Since Yan Xishan was doing well with sales, it was time for Yan Zhao to head home.


    In the car, Little Wang sat in the back, his small face reflected in the rearview mirror, grinning happily.


    Yan Zhao''s palm was itching: "Yan Wangqi, do you regret being my son?"


    "You don''t know how to make money. If you did, I wouldn''t regret it," Little Wang said with a smile.


    Before starting the car, Yan Zhao was already prepared to spank him, but still holding onto some hope for his son, he asked: "Haven''t you ever thought about growing up to join the army, be a police officer, serve the people?"


    "Let Little Lang do those unpromising jobs. I''ll focus on making money," Little Wang had clear ns for his life.


    "I heard your grades have been slipping badly. Can''t we focus on studying first, then think about making money?" Yan Zhao asked again.


    By now, he had made up his mind to spank his little bottom red.


    Jim added fuel to the fire: "Uncle, it''s mainly because many kids at school need to be taught a lessontely. We don''t have time to study."


    So for them, fighting was more important than studying?


    Yan Zhao''s palm was getting impatient.


    But suddenly Little Wang leaned forward onto the back of the driver''s seat, smiling: "Dad, even though you don''t know how to make money, I do. When I turn eighteen, I''ll go into business and let mom stay home and enjoy life. You shouldn''t be so busy then either. My first mom left because you were too busy, but Chen Men is different from her - she genuinely likes how hard you work every day. You should spend more time at home with her, okay?"


    The child''s words were heartfelt and reasonable.


    Yan Zhao''s raised hand froze in mid-air.


    Little Wang took the opportunity to grab his father''s hand, sliding his small fingers between his father''srge ones, and continued: "Zhou Xueqin recently sent me a message through someone, saying her current husband is very rich and about to be a tycoon. She said she''d give some money to me and Little Lang aspensation, as long as I promise to take care of her when she''s old. But dad, I don''t want Zhou Xueqin''s money, I''m not envious of her, and I don''t want to take care of her. I cherish my current mom the most, and I don''t want her to work too hard. I want to make money so she can rest well."


    Hearing his son''s sincerity, Yan Zhao squeezed his son''s small hand and shook it gently, responding softly: "Alright."


    He recalled the first day he returned home to Zhou Xueqin''s house after his military transfer. This little fellow was only seven years old then, wearing mismatched slippers - one too big like a boat, the other too small for his foot. His small vest couldn''t cover his belly button, and his pants were only half-length.


    He was surrounded by children who were beating him up - Little Lang was responsible for biting, while he threw punches.


    Having been away for too long, the children didn''t recognize him.


    When he told them he was their father, Little Wang excitedly picked up Little Lang and held him up: "This is your little son, dad. I can sell cassette tapes, I can raise children, please don''t leave us, okay? Look how cute he is, right?"


    He even gave Little Lang a kiss.


    Yan Wangqi, who had been selling cassette tapes since he was four, taking on the responsibility of supporting the family.


    Growing up amid his mother''s curses and the constant fear that his loved ones might leave him.


    As a father, Yan Zhao found it difficult to instill a sense of national honor and responsibility in him.


    It seemed this son would never inherit Yan Zhao''s ideals.


    But he was right - Chen Men was working too hard.


    This time, Yan Zhao finally epted his son''s aspirations.


    It was already June, and with Yan Xishan handling training, Factory 271 had built a formidable sales team.


    Of course, word was that Hu Xiaohua was also doing very well in the capital.


    Food Factory 81 had nearly 100,000 yuan worth of milk powder, which he was about to sell outpletely.


    In the eyes of the military leaders, the military factories were flourishing everywhere, which made them very happy.


    As for Chen Men, since the factory was stable, she took some time to arrange their new home.


    Today was the weekend, and Yan Zhao had gone to work overtime.


    The basic renovation of the new house wasplete, and it was time for interior decorating.


    Chen Men nned to take the children to their new home, let them choose their bedrooms, and share their ideas about decorating their rooms the way they liked.


    Before Jim came, Little Wang didn''t have many friends in the vige because he was too money-oriented and liked to profit from others. He used to stay home doing housework on weekends.


    But after Jim arrived, thanks to Jim''s enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and generosity, all the vige children liked to y with them. On weekends, the children would all disappear.


    Now, when Chen Men got ready and went out to call the children, Yuanyuan and Little Lang were ying at the door, but Little Wang and Jim were nowhere to be seen.


    "Yuanyuan, where''s your brother? Call him over. Mom bought a new house that needs decorating. We need to go there, and you can all choose your bedrooms," Chen Men said.


