Little Lang was halfway through hisughter when suddenly, his smile slowly faded. The child''s voice trembled as he asked, "Mother, what happened to your neck? Why are you injured?"


    Chen Men touched her neck and didn''t feel anything unusual. "It''s nothing," she replied.


    Little Wang''s face also changed. "But your neck... Mom, let''s go to the hospital right away."


    John finally lifted his head from the vast ocean of Chinese ancient culture and carefully looked for a while. Then heughed, "You idiots, that''s called a hickey. It''s a mark left by a kiss. You really are naive."


    Finally, he found some knowledge blind spots of Little Wang and Little Lang. He was so proud that he almost wanted to wag his little tail.


    He pulled Little Wang aside and whispered something, causing Little Wang''s face to turn red in an instant.


    Chen Men had forgotten about it in the morning. Last night, it was the first time Yan Zhao had learned to "nt strawberries," leaving marks all over her body, on her back, chest, and even her thighs.


    But she couldn''t talk about this casually. Little Wang was currently in his sprint phase of high school, and he shouldn''t hear such nonsense.


    "John, stop being mischievous. Auntie had a cupping sessionst night. You know, the traditional Chinese medicine method of detoxifying with cupping," Chen Men said seriously.


    Ah, cupping?


    Little Lang immediately said, "Yes, yes, yes, Mother must have been cupping. John, you don''t understand cupping in traditional Chinese medicine, do you?"


    In fact, there is also traditional Chinese medicine and cupping in the United States, but John lives in a whitemunity and ispletely different from the old Chinese in Chinatown. Therefore, traditional Chinese medicine and cupping are also his knowledge blind spots.


    "What is cupping?" This was a soul-stirring question from the ignorant John.


    That noon, Chen Men took several children, including Gu Xiao, to dine at the VIP Building''s Western restaurant.


    Gu Xiao had not paid much attention to Yan Zhao''s two sons before. After all, the children he had been paying attention to and sponsoring were from the Yan Jun family. Mac was out of the question; in Gu Xiao''s opinion, that child was already spoiled. But John and Jim were top-notch in his eyes.


    Jim is currently in the United States, a follower of the Chinese cult theory, constantly praising how great China is. This has even sparked a Chinese craze among his American ssmates, making many of them yearn for China.


    During this meal, John didn''t eat much; he was mostly listening to Little Wang and Little Lang exin ancient Chinese poetry to him.


    They talked about the level and oblique tones, the neatness, the rhythm, and the meaning of ancient Chinese poetry.


    Do you think "Spring Dawn" is just 20 characters?


    No, when interpreted, it can be an article of a thousand words.


    And a thousand-word article can be perfectly condensed into 20 characters by Chinese characters.


    John listened in a daze, his eyes sparkling. He even announced that afterpleting his medical master''s degree in the United States, he would return to China. He must conquer Chinese culture.


    The old man watched silently, although he didn''t say anything, Chen Men guessed that he must have felt a mix of emotions. Once, he had sponsored Yan Jun, hoping that Yan could betray his roots and take the children topletely escape to capitalist countries.


    In a sense, this was Gu Xiao''s victory. But now, not only had John and Jim sessively rebelled, but even Gu Xiao himself was gradually recognizing this country and its cultural and political systems.


    After the meal, Gu Xiao needed to go upstairs to rest.


    But before leaving, he had to mention another matter, "By the way, Chen Men, these days I had Dongxue take a look at your milk powder factory..."


    Yan Dongxue quickly added, "Sister, your milk powder factory should be able to seed. Just looking at the exterior, it has an international ir. I read an article in yesterday''s newspaper, written by a professor from a agricultural university, specifically on food safety and quarantine of milk powder. And that professor also specifically rmended the milk powder from your Ba Yi Food Factory."


    Men''s milk powder being rmended in the newspaper shows its quality is indeed good.


    As fellow vigers, Yan Dongxue was also happy to see Chen Men''s milk powder selling well.


    Chen Men chuckled and replied, "Is that so? When I go back, I should take a look at that article."


    In fact, that was a soft-advertisement in the newspaper.


    Although it was written by a professor from the food safety department of a agricultural university.


