Chapter 103
The next morning, Little Lang and Little Wang, as usual, woke up early and went next door to ask Yan Dawei if there was any news about Qin Yu, and when Yuanyuan and Ningning would be back from Shanbei.
Of course, the news they received was still that the filming had not finished and they were not coming back yet.
The two children returned disappointed and just happened to run into their father, who was about to go out. Hmm, why were his eyes so red?
"There's breakfast in the kitchen. Don't disturb your mother; quietly go eat breakfast," Yan Zhao said and left.
Little Wang went into the kitchen and found the usual white porridge and freshly steamed buns, along with some pickles. His father's breakfast was always the same, and it was really hard to swallow. Chen Meilan rarely slept in, and Yan Zhao had instructed not to disturb her, so Little Wang decided to take some money and buy breakfast himself.
However, as he dashed to the gate with his long, thin legs, the child suddenly backed up and cried out in surprise: "Mom..." followed by a loud shout: "Mom!"
Chen Meilan had simply wanted to sleep in the same bed as Yan Zhao, but last night, Yan Zhao had made an exception and engaged in physical activity twice. And when Chen Meilan expressed her reluctance and objections, he was surprisingly puzzled and asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to sleep in the same bed? Do you want to do it twice?"
Chen Meilan had only mentioned wanting to sleep in the same bed, not wanting to engage in physical activity twice in one night. She had given birth, was getting older, and valued sleep and self-care more than anything. With how busy she was during the day, how could she possibly want to waste tens of minutes on such activities?
So during the second round, halfway through, she kicked Yan Zhao out of bed.
It wasn't until the morning, seeing how frustrated Yan Zhao was, that Chen Meilan finally satisfied his needs.
She was indeed sore today, feeling quite uncomfortable all over.
Hearing Little Wang's call, Chen Meilan immediately sat up. After all, she had raised these children herself, and from their voices, she could tell that something big must have happened again.
"Meilan, why are you still in bed? I brought you breakfast," it was Zhou Xueqin.
She was here again!
Whenever their biological mother came, Little Lang and Little Wang always felt like the world was ending. They pushed the door open and jumped to Chen Meilan's bedside.
Chen Meilan was looking for her slippers to get out of bed when Zhou Xueqin's voice followed: "I brought you a few roujiamos from Chen's Old Shop in Jinnan."
Chen's Old Shop in Jinnan was indeed famous throughout Xiping City, with buns so delicious that you couldn't get in line.
The incident where Little Lang was beaten had been resolved. Chen Meilan had heard from Zhou Qiaofang that Zhou Xueqin had supplied 500 pagers to Ma Yuan but hadn't received payment yet, and was currently in a state of panic.
No one visits without a reason. Zhou Xueqin was so eager to come, Chen Meilan guessed that she either wanted her to intervene and help collect the payment for those 500 pagers from Ma Yuan, or she was hoping to get some investment from Gu Xiao, who was about to arrive, by trying to cozy up to her again.
She stepped out, asking, "Sister, do you have something to say?"
Zhou Xueqin smiled and said, "What could I possibly need? I just came to see you and the kids."
Obviously, it wasn't that Chen Meilan didn't welcome her. Little Lang was mumbling, "Bad auntie."
Little Wang took Chen Meilan's shoes and quietly sat on the edge of the bed, observing silently.
Zhou Xueqin had indeed brought a few golden-thread roujiamos, made in the style of the old Tongguan, crispy to the point of crumbling, with all lean meat showing through the cracks. Chen Meilan went out to brush her teeth, and Zhou Xueqin followed with the buns, making small talk: "I see you and Yan Zhao have a good relationship."
As ex-husband and ex-wife, even someone like Yan Xishan never commented on Chen Meilan and Yan Zhao's relationship, as it was considered distasteful. Zhou Xueqin, who was beautiful, good at socializing, and now self-proclaimed as a strong woman, should have some pride.
She wouldn't look back at a man she had abandoned, even if she regretted it, she wouldn't show it.
Her sudden remark, though Chen Meilan tried to hide her disgust, couldn't help but feel a bit repulsed.
"It's just life, what's good or bad about it?" Chen Meilan picked up her toothbrush to brush her teeth.
