Yan Wei left, but Jim was kept by Yan Zhao. He had more questions for Jim and wouldn''t let Yan Wei take him away.


    The autumn wind was refreshing, and as soon as the courtyard lights were turned on, moths flew all over the ce. Hearing about a little foreign boy with yellow hair, the vige children asionally gathered at the gate to take a look.


    Yan Zhao stared at the little boy with golden hair: "Jim, uncle now wants to ask you something. How is life in America for your family?"


    "It''s good, very good," Jim said, spreading his hands.


    Yan Zhao continued, "In your family, who makes the decisions, your dad or your mom?"


    Jim didn''t quite understand the question, so Little Wang exined in his ear, "Who has the louder voice in your family?"


    Jim spread his hands again and said, "It''s definitely my mom. She works, she earns money, and she does the ounting for all theundromats and Chinese restaurants in themunity. My dad just takes care of our studies and reads books."


    Back in the country, it had always been Liu Xiuying who made the decisions in the family of the eldest son. It seemed that in America, it was still Liu Xiuying who called the shots.


    Yan Zhao then took out a form and showed it to Jim: "Have you seen this form before? Who gave it to your mom, your dad?"


    Jim took the form and looked at it, then spread his hands again: "I made this. I printed it out ording to what my mom wanted."


    "Does your dad know about it?" Yan Zhao pressed further.


    Jim thought for a while and said, "Probably not. He just cooks, reads, and many things, my mom doesn''t tell him about."


    "Then go take a bath and get to bed early," Yan Zhao stood up.


    Little Wang enthusiastically said, "Come on, I''ll take you to the bathroom."


    Jim hesitated and said, "My dad said you never take baths, and you use open-air squat toilets..."


    Little Wang opened the bathroom door, revealing tiled floors, a sr water heater on the wall, a squat toilet with a rubber lid, and bath sponges and shower gel. It wasn''t smelly at all, but rather quite fragrant.


    As soon as Yan Zhao entered the house, Chen Men heard his stomach growling, guessing he hadn''t had dinner. So, she fried some minced meat and added a poached egg, standing in the kitchen for a while. After seeing Yan Zhao send the kids to their bedrooms, she put the noodles into the pot and waited for him to finish his bath before cooking them.


    By the time the noodles were ready, Yan Zhao had also finished his bath.


    Watching Yan Zhao eat, Chen Men asked, "What should we do about the eldest sister-inw''s situation? Should we tell dad?"


    Yan Zhao looked down at the rmendation letter and said three words, "Of course."


    People will strive for their children''s future, but few are as ''striving'' as Yan Jun and his wife.


    Yan Peiheng now liked his daughter-inw Chen Men the most, and he didn''t understand English at all.


    Chen Men also didn''t understand English. If she were to get him to sign a document for ten thousand dors, he would probably sign it.


    But if Chen Men did that, Mike would be admitted to West Point, but Yan Peiheng would be a disgrace to the Hua Country military, affecting the careers of Yan Wei and Yan Zhao as well.


    This incident would be recorded in their family''s archives.


    Not only would their brothers be affected, but Little Wang and Little Lang would never be able to join the military in Hua Country, nor would they be able to find jobs in government units.


    It seemed that for Mike, Yan Jun and his wife were willing to sacrifice the futures of Yan Zhao and Yan Wei''s families.


    It was unclear whether this was just the eldest sister-inw''s idea or if the eldest brother was involved as well.


    Yan Zhao and his eldest brother grew up together but hadn''t seen much of each other since they grew up.


    He only remembered that because he was Old Mandam Yan''s eldest grandson, she doted on him the most.


    When he was young and still in the countryside, he always slept with Old Mandam Yan. The pocket money and snacks Yan Peiheng gave to Old Mandam Yan were all given to Yan Jun.


    For this, Yan Zhao''s most vivid memory was once when he caught a fish the size of a palm from the river, eager to have his grandmother cook it so the whole family could have fish soup.


    He rushed into the kitchen with the fish, only to see Yan Jun sitting in Old Mandam Yan''sp, eating biscuits, his mouth full of crumbs. While eating, he would kiss Old Mandam Yan, and the two were very affectionate.