    But how could a big professor know about the unlisted Ba Yi milk powder and write that article for no reason? Of course not.


    To get that professor to publish the article, Chen Men had Gao Xiaomei run to the agricultural university eight times in one year, and provided the professor with all the experimental data of Ba Yi milk powder. Not to mention, the professor had his own grandson drink the milk powder for half a year. It was only after the professor was sure the milk powder was indeed safe and more nutritious than other milk powders that he wrote the article seriously and published it in the newspaper.


    People only see the thief eating meat, but not the thief getting beaten.


    For that article, Chen Men had shed blood and sweat, and it was only right that she should reap the benefits.


    This way, the reputation was established, and even Yan Dongxue believed in the quality of her milk powder.


    Not stopping there, Yan Dongxue added, "Imported milk powder doesn''t suit Professor Gu''s constitution. Do you have form milk powder for the elderly? Save some for me, I''ll go pick it up."


    "Sure," Chen Men said.


    She saw the regret and sadness in Gu Xiao''s eyes.


    This stubborn and confident old man had made a bet with Chen Men using a small nket, based on his belief that Chinese people are selfish and short-sighted.


    It was based on his conviction that the milk powder business would never seed.


    But now, it seemed the milk powder business was about to take off.


    The old man felt he was about to lose the nket.


    That kind of regret and sadness was beyond words.


    He was already thin, and now only his eyes remained, looking at the three children in front of him.


    The three children who were reciting ancient poetry, their eyes blinking from time to time, both cloudy and bright.


    These were Su Wen''s grandsons, her bloodline. Gu Xiao had never liked children before, except for Yan Xing, whom he had never loved. Even for Yan Xing, that love was based on the fact that she was a girl and would follow her mother wherever she went.


    But now, seeing these innocent and lovely teenagers with skin tones ranging from ck to white, he suddenly felt a paternal love for children deep within his heart.


    Perhaps Su Wen really didn''t love him, but Su Wen was his lifelong faith. When a person has no goal to live for, they will seekfort from behind. He firmly believed that even if Su Wen didn''t love him when she was alive, when she saw him living in confusion, saw how hard he tried to raise so many children, and lived for her, she would surely meet him after her death.


    But that nket, it was his only concern in life, and because of his blindness and arrogance, he seemed to be about to lose it.


    Chen Men looked at the old man and felt a bit of pity.


    In fact, she had brought that small nket with her when she came to the capital. After this busy period, she nned to return it to Gu Xiao. But for now, she wouldn''t mention it. She was very busy recently and probably wouldn''t have time to see Gu Xiao again, so she was afraid the old man would worry if she brought it up.


    After this lunch, there was a banquet in the evening, which Chen Men had to attend. There was also a public flower-giving ceremony for the police officers'' wives. She had been worried that she was too ordinary in what she wore yesterday and might not look good on camera.


    But when she arrived at the scene, she was relieved.


    Because the other family members were also ordinary people, very ordinary. Suddenly in such a situation, they were just as shy and uneasy as Chen Men. Everyone felt a bit embarrassed.


    As soon as the ceremony was over, the family members should go home, and the peacekeeping police should go home too, including Yan Zhao.


    As early as noon, Yan Zhao had reported to the leaders at the dinner table about Hu Baiye and the international waste business, and pointed out that Wang Xudong was likely the backer of Hu Baiye.


    That meal, Wang Xudong ate, was unspeakably awkward.


    It wasn''t a feast of betrayal, but rather a beheading feast.


    But currently, he was still in office.


    After all, in the Chinese officialdom, there is rarely an immediate dismissal, everything is in the process.


    This just happened, and as soon as things were settled, Wang Xudong sought out Yan Zhao. By now, his emotions should have calmed down quite a bit.


    Smiling, he first reached out to shake Chen Men''s hand: "I didn''t get a chance to greet you properlyst night in the room, my apologies. By the way, I just heard that you are quite a renowned figure in Xiping City. I have a cousin working at the tax bureau there, currently a bureau-level leader, named Wang Qin. Do you know her?"


    Throughout the whole day, Yan Zhao had been too busy for Chen Men to mention Wang Qi''s matter to him.


