Little Wang adjusted his posture and silently said to Yuanyuan: Dad is a big liar!
Yuanyuan giggled at her brother's antics, almost hitting another wrong note.
Chen Meilan had been holding back from asking about Su Wen and Gu Xiao, after all, she felt she knew Yan Zhao pretty well by now.
He wasn't easy to talk to normally, but in bed, he would be much more talkative afterwards.
After he finished that activity, which he was more enthusiastic about than a donkey in a production team, she would ask Yan Zhao.
He would definitely have no way out then, and would have to create an answer even if he had to make one up.
Sure enough, after they were done, Chen Meilan eagerly asked, then waited expectantly for an answer.
