Youth is wonderful.
When you get older, you'll want to eat an ice lolly or ice cream, but your teeth will ache and your digestive system won't be able to handle it.
But now, while you're young, you can eat these things to your heart's content.
Chen Meilan took Qi Songlu to see the place and negotiated the rent with Yan Sanye. They had originally planned to move in early the next morning, but Yan Sanye was so enthusiastic that he hurriedly brought out all the bedding that Yan Xishan had given him years ago, warmly inviting Qi Songlu to stay there tonight.
The high-quality cotton quilts and soft mattresses were all gifts from Yan Xishan to Sanye.
But Sanye was lazy and didn't like to clean up. He always wiped his nose on the quilt and spat in his slippers. Chen Meilan found it disgusting and never entered his courtyard, so those nice things just piled up in the room gathering dust.
Qi Songlu didn't have any bedding of his own, so he decided not to return to the wholesale market for now. He fetched some water, found a broom and duster, and started sweeping the kang bed-stove and cleaning the windows, tidying up the room.
Then he borrowed Meilan's solar water heater to take a bath.
After seeing Qi Songlu go to take a bath, Chen Meilan left Sanye's house.
The evening breeze was cool, and the village loudspeaker kept playing "Yellow Earth Plateau" on repeat.
So she took advantage of the night air, carrying a mesh bag to the village entrance. First, she picked out seven or eight ice creams from the small shop, then wandered to the night market where she saw yellow peaches had just come into season. She bought some peaches and a large watermelon. Just as she was worrying that these things were too heavy for her to carry back, she felt her load lighten. She turned around to see Yan Zhao had taken the mesh bag from her.
Walking home with a basket of fruit, Chen Meilan chatted with Yan Zhao, telling him about Qi Songlu staying at Yan Sanye's house, and how she had gotten back the 5,000 yuan that Yan Xishan wanted to embezzle from the public account.
Yan Zhao just gave a soft "hmm," indicating he understood.
Once inside, Yan Zhao washed the peaches, peeled them, cut up half a watermelon, scooped out the middle, and cut it into pieces in a bowl for Chen Meilan to eat, while he gnawed on the rind himself.
Oh right, it was mid-June now. Yan Peiheng had said Mi Lan would definitely come to repay the money in July.
Because Yan Peiheng had spoken so confidently, although Chen Meilan had been doubting whether Mi Lan might have lost money in the stock market, she didn't feel right saying it out loud. So she just briefly told Yan Zhao that Mi Lan would come to repay the money in half a month.
After saying this, she realized it was only 9:30 PM, not yet bedtime for the children, but they had already gone to sleep?
And Yan Zhao had moved the TV back into this room?
There was an old VCR at home that Yan Zhao had brought back from the police station. Because he often needed to watch case video tapes, he simply didn't return it and kept it at home.
Gesturing for Chen Meilan to sit on the bed, Yan Zhao turned on the TV.
The children were in bed early, there was chilled cake and fruit, sitting on the bed watching some TV - a rare treat.
The cotton padding, smelling of soap and patted soft by Yan Zhao's big hands, was even more comfortable to sit on than the million-yuan mattress in Chen Meilan's villa in her previous life.
Of course, this wasn't because the cotton bedding was more comfortable - how could it compare to an imported mattress worth over 100,000 yuan?
It was because she was still young now, in good health, and without so much resentment and dissatisfaction in her heart, that she felt comfortable.
People always live by their spirit.
But just then, Yan Zhao picked up a "Legal Education Video" tape and put it in the VCR.
Chen Meilan, holding a big bowl of fruit, was suddenly angered by Yan Zhao again, even more than she had been by Yan Xishan. She was so angry her whole body trembled: "Deputy Director Yan, that's a bit much, isn't it? Did I commit murder or arson? It's my birthday, and you're showing me this?"
On her birthday, Yan Zhao was going to show her a legal education video again?
With his back to Chen Meilan, the pale spot behind Yan Zhao's ear quickly turned red. He said in a low voice: "I heard that many women go to video halls nowadays, and they like to watch this kind of thing. Didn't you say you didn't like the last one, and that you prefer Hong Kong and Taiwan films?"
Chen Meilan sat up straight, her ears perking up like a rabbit's.