    Just then, someone walked over to greet Wang Xudong, and Chen Men turned Yan Zhao aside, saying only one thing: "Yan Zhao, if you are willing to believe that I have lived another lifetime, then believe me. Wang Xudong''s nephew will, in the future,mit rape and disfigure a girl who dislikes him. Moreover, after the incident, he won''t even be sent to a juvenile detention center, all because Wang Xudong is a deputy director in the capital."


    For the first time, Yan Zhao didn''t catch it clearly, until Chen Men repeated it, and then he understood.


    "Who is the girl?" he asked.


    Chen Men didn''t know how to put it into words, but still said, "A good friend of Yuanyuan''s."


    Yan Zhao''s eyes narrowed into a long slit at that moment.


    He was a parent, with a daughter, and had also met Wang Qi, who was skinny as a monkey, always spouting vulgarities. Yuanyuan had also mentioned to him yesterday that the boy had even hit a girl to force her to toast Little Wang.


    Rape and disfigurement were things that no parent with a daughter dared to imagine.


    And any parent seeing such a perpetrator would unhesitatingly want to crush him.


    That kind of person was a degenerate, a beast, not even within the definition of humanity.


    At this moment, Wang Xudong finished greeting the person and turned back, still smiling, and said, "Yan Zhao, we were oncerades-in-arms. Your mention of my affairs at today''s conference, I admit, I may have been too lenient with my brothers, allowing them to get away with too much. I am willing to change, but this is how society is now. Just because we don''t break thew doesn''t mean those around us will abide by it either. Take your wife, for example..."


    He had just mentioned having a cousin working at the tax bureau in Xiping City.


    That statement was a threat, implying that if Yan Zhao continued to investigate him, he wouldn''t hesitate to have his cousin investigate Chen Men.


    Chen Men cut in, saying, "Deputy Director Wang, our 271, my Xingda Construction Team, wees any form of tax audit. Because I have never evaded taxes, not even a penny."


    In an era where everyone was involved in shady ounting and ck money deals,


    for Yan Zhao to stand tall, Chen Men had been paying taxes by the book, fearing no threats. Wasn''t that a joke?


    Yan Zhao was witnessing the gradual corruption of hisrade-in-arms from the battlefield.


    He was even leading the other to reveal his dirty, shameless, and bottomless heart.


    He shook Wang Xudong''s hand and said, "By the way, Director Wang, I have arade''s son involved in a case of gang rape and disfigurement of a girl. Your case can be big or small, but this case, you have to help me out with, smooth things over, how about it? If you help me, I''ll help you out with your situation."


    He was trying to see if he could trade the whitewashing of a rapist for Wang Xudong''s criminal activities to go unpunished.


    Was he willing?


    This was actually a trap, but Wang Xudong had changed, no longer believing in Yan Zhao''s sincerity and passion from the battlefield. After all, in today''s officialdom, there was no such thing as integrity and honesty; transactions and interests were the eternal themes.


    So without much thought, he blurted out, "Sure."


    The two shook hands, each giving it a few vigorous shakes.


    In Wang Xudong''s view, he and Yan Zhao had struck some kind of deal, and he was likely to be safe now.


    But in Yan Zhao''s eyes, a hypothesis held true: Wang Xudong might have fought bravely on the battlefield, but hecked the most basic moral bottom line. Gang rape and disfigurement of a young girl were things that anyone would be outraged by. The moral bottom line of being human was to never tolerate such cases.


    Yet he agreed so easily.


    So, when his nephew was involved in gang rape and disfigurement of a girl?


    Therefore, not only did Wang Xudong''s case need to be thoroughly investigated, but Feng Ha, Hu Haihe, Wang Qi, and those kids must also be taken seriously. Otherwise, in the future, they would harm and jeopardize the safety of the entire social order.


    In fact, Wang Xudong was like a grasshopper in autumn, struggling in vain.


    The Minister of Public Security was a soldier under Commander Chao and had once worked with Yan Peiheng. Today, the two old leaders collectively expressed their anger at a dinner table, criticizing the public security work extensively, and even said they would reflect on it to the higher-ups at the next Beidaihe meeting.


