Yan Peiheng hadn''t known how difficult it was to make milk powder.


    He neither consumed milk powder nor paid attention to that market until today, until Yan Zhao brought it up, and he realized he might have caused another problem for his daughter-inw.


    Chen Men was taking a shower, and the children were already snoring. Late at night, Yan Zhao made porridge and prepared several cold dishes: shredded cucumber with plenty of vinegar, both sour and refreshing, and thinly sliced pig ears also with plenty of vinegar, chewy and increasingly fragrant with each bite.


    These father and son had rarely eaten together when Yan Zhao was young, because Yan Zhao didn''t get along with his grandmother, who often chased him away from the dining table to eat by the main door.


    As for eating alone with his father, it had never happened before.


    When Yan Peiheng was younger, he rarely paid attention to this quiet, taciturn third son. But now, besides feeling genuinely proud of him, Yan Peiheng suddenly discovered he had developed a certain emotion. He had never been afraid of anything, always charging forward in battle, never fearing even the strongest enemies.


    But with Yan Zhao, he somehow felt a subtle fear.


    He was actually somewhat afraid of his own son.


    Yet he couldn''t quite understand where this fear came from.


    This puzzled Yan Peiheng; he became fearful when he saw his son''s displeasure.


    "Did I cause trouble for Men?" he finally asked.


    Seeing his father''s porridge bowl empty, Yan Zhao refilled it: "Yes, milk powder is particrly difficult to produce. If Men takes this on, she won''t be able to make money for five or six years."


    Yan Peiheng sighed: "People nowadays only talk about money. Men loves money too. I''m making her do something unprofitable, so you have the right to be unhappy."


    Yan Zhao suddenly became angry and said, "Dad, regarding Food Factory 81, you didn''t discuss it with Men beforehand and just arbitrarily made her take it on. You''re forcing her to do something she doesn''t want to do. This has nothing to do with whether she loves money or not. Besides, everyone loves money in this era, not just Men. I do too, because this is an era of consumption. Everything requires money. Do you know how much aputer costs? Twenty thousand. My monthly sry is only 680. Even if I don''t eat or drink for two years, I still can''t afford aputer."


    Late at night, faint wisps of steam rose from the porridge bowls.


    The thirty-something son and his sixty-something father gazed at each other.


    The son''s eyes remained sharp and fierce, while the father''s eyes were filled with endless confusion.


    After a long silence, Yan Peiheng suddenly understood why he secretly feared his son. As before, their era had passed, and in the new era, the old ways no longer worked.


    Making milk powder, making quality milk powder, was a great thing that benefited both the country and its people, but it wasn''t profitable.


    In this era, few people pursued honor, and not many people carried mission and responsibility on their shoulders anymore. Everyone was more concerned about money, not because they loved the paper itself, but because houses, cars, and various appliances were what people liked to pursue.


    Just like how they once pursued glory, honor, and carried the sense of national responsibility and mission on their shoulders.


    People''s inner pursuits had changed long ago.


    His pursuits didn''t align with the main theme of this era, yet he was forcing his children to share his ideals - this was why he feared Yan Zhao.


    But even though he understood this, Yan Peiheng wouldn''t waver one bit. After all, his generation had shed blood and tears for the liberation of the new society. Others might change, but since Yan Peiheng held firm to his original intentions, he would never change.


    "No matter what, the milk powder factory must seed. If Men doesn''t want to do it, I''ll voluntarily take a demotion and make it a military district''s self-operated factory. I''ll handle it myself," Yan Peiheng said defiantly.


    Of course, these were just words spoken in anger.


    Now that Commander Liu had been removed, he would take over.


    He had filed charges against Yan Jun, advocating for immediate arrest, forming a contrast to Commander Liu''s attitude of protecting his children. When this was reported upward, he would surely be promoted another step and eventually join the Military Commission.


    Even if he wanted to, the country wouldn''t let him simply run a milk powder factory.


    It was already midnight. Yan Zhao was busy washing dishes in the kitchen.


    Yan Peiheng sat on the balcony, watching the scattered lights outside the window.


    When people get old, they be greedy, fear death, and can''t sleep - mainly because when they close their eyes, they see their wife, daughter, and happy times from the past, making their hearts ache.