Last time Yan Zhao brought home a legal education video, it turned out to be a trick - it contained an adult film.
At the time, she had laughed and said that women don't like to watch that kind, they prefer Hong Kong-made films with both plot and attractive actors. She was referring to films like "The Forbidden Legend: Sex & Chopsticks" and "Yu Pui Tsuen", which were indeed well-made and very sensual.
Could it be that because it was her birthday, he had gone to the video hall today and confiscated some Category III films for her to watch?
How much more upright could this be compared to Yan Xishan stealing clothes for her to wear?
"It's a Category III film, isn't it?" Chen Meilan immediately sat up straight, unable to contain her true nature as an older woman anymore.
There weren't many TV series now, and every holiday they would inevitably replay "Dream of the Red Chamber" and "Journey to the West".
Moreover, those once-popular Hong Kong and Taiwan Category III films like "Yu Pui Tsuen" and "The Forbidden Legend: Sex & Chopsticks" would be banned and destroyed in the future.
Seeing Yan Zhao's ears getting redder and redder, Chen Meilan thought she had guessed correctly. She tapped her foot and said, "Hurry up, come on."
"Yan Xiaowang, what are you doing out here?" Yan Zhao suddenly called out, startling Chen Meilan so much she almost fell off the bed.
From outside the window came Xiaowang's small, innocent, and frightened voice: "Dad, I'm going to the bathroom."
"Go back to sleep as soon as you're done," Yan Zhao said sternly.
Chen Meilan, feeling like a thief, got up and drew the curtains tightly shut, making sure not even a sliver of light could escape. Only then did she sit back on the bed, her heart still pounding.
In both her lives, this was actually the first time she was watching a Category III film so openly.
Yan Zhao seemed a bit nervous too, but he still explained to Chen Meilan: "Driver Xiao Liu said this is currently the most popular film among women. He specifically picked it out for you from the confiscated videotapes."
Chen Meilan wanted to pretend to be shy, but couldn't pull it off. With fruit and ice cream at the ready, she couldn't help but marvel at how knowledgeable Driver Xiao Liu was about such matters, even knowing what kind of films women liked to watch. He truly was a friend to women.
As soon as the movie title appeared, Chen Meilan was dumbfounded.
The words 'God of Gamblers' exploded onto the screen in bold letters.
Then, dashing and handsome in a suit, Chow Yun-fat appeared on screen. Chen Meilan let out a "Wow!" – he was the eternal male god in the hearts of older women like her.
Although there was no Category III film to watch, the couple enjoyed a complete viewing of "God of Gamblers" starring Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau.
When Chow Yun-fat appeared, he became Chen Meilan's idol. When Andy Lau came on screen, she immediately felt she could abandon Chow Yun-fat and run away with Andy Lau.
Of course, at this time she didn't notice Yan Zhao glancing at her from time to time, his gaze cold enough to eat people.
After watching the movie, it was time to sleep. Yan Zhao suddenly asked Chen Meilan, "Do women nowadays all like men in suits?"
In the movie, Chow Yun-fat and Andy Lau were indeed handsome in their suits.
"Should I buy you a set?" The most popular brand now was Pierre Cardin. Although the cut wasn't as good as it would be in the future, Yan Zhao only had one single-breasted and one double-breasted jacket to alternate between, apart from his work uniform. It wouldn't hurt to make him a suit.
With his build, he would definitely look good in a suit. After all, although his muscles were intimidating, clothes hung well on him, and isn't that exactly the kind of body suited for wearing a suit?
"No need. I'll be getting a bonus soon. I won't give it to you this time, I'll go buy a suit myself," Yan Zhao said as he turned off the lights, ready to sleep.
But when he reached out his hand, Chen Meilan said, "Not tonight. I'm tired. It's my birthday. I don't want to..."
Usually, to avoid marital disputes and maintain harmony in their life, she would never refuse when Yan Zhao wanted to do what married couples do.
Sometimes she was extremely tired and uncomfortable, and Yan Zhao could be quite annoying in that aspect, but she had always endured it for the sake of his usual diligence in work.
But not tonight. Today was her birthday, and she wanted to do as she pleased.
A woman should at least live for herself on her birthday, right?
