Yan Peiheng has been particularly troubled these past few days.
Wang Gebi's account needs to be calculated starting from a towel, a bar of soap, and a light bulb. That's dozens of tons of labor protection supplies, which need to be itemized and priced over twenty years.
Today, the accounting department spent an entire day calculating just 10 years' worth, and the profit difference has already reached a staggering 300,000 yuan.
Since Yan Peiheng is not responsible for logistics, this matter technically has nothing to do with him from a policy standpoint.
But from a moral and ethical perspective, he would be the first person in the entire institute that everyone would laugh at.
The old man cares most about his reputation, and how could he be happy being laughed at by a group of female colleagues?
Moreover, Commander Tao is certainly going to retire, and Yan Peiheng has reached the age where he should theoretically move up a step, but because of Wang Gebi, and because the women in the institute suspect he has some substantial relationship with Wang Gebi, even though the military commission leadership has talked to him about promoting him, following convention, he refused.
Once, in the early days of liberation, looting and robbery of 20,000 yuan was punishable by death. Now that limit has been relaxed, but anything over 500,000 yuan would definitely still carry the death penalty, so Minister Wu will certainly face execution.
But Wang Gebi, who has deceived them all for twenty years, will likely only have her assets confiscated and won't face legal punishment. For someone like Yan Peiheng, who can't tolerate even a speck of sand in his eye, he feels particularly angry inside.
But no matter how angry he is, it's of no use. Commander Tao even advised him not to take too hard a stance, saying he was afraid that if they pushed Wang Gebi too hard, she might throw dirt on him. After all, they were in-laws, and if Wang Gebi were to make wild accusations, claiming she had an affair with Yan Peiheng or some improper relationship, he would have to retire immediately!
Yan Peiheng's bad mood was due to these matters, but it frightened his little granddaughter who was visiting the capital for the first time.
The little girl retreated step by step. Yan Peiheng took a deep breath and tried to force a smile, but he was already tall, and wearing a military uniform. When Yuanyuan looked up, all she saw was her grandfather opening his big mouth, like a giant monster about to eat someone.
Holding her breath, the little girl turned and ran, tears streaming as she fled.
Little Wang, upon seeing his grandfather, also quickly switched off the television with a snap.
In the face of their grandfather's smile, the three children were like lively rabbits, scrambling to dash into the bedroom.
But just then, grandfather's heavy footsteps sounded again. Was he actually chasing after them?
Rushing ahead of each other, the three children hid in the bathroom.
"When is mommy coming back?" Yuanyuan asked, crying.
Little Wang, guarding the door, suddenly heard grandfather grunt. He shrank back in fright but mustered up the courage to say, "Soon, soon."
The capital was so scary. Demobilized soldiers were selling adult films, and their grandfather might eat people. They really wanted to go home.
Chen Meilan was planning to make "oil-splashed" noodles, so she bought some high-gluten flour of the Tianshan brand.
Butterfish is at its best in winter. It can be fried to make a cold dish. Add a slice of pork belly to render the fat, and the meat-flavored oil-splashed noodles would be even more fragrant. She also needed a small piece of cooked beef shank, braised pig ears, and half a spicy-numbing chicken. Along with various fruits, two vegetable baskets were filled to the brim.
On the way, Chen Meilan instructed Yan Zhao to ask Yan Wei about the parents of the little girl they had seen on the bus earlier. She wanted him to invite the girl's father to come have dinner at their home, and also to invite all the leaders from upstairs.
Today, she was going to put all her effort into wrestling 271 from the hands of those leaders.
Yan Zhao planned to go up to the 20th floor to invite the two commanders first, and then find the little girl's parents, but he was doubtful about one thing: "Can you really persuade a group of leaders to hand over 271?"
Chen Meilan took the vegetable baskets and said decisively, "I really can. You go quickly."
Once a fierce "King Yan of the Living," this time Yan Zhao had become clueless.
Because of Wang Gebi, the entire military region was in a state of alarm, and the leaders had unanimously decided not to outsource military factories.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible for Chen Meilan to get 271.
