The Sharpshooter


    These words didn''t anger Liu Xiuying; instead, they made herugh.


    She took Little Lang, weighed him in her arms, then put him down on the ground, saying with a smile, "Men, on my way here, I saw tall buildings, wide roads, and people carrying mobile phones. I thought this country had changed a lot, but it turns out it''s still so old-fashioned. Are you still doing militia training, like the sharpshooter program?"


    She thought the militia hadn''t been disbanded and that Little Lang was a young militia member.


    Little Lang exined, "Grandma, I''m really practicing shooting."


    "Who are you calling grandma?" Liu Xiuying''s face fell.


    As a Beijing native with a thick local ent, she pointed at Little Lang and said, "Men, this child needs some education."


    Chen Men reminded Little Lang, "This is your aunt, you should call her Auntie."


    "Hello, Auntie," Little Lang obediently said.


    The child had only called her grandma because of her oddly colored hair and aged appearance.


    Liu Xiuying nced sideways at Little Lang with a forgiving expression, as if pardoning him for his poor eyesight, then enthusiastically said, "The gifts are all outside in the car,e take a look."


    Little Lang''s hands were scraped, and Chen Men was in no mood to look at gifts.


    She pulled Little Lang close and said, "Sister-inw, if you have something to say, just say it. We don''t need anything, and we won''t ept your gifts."


    Afternding in Beijing, Liu Xiuying had flown directly to Xiping City.


    Throughout her journey, she noticed the abundance of goods in stores, the towering buildings, and the prosperity of the cities.


    But overall, she felt it stillgged behind America.


    Moreover, Liu Xiuying noticed that almost everyone in China seemed to blindly worship America. Jim''s blonde hair had attracted so much attention along the way, simply because everyone envied that he was from America.


    When Chen Men said she didn''t want gifts, Liu Xiuying saw it as mere politeness, pretense, and affectation.


    So Liu Xiuying didn''t think much of it, and she was eager to show off her Jim.


    "Then let''s meet my Jim. Jim,e here," Liu Xiuying called out.


    Jim had already entered the courtyard. The nine-year-old boy clearly had the Yan family features, looking quite simr to Little Lang – round and chubby. His outfit made Chen Men think Liu Xiuying had tried too hard.


    The child wore a ck suit with a white shirt and bow tie.


    September in Xiping City was particrly hot, and sweat was streaming down young Jim''s temples.


    The child looked quite cute, smiling at Chen Men and then at the other children: "Hi!"


    Little Wang was prepared and stepped forward saying, "Hey chicken mom, can you speak Chinese? Let''s have apetition!"


    He felt confident aboutpeting in Chinese with this foreign child.


    But what Little Wang never expected was Jim''s response: "Bro, what are you thinking? As if someone wouldn''t know how!"


    Not only was it perfectly fluent, but it was delivered in a thick Beijing ent.


    Little Wang was shocked that an American-born child could speak Chinese so well.


    He looked back at Yuanyuan, who was wiping her cheeks, saying, "Brother''s embarrassing!"


    Regardless of Liu Xiuying''s true purpose for visiting, her initial intention was to use Jim''s excellence to overshadow the Wang siblings, proving that children raised in America were indeed superior to those raised in China.


    Little Wang had already been put in his ce after just two sentences.


    Liu Xiuying''s pride was evident as she cast a nce at Little Wang, her eyes full of contempt, as if he wasn''t even worthy of shining her son''s shoes. She smiled and said, "Although born in America, Jim''s Chinese is no worse than local children''s. He can even speak Spanish, Italian... Come on, Jim, give your aunt a demonstration."


    Before little Jim could begin his performance, outside, the yellow taxi driver came in, bowing and nodding: "Big sister?"


    "Please call me madam, ordy," Liu Xiuying said haughtily, twisting her neck.


    "Lady? Your bags, shall I carry them for you?" the taxi driver asked.


    "Go ahead, but be careful, handle them gently – they''re all luggage from America," Liu Xiuying said.


    Most taxi drivers in Xiping City were reformed gangsters and prostitutes. This driver hadrge tattoos on his arms, clearly showing his past street life, but before Liu Xiuying, he was extremely deferential, repeatedly saying "yes" and taking small steps as he went to fetch the items.


    They were just ordinary pieces of luggage, some even showing old stains and looking quite dirty.


    But the taxi driver treated them like treasures, carefully carrying them into the courtyard, tiptoeing, and cing them on the well tform, all while bowing and smiling at Liu Xiuying and Jim.