    "My brother? Haven''t seen him since this morning," Yuanyuan said.


    So Little Wang and Jim had snuck out again?


    At twelve years old, it wasn''t a big deal for him to go out - he always carried his house key.


    When Little Lang heard about moving to a new house, he wasn''t happy: "Mom, I don''t want to move. I want to stay in Yanguan Vige."


    "But we bought an apartment, and Mom will install targets and air guns for you. You can still practice shooting," Chen Men said.


    Little Lang firmly shook his head: "No, because if I leave, Jim will take over our yard. He says he wants to marry my sister, and after they''re married, they''ll y by themselves and won''t include me. That''s not good."


    It wasn''t just Jim who often talked about marrying Yuanyuan.


    Little Wang would also consciously exclude any boy who appeared in Yuanyuan''s life.


    The children were about to enter puberty, and this matter needed to be addressed separately.


    As Chen Men was about to take the two younger ones out with an umbre, she saw Xue Mingfang driving the factory''s small delivery truck recklessly into the vige.


    "Commander."


    After getting out of the car, Xue Mingfang was beaming: "Commander, Comrade Xiong Xiaohua has agreed to marry me!"


    His rtionship with Xiong Xiaohua had developed quite rapidly - in just half a year, they were already talking about marriage?


    He hade to share the good news of his sessful proposal.


    Chen Men was genuinely happy about this news: "Great, when you''re ready to hold the wedding banquet, I''ll book the Guoguang Grand Hotel for you. We''ll make it a grand celebration."


    Xue Mingfang waved his hands: "No, no, because I''m currently focused on my career and don''t have much money. Xiaohua said we can skip the banquet and just have a destination wedding."


    A destination wedding was much more economical than a banquet. Unexpectedly, Xiong Xiaohua, who owned seven or eight clothing stores and was a small wealthy businesswoman herself, could be so considerate of Xue Mingfang. That girl was truly both practical and virtuous.


    Chen Men sincerely felt that this couple would have a good life together.


    Just as she started the car, the phone rang again.


    Chen Men knew from the number that it was Hu Xiaohua calling.


    Since going to the capital, although Hu Xiaohua was no longer under Chen Men''s management, he had gotten used to reporting his work to her daily, and still called almost every day to update her about his work and life in the capital.


    The Liu Cui families offered high sries and immediately appointed him as general manager. Naturally, Hu Xiaohua worked extremely hard, and in just half a year, he was about to sell out all the stored milk powder.


    Although even Xue Mingfang didn''t believe Hu Xiaohua would have a sense of honor and responsibility, after spending two years at Factory 271 under the influence of a group of veterans, he was indeed working diligently in the capital.


    Now that Food Factory 81 had money, they were about to restart their production lines.


    Since they were producing milk powder for infants, quality and safety were particrly important.


    Hu Xiaohua was now on equal footing with Chen Men. As general manager, he needed to consider signing supply contracts withrge-scale farms, think about production line safety control, packaging production, and a series of other issues.


    Regarding food safety, he consulted Chen Men about everything, asking how he should proceed.


    Of course, Chen Men shared everything she knew with Hu Xiaohua without reservation.


    "Sister-inw, you always thought I wasn''t capable, but I''m going to make Food Factory 81 sessful just to prove you wrong. We''re about to have 100,000 yuan in our ount, and I''m going to start production soon," Hu Xiaohua said passionately over the phone.


    Times make heroes, and just as Yan Xishan had be a lecturer, Hu Xiaohua was doing well as general manager, which made Chen Men particrly happy.


    "That''s great, I''lle visit you in the capital when I have time," Chen Men said.


    Hu Xiaohuaughed over the phone, then continued, "By the way, sister-inw, you know Liu Jingjing, right? She''s my girlfriend now. Please tell Xue Mingfang that yesterday, Jingjing''s mother, my future mother-inw, even gave me a gold ne. Tell him not to be jealous - Jingjing treats me incredibly well now."


    Chen Men froze for a moment, holding her mobile phone.


    Liu Jingjing was only twenty-one, while Hu Xiaohua was already thirty-two - how did these two end up together?


    Besides, she seemed to have a particr fondness for men much older than herself.


    Could that young girl have a fatherplex?


    However, since Commander Liu''s wife approved of Hu Xiaohua and even gave him a gold ne, it proved that Hu Xiaohua''s position as themander''s son-inw must be secure.


    Everyone has their own destiny, and it''s not bad, so Chen Men said, "You''re much older than the youngdy, so make sure you treat her well."


