Chen Meilan thought to herself that old Aunt Wang Gebi was truly a genius. To come up with such a high-tech method as call forwarding.
As luck would have it, Yan Peiheng had just returned, and Minister Cui and Vice Minister Xu were also there. Almost all four neighboring households in the hallway were about to mobilize. Being neighbors, the efficiency was impressive.
With all the good brothers gathered to personally witness this, wouldn't Wang Gebi's face be utterly disgraced? If she had privately forwarded Yan Peiheng's calls, it would not only be stalker behavior but could also involve criminal offenses.
To be honest, at this moment Deputy Director Yan hadn't washed his face or brushed his teeth, and still hadn't shaved, with stubble all over. In terms of fair skin, he couldn't compare to Yan Wei, and in terms of handsomeness, he also fell short of Yan Wei. But in Chen Meilan's eyes, he looked incredibly handsome.
And right at that moment, the phone in the house suddenly rang.
There were several children in the room. Little Lang and Yuanyuan, not knowing what was happening, reached out to answer it.
Chen Meilan slapped her hand down on the phone. Yan Zhao turned and went next door, and as he entered, he saw old Aunt Wang Gebi's hand on the phone.
And the phone, at that moment, rang like a death knell.
Yan Zhao placed his large hand on top of hers.
In the blink of an eye, the phone on this side rang a total of nine times with no one answering. Then Wang Gebi's phone started ringing. Yan Zhao reached out to answer it. Because there was no voice on the other end, Yan Zhao then asked, "Hello, who is this...?"
There was no response on the phone, and with a click, the other side hung up.
The stairway of the four households was crowded with people.
Yan Zhao still hadn't put down the phone in his hand. Yan Peiheng, unclear about the situation, was still asking, "What exactly is going on?"
Cui Zixiang came out of his house, raising his hand and saying, "Uncle Yan, Dad, Uncle Xu, the call was from my mom."
...
Even Chen Meilan hadn't anticipated that an incident she had guessed to be as dramatic as a soap opera would turn out to have such a truth.
Wang Gebi and Mi Lan had deliberately chosen this morning to visit, of course knowing that Yan Peiheng would be returning and that the leaders would all be at home on the weekend. They were prepared to nail Yan Wei to the pillar of shame as a modern-day Chen Shimei.
But now this matter had taken a big turn, escalating to a criminal offense.
Yan Zhao came out of Wang Gebi's house. He first told his father about the phone call he had made in August, then firmly stated, "When you're not at home, our phone calls have been forwarded to Aunt Wang's house next door. By my guess, whenever anyone calls you and you can't answer, she would answer on your behalf."
Yan Peiheng took two steps back. Of the four households on the floor, all four doors were open. His gaze swept across Minister Cui's house, then across to his own doorway, stopping when it reached Wang Gebi's doorway.
"Who, neighbor Old Wang?" Clearly, the tall lantern could illuminate others but not itself. The old man simply didn't believe it.
So Yan Zhao added, "Father, which year was the phone in your house installed? It's likely that this has been happening since that year. But to set up call forwarding, you would need a certificate from your work unit and your letter of introduction. All of these things would have had to go through your hands."
Yan Peiheng took two steps back, his face shocked.
He wasn't crazy, how could he have handled such a thing?
And at that moment, suddenly, Wang Gebi called out from behind, "Brother Yan, Brother Cui, Brother Xu, I can explain this matter."
Vice Minister Xu, Minister Cui, and Yan Peiheng were clearly willing to hear what she had to say.
So Wang Gebi walked out of her house openly, then took a deep breath and explained, "The year Qilin was born, Mi Lan and the child both nearly didn't make it through the crisis. You and Yan Wei were both away on business trips. The places you went could only receive calls, not make them. At the time, I was afraid something might happen to the mother and daughter, so I asked Commander Tao to apply for call forwarding. I just wanted to be able to tell you the news when you called home. But later, when Mi Lan and Qilin were out of danger, I forgot to mention this matter."
Raising her hand, she said, "I swear to heaven, I don't have many social connections, and my children have all moved back home. I've hardly used the phone all these years, let alone forward your calls."
She explained it away lightly.
But to Yan Peiheng's ears, this truth was more cruel than he could have imagined.
Qilin was born in '79. Could it be that since 1979, from when they were still living in the small red building, Wang Gebi had been forwarding their home calls?
