Yan Xishan didn''t think he had misjudged the market.0


    After all, the economic environment had been good in recent years, and the entire market was in a boom state. To put it bluntly, even a dead pig could fly if thrown into such a favorable market.0


    Ever since he became a professor, he had advised severalpanies, all of which had flourished.0


    Gradually, he became overconfident, believing himself to be the most brilliant expert in business management.0


    Recently, he had been staying in the capital for an extended period, running a small consulting firm. For the Xishan Coal Mine, he had hired a professional manager to handle its operations, so he didn''t have to manage it himself.0


    After all, the foundation of the coal mine had beenid a decade ago, and it was unlikely to result in any fatalities. Moreover, with steady profits rolling in and no personal financial control, Yan Xishan was more than happy to let go and focus on his consulting firm and professorship.0


    Of course, he didn''t agree with Chen Men''s notion that a market dominated by women would change aesthetic standards.0


    Although he no longer frequented nightclubs or drank due to his professor status, he often had young girls infatuated with his academic aura throwing themselves at him. If it weren''t for the fear of embarrassing Yuanyuan, he could have had as many women as he wanted.0


    He believed he understood women better than anyone else, so he chuckled and said, "Chen Men, can you name a woman who doesn''t like a slim waist and a big behind? If given the chance to have a slim waist and a big behind, would you refuse?"0


    Chen Men retorted, "I would refuse. Yan Xishan, women are forced to rely on men and please them when theyck economic power. But when they have economic power and can be independent, no woman would choose to rely on a man."0


    Yan Xishan was provoked and pointed at Chen Men''s nose, saying, "Chen Men, let me be blunt. Pleasing men is a woman''s instinct. Your Dongpai Clothing just went public today, and it''s selling well because people are curious. In a few days, it will definitely stop selling. I dare you to wait and see."0


    Chen Men extended her hand and said, "In my opinion, Dongpai''s sales will only get better. Let''s make a bet. If you win, I''ll transfer Yuanyuan''s household registration to your ce. But if you lose, you''ll go back and manage the Xishan Coal Mine properly instead of running this consulting firm. Deal?"0


    Her words left Yan Xishan stunned for a long time, thinking he had misheard.0


    If he won the bet, would Yuanyuan''s household registration be transferred to his family?0


    Had he heard correctly?0


    You see, Yan Xishan had even gone to the United States for a sperm vitality test in hopes of having a son. The American doctor had told him that he had no viable sperm, so having a son was out of the question.0


    He was afraid people would curse him behind his back for being childless and feared that if he died, his sicklyndlord father, who had been a heavy smoker, drinker, gambler, and womanizer, would scold him for bringing shame to the family.0


    After all, his father had managed to have him despite his vices, but Yan Xishan hadn''t even left a bloodline. That would be a real disgrace.0


    If Chen Men agreed to let Yuanyuan return to her ancestral home, Yan Xishan would dly call her "grandma" every day, not only for the sake of the bet but also for the honor of his family.0


    Thinking of this, Yan Xishan pped Chen Men''s hand and said, "Let''s bet. For the sake of our oldndlord family''s honor and myte father, I''ll take the bet." He added, "Whoever goes back on their word is a dog."0


    With that, he turned and left, afraid that Chen Men might change her mind.0


    Chen Men, feeling the pain from his p, turned to see Yan Zhao ring coldly at her. She quickly extended her hand, saying, "Third Brother, it hurts. Please rub it."0


    Yan Zhao, after a moment of cold scrutiny, took her hand and gently massaged it with hisrge, calloused hands, ustomed to holding a gun.0


    "Let''s go home," he said.0


    As they rode the elevator, Yan Zhao, who was not one to shy away from asking questions, said, "You even put that copy of the Criminal Law in Little Wang''s bedroom, as if you''re in a hurry for the two kids to get married. If they do get married, Yuanyuan''s household registration will have to be transferred out. So why did you make such a bet with Yan Xishan?"0


    To help Little Wang discover the secret, Chen Men had discreetly ced the Criminal Law book in his bedroom.0


    If the two children were to get married, Yuanyuan''s household registration would indeed need to be transferred out, back to Yan Xishan''s family.0


    Otherwise, with Little Wang and Yuanyuan on the same household register, they wouldn''t be able toplete the marriage registration.0


