People's Representative - a term that resonates with authority.
National People's Representatives can travel to the capital to participate in the Two Sessions, presenting various reform proposals and suggestions to the country. The policies enacted by the nation often stem from these representatives' opinions and suggestions.
Similarly, city-level People's Representatives can speak and offer suggestions at city congresses, ostensibly representing the people's voice.
In her previous life, Lu Jingyu had attended the Two Sessions as a People's Representative. To secure that position, she had engaged in daily charitable activities, parading her relationship to project an image of a good parent and spouse, all for the sake of that coveted spot.
The benefits were obvious: expanding one's network, gaining both fame and fortune. Once you entered that circle, you were no longer just a nouveau riche, but a true entrepreneur in every sense.
It was also tremendously advantageous for the children. In her past life, the reason her eldest child had support in business ventures was largely due to the robust network of connections established by their father.
Could it be that Yan Xishan was aiming for a People's Representative position?
"If you run for People's Representative, Yan Zhao and I, our whole family will support you," said Chen Meilan.
Yan Xishan was nearly in tears over the phone: "I'm still not sober, I'm completely dazed, but the city has sent down a document, asking me to submit materials urgently. They say they're selecting one representative from all the small business owners in the city, and I have a spot on the shortlist."
"Tell me what support you need," Chen Meilan said.
Yan Xishan also realized that this opportunity probably hadn't come his way because of his vices - drinking, visiting prostitutes, and indulging in all sorts of debauchery. Treating officials to drinks, prostitutes, and sauna visits likely wouldn't secure that nomination.
So he didn't know what to do.
But Chen Meilan had experience. First, Xishan Company needed to be tidied up, as city officials would be coming for an inspection.
Then there was his home. People would be visiting there too, but his house was like a landfill - even a rat would get lost in there.
Chen Meilan said, "Let Qi Songlu help you arrange the company. I'll discuss the details with her. As for your home..." She certainly didn't want to go to Yan Xishan's house herself, but who could she send to clean up Yan Xishan's place?
"I'm not too busy lately. You should give some money to Yan Bin and let him hire someone to clean up for you."
Let Yan Bin hire people to clean up that dump.
Yan Xishan hadn't realized why he had been nominated, but Chen Meilan knew. It was because of Qi Songlu. Qi Songlu's speech on television had given Yan Xishan social credibility, which caught the attention of the People's Congress Organizing Committee.
Now they had to mold Yan Xishan, shape him into the image that officials liked. Then he could be successfully elected.
The small award certificates that originally hung in their own home were now all taken down and sent to Yan Xishan's house.
Chen Meilan cut out his head from all the photos of him and Yuanyuan from childhood to adulthood. The father and daughter didn't have a single photo together, so they urgently needed to take some new ones to display at home and at work, to build his image as a good father.
Xishan Company also needed to spray-paint and weld many safety production instruction signs, emphasizing the importance of safe production.
At home, they needed to display various books on safety procedures to demonstrate his expertise in coal mine production.
After completing all these tasks in two days, Chen Meilan finally approached Yan Xishan: "60,000 yuan, let me use it for a while. When the project payment from Dongfang Group comes in, I'll transfer it back to the company account, okay?"
Yan Xishan, once a landlord's son with only a kindergarten education, was now about to be elected as a city People's Representative.
He was still holding back, not daring to show off, but on the day he was truly elected, he wanted to host a banquet in the village and treat everyone to a meal. Let everyone see that the landlord's son Yan Xishan had risen up and finally made something of himself.
Money was nothing.
Even if Chen Meilan wanted his two livers damaged by alcohol, he would immediately go to the hospital, have them removed, and present them to her with both hands.
"Do you want my heart? It's still warm. Should I cut it out for you?" Yan Xishan asked with red eyes, half-jokingly.
"Get lost," Chen Meilan rolled her eyes.
While Yan Xishan was waiting for the city leaders to visit, Chen Meilan first told Yan Zhao that she had already sold the apartment and raised the 300,000 yuan. She solemnly handed over the receipt to Yan Zhao.
"How much did you sell the apartment for?" Yan Zhao asked.
Chen Meilan told a lie she could hardly believe herself: "110,000 yuan."
Yan Zhao was silent for a moment, then surprisingly said, "There should be 20,000 left, right? Give it to me, I need to use it."
Recently, Yan Zhao had been talking about buying an air conditioner for her, but it hadn't materialized. Now he was asking for 20,000 yuan. What could he possibly need such a large sum of money for?
