Chapter 127

In the courtyard, a few children who were eating were startled by Yan Zhao's sudden roar, all pausing with their chopsticks in mid-air.

Yuanyuan immediately stood up: "Mom, what's wrong with you?"

"Mom's fine, just eat quickly," Chen Meilan said.

Yan Zhao's hands were trembling, his chopsticks tapping against the bowl with a clattering sound. He stared at Chen Meilan, struggling for a moment before blurting out, "So, who do you love?"

They had been married for five years, and Yan Zhao had always believed that his wife loved him and his two children. Of course, he loved her too, although even he knew it was absurd. He had a bad temper, was always busy with work, and wasn't good at saying warm words. Logically, no woman would fall for him.

But out of all the love in the world, Yan Zhao could disdain any other, except Chen Meilan's.

At this moment, Yan Zhao recalled what Zhou Xueqin had once said, that no woman would ever truly love him.

Alright, even if Chen Meilan didn't love him, she couldn't love another man.

So, who was it?

"Is it Yan Xishan? Do you regret it?" Was it because Yan Xishan was doing so well now, and she regretted the divorce, regretted marrying him?

Chen Meilan was stunned. How had this man suddenly become so unreasonable?

"Are you crazy?" she said.

"Or... is it Dapao?" Yan Zhao whispered.

He didn't even know how those words came out.

"Get out, I'm going to sleep, get out now," Chen Meilan said.

This was the first time she had cursed in front of Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao stood up, finally managing to control his trembling hands: "Is it because of the bed? Am I not...?"

The children were in the courtyard, eavesdropping. If Yan Zhao continued, it would become indecent.

"Haven't you thought about Yuanyuan?" Chen Meilan whispered.

Now Yan Zhao was even more confused: "I think both I and Xiaowang and Little Lang treat Yuanyuan very well." Not only that, but Yan Zhao was extremely partial to Yuanyuan. Whenever the children made mistakes, he never punished Yuanyuan, only Xiaowang and Little Lang.

Excessive indulgence could spoil Yuanyuan.

Yan Zhao thought he had done quite well.

"There's no point in saying more. Find a time another day, and I'll take Yuanyuan out for a while. You take care of the three boys yourself and figure it out," Chen Meilan had to say.

"You're still going to take Yuanyuan away?" Yan Zhao misunderstood, thinking Chen Meilan was leaving him.

And he quickly started packing, but when he pulled out the travel bag, he packed his own clothes. This left Chen Meilan stunned: "What are you doing?"

"Wherever you go, we'll go with you," Yan Zhao said as he packed quickly.

Now it was Chen Meilan's turn to surrender. This man with such strong actions, she just hinted at a small breeze, and he was already a storm. If this continued, the children outside would know they were arguing.

"I'm not going anywhere, put the clothes back," Chen Meilan said.

Deputy Director Yan looked at the luggage bag, clenched his fists, and after a long pause, said, "Let's see how I perform."

Apart from other aspects, in terms of housework, Yan Zhao was determined to make Chen Meilan so dependent on him that even if she didn't love him, she couldn't leave him.

"Then go wash the dishes," Chen Meilan had to say.

At her command, Deputy Director Yan went out, scolded his son: "Yan Wangqi, clear the dishes. Little Lang, go play. Jim, come to the kitchen with me and wash the dishes." He needed to teach the new kid how to do chores.

Turning back, Yan Zhao glanced at Chen Meilan, as if to say, everything was under control, and he would eventually make her fall in love with him.

Frustrated, Chen Meilan pounded the bed in anger.

In fact, the reason Chen Meilan was angry today was that Yan Zhao's two sons were now a bit more outstanding than other children, but the three children could get along harmoniously, and Xiaowang and Little Lang were not brats. Chen Meilan's role in this was not significant.

Yuanyuan had been doing her best to cooperate, compensate, and even when Chen Meilan was at work, she acted as both a sister and a mother, disciplining and supervising the two boys, giving Chen Meilan time to work and Yan Zhao less to worry about the two sons.

Chen Meilan saw all this clearly. She could see that Yuanyuan often compromised for family harmony, but Yan Zhao didn't see it, instead thinking his two sons were exceptionally good. This was what made Chen Meilan most angry.

Her daughter worked so hard for a complete family, yet Yan Zhao never saw or understood it, which was why she couldn't love him.

But it seemed that saying more was useless. As the saying goes, seeing is believing.

