After asking, seeing that Yan Zhao remained silent, the atmosphere in the room instantly dropped to freezing. Chen Meilan gently covered Yan's exposed chest muscles with the blanket and quickly added, "I've met our mother, and I believe in her character. Besides, our mother suffered her whole life and passed away without her children by her side. Regardless of whether anything happened or not, shouldn't you defend her name in front of your father?"
Regardless of the complexities of their parents' emotional world, resolving the conflict was Yan Zhao's responsibility.
Yan Peiheng believed there was something between Gu Xiao and Su Wen. Why had Yan Zhao remained silent all this time?
She kept watching him expectantly. Yan Zhao's lips twitched, and he suddenly asked, "...Lan, do you see those two big urns in the corner?"
"The ones with rice and flour? What about them?" Chen Meilan asked in return.
"I see you've got plenty of energy. Why don't you support yourself on the rim of the urn... That was my first time..." Yan Zhao trailed off midsentence, suddenly averting his gaze. His skin, even fairer than Chen Meilan's, instantly flushed pink.
Chen Meilan dove under the covers in a flash.
That dog of a man, it must have been his first time doing it standing up, and he must have enjoyed it immensely, opening the door to a whole new world.
If he didn't want to discuss his parents' gossip, he could have just said nothing. How could he use that incident to threaten her? That time standing up was Chen Meilan's lifelong stain, her dark history.
Ever since then, in Yan Zhao's eyes, she was an even more experienced driver than the most seasoned ones.
Once when she cried out in pain, he actually asked with a devout expression, "Are there any other positions that wouldn't hurt you and might make you feel better?"
Chen Meilan was almost dumbfounded at the time.
This dog of a man - Chen Meilan had originally been a complete novice when it came to sex, but he had somehow managed to treat her like an experienced pro.
However, just as Chen Meilan was hiding under the covers, nearly suffocating from the lingering scent they had created earlier,
Yan Zhao spoke again.
"Gu Xiao and my mother were always just good friends, nothing more. Everyone in the village could see that. But after he escaped to Southeast Asia, he probably heard that my mother wasn't doing well. In 1976, he went to great lengths to send a letter to my mother, saying he would wait for her in Southeast Asia forever. Whether or not she was willing to leave the country, he would remain unmarried for life, waiting for her. That letter was passed on to my father. In 1978, he sent 300,000 yuan back. Such a huge sum of money, passed through many hands - many people in the capital knew about it." Yan Zhao fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let's sleep."
Chen Meilan thought to herself, no wonder.
Gu Xiao was the one Su Wen had risked her life to help escape. When he was sent down to the countryside, he was still a bachelor. He probably knew that by helping him escape, Su Wen's relationship with her husband would fall apart. So in Southeast Asia, he simply remained unmarried for life, always waiting for Su Wen.
Because Su Wen refused to go to Southeast Asia, he sent 300,000 yuan back, time and time again. No wonder Yan Peiheng was so furious.
But he truly deserved it. If Su Wen's heart truly loved Gu Xiao as well, it would have been even more perfect.
The old man deserved to be angered to death on the spot.
But who her mother-in-law truly loved in her heart, Chen Meilan couldn't say.
In her later years, Su Wen must have become completely disillusioned with her two elder sons and husband, which is why she left all 300,000 yuan to little Wang, right? Unfortunately, Yan Zhao was on the battlefield at the time, and Zhou Xueqin was eyeing that money greedily. Yan Peiheng simply withheld the money, refusing to give it to little Wang.
So, did old man Yan Peiheng actually have a mistress?
When he gave money before, was it just because he didn't want his two grandsons to live too poorly in Xiping City?
The couple turned off the lights, preparing to sleep, when the phone rang again.
Chen Meilan guessed it was Yan Peiheng, and sure enough, as soon as the call connected, it was Yan Peiheng's voice: "Third son, come to the hotel. I just had dinner with some provincial leaders, and heard from them that the current public security work environment in Xiping City seems quite complex. Come here, your father wants these leaders to meet you."
Yan Zhao said, "I'll handle work matters myself."
"There are a few of my old subordinates who have been waiting for you," Yan Peiheng added.
Chen Meilan gave Yan Zhao a push, indicating that he should go. His mother's matter was one thing, but if his father wanted to introduce him to some connections, he had to go.
