Chapter 71

By the way, Qi Songlu had once done something particularly famous that shocked the entire public security system.

She was sentenced to two years for hooliganism, which was reduced by one year, so she served one year in prison before being released.

After her release, she didn't return to her parents' home but went straight to Wang Ding'an to demand a divorce. At that time, Wang Ding'an was already working at the police station. Having a wife with a criminal record was problematic - not to mention his parents were threatening suicide if he didn't divorce her quickly. Wang Ding'an himself was under immense pressure; if he didn't divorce her, his career would certainly be ruined.

So he readily agreed to the divorce and even offered to leave the marriage with nothing. But Qi Songlu didn't want anything except the house allocated to her by the supply and marketing cooperative. She only had one small request: she wanted to kick Wang Ding'an once.

How much damage could a woman's kick do?

Qi Songlu had worked at the supply and marketing cooperative for several years and had saved over a thousand yuan. But since they were married, the money belonged to both of them. She could take it all just for the price of one kick - quite a good deal, right?

For Wang Ding'an, it was more about guilt. He felt guilty that the money had been put into a fixed-term deposit and couldn't be withdrawn when he fell ill, forcing him to ask Yan Xishan to bail her out. Unfortunately, despite Yan Xishan's usual wide-reaching connections, that time he couldn't pull any strings, causing Qi Songlu to serve a year in prison for nothing.

So Wang Ding'an was prepared to take a kick from Qi Songlu and let her take the money. He was a poor boy from the countryside, his parents were still farming back home, and his younger brother was about to get married - he needed the money even more than Qi Songlu.

However, before he could react and reach out to take the money, Qi Songlu raised her foot and kicked him squarely in the groin.

As the doctor later said, it was fortunate that she was wearing autumn shoes. With some medication, Wang Ding'an could still regain his manhood. If Qi Songlu had been wearing leather shoes at the time, Wang Ding'an would never have been able to father children.

In other words, as Wang Ding'an reached for the money, Qi Songlu's kick essentially emasculated him.

Because of this incident, when people in the public security system mentioned Qi Songlu, they not only considered her a busybody but also a complete shrew - a woman more vicious than Pan Jinlian.

Fortunately, Yan Zhao didn't pay much attention to such gossip. He seemed unaware of this incident and after hearing Qi Songlu's name, he asked, "Wasn't she one of the female hooligans from '83? I heard she had a history of streetwalking. Let her file a report first..."

"She's my friend," Chen Meilan immediately retorted, holding out her hands. "Captain Yan, why don't you arrest me too? If she was a streetwalker, then so was I. Do you believe that?"

Yan Zhao looked at Chen Meilan.

Chen Meilan didn't back down, staring back at this living Judge of Hell.

She was actually quite timid, often lowering her head and avoiding eye contact when Yan Zhao's gaze turned cold. But this time, she raised her head and stared at him unflinchingly, maintaining eye contact.

"Be careful talking about streetwalkers, the children might hear. Speak slowly," Yan Zhao had to say.

That's more like it, Chen Meilan thought. How beautiful and noble Qi Songlu was in her youth - only the words "pure as ice and clean as jade" could describe her. But the times, people's prejudices, rumors, and sudden policy changes had made her life a living hell.

Holding back the blood she felt like spitting, Chen Meilan explained Qi Songlu's situation to Yan Zhao.

She started from how Qi Songlu met Wang Ding'an through a blind date, their marriage, and then how she was labeled a female hooligan for going to a dance hall to look for Wang Ding'an. Chen Meilan explained it all in detail.

"Wang Ding'an... tell me about this person. Is he the captain of the detective squad at the Jinxi Branch Bureau?" Yan Zhao paused when he heard Wang Ding'an's name.

Wang Ding'an had once been a hooligan with Yan Xishan, but because he was a military transfer, he later joined the police force and was even named an exemplary police officer last year.

However, Wang Ding'an and Qi Songlu had long since divorced.