Zhou Xueqin leaned in a bit more and said, "Actually, he's not without his tricks, and you know, despite his stubbornness, there are quite a few women who like him and throw themselves at him, especially in his unit. There are especially many young girls like that. For Little Lang and Little Wang, and for your family, you have to be careful in this aspect, don't end up like me, being fooled like a fool, and then when Yan Zhao makes a scandal, it's us who lose face, you understand, right?"
Chen Meilan paused her toothbrush and spat out some white foam.
Zhou Xueqin wasn't just hinting, she was outright stating that Yan Zhao would have a scandal with some woman at work.
Her attitude wasn't just meddling in someone else's relationship, it was also somewhat of a provocation.
This woman really didn't want her two sons to have a good life.
Chen Meilan let out a cold laugh and looked back at Zhou Xueqin: "Sister, you're at least a strong woman, do you really care about whether a man loves you or not? Even with Yan Xishan, I never cared, so why would I care about Yan Zhao?"
Zhou Xueqin, provoked by Chen Meilan, raised her voice: "But you have to guard against him giving you a green hat, don't you?"
"It's a new society now, no more concubines allowed. If it were the old days, even if he took a concubine, I wouldn't object. It would just mean one more person to help with the housework." Chen Meilan said, putting down her toothbrush and picking up a towel to wash her face.
Zhou Xueqin was a reincarnated soul and naturally knew about Yan Zhao's emotional life in his previous life.
In that life, she was Yan Zhao's wife and then his ex-wife, clearly knowing that although Qi Songlu had no emotional relationship with Yan Zhao, there was a girl named Liu Jingjing who would have some unclear relationship with him, and that would affect his promotion.
Zhou Xueqin thought she was doing Chen Meilan a favor by reminding her, and if Chen Meilan was happy, she hoped she could help her get the 150,000 yuan owed to her by Ma Yuan.
But Chen Meilan didn't even respond, and her tone was so tough.
Since she wasn't responding, Zhou Xueqin decided to drop the subject. When Yan Zhao's work was affected and he was disciplined, let Chen Meilan cry then.
Turning back to look at her two biological sons, both were full of vigilance, huddled in Chen Meilan's bedroom, their eyes fixed on her through the glass window.
They were exactly like two ungrateful wolves.
150,000 yuan in unpaid bills, if she couldn't get it back, she'd have to go to Ma Yuan's warehouse to move the goods.
That still meant not making a single cent.
What a bad omen!
Putting the roujiamos on the windowsill, Zhou Xueqin suppressed her anger and turned to leave.
...
As the end of August approached, the summer in Xiping City was about to pass.
This summer, Yan Wei and Qi Songlu got along quite well, thanks to Chen Meilan creating opportunities for them to date, often taking Little Lang with them, and Little Lang had gained another layer of fat.
Of course, it might also be that Yan Wei was the one with a one-sided crush, as Qi Songlu was always indifferent towards him.
What disappointed Yan Xishan greatly was that Yan Wei had actually developed real feelings for the thirty-year-old Qi Songlu, who he considered a leftover woman.
Once, when Yan Wei went to pick up Qi Songlu from work, he even told Yan Xishan, "Xishan, Qi Songlu can cook!"
What was so special about a woman who could cook? Yan Xishan thought Yan Wei was out of his mind.
"Last time at my dorm, she also helped me clean, and washed Little Lang's dirty sweater," Yan Wei added.
Wasn't it natural for a woman to clean and do laundry?
Then Yan Wei sighed and said, "My ex-wife never did these things, I did everything at home and outside. I have to hold on to Qi Songlu, really, marrying her, I think I can still find happiness."
After hearing this, Yan Xishan slapped himself hard.
All these things Chen Meilan could do, and she did them exceptionally well. And wasn't this the ultimate requirement of a man for a woman?
What was it like to realize after a divorce that your ex-wife was exceptionally good and hard to replace?
Yan Xishan deeply felt that he must have been crazy to have an affair!
Yan Wei seriously considered forming a family with Qi Songlu, which led to the mention of Mi Lan. Without a job or a house, currently renting in the capital, and having to support Yan Ha, Yan Wei sent her 50 yuan a month for living expenses.
With that fifty yuan, Mi Lan could only afford to eat cabbage noodles every day, which was extremely difficult for her.
But once he remarried, he couldn't give Mi Lan any money anymore.