Not to mention Yan Peiheng and his son were dumbfounded.
Aunt Cui pulled Minister Cui into their door, asking him before entering, "Does our phone have call forwarding?"
Minister Cui looked at his wife, his scalp tingling instantly, and called out to Cui Zixiang, "Quick, go check ours."
Yan Peiheng's was specially approved by Commander Tao, but had Commander Tao also approved call forwarding for other people's phones for Wang Gebi? Although it sounded absurd, this was a first-class family compound. If investigated deeper, it could potentially involve espionage cases.
Vice Minister Xu and his wife, not being affected, also quietly went into their home.
The two aunts glanced at each other as they were about to enter their doors.
Having endured for over twenty years, they had thought Wang Gebi lived up to her name as an iron wall.
Now it seemed that there's no smoke without fire. Although she and Yan Peiheng truly didn't have a romantic relationship, regarding the matter of call forwarding, the men would probably believe it, but forwarding someone else's calls for ten years without letting any information slip - how terrifying!
Just as everyone was entering their homes, Mi Lan, taking advantage of the moment when no one was paying attention, pulled Yan Ha and turned to enter their own home, gently closing the door.
Yan Peiheng took two steps forward, suddenly clutching his chest and falling backward.
Yan Zhao was right beside his father, watching coldly. It was Yan Wei who understood the old man's health condition and immediately came over, reaching out to support his father.
Yan Peiheng's face was ashen, staring fixedly into space, motionless and silent.
Yan Wei took out some aspirin: "Dad, want to take a pill first?"
"No need, I'm fine," Yan Peiheng said.
Yan Zhao said, "Since you're fine, why don't you notify the secretariat to issue a certificate and cancel the call forwarding?"
He really hadn't expected this to be the truth.
Of course Commander Tao couldn't be a spy, but Wang Gebi had been forwarding calls for so many years, without a word, gently and silently deceiving the Yan Peiheng family - this was the most cruel truth.
Moreover, she was Yan Wei's mother-in-law, and initially did it for the sake of the child. You couldn't treat it as a criminal case.
Yan Peiheng's mind was in chaos, mechanically responding to Yan Wei's words: "Alright."
"Have you had breakfast?" Yan Wei asked again.
Yan Peiheng mechanically said, "I've eaten."
"Then why don't you go lie down for a while?" Yan Wei said, helping Yan Peiheng up.
Regarding Wang Gebi, apart from distrust, Yan Peiheng currently felt confused and perplexed, because he didn't know her motive, didn't know why she had forwarded his calls for as long as ten years.
That was the wife of his old superior who had fought side by side with him since he joined the army in the 1960s.
She was the person he had always trusted the most.
And Mi Lan was the little girl he had watched grow up.
Speaking of Mi Lan, although he had scolded her for privately using Little Wang's money, she had admitted her mistake and returned the money. Yan Peiheng had long forgiven her, so he still didn't understand one thing - why did Yan Wei want to divorce her?
With this, the old man had to grab his son and ask, "Second son, it's better to destroy ten temples than to break up one marriage. Why exactly do you want to divorce Mi Lan?"
Chen Meilan had held back for a long time, and she was always more sympathetic towards women, but this time she couldn't hold back anymore.
From arriving in the capital until now, although she had only stayed one night, Chen Meilan wasn't blind.
"Second brother, has sister-in-law always complained that you're not successful? Did she also tell you, look at the third brother and his wife, they're making big money even with Little Wang's money, but you're not successful, wanting to return all the money you've earned?" Chen Meilan said.
Yan Wei didn't say anything, but turned his head away.
Chen Meilan knew she had guessed correctly. After all, women understand women better, so she continued, "Mi Lan also said that even if you transfer to civilian work this lifetime, you won't be very successful, you'll only let big brother mock you from abroad, and let us two laugh at you here at home, right?"
Yan Wei slowly shook his head, but still didn't open his mouth.
In fact, Mi Lan's insults were much more vicious than this. She not only constantly drove a wedge between the brothers' relationship, but one night when they were sleeping until the wee hours, Mi Lan suddenly let out a sneering laugh in her sleep: "Su Wen is a joke, she's been a fool her whole life and deserves to be bullied. Her son Yan Wei is even weaker, he has no ability to make money, he's far worse than my brother-in-law!"
