喵绅HCMOIC(网页)

The more Chen Meilan thought about it, the more she realized that Yuanyuan\'s partner was likely Little Wang.

Yuanyuan had run away when she was fifteen or sixteen. Back then, during those times when the economy wasn\'t developed and job opportunities were scarce, she worked at the district hospital washing bedsheets, always smelling of disinfectant.

Later, she rented a small shop near the hospital entrance, selling millet cushions, eggs, and flowers.

Being at the hospital entrance meant high foot traffic, and business was good - her small venture was particularly profitable.

The first time she formally mentioned having a boyfriend was when she was 21, and Little Wang was 23 at the time. As Chen Meilan calculated this, she became increasingly certain. One day, Yuanyuan had proudly shown off a fake gold necklace that Lu Jingyu bought her, saying she was going to meet her boyfriend\'s family. She told Chen Meilan that after getting married, she would bring her to live with them as one family.

However, after returning, she said she had broken up and would never date again.

The person she must have met then was Zhou Xueqin.

The gold necklace had lost its color, and she was overweight then, dressed unfashionably - she had been thrown out with a cup of water by Zhou Xueqin.

No wonder Yuanyuan never spoke about it afterward and never mentioned dating again.

This matter seemed certain to Chen Meilan even without asking Zhou Xueqin.

What should she do now?

The plan had been for Chen Meilan and Little Lang to return together - the plane tickets were already bought. But late at night, Yan Peiheng called to say that the Central Theater Command was having a shooting exercise tomorrow. A national-level leader had heard about Little Lang\'s excellent shooting skills and wanted Yan Peiheng to bring him along. After the exercise, they wanted the child to compete with the special forces soldiers to see his abilities.

This wasn\'t Yan Peiheng pulling strings - his grandson had been specifically requested by the leaders above.

The old man was extremely excited, and Little Lang had to stay.

Plans changed three times in one day, which actually suited Yan Zhao\'s wishes, resulting in Chen Meilan returning alone.

The flight was at three in the afternoon, and Chen Meilan arrived in Xiping City.

Originally, she had planned to find Zhou Xueqin as soon as she arrived in Xiping City. However, when something doesn\'t happen to you personally, you don\'t feel its impact. But when Chen Meilan discovered that it was Yuanyuan who had been thrown out with a cup of water, she didn\'t want to see that woman anymore, not even once.

Yan Zhao was waiting in the arrival hall.

Seeing Chen Meilan from afar, he first took her handbag, then helped her with her luggage when it came out on the carousel.

Seeing that Chen Meilan seemed to be in a bad mood, he tactfully didn\'t ask anything. At the parking lot, after several years, Chen Meilan\'s old Crown was still the most eye-catching car there.

Chen Meilan was deeply troubled. Although the two families weren\'t blood relatives, both Yuanyuan and Little Wang\'s grandmothers had the surname Su, and their grandfathers were both surnamed Yan. They had married from one village to another. Even if she and Yan Zhao didn\'t object, if the two got together, what would the villagers say? How would they gossip? How could Chen Meilan feel comfortable knowing the children would be pointed at and whispered about behind their backs?

"Zhou Xueqin..." Chen Meilan was afraid Yan Zhao would drive her directly to see Zhou Xueqin, so she wanted to say she\'d like to go home first.

Yan Zhao said: "Her? She\'s having surgery today, forget it, you shouldn\'t see her."

Chen Meilan was startled: "What surgery? What happened to her?"

Yan Zhao turned the steering wheel, his mouth twitching: "They say it\'s a breast tumor, she just had the operation today."

Zhou Xueqin should have been released on parole in mid-September, it had only been half a month since her release, how did she suddenly discover she was ill?

Though with breast tumors, the issue usually isn\'t too serious, since most breast tumors are benign.

"By the way, what do you want for lunch?" Yan Zhao asked.

Now that Chen Meilan knew about Little Wang and Yuanyuan\'s situation, how could she have any appetite?

Just yesterday, she had been planning that upon returning to Xiping City, she would have lamb paomo for breakfast, stir-fried paomo for lunch, and a bowl of water-basin mutton for dinner, along with a donkey meat sandwich. But now, she didn\'t have the slightest desire to eat.

"Whatever," she said.

Yan Zhao turned the wheel and headed straight for Yanguan Village.

Halfway there, Yan Zhao\'s phone rang, so he pulled over to the side of the road to answer it.

