"Captain Yan, what do you want for dinner tonight?" Chen Meilan turned to ask Yan Zhao.
Yan Zhao blurted out: "Pulled noodles." For men from Shaanxi, they could eat oil-splashed noodles three meals a day for a lifetime without getting tired of it.
Chen Meilan needed to get Yan Zhao out of the way to talk to Little Wang: "Go to the kindergarten, there's a shop in the alley there that makes really good liangpi (cold skin noodles), we want to eat that."
In the heat of summer, people from Shaanxi huddled in this furnace of a city, relying on ice-cold liangpi, luo (mung bean jelly noodles), and chilled honey rice dumplings to survive the evenings.
Yan Zhao turned to leave, but Chen Meilan added: "Oh, and go to the alley behind the elementary school too. The rice noodles and hand-pulled noodles there are delicious."
Even with his good nature, Yan Zhao couldn't help but say: "Can't we just buy from one place?"
"The place behind the school has black rice noodles, which taste better than the white ones. Hurry up, I'll make you all some sanhe when you get back," said Chen Meilan.
Hand-pulled noodles were the firmest, liangpi was softer, and black rice noodles were tender and chewy. Mixing these three together, Chen Meilan would add her own seasoning - heavy on vinegar and chili oil, with plenty of shredded cucumber and bean sprouts. It was the perfect refreshing meal for a hot day.
She also needed to find time to make some guokui flatbread. Recently, all the street-front shops had been raising their rent, and the best guokui shop at the village entrance had moved away because they couldn't afford it. But guokui and liangpi were the perfect combination, so if she wanted to enjoy this, she'd have to make it herself.
The dough had already been prepared earlier. Yan Zhao had added the lye and kneaded it thoroughly. Chen Meilan just needed to cook it.
She deliberately had Little Wang watch the pan while she prepared the spicy chili oil.
The oil they used at home was rapeseed oil that Zhou Qiaofang had brought from their hometown. Yan Zhao had taken the seeds to the old mill to be roasted and pressed. People's hearts were slowly becoming more complex these days - store-bought oils were always adulterated with various things. Only oil pressed under your own watchful eye would have the right aroma and flavor.
As the hot oil was poured over the red chili flakes, a fragrant aroma filled the air. On the flat griddle, small guokui turned golden brown on both sides, cooking in the blink of an eye.
"Ah, it smells so good," Little Wang couldn't resist. He jumped over, wanting to add some chili oil to a hot guokui.
But Chen Meilan quickly grabbed the chili oil jar and pointed her finger at Little Wang's nose: "Cutting brake lines could have killed Wang Ding'an. Your Uncle Ma Bo also rides that motorcycle. Didn't you think about what would happen if the brakes failed and your Uncle Ma Bo lost his life too?"
"I'm sorry, Mom," Little Wang said softly, beginning to realize the severity of the situation.
Children are like this - you call them little angels, and they truly are. Head bowed, big eyes blinking, both eyes pleading for your forgiveness. But he had also nearly become a little devil. Two grown men, two lives - if the motorcycle's brakes had failed and they'd hit a dump truck, they would have gone to meet the King of Hell in an instant.
"Tell me about how you originally knew Wang Ding'an. I promise I'll just listen and won't tell anyone else, okay?" Chen Meilan said, raising one hand.
Little Wang thought for a moment, then said: "Wang Ding'an used to cut other people's brake lines too."
Chen Meilan understood completely, and opened up to Little Wang: "I know. And I'll tell you a little secret - he used to be good friends with Yuanyuan's dad, but now he's trying to harm Yuanyuan's dad. So I know even better than you that he's a bad police officer."
Little Wang's eyes grew wide as he watched Chen Meilan spread chili oil on his flatbread. He quickly said, "Put on some more!"
"Too much will upset your stomach. You need to eat less," Chen Meilan said.
Little Wang was used to eating spicy food from a young age. He added two more spoonfuls of chili oil himself, covering both sides of the guokui so that the red oil soaked all the way through.
"My original mom used to be friends with Wang Ding'an, but not that kind of friend," Little Wang said first.
This meant they were normal friends, not the kind who would go out together at night to stay at guesthouses.
No wonder Wang Ding'an dared to come to Yanguan Village openly to find Yan Zhao. He had only hung out with Zhou Xueqin, but hadn't made Yan Zhao a cuckold.