Chen Meilan felt he wasn't important; what mattered were those hooligans. They might not be bothering her anymore, but they hadn't disappeared. Now they were bullying Qi Songlu, and Chen Meilan had experienced their methods firsthand - ordinary people really couldn't withstand it.

"The important thing is the hooligans," she insisted.

"Tell me about Wang Ding'an. Does he have any uncles or cousins in leadership positions? Has he remarried? Who did he marry?" Yan Zhao asked in return.

Chen Meilan hadn't actually inquired about Wang Ding'an's remarriage.

However, Wang Ding'an was quite introverted and reserved. After the incident with Qi Songlu, he had even stopped associating with Yan Xishan. Although Chen Meilan had heard that he had remarried, she didn't know anything about his second wife - where she was from or what she did.

All she knew was that after that incident, Wang Ding'an's career had taken off like a rocket. He went from being a small-time cop at a local police station to becoming the captain of the detective squad at the branch bureau.

In fact, in Yan Zhao's view, there was a large gang of petty criminals in Xiping City, and there must be a big boss at the top giving them orders, telling them who to bully.

Once upon a time, Fan Zhenhua had been the protector of that big hooligan.

Recently, there had been a group of thugs harassing Meilan at her construction site. Yan Zhao had sent Xiong Xiangdang to investigate, hoping to find the leader of this gang of hooligans. But those people were cunning; hearing the news that Chen Meilan had backing and someone looking out for her, they stopped bothering her.

The Fan father and son wouldn't reveal this person because it involved whether they were involved in organized crime. Involvement in organized crime meant public trial and execution, but without it, Fan Xiang would get twenty years at most, and Fan Zhenhua would only be imprisoned for two years.

So to save their lives, the Fan father and son would never give up that person.

And that person, even without Fan Zhenhua's protection, could still run rampant in Xiping City. Economic development breeds hooligans, and hooligans could nurture that crime boss into a glutton.

Yan Zhao had been looking for that person - the one who could command all the hooligans in the city with a single word, telling them who to bully.

This person might be inconspicuous, but their power could be greater than the city's police chief. Because hooligans roamed the entire city, using all sorts of underhanded methods to bully people, as long as that person was smart enough, they would be the city's unofficial police chief.

Yan Zhao mulled over the name Wang Ding'an, suddenly remembering that among Zhou Xueqin's friends he had inquired about before, there was also someone called 'Wang Ding'an'. Could this Wang Ding'an be that Wang Ding'an?

...

After listening to Meilan's story, Yan Zhao removed the clothes covering her head. "Alright, I'll investigate this matter."

Chen Meilan had been asking him to remove the clothes for a while, why did he suddenly do it now?

She looked up and realized that the basketball backboard on the playground was now blocking the sun, putting her in the shade.

Yuanyuan's piano performance had ended, and there was only one last act before the show would be over.

However, Yuanyuan had already come out from backstage and saw Yan Xishan being held by several security guards in the distance, arguing with them vehemently.

The little girl didn't feel embarrassed and didn't try to hide, even though many of her classmates were curiously looking at her. Now, in everyone's understanding, Yuanyuan was Yan Zhao's daughter, and her father was a police officer.

If her classmates knew she was actually the daughter of a nouveau riche, she would have felt ashamed.

But she still walked over.

"Yan Xiaowang, you bastard, despicable, vile, framing others..." Yan Xishan was about to shout in frustration.

Yuanyuan bowed to the two security guards: "Uncle Security, on behalf of my father, I apologize to you. Could you please release him?"

"In the future, don't sell popsicles on campus. Dressed so properly and elegantly, selling a few popsicles to make money is too embarrassing for you," the security guard said as he released Yan Xishan.

Yan Xishan, still furious, pointed at Little Wang from afar, with a look that said, "Don't think I'll let you off the hook."