    At the moment he entered, the two of them jumped up in panic, hurriedly hiding the biscuits.


    The crumbs that fell to the ground, Yan Jun quickly stepped on them. Sweet and crispy, every step made Yan Zhao swallow hard.


    The eldest brother was the most favored by his grandmother. When Yan Wei and Yan Zhao were struggling to eat cornmeal porridge, he always had milk and biscuits to eat. Even in the hardest times, he never went hungry.


    Later, when he went to the capital, from joining the army to getting married, everything was taken care of by Yan Peiheng, who had been entrusted by Old Mandam Yan before her death.


    Yan Peiheng had never wronged Yan Jun.


    Yet, the one who wanted to take Yan Peiheng''s life was precisely Yan Jun.


    Chen Men was now looking for a towel and pajamas in the cab, ready to take a bath. She turned back to see Yan Zhao looking out the window with a lonely expression and couldn''t help but say, "How about we take a bath together?"


    Yan Zhao, lost in thought, suddenly came to his senses upon hearing this. He stood up: "Really?" Instinctively, he rubbed his hands together, his face full of disbelief.


    These two strong hands, when rubbed together, made a rustling sound.


    The couple had never bathed together, and because Chen Men naturally disliked others seeing her body, they had never done anything like that even with the lights on.


    "Third Yan, give me a back scrub," Chen Men said casually, trying to suppress herughter, "Gently."


    Afraid that he would scrub too hard, Chen Men always used a scrubbing belt.


    But today, with the arrival of the eldest sister-inw, Yan Zhao''s mood was understandable, and Chen Men wanted to cheer him up.


    Yan Zhao was indeed happy, his throat full of restrained joy: "Come on, I''ll scrub you well." His voice had changed.


    He was good in other aspects, but his sexual desire was too strong. Although he had always been suppressing it, that unsuppressible desire often showed a little tail.


    For example, at this moment, Chen Men only mentioned a bath, but Yan Zhao was already looking for condoms in the cab.


    The condoms in the cab were birth control supplies he had taken from the police station, and there was a whole cab full of them.


    He was like a hamster, hoarding a whole cab of condoms, secretly protecting his desires.


    Chen Men, was she human? No, in his eyes, she was a delicious meal. He was greedy but didn''t dare to overindulge.


    Normally, it wouldn''t matter, but Chen Men couldn''t withstand Yan Zhao''s physical strength. But today, in this situation, she felt it necessary to let him have a full meal.


    Although they were old married couple, they had never bathed together. They walked quietly, afraid of waking the children. But once in the bathroom, undressing, Chen Men just washed a little, and as soon as she turned around, Yan Zhao''s scrubbing towel had just touched her back, and Chen Men let out a scream.


    "Are you crazy, Third Yan?" This scream was much more pitiful than Little Wang''s previous one.


    Just one stroke, and Yan Zhao had scrubbed Chen Men''s back raw. She finally understood how painful it was for Little Wang when he scrubbed his back.


    ...


    Little Lang and Yuanyuan were already asleep, and the light in Little Wang''s room was still on because Jim had to read for two hours, and today he had an article to write called "God Bless America," which was to be submitted.


    Jim was reading seriously, while Little Wang was rummaging through Jim''s backpack, finding it boring with all the foreign books. He picked up aic book of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" and started reading.


    Chen Men''s scream made Jim shiver: "Dad, your parents are going to start arguing."


    "It''s okay, they argue in bed and make up in bed. My mom won''t even kick my dad out of the bedroom," Little Wang said nonchntly.


    "No, they''ll destroy the world. When my dad and mom argue, they''ll destroy the world. My mom even makes my dad kneel to her!" Jim said, shrinking into Little Wang''s arms, trembling.


    Not only could Liu Xiuying force Yan Jun to kneel, but when she really lost her temper, her voice could be so loud that neighbors would call the police and have Yan Jun arrested.