    Soon after, seeing that Yan Zhao had finished washing the dishes and dried his hands, he walked to Chen Men''s bedroom door but didn''t enter. He stood at the doorway, listening. Chen Men was sleeping squeezed together with Little Lang and Yuanyuan tonight. None of them were snoring - what could he hear?


    Suddenly, Yan Zhao smiled and shook his head, turning to go to the bathroom.


    The past was vivid in his mind. When Yan Peiheng was young, his wife often didn''t like him being too clingy, preferring to sleep with the children. He too would often get up in the middle of the night and stand outside his wife''s door to listen.


    Perhaps just shallow breathing, or the sound of his wife tucking in the children, would make him smile genuinely. When people are young, happiness is that simple.


    But thinking of this made him think of Yan Wei, his eldest son, who was once held, touched, and kissed in their arms, the son in whom they had ced their greatest hopes.


    Sincest year, not only had he not made a single phone call, but for any matter, he actually had Gu Xiao ry messages to him, his father. Today was already the 7th, and on the 9th he would return to the country, and uponnding, he would immediately be taken into police custody. After not seeing each other for ten years, Yan Peiheng still couldn''t understand how his son had be what he was today.


    Oh right, there was also Mike.


    When he was little, he was called Yan Lu, and was the grandson Yan Peiheng loved even more than Little Wang and Little Lang.


    Back then, Yan Peiheng was still young, not as steady or rather slow as he was now. Whenever he went out, he would always carry little Mike on his shoulders.


    When Mike got into West Point, Yan Peiheng felt secretly proud, thinking his grandson was doing well.


    But recent intelligence said that although he had entered West Point, he had taken a leave of absence due to three suicide attempts.


    The child was only 17, not even an adult yet. Why would he choose such a cowardly act as suicide?


    What had happened to that child?


    The old man sat on the balcony, sleepless all night.


    Early the next morning, while Chen Men was still rubbing her eyes, Secretary Mao brought the military district''s logistics department head Wang.


    This was like pushing a duck onto the perch. Originally, receiving Gu Xiao was supposed to be Zhang Xiangming''s job, but now Chen Men had to do it, and Director Wang needed to coordinate with her.


    "Professor Gu will arrive the day after tomorrow. We originally arranged to use Commander Liu''s car, and two streets outside the military district will be under security lockdown. We''ve already coordinated this with the police station..." Director Wang was saying when Chen Men interrupted him: "Why do we need to lock down the streets?"


    "Professor Gu made the request. He wanted a weing ceremony, and he specifically asked for the street to be locked down because he likes quiet and dislikes noise," Director Wang exined.


    Gu Xiao was someone who could take treating people differently based on their status to the extreme.


    Chen Men was his money-printing machine, so he was extremely friendly to her, never skimping on new mobile phones and various bonuses. But when Zhang Xiangming tried to curry favor with him to get money, he became imperious, trying to make the entire military district lose face through Zhang Xiangming by making excessive demands whenever possible.


    "We''ll find cars from Factory 81 for the reception. As for the security lockdown, that''s not allowed. Notify the police station to cancel everything. Book rooms at the August First Hotel, three rooms first with one more reserved, refund the excess or make up the difference if needed," Chen Men said.


    Director Wang was stunned for a good while before saying, "Alright." Then he asked Chen Men, "If we do it this way, can we secure the investment?"


    "I don''t know, but if we really want to make milk powder, we must do it this way," Chen Men said.


    The change in leadership at Food Factory 81 meant that Gu Xiao''s desire to take over the factory alone could bepletely forgotten, but he was still the major shareholder of 271. Chen Men herself had no money, and to take over the food factory, she still needed to use 271. If Gu Xiao didn''t approve Chen Men''s investment, she would have no choice.


    So after changing the reception arrangements, Chen Men herself wasn''t sure if she could win over Gu Xiao.


    For the sake of food safety, and to ensure Yuanyuan and Little Lang could drink reliable milk powder produced by their own family, she had to win over Gu Xiao.


    Director Wang looked at Chen Men and suddenly smiled, "The milk powder business isn''t easy these days. It''s even harder to make something you''d dare feed your own children. You focus on production, and when the timees, my grandson will drink our milk powder."