So Yan Wei started looking for connections to help Mi Lan find a job, so she could support herself after his remarriage. The job was almost settled, a ticket collector on the bus, which was a formal job, earning three hundred yuan a month.
But just then, military law received a lawsuit, someone wanted to sue for Wang Gebi, to overturn her case and get her out of prison.
Yan Wei hated Wang Gebi the most. Hearing that Wang Gebi was still trying to stir up trouble, he called a fellow soldier again and canceled Mi Lan's job, and even stopped sending her the fifty yuan a month.
After further inquiry, he learned the details.
It was Gu Xiao, who had already arrived in the capital. Before coming to Xiping City, he prepared to overturn Wang Gebi's case and submitted all the letters exchanged between him and Wang Gebi to the military prison of the General Military Region, trying to prove that Wang Gebi was not a spy.
The letters were quickly submitted to Yan Peiheng.
Yan Peiheng had long known about the correspondence between Wang Gebi and Gu Xiao. The old man was extremely angry, but also somewhat gloating. He had been deceived by Wang Gebi, and so had Gu Xiao.
So no one was nobler or smarter than the other.
Of course, that day, Yan Peiheng faxed all the letters to Yan Zhao and his brothers.
And through this, Yan Zhao and his brothers could know the full content of the letters exchanged between Wang Gebi and Gu Xiao over the years.
It wasn't that they talked about anything too outrageous.
After flipping through, Yan Zhao could only summarize it in one sentence: exploiting the dead, eating blood-soaked buns.
Wang Gebi indeed described herself as Su Wen's best friend in the letters, and even took credit for the medicine Su Wen received, claiming she had been sending medicine non-stop to treat Su Wen's illness!
And the most absurd part was that she didn't describe Yan Zhao and his brothers as bad, but kept praising Yan Jun, saying he was kind and filial to his mother.
That's why Yan Jun, after going to the United States, didn't struggle like others, supporting his unemployed sister-in-law and three children, and living well now, all thanks to Gu Xiao's support and connections.
Naturally, without knowing the truth, Yan Jun would speak up for Wang Gebi.
And the matter of Yan Dongping's cousin was also arranged by Wang Gebi, with Yan Peiheng's help.
Yan Dongxue was also sent abroad by Wang Gebi, to Gu Xiao's side.
To get things done, you don't need many people, just one Yan Dongxue and one Yan Jun, both speaking up for Wang Gebi, Gu Xiao naturally believed without a doubt that Wang Gebi was indeed Su Wen's good friend.
These were all easily explainable. Yan Zhao had evidence, and once Gu Xiao arrived, the truth would come out.
But Wang Gebi wrote a paragraph in one of the letters.
She said, Su Wen had a large sum of property, unwilling to leave it to unworthy descendants, so she gave it to her. She wanted to hand it over to Gu Xiao after he returned, to be kept in trust by him.
And she only had one request, to become a nun, to spend the rest of her life praying for Su Wen.
This sentence caught Yan Zhao's attention.
Su Wen lived a frugal life, but was not poor. Yan Peiheng never stopped sending her living expenses, Yan Zhao sent all his salary before marriage to his mother, Yan Jun and his brothers sent money every year, and Old Madam Yan, coming from the old society, also had some savings. Although she hated her daughter-in-law when she was young, she had repented before her death and left all her savings to Su Wen.
Su Wen probably left behind a few thousand yuan, or a few bracelets, a pair of rings, things that were Su Wen's property and her tokens.
Wang Gebi had been in the capital, but Xiping City had Mi De, who had once been the director of the Public Security Bureau. He must have been keeping an eye on Su Wen for Wang Gebi.
Could it be that when Yan Zhao was away in the army, Wang Gebi had instructed Mi De to embezzle Old Madam Yan's things?
Her last move was to use those things to make Gu Xiao believe she was the good, kind, and good to Su Wen side, and then, thinking beautifully, she wanted to find a temple to support her in her old age, to become a nun. Would the Buddha accept her?
She was so kind and beautiful, how much sympathy did she win from Gu Xiao?
After looking at the letters face to face with Yan Wei for a long time, Yan Zhao couldn't figure out what his mother's legacy was, so he took the letters home to discuss with Meilan, to see what that thing was.
Holding the letters, Yan Zhao looked at Chen Meilan, who was also looking at Yan Zhao.