Moreover, the money came from selling property. Given Yan Zhao's character, he shouldn't take this money. To him, the price of the apartment didn't matter, whether it was cheap or a loss didn't matter. He only wanted to raise 300,000 yuan to repay Gu Xiao.
Why did he need the money?
Chen Meilan was suspicious but didn't ask. Instead, she went next door to ask Qi Songlu for a loan.
"Boss, your Deputy Director Yan has been coming home quite late recently, right?" Qi Songlu, who handled finances and was sensitive about money, said after counting the money, "Such a large sum of money, and you're not asking him what it's for?"
Twenty thousand yuan was enough to pay twenty farm workers for a month of hard work.
Moreover, Qi Songlu had been sleeping in the wholesale market for a long time, which had led to severe neurasthenia. She often couldn't sleep at night and wandered outside. The night before last, she heard someone breathing heavily outside. When she went to look, she saw Yan Zhao sitting outside, actually smoking a cigarette.
He was sitting in the empty space by the garbage area, silently smoking and lost in thought.
It wasn't her place to interfere in other couples' affairs, but Qi Songlu still wanted to warn Chen Meilan. When a man smokes alone outside, it usually means something big has happened.
In fact, Chen Meilan had also noticed that Yan Zhao had been working a lot of overtime recently, staying out all night for several days in a row. When he came home, he always smelled of disinfectant.
Women's sixth sense is strong. Chen Meilan instinctively felt that Yan Zhao wasn't working overtime at night recently, but had gone somewhere else.
However, while Chen Meilan would have been contemptuous of Lu Jingyu, she genuinely trusted Yan Zhao.
A man who could make 50 yuan last for three weeks in his pocket couldn't possibly be out doing bad things. A box of condoms cost three yuan, which he couldn't afford.
"If there's something wrong, he'll tell me when he's ready to. I trust my man," Chen Meilan said with a smile.
Qi Songlu then said, "Although Yan Xishan isn't a good person, sometimes I feel he's quite pitiful. Yesterday when I was helping him clean his office, guess what I found in his drawer?"
"A drawer full of condoms, or women's underwear?" Chen Meilan asked jokingly.
Qi Songlu smiled, "No, nothing like that. It was your divorce certificate. Your copy was torn into pieces, but he had glued it back together. Not a single piece was missing."
Chen Meilan felt a chill run down her spine. She was a bit afraid that Qi Songlu might be brainwashed by Yan Xishan's apparent romantic gestures.
However, most people tend to react adversely when you try to persuade them of something, so she only said mildly, "That doesn't change the fact that he left me penniless in the divorce and let Hu Xiaohua steal all my savings. I almost ended up in the same situation as you."
Qi Songlu's smile faded, "That's true. If it weren't for you helping him get elected as a People's Representative, he wouldn't let you touch a penny. Believing in a man's devotion is like dying without a burial place."
In fact, recently, Mi Fang had been prosecuted and subsequently sentenced by the Public Security Bureau for forging a bankbook. Qi Songlu could sue the Public Security Bureau for compensation, but Yan Zhao would only help her overturn the case, not deal with her compensation issues.
Qi Songlu was hesitating whether to file a lawsuit when Wang Ding'an approached her. He said he was willing to help her find a lawyer and use connections in the court to sue the Public Security Bureau. He rambled on, saying how much he regretted his actions now, how much his parents missed her as a daughter-in-law. The implication was that he wanted to divorce Mi Fang and remarry her.
Qi Songlu was so disgusted by this that she decided not to sue the Public Security Bureau at all.
Comparing Wang Ding'an to Yan Xishan, everything made sense.
On Yan Xishan's side, good news kept coming, relayed to Chen Meilan through Qi Songlu.
"People from the People's Congress Organizing Committee came to our company. They praised me and Yan Xishan," she said excitedly.
The next day, she said again, "You really guessed it right. The committee members suddenly visited Yan Xishan at home. Thankfully we had cleaned his place in advance. It was spotless and filled with books. The leaders saw all the books Yan Xishan had and praised him for a long time, saying he was the only coal boss in Xiping City who had a house full of books."
Chen Meilan just smiled when she heard this.
In her previous life, Lu Jingyu was able to become a representative at the Two Sessions, feeling extremely proud of herself. But in reality, all the work that needed to be expressed to the officials was done by her.
If Yan Xishan could be a bit more ambitious, she might be able to help him go higher and further.