Yan Zhao didn't insist. After being silent for a while, he suddenly said, "The cake. I bought it."
So the cake today wasn't bought by his older brother, but by Yan Zhao?
Then why didn't he speak up and admit it at the time? And a chestnut cake cost ten yuan. He only got ten yuan of pocket money each week. Where did the money come from? Did he borrow it?
"I didn't marry you just because you look like Yuanyuan," Yan Zhao said after a while.
So he had been in a bad mood these past few days because she said he married her because of Yuanyuan?
Is this really a man? Why is his temper even more difficult than Xiaowang's?
With a snort, Chen Meilan imitated little Xiaowang's childhood snoring.
Yan Zhao suddenly sat up and lifted the blanket to look, clearly not believing she could fall asleep so quickly. He had wanted to have a good talk, but she was already asleep?
Chen Meilan immediately let out another snore, then another, evenly snoring away.
Let him be difficult, let him not speak his mind properly. Serves him right - she would pretend not to hear.
She was too timid to take action, but she would annoy this black-faced King Yama to death.
...
Meanwhile, at the Jindong Branch Bureau, the investigation into the gangsters had traced back to the former bureau chief who was now retired at home. The more Sun Nutao investigated, the more angry he became.
For example, the former deputy chiefs Ma Kai and Fan Zhenhua were both promoted by Director Mi.
Director Mi didn't have a son, only a daughter who married Wang Ding'an. When Wang Ding'an was discharged from the military, he was just a low-ranking soldier. While many transferred officers at the company level were slowly waiting their turn for promotion, he rose like a rocket, getting promoted every year. This was definitely suspicious.
Sun Nutao decided to immediately report this matter up the chain, to let the city bureau leaders know about the case and start investigating Director Mi.
Retired but not idle, from former police chief to current gang boss - no wonder some citizens complained that the police and gangsters were one and the same.
Of course, reporting the case to the city bureau would also be troublesome. Most of the current leaders there were also promoted by Director Mi. At most they would give it a cold treatment, casually investigate, have Director Mi turn in a few typical big gangsters, and let him stop there.
Director Mi had been a senior chief at the city bureau for decades. If he was really determined to be a gang boss, it would tarnish decades of honor for the city bureau.
But it still had to be reported up. It concerned public security, with so many gangsters in the city. Not reporting wasn't an option.
However, Yan Zhao said there was no rush.
He handed Sun Nutao a case file, saying he wanted to investigate this case first before making a decision.
Sun Nutao took the file and saw it was the verdict for Qi Songlu, the only female hooligan from the 1983 Strike Hard campaign.
In reality, everyone knew there was no such thing as a female hooligan. It was just a wrongful case and tragedy created by the times.
Labeling a woman as a female hooligan wasn't a huge deal and had no impact on society, but it wasn't insignificant either. It ruined a woman's life, condemning her to moral hell for eternity.
But this case was already closed, and the person involved never made a fuss about it. Why was Yan Zhao bringing it up again?
Of course, it's worth mentioning that Qi Songlu's husband was Wang Ding'an. During the time his wife was labeled a hooligan, Wang Ding'an claimed he was sick and didn't go bail her out. At the time, regulations stated that only family members could bail out those convicted of hooliganism.
Not only did Wang Ding'an not go bail out Qi Songlu himself, he didn't even notify her parents to bail her out.
This led to Qi Songlu being the only female comrade with no family members to bail her out.
This was the key reason she was convicted of hooliganism.
Her parents only found out when Qi Songlu was paraded through the streets after being labeled a female hooligan. Unable to bear the shame, they cut ties with their daughter at the time.
Later, Wang Ding'an divorced Qi Songlu. That same year, a few months later, he married Director Mi's daughter Mi Fang. Mi Fang was quite an ordinary woman, an accounting graduate who currently worked at the postal savings bank as the manager of a small branch.
If you don't bring up these matters, once the case file is closed, it just passes by.
But if you do bring them up, doesn't it become quite intriguing?
"You want to reinvestigate the 1983 female hooligan case?" Sun Nutao asked Yan Zhao.
Yan Zhao said, "You go home and rest first. I'll look into this case privately for now."
...