    Chen Men was treating Little Lang''s wounds when she looked up to see Liu Xiuying outside the window, who pursed her lips and looked smugly at the taxi driver,ughing, "Look at how our countrymen behave, everyone''s desperate to go abroad. I''ve gotten used to seeing these fawning faces all along my journey – it''s not an honor, it''s disgusting."


    Chen Men turned away, finished bandaging the wound, and twisted Little Lang''s hand gently: "Does it hurt?"


    If the child was still in pain, it might mean the tendons were injured, which would require a hospital visit.


    "It doesn''t hurt, Mom, I''m all better now," Little Lang said.


    While Liu Xiuying was going through the luggage, Chen Men had just lifted the curtain to go outside when she saw Jim holding Little Lang''s lead bullets, throwing them on the ground and stepping on each one.


    The bullets were made of lead and would break when stepped on. Each one cost fifty cents now, and he had already crushed more than a dozen with his feet.


    "Little fellow, what are you doing? Why are you crushing my child''s bullets?" Chen Men scolded.


    Little Jim first spread his hands, then shrugged, and tossed the remaining bullets back into the box.


    Liu Xiuying turned around when she saw Mene out and enthusiastically called out, "Men,e look! I bought you cosmetics, all luxury brands. Oh, and this bag is designer, and here''s a violin, and these books – world ssics, all read by my sons."


    Chen Men looked at her watch – it was already six o''clock.


    She was getting angry, wondering why Yan Zhao hadn''t returned yet.


    She could barely contain herself anymore.


    Opening another box, Liu Xiuying held out a violin: "Look, this is for your daughter."


    Little Jim stood with his hands in his pockets, looking smug: "This was my violin, but I don''t use it anymore. I have a new one now, a good one that cost 200 dors, given to me by Grandpa Gu."


    The child was cute, but something about his expression made people want to give him a smack.


    Chen Men didn''t ept the items: "Sister-inw, my daughter doesn''t learn violin."


    Liu Xiuying suddenly opened her mouth wide in shock: "Are you stupid, Men? If a child doesn''t learn a musical instrument, it''ll be hard for them to get a visa to go abroad in the future. This is an educational failure – you''re a failed mother, being irresponsible to your child."


    Then she brought out a stack of books, ncing back at Little Wang in the kitchen with augh: "These are all ssics, English versions. If you children can''t read these kinds of books, you''re not worthy of talking to Jim, because your knowledge and cultural level aren''t even on the same ne."


    This woman seemed deaf and blind, talking only to herself, and in a few sentences hadpletely disparaged Chen Men''s entire family.


    Little Wang and Yuanyuan exchanged nces. Even Yuanyuan had to hold her brother back now, as he looked ready to fight Jim at any moment.


    But it did sound impressive – blonde Jim could y the violin and had read so many world ssics. His presence made Little Wang feel inferior for the first time.


    Liu Xiuying then brought out some bags and cosmetics, as well as things like chocte sauce.


    They all appeared to be brand names.


    However, when Chen Men picked up one bag, she noticed scratch marks where a price tag had been removed – clearly these were discounted items bought on sale with the price tags scraped off afterward.


    Evening came, and it was time for dinner.


    Chen Men said, "Little Wang, go with Yuanyuan to wash the rice and steam it."


    Then, she asked Liu Xiuying with patience: "Sister-inw, aren''t you here on business? You must have somewhere to stay tonight. We need to make dinner, so we won''t be cooking for you?"


    "I won''t do it for me," Liu Xiuying smiled, pointing at Jim and said, "But I''ll do it for him. They''re on holiday now. Men, what I''m doing now is sacrificing both myself and Jim. During my business trip, I''ll stay in a hotel, but Jim - I need to leave him at your house. Let him influence your children with his actions, help your children be excellent. Please take good care of him because he''s more outstanding than all three of your childrenbined."


    So she wouldn''t stay in Yanguan Vige but nned to leave Jim behind?


    And she was doing this just to use Jim to highlight how inferior Little Wang and Little Lang were?


    If Chen Men hadn''t lived an extra lifetime and wasn''t now an olddy in temperament, she would have wanted to hit someone.


    But Liu Xiuying remainedpletely oblivious, continuing to show off as she pulled out a paper from her luggage. She smiled again and said, "Men, children can also go abroad, and my sister-inw lives in an apartment building overseas with many rooms. Your little girl - I can not only help her go abroad, but I can even personally take care of her and nurture her."


    She must have something very important to ask of Chen Men; this was clearly using Yuanyuan as bait.


    Chen Men immediately cut her off: "My daughter doesn''t want to go abroad, and I won''t let her go abroad."


