No wonder Zhou Xueqin later gritted her teeth and always said, "There's not a single good thing in the capital, their whole family bullied me."
However, Cui Min must have had a reason for telling her these things, so she was willing to keep listening.
"My family and Chief of Staff Yan's family were neighbors. At that time, my mother heard that Wang Gebi had taken sleeping pills, so she helped send her to the hospital. My mother was a nurse, and she saw the pills scattered on the ground at the time. They weren't sleeping pills, but vitamins." After a pause, Cui Min continued, "But Zhou Xueqin had once quarreled with my mother, and it's not good for outsiders to interfere in other people's family affairs..."
Indeed, outsiders shouldn't meddle in other people's family matters.
But the fact that Cui Min was willing to share these things with Chen Meilan showed that she truly considered her a confidante.
On second thought, if Zhou Xueqin had been willing to stay in Yanguan Village and live with Su Wen, with such a kind and gentle mother-in-law, the two of them would have certainly gotten along well.
Yan Zhao only went to the battlefield the year Little Lang was born. Before that, he would come back every year. He had a homebody personality, was willing to do housework, and enjoyed spending time with the children. What a happy family they could have been!
If she had stayed in Yanguan Village, Su Wen would have certainly retrieved the 300,000 yuan earlier and let her manage it.
This way, she would have had money and could have educated the children well.
Unfortunately, she was too eager for success and insisted on going to the capital. One wrong step led to another - she didn't get the money and ended up being despised by everyone.
As the conversation came to an end, sensing that the host wanted to see her off, Chen Meilan had to take her leave: "Then we'll see each other when we sign the contract. Remember to change the water for the flowers frequently. Adding some cola or sugar to the water will make them last longer."
"How long can they last? I really love roses," Cui Min casually asked.
Chen Meilan smiled and answered meaningfully, "For a very, very long time."
Even without changing the water, these flowers would last until the contract signing. Cui Min would think of her whenever she saw the flowers, so she would certainly be quick to make the payment.
Now, let's talk about Yan Zhao's side.
Sun Nutao only now remembered that he had been transferred from Director Mi's office to the Jindong Branch Bureau, while Yan Zhao had been directly parachuted in from the capital after Yan Peiheng pulled some strings.
At that time, Director Mi was quite unhappy, saying that among the three Yan brothers, Yan Zhao was the least intelligent, stubborn in character, and prone to offending people. Even his father was annoyed with him. He said Yan Zhao had no aptitude for police work and told Sun Nutao to find a way to get rid of him if things didn't work out, as there was no need to keep a troublemaker around to upset themselves.
Fortunately, Sun Nutao was a rational person and was willing to trust Yan Zhao.
Otherwise, he had originally planned to investigate protective umbrellas and dig out local snakes. Without realizing it, he might have become an accomplice to those local snakes.
His old superior, Director Mi, was probably the leader of those thugs.
Of course, work needed to be done, but people also needed rest. After setting the general direction for the case, Yan Zhao went home.
He had just gotten off the bus at the stop when he saw Little Wang and Yuanyuan walking side by side, each holding a large bouquet of pink lilies.
Unlike when they were young, when children had to work and never had enough to eat, looking like little old men with worried faces, children nowadays were well-fed, didn't have heavy schoolwork, and the arts were blooming like flowers in this era. They lived very happily, so the children were always especially cheerful.
Yuanyuan held the flowers and sang as she walked: "Little lily flower, blooming in my heart. Please don't leave me, I love your pure fragrance..."
This song was the theme song from the movie "The Young Generals of the Yang Family." Both the song and the flowers were popular. In the 1980s, lilies could sell out thanks to this song.
Yan Zhao had heard some female colleagues in the office complain that a bunch of roses only cost 80 cents, but a single lily stem cost one yuan, which felt like highway robbery.
But why were the two children buying flowers?
Moreover, Yan Zhao had ten yuan a week for buying vegetables, tea, cigarettes and alcohol for entertaining guests, and lunch. He could barely save one yuan in a week.
How did Little Wang have money to buy a lily stem that cost one yuan?
And this large bouquet had at least ten stems, right?
How much money did Little Wang actually have?
"Yan Wangqi, did you buy these flowers?" Yan Zhao asked, grabbing his son by the back of his collar.
"Yes, Dad," Little Wang said.
Yuanyuan stopped singing, raised her head, and asked with a grin, "Dad, it's Mom's birthday today. We bought flowers. Do you have anything to give Mom?"
