It was already very late today. The commotion next door had gone on for half the day, but Mi Lan's illness hadn't flared up. Seeing her tearing at people and hitting them, she seemed even more energetic than before, so no one was worried about her anymore.
On the contrary, Yan Peiheng felt his heart was uncomfortable, so he went home early and lay down in bed.
Feng Yu, who had brought marijuana into the military zone, was of course now under the control of the Political Department.
Wang Gebi and her daughter still couldn't leave this family compound.
But the mother and daughter no longer wanted to leave. They had nearly been able to escape, taking a large sum of money to fly directly to America. But now that American dream didn't seem so important. At the moment, they had gone to the internal hospital to get examined.
At first, Mi Lan was still calm. After all, it was Feng Yu who was sick. Sexually transmitted diseases required sexual contact to spread, so she figured she and Wang Gebi were probably fine.
While drawing blood, a nurse asked the doctor, "Can STDs be transmitted by sharing a toilet?"
"Though the chances are low, it's possible through toilet seats and showers. So keep a close eye on the boys from now on. It's chaotic out there, and most prostitutes carry diseases," the doctor replied.
It was absolutely devastating!
If it had been a regular apartment building it would have been fine, but this elevator building was something Wang Gebi had schemed hard to get. Flush toilets and showers were standard fixtures. Even if Mi Lan and Wang Gebi hadn't had sexual contact with Feng Yu, they had at least shared a bathroom.
Thinking of this, Mi Lan cried her heart out.
Of course, the matter of selling military supplies also had to be investigated. This time it was an overnight investigation, digging up all the logistics department's accounts since 1968 for examination.
A bunch of cabbage sellers couldn't guess how much the drug dealers had actually made. They were all sheepish, and because none of them could be separated from the situation, the households on the upper floors all displayed a new atmosphere of unity, even more so than usual.
In the evening, when it was time to cook dinner, Chen Meilan went out to buy groceries.
Yan Wei was tidying up the house and went out to take out the trash, just happening to run into Vice Minister Xu who was also taking out trash.
"Uncle Xu, let me do that," said Yan Wei, taking the trash can. Vice Minister Xu's children were all out of town, so Yan Wei and Cui Zixiang usually helped with errands.
"Didn't you mention recently that you wanted to go back to Xiping City?" Vice Minister Xu said with a smile. "There's a clerk position open in Xiping City's Propaganda Department. If you want to go, I can help arrange the transfer."
Yan Wei was stunned: "Really?" It seemed too good to be true, like pie falling from the sky or a daydream.
"Your Uncle Cui just mentioned it to me. Currently, there are about 200 senior colonels set to transfer to civilian work. The Xiping City Propaganda Department is the best posting in the whole country. We considered it and coordinated with Xiping's Military Transfer Office to give it to you," Vice Minister Xu explained with a smile.
The propaganda department work involved writing, which was perfect since Yan Wei had always been in non-combat roles. He immediately said, "Thank you, Uncle Xu."
Yan Zhao was in the study, busy with something unknown. Mom had quietly gone grocery shopping with Yuanyuan, without telling Little Wang and Little Lang. The two children had been weathering a storm since arriving in the capital, so they were being especially good, not daring to make a sound. They sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, pouting as they looked outside.
They spoke in tiny voices, not wanting to disturb Grandpa sleeping in the bedroom, until Yan Peiheng called out, "Yan Wangqi?"
"Grandpa, are you feeling better?" Little Wang tiptoed into the bedroom to ask.
Yan Peiheng asked Little Wang, "There was a little girl in the house earlier, who was that...?"
"My little sister, Yuanyuan," Little Wang smiled and asked Yan Peiheng, "Isn't she cute?"
Yan Peiheng asked, "Where did she go?"
"She went grocery shopping with Mom," Little Wang said.
Yan Peiheng had several grandsons before. Yan Jun's children had also grown up around him. Later there was Qilin and Yan Ha. Yan Peiheng had seen many grandsons, and with so many children, the feeling had faded.
