Ma Bo guessed that Yan Zhao must be feeling quite awkward at the moment. As coincidence would have it, Captain Yan had been keeping Chen Meilan's photo all this time. Xiong Dapao had asked for it a few times before, but he never gave it to him.
Of course, later on everyone got married, so no one brought up that topic anymore.
After all, they were all adults now with families and children. Xiong Dapao's relationship with his wife was a mess, so they tried to avoid making jokes that might upset him.
So Ma Bo reached out to steer Xiong Dapao away, saying: "I just remembered something, let's go..."
"This must be sister-in-law, right?" Xiong Dapao shook off Ma Bo's hand and was already walking towards Meilan with his hand outstretched: "It's great to finally meet you! I hear you're also in the construction business. We should work together sometime!"
He called out "sister-in-law" quite loudly.
Yan Zhao remained composed: "Meilan, this is Xiong Dapao, my army buddy. He's also in construction now."
"Come on, let's pick out some clothes. It's my treat today," said Xiong Dapao.
Chen Meilan glanced at the helmet in Xiong Dapao's hand, then noticed his booming voice that sounded like he had a speaker installed in his mouth. Suddenly she remembered - wasn't this the same guy who had scared off a group of hooligans on a motorcycle the first time she went to the wholesale market? He had even pointed at her nose and told her to call him "sir" in the local Xiping dialect.
Clearly, Xiong Dapao had seen and recognized her before, since he had called out her name directly that time and demanded she address him as "sir" in the local dialect.
This young man had such fair skin. He was clearly a businessman, dressed head to toe in designer brands. His demeanor and appearance were quite different from Yan Zhao and the other civil servants.
Zhou Xueqin had rejected him on Chen Meilan's behalf, saying his skin was too dark and he was too ugly.
Zhou Xueqin was the daughter of a party secretary. Back when the matchmakers were introducing potential husbands, she was able to look at photos and pick men for Chen Meilan. That's how she had chosen Yan Zhao, the one with the highest rank. But why had she rejected Xiong Dapao on Chen Meilan's behalf?
Could it be that she saw how handsome and fair-skinned this young man was, and worried Chen Meilan would marry too well, so she deliberately rejected him?
In the past, because their elder sister-in-law was from the city and they were afraid she wouldn't want to stay in the countryside if her family was politically rehabilitated, Chen Meilan and her brother Chen Degong had been incredibly generous to Zhou Xueqin's family. Every year they would fatten up a pig and send everything but the tail and internal organs to the city for them to eat. And this was the kind of relative that had produced?
No wonder Xiong Dapao was indignant and shouting. You couldn't find a young man with fairer skin or a more handsome face in all of Xiping City.
"How much is this suit?" Chen Meilan asked, pointing to a suit.
Xiong Dapao glanced sideways and actually winked at Chen Meilan: "880 yuan."
Xiong Xiaohua cried out anxiously: "Brother!" She had just quoted Chen Meilan a price of 480 yuan, and now Xiong Dapao was saying 880. What would Chen Meilan think?
The police department had a bonus in July, but even with their regular salary it only amounted to 600 yuan. Besides, the current Western-style suits had such wide, padded shoulders that they made the wearer's head look tiny in comparison - extremely unstylish. Chen Meilan hadn't really planned on buying Yan Zhao this kind of suit anyway.
She didn't pay much attention to the price discrepancy between the two siblings. After all, there's no business without a bit of trickery, and it's a universal truth that you try to make the most profit from friends and relatives.
So she put the suit down and said, "I don't think Western suits really suit my Yan Zhao. You all take your time looking. We'll go to the tailor outside to have a couple outfits made for him."
"Sister-in-law, wait! We have an insider price," Xiong Xiaohua quickly said.
Yan Zhao didn't really want to wear designer brands either. He had only agreed because Chen Meilan kept mentioning that she wanted him to buy some nice clothes. Her suggestion aligned perfectly with his wishes.
"Let's go buy from outside," he said as he picked up Little Lang and took Yuanyuan's hand, striding out.
Chen Meilan followed closely behind, also turning to leave.
The police officers didn't have high salaries and weren't really after designer brands anyway. They had just been browsing casually. Seeing that Yan Zhao wasn't buying anything, they all left together.