    "Of course! Commander Liu''s family has shown me great kindness. I''m not even taking a sry anymore, and I''ve invested all my savings into Food Factory 81. I''m not just blowing hot air - I''m determined to make Food Factory 81 sessful to prove I''m not inferior to you, sister-inw!" Hu Xiaohua rubbed his chest. "Sister-inw, this is the first time in my life I''ve worn a gold ne. I''m having a bit of an allergic reaction, my chest is itchy, but oh, I''m so happy!"


    Real gold shouldn''t cause allergies, should it?


    Chen Men wondered if it might be a fake ne.


    Putting that aside, she hung up and drove with her two little ones to the Dongfang Family Quarters.


    Chen Men let them experience their new home first.


    In the new home, the floor tiles and walls had already been painted.


    The bathroom and kitchen countertops were personally selected by Chen Men from the furniture market.


    The overall style was modern and simple, with pure white walls and cream-colored marble, giving a clean and refreshing feeling upon entering.


    As for the furniture, she nned to make a trip south to buy the best quality pieces.


    The apartment was on the third floor, with windows facing both north and south. There wouldn''t be any high-rise buildings nearby in the future, making itfortable to live in.


    This was where Chen Men had nned to spend her retirement.


    She naturally wanted to get the renovation done right the first time.


    When the two little ones entered the new home, they were dazzled by the snow-white walls, cream-colored marble tiles, and the fact that there were two bathrooms, each with a flush toilet.


    Little Lang immediately fell in love with the new home and promptly christened the new toilet.


    Of course, both children also rushed to im their bedrooms.


    Just then, Chen Men''s mobile phone rang again, and Yuanyuanined impatiently, "Mom, you really get a lot of calls in one day."


    This time, the call was from Beijing, from Yan Peiheng.


    "Men, your older brother just called me and said he''s returning to the country on July 14th. By then, Little Wang and the others should be on summer vacation, right? You should bring them to the capital, Dad needs your help here," Yan Peiheng said.


    Chen Men''s most pressing concern was: "Dad, what about Mike..."


    "We don''t know yet, we''ll wait until Yan Jun returns," Yan Peiheng''s tone sounded rxed, after all, he had already submitted thewsuit to the military court, and whether or not Mike passed the exam, he was determined to sever the father-son rtionship with Yan Jun.


    After a pause, the old man continued, "By the way, did you know that Hu Xiaohua is dating Liu Jingjing?"


    "Yes, I know," Chen Men said.


    Yan Peiheng was silent for a moment, then said, "Back then, among our leadership group, each family was supposed to have one child retire from the military. This was to set an example for all military personnel during the major force reduction. In our family, I had Yan Zhao retire. In Commander Liu''s family, Liu Peng should have been the one to retire, but at that time, Xue Mingfang was dating Liu Jingjing, and Commander Liu considered him part of the family, so he had him retire instead. I didn''t think much of it at the time, but looking back now..."


    Looking back now, the reason Commander Liu was so enthusiastic about actively matchmaking and letting his sixteen-year-old daughter Liu Jingjing date Xue Mingfang, even publicly announcing Xue Mingfang as his son-inw, was actually to keep his son Liu Peng in the military by having Xue Mingfang retire in his ce.


    After another pause, Yan Peiheng added, "Commander Liu has remarkable foresight and could be called deeply calcting. Men, I''ve spent my whole life trying to serve the country, but it seems I fall far short of Commander Liu when ites to nning for family and children."


    So in the power struggles at the top, Commander Liu sacrificed Xue Mingfang to reach the position of First Commander.


    And Yan Peiheng only realized this now?


    Chen Men had nothing to say about this, after all, she wasn''t a military leader.


    Seeing Chen Men''s silence, the old man continued, "By the way, please tell Yan Zhao toe to the capital at the same time. I''ve secured him an opportunity to study at the Party School for two months. Afterpleting the program, he should be able to get promoted to the provincial department."


    In her previous life, Yan Peiheng had never managed Yan Zhao''s career, leaving him to fend for himself.


    In this life, after seeing how Commander Liu devotedly cultivated his son and his shrewd calctions, the old man had started nning for Yan Zhao as well?


    Yan Zhao was only thirty-three this year, and at that age, being promoted to the provincial department meant he could reach the capital in just a few years, which would be twenty years earlier than in his previous life.


    "Alright, Dad, I''ll let him know," Chen Men said cheerfully.


    When the snipe and the m fight, the fisherman benefits.