"Hello, Colonel, why aren\'t you home?" It was immediately recognizable as Xiong Dapao\'s booming voice.

Yan Zhao said: "I\'ll be there in half an hour."

"Good, I\'ll wait for you," Xiong Dapao said and hung up.

That was typical of Xiong Dapao. He had handed over his former clothing business to Xiong Xiaohua.

Currently, he was focused on the paint business.

And two years ago, Gu Xiao had returned all his shares to him.

It was like a dream come true - Xiong Dapao had struck incredible luck, essentially getting eight hundred thousand from the Southeast Asian tycoon for free. Without having to share profits, he could make bigger investments in his paint factory, improve product packaging, and lower prices.

Like the August First milk powder, by keeping his paint prices low, he could survive in this mixed market environment.

Of course, Xiong Dapao was grateful for Gu Xiao\'s patronage. During the two-plus years when Yan Zhao was away, he often went to Hong Kong and developed a good relationship with Gu Xiao.

Between them, there was a kind of kindred father-son feeling.

But Gu Xiao\'s mood could change like June weather, and this father-son relationship was now facing a test.

As soon as they reached the village entrance, Chen Meilan saw Xiong Dapao, wearing the same short-sleeved white shirt as Yan Zhao, looking dejected as he slapped his thigh with a document folder.

He seemed quite anxious. Seeing Yan Zhao\'s car stop, he came forward to open the car door for him and smiled, saying, "Hello, sister-in-law."

"What\'s the matter?" Yan Zhao asked.

Xiong Dapao heaved a long sigh and handed Yan Zhao an envelope: "Take it quickly, if I wait any longer, I might change my mind."

Seeing Yan Zhao not taking it, he threw it into the car and turned to leave.

Yan Zhao honked the horn and called out: "Xiong Dapao."

"Yes!" With his cannon-like voice, Xiong Dapao shouted back, but still looking dejected.

"What\'s really going on?" Yan Zhao asked sternly.

After all, as a soldier who had served directly under Yan Zhao, Xiong Dapao would certainly be afraid when the Colonel got angry. After hesitating for a moment, he said: "Colonel, please look for yourself. There are several items in this document folder that Professor Gu asked me to pass on to you. I\'m fine, just in a bad mood. I need to go home and recover."

With that, he got into his car and left.

Yan Zhao opened the envelope right there in the car. The first thing that slid out was a check with "Eight Hundred Thousand Yuan" written on it - this was a personal check from Sanbao Paint Factory made out to Chen Meilan.

The official seal, financial seal, and private seal were all stamped very clearly and meticulously.

There was also a contract inside - a share transfer agreement.

Gu Xiao had given Chen Meilan an identical one yesterday at the Little Red Building, but she hadn\'t accepted it then, so Gu Xiao had Yan Dongxue take it. Interestingly, yesterday\'s version had Yan Zhao\'s name as the header, while today\'s version had Yan Shengnan\'s name.

Unlike yesterday\'s version which only had the "Share Agreement" with nothing else, this one not only had the transfer agreement but also included a copy of Gu Xiao\'s passport and his personally written power of attorney document, naming Chen Meilan as the agent.

Yan Zhao continued emptying the envelope, finding a small cloth bag inside. Opening it, there was a small harmonica.

His breath caught immediately.

This was the harmonica he had played as a child - he could clearly recognize the places where the paint had been bitten off by him.

This small harmonica was what Gu Xiao had brought to Yanguan Village, and it was the favorite toy of young Yan Zhao and Yan Xing.

As children, the two siblings always liked to help Gu Xiao with chores to earn the chance to play this small harmonica.

This was indeed Gu Xiao\'s possession.

Yan Zhao looked at it for a long while, then turned to ask Chen Meilan: "Did you give that small blanket to Gu Xiao?"

"Yes, just yesterday, he came to our house to get it personally," Chen Meilan said.

Then she added: "Yesterday Gu Xiao gave me a transfer contract, with the shares being transferred to you, but I didn\'t accept it."

Yan Zhao handed the "Equity Document" with Yan Shengnan\'s name on it to Chen Meilan, saying, "Just go through the procedures. This one is for Yuanyuan - I believe this was his true intention and original purpose."

Though Gu Xiao was old and appeared frail, his schemes and calculations were incredibly difficult to guard against.