    From childhood to adulthood, Little Wang had witnessed Yan Jun being taken away by the police twice. Once was because their cooking produced too much smoke, and the other time was due to Liu Xiuying''s loud shouting, which led a neighbor to report that Yan Jun wasmitting domestic violence.


    Little Wang''s parents had never engaged in such intense conflicts, so he couldn''t understand Jim. As Jim huddled in his arms, Little Wang casually ruffled Jim''s yellow hair and was surprised to find that Jim''s hair roots were ck.


    "You used to have ck hair, why did you dye it yellow? Did those American devils bully you into doing it? Tell me, and I''ll help you deal with those American devils," Little Wang said.


    "No, no, America is a very great and democratic country. Although there is discrimination, it has nothing to do with hair color. My mom dyed my hair before I returned to China," Jim exined.


    In fact, the hair dyeing was Liu Xiuying''s personal whim. She just wanted to show off her superiority as an American but had no outlet to do so, so she dyed her son''s hair.


    "Then get out of the way, don''t block myic books," Little Wang pushed Jim aside.


    The two little boys had be friends because theic books were so entertaining. Jim asked, "What is this?"


    "Are you blind? It''s ''Smiling Proud Wanderer,''" Little Wang said.


    Jim only spoke Chinese and couldn''t read. He saw a basketball in the corner, holding a book but his eyes were on the basketball: "I also like basketball, but my mom says since I can''t be a basketball yer, there''s no point in doing meaningless things."


    Little Wang jumped off the bed, picked up the basketball, and started dribbling and spinning it on the floor of the bedroom, then leaped: "I y because I enjoy it, and enjoyment is the most meaningful thing."


    Jim watched for a while, then suddenly threw the book aside, got off the kang, and started dribbling the ball with his precious hands, which were only meant for ying the violin. He dribbled and dribbled, his eyes wide with excitement.


    If Liu Xiuying saw this, she might die of anger on the spot.


    But that wasn''t all. Ten-year-old boys are at the age of being uncontroble.


    Seeing Jim so excited just from dribbling, Little Wang took him to the next room. Little Lang and Yuanyuan were already asleep, and the curtain on the kang was drawn, so the two little ones were oblivious. The window curtain was also drawn, so nothing could be seen from outside.


    Little Wang fished out a videotape from the drawer and shook it: "Seen ''Once a Thief''? How about ''The Conmen''?” Then, he pulled out a deck of ying cards from under the coffee table, shuffling them wildly in front of Jim''s face: "Seen ''God of Gamblers''?"


    Since the age of three, Jim had been taught to read by Yan Jun. His life was filled with nothing but reading and practicing the violin. He was severely incapable of taking care of himself in daily life because, to save time for studying, even the water for brushing his teeth was prepared by Yan Jun.


    Yan Jun was both the servant and the strictest teacher to his sons.


    Even after going to bed, he had to read half an hour of world ssics before sleeping.


    He had never stayed upte, and rarely watched TV since he was three.


    America was indeed great and developed, and as an American, he was genuinely proud.


    But he had no friends, and his heavy homework left him no time to make friends.


    Children are naturally drawn to other children.


    Liu Xiuying left her son here to use him as a contrast to Yan Zhao''s two sons, making Yan Zhao and his sons feel ashamed and realize the importance of education.


    This way, they would acknowledge her educational philosophy and admit that her children were the hope of the Yan family.


    Only then, when she was gone and Yan Peiheng was questioned by the army, could she say to Yan Zhao and his brothers with confidence: "I may have made mistakes, but it was for the sake of your Yan family''s descendants."


    But if she knew that Jim was now rubbing his hands, looking at Little Wang as if he were looking at the gate to a new world, ready to embrace thiszy, mediocre, and thoughtless new world, she would probably spit out three liters of blood.


    The two kids didn''t dare to y the videos with sound, so they watched them as silent movies.


    But "The Conmen" was so funny that Jim pinched Little Wang''s thigh to keep fromughing.


    "God of Gamblers" was even better. They shuffled the cards while watching, pretending to be the gambler, feeling incredible.


    As for "Once a Thief," while watching, Jim kept smoothing his hair back, imagining himself as handsome as Chow Yun-fat.