Although Yan Zhao seemed simple, he wasn't stupid. With the local work environment being complex, if his father put in a good word for him, his job would indeed be much easier.
However, putting in a good word was just a matter of saying something. One level up crushes the one below - as long as the provincial leaders heard Yan Peiheng say Yan Zhao was his son and to take care of him in the future, which one of them wouldn't rush to look after him?
If Yan Peiheng wanted to see him, there must be other matters.
"I've already gone to bed. If there's anything, you can say it over the phone," Yan Zhao said.
Yan Peiheng sighed, then said, "There's no need to send that money back. Since your mother gave it to Yan Wangqi, it belongs to Yan Wangqi."
Yan Zhao was silent for a moment before saying, "It must be sent back. Have Second Brother transfer the money, and I'll send it. For my mother, having Professor Gu return to China was more important than receiving his 300,000 yuan. You should understand that!"
"I said there's no need to send it, so there's no need. Your mother said not to send it, so why send it?" Yan Peiheng roared over the phone.
After a pause, he said, "Let that woman take the phone."
"She has a name, and you should know it," Yan Zhao said. He was dissatisfied with Yan Peiheng not using her name, and was arguing with his father, refusing to let her take the call.
"I only know she's a relative of Zhou Xueqin's family. I don't need to know her name," Yan Peiheng started shouting again.
Yan Zhao answered very decisively: "Then she won't take your call. Goodbye."
This was like running headlong into an iron wall.
Chen Meilan felt quite satisfied seeing Yan Zhao hang up the phone so decisively.
That scoundrel of a father-in-law, he deserved to have raised two useless sons, deserved to anger himself to death. It was karma.
However, just as the Yan Zhao couple turned off the lights and were about to sleep, the phone rang again.
"Third son, where exactly did you put your mother's ashes? Can you tell your father today? Your father was wrong before, I truly wronged your mother. Your father... still has the right to see her ashes, doesn't he?" It was Yan Peiheng again, his voice and tone clearly very dejected this time.
After Su Wen's death, no tombstone was erected, and she wasn't buried. She was cremated, and although there was a pear wood tablet at home, Yan Zhao had always kept the ashes. She had said at the time that she didn't want anyone to pay respects to her or even mention her again.
So Yan Zhao never mentioned his mother; Su Wen didn't like people talking about her.
Yan Zhao was consistent as always, telling his father, "If you truly cared, you would have found them yourself. Also, my mother once said that what angered her most was that you always blocked Gu Xiao from returning to the country. You figure it out yourself."
From the 1980s when the reform and opening up began, old Mr. Gu Xiao had been negotiating with the Foreign Affairs Department, wanting to return to invest in and build up the country. Yan Peiheng had used his connections to obstruct him in various ways, preventing him from returning.
Where was his magnanimity? A man of eight-foot stature, with a heart as small as a needle.
With a bang, Yan Zhao hung up the phone.
This was another instance where Yan Peiheng was likely angered to the point of coughing up blood.
Chen Meilan could no longer contain her curiosity and gossip: "Captain Yan... where exactly did you put our mother's ashes?"
...
"Third Brother, Third Brother, Third Brother..." But this time, calling him Third Brother didn't work. Yan Zhao turned off the light and immediately lay down to sleep.
Lying in the darkness, Chen Meilan thought that if Su Wen's ashes weren't in Yan Zhao's possession, there must be a place where they were kept. From Yan Zhao's words, it should be a place that anyone could go to, but that ordinary people wouldn't think of.
Su Wen just wanted to hide from Yan Peiheng, not wanting Yan Peiheng to find her, right?
If by chance that Gu Xiao returned to the country, he would probably come to Xiping City too, right?
If he came back and found the ashes before Yan Peiheng, wouldn't that be even more dramatic?
The gossip of her mother-in-law's generation made Chen Meilan's heart itch with curiosity.
Early the next morning, Yan Zhao went to work. The two older children went to register for school by themselves, while little Wolf had to be personally escorted to kindergarten by Chen Meilan, who had to instruct him carefully that no one except herself was allowed to pick him up.
Little Wolf was a child who liked to immerse himself in his own world. Over the winter break, he had learned horse stance and practiced on sandbags, building up his little physique nicely. While others sat and listened during class, he insisted on standing at the back in horse stance, blowing bubbles while doing so, having fun all by himself.
Just as she got home, the phone rang.