His emotions towards his grandsons were not deep, and he never thought children were particularly cute. Even when he returned to Xiping City last time, he was so busy with work that he left without meeting Little Wang and Little Lang. Strictly speaking, he had seen Little Wang once before, but this was his first time meeting Little Lang. He had always been very detached from the children.
Until this moment when Little Wang sat by the bed, looking at him, being so good and quiet, he suddenly understood what the child meant by "cute."
He reached out to take Little Wang's small hand in his palm and said, "You're very cute too."
He had heard this child's voice many times before. Because of Zhou Xueqin's groundless suspicions about him, it had even caused Wang Gebi to nearly commit suicide, making his reputation in the compound very poor for a time. Yan Peiheng had always been irritable and had never even spoken a word to this child on the phone.
Now the child was right in front of him, and he felt guilty, speechlessly guilty.
Just then, Little Lang suddenly started tapping on the window: "Brother, Mom and Yuanyuan are back!"
Little Wang immediately pulled his hand away and turned to run. Looking down from the 19th floor, people were tiny shadows.
Little Wang had learned how to operate the elevator yesterday. He took Little Lang's hand and they rode the elevator down to greet their mother.
Yan Peiheng also sat up in bed.
First, he took off his pajamas, then put on his dress shirt, followed by a cotton undershirt, vest, and sweater. After struggling to button up, his trembling hands finally managed it. Then he put on his military uniform, even fastening the wind flap tightly.
Then he steadied himself against the wardrobe, realizing he could actually walk steadily, so he went into the bathroom.
The bathroom had the only mirror. He stood in front of it, took a comb and carefully combed his hair neat and tidy, then looked at himself in the mirror for a long time.
A few months ago, Yan Peiheng had gone alone to see a movie. It was a film that he had pulled many strings to get approved for screening.
"The Yellow River Ballad."
In the movie, he saw a girl who looked exactly like his long-gone daughter, with the same mannerisms and smile. But at that time, he hadn't realized that he would see that child in person in reality.
Of course, he knew that little girl was Chen Meilan's daughter.
He just hadn't expected her to look so much like little Yan Xing - the smile, the tone of voice, the appearance, all identical.
As they say, one hesitates as they near home, and it can be the same with people.
Yan Peiheng now sat on the sofa, trying hard to put on a kind expression, but still not quite prepared for how to make the children visiting the capital for the first time feel that he was a kind and loving grandfather.
"Hello, Grandpa," Yuanyuan came in, holding a fish. "I just heard the grandma at the market say that Grandpa loves to eat fish. Look, we bought you a fish."
Yan Peiheng nodded but didn't respond. Instead, he gestured to Yan Wei, "Go help Meilan cook."
Yuanyuan and her mother had gone out, and it was the people at the market who said her grandfather loved fish, which is why they specifically bought one. Seeing her grandfather's lukewarm response, she looked up at her mother. Chen Meilan patted her bottom and said, "Go on, take Little Lang and Little Wang to play outside for a while, but don't leave the compound."
The children found riding the elevator to be an especially novel experience. Being able to ride it alone was great fun, so they invited Little Lang and Little Wang along as the three children embarked on their elevator adventure.
Yan Wei was a model man - he could cook, spoke gently, was obedient and well-behaved. Even after such a big incident, he was actually an optimist, still smiling cheerfully in the kitchen, eager to share his joy with Chen Meilan: "I might really be transferring to civilian work in Xiping City. Meilan, if your company needs any PR support in the future, leave it to me. I'll handle it."
Mentioning this reminded Chen Meilan of the main purpose of her trip - Factory 271.
Yan Wei was scaling the fish, and she had already put the rice on to steam. She took off her apron and turned to leave, going to find Yan Zhao.
Feng Yu had already been dealt with for bringing marijuana into the military zone, without involving Factory 271. It was perfect.