    "Alright," Chen Men replied.


    With urgent matters at hand and seeing it was almost eleven o''clock, Chen Men needed to take Little Wang to register.


    Yan Peiheng waste to work today due to feeling unwell, so he left home with Little Wang.


    Hearing that Little Wang had ced second in the Xiping City Math Olympics, he was quite surprised. At the elevator, he reached out to ruffle the boy''s head, saying, "You''re growing up now. It''s time to focus and study seriously."


    Little Wang, wearing a white tank top and long pants, was tall and lean. He tilted his head to dodge his grandfather''srge hand.


    After leaving the elevator, Yan Peiheng went to work.


    Little Wang and Chen Men needed to go to the exam venue at Capital Third Middle School.


    The bus wasn''t crowded at this time, with two empty seats avable.


    Little Wang sat down and confidently told Chen Men, "I''m definitely going to get first ce."


    "That''s the spirit, but it''s okay if you don''t get first ce. The national Math Olympics has many hidden talents. Keep a calm mindset and don''t be too nervous," Chen Men said.


    Little Wang had been nervous for an entire month, and Chen Men worried he might break down if he stayed tense any longer.


    "By the way, Mom, that wholesale market of mine, isn''t the rent sixty thousand now?" Little Wang suddenly asked.


    Chen Men calcted and said, "Sixty-four thousand eight hundred. Why?"


    Pointing to his nose, Little Wang said seriously, "Look at me, do you think I''ve grown up?"


    At twelve years old, the boy hadn''t developed an Adam''s apple yet, but his bone structure was changing. At first nce, he really looked like a young man, with phoenix eyes and slightly dark skin. When he smiled, he had a bit of a mischievous look.


    "You''ve really grown up. Our Little Wang is a young man now," Chen Men said.


    Little Wang continued, "You remember that person I met yesterday, right? He said he''s about to start apany and needs about sixty to seventy thousand in investment. He wants me to join as a partner, I thought..."


    "You''re still young, and he''s just a child too." Chen Men never expected Little Wang would take a young scammer''s words seriously, so she said, "If you want to do business, fine, but you must wait until after you graduate from university."


    Little Wang bit his lip and looked at Chen Men for a moment, then said, "I promise I''ll get first ce this time, but let me meet him one more time. If ites to investing money, I''ll bring him to meet you and Dad, okay?"


    How could a scammer the same age as Little Wang have such power to convince him to invest over sixty thousand?


    This scammer was practically delivering himself to them, Chen Men decided. When hees with Little Wang to meet Yan Zhao, she''d let Yan Zhao catch him.


    Soon, they arrived at Third Middle School. With the household registration book and Chen Men''s ID card, they could line up for the admission ticket.


    It was July, with the sun directly overhead, and the air felt like flowing mes.


    Seeing the line stretched for at least several hundred meters, Little Wang said, "Mom, you wait in the shade under the tree. I''ll line up myself."


    "Be careful not to get lost," Chen Men said.


    Just then, a basketball identally bounced their way from the basketball court. Little Wang caught it with one hand and threw it back, calling out, "If you get lost, stay where you are, and wait for me to find you."


    He was only 12, where did he get the confidence to think he''d need to find his mother if she got lost?


    It was hot, and there were vendors selling cold drinks outside the school gate. Chen Men went out to buy herself an ice cream and a bottle of Coke for Little Wang. While eating and waiting, she suddenly heard a familiar voice: "Dabao, why don''t you go yourself..."


    "Oh Mom, I love you, I''ll take care of you when I grow up. You line up, please. I''m too hot, I can barely walk!" a boy said.


    Chen Men was very familiar with Lu Dabao''s voice, but having not seen him for many years, she almost didn''t recognize him at first nce.


    The 12-year-old boy, Lu Dabao, weighed at least 130 pounds, round and fat, with legs like an elephant''s. Beside him, Zhou Xueqin was slim and graceful. They were about the same height, looking like a cucumber next to a fat winter melon.


    They were also here to register. Zhou Xueqin held an umbre, looking at the line stretching hundreds of meters, and rolled her eyes, saying, "After how your father treated me, and I''m still so good to you. Dabao, you better not disappoint me in the future."