"Brother, what's wrong with you?" Xiong Xiaohua said, giving Xiong Dapao a shove. "Quick, go after them! I already quoted the real price earlier. I told her that suit was 480 yuan."
Xiong Dapao had been discharged from the army due to injury three years before Yan Zhao. He had started doing business to pay for his son's milk powder and had been at it for four years now. Standing behind the counter, he just pursed his lips without saying anything.
But he turned and picked out a few men's short-sleeved T-shirts from the counter, handing them to Xiong Xiaohua: "I'll give you an address. When you get off work later, take these shirts and deliver them to sister-in-law personally. They're a gift. Alright?"
Xiong Xiaohua took the clothes and glared at her brother: That's more like it.
At the tailor shop outside, they took measurements and chose styles from a clothing catalog. A white dress shirt plus tailoring fee only cost 8 yuan. Men's clothing wouldn't change much even in the future. As long as a man had a good figure, he'd look good even wearing a sack.
After ordering two outfits, the family took the bus home.
As they entered the house, Little Wang suddenly said: "Mom, remember? We met that uncle at the wholesale market before. Uncle Dapao."
Yan Zhao paused mid-step: "You've met before?"
Chen Meilan couldn't help but smile. This man definitely had a guilty conscience. Not only had he kept her photo, but he also knew she liked chestnut cake. He just wasn't the type to talk much. Although it was just a guess, Chen Meilan figured she was probably about 80-90% correct - he must have seen her before.
But she wanted to ask who Xiong Dapao had been looking for, so she briefly recounted how Xiong Dapao had scared away Qi Songlu with one shout, then asked: "Why didn't that young man join the police force?"
"He was discharged three years before me. At that time, you had to pay bribes to get into the police system. For his child's milk money, he could only go into business," Yan Zhao said.
Now Chen Meilan felt a bit vain. She had already imagined a dramatic scenario in her mind where Yan Zhao didn't want her to meet Xiong Dapao, so he deliberately prevented him from joining the police force.
"Is he married? Did he marry someone local?" In those days it was fashionable to speak Mandarin, so Xiong Dapao's local accent sounded quite funny, but also quite down-to-earth.
Yan Zhao's brow furrowed imperceptibly: "A female worker from the Ximei Factory."
Chen Meilan thought to herself, that girl was really lucky to snag a handsome, fair-skinned ex-soldier who was willing to go into business for his child's milk money.
But then Yan Zhao immediately said: "She left their child and went to Japan, so he couldn't work at the police station. The station's duties are too heavy, and he wouldn't be able to take care of the child."
"His wife actually went to Japan?" Chen Meilan exclaimed in surprise.
In those days, many people were going to Japan to seek their fortune. Hadn't Yan Dawei's brother-in-law gone? But how many of those who went to Japan could earn money legitimately?
Many women who went were forced into prostitution and became "working girls".
Even the handsome Xiong Dapao couldn't keep his wife from leaving?
Yan Zhao was about to clean up the kitchen, but seeing Chen Meilan's look of regret, he suddenly frowned: "Is his skin very fair?"
Was he blind? Xiong Dapao's skin was radiantly white, and he had a nice smile too. They were about the same age, but Yan Zhao looked like an old man while Xiong Dapao still looked youthful.
Yan Zhao was wiping the bottom of the wok, his grip getting tighter and tighter. The wok handle was wooden and prone to breaking. Yan Zhao had broken it several times before, and now it looked like it was about to snap again.
"But I still think men look better with darker skin, really. You look better than him," Chen Meilan quickly said.
If she hadn't said that, she was afraid Yan Zhao would break her wok handle again.
Yan Zhao looked up in disbelief and actually asked: "Really?" The curiosity on his face was like Little Lang listening to her made-up stories with complete trust.
Chen Meilan nodded quickly. Getting the wok handle reattached cost 20 cents each time, and she didn't want it to break.
"Actually, back then..." Yan Zhao had just opened his mouth when there was a knock at the door. The courtyard gate was open, and Xiong Xiaohua entered carrying a bag. She first asked: "Is this Captain Yan's home?"