Little Wang continued: "I learned how to cut brake lines from those people."
"Why's that?" Chen Meilan asked.
The story was a bit complicated. Wang Ding'an and Zhou Xueqin were drinking buddies - they'd met before and danced together, but weren't very close. After Wang Ding'an joined the police force, he cut ties with all his former hooligan friends.
After he divorced Qi Songlu, he was set up on a blind date with a woman through his work superiors.
They had a very low-key wedding. Very few people knew which unit the woman worked in or who her parents were.
But one day, by chance, Zhou Xueqin ran into Wang Ding'an at the entrance of a vegetable market. She saw him shopping with a woman, and that woman turned out to be Yan Wei's wife, Mi Lan's cousin.
Mi Lan's second uncle was the retired old leader of the city police department, Director Mi.
Wang Ding'an had married Director Mi's daughter, Mi Lan's cousin. It was all connected through relatives.
Had Wang Ding'an ever said anything bad about her to Mi Lan and Yan Wei?
They used to hang out together, but after Wang Ding'an cleaned up his act, he pretended not to know them. Since they were relatives now, why didn't he say anything? Why keep it a secret? Wasn't that suspicious?
Zhou Xueqin already had a bad temper and was prone to outbursts. At the time, she confronted Wang Ding'an and they got into an argument.
She cursed Wang Ding'an as a despicable, shameless person.
A few days later, Zhou Xueqin needed to go out. Little Wang's uncle happened to have a motorcycle at the time, so he took Little Wang and Zhou Xueqin out together. But halfway there, they discovered the brakes weren't working - someone had cut the brake line.
Although Zhou Xueqin usually looked down on Little Wang, in that critical moment when the motorcycle crashed, maternal instinct took over. She stretched out a leg to shield Little Wang, preventing him from being crushed by the motorcycle.
"It must have been Wang Ding'an who did it. All crows are equally black. That son of a bitch Wang Ding'an, those bastard police, this world has gone to hell," Zhou Xueqin cursed angrily afterwards.
But what else could she do? If she made too much of a fuss, Wang Ding'an might get angry and have his wife expose all her dirty secrets in the capital. Then she wouldn't be able to borrow money from Yan Peiheng anymore, would she?
Criminals preying on criminals - Zhou Xueqin had been set up like this.
Wang Ding'an used to be a beat cop, often patrolling the streets.
After hearing what Zhou Xueqin said, Little Wang started paying attention. Although he never saw Wang Ding'an cut anyone's brake lines himself, he did see some thugs cutting motorcycle brake lines while he was out selling cassette tapes.
Those guys would always greet Wang Ding'an and offer him cigarettes when they saw him.
It was the most chaotic era, and Little Wang lived in an urban village that was chaotic to the extreme. Running around outside from a young age, he had seen all walks of life and all kinds of things in this vast world.
Moreover, when Wang Ding'an came, Yan Zhao was quite polite to him. Adults had never taught him how to discern right from wrong.
In his mind, even the police could cut someone's brake lines if they didn't like them. He didn't like Wang Ding'an, so he cut his brake lines. He didn't think it was wrong.
Chen Meilan was still watching him.
Little Wang suddenly cried out, "Mama, it's so spicy!"
"Quick, open your mouth, I'll blow on it for you," Chen Meilan said. She reached behind her back to scoop up a ladle of water and handed it to Little Wang. "Hurry and drink some cold water, rinse out your mouth. That's what you get for adding so much chili oil."
Little Wang took a big bite of the flatbread and started backing out of the kitchen: "You can't tell my dad, okay?" He was just pretending, trying to tease Chen Meilan.
But after the child had only backed up two steps, he bumped into Yan Zhao.
"What can't you tell me?" Yan Zhao asked.
Little Wang bit his lip and looked at Chen Meilan.
"It's nothing. Little Wang, go call the two kids from Teacher Huang's house. Tell them not to sleep and come home for dinner," Chen Meilan said as she took the stuffed liangpi Yan Zhao had brought back.
There were no plastic bags yet. People used mesh bags to buy fruit, strung fish directly on grass ropes, and wrapped meat in oiled paper. Everyone brought bamboo baskets when they went out to buy groceries, no matter what they were buying. Yan Zhao had gone to get the liangpi carrying a bamboo basket.
In the basket were two large ceramic bowls, one black and one white, filled with quivering, chilled liangpi.