If they had accepted the "Equity Document" yesterday, yes, they could have received the items, but to process the transfer, they would still need the shareholder to be present in person, or at least provide a power of attorney document.

And someone like Gu Xiao, who could so easily go back on his word, might take the small blanket but refuse to provide the power of attorney.

In that case, he would have taken the blanket, while the 271 shares would remain in his possession.

However, when Yan Peiheng and Chen Meilan refused the contract yesterday, today Gu Xiao would have Xiong Dapao deliver a new set of documents - this time complete with power of attorney, passport copies, and everything prepared properly.

Chen Meilan would only need to take these documents to the Industrial and Commercial Bureau to process the transfer.

So today\'s documents truly had the power to execute the transfer.

Holding these documents, Chen Meilan couldn\'t help but marvel at how Gu Xiao was truly a master of schemes.

Except for people like Yan Zhao and his son who genuinely didn\'t covet money or possessions and were as steady as a rock, most people couldn\'t withstand his manipulations.

Oh right, there was also that check - an eighty-thousand check. This was the original investment Gu Xiao had made in Sanbao Paint Factory, and now he had Xiong Dapao withdraw it all to give to her?

Once this check went into Chen Meilan\'s personal account, she would instantly become a millionaire, but Xiong Dapao\'s paint factory currently didn\'t have abundant funds. If she drained their capital, what would happen to Xiong Dapao?

But nobody dislikes money.

Chen Meilan had been in a bad mood since last night, but now, because of this 800,000, she was feeling delighted.

However, when she happened to glance at Yan Zhao\'s expression, why did he look so disapproving?

Yan Zhao knew better than Chen Meilan about Xiong Dapao\'s company situation - inferior paint flooding the market, unable to raise prices for quality paint. To make good products in this era, one had to endure hardships and struggle forward.

And with Chen Meilan withdrawing Xiong Dapao\'s working capital, Sanbao Paint Factory would have to endure another difficult period.

This annoying man probably wanted her to return the money to Xiong Dapao, didn\'t he?

Seeing Yan Zhao staring at her like a mother hen protecting her chicks, Chen Meilan immediately clutched the check tightly: "Brother San, this was given to me by Gu Xiao. A house in the capital will be worth millions in the future - with 800,000, I could buy two houses to hold onto."

Yan Zhao said nothing, stopped the car, opened the door, and gestured for Chen Meilan to get out.

Chen Meilan refused to leave: "We need to go to the bank right away to deposit this, or the check will expire."

"The check is valid for ten working days, and today is a holiday, so we can\'t deposit it. Let\'s go home," Yan Zhao said.

This man was becoming more knowledgeable, even knowing about check validity periods.

"This money is mine, it must go into my personal account immediately," Chen Meilan insisted.

Yan Zhao looked at Chen Meilan for a moment, then nodded good-naturedly: "We\'ll deposit it after the National Day holiday. I\'ll help you."

"Really?" Chen Meilan asked hesitantly.

This man always put the country before his own family, and the bigger picture before their family\'s interests. However, he was always true to his word - if he said he would deposit the money into her account, he would definitely do it.

Could it be that he had suddenly changed, now considering her small wishes more important than the survival of a large paint factory?

This seemed quite unlike his usual temperament, and Chen Meilan felt something was off.

Sure enough, after a moment\'s silence, Yan Zhao said: "I don\'t think this matter is over. Professor Gu suddenly draining Sanbao Paint Factory\'s working capital must have his purpose."

So it wasn\'t that Yan Zhao considered Chen Meilan\'s feelings more important than a major enterprise\'s survival.

Rather, he had seen through Gu Xiao\'s tricks and methods.

This cunning man - while Gu Xiao was considered deep and calculating, his own depths were even greater.

Indeed, at this time Gu Xiao had just started his journey to Singapore and hadn\'t yet called Xiong Dapao there.

Following Gu Xiao\'s instructions, Xiong Dapao had given all the company\'s working capital to Chen Meilan, but Sanbao Paint Factory needed to survive - what could be done?

So he mortgaged his house, car, and even Xiong Xiaohua\'s several clothing stores, took out bank loans, and continued running Sanbao Paint.

After all, money was a small matter - the business was more important.

And just when Xiong Dapao was buried in debt and struggling to move forward, Gu Xiao called him to Singapore and announced that he would hand over his international waste materials company for Xiong Dapao to manage from now on.