After all, in her previous life, she had accompanied a billionaire in building an empire and even nurtured a business tycoon.
Chen Meilan has been working hard to learn how to drive recently. After studying seriously for a whole summer, her skin peeling from sunburn, she finally got her driver's license just before the children started school. Now, she needs to consider buying a car.
At this time, among the 200 private entrepreneurs in Xiping City, Yan Xishan stood out and actually entered the final selection.
Seven candidates for one position - if he's chosen, he'll be the only nouveau riche in Xiping City to wear a red flower on his chest and represent the people in the National People's Congress.
When Yan Xishan heard this news, he was stunned.
He excitedly grabbed Yuanyuan's photo from the table and kissed it hard, then lay on the ground crying for a while. After that, he got up, urgently bought a brand new Montagut suit, got a perm, and found a proper bathhouse to give himself a thorough scrub, making himself look fresh and bright.
He was preparing to attend the final selection for the People's Representative.
At the same time, an airmail letter from Singapore finally arrived at Yan Zhao's office.
"An airmail letter for you, sir," said the clerk, Little Wang.
Yan Zhao took it. Even after twenty years, he could recognize Gu Xiao's handwriting at a glance.
In economically developed Singapore, he was surprisingly traditional, using a kraft paper envelope and writing with a brush pen.
Recently, because Sun Nutao had been on sick leave, Yan Zhao was the acting director of the Jindong Branch Bureau, and he had been so busy with work that he hadn't been home for several days.
After receiving the letter, he called Little Liu to drive him home. He opened the letter on the way, and the more he read, the deeper his brows furrowed.
When he entered the house, he saw Chen Meilan squatting in the yard, applying iodine to Little Lang's forehead.
Little Lang's forehead had a large scrape and a big, bruised bump. He was clutching his pants and trembling uncontrollably from the pain.
"What happened to this child? How did he scrape his forehead?" Yan Zhao asked first.
Chen Meilan said, "He said he accidentally bumped into something at the kindergarten. Why are you home so early today?"
Yan Zhao handed the letter to Chen Meilan: "Read this letter first. It's from Gu Xiao in Singapore."
Chen Meilan was barefoot, with her shoes scattered around the yard.
Yan Zhao nearly tripped over her shoes as he was about to enter the kitchen.
Looking around, he saw that autumn had arrived, and fallen leaves covered the yard. In the kitchen, pots and pans were piled up on the counter. Clearly, Chen Meilan had been very busy lately. Yan Zhao guessed that she was so worried about the child that she didn't bother to change into slippers before tending to the child's wound.
After giving the letter to Meilan, Yan Zhao brought her slippers from the bedroom for her to wear, moved a stool for her to sit on, and then went into the kitchen to quickly wash the dishes.
Chen Meilan finished treating Little Lang's wound and then pointed at his nose, asking, "Did you really bump your head yourself? If someone hit you, you can't lie to mommy."
This child was born with physical problems, including poor blood clotting, making it difficult for wounds to heal. Usually, they had to be extra careful to prevent injuries.
It had only been three weeks since school started, and Little Lang had already injured his forehead twice. Each time, Little Lang said he had bumped into something, but he had never been so clumsy before.
Chen Meilan strongly suspected that he might be bullied at kindergarten and was afraid to tell.
Little Lang looked very sincere as he pouted and said, "Mommy, I accidentally bumped into something myself. Mommy, I'm sorry."
"Will you be more careful when walking in the future?" Chen Meilan said.
Little Lang nodded obediently: "Yes, mommy."
Recently, Yan Zhao had set up a small punching bag next to his large one, and the little fellow happily ran to the punching bag to practice.
Only then did Chen Meilan open Gu Xiao's letter and start reading.
The first thing that amazed her was Gu Xiao's excellent handwriting. Written with a brush pen, it was neat and flowing, with characters that were both rounded and sharp. Chen Meilan had practiced calligraphy in her previous life, and from a professional perspective, this handwriting could be called that of a calligrapher.
The letter was divided into three parts. The first part was Gu Xiao recalling various memories of his interactions with Yan Zhao's family when they were young, thanking him for being willing to put aside prejudices and write him a letter, and sincerely apologizing for Yan Xing's death and the unjust treatment Su Wen had suffered.
Secondly, he said that he had gathered information from various sources and heard about the many injustices Su Wen had endured in Yanguan Village after he left, as well as the cold treatment from her husband and son. He expressed that it was difficult to find peace in his lifetime and that he must return to clear her name. He then expressed his desire to return to China to invest, especially in Xiping City.