Chen Meilan disliked the future's takeout food, packaged in all sorts of plastic trays and boxes that smelled unpleasant and didn't taste as good. Even future liangpi had too many additives and didn't taste as good as now.
Liangpi, rice noodles, black rice noodles - these snacks always needed to be served in coarse ceramic bowls to whet one's appetite.
The cucumbers were already washed. Yan Zhao washed his hands first, then picked up the kitchen knife and twirled it with a flourish. You could only see the knife moving gradually in his hand. When his big palm swept across, the two cucumbers had already been julienned into fine, distinct strips.
Sprinkled with bean sprouts and vinegar, then drizzled with chili oil on top, a mouthful of soft and smooth noodle skin paired with a freshly baked, crispy oil pancake that crumbles at the touch - sitting around in the courtyard to eat, with the evening breeze blowing on a hot summer day. This kind of comfort, Chen Meilan had never experienced even after moving into a villa later in life.
Based on what Little Wang had just told her, Chen Meilan vaguely felt that even if Wang Ding'an wasn't the leader of a gang, he definitely had connections with thugs. Cutting someone's brake lines was tantamount to murder and arson.
Of course, although she promised not to say anything, after finishing dinner, taking a shower and getting into bed, she spilled everything Little Wang had told her to Yan Zhao.
At first, Yan Zhao listened calmly, even grunting while examining Chen Meilan's breasts. But when he heard that Little Wang had actually cut Wang Ding'an's motorcycle brake lines, he suddenly pinched her so hard that she arched like a carp: "Ouch!"
"You said earlier that someone had tampered with Wang Ding'an's motorcycle. It was Little Wang who did it?" Yan Zhao asked.
A child might not realize the danger, but even thugs wouldn't easily cut someone's brake lines unless there was a blood feud.
Although China is a big country with a large population, the homicide rate has been declining since liberation. This is because as long as no one dies, the police don't pay much attention to many things. But murder cases are pursued regardless of time limits and must be held accountable.
Causing death by cutting brake lines is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment.
Little Wang was his son, just 8 years old this year. Yan Zhao considered himself an upright police officer who even dared to defy his own father. How could the son he raised dare to cut someone's brake lines at just 8 years old?
If he grew up like this, wouldn't he be capable of murder and arson?
"What are you going to do?" Chen Meilan grabbed Yan Zhao, but his skin was too smooth and she couldn't hold on, so she grabbed his underwear instead.
The underwear was bought by Chen Meilan last year. He washed it every day and had a strong grip, so it was quite worn. There was a ripping sound, and it actually tore. But she didn't let go, and the underwear slowly split into two pieces in her hand. If it weren't for the crotch part still hanging on, the underwear would have flown right off.
Chen Meilan found it both funny and frightening, but she still wouldn't let Yan Zhao leave.
Before Yan Zhao could say anything, Chen Meilan quickly said: "You can educate the child if you want, but we must deal with this privately. You can't go to Little Wang and betray me."
She had promised Little Wang that she wouldn't tell Yan Zhao about their conversation. If he went to talk to the child now, wouldn't that be betraying her?
It was June now. Zhou Xueqin was said to have found a new business opportunity in the south, selling pagers to the north. They could make a net profit of 500 yuan per pager sold from south to north, which was considered an extremely high profit margin at that time. Of course, they would live on trains, eating instant noodles and sausages, squeezing into hard seats, and possibly not being able to take a shower for days, while constantly having to be on guard against being stabbed.
But after two months of trading, they had already made a sum of money. Then they sold the house they bought in Xiping City and took Lu Dabao away too, saying they wanted to send him to a boarding school in the capital to study, just like their daughter.
Chen Meilan, as a stepmother, didn't think she could be as good as Zhou Xueqin. But it took her a full six months before Little Wang was willing to call her "Mom" and confide in her about his former mother. What the child gave her was not just trust, but also his dignity.
If she betrayed Little Wang, she would be betraying not just his trust, but also stripping away all his dignity in front of his father.
Chen Meilan had pulled off Yan Zhao's underwear. After a long pause, he said, "Let go, I need to go to the bathroom."
He was making such a big fuss just to go to the bathroom?
This was the first time Chen Meilan had seen a man's body with the lights on. She quickly covered her eyes with her hands.
Yan Zhao couldn't help but laugh a little as he went out to the bathroom and then came back to lie down.