Pink lilies with a strong, rich fragrance - they must be Chen Meilan's favorite.
Yuanyuan was still looking at Yan Zhao, so Little Wang quickly came to his father's rescue: "Alright, little Yuanyuan, I'm the man of the house. Dad just needs to focus on work. He doesn't need to take care of household matters. I'll buy Mom's gift."
Looking at Yan Zhao again, Little Wang said, "Anyway, we love Mom. Dad doesn't."
Yan Zhao's face darkened even more, and he turned and left again.
...
When Chen Meilan returned home, she saw a large rooster that had been slaughtered and plucked clean on the kitchen steps. Next to the rooster was a pair of cloth shoes wrapped in oiled paper, and on the kitchen chopping board was a whole chestnut cake.
The handiwork of the cloth shoes was clearly Zhou Qiaofang's, so Chen Meilan asked Yuanyuan, "Did your aunt come by?"
"Yes, she said she was busy at the construction site, so she only stayed for a while before leaving," Yuanyuan said.
People who grew up in the countryside all like to wear cloth shoes. Such beautiful cloth shoes are both cool and sweat-absorbing in summer, very comfortable, but they're too troublesome to make, taking at least half a month.
Seeing these shoes, Chen Meilan couldn't help but think of Zhou Xueqin again.
She sincerely hoped that Zhou Xueqin would make a fortune out there and never come back.
When Zhou Xueqin wasn't around, her elder sister-in-law would be especially affectionate towards her as a younger sister-in-law.
As she entered, she saw a large bouquet of pink lilies.
There weren't any long-lasting, large-stemmed stargazer lilies available in the market yet. The lilies being sold were all local old varieties, with pink ones being even rarer. Earlier, when Chen Meilan went to the Cui family, she couldn't even bring herself to buy lilies.
She never expected that Yuanyuan and Little Wang would buy her such a large bunch, a full ten stems.
"Why buy these? It's such a waste of money..." Chen Meilan was about to reproach them.
Yuanyuan, who was in the middle of arranging the flowers in a large vase, immediately gave her a look: "Have you forgotten? Last year on this day, Aunt even made you a white flour pancake. Brother has money, so why can't we buy flowers for your birthday?"
Last year, Chen Meilan celebrated her birthday in her hometown. Zhou Qiaofang had scraped together all the white flour in the house to make her a white flour pancake. Chen Meilan had already forgotten, but Yuanyuan remembered because her mother had divided the pancake into four pieces and given them to her, Jinbao, Zhenzhu, and Baozhu to eat.
Chen Degong had beaten Jinbao for this, saying that as a man, he had no sense of propriety.
On birthdays, according to the old customs of Jinyang people, one should eat "money-money meal". "Money-money" refers to flattened soybeans, cooked together with millet. The gold color of the soybeans and the abundance of the millet symbolize that the new year will bring wealth, and that one will be able to earn money in abundance, with prosperity and flourishing business.
Chen Meilan didn't used to care about these things, but now that she was feeding 200 workers, she had to start paying attention. Those 200 people depended on her for their meals.
Unlike the bland meals of her childhood, when "money-money" and millet were simply boiled into a thin porridge, nowadays when eating "money-money meal", people would add some sweet potatoes and yams. Everything would be cooked together into a thick porridge, emitting a faint fragrance of millet and the sweetness of sweet potatoes. That's how the "money-money meal" was prepared.
In her spare time, she took some beef meatballs from the refrigerator to steam, sprinkled some green onions and garlic sprouts on top, and that was one dish.
She also cut up some leftover pancakes from yesterday and stir-fried them, then smashed a cucumber. The weather was too hot, so this was enough for a meal.
Just then, the phone at home rang.
Chen Meilan picked it up, and after just one "hello", she heard a strong, fierce voice. It was actually Yan Peiheng calling.
"Is this Meilan?" the other end asked.
Chen Meilan guessed that Cui Min must have praised her a lot in front of her parents, and once they praised her, Yan Peiheng would know. But the last time he called, Yan Peiheng had stubbornly declared that he didn't need to know her name, only that she was a female comrade.
Now he was directly calling her Meilan. What happened to her surname? Did the dog eat it?
"Father finally knows my name?" Chen Meilan couldn't help but tease.
Yan Peiheng probably didn't expect his daughter-in-law to say this. After a moment of silence, he continued, "I just asked Mi Lan, and she said she hasn't been feeling well these past few days, but as soon as she recovers, she'll personally go to Xiping City to return Little Wang's money."