    How could he not be anxious, how could his scalp not tingle?


    So as soon as Yan Zhao left, the Ministry of Public Security called to say they were holding an emergency meeting on international waste, issuing a document to investigate Wang Xudong, and would also discuss with the State Council to urgently legite and introduce policies for severe crackdowns.


    This meant that Wang Xudong had to prepare to rot in jail from now on.


    The term "severe crackdown" at the Ministry of Public Security was synonymous with execution.


    Wang Xudong was probably going to face execution this time.


    Yan Zhao had to go work overtime, getting into a Hongqi car and disappearing into the bustling streets.


    Chen Men got into her old Jeep and had to head home.


    When she got home today, Yan Peiheng was also startled by Chen Men: "What happened to your neck?"


    The children hadn''t gone to sleep yet, and the three boys answered in unison: "It''s from cupping!"


    Yan Peiheng looked and felt the cups were a bit small. Since he felt his body was quite tired recently, he asked Chen Men, "Where did you get this done? Introduce me, I want to go too."


    Before Chen Men could speak, Qi Songlu couldn''t help but tease, "Third Brother did it for Men, Dad. If you want, I''ll go out and ask around to see who has cups, and I can do it for you too."


    She actually wanted to do something nice for the old man.


    But how could Yan Peiheng let his daughter-inw help with cupping? This kind of thing was better done by a son.


    That night, Yan Zhao had an all-night meeting at the ministry. The next day, he started his new duties and was busy all day. In the evening, he bought some vegetables and just arrived downstairs when he ran into Yan Peiheng and Minister Xu, who had also just got off work.


    "Old Xu, my son is really good at cupping. He should have some small cups, smaller than the usual ones. Let him do me tonight, and tomorrow night youe to my house, let him do you too, for rheumatism," Yan Peiheng said.


    Minister Xu said, "Let Old Cui do it too, and Old Lin, we all need it."


    "Do it, everyonee, as long as Yan Zhao has time, let him help us all!" Yan Peiheng concluded.


    Yan Zhao stood there,pletely clueless about what was happening.


    ...


    Before long, it was time for the New Year, and the sale of milk powder should officially begin.


    With the experience of 271, Chen Men was well-organized.


    Newspaper and TV advertisements wereunched ahead of the sales. This Spring Festival, Chen Men made up her mind to invest all her dividends from 271 into TVmercials, buying a five-second spot before a drama on CCTV with just eight words: "Bayi Milk Powder, Military Quality."


    Though short, it was catchy enough to make everyone remember, achieving the desired effect.


    Soft ads, i.e., newspaper ads, were also gradually published in various magazines.


    By this time, many parents shopping in stores and wholesale markets were already consciously looking for Bayi Milk Powder. Chen Men didn''t spend money on distributor conferences but sent salespeople to negotiate on-site. Once a deal was made, a nutritionist was assigned to monitor and provide scientific exnations about milk powder and nutrition.


    A salesperson''s monthly sry was only five hundred yuan, but having her in a store or supermarket meant that the ce was effectively a direct-operated store of Chen Men''s.


    This sales method wouldn''te into being until ten yearster in the previous life.


    Although it wasn''t like 271, where a single order could bring in a lot of money, it was continuous and increasingly rapid.


    Every day, Bayi Milk Powder was breaking its own records.


    As more people drank it, it gradually became a trend, a fashion, and if a child in the neighborhood hadn''t had the 81 Form Milk Powder, you wouldn''t be able to join in the conversations when strolling around with your child.


    In terms of daily life, with Yan Zhao around, Chen Men could only describe it with four words: suddenly rxed.


    After all, Yan Zhao worked at the Public Security Bureau, so there was no need to worry about the schools for their three children.


    Household chores, as long as he was there, Chen Men didn''t need to lift a finger.


    Before they knew it, spring had arrived. Chen Men intended to find someone to renovate the Little Red House and move in.


    But Yan Zhao told Chen Men not to worry, saying he would handle it himself.


    He had almost be a carpenter once and enjoyed doing some renovations. Over the weekends, he carried buckets of cement and paint, and after about two months, one day, he suddenly announced that the house was renovated.