After a long silence, his eyes bright, he suddenly said with a half-smile: "You really like Little Wang and Little Wolf, don't you? Not just because they're my children and I'm your husband, and I'm diligent enough at home?"
This man had too high an opinion of himself. He might be diligent when he was at home, but when he wasn't, didn't she do all the work?
Moreover, did Chen Meilan really like Little Wang and Little Wolf? Not really. Even if Yuanyuan smelled, she would still find her scent sweet. But if Little Wang and Little Wolf smelled, she would feel disgusted in her heart.
Chen Meilan pursed her lips and told the truth: "I'm a stepmother. Don't expect me to be too good to your sons. In my heart, Yuanyuan will always be more important. To be honest, if it weren't for Yan Xing, would you have married me? Would you genuinely care for Yuanyuan?"
Yan Zhao suddenly sat up, looking at Chen Meilan with surprise, as if he was seeing her for the first time.
Chen Meilan was afraid of this man, so she said no more and covered herself with the blanket to sleep.
With a swoosh, Yan Zhao pulled off the blanket.
Chen Meilan wasn't one to back down either. She snorted coldly and covered herself with the blanket again.
After a while, she felt stifled and just as she poked her head out from under the blanket, she saw that Yan Zhao was still staring at her with an unhappy expression.
Next time, she would definitely try to give this dog of a man a good beating.
With a click, Chen Meilan turned off the light. She didn't want to see this dog of a man's handsome but punch-worthy face.
But to be honest, with Yuanyuan as a comparison, it made the Wang brothers seem even more pitiful, even more so than Yuanyuan in her previous life.
Yan Zhao married her because he liked Yuanyuan, and he managed to treat all three children fairly only because of the deceased Yan Xing. He had always been compensating for Yan Xing through his love for Yuanyuan.
But Chen Meilan couldn't do that. She could only try her best not to be like Lu Jingyu, who had a venomous heart behind a smiling face, and strive to keep them from going astray.
Little Wang's values were seriously problematic, and this was something Yan Zhao needed to find a way to resolve. He needed to make the child understand the principles of right and wrong.
This smug dog of a man was probably shocked by his son's capability for such vicious acts at such a young age. He didn't say anything more. By the way, tonight's homework wasn't collected, and he even took apart the bed to sleep separately.
Early the next morning, he left for work.
Chen Meilan still had to go see Qi Songlu again to finalize her coming to work at her company.
"That's fine, but you need to find me a place to live," said Qi Songlu. "Don't worry, as long as you dare to employ me, 200 yuan a month is enough. I'll be responsible for all your finances - accounting, taxes, payroll. I'll keep an eye on Yan Xishan for you."
This was more like it. The unbreakable Qi Songlu, who could kick a man to the curb, was practically Chen Meilan's idol.
After returning from the wholesale market, Chen Meilan still had to find a place for Qi Songlu to live. This place had to be in Yanguan Village, so it would be convenient for her to withdraw and use money, but not at her own home. Although there were empty rooms at home, Qi Songlu was unmarried and not that old, and Yan Zhao liked to walk around naked at night, which would be too inconvenient.
It would be best to find a room for Qi Songlu from someone else's house in the village.
The relocation of Yanguan Village had been discussed since 1992, but the overall relocation wouldn't happen until 1998.
Before that, there was an unwritten rule in the village that households wouldn't rent rooms to unemployed troublemakers or to hostesses working in hair salons. If any family brought in a man or woman who didn't have a proper job, Yan Xiong and Yan Yong, the old leaders, would first have a talk with that family and ask them to send the person away.
This was no small matter. Yanguan Village was clean, bright, and on the edge of the city. For many years, there hadn't been any messy incidents, all thanks to the strong leadership of the village leaders. Even the village troublemakers didn't dare cause trouble in the village.
Qi Songlu was a well-known female hooligan in the whole city. If they were to rent her a room, they were afraid Yan Yong and Yan Xiong wouldn't agree.
So Chen Meilan had to talk to Yan Xiong first.
"Oh, Meilan, our female contractor?" Yan Xiong saw Meilan come in, carrying a large watermelon, and quickly reached out to take it. "Why bring a watermelon to me instead of letting the kids eat it?"
