The phone was ringing, and Little Wang and Jim both rushed to answer it.
It was Yan Wei calling to share the good news. His daughter had just been born, weighing seven pounds and two ounces, a healthy and plump baby girl. The couple had just named her Bei Bei.
This was indeed a joyous asion.
Yan Peiheng''s third generation had only produced grandsons until now, so the arrival of a granddaughter was a cause for great celebration. The old man held the old nket in his hands, staring at the photograph of histe wife on the table, tears streaming down his face.
But the day''s good news didn''t end there.
In the morning, Yan Zhao reported to the capital''s public security bureau and led them to the small house where the assassin had nned to ambush Gu Xiao, finding crucial evidence. By the afternoon, the capital''s public security bureau had arrested the international assassin who had been wandering around.
Gu Xiao was no ordinary figure. As the world''srgest international waste processor, if something happened to him in Hua Country, not only would his shareholders cause trouble and seek redress from Hua Country, but his business partners would also do the same. As a billionaire with political ties in Southeast Asia, his case was marked by the Ministry of Public Security, making it a diplomatic issue.
And it was finally solved, thanks to Yan Zhao.
Poor Yan Zhao, who had worked diligently all his life, had reached the capital''s public security bureau on foot in his previous life when he was already 54 years old. But this time, at just 34, he was already being closely watched by the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security due to the Gu Xiao incident.
It was 1992, and Hua Country had just joined the United Nations Peacekeeping Police Force, preparing to send peacekeeping police to a country in Southeast Asia to represent Hua Country in international peacekeeping efforts. This was the first batch of peacekeeping police, each one a carefully selected elite from across the nation.
They were due to depart in just two weeks.
However, one of the deputy captains of a squad had been injured during training and was unable to go. The team was now in urgent need of a deputy captain, and there was no time to screen and train someone from across the country.
The leaders of the Ministry of Public Security were in a frenzy, trying to figure out where to find such a person.
That''s when Yan Zhao, who had served on the battlefield for four years and had effectively managed a small public security bureau in Xiping City gued by gangs and hooligans, suddenly came to their attention. There was no time to lose.
So, the leaders immediately made a decision to recruit him.
That evening, the big shot Yan Zhao took a reception ticket from his father''s drawer and happily booked a room at the Bayi Hotel. He also put the ck tea bags he had brought from the International Hotel into cups, prepared hot water in advance, and quietly bought two boxes of condoms since the Bayi Hotel did not provide them. He even made a deal with the front desk that as long as there were spare rooms when soldiers came on official business, he could stay there at any time. He had nned everything meticulously, intending to use up the two boxes of condoms during his stay in the capital.
But just as he was setting up a cozy nest for a long night of conversation with Men, the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security showed up at his hotel room.
The rascal had single-handedly moved two single beds together, spread a circle of roses on the bed, brought his own slippers, mattress, and pillow—the pillow was actually Yan Peiheng''s buckwheat pillow, which he had stolen. He thought it would be morefortable than the soft pillows provided by the hotel.
Then, Yan Peiheng himself led the leaders of the Ministry of Public Security into the room.
Not to mention what Yan Peiheng thought when he saw his buckwheat pillow in the middle of the bed.
Yan Zhao was arranging the roses, feeling so embarrassed that she almost wanted to burrow into the ground.
Time was of the essence, and the others had already trained for three months. Yan Zhao, joiningte, had to rush through training immediately; otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to handle thenguage, living conditions, shooting, or closebat in the politically turbulent country. Not to mention peacekeeping, he might not even be able to protect himself.
He had to say goodbye to his wife and children.
Married for five years, this was their first separation. With the leaders chasing after him, poor Yan Zhao only had time to exchange a few words with Men and lightly pat his two sons on the buttocks before leaving abruptly.
The buckwheat pillow was taken back by Yan Peiheng.
And in another two weeks, by the end of August, Chen Men would also have to take the children back to Xiping City.
Old people''s favoritism was trulyughable.
Yan Peiheng had unterally transferred the ownership of the small red building to Chen Men. It was said to be where the Soviet missile experts had lived, and the decoration was still fashionable even by today''s standards.