However, by this time Chen Meilan had already entered the house. Yan Zhao let go, and the elevator went up.
He first went to Commander Tao's home.
Inside, his wife was arguing with Commander Tao.
Because of Wang Gebi, not only had Commander Tao lost face, but he also had to immediately step down to a secondary position and be transferred to a nominal department.
If he had really slept with her or visited prostitutes, his wife wouldn't have been so angry. The problem was that he hadn't even touched a hair on her head, which made his wife furious. So tonight, to argue, she had even sent away the housekeeper. With no one to cook at home, Commander Tao readily agreed to come for dinner to avoid the scolding.
Next door to Commander Tao's home was Commander Liu's.
If Commander Tao stepped down, Commander Liu would become the top leader.
As soon as the door opened, Yan Zhao frowned, because the one who opened the door was actually the little girl he had met on the bus earlier.
This little girl's name was Liu Jingjing, and she was indeed Commander Liu's daughter. She folded her arms and smiled, saying, "What a coincidence, uncle. We meet again."
Just then, Commander Liu came over. He recognized Yan Zhao and immediately scolded his daughter, saying, "Don't be disrespectful. He's Yan Wei's younger brother. You should call him Third Brother."
Liu Jingjing found this quite interesting. Yan Wei had fair skin, a gentle personality, and handsome looks. He was a very likable big brother. How could his younger brother look like this? Not only did he look fierce, but his skin was also really dark.
He had a rigid face and was cold and stern.
After confirming that Commander Liu would come down for dinner, Yan Zhao turned to leave. Liu Jingjing followed him into the elevator, smiling and saying, "Uncle, are you sure you're Yan Wei's younger brother? How come you look so much older than him?"
Yan Zhao ignored the little girl and went downstairs to knock on Minister Cui's door. The little girl spoke again, "You're inviting my dad and me to dinner, who's cooking? Is it your wife? I saw her on the bus earlier. You have a very beautiful wife."
Yan Zhao's brow softened slightly: "I'm cooking."
Liu Jingjing was very surprised: "You're a man, and you can cook?"
Yan Zhao didn't answer. Just then, Auntie Cui opened the door, and he went into her home.
Originally, Liu Jingjing wasn't interested in having dinner with a bunch of old men, but when she heard that Yan Zhao, a grown man, was going to cook, she went upstairs to call her father. She planned to go and see how that dark-faced uncle would cook.
Meanwhile, on Chen Meilan's side, the house was quiet, unnaturally quiet for a home with children.
"Dad, did the kids go out to play?" Chen Meilan asked Yan Peiheng.
"They're in your bedroom," Yan Peiheng said.
Chen Meilan had found a comic book vendor in the market today and bought a set of "Doraemon," thinking Little Lang would like it. She took the big stack and pushed open the bedroom door. Yuanyuan's head peeped out from the bathroom door, her eyes blinking: "Mommy, you're finally back."
"Why are you hiding in the bathroom? Come out and play," Chen Meilan said.
The children didn't want to stay in, they were just afraid to come out.
However, Yuanyuan and Little Wang turned out to be even more excited about the comics than Little Lang. Little Wang held the comics, his eyes shining: "Wow, Mom, 'Doraemon'! Thank you for buying this for us."
The two older children snatched them up quickly, each taking several large volumes. Little Lang, who loved reading comics the most, only managed to grab one.
Just then, Yan Peiheng passed by the bedroom door with his hands behind his back.
"Doraemon" is a Japanese comic, and there was Japanese text on the cover.
Although Yan Peiheng tried hard to appear gentle, he couldn't help but say, "Meilan, how could you buy this kind of thing for the children? A Japanese book?"
The children didn't dare to breathe. They hadn't expected that even reading a comic book would make their grandfather angry. They held the books and looked at Chen Meilan.
Chen Meilan smiled and said, "Our TV is a Toshiba, which is also made in Japan. Haven't you been watching it all along?"
Yan Peiheng's TV was issued by his work unit; he had no idea what brand it was.
He only knew that this TV had clear colors, good signal, and no picture lag.