After discovering that Yan Zhao had borrowed money to buy her a cake, Chen Meilan started putting fifty yuan in his wallet every week.
He had to eat lunch outside, and when he met people he had to offer cigarettes and tea. He never said anything, but prices kept rising - even a bowl of pao mo now cost 80 cents. Giving him just ten yuan a week was indeed a bit too little.
But what angered her more was how he never said anything about it.
If another ten years passed and she was still only giving him ten yuan, wouldn't he starve to death out there?
As for the construction work, not to mention that Chen Degong always had faith in Meilan's abilities, Yan Bin was discovering more and more as he worked with Meilan that she was excellent at handling relationships.
She wasn't seen drinking and dining out all the time, and her dealings with Cui Min involved just sending a bouquet of flowers.
But that bouquet made Dongfang Group's business exceptionally smooth. They had made a quote of 320,000 yuan, which included a 20,000 yuan markup meant to be negotiated down.
However, Dongfang Group didn't negotiate at all, and directly notified Chen Meilan to come sign the contract.
Once this contract was signed, there would be a 120,000 yuan advance payment. When they received this money, Chen Meilan would be able to clear all of Qinchuan Group's accounts.
She could also pay out the wages that had been owed for nearly half a year to Chen Degong, Huang Zhengde, and Yan Bin, all at once.
This could be considered a good omen, receiving money on her birthday.
After signing the contract, Chen Meilan had Yan Bin drive the three-wheeler to help Qi Songlu move from the wholesale market. Originally, she thought that since Yan Zhao and the others had arrested dozens of gangsters, things should have calmed down on the streets. Unexpectedly, in just one night when Qi Songlu wasn't guarding her shop, when they went to move the next day, all the ice cream had been stolen, the freezer was vandalized, and her small storefront had been completely wrecked.
In the end, they only managed to move the broken freezer back from the wholesale market.
"This was instigated by Wang Ding'an, wasn't it?" Chen Meilan asked Qi Songlu.
Qi Songlu frowned, but said to Chen Meilan, "I told you before, didn't I? At that time, someone came to tell me that Wang Ding'an and Yan Xishan were dancing in a dance hall. They gave me the exact location of the dance hall, and even claimed with certainty that they had called for prostitutes and were engaged in prostitution. That's why I called you to go, remember?"
That was indeed what happened at the time. Someone had brought a message to Qi Songlu saying that Yan Xishan and Wang Ding'an were soliciting prostitutes in a dance hall. Qi Songlu had flown into a rage and gone to catch them.
Qi Songlu sighed helplessly and continued, "I've always suspected that the person who brought me that message was his current wife, Mi Fang. They must have known each other for a while, and Wang Ding'an probably didn't want me anymore and wanted to marry Mi Fang. Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that they had just left when I arrived, and the police came?"
She paused, then added, "Even now, the one instigating the gangsters to bully me isn't Wang Ding'an, but Mi Fang. If you meet that woman, you'll understand why she won't let me go."
It sounded a bit absurd and bizarre.
But it was quite possible that this was the truth.
Wang Ding'an was a handsome young man, had been in the military, was smooth-talking and especially good at flattery. Back when he was hanging around with Yan Xishan, there were quite a few girls who liked to chase after them.
If Yan Xishan could find Hu Xiaomei, why couldn't Wang Ding'an find Mi Fang?
Chen Meilan had never heard of Mi Fang before, and of course didn't know what kind of person she was.
But since Director Mi was the boss of the gangsters, his daughter must be quite a character too.
A woman who could make Wang Ding'an harden his heart, abandon the beautiful Qi Songlu, and be willing to marry her as his second wife must be extremely beautiful, maybe even seductively hot.
Oh right, she was also Mi Lan's cousin.
Reportedly, she had a good relationship with Mi Lan and worked at a post office near the Municipal Party School.
People all have a gossipy side, and Chen Meilan was quite curious to meet this Mi Fang.
How deep must the grudge and hatred be to relentlessly pressure Qi Songlu, determined to drive her out of Xiping City?
Speaking of coincidences, just as Chen Meilan was thinking about this, her pager went off. She saw it was from Yan Zhao's office landline, so she called back from the home phone: "Something up?"
"...Lan, are you free this afternoon? Want to go for a walk with me?"