But it wasn''t for Chen Men herself; it was to be given to Yuanyuan as a dowry. Chen Men didn''t object, but she didn''t go to see it or live there.
As for the high-rise building, it should have been Yan Wei''s by right.
But not only did the old man not give it to Yan Wei, but when Jim was about to return to the United States, he told him, "If you ever feel the United States isn''t good,e back immediately. This house will always be your home, and Grandpa will always be waiting here for you."
Jim was, of course, delighted.
He even suggested to Chen Men that she should buy a few bunk beds as soon as possible because his two brothers would being back soon, and the house would be too small to amodate them.
Yan Jun was indeed not sentenced to prison. Despite Yan Peiheng''s strong objections, the court released him on the spot. After his release, the family, with a deportation order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, had to return to the United States.
Although the old man didn''t want them anymore, Liu Xiuying and Yan Jun were overjoyed, their mouths unable to close. Liu Xiuying was so happy that she was almost incontinent. A house in the capital, 30% of the shares in arge dairy factory—in today''s booming economy of Hua Country, were they at a loss? Not at all, they were making a fortune!
In contrast, Yan Wei only got 10% of the shares, and he didn''t even have a home in the capital. How pitiful!
But the old man didn''t leave Yan Wei with nothing. When Chen Men was about to return home, he gave her the small nket and asked her to take it back to Yan Wei, saying it was something more precious to him than the house.
The nket had wrapped around four of his children, and he wanted Yan Wei to use it for his daughter, believing it carried the blessings of his children.
From the old man''s perspective, it seemed fair.
The eldest son had been unjust and was driven away, while the second son had a daughter, so he gave him his most precious possession.
But emotions aside, modern people value material things the most. The eldest son''s children would upy the high-rise building, while Yan Wei, at 40, had a new child but only got a small nket. How heartbroken must he be?
And even if the nket was precious, could itpare to a house in the capital''s first-ss family quarters, with no property fees, heating fees, no shared areas, a practical area of nearly 150 square meters, located in the bustling city center?
Chen Men couldn''t interfere with the ownership of the house, but just taking a small nket, she feared Yan Wei would explode with anger.
So she bought some new swaddling cloths, baby clothes, and several boxes of imported baby diapers and form from the foreign trade store.
When she returned to Xiping City and saw Yan Wei, she told him that all these were bought by Yan Peiheng for the child.
Yan Wei also remembered the nket, as he had been wrapped in it when he was a child.
But when he heard that Gu Xiao had carried it with him everywhere in Southeast Asia for twenty years, Yan Wei didn''t want to use it for his child.
Who knew how many bacteria were on it?
So, although he symbolically wrapped the baby in it, he didn''t want it and immediately asked Chen Men to take it away.
A burnt, patched-up nket couldn''tpare to diapers that could save Yan Wei from washing several cloth diapers.
Nor could itpare to the soft swaddling cloths, baby clothes, and imported form from the foreign trade store.
Without these things, Yan Wei would have hated his father to death.
And that small nket, Chen Men took it home and eventually stored it away.
Upon returning to Xiping City, the children continued their studies, while Chen Men reced Xue Mingfang in the capital to focus on boosting the performance of 271. Of course, the dairy factory was extremely challenging. From the initial setup of workshops and production lines, to sourcing suitable milk sources nationwide, signing long-term supply contracts, breeding dairy cows, and thenmencing production, obtaining approval from quarantine and inspection authorities, and conducting clinical tracking experiments, the preparatory phase alone took a lengthy two years. The initial 900,000 yuan was insufficient, and by mid-1993, the funds had been exhausted. Chen Men had no choice but to mortgage the entire factory to the bank, securing a loan of 1 million yuan to continue production.
It wasn''t until the end of 1994 that all the necessary approvals werepleted, the products were packaged, and the two-year clinical tracking experiments finally yielded results.
With over a million yuan in debt to the bank, Chen Men was now preparing to head to the capital to start selling infant form.
Although she frequently traveled to the capital over these two years, this time, Chen Men intended to stay there permanently.