Cursing the Japanese while scrambling for Japanese goods was precisely the norm in Hua Country during this era.
Chen Meilan's retort left the old man speechless, and she couldn't help but laugh herself.
It wasn't that Yan Peiheng didn't want to show affection to his grandchildren; it was that he simply couldn't catch them. He looked past Chen Meilan, wanting to smile at the children, but as soon as he smiled, the children exchanged glances, and in a flash, they lowered their heads and all went back to reading the comics.
Chen Meilan was about to go to the kitchen to prepare the vegetables, but she had to inform the old man first: "Dad, Yan Zhao and I have invited a few uncles from upstairs to have dinner at our place tonight. Does anyone have any dietary restrictions?"
Yan Zhao's son wanted to treat his uncles to a meal, which showed he was sensible and well-behaved. As a father, who wouldn't be proud of such a son? Yan Peiheng was especially pleased and said cheerfully, "They don't have any dietary restrictions. Let Yan Wei help you, and I'll go find a couple bottles of wine."
At that moment, Yan Zhao entered.
Seeing Yan Wei in the kitchen, he said, "Yan Ha has been cooped up at home, right? Second brother, why don't you take the kid out for a bit?"
Yan Wei was stunned for a moment, then looked up and said, "Are you sure?"
This was the reason why the brothers always had poor communication. Yan Wei had always thought Yan Zhao disliked the family next door, so for the sake of brotherly harmony, he had been holding back from visiting Yan Ha.
But Yan Ha was the child he had raised since he was five, carrying him on his shoulders and holding him in his arms. The child had been stuck at home for the past two days, listening to Mi Xue crying next door, with his grandmother and aunt both arrested. The fear he must be experiencing was unimaginable. Yan Wei was worried sick but afraid of upsetting Yan Zhao, so he didn't dare to visit.
Hearing Yan Zhao actually suggest he go see little Yan Ha, he picked out some fruits from the basket. As they passed each other, he said with determination, "Third brother, sleep in my room tonight. Let's have a good talk, brother to brother."
There had always been a lack of trust and communication between the brothers.
But now, they were starting to try and communicate slowly.
Yan Zhao had just finished kneading the dough when Minister Cui arrived early.
Entering and seeing Yan Zhao cooking, he exclaimed, "Oh my! Peiheng has done well in raising his sons. Yan Wei has been doing all sorts of housework since he was little. I thought the third son wouldn't do housework, but I didn't expect he could even cook."
If Yan Peiheng had a tail, it would have been wagging with pride: "He does it even better than Yan Wei."
The old man suddenly remembered something and went into the kitchen: "Third son, your Uncle Cui likes fried peanuts. Make some."
Peanuts go well with alcohol, making the drinking more enjoyable.
Chen Meilan was already rummaging through the cupboards for peanuts, but Yan Zhao frowned, completely ignoring his father's request.
Minister Cui was right there, and Yan Peiheng felt extremely awkward, as if his son had just embarrassed him in front of a colleague.
Chen Meilan found the peanuts and started soaking them in water. She said to Yan Zhao, "If I really manage to convince the old leaders to contract out the military factory today, I have a request for you. Will you try to speak nicely to your father from now on?"
Speaking nicely to his father was Yan Zhao's sore spot. He knew he couldn't do it.
It was meant as a joke, but Yan Zhao truly didn't believe Chen Meilan could convince a group of old leaders. So he simply said frankly, "You accomplish that first, then we'll talk."
When he got angry, his ears would turn red. It was strange - his skin was dark, but his ears would turn pink.
"I'm sure I can do it, but you must also speak nicely in the future. At least don't embarrass your father in front of elders," Chen Meilan argued with her husband.
Yan Zhao slammed the dough onto the cutting board. The bowl, the dough, and the board were all spotless - this man's kneading skills were truly masterful. He raised an eyebrow, looking at Chen Meilan as if challenging her.
In the current situation, he really didn't believe Chen Meilan could accomplish it.
In a blink, Commander Tao arrived, along with Commander Liu and Minister Xu.