Yan Wei happened to be awake at the time, thinking about his mother. He was so angered that he raised his fist, ready to hit Mi Lan.
Mi Lan opened her eyes, still groggy, and cried while begging for mercy, saying she didn't know anything and was just talking in her sleep.
This was the real reason why Yan Wei had been so dejected recently and was adamant about getting a divorce.
Mi Lan wasn't willing to divorce, but she also hadn't thought about living a good life together - he just couldn't say it out loud.
He felt that in his sleep, he had glimpsed the dirty inner thoughts of his childhood sweetheart. Mi Lan's disrespect for Su Wen made Yan Wei vaguely realize how many times Wang Gebi had used him to hurt Su Wen in the past. It was something he regretted for life but couldn't express.
So he felt he had no choice but to divorce, even if it meant bearing eternal infamy.
Both men of the Yan family were holding their heads and sighing. Yan Zhao, however, remained cold. Seeing that Yan Peiheng was still sitting motionless, he suddenly asked: "Father, shouldn't we detain that old comrade Wang next door who has been secretly redirecting your calls for over ten years?"
Yan Peiheng reflexively said: "She's just a woman, where could she possibly run to?"
Yan Zhao immediately retorted: "If you had such trust in my mother back then, how could your marriage have existed in name only for twenty years?"
This was like a thunderbolt striking Yan Peiheng's head.
Three months of business trips, working overtime and staying up late at the Shenyang Military Region.
He had just finished work and returned home less than ten minutes ago, not even having reported to the commander yet.
One shocking revelation after another kept hitting Yan Peiheng.
He had personal guards he could mobilize. Yan Peiheng didn't yet understand the meaning behind Yan Zhao's words, but instinctively picked up the phone and told Secretary Mao to quickly send the guards over.
The soldiers, of course, carried out their tasks swiftly.
Just as Yan Peiheng finished speaking, Secretary Mao had already dispatched the men.
Chen Meilan searched everywhere but couldn't find Yuanyuan, Little Wang, Little Lang and the others.
Though the apartment was said to have three bedrooms and a living room, it was actually very spacious. If it were an ordinary commercial residence, it could easily accommodate six bedrooms and a living room, or even ten bedrooms with room to spare.
There were even three bathrooms.
At this moment, no one knew where Yan Zhao had gone. Chen Meilan saw a cup of soy milk still on the table, knowing it was Little Lang's. She picked up the cup, intending to call Little Lang to drink his milk. She entered the bedroom where they had slept yesterday. This bedroom had an en-suite bathroom, and because the bathroom door was half-open, she could faintly see Little Lang's clothes. So Chen Meilan walked over.
Just as she was about to enter, she heard Yan Zhao's voice: "Why aren't you drinking your milk?"
"I want to drink cola," Little Lang's childish voice said.
Yan Zhao said sternly: "Because you've been drinking cola all the time, you're very likely already sick. Your mom came to the capital this time just for your illness, to get you treatment. When mom tells you to drink milk and you don't, that's being unfilial."
"That's not true, mom came to the capital so we could eat KFC," Little Lang argued.
Yan Zhao tugged at his son's ear and pointed at the milk in his hand, saying: "She had a big stack of papers in her bag, all your hospital examination lists. Didn't you see? Feel how thick the fat on your body is. Yesterday mom even carried you all the way just to coax you into drinking milk. Do you know that if it weren't for your second uncle being here, dad would have already spanked you?"
"I can do a horse stance, I'm not afraid of being hit," Little Lang said.
Yan Zhao said sternly: "If you don't drink the milk, I'll spank you so hard you won't be able to sit, horse stance or not."
"My mom gave birth to me, she loves me, you wouldn't dare," Little Lang was still being stubborn.
Chen Meilan opened the door and saw that not only was Little Lang there, but Little Wang and Yuanyuan were also hiding under the sink. All three little ones were huddled together, looking timid. So she deliberately said: "It's precisely because I gave birth to you that I need to discipline you harshly. Now if Little Lang doesn't drink his milk, I really won't interfere. Let dad spank him, I'll close my eyes, I won't look."
Suddenly there was a commotion in the hallway. Yan Zhao put down the soy milk in his hand and strode out.
Yan Wei had already opened the door and was also preparing to go out.