Chen Meilan planned to find an opportunity to leave the three boys with Yan Zhao alone for a while, so he could figure it out himself.

However, this opportunity was not easy to find.

Because Yan Zhao had been promoted to the city bureau, his current position was once held by Deputy Director Zheng, in charge of urban security and inspection, so he was extremely busy.

He was also aware that to make Xiaowang do more chores during Jim's stay, he not only moved in to sleep with Xiaowang for a night, having an in-depth conversation.

And to make Xiaowang remember, he left a loving handprint on his little butt, causing Xiaowang to walk with a limp the next morning due to the pain.

Despite the limp, Xiaowang remained spirited, working hard while never losing his sharp tongue. When asked, he found out that Jim was learning American history, not knowing about the Anti-Japanese War, and even thinking that the victory in World War II was due to the United States.

This infuriated Xiaowang. He pulled out history books and began to lecture the American kid, explaining how the war was fought, how the Soviets drove out the fascists, and how the Chinese people built a Great Wall of flesh and blood to drive out the American devils.

Oh, and "Tunnel Warfare," "Railway Guerrillas," "Wildfire and Smoke in the Ancient City"—all these had to be shown to the American kid, so video tapes had to be arranged.

Chen Meilan certainly didn't want Jim, so the next day she called Yan Wei to take Jim away.

Yan Wei was also willing, and to make Jim stay with him, he even bought a brand-new children's bed.

But how could Jim leave? He didn't even ask where his mom went, just followed Xiaowang closely, becoming his shadow.

Before long, Xiaowang started school, and Jim followed him there, unable to enter the classroom, so he sat outside with a book, waiting for Xiaowang to finish school and go home together.

It was no wonder Liu Xiuying and her husband were proud of their children.

Little Lang's self-discipline came from Yan Zhao's continuous education and supervision. Even so, Xiaowang occasionally tried to be lazy, but Jim was like a donkey that had been used to the millstone, practicing his violin whenever Yuanyuan played the piano.

The two children's cooperation made Yuanyuan's interest in the piano significantly stronger.

Jim also loved reading, always holding a book and quietly reading on the playground while waiting for Xiaowang.

After just two days at school, Principal Liu noticed him and personally called Yan Zhao, asking if the child could study at Dongfang School, promising to cover the tuition and not cause any trouble for Yan Zhao.

Worried about the child's studies, Yan Zhao let Jim go to school with Xiaowang.

So not only did Jim stay, but he also got to go to school.

Time flew by, and it was already December, almost 1992.

Unfortunately, Chen Meilan still hadn't found a chance for Yan Zhao to take time off and take care of the three boys alone.

That day, Yan Wei, really missing Jim, came to talk to him and Xiaowang, saying he wanted to take Jim away.

Xiaowang definitely didn't want to. The capitalist brother from America hadn't been fully brainwashed yet. How could he give up halfway through the education?

For Jim, the past three months had been like a fairy tale. He even planned to marry Yuanyuan when he grew up.

Not only would he not go anywhere, but he also planned to claim the courtyard in Yanguan Village as his own.

How could he possibly go with Yan Wei?

Yan Wei then said, "Jim, your third uncle's salary isn't high, and it's not easy to support all four of you. Why don't you come stay at my place for a while? I'll help you find a school in the city and also lighten the burden on your third uncle, okay?"

Money?

Jim was a bit troubled. He hadn't really thought about the fact that his third uncle might be short on money.

He knew how hard it was to make money. His parents in the United States often struggled to make ends meet, sighing and groaning as they asked Gu Xiao for loans. Each time they borrowed money, his father Yan Jun would be unhappy for a long time.

He often told Jim that he had to resort to such measures for their sake, so Jim must not let him down.

Should he go?

But this matter wasn't a big deal for Little Wangqi. He said, "It's just about money, a small matter. Second Uncle, we're about to get rich soon. Just wait and see."

...

Meanwhile, on Chen Meilan's side, with the support of 271, 291 had already gone into production. In this new quarter, the two factories combined could produce products worth 1.5 million.

The spring order fair was about to begin, and another round of sales battles was about to start.

But just yesterday, Hu Xiaohua had taken a sick leave.

After a year of preparation, this order fair with a base sales value of 1.5 million should have been his time to shine, yet he was lying down?