    Chen Men had long been tired of living with her father-inw and wanted to move to the Little Red House, especially since any intimate moments between her and Yan Zhao could only be had in the bathroom.


    In her mind, she thought Yan Zhao had just painted the walls, cleaned the old cabs, and tidied up. Although she didn''t particrly like living in an old house, with all their money invested in the milk powder factory, there was no extra budget to renovate a two-story house. She could only make do for now.


    However, the moment she stepped into the Little Red House, she was stunned.


    The tiles in the living room on the first floor had been reced, the sofa was new, the wooden floors on the second floor, though old, had been lifted and cleaned, and everything that could be reced in the kitchen and bathroom had been. The beds and cabs were brought by Xiong Dapao from their old home in Xiping City, dismantled and transported during one of his cargo runs.


    About Chen Men''s bed, it went like this:


    Xiong Dapao met a female colleague from the tax bureau during a blind date. During their honeymoon in Foshan, they found some excellent furniture, including a particrlyfortable bed, and ordered one for Chen Men.


    The solid wood bed with a palm fiber mattress was neither too soft nor too hard, offering just the rightfort. Chen Men had slept on it for two years and felt it was the mostfortable bed she had ever slept on in her life. She even mentioned it to Yan Zhao.


    And now, Yan Zhao had brought that bed back to the capital!


    Although Chen Men had realized from the day she married him that Yan Zhao was a million times better than Lu Jingyu and Yan Xishan, she couldn''t help but feel touched when she saw the bedroom.


    In her previous life, although she lived in mansions, none of the houses were decorated to her liking, and she always felt a sense of discement. She was also quite nostalgic and liked old things. When she first left Xiping City, she always felt like her heart was floating, unable to feel at home in the capital.


    It wasn''t until she saw her bed in the bedroom of the Little Red House, with the walls painted the same color as her old home in Xiping City, that she suddenly felt she had a home again.


    She even felt that it would be nice to grow old in this home.


    Summer was almost here, and it was inconvenient to continue living with her father-inw. John had already returned to the United States.


    That very night, eager to move, Chen Men carried her pillow and moved into the Little Red House.


    It had been half a year since Wang Xudong, Feng Ha, and Hu Baiye underwent a thorough investigation by the Ministry of Public Security.


    They are currently all under detention.


    In terms of life, Yan Zhao was renovating.


    In terms of work, since he worked at the Ministry of Public Security, there were fewer errands to run.


    So Yan Zhao couldn''t find anyone in the ministry to help him keep an eye on things, but there was a young man he quite liked, Qi Zheng, Liu Jingjing''s boyfriend. The young man had been in the army and was now working at the municipal bureau, very sharp.


    Considering what Chen Men had mentioned about Wang Qi''s n to rape and disfigure a young girl, Yan Zhao asked Qi Zheng to keep an eye on Wang Qi and Feng Ha.


    All the adults in their families are under trial, so logically, Wang Qi and Feng Ha should have lost their influence, but Mn, Feng Ha''s current wife, had been poor once before and had a lot of experience. She had a lot of money stashed abroad and cash hidden elsewhere. There was no money in the public ounts, and the house was rented.


    The police investigation was in vain.


    She married Feng Ha for money, and now that she had money again, she wasn''t about to let the police take it away.


    She had plenty of experience dealing with the police.


    So while the police detained Feng Ha and Hu Baiye, at least Mn''s money was still safely in her pocket.


    With money, Wang Qi and Feng Ha could still livevishly.


    So their lives weren''t really affected.


    Qi Zheng kept an eye on them for a while and finally found a lead. Wang Qi and Feng Ha had invited two girls from an art school to a video hall in the market. The video hall was closed during the day, secretly ying pornographic videos, and they were of the particrly disgusting, multi-male, multi-female type.


    He was spying with Liu Jingjing, afraid that the girls would be harmed, so he didn''t dare leave and sent Liu Jingjing on her Forever electric bike to the Ministry of Public Security to call Yan Zhao.


    Watching pornographic videos as minors would result in detention, education, and school criticism.


    Liu Jingjing rode her electric bike at full speed to find Yan Zhao.