She needed to discuss with Yan Zhao when they should go talk to Minister Cui about the contract.
However, just as she entered the study, Yan Peiheng also walked in. When this son came, there were always various matters to deal with. Unlike his two older brothers, this son had what his comrades called a rebellious streak. Even Yan Peiheng had to approach him carefully, speaking gently and kindly.
"How is Third Son's work going now? This trip is because..."
"Why are you still blocking Gu Xiao's return to the country?" Compared to the cold shoulder he gave Chen Meilan, Yan Zhao's attitude towards his father revealed his true personality: "How long are you going to make a fuss over a tiny incident from twenty years ago?"
Yan Peiheng slammed his palm on the desk, glaring angrily at his son. Of course, he had to scold him: "This is how you've always talked to leaders and superiors. No wonder people are constantly complaining about you, saying you're too stubborn, acting alone, wielding absolute power in the police bureau. Do you know what 'absolute power' means? It means Hitler, terrorists, what the Party newspapers have been criticizing lately - the greatest taboo for our Party cadres!"
These father and son couldn't have a proper conversation without it turning into an argument.
Yan Zhao didn't slam the table, but he didn't back down either. He looked up, staring directly at his father: "You're the same, using your narrow-minded thoughts and groundless suspicions about my mother to do things that make people laugh at you."
Yan Peiheng was about to hit his son.
Yan Zhao's brows were furrowed, his eyes cold. Even the setting sun outside the window couldn't brighten his dark gaze. He didn't seem like someone his father could subdue with a beating. With this kind of communication, their problems would never be solved.
Fortunately, Chen Meilan was there. She quickly said: "Yan Zhao isn't like this at work. Otherwise, you'd only hear bad things about him. You've never had to put in a good word for his work, so how did he become deputy director?"
This was also what puzzled Yan Peiheng. He often heard people complaining about his son in various ways.
Everyone was an old fox, and Yan Zhao had indeed offended many people's interests at work. From the mouths of the leaders in Xiping City, Yan Peiheng never heard a single good word about Yan Zhao.
He wasn't angry at his son, but worried about his work, fearing that if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to protect him. But he had to admit he had never put in a good word for him. His son had become deputy director, and the absolute power he wielded in the Jindong Branch Bureau had made many city and provincial leaders uneasy.
Seeing Yan Peiheng soften, Chen Meilan continued: "You're father and son. Isn't it better that he speaks his mind directly? Would you rather he deceive you like others do, agreeing to your face but disobeying behind your back?"
Wasn't this hitting the old man where it hurt?
He had been fooled by Wang Gebi for so long, only now realizing Wang Gebi's true face.
So this time, unprecedentedly, Yan Peiheng was the first to soften. He finally learned to talk properly with his son: "I haven't blocked Gu Xiao since last year, but he's been close to the opposition party in Singapore, which doesn't align with our country's political ideology. His political issues are the main reason he can't return to the country!"
Yan Zhao straightened up and let out a sigh. He looked up at Chen Meilan and suddenly winked at her.
Political issues could be big or small. According to policy, Gu Xiao would definitely be blocked, but if someone could put in a good word for him and explain the situation, he could return.
However, while Yan Peiheng wasn't blocking him, he also wouldn't help his love rival clear the way to return to the country.
But Yan Zhao couldn't bring himself to ask his father for help. He'd rather die than say it.
Chen Meilan pretended not to see Yan Zhao's wink, but turned to say: "Dad, I think you should be more open-minded. Gu Xiao once went to Southeast Asia, and now he's a big businessman. Our domestic impression of him is still from twenty years ago. Since he wants to come back, why don't you help put in a good word to let him return? Let him see how our country has developed now, no worse than Singapore. Wouldn't that be good?"
This was nonsense, a lie. Singapore was much more open and developed than their country.
But Yan Peiheng, Minister Cui, and those old men loved to hear this.
In their generation's minds, the red star should shine over the world, and no country in the world was stronger than Hua Country.