    She discovered that in the power struggles among military leaders, she could be a happy little fisherman, and this feeling was quite nice.


    Yan Peiheng suddenly remembered something else and said, "Oh, Men, I overheard Zhang Xiangming talking to your Aunt Cui the day before yesterday, saying she spent 80,000 yuan ordering a car for herself and another 20,000 yuan buying a house. The factory has barely started, and they''re already spending money like water. Something doesn''t seem right. When youe, help me inspect Food Factory 81 in person, see how they''re really doing. If they''re not focusing on production and just wastefully spending money, I''ll consider proposing to the leadership team to take back the factory."


    Food Factory 81 had only earned 100,000 yuan so far.


    Hu Xiaohua had ambitious ns to use that money to purchase raw materials, packaging, and develop new products for the market.


    Yet Zhang Xiangming was nning to buy herself a car and a house.


    Did Hu Xiaohua know about this?


    He was ready to make big moves and achieve great things at Food Factory 81.


    But Zhang Xiangming''s approach seemed reminiscent of his first boss?


    After all, Hu Xiaohua''s first boss had lost control once he had money, bought a car, killed someone in an ident, and ended up in prison.


    Losing control when moneyes in is a major pitfall in business.


    The reason Hu Xiaohua was willing to work so hard at Food Factory 81 now was because he was dating Liu Jingjing, and her mother was willing to give him a gold ne. He had even invested all his savings from his time at Factory 271, wanting to build something significant.


    Moreover, Hu Xiaohua had worked for many bosses and learned from many mistakes.


    He had even gotten into a fight with the ham factory boss over product quality, knowing how serious the consequences of substandard quality could be.


    Zhang Xiangming buying a car and house instead of investing in production - if Hu Xiaohua found out, he would surely object.


    Would his rtionship with Liu Jingjing survive then?


    Would Commander Liu''s wife still ept Hu Xiaohua as a son-inw?


    Food Factory 81 hadn''t even started new production, and if trouble arose again, things would get messy.


    Setting that aside, it was now dinner time, and with the weather so hot, Chen Men wanted fish noodles but was toozy to go far. On the way home, she sent the two children to the market to buy fish for her.


    As for herself, she drove to her house, and just as she parked the car, she surprisingly saw Principal Liu from Dongfang Schooling out of her courtyard, shaking hands with Yan Zhao as they said goodbye.


    With a bang, Yan Zhao closed the door.


    Principal Liu turned around, shook his head, sighed, and prepared to leave.


    When the principal made the effort to visit personally, Chen Men suspected something serious must have happened.


    And she had a vague idea about what it might be.


    So Chen Men stepped forward and asked, "Principal Liu, did Little Wang and Jim cause trouble at school today? They didn''t get into a fight, did they?"


    Principal Liu had aplicated expression: "Today was our city''s Olympic Mathematics Competition. Apparently, Liu Jiaxuan wrote a note to your Yan Shengnan, and Little Wang brought Jim along to confront and beat him up. I''ve been keeping an eye on Jimtely, so I caught wind of this and intercepted them both, making them take the mathpetition instead."


    So that morning, Jim and Little Wang weren''t around because they had secretly gone to school to beat up Liu Jiaxuan.


    But because Principal Liu had been monitoring Jim, he discovered this incident.


    As a wise principal with thirty years of experience nurturing students, not only did he prevent those two mischievous boys from beating up Liu Jiaxuan, but he also made them take an exam?


    No wonder Dongfang Middle School had be the city''s most prestigious high school that everyone looked up to.


    His approach to education showed remarkable wisdom.


    Before Chen Men could ask more, Principal Liu said proudly: "Children shouldn''t be given too much freedom; sometimes they need to be pushed. You''ve been too lenient with Yan Wangqi. Do you know how your two boys performed in the mathpetition that was just graded?"


    ...


    "Jim''s Chinese isn''t very good, but he still ranked 32nd in the school. Your Yan Wangqi came first in the school and second in the city. He can go to the capital for the next round," Principal Liu said while taking Chen Men''s hand. "Education is key for children. Puppy love isn''t a big problem. I believe you''re both open-minded parents, so please don''t let Deputy Director Yan beat the child. With proper nurturing, Yan Wangqi''s potential is beyond what we can imagine!"


    Some time ago, Chen Men had made a bet with Yan Zhao, though they hadn''t specified what it was about.


    But she had discussed with Yan Zhao that if a certain thing happened, he absolutely couldn''t beat Little Wang.


    That certain thing was actually Little Wang''s puppy love situation.