Liu Jingjing followed right behind Commander Liu. She peeked into the kitchen and was amazed to see it was indeed the dark-faced uncle from earlier cooking. So she stood at the kitchen door, watching curiously.
When Chen Meilan saw the young girl, she had to marvel again at Yan Zhao's efficiency - it was truly as fast as lightning.
"Oh, it's you. Did that little hooligan hurt you today?" Chen Meilan deliberately asked Liu Jingjing.
Liu Jingjing was a late child. Her mother was 46 when she became pregnant with her. She was 18 this year and had just started working.
The young man she met on the bus today was named Xue Mingfang. He was actually her boyfriend. Because the young man was handsome and had been to the battlefield, Liu Jingjing had even pursued him herself.
Many people in the compound knew about this.
But that's how it is with soldiers. When they wear their uniforms and stand in military formation, they look incredibly handsome, and girls truly like them.
But once they take off the uniform and are discharged, they lose one layer of their halo. If they then go on to sell pornographic films, forget about halos - they become like smelly dog shit. Liu Jingjing discovered today that Xue Mingfang was selling porn films, and she immediately broke up with him. Because he kept pestering her, she felt disgusted and that's why she called for help when she met Yan Zhao on the bus, saying Xue Mingfang was harassing her.
But with the elders present, being suddenly asked about this matter made Liu Jingjing a bit uncomfortable.
Commander Liu became furious: "Jingjing, who was harassing you?"
"No one," Liu Jingjing said awkwardly.
She winked at Chen Meilan, indicating that she shouldn't continue talking about it.
Chen Meilan's main purpose for inviting everyone today was to secure Project 271, so she didn't want to involve an innocent young girl. She changed the subject: "It's not just that guy harassing people today, right? Discharged soldiers have become a cancer on society. Killing, arson, robbery - those who just act like hooligans are considered the good ones."
But as soon as she said this, Yan Peiheng was the first to become furious: "Meilan, what kind of talk is that? How have discharged soldiers become hooligans? Which discharged soldier has killed, committed arson, or robbery?"
Vice Minister Xu, who worked in propaganda, was also angered by Chen Meilan's words and said bluntly: "Your name is Chen Meilan, right? Young lady, there are global statistics showing that among all countries in the world, Hua Country's soldiers have the lowest crime rate after leaving the military."
"What does 'lowest' mean? It means almost no discharged soldiers commit crimes," Commander Tao, who was already in a bad mood, added with a tone full of gunpowder, further infuriated by Chen Meilan's words.
A group of old men gathered at the kitchen door.
It was only because of their good manners that they didn't come in to hit someone.
Yan Zhao was also dumbfounded, staring at Chen Meilan.
Because of Chen Meilan's one sentence, not only could the invited leaders not eat, they were about to explode.
The scene had become a powder keg, almost ready to ignite.
But Chen Meilan wasn't afraid at all. She just gave everyone a knowing smile, as if she had to reluctantly agree with them but definitely didn't concur. That smile represented the perception that ordinary civilians had of soldiers who had to make their own way after being discharged from the military.
It proved that in the eyes of ordinary people, discharged soldiers were hooligans, robbers, arsonists, and murderers - unstable elements in society.
This smile infuriated Commander Liu so much that steam could have come out of his head. He turned to ask his daughter: "Jingjing, quick, tell us, was the person who bullied you today a discharged soldier? He wasn't, right?"
The old men all turned to look at Liu Jingjing together.
Having served in the military for decades, they rarely ventured into society and didn't understand the actual situation out there.
At this moment, what they wanted to defend was the honor and face of Hua Country's soldiers.
They absolutely didn't believe that the soldiers they had trained would go on to harm society and become criminals after being discharged.
Liu Jingjing was extremely uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that she lost interest in watching the dark-faced uncle make noodles.
She stamped her foot, and had to cover her mouth and whisper to her father: "Dad, it's Xue Mingfang. He's actually selling porn films now. He told me it's because his mother is sick, and he had no choice but to do it to make money quickly."
Commander Liu was shocked and took two steps back: "Really?"