Sure enough, Yan Peiheng paused for a moment and said: "I'll have Secretary Mao take care of it tomorrow."
But at the same time, he also said: "You need to be wary of him. He lives in a capitalist country, he's greedy, a vile capitalist. Even if he comes back, I forbid you to have any interaction with him. Whoever dares to say a word to him, don't expect me to show them a good face in the future."
This was his old tradition, old thinking.
It was the era of reform and opening up, only people in the military still viewed capital as a flood and fierce beast. Outside, who didn't want to kneel down and lick those capitalists' boots, as long as they were willing to invest?
Just then, Yan Wei came to ask if he should cook or if Chen Meilan would take charge of the kitchen, so everyone dispersed.
It was time for dinner, but the children still hadn't returned.
Yan Wei was about to go out to look for them when, just at the elevator, in the dead of winter, several children with flushed cheeks burst out of the elevator.
Little Wang rushed into the kitchen, hugging Chen Meilan's legs, and asked breathlessly: "Mom, what are porn videos? They look just like regular videos, but they cost ten yuan each."
Fortunately, no one else heard this.
Chen Meilan covered the child's mouth and secretly pinched a bit of fried fish that hadn't been sauced yet from the plate, saying: "From now on, don't mention the word 'porn video' again. Tomorrow, Mom will explain this to you privately, okay?"
Little Wang had just taken the two younger ones for a run outside, and because a videotape only cost two yuan to make but could sell for ten, he thought he had discovered a huge business opportunity. He nodded excitedly, his eyes shining brightly, and whispered: "I want to sell porn videos!"
Chen Meilan immediately glared at him: "This is our secret, you can't tell anyone."
She was already worried about Little Lang's health, and now Little Wang was getting involved with porn videos. In his past life, he was sent to juvenile detention because of porn videos. Tomorrow, she must find time to properly educate Little Wang.
Dinner passed without incident.
People in this compound had strict schedules, and because Grandfather was so fierce, even though the children saw a TV, they didn't dare turn it on. They lined up early to bathe and go to bed.
Early the next morning, Chen Meilan opened her eyes and rubbed them, only to find Yan Zhao lying beside her. She was startled - he had slept with Yan Wei last night, when did he come over? He was sitting up against the headboard, his eyes bright.
"Where's Little Lang?" she asked.
"Outside," Yan Zhao said.
Chen Meilan suddenly turned over: "He has to go to the hospital for a blood test today, he needs to fast this morning. Don't you care about your child at all?"
Yan Zhao had actually just come in, looking composed: "Oh, he's already eaten."
"Are you even a father? You never ask if your child is sick or not..." The door was half-open, and Chen Meilan hadn't brushed her teeth, so she didn't want to open her mouth. Yan Zhao's hot breath lingered by her ear, back and forth, carrying the fresh scent of toothpaste and soap.
"Move away quickly," Chen Meilan said, covering her mouth.
He directly pressed down on her, thrusting at the same time.
This was his father's house, Yan Wei and his father could wake up at any moment. Had this man gone crazy?
So Chen Meilan pushed him again: "Get up quickly."
She had slept with Yuanyuan last night, and because the child loved to play, her pajama buttons were undone. Yan Zhao's hand slipped inside, saying: "Today I'm going to talk to Uncle Cui about the 271 matter, but Meilan, you have to promise me one thing. If 271 is contracted, we must prioritize hiring retired military personnel. Can you do that?"
Chen Meilan didn't have the same sense of national honor as Yan Zhao, and she only wanted to live her own small life well.
She had long known that someone like Yan Zhao would help her pull strings and build connections, but surely he had his own purpose. Sure enough, his purpose was to want her to arrange jobs for retired military personnel at Factory 271.
Hiring retired military personnel was actually more disadvantageous than beneficial for a business.
Chen Meilan wanted to have a good talk with Yan Zhao about this matter from an economic and management perspective.