After a pause, Yan Peiheng said, "Mi Lan has a weak heart and can't handle the rural air. She should stay at a hotel, but she wants to stay at your place. Her health isn't great, so please take extra care of her. Mi Lan is like you - intelligent and kind. You'll surely get along well and develop a good relationship."
...
"It's your birthday today, isn't it? Have a nice celebration. And... be good to that rascal son of mine," the old man added.
He even knew her birthday. The old man had certainly done his research thoroughly.
Although Chen Meilan was a bit puzzled - how could a woman who was too delicate to breathe the fresh country air manage to live in the city? - she couldn't help feeling that Yan Peiheng was finding roundabout ways to compliment her.
It was only mid-June, but Mi Lan had already put repayment on the agenda. Chen Meilan felt she shouldn't say much else. She could only hold back a smile and say, "Alright, father. Please take care of your health too."
"Don't worry about me here. Old Wang next door will look after me," Yan Peiheng said goodbye and hung up.
Old Wang next door?
Who was that?
Chen Meilan remembered Cui Min saying that Mi Lan's mother's name was Wang Gebi. A terrible thought crossed her mind - could the "Old Wang next door" Yan Peiheng mentioned actually be Wang Gebi?
People of that revolutionary generation always had such unbelievable names, like "Gobi Desert Revolution Advance Forward" and such.
But would a woman be happy to be called "Old Wang next door" by Yan Peiheng?
His manly insensitivity was truly no less than Yan Zhao's.
...
Seeing that the two older children weren't home, Chen Meilan asked Little Lang, who was quietly waiting at the table for dinner: "Where are your brother and sister? Where did they go?"
"Dad called them out," Little Lang said.
So Yan Zhao had come home early today, but why hadn't he returned yet?
The dishes were set on the table, the rice porridge had already cooled, with a thin layer of vegetable oil settled on top of the thick, golden gruel. The wind blew through the big locust tree behind the yard, cool and pleasant.
"Go call them back for dinner," Chen Meilan gave Little Lang's bottom a light pat.
Shortly after, they first heard Yuanyuan's singing, then Little Wang's laughter, followed by Yan Zhao entering with a large iron shovel.
Chen Meilan noticed that Yuanyuan and Little Wang's faces and clothes were dirty. Yan Zhao was stamping his feet too. Curiously, she asked, "What have you been up to all this time? Why are you so dirty?"
"We moved the garbage dump behind the coal yard, and Dad even cleaned up the whole area in front of the coal yard," Little Wang said as he turned on the tap and rinsed himself from head to toe, coal dust streaming down into the drain.
If there was one thing not so great about Yanguan Village, it was the garbage dump opposite their gate.
It was convenient for throwing out trash, but in summer, especially in the evening, the wind would bring the stench of rot. The smell would only dissipate after the garbage was emptied at five in the morning.
Moving the garbage dump was certainly a good idea, but shouldn't the village have agreed to it? Had Yan Zhao talked to the village chief? Besides, everyone was used to throwing garbage in one place. If he moved the dump, wouldn't people just throw trash on the open ground?
While Yan Zhao and the children were washing up for dinner, Chen Meilan went out for a look. To her surprise, she found that Yan Zhao had not only cleaned up the garbage dump area thoroughly, but he'd also brought bricks from the coal yard to pave the ground. He'd even moved all the bamboo chairs the old men in the village usually put outside for cooling off.
At first glance, it looked clean and refreshing. Moreover, that spot was cool - perfect for chatting and enjoying the breeze. Who would want to throw garbage there now?
When she returned, Yuanyuan and Little Wang were eagerly waiting to cut the cake.
"Hurry up and eat. This cake was bought by your uncle. Why didn't you cut it and start eating earlier?" Chen Meilan said.
About five years ago, on Chen Meilan's birthday, she had spent money on three pieces of chestnut cake to share with Yuanyuan, and even saved a piece for Yan Xishan.
But that day, Yan Xishan had bad luck in his business dealings and was cursed at. When he came home and saw her eating cake, he scolded her: "While a man is working himself to death outside, you useless woman only know how to eat."
Chen Meilan was so angry that she took Yuanyuan, who was still nursing, and went back to her parents' home on her birthday.
As she left, she didn't forget to take the cake with her, crying and eating as she walked.
When she got back to Chen Family Village, she still had one piece left. She wiped away her tears, smiled, and let her older brother's family taste that piece of chestnut cake. Each person had a bite, and they were so delighted by the taste that they nearly bit off their tongues.