So it was another case of finding life in death - Xiong Dapao ultimately secured the international waste materials company because of his own loyalty, commitment, and persistence.

As for Gu Xiao, even until his last breath, he was still manipulating people\'s hearts, or rather, using his own methods to cultivate those successors he deemed worthy.

After all, Su Wen had once said that she let him go so he could pass on his knowledge.

Teaching and educating people, spreading knowledge - this was what Gu Xiao had done his entire life.

He wasn\'t someone who feared death, nor was he, as Chen Meilan had speculated, someone who valued love less than life itself.

Less than worldly pleasures.

Rather, he had fought hard all his life while also teaching and educating throughout his life. He believed he had achieved some accomplishments, and these achievements were only so that when he died and met Su Wen in another world, he could face that woman with dignity and tell her that he had not failed her mission.

Only then would he feel worthy of Su Wen\'s salvation from back then.

Spiritually, he was the one who could truly resonate with Su Wen\'s soul.

His love transcended worldly narrowness, desire, and base interests.

And Gu Xiao never expected anyone to understand these things - in fact, he disdained being understood.

This was his pride, his persistence.

...

Meanwhile in the village, although facing demolition, because the resettlement location hadn\'t been determined yet, every household still had people living there. Today was National Day, a major holiday, and at five in the afternoon, it was the time when villagers came out for a stroll.

Demolition was a major topic - as long as things weren\'t finalized, people could talk about it endlessly, spitting saliva flying everywhere.

As soon as Chen Meilan got out of the car, Yan Sanye had to call out: "Isn\'t this Meilan, you\'re back?"

"Uncle San, I see you\'re in good spirits!" Chen Meilan said with a smile.

"Good, very good indeed, I\'m not dying, I\'ll anger those bastards to death." Yan Sanye\'s eyes narrowed: "Meilan, those pants look good, what are they called, \'bull pants\' right? Really beautiful."

This old man, never losing his roguish nature.

Chen Meilan was wearing jeans, but an old rogue like Yan Sanye just had to call them "bull pants."

However, surprised by Yan Sanye\'s eyesight, Chen Meilan quietly asked Yan Zhao: "Can Uncle San see clearly?"

"Yes, Qi Songlu took him to get cataract surgery, his eyes are fine now," Yan Zhao said.

Yan Sanye added: "Not just my eyes are good, my body is excellent too. I\'m watching those filial sons and virtuous grandsons of mine - what face do they have to try to snatch houses from my Songlu?"

As the saying goes, no one knows the poor in the bustling city, but relatives appear from afar when there\'s wealth in the deep mountains.

Yan Sanye wasn\'t completely without relatives - Yan Xishan was his nephew, and he had several nephews from his sisters too. Very early on, during the revolutionary period, they had drawn clear lines with Yan Sanye, not only cutting off contact but even participating in criticizing him.

But recently, with the houses facing demolition, they all suddenly appeared, arguing about inheriting Yan Sanye\'s house.

Was that possible? In recent years when Yan Sanye was sick, it was Qi Songlu who took care of him, it was Qi Songlu who took him for eye surgery.

With the houses facing demolition, Yan Sanye planned to transfer everything to Qi Songlu\'s name.

As for the nephews, they wouldn\'t get even a whiff.

Seeing Yan Zhao get out of the car, Yan Sanye stood up: "Yan Zhao, I\'ve noticed you\'ve gotten lazy lately. This matter of the household registration book for me and Songlu - you keep putting it off, how long are you planning to delay?"

"Let\'s go to your house, I\'ll look for the documents and help you handle it today," Yan Zhao said.

To prevent his shameless nephews and Yan Xishan\'s shameless nephew from trying to claim his relocation compensation house, Yan Sanye planned to transfer Qi Songlu to his household registration. He had asked Yan Zhao for help several days ago, but Yan Zhao kept making excuses and refused to help. Today, however, he finally agreed to assist.

Leaning on his cane, Yan Sanye stood up and looked back at Meilan: "You come too. Don\'t mind if my house is dirty - Songlu keeps it clean now."

Chen Meilan used to think it was dirty and disliked how Yan Sanye would wipe his nose everywhere, so she never entered his house, and even when she did enter, she never went into his bedroom.

Of course, almost nobody in the village would enter Yan Sanye\'s house, finding him too disgusting.