Xue Mingfang saw right through Hu Xiaohua's fake illness. In the cold winter, he was so angry that he turned off the heating in Hu Xiaohua's dormitory and then went to find Chen Meilan: "Chief, Hu Xiaohua isn't really sick. He's just trying to cause trouble with us, trying to become the general manager."

"Yes. But you don't need to worry about him. I have my own solutions. Go, go and supervise production," Chen Meilan said.

In fact, Hu Xiaohua had been stirring things up since last year, and Chen Meilan had always said she had a way to deal with him. But where were the solutions, where was the person? Could it be that the person stronger than Hu Xiaohua was Xiong Dapao?

Xiong Dapao's paint factory was also about to hold an order fair. He wasn't Sun Wukong, could he split into two?

1.5 million worth of products were piling up in the warehouse. If they couldn't be sold, the hard work of the two factories for a year would go down the drain.

Xue Mingfang had a lot of questions to ask, but at that moment, the phone on Chen Meilan's desk rang, and she had to answer it. Xue Mingfang couldn't press further and had to leave.

As he walked out, Xue Mingfang was burning with anxiety. He rushed into the dormitory, lifted the sleeping Hu Xiaohua, and kicked him out of the factory. Such a traitor wasn't worth keeping.

The person calling Chen Meilan was Yan Xishan. He had recently taken the woman he used to run scams with on a trip to Malaysia and Thailand.

He had just returned from the trip, eager to share the good news with Chen Meilan.

"I bought all of Yuanyuan's clothes, and the perfume and cosmetics you wanted. I've got a big bag full of them," Yan Xishan said on the phone. "Meilan, the world is so big. Going out once, I've opened my eyes. We must have a good chat when I get back. But I must say, although the world is big, no woman anywhere is as beautiful as the ones in our Xiping City. Especially you. I traveled through three countries, but I didn't meet a single woman as beautiful as you. I didn't even visit the red-light district. Ah, in a foreign land, I miss my family even more. Seeing those flamboyant Thai ladyboys, all I could think of was you and Yuanyuan..."

This was a mix of sweet talk and flattery.

After all, Yan Xishan's trip was fully reimbursed by Xishan Company, and the money was approved by Chen Meilan.

He was also with his girlfriend; how could he possibly visit the red-light district?

But in business, for his former wife and current financier, Yan Xishan was always generous with compliments. He would flatter as much as possible, knowing that only then would Chen Meilan be willing to give him money.

Holding the phone, Chen Meilan twirled the pen in her hand and said, "Get home quickly. Come to Yanguan Village to see me right away. I have something very important to discuss with you."

"I knew you were thinking of me. Is Zhaodi missing me too? I'm going to take a taxi now to see you!" With that, Yan Xishan hung up the phone.

By the time, Chen Meilan should have been off work.

As she was about to leave the factory, she saw Hu Xiaohua standing by the roadside, shivering in the cold, waiting for the bus.

Seeing Chen Meilan from afar, he smiled and saluted, "Chief, take it easy."

This guy, like Xue Mingfang, didn't believe that there was really someone better at sales than him.

He was a deserter before the battle, just wanting to see what Chen Meilan would do without him, this walking cash machine.

Of course, Chen Meilan's response to him was just a cold stare and a merciless rev of the engine.

As the sun set, the champagne-colored Crown car sped away like a flash of lightning on this fertile Guanzhong Plain.

When she got home, Chen Meilan guessed there must be some commotion.

Because it was the cold winter of December, there were a lot of people gathered at her doorstep, all craning their necks to look into her courtyard.

In this era of family planning, every household had only one child.

Children were both precious and lonely, unable to stir up much trouble with the advent of television.

But Chen Meilan's family had four children, making it incredibly lively.

However, Chen Meilan didn't like this kind of commotion.

Seeing people gathered at her doorstep, she felt a headache coming on.

Seeing Second Sister Liu not attending to business, picking her teeth with a toothpick and staring intently into the courtyard, Chen Meilan gave her a pat: "What's going on? Why are you all gathered at my door?"

"Shh, don't disturb the children, Meilan. Don't go in yet, the kids are having a lesson," Second Sister Liu said.

The doorway was crowded, and when they saw it was Chen Meilan, they made way for her.

But everyone blocked her, not allowing her to enter.

Chen Meilan looked into the courtyard and, though not shocked, knew this was another scheme of Little Wangqi's.

In the courtyard, more than twenty children from Yanguan Village were seated on small stools, each with a child.

There was also a door panel blackened with soot on the steps of the hall.