But just then, suddenly Yan Peiheng coughed outside. Meilan immediately kneed Yan Zhao, but she didn't control her strength well. This knee hit Yan Zhao so hard that he suddenly curled up, his face contorted.
Chen Meilan guessed she had hurt him with her knee. She was also frightened and sat up asking: "Are you okay?"
Yan Zhao rolled over and lay there for a while before getting up, then said: "Don't be too lenient with my father. What he did to my mother doesn't deserve anyone's forgiveness. But thank you for helping explain things to him last night."
If it weren't for Chen Meilan, father and son would never be able to talk properly under the same roof.
And this kind of internal friction would only wear themselves out.
Chen Meilan thought to herself, so you understand this, as she turned over to get up. Because it was an apartment building with elders present, she had to get dressed before going out. She hurriedly put on a sweater, tied up her hair, and went out to find Little Lang sitting obediently on the sofa, pouting with his chin in his hands, watching Little Wang and Yuanyuan eating bread with relish.
Yan Zhao had reviewed Little Lang's medical records and knew that Chen Meilan had helped examine him many times. Of course, he would be fasting in the morning.
Chen Meilan had worried for nothing.
The front door was open.
Wang Gebi had certainly used some tricks to live on the same floor as several leaders, and if it weren't for the help of a few good brothers, she wouldn't have been able to get such a large apartment in such a good location.
But at this moment, this apartment left her nowhere to hide.
Of course, she no longer needed to hide.
Before work hours, two groups of people had already arrived. One group entered Yan Peiheng's home to report on yesterday's accounting issues, planning to meet with several ministers first before reporting to the commander.
The other group was doctors from the military hospital, waiting at Wang Gebi's door. Twenty years of painstaking experience and how much money Wang Gebi had secretly earned no longer mattered.
The words "sexually transmitted disease" had completely shattered the mother and daughters. They had cried all their tears out and were now standing at the door, waiting for the results of yesterday's examination at the military hospital.
People tend to fear what they suspect the most.
Nowadays, people have some knowledge about STDs due to the many TV advertisements in newspapers and on television.
Symptoms like vaginal itching, abnormal discharge, genital warts - small ads were all over the streets. Mi Xue had excessive discharge and often felt itchy. The more she thought about it, the more she believed she had contracted something. She even tried to hang herself with a towel in the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Of course, she was saved by Mi Lan and Wang Gebi.
At this moment, the mother and daughters were hugging Yan Ha, waiting for the verdict.
A verdict like a death sentence, even more terrifying than the military's intention to investigate their reselling of military supplies.
Wang Gebi could no longer stand. In her heart, she was even thinking that as long as her two daughters and grandson were healthy, she would be willing to sacrifice all her remaining years and die right now, die in front of everyone. But how could reality possibly be as she wished?
"Comrade Mi Lan is normal, Comrade Wang Gebi, you are also normal..." The doctor paused, "Comrade Mi Xue, you need to take penicillin."
Only syphilis required penicillin treatment, which meant Mi Xue really had contracted it.
Mi Xue's eyes rolled back and she fainted on the spot.
The doctor lowered his head, his gaze that would decide the child's fate falling on Yan Ha.
...
Little Lang's stomach was growling with hunger. Since he couldn't eat breakfast, he had gotten dressed early and was waiting for the adults at the elevator.
He curiously looked at Yan Ha, who was surrounded by three women.
He didn't know what had happened to his former brother.
Seeing that Yan Ha also looked confused, Little Lang ran over and gave him the piece of chocolate his father had used to coax him this morning, saying he could only eat it after having blood drawn.
Yan Ha reached out to take it, smiling and saying, "Thank you, Little Lang."
Little Lang tilted his head and replied, "You're welcome."
Chen Meilan composed herself just as Yan Peiheng and Minister Cui were also leaving. The group got into the elevator together. As it wasn't a top-secret matter, the logistics director continued his report in the elevator: "There wasn't much at first, just two or three hundred yuan. Later, the quantity increased a bit, reaching five or six thousand yuan annually in recent years."