Only Yan Zhao, Huang Xiaoxiang, and Qi Songlu were willing to take care of this dirty old man.

Today was Chen Meilan\'s first time entering Yan Sanye\'s bedroom, and to her surprise, the kang bed was spotlessly clean, and the floor was laid with green bricks - all cleaned up by Qi Songlu, making everything bright and tidy.

"Come, come, let me get the key," Yan Sanye said cheerfully.

Yan Zhao saw him struggling to align the key with the keyhole, so he took the key and opened the drawer, taking out a thick stack of documents including household registration booklets, ID cards, photos, Five Guarantees certificates, and widower certificates.

"Hey hey, Yan Zhao, don\'t take the photos from inside," Yan Sanye said.

Yan Zhao quickly pulled out one photo and handed it to Chen Meilan, saying: "I didn\'t take any."

Then, maintaining a straight face, he locked the drawer for Yan Sanye and hung the key back around his neck.

The couple then returned to their own home.

No matter how many places they had lived, this was still Chen Meilan\'s favorite place.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, although autumn had arrived and there were many trees behind the house, the yard was swept completely clean without a single fallen leaf.

Yan Zhao had only stayed in Xiping City for half a month, yet he had managed to paint all the doors and windows with fresh paint, making them bright and clean.

Chen Meilan held the stack of documents, and like most people, she was most interested in the photos.

What caught Chen Meilan\'s attention about this particular photo was that it showed several people, one of whom looked like Yan Xishan, with deep-set eyes, a higher bridge of the nose than most people, and naturally curly hair without needing a perm.

However, this was a black and white photo, and Yan Xishan\'s attire was particularly strange. He was carrying a large cotton-fluffing bow on his shoulder, grinning - was he fluffing cotton?

Moreover, he was standing together with Yan Sanye, Yan Xishan\'s father, and several other strangers. How was this possible? The father and son appeared to be the same age, and they were standing together.

Looking closer, Chen Meilan realized something was off - these were clothes from the 1950s or 60s, and the person in the photo wasn\'t Yan Xishan, but rather a man who looked almost identical to him.

Of course, this wasn\'t Yan Xishan\'s father, as his father was also in the photo.

Speaking of which, Yan Xishan was nicknamed Little Fei Xiang because he didn\'t look like his father at all, with his high nose and deep-set eyes making him look foreign. This had caused him much suffering - during the landlord persecution period, he was pulled out for criticism, and later when it was time to "defeat American imperialism," he was labeled an American imperialist\'s spawn and again subjected to criticism.

Born in 1955, Yan Xishan had experienced all kinds of persecution growing up. For his first twenty years, he lived a life worse than a dog\'s.

Besides his family background, it was all because of his appearance.

Could it be that Yan Xishan\'s real father wasn\'t the landlord, but rather this cotton-fluffing man in the photo?

Because of Yuanyuan and Little Wang, Chen Meilan was in a bad mood today.

Even the 800,000 yuan transferred by Gu Xiao couldn\'t lift her spirits.

Entering their home, the old bed and old bedding that she had washed clean for Yan Zhao were fresh and neat. Not only was the courtyard clean and bright, but even the two old vats in the bedroom were so clean you could see your reflection in them.

Chen Meilan lay down on the bed as soon as she entered, holding the photo, still examining it.

Yan Zhao dusted himself off, removed his coat, and lay down beside Chen Meilan.

"After Zhou Xueqin returned to Xiping City, she met with me once. She told me that Little Wang\'s girlfriend from the previous life was named Yan Zhaodi, from Yanguan Village," he said first.

Seeing Chen Meilan looking at him, Yan Zhao continued: "She said she was Yan Xishan\'s daughter, Yan Zhaodi."

Chen Meilan had thought Zhou Xueqin hadn\'t told Yan Zhao, that he didn\'t know about this.

So he knew already?

"Then what?" she asked.

In fact, when Zhou Xueqin had her medical examination at the detention center, they found tumors in her breast. People naturally fear death, and before a tumor is removed, no one knows whether it\'s malignant or benign.

Moreover, Zhou Xueqin had once gone to Fujian and personally handled contaminated black oil that had been exposed to nuclear radiation.

In Fujian, the people who had helped her transport the oil had all developed various radiation-related illnesses. When she discovered the breast tumors, Zhou Xueqin realized they might be malignant.

Her illness was due to her greed for the black oil and exposure to radiation.