As people were dispersing, an acquaintance who was also nouveau riche came over and asked Yan Xishan if he wanted to visit the newly opened Little Hong Kong, saying he had heard that the girls there were all very young, faces they had never seen before.

His voice wasn't low, and Yuanyuan overheard it clearly. She pouted, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at her father, feeling embarrassed.

Yan Xishan's heart suddenly trembled. He immediately cursed, "Get lost! When have I ever been to a nightclub? Boss Bao, don't you dare spread such lies!"

Yan Xishan was only in his early thirties, and he definitely needed to remarry and have a son. However, he had recently met many female comrades, and for some reason, even though they all seemed nice, he would get annoyed after chatting with them for a while. This was because those women would immediately start asking about money, inquiring about the annual income from his coal mine, and whether they could quit their formal jobs to help him manage the accounts once they got married.

The more they acted like this, the more he thought about Yuanyuan and Meilan.

Damn it, why wouldn't Yan Zhao just die already?

Little Wang, standing between Yuanyuan and Little Lang in the flowing crowd, shouted, "Come on, brothers, let's go buy digital watches!"

Zheng Beibei in Yuanyuan's class had a digital watch, and so did Little Yan Ha from the capital.

Little Wang was earning money specifically to buy digital watches for himself and his siblings.

There was a shop near the school entrance that specialized in selling digital watches. Not only were children fond of them, but even adults considered wearing one to be incredibly fashionable.

In Yan Zhao's opinion, he certainly didn't want the children to wear such extravagant items as digital watches at such a young age.

However, just as he was about to speak up, Chen Meilan raised her finger and said, "Let the children buy them. Little Wang promised me that after earning this money, he'd study seriously until the end of the semester. Let him enjoy himself this time, okay?"

Little Wang had earned eighty yuan, enough to buy three digital watches. He picked out a pink one for Yuanyuan, which even had a pink cat printed on it. Yuanyuan, of course, absolutely loved it. Little Lang looked for a long time before choosing the biggest one for himself, as he liked all enormous things.

Little Wang had, of course, already set his sights on his own watch long ago. It was black with a small plastic frame and a glass cover, very simple. When worn, it didn't even look like a digital watch, but it was understated, profound, and had character.

The three children were wearing short-sleeved shirts, and because they now had watches on their wrists, they had to raise both hands, walking carefully. When they encountered a pothole, they would have to jump, looking like the dazed little vampires from Hong Kong films.

Yan Zhao suddenly called out, "Yan Wangqi."

"Dad, here!" Little Wang responded.

"Do you still have any money left? Can you lend Dad some?" Yan Zhao actually wanted to find out how much money his son had.

If he could afford digital watches, he must have had at least a few dozen yuan left.

Little Wang, being clever, of course said, "No, Dad, I don't have a single cent left." But in reality, his woolen money pouch contained exactly four hundred yuan, the same as his father's monthly salary.

Little Wang didn't tell anyone about this.

After returning home, Yan Zhao called Ma Bo and asked him to bring over the police files from Jinnan District. He wanted to investigate Wang Ding'an.

As it happened, Ma Bo and Wang Ding'an had served in the same military unit and were friends. Moreover, Ma Bo was also particularly concerned about the case of gangsters entrenched in Jindong District. Today, he had come to see Ma Bo, and the two were discussing the case.

They were eating lamb paomo with garlic cloves at a nearby restaurant.

When Ma Bo heard that Yan Zhao wanted to inquire about Wang Ding'an, he decided to bring Wang Ding'an to Yanguan Village, allowing Yan Zhao to meet him directly.

In his words, Wang Ding'an had given him a completely new perspective, and Wang Ding'an had some evidence that could help them find the big boss of the criminal gang.

In short, in Ma Bo's view, Wang Ding'an was not an enemy, but a friend.

Chen Meilan was getting ready to visit Secretary Liu's house in the afternoon and was primping herself. Yan Zhao's gaze was like an air conditioner, making her feel cold all over. So she said, "Why don't we go together?"