Jim held a piece of chalk and wrote 26 English letters and some English words on the blackboard, teaching the children to read English.

In China, English was not taught in elementary schools at the moment.

English was introduced in middle school, but the teachers generally hadn't been abroad.

Starting with the 26 English letters, Jim's English pronunciation was much better than those teachers'.

Seeing Chen Meilan return, Little Wangqi immediately ran over, holding a stack of money: "Mom, my second uncle said Jim needs living expenses. Look, I started a training class, and this is the living expenses we earned for Jim."

Seeing Chen Meilan's unimpressed expression and not taking the money, Little Wangqi asked, "Are you angry? You don't object, do you?"

He had already started the training class, collected the money, and only then informed Chen Meilan.

Was her objection still useful?

She took the money and said, "Return everyone's money right now." Seeing Little Wangqi pouting, she immediately said, "If you don't study properly and do such things, tomorrow I'll send Jim to your second uncle's place."

Before Little Wangqi could speak, Second Sister Liu got angry: "Meilan, do we lack money? What we lack is good teachers. Why can't my Yan Fen learn some English? Where are you going to send Little Jim? Don't send him. The children can learn for a day, and my Yan Fen must learn."

Little Manchang was also learning English with the group, and Third Sister-in-law Huang thought Chen Meilan was complaining about the trouble of cooking every day, so she said, "Meilan, it's just a bowl of rice. If you can't afford it, let Little Jim eat at my place, and keep the children here, okay?"

A blonde-haired, English-speaking little foreigner was now a treasure in Yanguan Village.

Chen Meilan wanted to send him away; that was impossible, no one would agree.

But the English training class really couldn't continue.

Dongfang School was a five-year system, and Little Wangqi was now in the first year of middle school. Dongfang Middle School recruited students from across the province, and students with good grades would have their tuition fully waived, only needing to pay for food.

So Dongfang Middle School gathered the most outstanding students from the province, and its goal was not just high enrollment rates but an average of 985 and 211 universities.

A spot at Dongfang Middle School was hard to come by, with particularly fierce competition.

And now education is like this, one step behind means you're always behind. If Wangqi doesn't get into our high school, he'll have to go back to the neighborhood middle school.

He's definitely going to be an excellent entrepreneur in the future because his mind is very sharp and he can see business opportunities from any angle. But if he really wants to become an outstanding rich second-generation entrepreneur like Lu Dabao in his previous life, the most important thing for him now is still studying.

And running a training class with Jim will interfere with his studies.

Thinking of this, Chen Meilan felt it necessary to have a serious talk with Wangqi. So after all the little ones had left, she called Wangqi and Little Lang over and said, "Little classmates, our 271 has encountered some trouble recently. Do you want to hear about it?"

Little Lang and Jim were just tagging along.

Wangqi loves discussing business matters with Chen Meilan, so he immediately said, "I want to hear, I want to hear."

"Remember Uncle Hu Xiaohua? He's really good at sales, especially good at making money. Last quarter's order meeting helped us 271 make 900,000 yuan. But now he doesn't obey my management. He wants to replace me and be the general manager himself. What should we do?"

Yuanyuan blurted out, "Mom, let Dad beat him up, arrest him."

Little Lang said, "I'll punch him."

Jim, being from a capitalist country and having read more books, spread his hands and said, "This is called competition. The strong can always trample the weak underfoot."

Chen Meilan ignored them and asked Wangqi, "What do you think Mom should do?"

Wangqi pursed his lips and shook his head. He didn't know what to do in this situation.

Chen Meilan patted the money in Wangqi's hand and said, "This quarter, Mom plans to hire a sales manager a hundred times better than Hu Xiaohua to teach him a lesson, so he'll learn to behave. Now, Wangqi, go door to door to apologize and return all the tuition fees you collected. Then I'll tell you who the sales manager better than Hu Xiaohua is. Okay?"

In the blink of an eye, Wangqi was gone.

"I'll go return the money right away, and you must tell me when I come back," the little kid's voice came from outside the door.

Yuanyuan rubbed his hands, very curious: "Mom, who exactly is it?"

The sales manager a hundred times better than Hu Xiaohua, the children were all very curious.

But just then, Yan Zhao came back.

Now not only was there an extra Jim, but for the first time, Deputy Director Yan realized that his wife didn't love him.

So he not only had to work hard to be a good husband but also had a tough policy towards the children, anyone who dared to disobey was scolded. Just one glare, and the children scattered like birds and beasts.