It\'s worth noting that even during interrogation, she hadn\'t planned to reveal the truth about that incident.

Because just as she had been reborn but knew nothing about Chen Meilan\'s life, Chen Meilan didn\'t understand her life either.

Chen Meilan had once been the high-and-mighty wife of the richest man, while Zhou Xueqin was poor and destitute, having once worked as a cleaner at Lu Jingyu\'s company. At that time, Little Wang and Yuanyuan were always together, never apart. She had not only thrown water in Yuanyuan\'s face, but also would mock and threaten her whenever they met, saying things like "if you don\'t leave my son, I\'ll tell Boss Lu about this, about you dating a boy from your village, and make your mother lose face."

In some ways, she had used Yuanyuan\'s hands to help her take care of Little Lang.

But she just wouldn\'t allow her to marry Little Wang.

In this life, Yuanyuan had become a celebrity, frequently appearing on TV, acting in movies, and becoming a somewhat famous folk singer.

And Little Wang had visibly transformed as well.

Zhou Xueqin had long suspected the two children would develop feelings if they were together.

Now she was sick and didn\'t know when she might die, so before entering the operating room, she told Yan Zhao about this matter.

She wanted him to transfer Little Wang to his name and have Little Wang return to Xiping City to take care of her.

Through this, she hoped to separate the two children.

After all, children from the same village with the same surname - if they really got together, wouldn\'t all the adults face ridicule from the villagers?

This was Zhou Xueqin\'s last card to play. She feared death, feared having no one to care for her, wanted a son, and this was her final move.

After finishing his explanation, Yan Zhao turned to look at his wife.

Chen Meilan looked back at her husband - this was a difficult problem, a major challenge for them as a couple.

Zhou Xueqin still wanted a son - if she couldn\'t have his heart, she\'d settle for his physical presence.

If it wasn\'t cancer, it would be fine, but if it was cancer - who could be more attentive at a sickbed than one\'s own child?

Little Wang was naturally a hardworking and capable child, so he could take good care of a patient, and even if he felt uncomfortable or unwilling inside, he would have to care for Zhou Xueqin, handling everything from feeding to cleaning, and he would have to do it well. Otherwise, everyone in the hospital ward, everyone from the village, everyone who knew them would criticize him.

Just like how in the previous life, Yuanyuan had to attend to Yan Xishan in the hospital ward for as long as he was sick.

All Zhou Xueqin and Yan Xishan relied on was the fact that they had given birth to those children.

For Chen Meilan, there was no solution - it would just anger her to death.

But she felt that Yan Zhao\'s character wasn\'t one that could be threatened or persuaded by Zhou Xueqin.

Him showing her this photo must have had deeper meaning.

Sure enough, Yan Zhao spoke again: "If the children really want to be together, let them be together as they wish."

Holding up the photo, he said: "When I was young, I once heard my grandmother cursing, saying that Yan Xishan\'s mother had an affair, that Yan Xishan came from Xinjiang, the child of an old Uyghur cotton trader who fluffed cotton."

The villagers of Yanguan Village were simple people, and even shrewish old women like Yan Zhao\'s grandmother would only occasionally curse when angry.

But most of the time, they kept their mouths shut.

However, Yan Xishan\'s features were distinctly different from the local people of Xiping City.

When the children were young, many people had actually discussed the question of his parentage.

It\'s just that no one ever talked about it openly.

Yan Sanye had always carefully guarded this secret, keeping that sole photograph locked away.

It was because Yan Xishan was their landlord family\'s only seed, their only bloodline.

He didn\'t want Yan Xishan to learn about his true origins and run off to be Old Wei\'s son.

But he couldn\'t bring himself to burn the photograph because he still harbored some hesitation in his heart, probably planning to tell Yan Xishan the truth on his deathbed.

Starting from the perspective of the two children wanting to be together, the matter became simple.

Treating it like a case to solve.

Yan Zhao made inquiries around the village and indeed learned from some elderly villagers that when Old Wei was around, he had left a photograph. Actually, he had already seen the photo at Yan Sanye\'s house a few days ago, but didn\'t take it then. He only went to get it after Chen Meilan returned.

With this photograph, Yan Zhao wanted not only to convince Chen Meilan but, more importantly, to convince himself.

Yuanyuan\'s grandmother and Su Wen were both girls from the Fifth Brigade, their ancestors were from the same family, but they were beyond five generations of kinship.