Not only her, but also Little Wang, Yuanyuan, and Little Lang, she nned to bring them all to the capital for their education.
Firstly, Yan Zhao was about toplete his two-year peacekeeping mission and would soon return.
Upon his return, the Ministry of Public Security would certainly not allow him to return to Xiping City, but rather keep him in the capital.
His records and qualifications were no longer fit for the small pond of Xiping City.
Moreover, the long-distance separation was not easy to endure. Without Yan Zhao, the household chores expert, despite employing a nanny, the house always felt messy, something Chen Men couldn''t stand.
Additionally, the production at 271 was smooth, with a capable team of sales personnel. Even in the capital, Chen Men could oversee the factory remotely. For the loans currently owed by the dairy factory and for the education of her children, she had to shift her life focus to the capital.
At this moment, Chen Men had just finished her work, concluded a meeting, and was preparing to drive home.
In the corridor, she encountered Qi Songlu.
Qi Songlu nned to hitch a ride home with Chen Men, and as soon as she got in the car, she asked, "Boss, you mentioned that your father-inw''s house in the capital only has three bedrooms, right? I heard that John is still there now. If I bring my child, will we have enough space?"
"My father-inw also has a small building with plenty of space. We''ll move the kids there." Chen Men replied.
Qi Songlu would also be apanying Chen Men to the capital this time.
One reason was to help Chen Men audit the ounts of Food Factory 81, and the other was to let Yan Peiheng meet his little granddaughter.
These past two years, Yan Peiheng had been too busy to visit Xiping City, and Yan Wei and Qi Songlu, due to their dissatisfaction with the housing situation, had dyed bringing their child to the capital. This time, they were finally forced to make the trip.
Qi Songlu knew about the small red building. Although it was old, its prime location made it valuable, especially in today''s soaring property market where a square meter in the capital could cost three to four thousand yuan.
"I heard it''s a big mansion. Did the old man give it to you?" Qi Songlu asked.
Regarding the small red building, Chen Men had always had a different n from her father-inw, but since it hadn''t been finalized, she didn''t like to make empty promises.
Last year, 271 factory achieved its first dividend. Gu Xiao received 250,000 yuan, Chen Men 270,000 yuan, and Cui Min 70,000 yuan.
Upon receiving the dividend, Chen Men immediately instructed Hu Xiaohua to purchase a school district house in a prime location in the capital for 270,000 yuan, 90 square meters, using Qi Songlu''s ID card.
Due to theplexities of transferring ownership of an old house, it wasn''t until this year that the process waspleted.
Now that the house had been transferred and Qi Songlu was about to head to the capital, Chen Men could finally discuss the matter.
She said, "The old man gave the small red building to Yuanyuan, and I epted it on her behalf. But the old man originally mentioned that giving the house to Yuanyuan would be unfair to you, so he asked me to allocate some money to buy you a 60-square-meter house aspensation. Since 60 square meters is too small, I bought you a 90-square-meter one, using your ID card. That house is now yours. Don''t be picky about the size; it''s a school district house with a high price per square meter, but it''ll be convenient for your child''s education. Besides, for three people, I think 90 square meters is sufficient. You know how tight my finances have been these past two years due to the dairy factory, so, is this okay?"
After hearing this, Qi Songlu was stunned for a long time before saying, "That''s impossible. You need an ID card to buy a house."
"I often use your ID card," Chen Men retorted.
Qi Songlu was Chen Men''s ountant, and her ID card was required for loans and tax reporting.
But these were minor matters.
The important thing was that Yan Peiheng had said to buy a 60-square-meter house, but Chen Men had bought a 90-square-meter one?
And she hadn''t mentioned any of this until it was done?
Their rtionship, though not easily defined as sisters-inw, friends, or best friends, had always been one of mutual achievement.
Qi Songlu was grateful to Chen Men, but since she had helped manage severalrge enterprises'' ounts and done so diligently, she felt she had already repaid her.
But at this moment, Qi Songlu suddenly burst into tears.
Once, it was Chen Men who had saved her, pulling her out of the dirty, dark world of the wholesale market. Now, just as her child was about to start school, Chen Men had quietly bought her a house in the capital, and it was in her name.