Of course, for the children's performance, Yan Zhao's mood could only be described with two words: pride!

Turning back, he still had to talk to Chen Meilan about something: "I've been at the Municipal Bureau for three months now, and I haven't had a chance to do this yet. Tomorrow is New Year's Day, and I'll be taking a day off."

Just then, Wangqi rushed in like a gust of wind, ready to dash inside.

Yan Zhao glared at him, and Wangqi backed off, standing at attention outside the door, head, back, and buttocks all aligned against the wall, motionless.

Chen Meilan took his coat and hung it on the coat rack.

Yan Zhao then took out his big cell phone from his pocket and slapped it on the table.

This big cell phone was Chen Meilan's old one; she now had a new one, also sent by Gu Xiao.

It was said that Gu Xiao invested in Motorola, and the company would send him some new products, so Chen Meilan's new one was smaller and more exquisite.

So she gave the old one to Yan Zhao to use.

Don't look down on it just being an old phone that Chen Meilan passed down; in the entire Municipal Bureau, it was a god-like existence.

One day, Yan Zhao took people to enforce the law at a nightclub, and a local nouveau riche got drunk and didn't obey, pointing at Yan Zhao's nose and cursing: "Poor cop, aren't you just wearing a green hat and a green uniform? What's so great about you? Have you seen a big cell phone? One costs 20,000 yuan. Come, smell it, it's the smell of money."

Just then, Yan Zhao's big cell phone in his pocket rang, and he took it out to answer the call.

Not to mention the nouveau riche being shocked by his brand-new, small big cell phone.

The police officers at the Municipal Bureau were all greatly encouraged by this big cell phone, which had turned the tide for them. Now, every day when Yan Zhao went to work, the officers took turns holding his big cell phone.

Not to mention that, Chen Meilan heard that Yan Zhao was going to take a break and immediately felt a pang in her heart. All along, she wanted to find a chance for Yan Zhao to take care of the children alone. This was the opportunity.

"Since you're taking a break tomorrow, Yuanyuan and I will go out for a while. You stay at home with the boys," Chen Meilan said.

Yan Zhao immediately became vigilant: "Meilan, are you trying to leave us?"

Three months had passed since the last argument, and Chen Meilan had long forgotten about it, but Yan Zhao still remembered.

The reason Yan Zhao couldn't let it go was that he found that compared to Zhou Xueqin, who openly said she didn't love him and wanted a divorce, Chen Meilan, who was gentle and willing to live a good life but just didn't love him, was even more damaging to him.

Tomorrow was a day off, and he wanted to show himself off well. How could Chen Meilan want to leave? Searᴄh the Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Wasn't his performance with the three boys good enough these past few months?

"Leave? I'm just taking Yuanyuan out to visit someone, just for half a day," Chen Meilan said softly.

So it was just going out to visit someone!

Yan Zhao took off his old Zhongshan watch and said cheerfully, "Okay, but you have to come back in the afternoon. We have to go to the Junhao Hotel because the people from the Jindong Branch Bureau pooled some money to throw me a farewell party, which hasn't happened yet. It just so happens that a few comrades from the capital are coming tomorrow, so we'll all get together."

It turned out that three months had passed, and the Jindong Branch Bureau was finally going to hold Yan Zhao's farewell party.

This time, several of his old comrades-in-arms from the battlefield were also coming.

"Do you need me to help you fend off the drinks?" Chen Meilan asked.

Yan Zhao glanced sideways at Chen Meilan and said, "No need, comrades don't drink much, and they won't dare to drink with me around. The main thing is that Liu Peng and Cui Zixiang are also coming. Cui Zixiang's wife wants to take over the 81 Military Food Factory in the capital, and she wants to talk to you about cooperation."

The military factory in the capital, the 81 Food Factory, was currently being contracted out.

Chen Meilan wasn't very interested in the food factory because food was hard to make, especially in the 1990s, when food safety was a big issue.

However, Chen Meilan hadn't seen Cui Zixiang and his wife Gao Xiaomei for a long time. Even if they didn't cooperate, it would be nice to give them some advice.

Minister Cui was currently the third-in-command in the military region, and having such a relationship wasn't a bad thing.

So Chen Meilan agreed cheerfully: "Okay, no problem."

"There will be many comrades tomorrow, dress nicely," Yan Zhao said again.