    "You''re being foolish. Overseas, children can speak fluent foreignnguages. Jim, say something in English for your aunt to hear," Liu Xiuying said.


    This time Jim didn''t cooperate; instead, he was curiously watching Little Wang washing rice and preparing to steam it.


    Liu Xiuying red at her son and continued, "Our father is getting old, and domestic wages are low, even lower after retirement. I heard he has heart problems. Who will take care of him when he''s older? We need to discuss this, right?"


    First, it was about the children''s future, then about Yan Peiheng''s fate in his old age.


    Liu Xiuying kept throwing out problems one after another, making Chen Men increasingly certain that she must have something extremely important to ask of her.


    Chen Men picked up some celery and began trimming it, saying calmly, "When he''s old, we''ll send him to a nursing home. What else can we do?"


    Liu Xiuying immediately waved her hands in protest: "Third Brother is a filial son, and he works in a government position. For the sake of his reputation alone, he wouldn''t let you send his father to a nursing home. Besides, elderly people are prone to falls. What if he bes paralyzed? Lying in bed, with me not around, wouldn''t you, his daughter-inw, have to take care of all his needs?"


    "I can hire a caregiver," Chen Men said impatiently. "Sister-inw, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Stop beating around the bush."


    Liu Xiuying finally handed over the paper: "This is a visa approval list. My husband and I have been in America for many years but haven''t gotten our green cards because the Immigration Office needs our father''s signature. You have a good rtionship with him; please talk to him and ask him to sign this for me."


    Seeing Chen Men take the document and examine it carefully, Liu Xiuying continued, "Most people in America now are children of high-ranking Chinese officials, and they all have green cards. Only my husband and I are still on temporary visas, making it difficult to find work. With three sons in school, we''re under a lot of pressure. If there''s anyone to me, it''s our father for not approving. It''s one thing to harm us, but he shouldn''t harm his eldest grandson, don''t you agree?"


    It was a copper-te paper, all in English, with a green background and not many words.


    Chen Men had studied English in her previous life, but that was just for exams, and she''d forgotten it all after the tests.


    At the bottom was the word "name," which Chen Men understood.


    Seeing Chen Men''s gaze fall on the word "name," Liu Xiuying quickly said, "Right here, just have our father sign, and it would be best if he could add his personal seal."


    Since Chen Men couldn''t understand it, she didn''t know what this document was, so how could she possibly take it to Yan Peiheng for his signature?


    She returned it to Liu Xiuying: "Sister-inw, I don''t understand this. You should go to father directly."


    "Men, we''re both daughters-inw of this family. Never mind that when father gets old and needs a caregiver, I can help you financially then. My sons are all so excellent; your children will need my children''s support and assistance in the future. To put it bluntly, the way you''re living now..." she gestured around the courtyard, unable to directly say that Men''s family was poor.


    After all, Men''s home had running water, air conditioning, and a television. Though these were all outdated things that had long been reced in America, the house was still well-equipped.


    Then, Liu Xiuying raised her voice and said, "You might not care about Little Wang and Little Lang since they''re not your biological children, but don''t you want your daughter to study drama in America? Even if she returns afterpleting her studies, it would be like gilding the lily. Just going abroad to study wouldpletely change your daughter''s life when she returns - it''s like a carp jumping over the dragon gate, or a wild chicken bing a phoenix."


    Chen Men couldn''t take it anymore. She stood up, still holding the celery, and said, "My children aren''t wild chickens now, and they don''t need to be phoenixes in the future. Sister-inw, if you have nothing else to discuss, please leave. It''s gettingte, and we don''t have a kang bed, so I can''t host you."


    Since Yan Zhao wasn''t back yet, she needed to get rid of this person quickly. This was too annoying.


    Chen Men was a healthy person, but this woman was about to give her heart problems.


    Besides, she still hadn''t finished preparing the ounts for Gu Xiao, and she needed to reconcile ounts with Qi Songlu tonight. She really didn''t have time to entertain this unreasonable woman.


    Seeing Chen Men''s expression change, Liu Xiuying pushed the document forward again, this time speaking more gently: "Just do this favor for your sister-inw. Have our father sign this document. How about this, Men - if you can get our father to sign this, I''ll give you ten thousand US dors..."


    Chen Men didn''t want this thing and was in the middle of pushing back and forth with Liu Xiuying when suddenly they heard little Jim shout: "Fuck! Holy shit, fuck!"


    Looking up, they saw little Jim forcefully pushing Little Lang.