Although Yan Wei was a good man and very reliable, Qi Songlu was a woman prone to anxiety and didn''t believe insting love between men and women. Compared to love, a house was what a woman truly desired.
Her little Bei Bei would have a school district house in the capital?
Compared to the machinations between men, women could always achieve mutual sess, and this was the best.
No words were needed; Qi Songlu''s gratitude was hidden in her heart.
In a blink, the car arrived at Yan Wei''s building.
Bei Bei was being looked after by a nanny, but since Yan Wei got off work early, he hade home early to wait for Qi Songlu with their daughter. The two-year-old girl looked remarkably like Yuanyuan when she was young, incredibly cute. From afar, as soon as she saw Chen Men''s car, the little girl''s voice was already soft and sweet: "Mommy, Mommy..."
When Qi Songlu got out of the car, her eyes were still red. Yan Wei, with his chatty and sarcastic nature, mimicked their daughter''s voice, saying, "Oh, why is Mommy crying? Did Auntie Chen give Mommy too little pay and too much work, making Mommy tired? Auntie Chen, the heartless capitalist, why not let Mommy off work early?"
This guy''s focus was always on trivial matters.
"Yan Wei, shut up and get upstairs," Qi Songlu snapped, then turned back and waved, signaling Chen Men to hurry home, as she had three children who had just finished exams and were leaving for the capital tomorrow, with enough packing to do.
Chen Men, who liked little Bei Bei, had to stop the car and watch the child for a while.
From afar, she saw Yan Wei say something, and Qi Songlu grabbed his ear and scolded him, pushing him away.
Although she couldn''t hear, Chen Men could guess.
First, the old man had given the small red building to Yuanyuan, and then Mike had visited Hua Country once, with Jim returning every holiday, and John currently in the capital, staying with his grandfather, ostensibly to rx and experience Chinese culture.
Yan Wei was unhappy because the houses had been taken by the older and younger brothers.
Yan Peiheng acted on his own whims and thought he was doing the right thing.
But for family harmony, Chen Men had to buy the house under the old man''s name, though she bought a 90-square-meter one instead of the 60-square-meter one he mentioned, the extra 30 square meters to make Yan Wei and Qi Songlu grateful.
Let Yan Wei be chatty; he deserved to be scolded.
Who else''s daughter-inw could be as proactive as Chen Men, buying a house for her brother-inw?
Driving home, the houses in Yanguan Vige were now on the agenda for demolition, and Chen Men''s family had long since moved to Dongfang Family Quarters. The children had just finished their final exams and were likely already packing their luggage.
Before even reaching the stairs, Chen Men heard the quarrelling voices of Little Wang and Yuanyuan.
These two had been very close as children, but in recent years, their rtionship had deteriorated sharply.
Yuanyuan no longer called him brother but used his real name.
Before Chen Men even stepped through the door, she could hear Yuanyuan shouting, "Yan Wangqi, I packed all your bags, and I still have to cook. Just give me a moment, can you let your ''Yi Sister'' wait a bit and mop the floor?"
"Yan Shengnan, I''m chatting with Yi Sister on theputer right now. Do it yourself?" Little Wang''s fingers were clicking away on the keyboard.
"The inte costs 50 cents per minute. Keep burning money, and when Dades back, I''ll tell him you''re having an early romance, burning money, and romancing on theputer." Yuanyuan said.
"Yan Shengnan, you''re really bossy. You can''t stand to see me idle, and you''re ndering me." Little Wang said.
Yuanyuan emerged from the kitchen with a kitchen knife in hand, just as Chen Men walked in. The girl, now 13, had her hair tied in a ponytail, wore a round-neck sweater, and jeans. She was fuming as sheined to Chen Men, "Mom, Yan Wangqi is sozy. Since Dad hasn''t been around these past two years, he''s gottenzier andzier. Look at him, saying there''s some Yi Sister on theputer, wasting our phone bill, and not helping with the cleaning. Our phone bill this month is 500 yuan!"