He asked Yan Zhao, even if he was too proud to accept his money, to at least give him a chance for redemption by working on Yan Peiheng's thoughts and coordinating with various parties to allow him to return to China.
The third part was about the 300,000 yuan.
Regarding that sum of money, Gu Xiao said: "My purpose in giving the money was not compensation, but redemption. If that land is still as it was before, with right and wrong reversed, and all the fear and anger towards hunger and poverty pressed upon one woman, then money cannot save a nation's prejudices, nor can it save that poor woman who deserves my lifelong respect. Use the money where it should be used, otherwise, you're not letting down anyone but your mother. I would even think that a child like you has failed to live up to Su Wen's nurturing grace."
...
"Yan Zhao, I hear you've been in the military for twelve years, honing your skills just to seek justice from me. At least give me a chance to stand before you," he wrote at the end.
Chen Meilan took the letter into the kitchen and said to Yan Zhao, "There's something wrong with what Old Gu said. Our mother never suffered any injustice in Yanguan Village."
People's hearts are made of flesh, and everyone likes kind people. The villagers had always been trying their best to protect Su Wen's reputation.
Even Chen Meilan, who married into the village, knew nothing about Su Wen's affairs.
This shows how kind the villagers were.
But Gu Xiao believed that after he left, Su Wen had endured twenty years of hardship in Yanguan Village?
Where did he hear this from?
Yan Zhao took out a bag of garbage, went out to throw it away, and when he came back, he said, "If he's willing to believe rumors he's heard, that's his own problem."
It was because Gu Xiao believed that Su Wen was living in dire circumstances that he kept sending letters applying to return to the country, wanting to explain what happened back then.
The only turning point lay with Yan Peiheng, but Yan Peiheng stubbornly refused to let Gu Xiao return.
Unable to communicate face-to-face, relying only on mutual guessing games, isn't it just one misunderstanding after another?
Seeing Yan Zhao frowning all the time, Chen Meilan said, "Why don't I go to the capital and personally persuade our dad not to be so stubborn anymore and let Old Gu come back?"
Gu Xiao was considered a wealthy man even in Singapore. If he came to Xiping City to invest a little and sign a few projects, it would contribute to the city's GDP.
This was no longer the 60s or 70s. The country was promoting openness, and she didn't understand why Yan Peiheng was being so stubborn.
Although Chen Meilan only did small business, she understood the principle that when the big river rises, the small rivers fill up.
If Gu Xiao was willing to invest in Xiping City, wouldn't her construction team get more projects to work on?
"No need, I'll just give him a call," Yan Zhao said as he dried his hands and called the capital.
In the capital, several months had passed since the last contact.
Yan Wei had sent back a few thousand yuan later, but hadn't called, so Chen Meilan didn't know how he and Mi Lan were doing as a couple, nor did she know how Yan Peiheng was doing.
However, when she saw Yan Zhao about to make the call, she quickly said, "Put the phone down first, let me do it."
Yan Peiheng had a phone in his office and at home. It wasn't quitting time yet, but Chen Meilan dialed Yan Peiheng's home number.
The phone rang about seven or eight times before someone picked up, but the person on the other end remained silent until Chen Meilan said "hello." Then the person asked in a low voice, "Who is this?"
As expected, it was Wang Gebi's voice.
The person's voice was soft and gentle.
"I'm looking for Yan Peiheng," Chen Meilan introduced herself, "This is Chen Meilan."
The other person said very gently, "Peiheng isn't home right now. If you have something to say, you can tell me."
Chen Meilan held the microphone and looked up at Yan Zhao, smiling as she said, "It's Yan Zhao who wants to speak with Father about something. He wants to ask about Old Gu. Auntie Wang should know about Old Gu, right? Is it true that my father has been blocking Old Gu from returning to the country?"
"Well, Peiheng is too... Sigh, Meilan, many things are due to Peiheng's stubbornness. We can't do anything about it. Sigh, I'm busy, I have to go." There was a click, followed by a dial tone.
After hanging up, Chen Meilan looked up at Yan Zhao and smiled.
Learned something new, didn't you? See how interesting this is?
Even a fool should be able to tell from this, right? Wang Gebi not only lives at Yan Peiheng's house and answers her calls during work hours, but also refers to Yan Peiheng simply as "Peiheng."
