As Chen Ping pulled up in Yan Xishan''s shy red Xiali car, he immediately became the center of attention at the school gate.
He had rushed over after finishing his work, not wanting to miss this chance to show off.
After handing the chubby boy to Chen Ping, Hu Xiaomei gave Chen Men a quick nce from afar before turning to leave.
Earlier, when she and Yan Dawei had gone to greet Leader Ma, Hu Xiaomei had watched the whole thing.
That face that was always smiling was no longer smiling as she left, whispering a few words to Chen Ping that seemed rather aggrieved.
But Hu Xiaomei had been aggrieved her whole life. In the future when Yan Xishan gets liver cancer, she''ll sit on eight properties and not give a penny for his treatment, yet still feel aggrieved. So aggrieved that after hearing her tearful story, the police will immediately let her go and go look for Yuanyuan instead.
Since Chen Ping had mentioned yesterday that Chen Men knew there was bad blood between Little Wang and that chubby boy, she would naturally pay attention to the two children.
The chubby boy from Chen Ping''s family was three times fatter than Little Wang, wearing brand new Victory brand cleats. The supposedly loose sweatpants were squeezing the child''s buttocks, making them as round as basketballs.
With a groove in the middle, the pants were so tight they made the child ufortable. He sucked on a popsicle while tugging at his crotch.
Chen Men put herself in the child''s shoes and didn''t think the skinny Little Wang would be the one to hit others. She felt he was more likely to be the one getting hit. So when she saw Chen Ping and his son from afar, she patted Little Wang''s head and pointed at the chubby boy, saying, "Is that your former ssmate? Did he often beat you up at school? Do you want me to help you get revenge?"
For Little Wang''s sake so he wouldn''t skip school, she didn''t mind being a school bully again.
But the world of children was far moreplex than Chen Men imagined.
Little Wang looked at the chubby boy from afar and surprisingly said, "What are you thinking? I wouldn''t hit him. I don''t even know him."
In the blink of an eye, the school gates opened. Yan Zhao was going to take Yuanyuan to register and see the principal, while Chen Men took Little Wang to register, wait for ss assignments, and get textbooks.
She had been keeping a close eye on Little Wang, but in just a moment, things suddenly changed.
Little Wang had been following her the whole time, but that chubby boy gently nudged Little Wang and whispered something in his ear. Suddenly, Little Wang jumped up and punched the chubby boy with his fist.
Did this mean Little Wang was not only a poor student who liked to skip school, but also an uncontroble school bully who enjoyed hitting others?
But the reality seemed to be different.
Chen Men pulled Little Wang back. It was his first time hitting someone, and she didn''t say anything, just pulled the child to her side.
In a moment, they were about to go to the ssroom. It turned out the chubby boy and Little Wang were assigned to the same ss. Chen Men was just a step behind because she had to collect textbooks. As she turned a corner, she saw Little Wang about to raise his fist in a corner, but the chubby boy shouted something, and Little Wang immediately deted like a punctured ball. Then the chubby boy raised his fist and started hitting Little Wang.
Each punchnded hard. It was clearly the chubby boy who had provoked Little Wang first, but why was Little Wang just taking the hits without making a sound?
"You little brat, why are you hitting my son?" Chen Men shouted.
Chen Ping was actually not far away, holding his son''s books. He seemed to have gone blind when his son was hitting Little Wang, but hearing Chen Men''s shout, he slowly turned and walked over, actually asking, "Son, did Little Wang hit you again?"
"Yes, Dad, he hit me first." The chubby boy was even smarter than his father, shrugging his shoulders and saying, "Dad, look, my shoulder is all bruised from his punch."
This kind of troublemaker who deliberately provoked others and then yed the victim was the worst kind of child Chen Men had ever seen.
Moreover, the guilty party was filing thewsuit first. Seeing Chen Men approach, the chubby boy looked smugly at Little Wang and actually asked, "So you really got a new mom, Little Wang. Does your new mom like to drink? Does she have a lot of boyfriends?"
Suddenly, like a crazed wolf cub, Little Wang let out a roar. Without even using his fists, he charged headfirst at the chubby boy.