    This wasn''t all. Tonight, Little Wang only showed Jim the fun of videotapes and made a n to y basketball at the Oriental School early the next morning.


    The joy of ying basketball, boys must experience it.


    The next morning, Yan Zhao waited for over an hour but didn''t see Liu Xiuying return, so he had to go to work.


    As a policeman, it was easy for him to find his sister-inw in Xiping City. After all, she needed a passport to check into a hotel, and a few inquiries at the hotels would reveal where she was staying.


    As soon as he left the house, Little Wang took the basketball and led Jim out.


    "I have to practice the violin and read in the morning," Jim said, feeling a bit scared since it was his first time doing something bad.


    "We''ll be back by noon, you can practice then," Little Wang said nonchntly, bouncing the basketball.


    After a game of basketball, it was just past noon. The two kids came out of the school, drenched in sweat, and each bought an ice cream from the store, a perfect ending.


    Yan Fen from the vige came to buy wine for his dad and said, "Boss, a bottle of Ninshan."


    This was just an ordinary sentence, but Jim was shocked: "Dad, the shopkeeper is selling alcohol to minors, which is illegal."


    "What''s so new about that? He''s buying it for his dad. If you have money, you can buy it too," Little Wang said.


    In America, stores do not sell alcohol to minors, but there is no suchw in Hua Country.


    Whether it''s because American kids naturally love to drink or for other reasons, in Hua Country, few children drink, but some American kids consider buying and drinking alcohol on their own a significant achievement, especially when they turn eighteen.


    For Little Jim, he wouldn''t stay here long and would eventually return to Liu Xiuying and then to America.


    Back in America, he couldn''t spend half a day ying basketball and a whole night watching videotapes like he did now.


    Like a monk breaking a vow, since he stayed up all night and yed basketball for half a day, why not try a sip of alcohol?


    "Dad, let''s drink!" he pointed at the Ninshan.


    Little Wang, though often dabbling in society''s undercurrents, had never drunk alcohol.


    He wasn''t curious about it and had no interest.


    But he misunderstood Jim''s meaning, thinking that this little American wanted to have a drinking contest with him.


    In front of an American kid, he certainly couldn''t back down.


    So he pulled out his small knitted money pouch from his back pocket and said generously, "Boss, a bottle of Ninshan. My little American brother wants to have a drinking contest with me, I have to win."


    The shopkeeper, also a viger, was quite surprised: "American kids are indeed different, even know how to drink? Here, I''ll give you two a bag of spicy peanuts, Little Wang, you must win!"


    "I love Hua Country, I love Little Wang, Dad, I want to stay in Hua Country forever!" Jim grabbed the peanuts and shouted excitedly.


    ...


    On his way to work, Chen Men received a call from Xue Mingfang. In the call, Xue Mingfang said that the ountant Gu Xiao sent from Singapore arrived at Factory 271 at 7:30 AM and was waiting to audit the ounts.


    Chen Men asked Xue Mingfang over the phone, "Is the ountant Gu Xiao sent a woman in her forties with burgundy hair named Liu Xiuying?"


    "Chief, you''re amazing, how did you know?" Xue Mingfang asked.


    He then added, "In the morning, the general manager of Baohe Pharmaceutical dropped her off. She apparently audited the ounts at Baohe Pharmaceutical all night, and the situation there isn''t good; she found that they were cooking the books. From what this Ms. Liu said, Gu Xiao ns to send a permanent financial staff to Baohe Pharmaceutical for financial oversight. Chief, are our ounts okay?"


    "We haven''t cooked a single penny of our books, we have nothing to fear!" Chen Men said with ease.


    In fact, when Cui Min mentionedst night that Gu Xiao would send an ountant to audit the books, Chen Men had already guessed that the person he would send would be her sister-inw, Liu Xiuying.


    Factory 271 had a turnover of 2 million yuan this year. The factory had only been established for a year, and this revenue figure had even impressed the military leaders. This also reflected the booming economy of Hua Country and its vast potential consumer market.