"No need, I have work to do," Yan Zhao said coldly.

Chen Meilan was wearing a new dress today, a Montagut, the most popular brand in the 90s. She had her hair up when she heard Yuanyuan say from outside the window, "Mom, you should let your hair down and wear lipstick to look prettier."

Yuanyuan had bought Chen Meilan some very cheap, poor-quality lipstick, which Chen Meilan obviously didn't use. She had bought herself a Yu Xi dark rose lipstick, which was actually what would later be called "bean paste color," and was already available on the market. It was the most suitable lipstick color for her complexion.

After applying the lipstick, Yuanyuan had already brought over Chen Meilan's newly bought high heels. "Mom, don't forget these."

Little girls love nothing more than dressing up their mothers.

"How much did this whole outfit cost?" Yan Zhao reached out and rubbed Chen Meilan's dress.

Chen Meilan said, "35 yuan."

A Montagut dress would cost 350 yuan now, but if Yan Zhao knew that her entire outfit cost a thousand yuan, he probably wouldn't be able to save face. However, as Yan Xishan had said, in this era, people don't look at people, they look at clothes. Without a good set of clothes to wear, when going out to socialize, no one would treat her as a big boss.

The pager rang.

Chen Meilan saw it was a message from Cui Juan and immediately called back.

"Boss Chen, my sister suddenly has something to attend to today, so we'll have to reschedule," Cui Juan said on the phone. "I'm really sorry, we suddenly have some business to take care of."

"It's no problem, I'll visit another day," Chen Meilan said with a smile.

After all, they were potential clients, and relationships could be built slowly, there was no rush.

Moreover, the main issue was that there weren't yet any suitable places in the city for women to consume on their own. Otherwise, Chen Meilan would have invited the Cui sisters out for a meal.

As she hung up the phone, Chen Meilan could swear she wasn't seeing things or going blind. She clearly saw Yan Zhao smile, a genuine smile.

His teeth were so white they could be used in a toothpaste advertisement for black people, and because he had been working in an office for nearly a year, his skin had also become much fairer than before, making him look particularly young, like a man in his mid-twenties.

So this man actually never wanted her to go out and socialize, he just couldn't say it out loud.

She wasn't going out to visit, and he was smiling like a tube of toothpaste?

Indeed, all men are the same. They want to see other women as seductive and cheap, but when their own wives dress a little brightly, they frown.

Chen Meilan was about to change out of her dress in anger when Yuanyuan got upset: "Mom, what are you doing? Can't you wear a new dress even if you're not visiting someone? Don't change."

This was the old-fashioned thinking at work, always feeling that one should be casual at home and only dress up when going out. In the future, many nice clothes would barely be worn, and once the body hunches over, even the best clothes would look shapeless and lack elegance when worn.

So, Chen Meilan decided not to change.

"Let's go, Yuanyuan, we'll visit Teacher Huang's house," Chen Meilan said, holding her daughter's hand.

Since she was wearing a new dress, she might as well go out for a stroll.

Just as they reached the alley entrance, they saw a Harley motorcycle enter the alley with two police officers on it.

It was Ma Bo and Wang Ding'an, coming to see Yan Zhao.

Chen Meilan knew Wang Ding'an, and Wang Ding'an of course knew Chen Meilan, but Chen Meilan didn't greet them and went to Teacher Huang's house instead.

Teacher Huang's older son was called Xiaoxiang, but perhaps because of the unfortunate choice of name, the child had "flown away." So for the younger one, they simply named him Manchang. In Teacher Huang's words, he didn't expect him to be too smart; as long as the granary was full and he wouldn't starve, that would be enough.

He was now Chen Meilan's project manager, responsible for cost estimation, project planning, and coordinating with the design team. Although he was also very busy, perhaps because of the joy of having a second child, he suddenly seemed to have become younger.

His once salt-and-pepper hair was now miraculously beginning to turn black again.