It was in this instant that Chen Men understood a bit more. Little Wang''s truancy was half his own problem, but Zhou Xueqin''s love of socializing, making friends, and drinking also yed a big part.
After all, in a society that was neitherpletely open nor closed, it didn''t matter how adults behaved, but people still frowned upon Zhou Xueqin''s straightforward personality.
Pulling Little Wang back, Chen Men had to calm this agitated wild dog: "Yan Wangqi, listen to me. This time I''ll back you up, okay?"
"I''m not going to school anymore, let''s go," Little Wang shouted. "It''s not like I have to go to school. I can go into business for myself right now. I''m not going to school anymore. I''m going to be a nouveau riche, a coal baron."
A little kid saying such things might sound very angry to himself, but it was quite amusing to others.
Chen Ping and his son wereughing hysterically.
Chen Men, holding the kicking and struggling little boy, found time to ask Chen Ping, "Mr. Chen, I''m quite familiar with that car of yours. Did you buy it?"
"Of course. It used to be Xishan''s car. His wife Hu Xiaomei has already sold it to me. Men, this car has nothing to do with you, right?" Chen Ping said, still grinning.
So it turned out that whether for business entertainment or anything else, Yan Xishan always took Hu Xiaomei with him.
After divorcing her, he started referring to Hu Xiaomei as his wife, calling Qi Dongmei "mother-inw" forever. After all, he had built his fortune relying on Qi Dongmei.
But Hu Xiaomei and Yan Xishan actually married veryte, in her previous life it was after Yan Xishan was detained.
Yan Xishan was the type who wouldn''t act unless he saw results. At that time, she and Lu Jingyu were already married, but he would stille around asionally to y the victim, seeing if she had any intention of divorcing. He actually had the audacity to want her to be his mistress.
He was the kind of person who wouldn''t let go of either the mistress or the original wife, professing deep love for both.
So Chen Men dared to be certain that Yan Xishan hadn''t officially married Hu Xiaomei yet.
From Chen Ping''s tone, he probably thought Hu Xiaomei and Yan Xishan were already legally married.
Chen Men still had tofort Little Wang in her arms, who was so angry his face had turned blue. Although she didn''t want to say another word to this guy because of his intentional or unintentional contempt and disregard for her, she still forced herself to say, "Mr. Chen, you saw clearly just now that it was your son who deliberately provoked my son, and that''s why my son hit him. I''m not a person who cares about reason or righteousness, and I''m extremely biased. If you don''t discipline your son, don''t me me for teaching him a lesson. You know, I even once beat Yan Xishan into a pig''s head."
Mentioning Chen Men beating Yan Xishan made Chen Ping sigh inwardly.
The cowardly Yan Xishan was once glorious, but after being beaten into a pig''s head by his ex-wife and ending up in jail, he was now nothing.
And now Chen Men speaks so boldly, isn''t she just relying on Yan Zhao?
Although Chen Ping was also in business and had his own backers, his supporters had always said Yan Zhao wouldn''tst long and would fall sooner orter.
Moreover, he hade from Jinxi District and had no criminal record in Jindong District. What could Yan Zhao really do to him?
He couldn''t help but advise Chen Men, "Chen Men, children have their own world. We adults should just say a few words and leave it at that. You married a police officer, but police officers are people too. You can''t let your son act like a tyrant at school just because he''s a police officer''s son. It was clearly your son who hit first just now. This child already likes to hit others and skip school. Don''t be overprotective if you don''t know the real situation."
The chubby boy, feeling smug, chimed in, "Auntie, my dad has a car. Does Little Wang''s police dad have one?"
Chen Men smiled and replied, "Little friend, we don''t have a car, but your family won''t have one soon either."
"My dad also has a big coal mine. Does your family have one?"
The nouveau riche had given birth to this era''spetitive mentality, and children were particrly fond ofparing.
Having parents in public service was almost shameful in this era.
"We don''t have a big coal mine, but your family won''t have one soon either," Chen Men said, still smiling.
Originally, she hadn''t nned to make her move so soon.
But now, in order to teach this little brat a lesson, she had to get back that car and coal mine.
Today!