The phones didn't have caller ID yet, but as soon as she picked up, Chen Meilan only heard a cough and called out, "Father?"
"I won't have time to visit Yan Wangqi and Yan Minglang this trip," Yan Peiheng said on the phone. "By the way, I hear you have a daughter too?"
Chen Meilan looked at the round postcard on the wall. In it, Yuanyuan was wearing a coarse linen jacket, one hand shielding the sun, half her face exposed in the light, smiling very bitterly. But it was a movie still - she was in character.
She really hoped "Yellow River Ballad" would be released soon.
Chen Meilan especially wanted to see what her daughter looked like in the film.
She said, "Yes."
Yan Peiheng let out a long sigh, then said, "We're distant relatives of Yan Xishan's family. His mother is Yan Zhao's aunt. Xishan..." The old man couldn't bring himself to say Xishan was a scoundrel, so he paused for a moment before continuing, "Since you and Yan Zhao are married now, take good care of Wangqi and Minglang. As for your daughter, we'll meet her another time."
Yan Peiheng had no desire to meet Xishan's daughter. Just thinking about how Yan Xishan used to urinate in his family's well and defecate on their graves as a child still infuriated the old man to this day.
Chen Meilan was about to hang up when Yan Peiheng asked another question: "By the way, if I gave you 300,000 yuan, what would you do with it?"
"I'd use it for my own engineering projects. I have money, I don't need yours," Chen Meilan said frankly.
She figured the old man was going to bring up that 300,000 yuan sum.
"Engineering projects are already difficult enough, let alone for a woman. You won't be able to handle it. Liu Ming from Dongfang Group is my old comrade's son-in-law, and Secretary Ma from Qinchuan Group used to be like a brother to me, but I won't put in a good word for you," said the old Mr. Yan. He was the type to anger easily, but people like that had one advantage - they spoke their mind and probably wouldn't hide their biases either.
These old military leaders, due to the large-scale military downsizing and transfers to civilian work, had an enormous network of connections in local governments and enterprises.
It was like a hotbed - if she really wanted to leverage the Yan father and son's connections to do business and make big money in this era, it would be too easy. Unfortunately, they wouldn't help her.
"You don't need to worry about that. What if I can handle it well?" Chen Meilan persisted.
Though she was also feeling her way forward, what if she could actually succeed?
Suddenly Yan Wei's voice came through the phone: "Dad, the term deposit..."
"Right, your mother left 300,000 yuan for Yan Wangqi, but that money is in a term deposit now. The deposit won't mature until July, so it can't be withdrawn before then. This July, Yan Wei will give the 300,000 yuan deposit book to Yan Zhao. Don't try to get your hands on that money, but do try to persuade Yan Zhao not to return it. The Gu family owes your mother a debt they can never repay in this lifetime," Yan Peiheng added.
Yan Zhao was stubborn and didn't care for money, so of course he wouldn't want to accept that sum.
But Yan Peiheng had his own considerations. Su Wen had willingly accepted the money, and had even called personally to request that he leave the money to little Wang, who had just been born at the time.
Yan Peiheng had argued with his wife all his life. If he didn't listen to his late wife's wishes on this matter, he really would be a terrible person.
In the past, when Zhou Xueqin was managing the household, Yan Peiheng had held onto the money and refused to give it out because he was afraid Zhou Xueqin would squander it recklessly. Now that Yan Zhao was managing things, Chen Meilan probably wouldn't dare to use that money carelessly. Besides, since Chen Meilan was a relative of Zhou Xueqin's family, she was surely fond of money too and would persuade Yan Zhao to keep the money instead of returning it to Gu Xiao.
This old man's mind was quite clear - he understood how to manage and balance these delicate relationships.
Chen Meilan called out again, "Father..."
"July, Meilan. We'll send you the money in July," Yan Wei said gently on the phone.
What Chen Meilan wanted to say was that this year was 1989. Since 1986, government bonds had been on a steady upward trend for a long time. But starting from 1989, due to the severe national situation, they would take a tumble. In other words, speculating in government bonds and stocks would start losing money from this year on, until 1992 when the government would step in to rescue the market and the overall environment would improve.
This was also why Zhou Xueqin had suddenly stopped speculating at the end of last year.
She was certain that the Yan Wei couple were using that money to speculate in stocks and government bonds.