    So why did she make a bet about the household registration with Yan Xishan?0


    Yan Zhao had observed that although few people entered the Dongpai Clothing store, those who did were mostly well-educated, financially stable women. In contrast, other stores had more onlookers than buyers. Although he didn''t understand economics, he thought Chen Men was right.0n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Dongpai Clothing should sell well.0


    Therefore, Yan Xishan was bound to lose this bet.0


    As they walked, Chen Men exined, "Hukou is a minor issue, but the management of Yan Xishan''spany is a major one. If Yan Xishan continues to stay in the capital and leaves the coal mine to outsiders, something will go wrong sooner orter. I have to get him back to manage the coal mine."0


    Yan Xishan, having enjoyed a decade of smooth sailing, had be extremely arrogant.0


    And even though he imed to love Yuanyuan, his love for her was insignificantpared to his obsession with money, fame, and being in the spotlight.0


    Chen Men made the bet because, aside from this, she had no other way to force Yan Xishan to return.0


    Business was tough, especially the coal business. If the boss didn''t go down into the mine and personally inspect it, idents like copses or water leaks, resulting in fatalities, were bound to happen.0


    Regarding the bet on Dongpai Clothing, Yan Xishan was sure to lose.0


    But even if he lost, with Yuanyuan''s consent, Chen Men would still transfer the child''s residence registration to his name.0


    It wasn''t to push Little Wang and Yuanyuan together; it was for the safety of the Xishan Coal Mine and the miners.0


    She wanted to make sure Yan Xishan returned to the mine and took responsibility for the workers'' lives.0


    As the couple exited the mall, Chen Men wanted to give the two kids more time together. Seeing a Japanese restaurant at the mall entrance, she thought, "Why not have dinner here?"0


    She hadn''t had Japanese food in decades, not since her previous life when she had eaten with Lv Erniu.0


    But Yan Zhao was too busy cooling down the car, which had been baking in the sun all day, to notice Chen Men''s intentions.0


    Chen Men didn''t want to get sunburned, so she took out her phone to call Yan Zhao. Just as she was about to dial, a man in a ck suit bumped into her, almost knocking her phone out of her hand.0


    "Excuse me, please move aside," the ck-suited man said, gently pushing Chen Men aside and spreading his arms to shield a girl who had just gotten out of a car and was heading into the Japanese restaurant.0


    The girl wore leather shorts, high boots, a revealing halter top, and a leather vest. Her hair was dyed pink, and she had a belly button ring. Chen Men recognized her face—it was Lu Fei, the idol that young people adored these days.0


    Chen Men had raised her in her previous life as her stepdaughter, Lv Erniu.0


    She must havee to eat Japanese food, as she was heading into the restaurant after getting out of the car.0


    In the capital, there were plenty of paparazzi and entertainment reporters.0


    Several were following Lu Fei, snapping photos and asking questions. One reporter even asked, "Miss Lu Fei, you''ve beening to eat Japanese food for three days in a row. Do you really love Japanese food?"0


    Lu Fei, wearingrge sunsses, walked with an air of aloofness, ignoring most questions. But when she heard this one, she stopped and replied, "Yes, Mr. Reporter, I not only love Japanese food but also have a deep affection for Japanese culture."0


    "Can you tell us which aspects of Japanese culture you particrly like?" the reporter continued.0


    As she walked, Lu Fei answered, "There are so many. Which newspaper are you from? We can arrange a special interview another day."0


    Hearing about the potential for a special interview, the reporter eagerly nodded, "Yes, yes, yes. Here''s my business card. Let''s schedule it!"0


    Chen Men only caught thatst part before being pushed down the steps by Lu Fei''s security.0


    Lu Fei, in this life, had no connection to Chen Men and would never meet her. But having raised her in her previous life, Chen Men couldn''t help but recall an incident from back then.0


    In her previous life, Erniu had done something incredibly foolish at the height of her fame.0


    She had taken a series of provocative photos wearing the military uniform of the Japanese invaders during World War II, draped in the Japanese g, and holding a bay said to have belonged to Tojo Hideki.0


    Erniu had studied in Japan since she was a child and had a deep affection for Japanese culture.0


    When the photoshoot was done, she really liked the results herself and even happily brought them to Lu Jingyu to show him.0