    "Mom, don''t worry. I don''t even remember what my birth mother looks like anymore. You''re the only one in my heart. When I grow up, you''ll be the first person I take care of," Lu Dabao''s sweet talk sounded oddly familiar.


    Zhou Xueqin finally stepped forward to line up.


    Lu Dabao waddled to the shade, his gaze falling on Chen Men. After looking for a while, he said, "Auntie, you look familiar."


    Chen Men smiled but didn''t speak.


    Lu Dabao slowly went outside the school gate and returned shortly with fourrge ice creams and two bottles of Coke.


    Taking alternating sips of Coke and bites of ice cream, soon only one ice cream was left. The boy had practically eaten them one after another.


    Chen Men couldn''t help but ask, "Young man, is that Coke for your mother?"


    The ice cream was melting quickly and needed to be eaten fast, but the Coke could be drunk slowly, so there was still a bottle and a half left.


    Lu Dabao looked at the unopened bottle, suddenly opened it, and tilted his head back, drinking it all in one go.


    Spreading his hands, he said, "My mom never drinks Coke or has cold drinks." Then he added, "Auntie, I do know you, don''t I?"


    "No, you don''t," Chen Men said.


    Mountains may move, but one''s nature is hard to change. This child loved to eat by himself in his previous life, and it was the same in this one.


    He was already so overweight, yet he couldn''t even spare a bottle of Coke for Zhou Xueqin. How could he possibly take care of her in the future?


    As if.


    Zhou Xueqin had always been crafty. She would ask questions here and there, iming to know various people, weaving and cutting through the line. In just ten minutes, she had made her way to the front and finished registering.


    Under the scorching sun, even though it was just a few hundred meters, for a woman in high heels, it felt like walking through purgatory.


    Finally making it to the shade, Zhou Xueqin suddenly focused her eyes: "Men?"


    Looking around, she asked, "What are you here for?"


    "Something to do. Your son is here for the exam?" Chen Men said.


    Zhou Xueqin hugged the bear-like Lu Dabao, rubbing her cheek against his, smiling as she said, "He ced second in the preliminary round at Second Middle School. Most children couldn''t achieve such a score. If he can get into the top three two more times, he''ll be guaranteed admission to Peking University or Tsinghua University."


    "That''s really impressive," Chen Men said.


    Zhou Xueqin then turned back, scanning the long line, probably wondering if Chen Men was here with Little Wang. However, looking over the crowd, she couldn''t find him.


    After thinking for a moment, she shook her head with a smile, feeling her thought was absurd. How could the troublemaker from the previous life possiblye to take the Math Olympics in this life?


    She automatically assumed it must be Yuanyuan who was taking the exam, so she said, "Men, we''re like sisters. If your daughter is taking the Math Olympics, my son can tutor her. Though he''s chubby, he''s very smart."


    "We''ll see. My child is doing very well too, second ce in all of Xiping City," Chen Men said.


    Zhou Xueqin thought Chen Men was bragging about her daughter. Chen Men wasn''t interested inparing, but Zhou Xueqin couldn''t help feeling bitter, especially since Lu Jingyu had recently moved hispany to the capital and immediately started an affair with his secretary.


    What made it worse was that Zhou Xueqin had heard rumors but couldn''t find any evidence, which drove her crazy.


    Inparison, although Yan Zhao was awkward, at least he didn''t have a wandering eye.


    Even that incident with Liu Jingjing, because it involved General Liu''s downfall, Zhou Xueqin had always suspected that Liu Jingjing might have framed him.


    So from this perspective, Zhou Xueqin wasn''t as fortunate as Chen Men.


    Sighing, she felt dejected and wanted to leave quickly. Her gaze inadvertently swept across the basketball court, where she saw a tall, thin boy with a crew cut wearing a white tank top. She watched as he dribbled the basketball towards the hoop, ran up, jumped for ayup, and dunked, hanging from the rim, causing a group of children to whistle in amazement.


    Vaguely, she thought the boy looked a bit like Little Wang.


    The youth running with the wind was sunny and vibrant,pletely different from the fat, sluggish Lu Dabao.