Seeing Chen Meilan poking her head out of the kitchen, she quickly said: "Sister-in-law, my brother was just joking earlier. Our clothes aren't that expensive. These are some Lacoste T-shirts that my brother picked out personally. Please keep them for Captain Yan to wear."
Xiong Xiaohua was 24 this year. She was a cute young woman who knew how to interact with people. Chen Meilan liked her very much. She took the bag and said: "Come in and have a seat. I'm about to make dinner. Stay and eat with us."
"I can't, I have to go pick up my nephew from school," Xiong Xiaohua said as she put down the bag and hurried off.
Chen Meilan walked Xiong Xiaohua all the way to the village entrance. She reached into the paper bag and pulled out two T-shirts - one was bright green and the other was pink.
As she held them in her hands, she was stunned for a moment.
These days, the crocodile logo was fake, domestically produced, but the quality wasn't bad.
The colors would look good on someone with fair skin, but on Yan Zhao, it would be a disaster.
This wasn't just giving clothes; Xiong Dapao was deliberately slapping her in the face!
He was mocking her for initially disliking him for being too dark, and now she was only fit to marry someone like Yan Zhao with his dark face.
This young man was quite cunning, too cunning to deserve such a straightforward nickname as "Dapao" (cannon).
Moreover, when Lu Jingyu had once said she wasn't suitable for engineering work, Yan Zhao had suggested that she hand over the project to one of his comrades. Chen Meilan now realized that he must have been referring to Xiong Dapao.
In Yan Zhao's mind, Xiong Dapao was a good brother, a comrade, and even someone he considered capable of doing engineering work. It was clear he thought highly of Xiong Dapao.
Chen Meilan decided not to take out the clothes to upset him.
It was laughable. Just when she saw Xiong Dapao, Chen Meilan had felt a bit of regret, thinking that if it weren't for Zhou Xueqin's interference back then, marrying such a soldier would have been quite nice. But in an instant, she had been slapped in the face by him.
She thought for a moment and decided to take the two T-shirts to the construction site for Chen Degong to wear.
Yan Zhao had just finished a phone call. After hanging up, he came out and asked Chen Meilan, "Why did Xiaohua leave?"
"She brought me two pieces of clothing, said she was busy, and left," Chen Meilan said, hiding the clothes behind her back.
Xiong Dapao surely hoped she would give the clothes to Yan Zhao, and then the couple would get angry and embarrassed together.
But she wouldn't do that.
She refused to get angry. Instead, she would be happy. It was all just a game, after all!
How fortunate she was. Although she had taken a detour, the man she married was straightforward and had a much broader mind than other men.
...
Early the next morning, Dongfang Group notified Chen Meilan to collect payment. The first installment of the project fund was 120,000 yuan. It was perfect timing as the farmers had just finished harvesting wheat, and they could work hard until the end of the year from now on.
On her way to collect the payment, Meilan bought another bouquet of lilies and carried them into Cui Min's office.
Cui Min loved flowers. Seeing Chen Meilan carrying a bouquet of lilies, she exclaimed, "The roses you gave me last time, I often added some cola to the water, and they lasted for so long. They've just wilted. Thank you for bringing me flowers again."
She handed Chen Meilan the receipt to sign. Seeing that Chen Meilan actually had an invoice, Cui Min was shocked: "We don't need invoices for our accounts at this stage. A receipt is enough. Why did you get an invoice?"
Invoices had to be obtained from the tax bureau and taxes paid to the state.
With just a receipt, that tax money could be pocketed.
In this era, tax management was not standardized, and almost no one voluntarily paid taxes to the state.
But Chen Meilan still said, "Please keep the invoice. It's fine."
She felt the pain of paying taxes to the state, but she was more afraid of future tax audits for tax evasion.
Just in these past two days, the "Yellow River Ballad" film crew had sent her a few movie tickets, saying that the film was about to be released. They invited her to bring Yuanyuan and the whole family to watch it in the cinema.
They also mentioned that their next film was in preparation, and there might be a role for Yuanyuan to play again.
Yuanyuan might become a singer or a movie star in the future.
Having a mother who evaded taxes could ruin her entire future. She didn't want to risk her child's prospects.