Back when they had no money, everyone suffered. Now that they had money, her older brother and sister-in-law were willing to treat her well.
However, today's meal wasn't easy to eat. Chen Meilan had just picked up her bowl when Uncle Yan stood at the door and asked, "Meilan, is it true someone wants to rent a room? I heard it's a female hooligan?"
Uncle Yan was a lonely widower. Because he smoked and drank heavily and wasn't hygienic, outsiders found him dirty and were unwilling to rent his house.
Uncle Yan continued, "I'm an old hooligan, she's a female hooligan. But tell her not to worry. Although I was a bit of a rascal when I was young, I'm old now. Even if I wanted to misbehave, I don't have the energy. I just want some company. Let her come live at my place. Three yuan a month will do."
The villagers were all gossiping that Meilan was bringing a female hooligan into the village, and everyone was hesitating whether to rent her a room.
Uncle Yan had always been sympathetic towards women, believing that women were inferior to men. As a man, how could he not rent a room to a woman?
While others hesitated, he was willing to rent and even took the initiative to come to Meilan about it.
Chen Meilan had the wholesale market's phone number, so she decided to call Qi Songlu right away while holding her rice bowl, asking her to come and see the house.
With all this commotion, her bowl of rice porridge had gone completely cold.
Fortunately, there was chestnut cake. For some reason today, Little Lang had no appetite, and Yuanyuan and Little Wang each only ate one piece. There were still seven large pieces left, so Chen Meilan ended up eating three large pieces herself and put the rest in the refrigerator.
"Go take a shower and watch some TV with the kids. I'll wash the dishes and tidy up our bedroom," Yan Zhao said as he carried the bowls and chopsticks into the kitchen.
By now, everyone had finished eating. The 8 o'clock TV drama hadn't started yet, and it was the time when villagers would go out to discuss yesterday's TV show and gossip about village affairs.
Tomorrow was Monday, and the children all had homework to finish, so Chen Meilan decided not to turn on the TV to distract them.
She took a small stool outside, ready to join in the village chatter and wait for Qi Songlu to come see the house.
No sooner had she sat down and started cracking some of Aunt Huang's sunflower seeds when Mrs. Mao nudged Meilan: "Isn't that Yan Xishan? Why does he look like that today?"
Chen Meilan turned to look, and indeed it was Yan Xishan. His white shirt was covered in coal dust and sweat stains.
He was already thin, and as he aged, his back had begun to stoop a little. He shuffled step by step to Chen Meilan and handed her a green schoolbag. His voice was unusually gruff: "Here."
Today was the day Yan Xishan shipped coal to Shanghai. He should have received 120,000 yuan.
What a double joy - receiving money on her birthday was an auspicious sign for making big money in the coming year.
This green schoolbag contained the coal money. Chen Meilan wanted to open it immediately, to touch it and feel some of that good fortune.
But she couldn't. At any time, except for parents and children, one should never show off wealth in front of others. Wealth should not be flaunted. The more money you earn, the more low-key you should be. Staying calm and hiding money well was the wise way to protect oneself.
This was also why Yan Xishan brought the money in an old green schoolbag. He was gradually learning to be smarter and less ostentatious.
"What's Xishan carrying? Could it be money?" Mrs. Mao asked with a smile.
All the onlookers were curious. If it really was money, the delicate balance of their equal status relationships would be disrupted.
Chen Meilan smiled and said, "How could it be? These are books Yan Xishan bought for Yuanyuan."
"Xishan is becoming more and more decent. Even when he's so tired, he still remembers to buy books for Yuanyuan. Xishan, come sit and chat with us for a while," Aunt Huang said with a smile.
Gradually, the villagers were starting to see Yan Xishan as a person and were willing to respect him.
Having lived together for several years, Chen Meilan noticed Yan Xishan unconsciously pat his pocket and turn to leave. She called out, "Yuanyuan's dad, wait a moment."
She was carrying a green schoolbag and had just turned into the coal yard when Yan Xishan raised both hands: "Alright, alright, I took five thousand yuan from it, but I'm short on cash, I must take this money."
"Don't you have a monthly salary of three thousand? Why do you need to take an extra five thousand?" Chen Meilan asked in response.
After a full day of loading coal with the workers, everyone was already exhausted and irritable. When tired, people tend to get even more annoyed.