The chubby boy and his father found Little Wang increasingly amusing as they looked at him.
Chen Ping continued to persuade Chen Men: "When kids fight, adults shouldn''t get angry so quickly. It''s not worth it. Besides, Little Wang isn''t your biological son, but he''s my only son. My wife hid in a cer for three whole months to avoid family nning officials, eating, drinking, and relieving herself there. After he was born, we paid an 800 yuan fine. Anyone who upsets my son makes me more ufortable than if they had upset me directly."
This era also gave rise to a group of fathers who, because their sons came with such difficulty, saw other people''s children as weeds while their own were treasures. These were the arrogant fathers of ''phoenix men'' who didn''t know their own limitations.
After all, their son had cost them a fine, so he was precious and no one was allowed to hit him.
However, Little Wang, who had been causing a fuss earlier, had now quieted down. As Chen Men was still holding some books, he wriggled out of her arms and crouched on the ground, busily packing books into his schoolbag.
Chen Men picked the boy up and had to ask, "Little Wang, what exactly did Little Fatty say that made you want to hit him? You''re a policeman''s son, don''t you know that the one who throws the first punch is always in the wrong?"
If you hit first and then get hit back, not only will you get beaten, but if this matter is brought to the teacher''s attention, you''ll still be in the wrong.
This was truly the ancestor of losing out, losing outpletely.
Little Wang finished organizing his backpack and put it on. After a moment of silence, he surprisingly said, "If you promise not to go out to meet boyfriends or drink alcohol in the future, I promise to study hard and not fight anymore, okay?"
So it turned out that Little Wang''s dislike for school and tendency to fight wasn''t entirely his own problem.
His mother loved to drink, and her drinkingpanions were often the fathers of his ssmates. Those ssmates would then turn around and mock him, which was the real reason the child didn''t want to go to school.
Now she had be his mother.
Little Wang''s expectations of her were the same.
No wonder Little Wang had been so wary when Yan Dawei first came to find her, he even didn''t want the uncle moving the refrigerator to enter their home.
Because he had suffered too much in this regard.
Since the child promised to study hard, Chen Men had to give him another boost of confidence. She patted the little fellow''s head and said, "As long as you really study hard, Mom promises to make Chen Ping and his sone to apologize to you, okay?"
Little Wang didn''t believe that Chen Men could make Chen Ping and his sone to apologize to him.
After all, he had been the one to throw the first punch earlier.
But he still shook his head, put on his crumpled backpack, and walked ahead with his chest puffed out and head held high.
After all, this new mom didn''t drink.
As they left the ssroom, they ran into Yan Zhao, who had just met with the principal and wasing out of Yuanyuan''s ssroom with Yuanyuan and Little Wolf.
Seeing his son walking energetically with his backpack on, he reached out to pat his son''s head and surprisingly said, "Look how much he loves studying."
Chen Men was instantly speechless: You damn man, just be happy by yourself.
Leaving that aside, in fact, there was a reason why Yan Zhao was reluctant toe and apany his son for registration.
It was better when Yan Zhao hadn''t appeared in the crowd earlier, but now that everyone was leaving, several nouveau riche noticed him.
Coal was ck gold, and Yan Zhao was the invisible hand controlling that ck gold.
Although the group of nouveau riche who hadmitted crimes had been arrested, demand never ceased, and supply continued.
With Yan Xishan and his gang locked up, bing yesterday''s news getting beaten in jail, the new coal bosses were already fighting tooth and nail to grab business and territory.
Seeing Yan Zhao, these nouveau riche naturally gathered around him.
They tried to make conversation, some asking if he was busy with work, others asking if he had time, wanting to invite him for a meal.
One of them, probably with outdated information and unaware that Yan Zhao was already divorced, even rushed up to Yan Zhao and said, "Your wife Zhou Xueqin and I have drunk together, we''re good friends. When do you have time? I''d like to treat you and your wife to a meal."
Yan Zhao, who had been striding towards the exit, stopped upon hearing this. He turned back to look at the slick nouveau riche, narrowing his eyes.
Instantly, a group of smooth-talking nouveau riche looked at their colleague with envy or jealousy.
He had been favored by Captain Yan!