In fact, for Yan Zhao, talking about cooperation was secondary. What he really wanted was to find some time to be alone with Chen Meilan.

If Zhou Xueqin didn't love him, Yan Zhao would have divorced her happily.

But Chen Meilan was different. He found that even if she didn't love him and wanted a divorce, he wouldn't be willing. Even if she loved someone else and wanted a divorce, he wouldn't agree.

Chen Meilan just threw out that one sentence, and Yan Zhao had to find the reason and solve it.

Just like a task, a case, the deputy director Yan, whose case-solving rate was always 100%, was ready to crack it.

And currently, whether in life or work, Yan Zhao felt that under his care, Chen Meilan was doing very well.

What they lacked was time together, and tomorrow just happened to be a day off. Going out together as a couple, chatting with his comrades-in-arms, having a gathering, and spending some quality time together.

This was the way he found to improve their marital relationship.

At this moment, Yan Zhao still had to introduce the other comrades who would be going tomorrow: "Dapao will also be going, Zong Jin and Ma Bo you know, and I also called Xue Mingfang..."

But just then, Wangqi outside the door couldn't hold back: "Dad, can you stop talking for a bit? I have something urgent to tell Mom."

Yan Zhao frowned for a moment and asked Wangqi, "You're supposed to wash the vegetables today. Why are you still standing outside?"

“Because I have something more important to discuss with my mom, something crucial for the survival of 271.” Xiao Wang said as he walked in.

At 12 years old, he was already a tall boy, but his wide school uniform, wrapped around his padded jacket, couldn't hide his thin frame. He looked like a monkey, with his hair shaved close to his scalp by Yan Zhao, and his big, thin-skinned eyes smiling as he entered.

“Go ahead, what’s the matter? I’ll handle it,” Yan Zhao said.

Used to commanding soldiers, Yan Zhao didn’t notice that his son was already showing signs of rebellion.

“Then I’ll ask you, do you know who in this world is more capable at sales than Hu Xiaohua?” Xiao Wang asked.

Huh, the always composed Yan Zhao, who always felt he had a firm grip on his children, was taken aback for the first time by the defiance and challenge in his son’s eyes.

Of course, a father’s authority begins to wane when children realize he’s not all-powerful.

Yuanyuan whispered, “Dad, Uncle Hu Xiaohua isn’t working hard anymore, and Mom wants to replace the sales manager.”

Little Lang nodded, looking like a worried old lady, and added, “Xiao Wang doesn’t want to study hard; he wants to team up with Jim to start an English training class to make money. Mom made a bet with him: if he doesn’t make money and studies seriously, she’ll tell us who that person is.”

The children took turns speaking, piecing together the whole story. Yan Zhao frowned, “Hu Xiaohua’s getting restless, doesn’t want to work anymore? Yan Wangqi, you’re itching for a beating, wanting to make money?”

Xiao Wang didn’t give his dad any face: “Black Dad, how much do you really know about our family’s affairs?”

Not just Xiao Wang, but Little Lang, Jim, and Yuanyuan collectively ignored their Black Dad.

They all gathered around Chen Meilan.

This time, Yan Zhao really turned into Black Dad, his face as dark as could be.

He had always thought that at home, the children were well-behaved and obedient, willing to cooperate with Chen Meilan.

Aliali: 674b3534c4f3f33ac49f1778

And in her career, with Hu Xiaohua by her side, she should have been sailing smoothly.

But apparently, that wasn’t the case.

In her career, Hu Xiaohua was stirring things up, trying to replace Chen Meilan, and at home, Xiao Wang wasn’t making things easy for her either. A seventh-grader, he was already thinking about making money secretly, which would distract him from his studies.

In Yan Zhao’s eyes, these were both huge issues.

Hu Xiaohua needed to be dealt with, and Xiao Wang needed a whipping. For him, it was all about being tough.

But look at Chen Meilan, smiling at the four children, caressing Yuanyuan’s cheek, and hugging Little Lang, kissing him. The children gathered around her, so obedient and well-behaved.

So Chen Meilan hasn’t been living an easy life.

The children aren’t as trouble-free as Yan Zhao thought.

There have always been bumps in life, and the reason Yan Zhao feels everything is peaceful is because Chen Meilan handles every situation with a wisdom that deflects a thousand pounds with just four ounces.

She wraps conflicts in gentleness, uses wisdom to control everyone, which is why the family can be harmonious, and why no matter when he comes home, the children are always well-behaved and quiet.