    Even if Chen Men couldn''t understand other English words, "fuck" was an internationally recognized curse word - Little Wang would asionally blurt it out.


    Weren''t they cousins? As the saying goes, even broken bones are still connected by tendons - how could this little Jim start hitting her child as soon as they met?


    "Son, watch your hands!" Liu Xiuying screamed.


    When Jim couldn''t push Little Lang, he actually started kicking, still spewing profanities.


    Little Lang was in a horse stance at the time, being pushed by Jim, but he wouldn''t move if he hadn''t been in the stance long enough - he remainedpletely still.


    Seeing Liu Xiuying jump up to rush over, Chen Men, suspecting she would push the child, quickly followed and shoved Liu Xiuying against the wall: "Get out, leave my house."


    Liu Xiuying became angry too: "Men, this little brat must have provoked my son first. My son would never hit someone without reason."


    When Little Lang took his horse stance, he would remain absolutely motionless.


    Except for the temple arhats, no one could match his stillness.


    Chen Men was confident about this, pointing at the door, she said: "My son wouldn''t hit anyone either. Sister-inw, if you have anything to discuss,e find Yan Zhao tomorrow. I need to cook now, and I''m not entertaining you anymore. Please leave quickly."


    Little Wang also came out from the kitchen, pointing at Jim: "You little bastard, I saw everything with my own eyes. You started it first."


    Little Jim stood there like a fool while everyone else was arguing.


    He just shrugged his shoulders.


    This infuriated Little Wang, who, despite Yuanyuan trying to hold him back, charged forward: "You son of a hen, you little coward, what kind of man hides behind women? Come out and fight! I''ll beat you to death, you fake foreign devil who''s neither Chinese nor American!"


    But just then, Jim said: "Mom, this kid stood still for twenty minutes without moving. I just wanted to test if I could push him over."


    So Little Lang hadn''t moved at all earlier - Jim was just curious and tried to push him.


    He cursed because he couldn''t move him.


    Little Lang made him feel incredulous; he thought Little Lang was like Bruce Lee, that he knew Chinese kung fu.


    "Son, you scared me to death! You must protect your hands - you''re going to be an excellent violinist in the future, understand?" Liu Xiuying embraced her son, making a huge fuss.


    Chen Men was still waving celery to drive people away. Yuanyuan and Little Wang looked indignant, while Little Lang remained absorbed in his own world. Liu Xiuying and her son now wore embarrassed expressions, having failed in their request and being asked to leave.


    However, when Liu Xiuying turned around, she eximed, "Second Brother?"


    A man stood at the courtyard gate wearing a short-sleeved white shirt and ck pants, with a smiling face - it was Yan Wei.


    "Where''s Third Brother? Why hasn''t hee back?" Chen Men asked him.


    Yan Wei said quietly, "Third Brother said there was a sudden case at the bureau, and he couldn''t get away." Then he stepped forward and said, "Sister-inw, since you''re here, we brothers need to ask you something. Was it really you and my eldest brother who gave mother''snd certificate to Wang Gebi?"


    Wang Gebi had once been Yan Wei''s former mother-inw.


    Mn was still his love.


    But Yan Wei knew nothing about this matter.


    They brothers needed to know the truth about how their eldest brother got the oldnd contract from Su Wen and why he gave it to Wang Gebi.


    Wang Gebi had once nearly killed Su Wen with her own hands. Although she was in prison now and reportedly had bone cancer, even with cancer she was still alive and receiving treatment in prison, while Su Wen had long since turned to dust.


    Unlike Yan Wei, who was only 5 when they went to the capital, his eldest brother was 9 then - the same age as little Jim is now. He had witnessed firsthand how Wang Gebi had gotten close to Yan Peiheng.


    To put it bluntly, whenever Wang Gebi cooked, his eldest brother always ate more than Yan Wei.


    When Wang Gebi ndered Su Wen, Yan Wei was too young to understand, but his eldest brother could.


    How could he take their mother''s only property and give it to Wang Gebi? What was he thinking?


    "Mother handed thatnd certificate to your eldest brother herself, so it became ours, and we had the right to dispose of it," Liu Xiuying said matter-of-factly with a bewildered expression. Seeing Yan Wei staring at her intently, she continued, "Second Brother, we spent seven full years in Qinghai, and Father never used his connections to transfer our posts or get us better jobs, nor did he ever give us a penny. And Mother didn''t n for the younger generation''s future either, converting all the family assets into several temples. Since neither of them thought about the family or the children''s future, what could we do? Initially, your eldest brother was prepared to sell the old house to get connections for going abroad, but worried that you two would be unfilial and not give Mother a ce to live in her old age. Unable to bear selling the house, we could only use thend use rights of those temples to make arrangements, got the certificates through someone''s help, and found connections. Unexpectedly, someone was willing to take them, and so we went abroad."