Third Sister-in-law Huang was on the kang bed, lulling Little Manchang to sleep, so Yuanyuan and Little Lang played quietly, not daring to make a sound.

After chatting quietly about work for a while, Teacher Huang suddenly tapped Meilan lightly: "Look quickly."

Chen Meilan turned around and saw Yuanyuan holding Little Lang, who looked like a big gray wolf. Her holding posture, patting gesture, and soothing manner were exactly the same as Third Sister-in-law's. Little Lang was playing the role of a baby in Yuanyuan's arms.

Yuanyuan was wearing a green cotton sweater, while Little Lang was in a watermelon-red little vest. At first glance, the red and green, combined with the children's naturally fair skin, created a strikingly adorable sight.

Little Lang had already fallen asleep, and Yuanyuan, who had been a graceful, beautiful, and poised little white swan on stage this morning, now had her little mouth open, drooling, looking every bit like a little country girl holding her younger brother.

"Let the children sleep here. You go home and rest first. I should be able to finish the budget for Dongfang Group soon," Teacher Huang closed his work notebook and said softly. "Now that we've hired more people, if you can't keep up with the accounting, give some to me, and I'll help you do it."

Chen Meilan responded with a "okay" and gently laid out the drowsy Yuanyuan. She placed Little Lang next to her and, due to the heat, took two pillowcases from Third Sister-in-law Huang, draping one over each child's stomach. She then tiptoed out of Third Sister-in-law Huang's house.

It was now three in the afternoon. In June, people in the rural suburbs would sleep until five, so the streets were completely empty, without a soul in sight.

The village market was silent, with only the small shop at the village entrance continuously playing "Yellow Earth Highlands," repeatedly singing "Whether it's the southeast wind or the northwest wind, it's still my song, my song."

Little Wang squatted in front of the shiny Harley Davidson motorcycle, chin resting on his hands, basking in the sun and occasionally yawning.

Chen Meilan then entered the house.

In the heat, people from Shaanxi typically receive guests in the courtyard, under the western shade. A small charcoal stove slowly brews pot tea with red dates, goji berries, rock sugar, and a few longan fruits, to be sipped leisurely.

Wang Ding'an stood up to shake hands: "Meilan, long time no see..."

"Why does your waist look a bit hunched?" Chen Meilan asked, noticing him supporting his waist with one hand.

Wang Ding'an shook his head with a bitter smile. Ma Bo chimed in, "Sister-in-law probably doesn't know, but he was kicked hard by his hooligan ex-wife. Since then, his back pain flares up from time to time..." It was said that his male functions were inconsistent, but that wasn't appropriate to mention in polite company.

"Alright, alright, Ma Bo, let's not talk about these things," Wang Ding'an quickly interjected.

After all, his ex-wife Qi Songlu was a notorious female hooligan in Xiping City. Wang Ding'an's mere presence, without saying a word, was enough to garner sympathy as a pitiful man.

Ma Bo patted Wang Ding'an's shoulder and glanced at Yan Zhao: "We're all comrades here. I won't say more, but I really sympathize with you, brother." He sympathized with Yan Zhao as well.

Chen Meilan also grabbed a small stool and sat down beside them.

Wang Ding'an was discussing hooligans with Yan Zhao.

Hooligans were a major scourge in Xiping City. Although they didn't commit major crimes, they harassed merchants, collected protection fees, smeared feces on shop doors, smashed doors and windows, and even extorted protection money from elementary school students. The amounts were small, 80 cents, 50 cents, or at most two or three yuan, not enough to warrant imprisonment, but it made society a mess.

Wasn't it the responsibility and duty of the police to find a way to deal with them?

Wang Ding'an's visit to Yan Zhao offered a new perspective. He claimed to have evidence proving that the leader of the hooligans, the big boss, was Yan Xishan!