And if Yan Xishan truly wasn\'t his father\'s child, but rather the son of Old Wei, the cotton fluffer in the photograph, then Little Wang and Yuanyuan\'s blood relationship wouldn\'t even count as cousins.

There would be no real obstacle to their marriage.

But was this Old Wei still alive? He should have come to Yanguan Village sometime in the 1950s, a cotton farmer from Xinjiang who came to fluff cotton.

He probably returned to Xinjiang long ago. Xinjiang was so vast - could Yan Xishan even find his birth father?

"This photo - you want to give it to Yan Xishan so he can find his real father? Do you have any leads?" Chen Meilan asked in return.

"How could that be possible?" Yan Zhao took the photo and tucked it into the "Criminal Law" book on the bedside table.

Then he said: "I\'ll choose the university for Yan Wangqi and send him to study far away. I\'ll arrange for him to study abroad. He needs to go overseas for four years first, and can only return after completing his studies. This way, we can keep the children apart for eight years."

Little Wang was about to take his college entrance exams. Sending him away would separate him from Yuanyuan.

Following that with studying abroad would make it eight years - practically as long as the War of Resistance against Japan.

In Chen Meilan\'s view, most people couldn\'t maintain a relationship over such a long time.

By then, perhaps Yuanyuan would have a new boyfriend, and Little Wang would have a new girlfriend.

Perhaps their relationship would naturally fade away.

"After eight years, if they still want to be together..." Before Yan Zhao could finish, Chen Meilan asked: "Then you\'ll give the photo to Yan Xishan?"

"No, let Yan Wangqi find it himself. If he can find it, then he\'ll be worthy of being my son-in-law. Otherwise, it won\'t work," Yan Zhao said, closing the book with a snap and placing it on the bedside table.

Chen Meilan looked at the blue book with white text, "Criminal Law," thinking about what Little Wang hated most.

Wasn\'t it precisely books? And what profession did he hate most? Wasn\'t it being a police officer?

He would never read this book willingly.

Chen Meilan was puzzled about whether Yan Zhao was now positioning himself as a father or a father-in-law.

Could Little Wang meet these harsh conditions?

This seemed like the eighty-one trials of Journey to the West. Being both a father and a father-in-law, Yan Zhao was setting these challenges for his son with full knowledge of his capabilities. Could Little Wang escape from his clutches?

Seeing Chen Meilan looking at him with an expression both annoyed and amused, Yan Zhao tucked her in and said in a parental tone: "Let the children find their own happiness. Get some rest. I bought some tripe and will clean it to make you a bowl of clean huludou."

But Chen Meilan hooked her foot around his: "Stay a while longer. We haven\'t seen each other for half a month. Don\'t you miss me?"

Yan Zhao sat stiffly, looked for a long while, and finally managed to say: "It\'s not dark yet."

"If you close the curtains, won\'t it be dark?" Chen Meilan countered.

Yan Zhao had never done such naughty things during daylight, but looking at the curtains, he suddenly realized - yes, if the curtains were closed, wouldn\'t it be dark?

He was always so rigid in everything he did. Without Chen Meilan, he would have only known one position for bedroom activities his whole life, with no variety or flexibility.

Even with Chen Meilan, he only moved when she prompted him.

If she didn\'t prompt, Yan Zhao would just stay at that point, not moving anymore.

Like today, it was so rare - it was the first time Chen Meilan had actively expressed wanting to be intimate with him in broad daylight.

Yan Zhao was extremely excited.

However, what excited him even more was yet to come.

Leaving love marks had always been an activity Yan Zhao found particularly enjoyable.

And today, unprecedentedly, Chen Meilan left a love mark on a certain special part of Yan Zhao\'s body.

This startled Yan Zhao, especially since he hadn\'t even showered yet and felt a bit unclean himself.

For the first time ever, barely three minutes after getting into bed, Yan Zhao let out a loud, muffled groan.

It was so loud that it scared the sparrows in the locust tree behind the house, making them flutter away.

He sat up with a jerk, quickly got out of bed, and rushed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Then he returned to the bedroom, but before entering, hesitated by the window and blurted out: "I\'m not usually like this."

After a while, he said sternly: "Don\'t do that again, it\'s dirty!"

In response, Chen Meilan buried her face in the pillow, giggling.