Theputer in the bedroom was clicking away loudly. Could Little Wang really be having an early romance?
"Yi Sister, where does this little girl get such a name?" Chen Men asked.
Yuanyuan pouted angrily, "Who knows? All day it''s Yi Sister this, Yi Sister that, Yi Sister is here, Yi Sister isn''t here yet."
Yi Sister, Chen Men felt the name was somewhat familiar, yet she couldn''t quite ce it.
There were indeed many suitcases, sixrge ones, piled in the middle of the living room, with bits of paper and dust all over the floor.
Chen Men couldn''t stand it either and called out to Little Wang, "Little Wang, stop ying ande mop the floor."
Yuanyuan teased, "Yan Wangqi, let your Yi Sister wait a bit, hurry up and mop the floor for us, or else, when you two meet in the future, don''t expect me to call her sister-inw..."
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as Little Wang''s forehead hit the doorframe.
He was 15 this year and had been growing rapidly, almost reaching 1.8 meters tall.
"Yan Shengnan, if you keep talking like that, watch out, I''ll spank your butt. What Yi Sister, it''s E-mail, electronic mail." Little Wang said as he walked out.
Chen Men understood. Currently, Hua Country had just opened up its WEBwork, with only a few simple portal sites and no chat rooms, QQ, or WeChat. Peoplemunicated through electronic mail. Little Wang was probably sending emails to Jim, John, or Mike online.
Yuanyuan had simply misunderstood.
"I don''t care what it is, just go mop the floor." Yuanyuan said.
Little Wang, being tall, flicked his sister''s forehead with a basketball-like motion, "What sister-inw, I was just chatting with John. Apologize to me right now."
"What''s there to be shy about? You''re going to get married in the future, and then I''ll have a sister-inw." Yuanyuan said, struggling to break free from Little Wang''s grip.
Seeing Yuanyuan struggling hard, Little Wang suddenly let go, and she fell straight onto the sofa.
"I''m not getting married, I''m going to be a monk for life." After saying that, Little Wang went to mop the floor.
But just as he reached the bathroom door, Yuanyuan grabbed a cushion from the sofa and threw it at his head.
Chen Men watched the two kids y-fighting and thought of a time when Little Wang used to fight for Yuanyuan''s sake. His early romance should have ended without a trace by now.
In his eyes, Yuanyuan was now an incredibly annoying little girl.
Yuanyuan went back to the kitchen to cook, while Chen Men had a lot of work-rted materials in Little Wang''s room that she needed to sort out.
Theputer was on, with a webpage open. Chen Men needed to use a floppy disk to copy some files, so she had to close the webpage first.
The webpage was in English, likely an email from John, as the sender field had the name John. Chen Men didn''t understand English, but she saw a few conspicuous words in the email, DNA. She paused, then looked at the desk, where there was a book titled "Gic Biology."
Little Wang usually read economics and information books, so why was he studying "Gic Biology"?
As Chen Men was about to flip through the book, Little Wang came in from mopping the floor and snatched the book away in a sh.
Yan Zhao''sst letter had arrived three months ago, stating he would return on January 4th, which was two dayster. Chen Men had been eagerly awaiting his return, as there was a very tricky issue concerning Little Wang and Little Lang.
Over the past two years, although Chen Men had been busy, her work and life had been smooth.
However, Little Wang and his brother had not been so fortunate.
Lu Jingyu and Zhou Xueqin had divorced the year beforest. For Lu Jingyu, it was a fake divorce to avoid high-interest loans, but for Zhou Xueqin, it was a real divorce. After the divorce, she had the conscience to send Erniu to Japan for further studies in singing, but she left Lu Dabao and his father behind and disappeared.
Lu Jingyu owed 8 million in high-interest loans, which had now ballooned to 20 million.
The good news was that housing prices had been soaring in recent years, and thend value of the two buildings he owned in Guangzhou was now worth 20 million.
Now Lu Jingyu could collect rent from those buildings, but since the property rights were in Zhou Xueqin''s name, he couldn''t sell them.