Chen Meilan then explained Qi Songlu's situation to Yan Xiong. Yes, she was a female hooligan, but time reveals a person's true nature. She hoped Yan Xiong would give her face and also give Qi Songlu some time to prove herself.
Sister-in-law Mao cut open the watermelon and first handed a slice to Chen Meilan. "I've heard of this name, but I trust Meilan. If Meilan says she's not bad, then she must not be bad."
Yan Xiong hesitated for a moment. "Meilan, it's not good to break the rules. I'm afraid the neighbors will talk about you."
"Time will tell, and people's true nature will be revealed over time. I'm not afraid of people talking for a while. Given enough time, everyone will understand," Chen Meilan said.
Yan Xiong nodded readily: "Alright then, I'll do it for your sake."
Chen Meilan felt genuinely comfortable living in such a nice village where people had a sense of community. It was a pity that urbanization was progressing so quickly - even if the whole village was relocated, people would scatter in different directions.
Since Yan Xiong had agreed, she would ask around the village to see who had an empty room, and rent a good one for Qi Songlu to live in.
As soon as she entered the house, someone was on the phone.
Chen Meilan picked up the call: "This is Chen Meilan."
It was Cui Min, the wife of Leader Liu from Dongfang Factory. Chen Meilan had planned to visit her yesterday but cancelled, and now she was calling again today.
"Oh my, Comrade Meilan, I'm so sorry. I need to take an extended leave soon, and my sister is also being transferred to a new post. We might not have time to help you with work matters. Could you come over to our place today and bring those 1000 shares of Shenzhen Development Bank stock? I'll give you 8,200 yuan for them. I know you work hard on construction projects to earn money. I heard Yan Xishan is about to be arrested soon, so you'd better keep some money to smooth things over. After all, Yan Xishan is your daughter's biological father," Cui Min said apologetically over the phone.
The relationship that had been established with just 8,000 yuan seemed to have reverted to pre-liberation times overnight.
If Chen Meilan hadn't heard Little Wang mention yesterday that Wang Ding'an's father-in-law was related to Mi Lan's family, she would have been completely bewildered by Cui Min's words.
But what a coincidence - Wang Ding'an probably never imagined that cutting those brake lines, such a small incident, would be remembered by a child until now, and that she would even tell Chen Meilan about it.
When Zhou Xueqin was in the capital, her relationship with Yan Peiheng had become very tense. How could she possibly get along well with Mi Lan and her mother?
Moreover, regarding the full 300,000 yuan - to think cynically, although Su Wen said it was meant for Little Wang alone, Yan Wei and Yan Zhao were brothers. How could Yan Wei be happy about this?
It was clear that even before Yan Xishan was arrested, Wang Ding'an had already had his father-in-law inform Yan Wei and his wife.
Neighborhood gossip had traveled from the capital, changing along the way, before reaching Cui Min's ears.
If Yan Xishan was truly identified as a gang leader, both Chen Meilan and Yan Zhao would be affected. With a tarnished reputation, people like Cui Min who maintained a clean image wouldn't associate much with their family anymore.
"Sister Cui, you must be joking. Yan Xishan runs a legitimate business. The safety record of Xishan Company is number one in the province. How could he possibly be a gang leader or be arrested? By the way, I heard my second sister-in-law in the capital is trading stocks. Do you know about that, Sister Cui? How is she doing with it?" Chen Meilan explained, then immediately followed up with a question.
"You mean Mi Lan? Yes, she is trading stocks. She even tried to get me involved, but I work in finance and I'm cautious by nature. I don't dare to try stock trading easily, so I refused her offer," Cui Min said.
Holding the receiver, Chen Meilan said slowly and deliberately: "I don't trade stocks either. I live an honest life and never do anything illegal. I've never sought to get rich overnight."
Having money doesn't necessarily mean wanting to get rich quickly. Cui Min had spent a thousand yuan on stocks, which became a burden weighing on her mind. This proved she was definitely not someone hoping to get rich overnight.
The relationship between people doesn't depend on how long they've known each other, but on whether their values align.
"I'm the same way, Meilan. How about this - tomorrow's the weekend, why don't you come over to my place as a guest? We can have a good chat," Cui Min said, hesitating slightly. "Actually, Mi Lan and I weren't very close when we were young. Her mother and mine didn't see eye to eye either. When Yan Zhao's ex-wife was in the capital, things got quite heated with his second brother's family. Come over, and I'll tell you all about it."