What exactly was the thing Su Wen had left behind?
Yan Zhao couldn't guess at all. After all, he left home at a young age to join the army, and rarely returned home after that. Even when he did, he had little communication with his mother.
When collecting Su Wen's remains, besides a few old clothes, there was nothing valuable, and Yan Zhao burned everything.
In his mind, it should have been small rings, earrings, bracelets, or the harmonica Gu Xiao left behind.
But Chen Meilan didn't think so. She had a hunch that her mother-in-law wasn't that kind of person.
If it were just a few small rings or earrings, Yan Bin would have collected them when arranging the funeral and handed them to Yan Zhao. Yan Bin wouldn't have been tempted by things, nor could he have been bought off. He didn't collect anything, which proved that Old Madam really didn't leave any legacy.
But what exactly was that thing?
So the problem now was that Su Wen probably had a legacy, but that thing was in Wang Gebi's hands.
The entire Yan family, three generations, none of them knew what that thing was.
Things developed quickly. Gu Xiao only stayed in the capital for a day before taking a plane to Xiping City.
Before leaving, he called Yan Zhao and only said one sentence: "Xiao Zhao, wait for me at the place where your mother's ashes are kept. I will go straight there when I arrive."
Yan Zhao received the call at home. He wasn't Zhou Xueqin, nor had he been reborn, so of course, he was surprised, because the place where Su Wen's ashes were kept, no one knew except him.
Today was August 31st. Yuanyuan finally finished filming before the end of summer vacation and was about to return.
Chen Meilan took the child's summer homework back in advance and was busy correcting it with Little Wang.
It was also the first time she asked Yan Zhao: "Where exactly are your mother's ashes?"
"Next to Lotus Park, inside Lotus Temple. When my mother arranged her will, she said not to tell anyone where her ashes are kept, and I've never mentioned it to anyone. How did Gu Xiao know?" Yan Zhao asked back.
Lotus Temple was a large temple. Su Wen was a lay Buddhist when she was alive, and her ashes were placed in the temple after her death, which was common practice.
Gu Xiao did like Su Wen, understood Su Wen, and could guess it, which Chen Meilan thought was normal.
Yan Wei had already set off for the airport to pick up Gu Xiao.
In two hours, Gu Xiao would arrive in Xiping City, and at this time, Yan Zhao still couldn't figure out what his mother's legacy was.
Gu Xiao had Yan Dongxue and Yan Dongping by his side.
He also made a request to the General Military Region, asking them to release Wang Gebi from prison.
Wang Gebi had been biding her time, and this sudden move caught them off guard!
Judging from the current situation, it was very unfavorable for Yan Zhao and his brothers.
"The sky full of flowers, the sky full of clouds, sifting gold with a fine sieve, half a sieve of sand..." A loud song sounded outside the door, followed by a little girl in a floral blouse, two cloth sandals, with two pigtails sticking up, and dark skin, running into the yard, immediately shouting: "Mom, I'm back!"
After a summer in northern Shaanxi, Yuanyuan finished filming all the rural scenes of "Return to the City" and finally returned.
"Why isn't Dad happy?" The little girl saw her dad's face was darker than usual and asked puzzledly.
Little Wang was correcting the homework and turned back to say: "Who knows, he only talks to Mom, always whispering."
Little Lang exclaimed: "Sister, why did you become like this?"
Dark, Yuanyuan's skin tone was almost as dark as Yan Zhao's.
Yan Zhao had to go to Lotus Temple, naturally wanting Chen Meilan to accompany him, to think about what Su Wen's legacy was on the way.
But no, compared to Gu Xiao, clearly Yuanyuan's homework was more important.
So Chen Meilan said, "You go ahead, I need to watch the kids do their homework, and I'll think about it properly later."
The inheritance left by her mother-in-law, whom she had never met, now had to be pondered by Chen Meilan herself.
Just saying, isn't this strange?
And that inheritance was something Wang Gebi had been secretly suppressing, turning things upside down, never imagining what it could be, that old lady would have to jump out of prison.
As for Yan Wei, he was currently at the airport.
The feared motorcycle gangs, cut-hand gangs, and those who smoked opium and picked pockets didn't occur, as the airport's security was quite good recently.
The entire area around the airport was orderly, even tricycles, motorcycles, and donkey carts were surprisingly following traffic rules.