Otherwise, how could Milan afford so many luxury goods and use Clinique products?
Saying they were sent by her elder brother and sister-in-law was just a lie to fool people.
They had been lying for half a year, probably wanting to ride the wave of success for another six months, using someone else's chicken to lay a basketful of eggs for themselves, before returning the principal to little Wang.
But with the stock market environment so poor these six months, they had to be careful not to lose all their profits.
However, never mind. To each their own. What did the Yan Wei couple's affairs have to do with her? Why should she bother telling him all this?
By July, if he could return the full 300,000 yuan, that would be his good fortune.
If he couldn't pay it back, Yan Wei, the son his father was most proud of, would probably anger the old man to death once again.
Meanwhile, at the hotel, Yan Peiheng was about to depart when some local officials, along with a few people from the city propaganda department, came to see him. They said there was a film from Xi'an Film Studio that was having trouble getting approval for release due to strict censorship from the Film Bureau. They wanted to ask if he could put in a good word and coordinate with the authorities in the capital to get the film released earlier.
This was how relations between local governments and the capital worked. People would find familiar leaders to help their localities compete for opportunities and resources. That's why there were so many local liaison offices in the capital.
Yan Peiheng was in a hurry to leave, so he took the materials and got in the car. Of course, he didn't look at them along the way. It wasn't until he boarded the plane that he opened the film's introduction, which had several postcards tucked inside.
As Yan Peiheng flipped through them, perhaps his eyes were playing tricks on him, but he suddenly saw Yan Xing, wearing her favorite homespun jacket, smiling at him. Children of that era were always hungry, so they usually had a pinched, suffering expression.
He closed it, then opened it again. No, this wasn't an illusion - it was a postcard from the movie.
It turned out to be a little girl who looked very similar to Yan Xing.
Yan Peiheng wanted to know the little girl's name, so he flipped to the cast list, but it only had the names of the main actors, not the little girl's name.
There are many people in the world who look similar, especially children. Cute children often look alike when they're young. Yan Peiheng slowly closed the booklet.
Of course, after returning to the capital, he specifically asked someone to put in a word with the Film Bureau, hoping this film could be released earlier.
He wanted to go to the cinema to see that child, the one who looked exactly like Yan Xing.
Yan Peiheng had three sons and a string of grandsons, but no one had given him a granddaughter. In the era of the one-child policy, that was even more out of the question!
...
Chen Meilan really didn't intend to slap old Mr. Yan Peiheng in the face, but her engineering projects were going extremely smoothly lately.
The children started school on the 28th, and on the 1st they held the groundbreaking ceremony. Two hundred farmers from Jinyang County collectively entered the site. The pile foundation took 10 days, the main structure frame 20 days, averaging 5 days per floor. In less than three months, the 10-story Qinchuan Group building's main structure was about to top out.
Before topping out, she successfully received another 60,000 yuan in project fees.
After getting this money and paying the migrant workers' wages, Chen Meilan settled the final payment for Xishan Company's project. Yuan Yuan's coal mine could now officially bring in workers and start production.
This meant that the 300,000 yuan big order from Shanghai could now formally get underway.
And at the end of May this year, just as the children were preparing to celebrate Children's Day on June 1st,
Dongfang Group also sent word asking Chen Meilan to inspect the site in person, to formally discuss and quote prices for Dongfang Group's project.
Chen Meilan received this news at the construction site, brought by Yan Bin.
This meant that the next project could seamlessly connect after this one was completed.
At this time, some construction team bosses in Xiping City were gradually raising workers' wages, making the first move based on inside information. In fact, Chen Meilan had long wanted to raise wages for the workers, and she would take this opportunity to do so.
The migrant workers didn't know about this yet, but they had heard there was new work coming. Li Guangming led a group of workers to ask Chen Meilan, "Boss, is it true we have a new job?"
Work comes one job at a time, and when there's no work, there's no pay. That's why the migrant workers cared more about jobs than Chen Meilan did.
Chen Meilan felt that Chen Degong was the real boss of the migrant workers, being the foreman.
She said, "Yes, now call all your workers over. Our boss Chen Degong has some good news to announce to everyone."
Li Guangming raised his head and called out towards the upper floors, saying the boss wanted to hold a meeting. With a rustling sound, a group of people gradually came down from the building under construction.
"Brother, why don't you announce this good news to us?" Chen Meilan said.