    Yan Zhao didn''t have a government car yet, and the roads were too congested, so Liu Jingjing''s electric bike was faster. He rode all the way to the video hall, ready to catch the little rascals. At that moment, he thought he should at least keep the little rascals for some education and let the school criticize them. After all, they were just kids, and they could be reformed.


    But he still thought too kindly of the children.


    Someone might have been keeping watch because as soon as Yan Zhao rode into the market on Liu Jingjing''s electric bike, Wang Qi and Feng Ha took the girls and slipped out the back door.


    They entered the video hall, where it was already empty. The dirty, smelly little video hall had a table with a box of Zhonghua cigarettes, opened beers, and a few small fruit tes, and the TV was still ying.


    This kind of video hall in the market, with mostly transient poptions, was hard to find the owner.


    The TV was still ying pornographic videos, and in the counter''s cab, Yan Zhao even found a few boxes of ecstasy. Ecstasy was still rare in China, especially among teenagers. Involvement with this stuff was a big problem.


    They might use this stuff to drug and rape girls, and the nature of such a crime was as serious as rape.


    Of course, this matter was no longer just about detaining and educating a few kids.


    Wang Qi was 15, and Feng Ha was about to turn 16, almost an adult. If they reallymitted rape or drugged rape, they could be charged.


    When he came out of the video hall, the TV was showing a scene with a woman on top, a man below, both Japanese, looking despicably lewd. Yan Zhao found it offensive and turned off the TV with a snap.


    Taking the bus home, Chen Men hadn''t returned yet, and the house was quiet.


    Yan Zhao then decided to go to the milk powder factory to pick up his wife and buy some groceries on the way back.


    Suddenly, he heard Yuanyuan giggle in the bedroom.


    Then came Little Wang''sughter: "Fun, right?"


    "Fun, fun, brother, it''s so much fun," Yuanyuan kept giggling.


    Yan Zhao looked up at the wall, where Little Lang''s shooting gear was missing, and at his feet, where Little Lang''s slippers were arranged in an "eight" shape at the door. This meant Little Lang was out, leaving only Little Wang and Yuanyuan in the bedroom.


    Yan Zhao also faintly heard the rapid breathing of a man and a woman from the TV, with the woman seemingly crying, then suddenly screaming.


    Immediately, his hair stood on end.


    The first floor was the bedroom for him and Chen Men, with a TV in it because he often had to review case files, and also a VCR.


    A 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, Little Wang and Yuanyuan, what were they doing?


    Wang Qi and Feng Ha would take girls to pornographic video halls and even prepare ecstasy, but those weren''t good kids. Yan Zhao had always believed that his sons were different from others, that they were his pride.


    But now he felt that Little Wang was also going bad, no different from Wang Qi and the others.


    Yuanyuan was still so young, not yet 14.


    Little Wang was courting disaster!


    Aliali: 672721157a33ae862b48a757


    At the Public Security Bureau, they don''t carry guns during office hours, but they do have them, usually locked in their drawers.


    Yan Zhao fished out his gun from the drawer, opened the magazine, and saw there was one bullet. He chambered it, flipped the safety off, turned, and without hesitation, kicked the bedroom door open. His gaze and the gun''s muzzle immediately fixed on the bed.


    Little Wang was sitting on the edge of the bed, his ears perked up, but he hadn''t heard anyonee in. Instinctively, he jumped up and reached for the remote.


    Yuanyuan was sitting on the window seat, which was open to the garden outside. She was watching a movie while chatting with the elderly neighbor next door, who was pruning flowers in the garden.


    They were watching "A Chinese Odyssey," and Yan Zhao''s entrance couldn''t have been more ill-timed. Little Wang paused the movie just as Bai Jingjing was straddling Zhi Zunbao, bending down to bite his belt.


    It was exactly the same scene Yan Zhao had just seen in the pornographic video at the video arcade.


    The situation was extremely awkward. Little Wang wanted to fast-forward through this embarrassing scene.


    But with his father pointing a gun at him, he didn''t dare.


    Yuanyuan, sitting on the window seat, also raised her hands in fright at the menacing Yan Zhao.


    Their dad seemed to have gone mad!