    One could say that as long as it was managed well, Factory 271 was essentially a money-printing machine that operated day and night.


    For a financial giant like Gu Xiao, only having 49% of shares without controlling rights naturally left him dissatisfied.


    He wanted to corrupt the Hua Country military and gain controlling rights, and the only obstacle in his way was Yan Peiheng.


    He wanted to strike at Yan Peiheng, to remove him, but couldn''t do so openly.


    As a businessman, could he possibly hire assassins to eliminate a high-ranking general of Hua Country?


    That was certainly impossible.


    As an old fox, Gu Xiao knew well about the poor rtionship between the three Yan brothers, and he also knew it was Yan Jun and his wife who had given away Su Wen''s temple. He even knew about Yan Jun''s ns to have Mike join the military in America.


    Each of these matters was a huge blow to Yan Peiheng.


    So he deliberately sent Liu Xiuying to audit the books for him, killing two birds with one stone - he could both infuriate Yan Peiheng and ensure that Liu Xiuying would conduct a thorough audit on his behalf.


    After getting out of the car in front of the office building, Chen Men saw Liu Xiuying standing there from afar, with her small bag slung across her body.


    Standing beside her were Hu Xiaohua and Xue Mingfang.


    Xue Mingfang was characteristically upright, like a white por tree, while Hu Xiaohua was typically slouching, looking like a good-for-nothing hooligan.


    Several other mid-level factory managers were also present, standing in a line at attention.


    Just as she got out of the car, Chen Men heard Hu Xiaohuaughing: "Sister-inw, with your build, back in the vige they''d say you''re the size of a New Year''s pig - you must weigh about 400 pounds now, right?"


    Being from the same vige, Hu Xiaohua naturally knew Liu Xiuying.


    However, in Hu Xiaohua''s memory, Liu Xiuying had been a thin, dark-skinned country woman wearing patched clothes. After ten years without seeing her, he hadn''t expected her to balloon up like an inted ball.


    "American life is too abundant, too developed, the living conditions are too good - it''s hard not to gain weight. I''m trying to lose weight now," Liu Xiuying smiled, then quickly asked Hu Xiaohua, "By the way, how''s your mother? Who is she with now? Still with that limping cobbler from the vige?"


    Qi Dongmei had been with several men when she was young, trying to raise Hu Xiaohua and Hu Xiaomei.


    Among them, the most despicable was a limping cobbler from Unit Five who used to beat Hu Xiaohua when drunk - the person Hu Xiaohua hated most.


    Liu Xiuying''s words hit the mark, and Hu Xiaohua''s face instantly turned pale.


    But Hu Xiaohua wouldn''t admit defeat, saying loudly: "My mother''s still better than you, Sister-inw! My sister-inw Men runs a military factory, supporting our republic''s soldiers. My third brother is a police officer, protecting the country and safeguarding the lives and property of everyone in Xiping City. But you - when you were leaving for abroad, I remember you and my eldest brother telling everyone in the vige that you were going to earn capitalist money to raise socialist children ande back to serve our country. Howe now you''ve turned into a capitalist''s ountant? Tell me, what''s the difference between an ountant like that and a dog?"


    Just then, Chen Men got out of the car and called out, "Xiaohua, stop making trouble."


    Liu Xiuying''s face had turned white with anger, but she still forced a smile and pointed at Hu Xiaohua, saying, "Men, how can you employ someone like this? Never educated, grew up on the streets - no culture, no quality." Her lips curled as she spat out in English: "Stupid guy."


    "Oh, I get it now - the difference between an ountant and a dog is that dogs can''t speak foreignnguages," Hu Xiaohua retorted.


    Liu Xiuying, a highly educated person with ss, was so angered by Hu Xiaohua that she was ready to take action.


    "Let''s go upstairs and check the ounts," Chen Men pulled Liu Xiuying aside and said, "Yan Zhao has already told Father about you and eldest brother wanting him to write a rmendation letter for Mike to West Point. Father is in the Central Theater Command now and will be home tonight. He''ll definitely want to see you. After we finish business here, let''s hurry home."