Then he asked: "What about his discharge bonus?"
"Who knows? He said he was scammed out of it as soon as he left. Is he an idiot? How could he be scammed so easily?" Liu Jingjing became more angry as she spoke.
But Commander Liu took two more steps back.
He couldn't believe it at all.
His daughter's boyfriend, whom he once thought was a good candidate for a son-in-law, had been scammed out of all his money after being discharged and was now doing such a shameful thing as selling porn?
Selling porn wasn't murder or arson, but it was even more embarrassing for the elders.
Yan Zhao was kneading dough, Chen Meilan was preparing cold dishes, and the old men were now whispering among themselves, exchanging information about the current living situations of those discharged soldiers who had been sent out to make their own way - something they had never discovered before.
Finally, Minister Cui found a chance to justify himself, so he said: "But what can we do? Wang Gebi fooled us for so many years, and isn't it because we only focused on our specialties and didn't understand the economic environment outside? We really didn't expect that soldiers would face such difficulties after being discharged and entering society. Xue Mingfang was a good lad, but now he's selling... selling..." He couldn't say the words "porn films," so he sighed and said, "But now we can't arrange jobs for them. What do you all think we should do?"
As leaders, they felt ashamed and heartbroken that the young talents they had nurtured like children, who had achieved great feats on the battlefield, were now forced to sell pornography to make a living. It pained these fatherly leaders deeply.
Chen Meilan smiled as she watched the group of dejected leaders. After she had her fill, she turned to enter the kitchen, throwing a flirtatious glance at Yan Zhao to signal him to speak, much to his surprise.
Yan Zhao looked at Chen Meilan for a long time, shaking his head slightly before saying: "There are so many military industrial factories across the country that produce safety equipment. If we open them up and hire retired soldiers, we can solve the employment problem just the same."
The old leaders looked at each other, realizing they had come full circle to where they started.
Initially, the military region had planned to contract out military assets, mainly to solve funding difficulties in an era of rapid economic development but shrinking defense budgets.
However, Minister Cui had only been hearing one-sided arguments from those who wanted to acquire the factories cheaply under the table.
"I've heard our military products don't sell well. What if the business isn't profitable and loses money? Will the soldiers be able to get paid?" he asked.
This was Chen Meilan's cue to chime in: "Even counterfeiters can sell fake soap to Auntie Cui. In a market economy, the capable rise to the top. Whoever has the sales skills - just give them the factory and it'll work out."
In today's society, selling products isn't about quality, but about ability and marketing techniques.
In the kitchen, Yan Zhao was still kneading dough, constantly looking back at Chen Meilan.
Indeed, she had done it. She had made these old gentlemen willing to consider contracting out the military factories again.
But how could she manage to get them to give the factory to her?
Yan Zhao was somewhat cunning - if he weren't, he'd probably still be just a local policeman.
But even he couldn't figure out how Chen Meilan would convince the old gentlemen to give her the factory.
Minister Cui was now serious, smiling as he asked Meilan: "Comrade Meilan, I hear you do some business in society. In your opinion, what should we pay attention to in the contracting process?"
Chen Meilan placed some fried peanuts in front of Minister Cui, set out chopsticks, opened a bottle of liquor and poured him a glass before replying: "With reform and opening up, our country is also feeling its way across the river by touching the stones. We're learning as we go. I hear from my Yan Zhao that you want to contract out Factory 271 to Feng Yu as a model factory, employing retired soldiers to solve their job difficulties. You're using Factory 271 as a reform experiment to discover issues in the contracting process, like how to collect contracting fees and maintain large machinery. I think you've already considered everything thoroughly, so there's no need for me to say anything, right?"
Minister Cui popped a peanut in his mouth. Actually, none of this was what he had thought of - it was all Chen Meilan's own ideas. But since she had already said it, he went along: "Yes, yes, that's exactly right."
Feeling their way across the river by touching stones, finding someone to pilot the contracting, gaining experience before large-scale outsourcing.
This way they could follow national policy while avoiding mistakes.
This was what Minister Cui realized, following Chen Meilan's train of thought.