Chen Meilan had just poured herself a cup of tea and was about to add some rock sugar when she almost burst out laughing. Wang Ding'an himself had once been a hooligan and was formerly Yan Xishan's most loyal friend and subordinate. He seemed to have switched sides rather quickly.

He was now trying to convince Yan Zhao of this fact and even wanted Chen Meilan to agree.

"The leader of the hooligans is definitely Xishan," Wang Ding'an lit a cigarette and looked at Chen Meilan seriously. "If Deputy Yan doesn't believe me, he can ask Meilan. How did Yan Xishan get his coal mine? Fan Xiang helped him, right? And who is Hu Xiaohua, the one sentenced to prison? His mistress's brother. Although Hu Xiaohua hasn't been released yet, Yan Xishan has more than just Hu Xiaohua as his henchman... He's started selling coal again recently, flush with cash. He must spend eight hundred to a thousand yuan at nightclubs every night. If he's not supporting his underlings, who is?"

Ma Bo poured tea for Yan Zhao and said, "Captain Yan, I also think the hooligan leader is Yan Xishan. Let's arrest him again."

"Is that what you think?" Yan Zhao accepted the tea, blew away the foam, and took a sip.

"Deputy Yan, let's arrest him first, then bring out Hu Xiaohua for questioning. Hu Xiaohua will definitely testify for us," Wang Ding'an looked at Meilan and sighed. "Just for the suffering Meilan endured when she was with Yan Xishan, we must send Yan Xishan to prison this time."

"So you think Fan Zhenhua is not a problem, and all the fault lies with Fan Xiang? That Fan Xiang supported Yan Xishan, who in turn supported the hooligans who are disturbing public order and causing trouble?" Yan Zhao asked Wang Ding'an and Ma Bo again.

Ma Bo frowned, "It's hard to say. After all, they're father and son. I think Fan Zhenhua must not be clean either."

Wang Ding'an also said, "We don't know about that, but I firmly believe Yan Xishan is not clean. Sending him to prison is the trend of the times. We must put him away."

Yan Zhao was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked Wang Ding'an, "Have you remarried?"

Wang Ding'an glanced at Ma Bo, who smiled and explained to Yan Zhao, "Our comrade Wang Ding'an is like you, Captain Yan. Both of you had unfortunate first marriages but very good second ones. His current wife, whom he married three years ago, is the daughter of our city's former Bureau Chief Mi..." Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"He's already retired. My father-in-law is not comparable to Old Yan. He retired long ago and is now just an old retiree," Wang Ding'an quickly waved his hand and said.

There weren't many military men in the city, so they were all considered comrades.

Wang Ding'an's current father-in-law used to be a leader in the city's Public Security Bureau, but he's now retired.

Because his first marriage ended rather scandalously, Wang Ding'an keeps a very low profile and rarely mentions this in public.

Although Yan Zhao didn't say anything, Chen Meilan thought to herself, no wonder Wang Ding'an's promotions were as fast as a rocket. So his current father-in-law used to be a leader in the city's Public Security Bureau. Even a broken ship has three pounds of nails - even in retirement, a former police chief still has the power to support his son-in-law.

"Then let's keep in touch," Yan Zhao stood up, shaking hands to see them off.

Wang Ding'an grasped Yan Zhao's hand in return: "It's settled then. Whenever there's a case involving hooligans, I'll be there at a moment's notice."

As Yan Zhao was about to escort his guests out, Chen Meilan faintly smelled something foul outside. She stepped out first and saw Little Wang standing up from beside the motorcycle, holding a lighter in his hand.

Just then, Wang Ding'an and Ma Bo came out.

Chen Meilan asked Wang Ding'an, "Whose motorcycle is this? Wang Ding'an, is it yours?"

"Yes, why?" Wang Ding'an asked.

"I think I just saw a few young hooligans circling around your motorcycle. You'd better have it checked before riding," Meilan said.

Wang Ding'an clearly had experience with this. Smelling the foul odor in the air, he shook his head and sighed, "These hooligans nowadays are really a headache. They can't stand to see anything nice. If they pass by a motorcycle, they have to puncture the tires."