    But Zhou Xueqin quickly dismissed the thought - could Little Wang even y basketball? No way.


    In his previous life, he was good for nothing except selling adult films from a street stall and running from the police.


    What a worthless person!


    He felt such envy - who was that young man? Just seeing his back view was enough to stir up genuine admiration.


    She turned and left, apanied by the chubby and sticky Lu Dabao.


    After she left, Little Wang finally jumped down from the basket and ran toward the school wall.


    Chen Men also stood on tiptoes to look outside, and saw Zhou Xueqin driving away in her Passat.


    As children grow up, many things don''t need to be said - Little Wang and Chen Men had reached an unspoken understanding.


    Running back, he took the c and tilted his head back, gulping it down in one go. Then he took Chen Men''s bag and silently followed her onto the bus.


    The weather was hot, and the bus was as stuffy as a gas tank, with an unbearable stench.


    Spotting a window seat, he secured it first before calling Chen Men over to sit down.


    As soon as Chen Men sat down, an elderlydy patted her hand and said, "It''s rare to see such filial children these days. He knows to save you a seat - other kids just sit themselves while their parents stand."


    "Yes, my son is extremely filial," Chen Men smiled as she replied to the elderlydy.


    When children are good, they must be praised in front of others.


    Sure enough, after this praise, although Little Wang turned his head to look outside, his smile couldn''t have been wider.


    The next day he had an exam, and since he knew the way, he didn''t need Chen Men to apany him - he went by himself.


    Before leaving, Little Wang specifically told Chen Men: "Don''t worry, I''ll avoid Zhou Xueqin and her son. They won''t see me."


    For Little Wang, as long as Zhou Xueqin, his birth mother, was alive and healthy, that was enough.


    Once she had avoided Little Wang like the gue, and now, Little Wang deliberately avoided appearing in front of her too.


    By the third day, it was time for Gu Xiao''s arrival. Yan Jun and Mike, along with Gu Xiao''s group, had a flightnding at 4 PM.


    Chen Men had arrived in the capital on Wednesday, and today was Saturday. Government offices only worked half days, and the Party School was also on break. So, Chen Men, along with Hu Xiaohua, the legal representative of Food Factory 81, was going to pick up Gu Xiao, while Yan Zhao was ordered by Yan Peiheng to pick up Yan Jun.


    Before Yan Peiheng called to arrange the car, nobody except Yan Zhao believed he was serious.


    But early that morning, Yan Peiheng had notified the military court to send military police with Yan Zhao to pick up Yan Jun at the airport.


    The military region had just received a new vehicle, a Warrior, assigned to the First Commander.


    This was also the new era''s wartimemand vehicle.


    This was the car assigned to pick up Yan Jun.


    Hu Xiaohua drove Food Factory 81''s old Jeep, though he had polished it until it looked brand new.


    With the two cars one after another on the road, Chen Men needed to have a good discussion with Hu Xiaohua. After all, the reception staff had changed, and so had the car - the old Jeep''sfort level was far inferior to the Warrior. When the time came, it would depend on Hu Xiaohua''s ability to tter, otherwise, Gu Xiao might get angry seeing Chen Men again and storm off.


    "Don''t worry, sister-inw. Leave Professor Gu to me. When we meet, I''ll handle him," Hu Xiaohua said confidently. "No one can stay angry at a smiling face. I guarantee that once he meets me, he won''t be able to get angry."


    ...


    Meanwhile, on Gu Xiao''s side, since there had been no contact these past few days, they truly didn''t know that the reception staff had already been changed.


    Yan Jun and Gu Xiao were traveling together, but they weren''t sitting together - Yan Jun was sitting with Yan Dongxue.


    In fact, Yan Jun and Gu Xiao were quite unfamiliar with each other.


    Although Yan Jun and his wife had maintained contact with Gu Xiao since moving to America, the liaison had always been Liu Xiuying, not Yan Jun. At most, he would asionally make a phone call, but beyond that, he rarely interacted with Gu Xiao.


    For this trip, he had only arrived in Singapore yesterday, and had declined Gu Xiao''s invitation, staying at a hotel instead.


    They had only just met before boarding today.