It was Monday, when everyone should be busy at work. How did Yan Zhao have the leisure to go for a walk?
"Where to?" Chen Meilan asked.
Yan Zhao said on the phone, "Come to my workplace first, then we'll talk."
It was 3 PM, still early to pick up the kids, so Chen Meilan took a bus to the Public Security Bureau branch building. She used the public phone outside to send a page, and Yan Zhao came down shortly after.
Because he had to wear his uniform for work, he hardly ever bought casual clothes. He only owned two casual outfits - a light jacket and a padded jacket. Right now, he was wearing the light jacket.
The Jindong Branch Bureau wasn't far from the Party School. Yan Zhao walked with Chen Meilan, talking as they went.
He mentioned that, coincidentally, Qi Songlu had just been talking about how Mi Fang still wouldn't let go of her after all these years.
Yan Zhao happened to be investigating this case. Of course, as a police officer, he could access internal records from past years and interrogate people to reconstruct what happened during the "Strike Hard" campaign in 1983.
According to Yan Zhao, the case was handled by the Jindong Branch Bureau at the time. Someone had called to report prostitution activities at a certain location, and that's when the police went to make arrests.
Of course, during the "Strike Hard" campaign, anyone arrested was labeled a hooligan.
The informant's phone number could be traced through the technical department. This was no longer a coincidence, but deliberate, because that phone number belonged to the post office where Mi Fang currently worked.
The situation was quite clear now. The original tip-off call had come from Mi Fang. She first had someone tell Qi Songlu that Wang Ding'an was soliciting prostitutes and suggested she go catch him. Then Mi Fang called the police to report it, leading them to arrest Wang Ding'an and drag him out of the dance hall.
The reason Yan Zhao now wanted Chen Meilan to visit the post office was that Mi Fang was from a police family. Unless following formal investigation procedures, Yan Zhao couldn't access her personnel file. Given his position, he couldn't go chat with Mi Fang himself. He wanted Chen Meilan to go talk to Mi Fang casually and ask about her work history, to confirm if she was working at this post office in 1983.
"Don't be nervous, just treat it like a normal conversation," Yan Zhao said, feeling a bit anxious himself about asking his wife to help investigate a case for the first time. Chen Meilan wasn't nervous yet, but Yan Zhao was. "The more relaxed you are, the more likely she is to trust you. If you're tense, she might become suspicious. Mi Fang's father was a career policeman, so her counter-surveillance skills must be very high. Oh, and you need a reason to go in there. Think of an excuse before you go in, okay?"
While Yan Zhao was still asking questions, Chen Meilan had already strode into the post office.
Who was she? The general manager of the Xingda Construction Team.
In the banking industry, attracting deposits was always the top priority for small savings offices. To those small office managers, a contractor like Chen Meilan was a godsend.
Once inside, did she need to say anything more?
Chen Meilan smiled as she approached a teller. She had barely introduced herself as a contractor interested in discussing interest rates for large deposits when the teller immediately called out, "Manager Mi, come quick! We have a big client here."
In a flash, a woman emerged from a side door.
She extended her hand from afar, grinning as she walked towards Chen Meilan.
"I'm Mi Fang. And you are?" she asked.
This woman was about 5'1" tall and extremely overweight, with rolls of fat around her belly. Her teeth were yellowed, her skin sagging. Beauty was completely foreign to her. Chen Meilan felt it would be cruel to look at her for too long.
She had originally thought that since Mi Fang constantly bullied Qi Songlu, she must be quite attractive herself.
But now she understood. It was because Mi Fang was so ugly, and Qi Songlu so beautiful, that even after stealing her man, Mi Fang still wasn't satisfied and felt compelled to torment Qi Songlu to death.
Chen Meilan had seen photos of Mi Lan, who was very pretty. She never imagined her cousin would look like this.
After hearing Chen Meilan introduce herself, Mi Fang's face split into a wide grin. She shook Chen Meilan's hand vigorously, saying, "I'm Mi Lan's cousin! Mi Lan is your second sister-in-law. We're family!"
Her gums were extremely thick, her teeth slightly buck-toothed, and her gums were a dark purple color. When she smiled, her mouth emitted a foul odor that made Chen Meilan struggle to breathe.