Yan Zhao was quiet for a while, then flipped through the phone book to find Yan Peiheng's office number. He called the office and asked where Yan Peiheng was.
"Hello, comrade. Recently, all the leaders in the military region have gone on a business trip to Shenyang. If you have any matters, please tell me first, and I'll pass the message along," the office staff said.
Yan Zhao asked directly, "When will he be back?"
The sound of flipping pages came through the phone, then the person replied, "Probably on the 5th of next month."
After hanging up, Yan Zhao calculated the time and said to Chen Meilan, "Next month, could you trouble your sister-in-law to look after the children for a while? Would you like to come with me to the capital?"
"Sure," Chen Meilan said.
After all, this was Yan Zhao's family matter, and Yan Peiheng was her father-in-law. Chen Meilan couldn't say it directly, but hadn't her phone call already revealed a lot?
Many things are useless to just talk about; seeing is believing. And timing is crucial. Seeking Gu Xiao's return to the country was a good opportunity.
Now, Yan Zhao probably believed that Wang Gebi was Yan Peiheng's lover.
But Chen Meilan didn't think so anymore.
She had a vague feeling that the problem between father and son might be one of communication.
However, it was pointless to say more now. Everything would become clear once they reached the capital.
Just then, Yuanyuan and Little Wang came back. As soon as Yuanyuan entered, she smiled at Yan Zhao and said, "Dad, do you know what funny thing happened in our class today?"
Yan Zhao grunted, noticing that Chen Meilan had bought lamb and celery for dinner. Knowing she was planning to make dumplings, he picked up the flour bowl and went to the kitchen to knead the dough. Yuanyuan, undeterred by his poker face, followed him with a smile and said, "During our math teacher's lecture, a pair of underpants fell out of his trousers. Isn't that funny?"
Yan Zhao maintained his poker face, grunted, and finished kneading the dough. Seeing that Chen Meilan had prepared the filling, he reached out and slammed the rolling pin onto the cutting board with a loud "thwack," rolling out two wrappers at a time, the dumpling skins flying out swiftly.
Although Yan Zhao didn't respond to Yuanyuan, not even with a glance, Yuanyuan specially made him a cup of tea and brought it over. Only then did she go to practice the piano, waving as she left, "Bye-bye, Dad. Listen to me play the piano later, okay?"
"Hmm!" Yan Zhao continued rolling out the wrappers while Chen Meilan wrapped the dumplings.
After practicing the piano for a while, Yuanyuan came back again. "Mom, is your foot hurting? I thought I saw you tiptoeing earlier. Let me take a look, what's wrong with your foot?"
Yan Zhao turned to look at Chen Meilan, surprised, and asked, "Is that why you kicked off your shoes in the yard? Because your foot hurts?"
Chen Meilan looked at her daughter and shook her head with a genuine smile.
She could fully understand Su Wen's sorrow after Yan Xing's death, and the lifelong guilt she couldn't let go of.
Moreover, she felt that Yan Zhao also bore inescapable responsibility for the twenty-year estrangement between Su Wen and Yan Peiheng. If he could have acted as a mediator between them, or written a letter to his father, or persuaded his mother, perhaps he could have helped them let go of their grudges. At the very least, Su Wen might not have died with regrets.
But that's how things are.
Men can be pillars of strength, protecting their country and family, but they can never be as thoughtful as daughters.
Only daughters are the warm cotton jackets close to their parents' hearts. For instance, only Yuanyuan noticed her foot pain.
Even though Yan Zhao rarely smiled or spoke, even though he would never respond to Yuanyuan's smiles, as long as he was her father, Yuanyuan would always chatter away, cling to him, love him, and use her words and smiles to add color to his dull, monotonous life.
She was the warm jacket for both her parents, and the lubricant in their relationship.
In the matter between Su Wen and Yan Peiheng, Yan Zhao hadn't done enough.
But Yan Zhao was a man after all. He could step up to protect his mother in crucial moments, go to the battlefield with a gun, earn money and wages to support the family, but asking him to facilitate communication between his parents was too much.
How could boys have the same delicate sensibilities as girls? If they did, we wouldn't call them silly boys, would we?
Similarly, if Yan Xing were alive, everything would have been different.
"Mom's fine, go on now. Practice the piano a bit more. Mom will make dumplings for you, with lamb filling that Little Lang loves," Chen Meilan patted her daughter's bottom.
Little Lang shouted from outside, "I love lamb!"