    To outsiders, Yan Jun''s life seemed perfect - three sons, the eldest at West Point, the second studying at medical school with straight As, and Jim frequently publishing articles in various school journals and magazines.


    In terms of education alone, he was already a model example of sessful overseas life.


    Today, as soon as he boarded the ne, he gave Yan Dongxue a book - a philosophy text in English.


    At first, Yan Dongxue thought it was an old book, until she opened the title page and saw "Joan Yan" along with Yan Jun''s photo. She was stunned for quite a while before saying, "Big brother, this book was actually written by you?"


    Yan Jun smiled rather bitterly: "After a lifetime of academic research, I''ve only published this one book. However, Grinnell College recently sent an invitation for me to be a Lecturer, teaching philosophy."


    Since Liu Xiuying had always said that Yan Jun was at home raising the children, Yan Dongxue thought he was just an ordinary house husband. She never imagined that he had not only published a philosophy book but could also be a professor in America.


    "The royalties for such a book must be considerable?" Yan Dongxue asked.


    Yan Jun smiled bitterly again: "Not much, eighty thousand dors."


    "That''s already quite a lot. Why not use it to buy a big house? I heard your living conditions aren''t very good," Yan Dongxue said.


    Although they lived in a white neighborhood, they were renting from a Chinese family and had to cook and clean for them to reduce the rent. As a result, Yan Jun had endless housework every day, practically like a servant.


    Getting a bigger house was his urgent priority.


    However, Yan Jun said: "No, no, this money must be returned in full to my father. This is to repay him and my mother for raising me."


    As the saying goes, men fear choosing the wrong career as women fear marrying the wrong man. Yan Jun was born loving philosophy, yet he joined the military instead. As his father''s least favorite and least sessful son, Yan Jun''s military career went nowhere.


    He hadn''tpletely given up on himself though. During his years in America, besides educating his children, he never gave up his philosophical research, writing several specialized works hoping to publish them. But being Chinese andcking sufficient academic credentials, he was constantly shelved by publishing houses. It wasn''t until this year, when Yan Peiheng threatened to sever their father-son rtionship if he didn''t return to China, that Yan Jun became desperate. Just six months ago, at one publishing house, he had a huge argument with the editor-in-chief responsible for manuscript review, calling them stupid andpletely ignorant about philosophy. He thought that would be the end of any chance to publish his work.


    Unexpectedly, a few days after the argument, the publishing house agreed to publish his book.


    Moreover, as soon as the book came out, he received lecturer invitations from several schools.


    At that time, Yan Jun thought, with his son at West Point and himself publishing a philosophy text in America, he would return to China in glory, showing his father who had never loved him what he had achieved in America.


    Previously, he had sold everything of Su Wen''s to go abroad, but now with the royalties, he could give Yan Peiheng a hundred thousand dors, which he felt was enough to repay the debt he owed in front of his mother.


    So at that time, Yan Jun felt no psychological burden and was rather proud of himself.


    But when fate ys tricks on people, it''s utterly impossible to defend against.Aliali: 674df8b98ee49abd4e65fbd9


    Mike, who had gotten into West Point, had attempted suicide three times in these three months, and subsequently, West Point had him take a leave of absence for treatment of severe depression.


    Liu Xiuying, still in China, thought Mike was just being dramatic - how could a sunny, handsome boy who was 1.8 meters tall get depression? She thought he was just bored.


    She kept calling, asking Yan Jun to find connections, to try bribing West Point officials to see if they could let the child return to school, because it affected their family''s green card status.


    Initially, Yan Jun thought the same way.


    How could the cheerful, sunny, optimistic Mike have depression? How could he want tomit suicide?


    But just the day before yesterday, when he wasn''t home, Mike had attempted to slit his wrists again, and this time he had nearly seeded in meeting his maker.


    Only then did Yan Jun realize his son was serious.


    Currently, Mike was still undergoing psychological therapy.


    Yan Jun particrly couldn''t understand it. Unlike Yan Peiheng''s rough approach to raising children, he had given his children so much love, sacrificing his own life for ten whole years, taking care of their every need - food, clothing, shelter, transportation - letting the children focus solely on their studies without worrying about anything else.


    Why would Mike still be depressed?