    Fortunately, Lu Jingyu''s brain was still functioning, and upon seeing the photos, he immediately realized the girl had gotten herself into big trouble. He spent a hefty sum to buy back the entire set of photos, or else Lv Erniu would have been in serious trouble that time.0


    Now that Lu Jingyu is in prison, it''s unclear whether Lv Erniu will still take such photos.0


    However, this matter has little to do with Chen Men. Moreover, since Lv Erniu is eating Japanese cuisine, Chen Men suddenly lost her appetite for it. By the time she got into the car, Yan Zhao had already opened the windows to ventte and turned on the air conditioning, making the car cool andfortable.0


    The couple went home and, as usual, had to stop by the market to buy vegetables.0


    To give the two kids more time to spend together, Chen Men took her time shopping, spending a full two hours at the market.0


    Yan Zhao coldly watched his wife, asionally ncing at his watch, with an expression that seemed to say, "I''ll see how long you can drag this out."0


    In Chen Men''s mind, with Little Wolf not around, it should just be Yuanyuan and Little Wang at home, and the two kids should be having a great time.0


    Upon entering the house, it was eerily quiet. Yan Zhao''s breathing quickened, and he immediately rushed upstairs.0


    Chen Men was also worried. She always thought Little Wang was a good kid and wouldn''t do anything bad. Could the two kids really have done something wrong?0


    But when they got upstairs, all three bedroom doors were open. Yuanyuan was doing her homework in her room, Little Wang''s room was empty, and the bathroom door was also open, with no one inside.0


    And Little Wang was nowhere to be found.0


    "Where''s your brother?" Yan Zhao asked his daughter.0


    Yuanyuan replied, "He left early this morning. He said Wuhan was in a hurry, so he went to deliver goods."0


    So Yan Zhao had been worried all day, but Little Wang had left early in the morning?0


    Chen Men punched Yan Zhao on the back and pulled him down from the stairs.0


    He was purely overreacting and worrying for no reason.0


    But as soon as they got downstairs, Chen Men suddenly eximed, "Little Wang went to Wuhan!"0


    Yan Zhao was puzzled and asked, "What''s wrong with Wuhan?"0


    Chen Men turned on the TV, and on the news, the broadcast was about the new round of rainfall causing severe flooding in the Songhua River, the Yangtze River, and the Jialing River.0


    With July 1st approaching, the capital had been sunny for the past few days.0


    As for the major floods along the Songhua River and the Yangtze River, although Chen Men had mentioned them, she herself had only seen the news. Yan Zhao, although aware, had not fully grasped the ferocity and severity of the situation.0


    The entire country was facing a major flood disaster, and the military had first dispatched soldiers from the Central Theater Command to assist with flood relief.0


    After a few days, the military realized that the dispatched troops were far from enough, so the higher-ups ordered the military to cancel all exercises, and all soldiers from the Eastern Theater Command were urgently sent to the Yangtze River basin to aid in flood relief.0


    But this was still not enough. Eventually, the entire military was mobilized, with over a million soldiers deployed to fight the floods.0


    Yan Zhao, too, had left shortly after Little Wang''s departure.0


    But he wasn''t going to the disaster area. Instead, he was part of an inspection team, traveling across the country.0


    There was something particrly strange about China: on arge scale, in terms of flood relief, everyone could unite as one, but in some small ces, or at the local government level, or among a small group of people, there were always those who set up roadblocks, obstructed traffic, and collected tolls.0


    This was mostly due to collusion with some local officials, which was often referred to as "it''s easy to deal with the king, but the underlings are difficult to handle."0


    If it weren''t for someone like Yan Zhao, who had a fierce face and a menacing aura, and who was naturally skilled at dealing with local bullies, no one would be able to handle them.0


    Chen Men, in her previous life, had lived in Shaanxi Province and focused on business, so she hadn''t paid much attention to this flood. Now, she was concerned because Little Wang had rushed to Wuhan, and she was afraid the child might get stuck there.0


    Every evening after work, she and Yuanyuan would turn on the TV and watch the news about the floods.0


    Of course, local channels were still filled with songs and dances of prosperity, and Lu Fei had taken on a few more endorsements. There was also new entertainment news that she would be starring in the second installment of "Princess Pearl" in a role.0


    Such entertainment news was everywhere, and morning and evening papers often reported extensively on entertainment figures.0


    Worried about Little Wang''s situation, Chen Men preferred to watch news about flood relief along the Yangtze River. She even canceled her subscriptions to the morning and evening papers and switched to "People''s Daily" and "Reference News."0