Face to face at the door, they encountered Wang Gebi leading Mi Lan and the three Yan Ha children, each carrying a piece of luggage, standing in the hallway. Secretary Mao was leading four guards, blocking them in the elevator, trying to persuade them to go back.
"What are you trying to do? Let us leave, oh my heart condition is acting up," Mi Lan said sharply.
Wang Gebi probably didn't expect Yan Peiheng to call guards to block the elevator. They had just packed up their valuables and were preparing to leave.
This woman, who was originally gentle, elegant, virtuous, and weak, and much smarter than her daughter Mi Lan, turned to Mi Lan and said: "Quick, call your brother-in-law."
Then she turned and started knocking on Minister Cui's door.
"Sister Hu, Brother Cui, open the door quickly!" In her urgency, her voice was no longer as calm and composed as before. She kept knocking on the door: "Brother Cui..."
With a bang, Minister Cui's door opened, but it was Aunt Cui who spoke: "Gebi, what are you doing?"
"Sister Hu, I'm a citizen, I was living my life just fine, I haven't broken any laws, why is Yan Peiheng having guards control me?" Wang Gebi asked first.
Seeing that Aunt Cui couldn't stop Cui Zixiang from coming out of the study, she continued: "It's really ridiculous. If you say I have a good relationship with Yan Peiheng's family, what about us? Aren't we also decades-old acquaintances? Zixiang, Feng Yu is your buddy, right? Doesn't Brother Cui want Feng Yu to take over the military factories? I feel like Yan Peiheng doesn't want my Feng Yu to take over those run-down factories, is he trying to cause trouble for Brother Cui? The phone redirection was originally approved by Commander Tao, why doesn't he dare to ask Commander Tao about it? He's just bullying the weak and fearing the strong, isn't he trying to bully you?"
Yan Zhao and Yan Wei had just come out, the door was open, and Yan Peiheng was in the living room.
At that moment, perhaps even Yan Zhao had to admire in his heart how Wang Gebi, despite her gentle appearance, spoke words that hit right at the core, driving a wedge between the three parties and forcing Minister Cui to stand up for himself.
So Minister Cui came out of his home.
As he was about to leave, Aunt Cui reached out and pulled him back. He turned and glared at his wife fiercely.
This time Aunt Cui didn't hold back. She reached out and pinched Minister Cui's bottom hard.
Look at this, his good sister, without his knowledge, had not only put him in a difficult position, but now, because of Wang Gebi, former comrades who would have taken bullets for each other on the battlefield were suspicious of each other.
With the guards watching, Wang Gebi and Mi Lan's family couldn't leave, so they naturally retreated to their own home.
The matter of the call records hadn't been investigated yet. In fact, on the surface, Wang Gebi's biggest issue might just be Feng Yu taking over those military factories.
This matter was related to Minister Cui, and Minister Cui felt he needed to go in and explain to Yan Peiheng.
So he sighed and entered Yan Peiheng's home, saying: "Old Yan, I've always treated Gebi like a sister, haven't you as well?"
Cui Zixiang, Yan Zhao, Yan Wei, Cui Zixiang's wife, Chen Meilan, and a group of people watched the two old gentlemen.
Yan Peiheng nodded. He had always treated the neighbor Wang like a little sister. Minister Cui understood him best. They were all promoted by Vice Minister Mi. Vice Minister Mi married late, and his wife was the youngest, only 16 when they married. She didn't understand anything, and when she had just come of age, she became a widow, insisting on remaining faithful to Vice Minister Mi. Naturally, they took extra care of her.
She used to be called Little Wang, and gradually became Old Wang, simply because they had all grown older.
Their care for Wang Gebi was despised by all the women in the compound, but they were upright and honorable.
She was just a little sister who needed care, and they had no other entanglements with her besides this.
Once, Zhou Xueqin said that Wang Gebi called him in the middle of the night, and she had scolded him for it. Yan Peiheng was furious at the time and drove Zhou Xueqin away.
At that time, he even thought Zhou Xueqin was being unreasonable.
It was because Little Wang kept calling him grandpa on the phone that he gave money.
But now, this matter has been brought up again.
He suddenly discovered that Zhou Xueqin hadn't been lying after all.
"Let's not discuss the phone forwarding matter anymore. Let Mi Lan and Yan Wei divorce. I'll handle Yan Wei's military transfer and promise to arrange employment for him. There shouldn't be any major issues with Wang Gebi. Aren't we being too harsh with our current approach?" Minister Cui said.