But even he couldn't imagine what the legacy left by his mother would be.
As soon as he arrived at the airport, Yan Wei saw a Toyota Crown parked at the VIP exit. The car belonged to Xiping City's current richest man, Xiong Dapao.
The driver's seat was occupied by Xiong Dapao's driver, but the person standing beside the car was Yan Dongping.
Clearly, Yan Dongping had borrowed a good car from the richest man, Xiong Dapao, specifically to welcome Gu Xiao.
Yan Wei, along with Yan Bin, drove a car assigned by the Propaganda Department, an old Santana, with a broken air conditioner, both of them sweating profusely.
Yan Bin looked at Yan Dongping and said, "That bastard Yan Dongping has always wanted to go abroad. He's so eager to please Gu Laozi because he wants to go abroad, to Singapore."
When Gu Xiao was in Yanguan Village, everyone always called him Gu Laozi, so Yan Bin still uses this term.
Yan Wei thought so too.
However, their brothers have never spoken to Yan Dongping, the landlord's brat, so they just smiled from a distance without approaching to greet him.
With ten minutes to spare, the two brothers stood outside and smoked a cigarette. They then entered the VIP arrival hall, and soon saw Gu Xiao coming out of the arrival channel with three people.
Yan Dongxue is a pretty girl who has been abroad for four or five years, probably 27 this year. Her attire was quite plain, wearing flat shoes made of cloth, following closely behind Gu Xiao.
Yan Bin, seeing Gu Xiao from afar, sighed first, "This old man looks even better than when he was young, is it because of his wealth?"
Yan Wei had seen photos of Gu Xiao, and indeed, he was a strikingly handsome old man.
In person, he looked even better than in the photos.
Why does a man need to be so handsome?
The two brothers, driving an old Santana, came to pick up Yan Peiheng's lifelong enemy, carrying the task of attracting investment, feeling overwhelmed compared to the opium addict, landlord's brat Yan Dongping, almost ready to collapse, yet they still had the mood to gossip, comparing Yan Peiheng and Gu Xiao to find their father's advantages.
"My dad is dark-skinned and strong, at least he can do farm work, this guy obviously can't do farm work," Yan Wei summarized after observing for a while.
Yan Bin's relationship with Song Huaihua has gradually improved recently, as he has been honest and not played any tricks, finally able to get into Song Huaihua's bed. But since Song Huaihua was promoted to the General Bureau, many young men have been trying to curry favor with her, which Yan Bin is very jealous of. What's worse, Song Huaihua has been quite accommodating to those young men.
He didn't dare to tell anyone to avoid embarrassment.
Throwing the cigarette butt on the ground, he said resentfully, "What do you know, old second? Women like these delicate, seemingly useless handsome men."
In the blink of an eye, Yan Dongping had already stepped forward to greet Gu Xiao: "Uncle Gu, take my car, I borrowed the best car in the city to pick you up."
Gu Xiao stared at Yan Dongping for a while, sniffed unconsciously, then walked towards Yan Wei: "Is this Xiao Zhao?"
Time flies, people change, Yan Wei's face is very similar to Su Wen's, Gu Xiao recognized him as Su Wen's child at a glance. But he didn't know Yan Wei, mistaking him for Yan Zhao.
Yan Wei quickly extended his hand: "I'm the second, Yan Wei."
"Get in the car," the old man said.
His hand was very cold, like a dead person's, dressed in a suit and tie, with gold-rimmed glasses, indeed looking both aloof and proud. Yan Wei then took him to the car, and besides Yan Dongxue, the other two attendants got into Yan Dongping's car.
"Is this your car?" the old man asked after getting in.
"It's assigned by the Propaganda Department," Yan Wei honestly said, "I can't afford a car."
Gu Xiao followed up with, "According to regulations, the city's Propaganda Department should have a Toyota Crown for guest reception, especially for foreign guests with assets over 1 million."
Yes, the city does have a Toyota Crown, but Yan Wei's level isn't high enough to apply for it, the leaders only demand performance from him, not better equipment.
Before Yan Wei could speak, Gu Xiao added, "I heard you haven't reached the deputy section level in your unit." Just a small clerk.
Yan Dongxue, a good conversationalist, immediately snorted with a cold laugh.
Yan Wei and Yan Bin in the front seat exchanged glances: This old man has been in Singapore, how does he know so much about the Chinese officialdom?