He and Ma Bo pushed the motorcycle, said goodbye to Yan Zhao and his wife, and left Yanguan Village.

As they walked down the road, Ma Bo said to Wang Ding'an, "You're really stupid. Your father-in-law and Counselor Yan used to be old comrades, right? If Deputy Yan hadn't asked, you wouldn't have mentioned it to get closer to him? You had to wait for him to ask?"

"Counselor Yan is a deputy ministerial-level leader, while my father-in-law is just a retired old man. Counselor Yan comes to Xiping City, gives a heads up to the provincial leaders, and Yan Zhao immediately gets promoted to deputy bureau chief. Those of us without connections can only slowly accumulate seniority. There's nothing we can do about it. Who told us we don't have backing?" Wang Ding'an said with a smile. "People like us are destined to work at the grassroots level until we're old."

Ma Bo felt that Wang Ding'an's words were a bit off, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.

Although Counselor Yan would certainly put in a good word, Yan Zhao did have his own capabilities to qualify for the position of deputy bureau chief. But never mind, Ma Bo still had to go back to work overtime on a case. At the bus stop, he waved goodbye to Wang Ding'an.

Back in Yanguan Village.

Seeing Yan Zhao dragging a hose to wash the courtyard, Chen Meilan walked over, following his footsteps with a bamboo broom to sweep the water: "Is the city's big boss really Yan Xishan?"

"What do you think? Does Xishan look like a big boss?" Yan Zhao asked in return.

Yan Xishan started as a hooligan, and many of the things Hu Xiaohua did for him were hooligan-like behaviors. But having grown up poor and suffered, he always ordered Hu Xiaohua not to bully the poor or collect protection fees.

Although Yan Zhao wouldn't show it very obviously, Chen Meilan wasn't stupid. He had always been jealous of Yan Xishan.

Jealousy can make people blind.

The fear was that Yan Xishan might not actually be the big boss, but everyone saying he was might cause Yan Zhao to waste unnecessary energy investigating this.

Yan Zhao didn't continue this topic, but instead asked Chen Meilan, "Did Xishan used to frequent nightclubs?"

"Yan Xishan now goes to nightclubs every day, even more than before," said Chen Meilan.

Yan Zhao, sweeping the courtyard, added, "I just heard Wang Ding'an say that when you were pregnant with Yuanyuan, Yan Xishan had no money. The chickens he gave you to eat were stolen by him and Wang Ding'an from various villages. Wang Ding'an also said that once when you were visiting your parents and had no new clothes to wear, Yan Xishan stole a woolen coat from the city at night, claiming he bought it, so you could wear it to visit your parents."

That was Yan Xishan - never missing a night at the clubs, dancing whenever he could.

But even when he was having an affair with Hu Xiaomei, despite complaining about Chen Meilan and her daughter, he never failed to provide what was needed. If she had been willing to have seven or eight daughters like other women, desperately trying for a son, Yan Xishan would have given her his heart.

But even if he had a son, even if he gave you his heart, he would still go whoring and sleeping with other women all the same.

Yan Zhao finished sweeping the ground and was about to leave. He turned back and said, "Xishan is definitely not the big crime boss, but we must investigate thoroughly who the real boss is this time. We'll have a public trial and give a harsh sentence. Don't worry about it. Since you're wearing a new skirt, go out and enjoy yourself. Though I can't afford very expensive clothes, I won't steal clothes for you to wear either."

This man was jealous of Yan Xishan again.

Did Chen Meilan need men to steal clothes for her to wear?

Besides, Wang Ding'an was digging up Yan Xishan's dirt like he was extracting bezoars from a cow, wasn't it just to make him jealous? How could such a smart man take the bait so easily?

After Yan Zhao left, there was still something to deal with. Chen Meilan turned and pointed at Little Wang's nose. The little fellow thought Chen Meilan found him dirty and was about to run to the tap to rinse off.