After pouring a cup of tea, Cui Min said, "By the way, Mi Lan just called me and told me to hurry and buy Capital Construction bonds. She guaranteed that this time the bonds would definitely increase in value. In half a month, they would rise by at least 30%. I really don't like investing, but what she said was so tempting. What should I do?"
This was an era when everyone participated in stock trading and bond speculation.
All relatives and neighbors, whoever bought bonds from a certain company, would call on their acquaintances and motivate everyone around them to buy together. The enthusiasm was almost like the future multi-level marketing schemes.
Of course, buying together could drive the price higher, which was actually a form of disguised multi-level marketing.
The People's Daily newspaper had a special column that listed the prices and fluctuations of national debt and corporate bonds from the previous day.
"Are you sure Mi Lan bought Capital Construction?" Chen Meilan's heart suddenly tightened.
Cui Min whispered, "She said that Capital Construction is indeed falling at the moment, but after a big drop, there must be a big rise. Buying now is called bottom fishing. If you can buy 300,000 yuan worth, you'll definitely make 100,000 yuan next month."
What a coincidence.
In her previous life, Lu Jingyu had later made some money and thought he was smarter than Chen Meilan. She intuitively felt that Capital Construction wasn't good and suggested buying Capital Steel instead, but Lu Jingyu insisted on buying Capital Construction. They had a big fight, and Lu Jingyu bought 10,000 yuan worth of Capital Construction behind her back.
But the state-owned construction industry was currently being impacted by construction teams made up of migrant workers, with no prospects.
Steel and oil were always golden rice bowls. Even if the company itself wasn't doing well, the state would strongly support it with large fiscal investments. The industry had prospects, and the bonds wouldn't fall in this sensitive year of 1989. They could weather the storm.
So Lu Jingyu had also bought at the bottom, but after buying at the bottom, not only did he not see a rise, but he faced bankruptcy.
At first, when it was falling, Lu Jingyu kept comforting himself: "The newspaper said it will rise tomorrow."
He kept saying this for several days until the newspaper announced that Capital Construction was going bankrupt and restructuring, and bond trading was suspended. Only then did he shut up.
If Mi Lan had bought Capital Construction, what awaited her was not just losing money, but bankruptcy. The bonds would rot in her hands, becoming a pile of waste paper.
A while ago, Chen Meilan had harbored some mischievous thoughts, thinking that Mi Lan had already made a lot of money with that 300,000 yuan, even enough to buy a house, so losing a bit wouldn't matter. But now she didn't dare to play around anymore. She had to notify Yan Peiheng immediately and tell him to order Mi Lan to return the money. Otherwise, if Mi Lan continued to mess around, Little Wang's 300,000 yuan would go up in smoke and turn into nothing.
"Sister Cui, you're busy. I'll head home first," Chen Meilan said.
Cui Min looked at the funny green backpack Chen Meilan was carrying and said with a smile, "Go ahead. I'll ask our unit's cashier to buy a few green backpacks too. It's not bad for carrying money."
After leaving Dongfang Group, Chen Meilan quickly went to the kindergarten to pick up Little Lang. She also informed Qin Yu to help pick up Little Wang and Yuanyuan after school. Then she hurried back home.
As soon as she entered the door, she heard the phone ringing.
Little Lang complained that the food at the kindergarten wasn't good today, he hadn't eaten, and his tummy was hungry. He wanted to eat a meat flatbread. Chen Meilan gave him 50 cents and told him to go buy one himself.
She went into the room and answered the phone. With just a "hello," she recognized the voice immediately. It was Yan Peiheng calling.
"Mi Lan's health is not good, but she must return Little Wang's money. Worried about her having an accident, I asked Yan Wei to accompany her to Xiping City. The two of them went by train. They've been gone for four days already. They said they couldn't buy express train tickets, so they took an old green-skinned train. But they should arrive today. Please receive them properly." Yan Peiheng clearly had deep feelings for Mi Lan. He sighed and said, "Your second sister-in-law has had heart disease since childhood. She used to have heart attacks more than once because of Zhou Xueqin's provocations. Her father did me a favor, and Yan Wei's brother also grew up under her mother's care. The Wang family next door are great benefactors to our family. Give me face and take good care of her."