    "So you gave thend certificate to Wang Gebi just to go abroad?" Yan Wei asked.


    Seeing Yan Wei''s reddened eyes, Liu Xiuying quickly waved her hands and said, "It wasn''t like that. We gave it to a military district leader, who probably passed it on to Wang Gebiter."


    Spreading her hands, she added, "They were just a few temples, with no potential ie and worthless, but after we went abroad, we raised several children for the Yan family who are all excellent. Isn''t that good? If Mother''s spirit in heaven knows, wouldn''t she feel proud?"


    After his sister-inw admitted to giving away the temple property, Yan Zhao said this person was beyond saving.


    But Yan Wei, being kind-hearted, always felt his eldest brother and sister-inw must have had their reasons for doing what they did.


    So he was willing to listen to Liu Xiuying''s exnation.


    For him, as long as thend certificate was personally given by Su Wen to his eldest brother and sister-inw, and they hadn''t personally given it to Wang Gebi, he felt somewhat relieved.


    Seeing that Jim''s features resembled his departed Qilin and they were about the same age, he beckoned to Jim: "What can you do? Show uncle?"


    After all, he was a child of the Yan family, and except for that eye-catching blonde hair, the child''s features resembled both Little Lang and Qilin. Yan Wei couldn''t help but like him.


    This was exactly what Liu Xiuying wanted - she hade to showcase her son''s excellence.


    She turned and said, "Jim, y a violin piece for your Second Uncle."


    Jim seemed reluctant to obey his mother, shrugging: "I hate being disyed like an animal by stupid humans. No."


    "y now!" Liu Xiuying shrieked at her son, then continued, "If you could understand English, I''d have my son demonstrate his English proficiency to you. If this ce weren''t so poor that it doesn''t even have aputer, I''d show you how proficiently my American-raised child can use one. Yan Wei, to go abroad, we once begged and pleaded, even knelt before enemies, but I don''t regret it at all, because my children are far more excellent than yours!"


    When she got angry, Jim became frightened and immediately took out his violin from its case, trembling as he began to y.


    The child yed the violin quite well.


    As soon as the violin music started, Chen Men could tell this child had a solid foundation and was an excellent violinist.


    Liu Xiuying was clearly entranced by her son''s performance.


    As the child yed, she pointed at her son and said, "Second Brother, hand on your heart, if we had stayed in this country, in this ce with no freedom, reeking of foul odors, where you have to run to public toilets - could we have raised such a child?"


    The child was ying "Liebesfreud," and Liu Xiuying, with exaggerated gestures, sped both hands toward her son, her eyes fixed on Yan Wei, disying unparalleled pride and sense of achievement.


    Perhaps this was the moment she had been waiting for during her nearly ten years abroad.


    A moment of supreme arrogance and vindication.


    Would she regret it? Of course not - she was overwhelmingly proud.


    Jim was the youngest; her eldest was about to be admitted to West Point, and her second child was studying medicine, destined to be one of America''s highest-paid doctors. Each one was ten thousand times better than the top children in China.


    Of course, this was just her opinion.


    Because at that moment, piano music began flowing from Yuanyuan''s bedroom, harmonizing cheerfully with the violin.Aliali: 674aec4f3f33ac49acb42


    The violin in the courtyard yed melodiously, and the piano from the room was equally impressive.


    Jim was still a child after all. Though he had been holding back tears earlier, hearing someone apanying him on piano from the bedroom, he found his groove and stood outside the bedroom window, ying joyfully.


    Little Wang simply threw open the window, and through it, Yuanyuan could be seen smiling toward the outside, ying while smiling, her fingers flowing across the keys, producing cheerful notes.


    With apaniment, Jim finally overcame the humiliation of being forced by his mother to perform for others, and began spinning in circles in the courtyard.


    Yuanyuan also yed with increasing excitement, the little girl''s hands spreading like swan wings as she yed.


    When the piece ended, Jim peered through the window, and the ck-haired Chinese girl looked back at him.


    She wore a white round-neck tank top, looking exactly like she did when he saw her on TV at Gu Xiao''s house in Singapore - she was an especially adorable little girl.


    Beside him were two very smug Chinese vige kids, and Little Wang even gave him the middle finger.


    But Jim broke into a smile.


    And Liu Xiuying was left dumbfounded!