    Little Wang was 12 now, and Yuanyuan was 10. They had no blood rtion but lived under the same roof.


    As they approached puberty, it was natural for Little Wang to develop feelings for Yuanyuan.


    These feelings manifested in his rejection of other boys approaching Yuanyuan, his teasing of her, and his overprotectiveness.


    Chen Men had known about this all along and had been carefully covering for Little Wang.


    But no wall ispletely sealed.


    Eventually, teachers would notice, and then the principal would know.


    Once the principal knew, Yan Zhao would find out too.


    And once Yan Zhao knew, it meant Little Wang would get beaten again, not just the usual light smacks, but a severe punishment.


    However, Yan Zhao definitely wouldn''t let her get involved in this matter.


    Sure enough, just as Chen Men was about to push open the door, Yan Zhao opened it first and said, "Men, go take a walk first. I have something to discuss privately with Little Wang. Come back hometer."


    Chen Men only said one thing: "We made a bet recently because of Yan Xishan, and I won. We agreed then that you couldn''t beat Little Wang."


    Yan Zhao looked at his wife for a long while, speechless.


    Only now did he realize that his wife hadid the groundwork for this six months ago, and he hadn''t noticed anything.


    "I know what happened at school, and I can stay out of it, but you can''t beat the child. Brother, some things we can just keep to ourselves, no need to say them in front of the children. Children need their dignity too, okay?" Chen Men said gently.


    ...


    Seeing Yan Zhao''s silence, Chen Men added, "Brother, please."


    ...


    "Brother, for the child''s sake, let him keep his dignity." Seeing Yan Zhao still silent, Chen Men repeated.


    Yan Zhao looked at his wife, and slowly rebuckled his belt that he had already unfastened.


    Little Wang and Jim were being punished, standing by the bathroom door.


    The wind rustled through the locust trees, and looking up, Yanguan Vige''s sky was so blue.


    Jim was happily picking at the wall when he suddenly turned his head and saw Little Wang crying. He whispered, "Why is your dad mad at us? Is he going to beat you? Me too?" He still didn''t know what had happened.


    "Shut up, leave me alone," Little Wang couldn''t stop his tears.


    "Let''s call the police then. Your dad can''t hit people, the police will stop him," Jim suggested.


    "Get lost, I''ve been beaten since I was little, I''m not afraid of pain," Little Wang turned away, wiping his tears.


    "Then why are you crying?" Jim persisted.


    Earlier, Principal Liu had not only praised Little Wang''s performance in the mathpetition but also told Yan Zhao everything about how he and Jim had bullied Liu Jiaxuan and other boys who liked Yuanyuan.


    He had also suggested that Yan Zhao have a heart-to-heart talk with Little Wang to get him to focus on his studies.


    Though Principal Liu hadn''t stated it directly, he had clearly indicated to Yan Zhao that Little Wang was experiencing puppy love, and the object of his affection was Yuanyuan.


    Jim, being from abroad, was quite casual about these things and had always been open about liking Yuanyuan.


    But Little Wang was different. As a Chinese child, he cared about face and self-respect. At 12 years old, he was traditional, conservative, and knew how to feel embarrassed.


    He wasn''t afraid of being beaten or pain.


    When he was younger, to raise Little Lang, not just children, but even adults at Zhou Xueqin''s dinner tables had bullied him. He didn''t mind as long as he could use his cassette tape money to buy some cookies, roasted sweet potatoes, andmb skewers to fill his brother''s stomach. As long as the two brothers could huddle together at night, holding his soft, silly little brother, waiting for their father to return from military service, he felt there was nothing he couldn''t endure.


    But he was afraid of Chen Men and Yuanyuan finding out about his secret feelings, afraid they would hate him because of it.


    He was also afraid of his father making a scene and letting everyone know.Aliali: 6748be4f3f33ac47d814c


    That wouldpletely humiliate him.


    The reason he was crying was that he realized his mother had known about his feelings all along but still protected his dignity.


    His father wouldn''t understand a 12-year-old boy''s need for face, dignity, and self-respect.


    But his mother understood, she knew he needed his dignity.


    She even prevented his father from speaking about such embarrassing things.


    But what should he do now?


    The little secret he had protected for so long - mom knew about it, and dad knew about it too.


    Soon, Yuanyuan and Little Lang would probably know as well.


    Little Wang didn''t know if his mom would hate him, if she would be angry, if she would take Yuanyuan and leave.


    All he knew was that his five years of happiness were about to fly away, just like that, when he wasn''t prepared for it at all.