Today was July 15th.
It had been a long time since early July.
Obviously, Mi Lan had been using her illness as an excuse to delay coming to Xiping City.
But with Yan Peiheng's straightforward male character, if you can't go, I'll find someone to accompany you, but you must return the money.
Capital Construction had been falling since last month. Everyone thought it had hit bottom, but it fell again. People thought today was the bottom and bought in, only for it to fall again the next day, making everyone's faces turn green.
But in a few days, an even bigger blow awaited everyone. It would directly close trading and be delisted.
After hanging up the phone, because she had never let Little Lang go out of the village alone before, and the area at the village entrance was chaotic now, fearing he might be kidnapped, Chen Meilan quickly chased after him.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw Little Lang sitting on a small chair in the empty space his father had cleared in front of the coal yard. He was holding a paper bag, examining it intently.
Two people stood beside the child. One was Yan Wei, and the other was a thin young woman with permed hair. She wore a large face mask and sun hat, and long sleeves despite the June heat. Her back was slightly hunched as she sat on a stool, staring at Little Lang.
"Is this Zhou Xueqin's second son?" The woman's voice held suppressed amazement. "How can he be so beautiful?"
The round-faced little boy had fair skin and very red lips. His eyes weren't large, but his eyebrows were delicate. Though he resembled Yan Zhao, his features were especially endearing, without any of his father's fierce look.
Yan Wei stood with his hands in his pockets, his face full of regret. "Lanlan, I'm begging you. Let's sell the bonds and the apartment, scrape together all the money we can. We only need to keep seven or eight thousand for ourselves. Let's pay back the 300,000 to Little Wang and be done with this, okay?"
This woman was obviously Mi Lan. The couple had been forced by Yan Peiheng to come and repay Little Wang's money.
"I told you, Capital Construction is bound to go up," Mi Lan said with certainty.
Yan Wei was so frustrated he almost stamped his foot. "It's been four days since we left the capital, and it's dropped 17% overall. Give me a straight answer - when will it go up?"
"Why are you shouting? Aren't you afraid someone will hear?" Mi Lan hissed, lowering her voice. "I guarantee the money will be repaid, so what are you worried about?"
Chen Meilan didn't alert the couple to her presence. Seeing them start to argue, she decided to stand and listen to what else they might say.
However, they didn't discuss bonds or repayment further.
Yan Wei pointed at Little Lang and said, "Back then, when Zhou Xueqin offered to give Little Lang to us, you absolutely refused. You said Zhou Xueqin was no good, so her child must be no good either. You wanted to adopt Yan Ha instead. Now look – see how adorable my family's child is, how lovable he looks."
"No matter how lovable he is, he's still Zhou Xueqin's child. Have you forgotten how many times Zhou Xueqin drove me to have heart attacks?" Mi Lan said in a muffled voice, clutching her chest.
Yan Wei looked exasperated. Being married, he knew her well, and he actually started to expose Mi Lan's act: "Your heart condition flares up whenever you're unhappy. Who knows which times are real and which are fake?"
"Yan Wei, how can you say that? Do you want to see me dead?" Mi Lan raised her voice.
"Fine, fine, you're always right, you're the one who's been wronged. Happy now?" Yan Wei said.
Just then, Yan Wei sensed someone behind him. He turned to see Chen Meilan standing in the doorway and quickly stood up. "Meilan, let me introduce you. This is your second sister-in-law, Mi Lan."
This couple was quite interesting. They'd been forced by Yan Peiheng to come repay the money, but who knew how they planned to do it? They were still arguing now – would they magically produce a sum of money for her later?
"Just got off the train?" Chen Meilan said with a smile. "Come inside and sit down."
"Yes, a slow train. We were jolted around for four whole days and nights. Exhausting," Mi Lan said as she came to shake Chen Meilan's hand. "Dad said Third Brother found a good daughter-in-law this time. He was right – Meilan, I never imagined you'd be so beautiful."
Yan Wei had very fair skin, looking a lot like Su Wen. Chen Meilan glanced at him, and his face reddened slightly.
Little Lang jumped up. "Mama, the auntie gave me bread."