This was because Feng Yu's military property contracting issue had implicated Minister Cui. He might tear up Feng Yu's contract, but he didn't want this matter to become public and ugly, preferring to settle things quietly.
This was also a person's instinctive response to protect themselves.
Yan Peiheng unconsciously nodded.
However, at that moment, he looked up to see Yan Zhao staring at him coldly.
Although Yan Peiheng was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Yan Zhao was the only one among his three sons who never lied.
So Wang Gebi must have called him Peiheng while talking to Yan Zhao.
And it had been ten years since the phone forwarding was set up.
Wang Gebi probably rarely used that phone line, otherwise, if she had discovered it, she would naturally have disconnected it.
As it turned out, Zhou Xueqin had used it when she came, and in the past six months, Mi Lan had used it again when she was having conflicts with Yan Wei.
And she had deliberately answered Yan Zhao's call.
Why would she do that?
Could it be true, as recently rumored, that Wang Gebi secretly harbored feelings for him?
It was based on his trust in Yan Zhao that he began to suspect Wang Gebi.
But he couldn't believe that Wang Gebi would actually like him.
He had a terrible temper, was boring, and even his wife didn't like him - how could any woman possibly like him?
"Things can't be that simple," he said mechanically.
Minister Cui spread his hands: "You're in-laws and have been neighbors all along. Wang Gebi just answered your phone, what else could there be? As for the military property, I won't let Feng Yu contract it anymore and that's that. Let them go. What do you say? Don't you trust me? I guarantee Wang Gebi has no other issues."
Trust is more frightening than love - you can love someone, but love brings suspicion, jealousy, and insecurity.
Take Yan Peiheng's feelings for Su Wen, the woman he deeply loved, yet he had always doubted her.
This was something he couldn't face, but had to face nonetheless.
He trusted Wang Gebi to take good care of his two sons, and trusted that such an ordinary woman, a widow, seemingly weak and gentle, who had always maintained her distance from him, would be safe.
But perhaps it was precisely his trust that had betrayed him.
Military property - Yan Peiheng kept repeating these words. Suddenly, he remembered that after her husband's death, because Wang Gebi had no job, the military district had specially approved her to take surplus military items - shoes, hats, clothes, thermoses, water bottles, soap, and towels - to resell for some pocket money.
That had started in '68.
Later, the old leaders had stopped questioning it.
The reason Yan Peiheng recalled this now was because Minister Cui kept mentioning military property.
Yan Peiheng then said: "Yan Wei, go ask Old Wang and Mi Lan where they plan to go later."
Actually, Mi Lan was at the door, eager to leave. Her health was poor, and she was wrapped in a thick cotton coat in the hot corridor. Hearing Yan Peiheng's question, she sighed and said: "Dad, I promise to divorce Yan Wei, and I guarantee that my daughter and I will stay far away from now on. Is that okay?"
Wang Gebi was also at the door, speaking very reasonably: "Brother Yan, we'll go wherever you want us to go, as long as it makes you happy, as long as you think it's good for you."
Yan Ha, being a boy who wanted to show off for his grandmother and mother who seemed too vulnerable, suddenly blurted out: "My mom and grandma are about to complete the procedures, we're going abroad..."
Mi Lan was so frightened she quickly covered her son's mouth.
What works for you can also work against you - this child had been helpful when Mi Lan was causing trouble.
But his occasional shocking statements could also be terrifying.
This was another thunderbolt.
Even if she wasn't a spy, could it be that Wang Gebi had actually made a lot of money from reselling military property?
Was Mi Lan deliberately causing trouble about the divorce and wanting to leave because they had made enough money and were planning to live abroad?
Yan Peiheng suddenly remembered that Minister Cui, when drunk once, had vaguely mentioned that Wang Gebi probably had some feelings for him and that's why she remained a widow without remarrying, and he felt quite guilty about it.
Commander Tao upstairs had always taken care of Wang Gebi because he felt she had too difficult a life on her own.
Men, regarding women who have feelings for them, even if they don't like or pursue them, always maintain a sense of kinship and appreciation. Of course, they tend to be more caring, mainly because they trust such women, always believing that women who secretly love them would never betray them.
But trust is more frightening than love.