Looking at her buried in the blankets, it was strange - they were approaching forty and had been married for years, yet Yan Zhao still felt the same youthful urge to completely possess her, to merge her into his own body.

Turning around, the man went to work.

Chen Meilan hadn\'t slept the previous night, worried about Little Wang and Yuanyuan\'s situation, and after flying back and being tense all day, sleep was particularly important at her age. Now it was time for a good rest.

In the crisp autumn air, sparrows and swallows chirped behind the house, and the wind rustled through the locust trees.

Yan Zhao was cleaning tripe, washing it thoroughly, and then had to make pancakes and cut scallions and garlic.

In her dreams, Chen Meilan could smell the familiar sweet wheat fragrance of the pancakes. Soon the pot was boiling, and because Yan Zhao had cleaned the tripe so carefully, there was no unpleasant smell. He had also cooked lamb with tsaoko and Sichuan pepper, their fragrances rising with the steam from the pot, filling the courtyard with wonderful aromas.

After her deep sleep, when she woke up, a steaming bowl of huludou with soaked bread was already set out in the courtyard.

The bread was torn by Yan Zhao into pieces exactly the size of her little finger.

The noodles had been soaked in cold water since the previous night, then rolled in the lamb broth, achieving the perfect chewy texture.

Taking a mouthful brought pure happiness.

Looking up at the slanting sunset and the golden leaves gilded by its last rays, Chen Meilan\'s heart finally felt truly at ease.

She glanced at her husband, who immediately avoided her eyes, his ears red as blood.

Life with Yan Zhao was just this simple, and they would never be extremely wealthy.

He would never say romantic words either.

But for Chen Meilan, who had lived two lifetimes, nothing could compare to waking up to this fragrant bowl of huludou with soaked bread.

And among all the men Chen Meilan had known in this world, only Yan Zhao could make it just right.

Perhaps this was why she had gradually fallen in love with him without realizing it.

This three-day holiday was the first time the couple had ever spent alone in Yanguan Village.

The next day, Chen Meilan went to the hospital to visit Zhou Xueqin. Fortunately, the biopsy showed that Zhou Xueqin\'s tumor was benign.

This meant that once removed, she would be fine and could leave the hospital.

But because of her fear of death and worry about having no one to care for her, Zhou Xueqin had once again made herself look bad.

Even though Chen Meilan hadn\'t revealed the incident about her letting Little Lang eat paint, her behavior this time had completely earned Yan Zhao\'s contempt.

So even though she was sick and the children should have come to see her, Yan Zhao didn\'t let them visit.

The couple sat briefly and then left.

Zhou Xueqin walked to the glass window and saw the couple below, talking and laughing as they walked.

Yan Zhao carried Chen Meilan\'s bag, listening to her speak while walking, then opened the bag to take out a water bottle. Chen Meilan took it, had a sip, handed it back to Yan Zhao, continued talking, and then they got into their car.

The champagne-colored Crown was so bright in the sunlight that Zhou Xueqin had to squint her eyes.

Looking back to her previous life, during her first blind date arrangement, there were two rows of photos - one row of men and one row of women. At that time, all the leaders of the wool textile factory collectively reviewed them. Someone placed Chen Meilan\'s photo next to Yan Zhao\'s, and everyone immediately praised them, saying these two looked like a perfect match.

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The man appeared masculine and upright, while the woman looked gentle and charming. Together, they seemed like a match made in heaven.

Soon after, everyone started discussing Yan Zhao\'s background.

As for Zhou Xueqin, she mainly heard about Yan Zhao\'s good family background, which was why she had her father, who was the party secretary, switch the photos.

A girl of eighteen is like a flower in bloom. Chen Meilan was truly beautiful back then. Even in black and white photos, her vivacity couldn\'t be hidden, nor could the innocence and loveliness on her face. Her photo was moved away from beside Yan Zhao\'s and replaced with Zhou Xueqin\'s.

But Zhou Renyi felt guilty and chose another match for Chen Meilan - the most handsome and dashing young man among them.

Zhou Xueqin didn\'t know what she was thinking at the time, but she played another trick and had Chen Meilan\'s match switched again.

Back then, she never imagined that the two people whose photos were first placed together would eventually end up together.

Nor did she imagine they would live so happily.

On the hospital bed, she sat alone, staring at her solitary shadow cast by the sunlight.

[The End]