And with one sentence after another, he exposed Yan Wei's current predicament in the unit.
The old man didn't come to pay respects to Su Wen, he came to humiliate them, right?
With this, does Yan Wei still want to attract investment?
Yan Wei himself feels like he's daydreaming, wishing for the impossible.
Alright, let's head straight to Lotus Temple. Today is the first time Yan Wei found out that his mother's ashes were actually kept in a nunnery.
He had already called Yan Peiheng and told him, and also informed him that Gu Xiao had long guessed this and was now heading to Lotus Temple.
After hearing this, Yan Peiheng silently hung up the phone.
The old man now knows where his wife's ashes are, and his rival knew it 800 years earlier, the mood can be imagined.
Yan Zhao is already inside Lotus Temple, this place is in the city, next to Lotus Park, and Lotus Lake, the largest lake in Xiping City, is right across from the nunnery.
Originally, there were a few nuns in the temple who were familiar with Su Wen, and Yan Zhao wanted to ask if they knew what the legacy Su Wen left was.
But after inquiring, he found out that almost all the old nuns had died, and those who hadn't were transferred by the Religious Affairs Bureau to other places.
The new ones are government-appointed, only collecting incense money, and know nothing else.
This place is now very popular with incense, even on weekends, people come to burn incense in droves, and many even put hundred-yuan notes in the incense box.
Su Wen's ashes, like many lay practitioners, are kept in the underground palace of Lotus Temple, where the ashes of believers are stored.
Yan Zhao walked around the temple, seeing the time was almost up, guessed Gu Xiao would be arriving soon, and was about to head towards the entrance of the underground palace when he suddenly noticed Zhou Xueqin sneaking around not far from the underground palace.
She also wants to attract investment from Gu Xiao, recently got close to Yan Dongping, and should have gotten the information from him, here to fish for opportunities.
Ex-husband and ex-wife, Yan Zhao glared fiercely, second by second, Zhou Xueqin slowly retreated.
Zhou Xueqin probably still wanted to say something, but facing Yan Zhao, she didn't dare to be bold.
And then Gu Xiao arrived.
It was too hot, the car had no air conditioning, the old man was almost heatstroke, needing Yan Dongxue to support him to walk.
Entering the nunnery, going up and down steps, although the place wasn't big, it was winding, making the old man dizzy.
In Zhou Xueqin's view, this was no different from the development of the previous life, Gu Xiao and Yan Zhao never spoke a word to each other, silently finishing the incense offering, Gu Xiao then sat in the courtyard of the first team, and then left.
Money, investment, all were fleeting, nothing.
No, it seemed even worse than the previous life.
It was all Yan Zhao's bad temper and stubbornness that caused it.
Just as they were about to enter the underground palace to offer incense, Yan Zhao suddenly asked Gu Xiao, "Professor Gu, what exactly is the legacy my mother left?"
He couldn't guess, so he had to ask Gu Xiao.
Gu Xiao stopped, staring at Yan Zhao with an incredulous expression, and soon, large beads of sweat began to pour from his pale forehead. After a long while, he said, "I never expected the relationship between you brothers and Su Wen to be so cold. You don't even understand her as well as Wang Gebi, an outsider."
Yan Wei stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head and sighing.
Zhou Xueqin also let out a long sigh: "It's over. Trying to attract investment?"
This time, Gu Xiao might not even go to the first brigade and would leave directly from here.
It's laughable. As a son, he doesn't even know what his mother's keepsakes are.
Just how stupid are Yan Zhao and Yan Wei, the brothers?
...
Meanwhile, at home, Yuanyuan was doing her homework, Little Wang was fanning, and Little Lang was cheering, racing against time.
Tonight, she had to correct all her wrong answers.
Otherwise, she would be kicked out of the classroom by the teacher tomorrow.
But after traveling from Shaanbei, she had been on the road for half a day, her bones almost shaken loose. Yuanyuan was almost exhausted, her hand barely able to hold the pen, and she couldn't help but complain: "Mom, why did you give birth to me? Being human is so hard, I don't want to be human anymore."
"If I hadn't given birth to you, you would have been reborn as a piglet. Do you want to be a piglet?" Chen Meilan retorted.