"So how much in total?" Yan Peiheng asked.
The logistics director said, "The total comes to 123,000 yuan."
Handling 120,000 yuan over twenty years, though a bit much, didn't constitute a criminal case, and the main responsibility indeed lay with them.
"Let's all do some self-criticism. Gebi said she still has 30,000 in hand. Most of the money was probably spent by Feng Yu. Let's recover what we can first, and we'll make up the rest ourselves," Minister Cui sighed dejectedly. "The responsibility lies entirely with us."
It was because they had given Wang Gebi the privilege to resell military supplies that Feng Yu had the money to smoke marijuana. He even brought marijuana into the military zone. What if he had rolled it into regular cigarettes and given them to some leader? If a leader became addicted to marijuana, Hua Country's military would gain international notoriety. And it would be infamy.
Their ranks would no longer be pure.
Chen Meilan, being a woman, was naturally shorter. She couldn't believe Wang Gebi had only handled this small amount of money and was curious about what was written on the paper in the logistics director's hand. However, the man was tall and standing in front of her, so she couldn't see.
Just then, she suddenly felt herself being lifted. Thank goodness she and Yan Zhao were in the last row. Yan Zhao had slowly lifted her up.
Yan Zhao supported her from under her armpits, lifting Chen Meilan entirely over the logistics director's shoulders.
Chen Meilan turned back and whispered to Yan Zhao, "The military supplies are being calculated at three fen per kilogram originally, now five fen."
As husband and wife, they certainly had this level of tacit understanding.
Yan Zhao had also worked in the military before, and being Yan Peiheng's son, he could speak more freely than Chen Meilan.
So he spoke up, "Dad, the accounts can't be calculated like this. How many towels are there in a kilogram? At least 20. Even in the 1960s, one towel would sell for at least one jiao. One kilogram of military supplies, just counting towels, would make two yuan profit at three fen. Even drug trafficking doesn't have such high profits."
The elevator was cramped with seven or eight adults and three children, packed tightly.
In the confined space, the logistics director suddenly took off his hat and turned to face Yan Zhao. Beads of sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead, pouring out like raindrops.
Minister Cui looked at the logistics director, their faces almost touching, each looking as if they had been slapped.
They had calculated based on the disposal price, but they hadn't considered the markup. How many towels, how many thermoses made up a kilogram? Even if not tenfold, just calculating at five times the profit, Wang Gebi hadn't just earned 100,000, she had already made 500,000 to 600,000 yuan.
It was like a giant iceberg. They had only uncovered a corner, and now the more they dug, the larger the iceberg became.
"Let's directly refer this to the military court. We'll all bear the responsibility for our mistakes, but that money must be recovered," Yan Peiheng suddenly shouted. "Due to financial difficulties, our unit only gave out one fish per person as a New Year's benefit this year. How many fish could 500,000 yuan buy?"
The logistics director kept nodding, "Yes, yes, alright."
Cold sweat was still pouring from his forehead, and his whole body was shaking like a sieve.
Yan Peiheng, the most disliked leader in the military region, suddenly raised his voice right there in the elevator, in front of everyone: "Director Wu, I remember you were particularly close with Wang Gebi. Isn't your son working in Feng Yu's factory?"
The logistics director's face turned ashen at Yan Peiheng's words, and he suddenly stumbled backwards.
It didn't need to be said. He must have been the one covering for Wang Gebi all these years. Without an inside man, how could an outsider steal from the military for so long?
Chen Meilan had to admire Wang Gebi. No wonder she chose to remain a widow rather than remarry.
If she remarried, she would end up with an older man for a second husband, having to take care of his daily needs. Relying on an old man to raise two daughters, she would always have to endure humiliation and anger.
But as a widow backed by the military region, she had earned several hundred thousand yuan over these years, and a group of good brothers still treated her like a treasure.
Wang Gebi was truly a capable woman.
A heroine among women.