Chen Degong was the foreman, usually having to be tough on the migrant workers, dealing with those troublemakers who wouldn't listen, and urging them to work. Regarding the matter of wage increases, she also hoped Chen Degong would be the one to announce it.
This was called using both carrot and stick, establishing authority for her big brother.
But Chen Degong smiled at his sister, suddenly reached out his big hand, lifted Chen Meilan up directly, and placed her on a pile of bricks: "Our lady boss Chen wants to speak to everyone. Let's give her a round of applause."
Chen Degong didn't want to steal the limelight. He preferred the workers to know how capable their female boss was.
Thanks to her, Li Guangming had paid off the nearly 800 yuan fine his family owed to the family planning office, and his youngest child had successfully obtained a household registration. His daughters were now all enrolled in school.
Many of the migrant workers from their hometown were also able to send money back home every month because of Meilan.
Applause erupted, and everyone looked at Meilan with smiles. Among them were a few who had attended primary school with her, now also swarthy and grimy migrant workers.
When these people looked at Meilan, the expressions on their faces were exactly the same as Xiao Wang and Xiao Lang's.
Childlike innocence, curiosity, and particularly full of confidence, always feeling that whatever news she brought would be good news.
"Starting next month, unskilled workers will get three yuan a day, skilled workers four yuan a day. Some contractors in Xiping City have already raised wages, so I'm raising yours too," Chen Meilan had to say.
The migrant workers were stunned into silence for a while. After quite some time, someone finally said, "So I could earn 90 yuan a month?"
"In a long month, you could even get 93. If we work hard for ten years, we could become 10,000-yuan households," another exclaimed shrilly.
The nouveau riche spend at least 100 yuan on a prostitute and 300-400 yuan on a bottle of fake foreign liquor, but these migrant workers only earn 90 yuan a month for their backbreaking work.
But this is the market economy. This is reality.
The group of migrant workers suddenly let out a collective gasp, at a loss for what to do. They all looked at Chen Meilan, wanting to shake her hand but feeling too embarrassed because their hands were so dirty.
Everyone was so happy they were rubbing their eyes, hearing for the first time a contractor raise wages so decisively.
Chen Meilan's abilities were limited. With the work she could take on from Dongfang Group, she could probably employ these 200 people for another year. During this year, they would be able to receive their meager monthly wages.
However, there were also issues with Dongfang Group. Fan Xiang and his son had been under criminal detention and in custody.
But their remaining influence was still present within Dongfang Group. Creatures closest to the water feel the warmth first.
The two of them were going to inspect the Dongfang Group's construction site, and Yan Bin had to tell Chen Meilan: "Although we have Leader Liu's support from above, most of the middle management are Fan Xiang's people. Meilan, I'm worried that when we finish the work, it might be difficult to get paid, because Dongfang Group's accountant was promoted by Fan Xiang."
He sighed and said, "Why don't we have Third Brother personally speak to Leader Liu, and we'll invite the accountant for a meal first, show some goodwill, give some gifts, and smooth things over?" Patting his chest, Yan Bin said, "Don't worry, I can handle the drinking. If we need to arrange for prostitutes, I'll take care of it." Seeing Meilan glaring at him, Yan Bin quickly raised his hands: "Don't you trust your second brother? Every time we've had to entertain people to build connections, haven't I always stood guard outside?"
Wining and dining was a necessary first step in the construction business.
But Chen Meilan said, "Second Brother, you don't need to worry about it. I'll handle it."
Chen Meilan couldn't always use Yan Zhao's name, because Yan Zhao still had a long political career ahead of him and couldn't afford any blemishes.
Although building connections seemed harmless now, the Party's affairs were always subject to retrospective scrutiny.
She needed to find herself more support from the middle management of Dongfang Group.
"By the way, Meilan, hand on heart, how am I doing now?" Yan Bin suddenly asked Chen Meilan.
"Pretty good," Chen Meilan said.
Small businesses were too difficult and required capital; if not done well, you could lose money. Construction projects weren't easy either, it was all about big shots fighting each other, requiring connections, wisdom, and the ability to grease palms. Now, Yan Bin was as docile as a watchdog.
He wasn't dejected, but angry: "So, just because I didn't handle things well before and was invited to visit prostitutes a couple of times, Song Huaihua won't forgive me for years. Is that right of her?"