Thanks to Yan Peiheng''s influence, the creditors didn''t provide Lu Jingyu with a "one-stop service" for idents, but they did send someone to run over Lu Dabao with a motorcycle once. Fortunately, the boy was tough and survived. The creditors also threatened Lu Jingyu, saying if he didn''t sell the buildings to pay off the debt, they would force Erniu to make AV films in Japan.
A decent person couldn''tpete with the underworld. Lu Jingyu, fearing for his son, wanted to sell thend to pay off the debt and had been looking for Zhou Xueqin everywhere. He often went to Xiping City with the loan sharks, lurking around Zhou Xueqin''s parents'' home or following Little Wang and Little Lang.
With their mother not behaving and being frequently followed, Little Wang was inevitably pointed at and talked about at school. Chen Men was naturally angry about this.
But this matter could only be handled by Yan Zhao, so Chen Men was particrly eager for his return.
Little Wang had been very irritable because of this over the past two years. Of course, as he grew older, he didn''t show any signs of wanting to be with Yuanyuan.
So why was he studying DNA and gic biology?
And discussing this with John, who studied medicine, was he trying to find out if he and Yuanyuan could get married?
But never mind, studying it was good too, so he could give up on that idea.
After all, although they were out of the five-cousin range, they couldn''t escape the fact that they shared the same ancestor, within the six-cousin range.
From a gic standpoint, with DNA simrity of at least 30% or more, they couldn''t get married.
Little Wang was dragging the floor when he bumped into Little Lang, or rather, Little ck Wolf, who was carrying a big backpack.
Little Lang, thanks to Yan Peiheng''s connections, could practice live ammunition at the provincial public security shooting range. After practice, the provincial public security personnel would drive him home.
Because he often practiced live ammunition in the wild, he was tanned so much that he earned the honorable nickname Little ck Wolf.
He was also 12 this year, slightly taller than Yuanyuan, but with broad shoulders and a wide chest, he looked like a mini version of Yan Zhao.
"Little ck Wolf,e and mop the floor," Little Wang immediately handed the mop to Little Lang.
Little Lang wasn''t going to mop the floor. He went straight to Chen Men''s room, "Mom, today I met an olddy who gave me a photo, saying it was me when I was little. Is this me?"
As he spoke, the child took out a color photo from his pocket and handed it to Chen Men.
In the photo, Zhou Xueqin was holding Little Lang, standing in front of an old-fashioned backdrop, both looking at the camera.
At that time, taking a color photo was still a fashionable thing to do. Little Lang was at most one year old, with lipstick, blue eye shadow, and a red dot on his forehead.
The child was truly adorable, with fair skin, his mouth forming an ''O'', and two bright big eyes that could melt anyone''s heart.
The olddy who gave the photo must be Zhou Xueqin''s mother.
The photo was certainly given by Zhou Xueqin''s mother on her orders.Aliali: 6754b234bd5e46c308a47e64
Little Wang had grown up and firmly refused to have any connection with Zhou Xueqin. He was also very capable, despite being about to take the high school entrance exam, he read a lot and often chatted with his partner on theputer, with a perspective that was notmon among children.
In contrast, Little Lang is simple-minded and kind-hearted. The only thing he is certain of is that he is Chen Men''s biological child.
Zhou Xueqin initially devoted herself wholeheartedly to raising her stepchildren, but Dabao and Erniu did not grow up to be the influential figures she had hoped for. Instead, Lu Jingyu cheated on her and even used psychological maniption (PUA) on her. Realizing that staying with Lu Jingyu was a dead end, she finally snapped and ran off with all of Lu Jingyu''s assets.
However, she has now recognized Little Lang''s excellence and is eager to reim him.
There are many clues to prove that Little Lang is her biological child, and photographs are the most crucial evidence.
But this situation isughable because, as Little Lang grows older, Chen Men will certainly reveal the truth to him.
As a biological mother, you can visit your child, ask for his love, and build a friendly rtionship with him.
But under the premise of being pursued by loan sharks, secretly harassing the child is wrong.
Originally, Chen Men had no intention of telling Yan Zhao about everything that happened to Little Lang and Little Wang in their previous lives.
But Zhou Xueqin is forcing her to do so.