This was a joke she often made with Yuanyuan, saying that if she hadn't given birth to her, she would have been reborn as a piglet.
"Being a pig is great, just lying around eating all day. If you had divorced my dad before giving birth to me, I wouldn't have been born, and I could have been a piglet," Yuanyuan said, drooping her shoulders with a look of despair.
Little Wang deliberately tugged at her braid: "Hurry up and write, or you're not allowed to go out and act anymore."
Yuanyuan was already lazy about writing and immediately cried out: "Mom, my brother is pulling my braid, it hurts!"
Little Wang didn't actually pull hard, knowing that Yuanyuan was just being a drama queen. He pressed her hand down and said, "You little black girl, hurry up and write!"
Little Lang didn't like his brother bullying his sister and suddenly grabbed his wrist, and the two brothers started fighting for the first time.
Little Wang couldn't beat Little Lang and shouted, "Mom, Little Lang is bullying me."
Yuanyuan was pleasantly surprised for the first time to find that Little Lang could actually beat Little Wang. While Little Wang was being restrained, she went to tickle his armpit and pull his ears.
The children were all in a tangle, fighting fiercely.
In Chen Meilan's mind, the words "if I hadn't given birth to Yuanyuan, I would have divorced" kept repeating.
Suddenly, she really remembered.
She knew what her mother-in-law's legacy was. She remembered it from the disjointed conversations Su Wen had with her when she first married into Yanguan Village.
It wasn't some small ring or earrings, but a huge fortune.
Her mother-in-law was a millionaire.
"Little Wang, watch Yuanyuan and make sure she finishes her homework. Mom needs to go out for a bit," Chen Meilan said, grabbing her car keys and heading straight to Lotus Temple.
...
In Zhou Xueqin's view, the situation this time was even worse than the last.
Because Yan Zhao asked, and Gu Xiao chose not to answer. Then, without even letting Yan Zhao accompany him, he went into the underground palace to light a stick of incense, staying inside for about an hour. When he came out, he said to Yan Dongxue, "Buy a ticket, leave immediately."
And so, Yan Wei's performance was about to fly away.
Zhou Xueqin's investment funds were about to be lost, and Gu Xiao was about to leave immediately.
Further extending this, Wang Gebi might even be released from prison under Gu Xiao's intervention.
Wang Gebi even wanted to become a nun, how refreshing. To dominate a temple, especially a prosperous place like Lotus Temple, her meal ticket for the rest of her life would be secure. If she was a bit more ruthless, she could even touch the money-filled incense box, allowing her to sleep on money for the rest of her life.
But just as Gu Xiao's words fell, just as he was about to leave,
Suddenly, Chen Meilan ran down the steps and opened the door with a question: "Professor Gu, the 'Land Use Certificate' for my mother's three temples, is it with you? Did Wang Gebi give it to you?"
Gu Xiao stopped in his tracks.
Yan Wei and his brothers also froze, as did everyone else.
Su Wen actually owned temples, three of them.
The idea that private individuals could own temples was not part of anyone's common knowledge.
In everyone's mind, temples should belong to the state and the religious bureau, how could they belong to ordinary people?
In that instant, Zhou Xueqin even felt that Chen Meilan must be talking in her sleep.
Aliali: 673eb950c4f3f33ac4ee7f08Even Yan Zhao and Yan Wei couldn't believe it.
Their mother owned temples, and three of them?
But the fact was clearly so.
Because Gu Xiao looked at Chen Meilan and actually answered seriously: "Yes, the 'Land Use Certificate' is with me. It was transferred by Su Wen to Wang Gebi, and then Wang Gebi transferred it to me."
The wealthy Su Wen owned three temples with extremely prosperous incense, which was the legacy she had accumulated throughout her life.
Although the temples belonged to the state and the religious bureau, the land use rights for building the temples belonged to Su Wen. So, in a sense, she was the owner of the temples.
Not only did Wang Gebi eat the blood bread and pick the peaches, but she also took it all and then offered it as a gift to Gu Xiao.
In exchange for a meal ticket for the rest of her life.
"That's really interesting. You and Wang Gebi, as thieves, as perpetrators, what are you here for now? To show off your success at my mother-in-law's grave, to prove how innocent the person you harmed was, and to take away what belongs to her?" Chen Meilan retorted.
The always aloof and proud Old Master Gu suddenly staggered back.