And because Chen Meilan had said these things, and he had heard she was in business, he continued: "Old Yan, you've always praised your daughter-in-law's business acumen. How about this - why don't we have your daughter-in-law oversee and help us with the contracting of Factory 271?"
Yan Peiheng felt something was off.
Why would Minister Cui want Meilan to contract Factory 271? What was he thinking?
Oh right, it was because he had been boasting all along that Meilan was exceptionally good at business.
But this wouldn't do. He couldn't let his daughter-in-law contract Factory 271. He had to refuse.
However, Chen Meilan didn't give him the chance. She smiled and said: "Uncle Cui, don't you also not want Cui Min involved in military business? We're all just worried about our children. My dad favors me and doesn't want me to suffer like this. Why don't you toast him?"
Not only did Minister Cui immediately raise his glass, but all the old leaders rushed to toast Yan Peiheng.
After all, it was just the beginning. They were feeling their way across the river by touching stones, and no one knew yet how profitable contracting military assets would be.
Yan Peiheng had always been known for his impartiality and fairness. This was like pulling him down so that he couldn't be the only one above it all while everyone else made mistakes.
Yan Peiheng still felt something was off.
He even deeply regretted and couldn't understand why he had gone around boasting about how capable his daughter-in-law was.
Now he realized he had shot himself in the foot.
Chen Meilan smiled and turned to enter the kitchen. She checked the pot and asked Yan Zhao in shock: "The water's all boiled away! What have you been doing?"
Yan Zhao was even more surprised than his father. The water had completely evaporated, and he hadn't even put the noodles in.
Chen Meilan had really done it, and it wasn't even her negotiating the contract - the military leaders wanted to give her a factory.
As Yan Zhao refilled the pot with water and stretched the noodles, he said softly: "Thank you."
The Iron-Faced Yan was thoroughly impressed.
Chen Meilan smirked: "No need to thank me. Just know that besides me, no one else would do something this stupid."
"Getting Factory 271 seems good. Why is it stupid?" Yan Zhao, not versed in economics, asked in confusion.
Chen Meilan glared at her husband.
She had to explain it to him.
A businessperson's only goal is to make greater profits.
For Factory 271, contracting it out like Feng Yu planned would mean easy money. But to actually establish proper management systems, accept retired soldiers, and increase contracting fees would benefit the military region and the retired soldiers, while the contractor would earn much less.
Chen Meilan was essentially stripping away the black profits and grey areas of the industry.
If it weren't for seeing Xue Mingfang looking so pitiful, forced to sell porn to pay for his mother's medical treatment, only to be called a hooligan by his girlfriend who broke up with him publicly...
If it weren't for seeing Yan Zhao, for the first time ever, trying to pull strings and leverage relationships for a group of retired soldiers...
She wouldn't bother with such a thankless task.
"Start speaking nicely to dad from tomorrow, okay?" Chen Meilan added.
Yan Zhao didn't understand business, but thanks to Chen Meilan's explanations, he was slowly grasping the dark side of society and the various aspects of economic crimes.
Regarding whether he could speak nicely to Yan Peiheng, the couple had made a bet earlier.
And now Yan Zhao had lost the bet and should accept the consequences.
But under Chen Meilan's gaze, he actually went back on his word, firmly shaking his head: "I can't."
Speaking nicely to Yan Peiheng was something Yan Zhao simply couldn't do.
Just like now, with relatives and friends gathered in celebration, grandchildren running around, a scene of filial piety and family joy - Yan Peiheng was the one enjoying it all.
Even if he felt tremendous guilt and sadness in his heart, even if he constantly proclaimed his love for his wife, Su Wen could never come back to life. Moreover, many people in the capital believed that in Yan Peiheng and Su Wen's relationship, Su Wen was the one who had an affair and betrayed him. Under these circumstances, how could Yan Zhao remain calm? He knew he shouldn't give his father the cold shoulder in front of elders, but wasn't this the consequence of what Yan Peiheng had sown twenty years ago?
If he weren't so quick to take offense and hate evil, he wouldn't be Yan Zhao.