Mi Lan had given Little Lang a piece of bread. Chen Meilan took it and saw "Eastern Airlines" written on the wrapper. She turned it over to check the production date – it was from six days ago. This was an in-flight meal bread, but Yan Wei had clearly said they'd left the capital four days ago. Did this mean they had actually flown to Xiping City and had been here for four days already?
Moreover, if they'd come directly from the capital to Xiping City, shouldn't they have brought luggage? Yan Wei had nothing, and Mi Lan only carried a small purse. They didn't even have a change of clothes or toiletries. How could they have taken a four-day train ride like that?
So this couple must have arrived in Xiping City four days ago. They were probably discussing strategies for repaying the money with someone, and only came today after finalizing their plan. They must already have a place to stay, otherwise how could people nowadays travel without toothbrushes and a change of clothes?
Sure enough, Mi Lan approached Chen Meilan and casually asked, "Meilan, Third Brother works at the police station, right? My cousin Mi Fang and my second uncle were taken away by the police and aren't at home. Do you know what's going on?"
Mi Fang and Director Mi had been detained two days ago, but until the case was settled, it would only be called "assisting with an investigation" to outsiders.
So Chen Meilan said, "I guess they're helping with some case investigation. Director Mi is in the police system himself, so it's normal for him to assist with investigations."
Mi Lan glared at Yan Wei and gave a cold laugh.
Yan Wei turned his head, pretending not to see Mi Lan's eye-roll.
Chen Meilan also smiled. Clearly, after Mi Lan arrived, she must have been staying with Mi Fang and her father. But when they were suddenly detained and couldn't be found, the couple probably hadn't figured out the situation yet.
Yan Wei seemed worried, afraid that Director Mi had gotten involved in some case. Mi Lan was certainly arguing the opposite, believing her second uncle was fine and there was no problem.
A battle of glances, indeed.
As they entered the courtyard, Mi Lan saw Little Lang still holding the bread without eating it. She said, "Eat it. You rural children probably haven't had bread before, right?"
It was the 1990s – why would anyone think rural children had never seen bread?
"I'll eat when Mama says I can," Little Lang said.
Mi Lan walked over to Little Lang and crouched down to be at eye level with the child. In a half-teasing tone, she asked, "Do you remember your real mother, Zhou Xueqin? This bread is from Zhou Xueqin. She's your real mother – wouldn't you eat it if she told you to?"
Little Lang was a bit slow and couldn't quite follow. He was curious about who Zhou Xueqin was.
Chen Meilan was in the kitchen boiling water for tea. Yan Wei was also in the courtyard and immediately rebuked Mi Lan in a low voice: "Mi Lan, what are you doing?"
"I'm just playing with the child. Meilan is being so gracious and not getting angry, so why are you upset?" Mi Lan thought Yan Wei was overreacting. She turned to Chen Meilan with a smile. "Right, Meilan? Dad said you're very generous, kind, and well-mannered. You're certainly not angry, are you? People often ask our Yan Ha the same thing, and I never get upset."
Yan Wei and his wife had lost their only child, but the child they adopted was Mi Lan's older sister's son, so he was Mi Lan's own nephew. People value blood relationships, and a sibling's child is almost like one's own.
If others made such jokes with Mi Lan, of course she wouldn't be angry. For her, a birth mother and a stepmother were the same – they were sisters.
But what relationship did Chen Meilan have with Zhou Xueqin?
"I'm not angry, but I'm not that generous either. Little Lang does have a birth mother, but what does that have to do with you, Second Sister-in-law? If this bread really is from Zhou Xueqin, what if it's expired or gone bad? Should Little Lang still eat it? If he gets sick, will you take responsibility, or will Zhou Xueqin?" Chen Meilan countered.
Mi Lan's face twitched as she held the bread. "This is bread from an airplane. Have you ever flown? Do you know what airplane meals are like?"
Chen Meilan took the bread wrapper, turned it over, and held it up to Mi Lan's face. "What does this have to do with whether I've flown or not? It says right here – the shelf life is three days, and it's already three days past expiration."
She tossed the bread wrapper to Yan Wei and held out her hand directly. "Second Brother came to repay the money, right? Where's Little Wang's money? Give it to me."
If you're here to repay, just do it. Why all this fuss?