Just as he was about to run, Chen Meilan pulled him back.

"Yan Xiaowang, did you do something bad just now?"

"No, Mom, I didn't. I didn't do anything," Little Wang looked bewildered.

Chen Meilan grabbed his hands from behind his back. Both little hands were black and had some rubber residue on them. She looked up and stared sternly at Little Wang.

Little Wang still looked innocent: "Mom, what's wrong?"

"You just cut the brake line on Wang Ding'an's motorcycle, didn't you?" Chen Meilan pointed at the child's nose.

Little Wang didn't deny it: "Yes, but Mom, when people don't like someone, they can cut their brake lines. Even the police can do this. My original mom said there's nothing wrong with it. If something happens, it's their own bad luck."

Chen Meilan's hand shot up. This was the first time in the year since becoming a stepmother that she truly got angry and wanted to hit the child.

Recently, a group of thugs had cut all the ropes at Chen Meilan's construction site into knots, punctured her tricycle's tires, and stuck thumbtacks on the tricycle seat.

Chen Meilan had seen too many of the nasty tricks thugs used.

Just now, she had been watching Little Wang crouching outside alone. At that time, he was actually cutting the brake line on Wang Ding'an's motorcycle.

Both motorcycles and tricycles have brake lines, and nowadays the brake lines don't have any other protection, with the rubber tubing exposed on the outside.

But ordinary people wouldn't cut someone else's brake lines, because cutting the brakes could very likely cause the motorcycle to be unable to stop, resulting in a traffic accident. What if the accident caused someone's death?

Even thugs generally wouldn't dare to do this.

The moment she saw Little Wang cutting the brake line, Chen Meilan wanted to beat the child and shout out what had happened.

But the words stopped at her lips, and she even chose not to tell Yan Zhao.

Because she realized that Little Wang seemed completely unaware that cutting the brake line could cost two people their lives.

Look at him now, biting his lip, looking innocent, as if he had no idea he had done anything wrong.

Everything has its cause and effect.

Wang Ding'an had been working as a police officer in Jinxi District for a long time. Even if he was an excellent officer, Chen Meilan knew his background. Before becoming a policeman, he had been a thug for a while and was once a troublesome hooligan in the city. Little Wang had lived in Jinxi District when he was younger.

Could it be that Wang Ding'an had bullied Little Wang before, and that incident was related to Zhou Xueqin? Was that why Little Wang chose not to tell Yan Zhao and decided to cut Wang Ding'an's brake line to get back at him?

Chen Meilan's hand was raised, her face pale with anger, clearly about to hit someone.

If it were Lu Dabao and Lu Erniu, they would surely be crying and shouting for their father to save them. If it were Yuanyuan, she would throw herself at Chen Meilan, letting her hit her to vent her anger.

But Little Wang just stood there motionless. He didn't dodge or run away. He probably realized she was angry, his eyes full of fear.

"Come here," Chen Meilan ordered.

She had to beat this child today.

"No," Little Wang said softly.

"Come here right now," Chen Meilan reached out to grab the child.

"No, Mom is clean, Little Wang's hands are dirty. Mom is wearing a skirt, I don't want to get Mom dirty," Little Wang said, pouting, still holding out his hands.

Chen Meilan pulled him in front of her. The little fellow held out his hands, trying hard not to let his handprints get on her skirt.

Chen Meilan knelt down and asked the child, "Do you know what a mother is?"

Little Wang nodded and shook his head. The definition of "mother" was very broad but also narrow. For a moment, he really couldn't define it.

"A mother is someone a child can tell any secret to, and it doesn't matter," Chen Meilan squatted down. "Now tell Mom, did that police officer Wang Ding'an ever bully you? Mom will definitely keep it a secret, okay?"

There must be something that Little Wang didn't want to say for Zhou Xueqin's sake.

And that incident must be related to Wang Ding'an.