While loading trucks today, Yan Xishan suddenly remembered something - today was Meilan's birthday.
Thinking back to last year, when he drove Meilan away, he really just wanted to scare her a little. He never imagined someone would marry her off. But infuriatingly, in just those few months, his entire life fell apart.
His wife was gone, his child was gone, everything was gone.
He still remembered one time when he berated Chen Meilan harshly over a few pieces of cake. She cried and went back to her parents' home, but couldn't bear to leave the cake behind, so she hugged Yuanyuan, crying and eating as she walked.
So earlier, he had run into town, intending to buy Meilan a cake.
But as luck would have it, all the cakes were sold out.
Yan Xishan couldn't hold back anymore and started shouting: "Chen Meilan, that's enough! You really want to control all my money? Based on what? Just because my daughter calls Yan Zhao 'dad' every day..."
As he spoke, he wiped his face, suddenly looking grief-stricken. He kicked a lump of coal on the ground so hard that his shoe flew off along with the coal.
"Damn it!" He turned and gave himself several hard slaps across the face.
Today was Chen Meilan's birthday, after all. Who doesn't want to celebrate their birthday happily and joyfully?
But at this moment, she was trembling with anger.
Since last year, to install the production line, they had invested a total of 350,000 yuan. Chen Meilan had put all the money earned from engineering projects into the coal company.
For half a year, she often couldn't sleep at night worrying about cash flow issues, but at least the coal mine's safety measures were initially in place. However, up to now, all the cement, sand, and steel rebar accounts for Qinchuan Company were in arrears, waiting for this coal money from Yan Xishan to come through. Otherwise, those suppliers would soon be at their doorstep demanding payment.
And here he was, casually taking five thousand for himself?
But no matter how angry she was, she had to remain calm. Xishan Company was already taking shape, and the coal industry was on the rise. Money would soon be rolling in continuously. If Yan Xishan was getting cocky now, it would give her a legitimate reason to bring in an accountant.
"Don't rush, and don't get angry. Tomorrow I'll send an accountant over to you. From now on, all the money will be managed by the accountant. You'll only have a monthly salary of two thousand yuan. If you don't want to work, you can get the hell out."
Why was Yan Xishan able to make a comeback after getting out of prison in her previous life? If it weren't for the disease that brought him down, he could have become a nouveau riche again. The essence of it was his shamelessness.
Seeing that Meilan was truly angry, Yan Xishan didn't dare take the money anymore.
After all, he had to test the waters. The shares were in Meilan's hands, and behind her was Yan Zhao, who was fiercer than a wolf. If things really turned ugly, he would be the one to lose out.
So Yan Xishan changed his tune in an instant. He put his shoe back on and said with a smile, "Meilan, it might not be good for you to send me an accountant. If you send a woman, well, with my personality and looks, from eight to eighty years old, which woman wouldn't side with me after spending a few days together? And if you find a young one, come on, I didn't even have any intention of getting married. Wouldn't you just be finding me a ready-made wife?"
First, he was handsome; second, he had a silver tongue. If Chen Meilan sent an accountant, wouldn't they be won over in no time?
Chen Meilan snatched the five thousand yuan from Yan Xishan's hand and turned to leave.
Just as she left the coal yard, she saw Yuanyuan standing at the courtyard gate calling out to her: "Mom, there's an auntie at our house looking for you."
Yan Xishan immediately put on a big smile, stretched out his arms, and was about to call out "Yuanyuan."
He was particularly tired today and wanted to hug his daughter to relieve the fatigue from a whole day of loading and unloading coal.
But at that moment, he saw a woman with very white skin, tall, wearing a gray sweater of indistinguishable color. Her face was pretty, but her gaze was as sharp as a knife blade. She turned her face following Yuanyuan's gaze.
The moment she saw him, she actually smirked.
Isn't this Qi Songlu?
Qi Songlu, who was labeled a female hooligan?
The Qi Songlu who, before her divorce, kicked Wang Ding'an so hard that he had to take medication for several years to regain his manhood?
It was already eight o'clock, and the people who had been enjoying the cool evening air had all dispersed and gone home. The TV drama on the central station was about to start, and passionate advertisements could be heard from televisions in every household: "She works, you rest!"
The next line was: "Everyone who's used it says it's good - Dactarin cream."
In this hot and stuffy June weather, Qi Songlu gave Yan Xishan a cold glance, making him shudder.
Letting this woman be the accountant at Xishan Company? She might come with a knife in the middle of the night and castrate him directly.