    Liu Xiuying, who was climbing the stairs, stumbled: "Men, what do you mean?"


    Chen Men replied calmly: "Sister-inw, isn''t that rmendation letter you gave meant for Father to help get connections and backdoor entry for Mike at West Point?"


    Liu Xiuying had thought herself extremely clever. That rmendation letter had neither a header nor any substantial content - it was just skating on thin ice. The main content would be filled in by her after returning to America.


    She had assumed that Chen Men, being a rural woman, wouldn''t have the education or sophistication to think that far ahead.


    So she had already discovered what the form was for, and she had even told Yan Zhao about it, and Yan Zhao had even informed Yan Peiheng?


    This was far from what Liu Xiuying had expected.


    She had thought Chen Men wouldn''t understand English and therefore couldn''t possibly figure out what the document was for.


    As for Yan Zhao, while he might know some English, she thought he wouldn''t be able to guess her intentions either.


    But how did even Yan Peiheng know about the form after just one night?


    Given Yan Peiheng''s personality, if he knew about her ying such tricks, he''d probably skin her alive.


    Liu Xiuying blurted out: "Men, I was nning to give you ten thousand US dors. Do you know what ten thousand dors means? It''s worth at least sixty or seventy thousand yuan. Now that you''ve given that form to Yan Zhao, your sister-inw won''t be giving you the money."


    "But I never said I wanted your money, and I''m not short of money," Chen Men replied, still calm andposed.


    Liu Xiuying had no idea how much money Chen Men had or what her actual capabilities were.


    And ten thousand dors was a huge sum even for herself.


    When Yan Jun was still in Hua Country, his spoiled nature, cultivated by his grandmother since childhood, meant he needed new clothes every year and enjoyed fine food and drink. But to save money during their ten years abroad, he had bought only one new piece of clothing, wearing clothes salvaged from neighbors'' garbage bins, and being as frugal as possible with food and drink.


    As for herself, she had given up even her favorite vegetables. Hamburgers, fried chicken, various meats, cheese - she would buy them in bulk when they were on sale at night. She could only eat meat because in America, meat was the cheapest.


    The meat made her gain weight, gave her high blood pressure and diabetes, made her movements sluggish.


    Even with all that hardship, her current savings amounted to only ten thousand dors.


    Yet such a huge sum of money didn''t seem to move Chen Men at all - she waspletely indifferent.


    By now they had entered the office.


    The ount books were on Chen Men''s desk. Seeing that Liu Xiuying seemed to have trouble walking, Chen Men brought a chair, helped her sit down, opened the books and said, "Take your time looking through them. I need to go to a meeting."


    At this moment, Liu Xiuying was still thinking about how being an ountant for Gu Xiao and auditing the books would be enough to anger Yan Peiheng. She had anticipated his anger and fury, which was why she had left Jim in Yanguan Vige.


    No elder could resist an outstanding child. Once Yan Peiheng saw how excellent Jim was, for the child''s sake, he would ept her helping Gu Xiao with the ounts, and after she finished the audit, he wouldn''t cause trouble and would let her and Jim return to America.


    But if Yan Peiheng found out about her little scheme, about her trying to use him to pave Mike''s way to West Point, it would probably be difficult for her to leave the country again.


    With her mind in a fog, her eyes fell on the ount books.Aliali: 674aec4f3f33ac49acb42


    The first page showed the overall cash flow and a summary of expenditures.


    The header of the ount book read:


    Annual operating ie totals 2.13 million yuan, expenditures total 2.11 million yuan.


    Instantly, Liu Xiuying''s heart was screaming and roaring. Her eyes couldn''t believe what they were seeing.


    A once dpidated, nearly bankrupt small military factory in Hua Country could actually earn two million yuan in a year?


    And this factory belonged to Chen Men?


    She had only taken over for about a year?


    Liu Xiuying worked from dawn to dusk in America, handling ounts for seven or eightundromats and restaurants, and thebined annual turnover of all those businesses barely reached two million.


    Yet Chen Men could earn two million in just one year?


    Is this Hua Country still the same Hua Country that Liu Xiuying once knew?