    Fortunately, Little Wang would asionally call.0


    At first, he was in Wuhan, then he said he was in Jiangsu, around Nantong. In short, he was like a mouse, scurrying around everywhere.0


    At first, when Little Wang called, he would say, "Mom, the flood here is really bad, and our water pumps and generators are selling like hotcakes. I''m going to make a bigmission this time, I''m going to make a lot of money!"0


    Butter, Little Wang gradually stopped talking aboutmissions and would just report that he was safe.0


    Then, a few dayster, when Little Wang called again, he asked Chen Men if she knew anyone in Jiangsu, as he urgently needed 50,000 yuan and wanted her to help him find someone to borrow the money from.0


    Chen Men had an old client named Shen Changqi, nicknamed "Always Angry," who had recently mentioned that he was expanding his market in Jiangsu. He was a tycoon, extremely wealthy. Chen Men immediately gave Little Wang his phone number.0


    When a child is out there, no matter why they need to borrow money, if they ask, Chen Men must help.0


    Little Wang then added, "Mom, the infrastructure here is really poor. There are so many small hydropower stations, all made with substandard cement, and they copse as soon as the flood hits. Many ces have formed barrierkes, and the water pumps and generators I brought are extremely useful, but we''re still in urgent need of some equipment for cutting and clearing blockages. Can you call Boss Gao and ask him to send 500 more machines from Fujian to Jiangsu? He can drive them over himself, and they need to leave tonight, okay?"0


    "But what about the money?" Chen Men asked.0


    Little Wang said, "You can cover it for now, and I''ll sell my stocks to pay you back once this is over."0


    Five hundred various mechanical devices, with each costing at least a thousand yuan at the factory price, amounted to fifty thousand yuan.0


    The owner of the generator factory was Gao Xiaomei''s brother, so the money could be owed for now, but it would have to be repaid eventually.0


    When Chen Men hung up the phone, her heart was pounding.0


    Yuanyuan, who was listening nearby, had the same doubts as Chen Men. After Chen Men hung up, she asked, "Mom, why is my brother buying generators with his own money? Is he nning to hike the prices and make a fortune off the disaster area?"0


    It wasn''t unreasonable for Yuanyuan to be suspicious.0


    Little Wang was naturally like this. When he was in school, every time there was a sports day or a cultural festival, he would secretly bring a box of ice cream to sell, acting as a profiteer. Since it was a monopoly, he would inevitably raise the prices and make a big profit.0


    Now, trapped in a flood-stricken area with widespread power outages and numerous barrierkes, the government was most in need of the equipment from Little Wang''s factory.0


    Given Little Wang''s nature, encountering such a big business opportunity in the disaster zone, was he nning to raise prices and profit from the national crisis?0


    Chen Men hesitated for a while, then handed the phone to Yuanyuan and said, "Call your brother and tell him that if he wants to make money, Mom will give him the money, but he can''t raise prices and profit from the disaster area."0


    Little Wang loved money too much, and Chen Men was afraid she wouldn''t be able to convince him. Maybe Yuanyuan could persuade him.0


    However, since it was a public phone, Little Wang had probably already left, and when Yuanyuan called back, there was no answer.0


    Although Chen Men was worried that Little Wang might raise prices, the disaster area was in desperate need of generators, water pumps, and various flood-relief equipment. The goods still had to be delivered.0


    Chen Men immediately went to find Gao Xiaomei and asked her to call her brother personally to hurry up and load the trucks, sending the mechanical equipment over.0


    Of course, she also took on all the payment for the goods, withdrawing the money from the bank the next day and handing it over to Gao Xiaomei.0


    It was only then that Chen Men hadn''t fully realized the extent of the country''s suffering during this natural disaster, or the number of young soldiers and officers who had sacrificed their lives.0


    That day, when they went to the higher-ups for dinner.0


    As soon as Chen Men entered the room, she saw Yan Peiheng with red eyes, hunched over, clutching his chest and sitting on the sofa.0


    This old man had been in good spirits in recent years, and his hair hadn''t turned white much, but today, it was clear that his hair had almostpletely turned white.0


    Yuanyuan noticed that her grandfather, Yan Peiheng, was still holding the phone, looking as if he had suffered a heart attack. She quickly took out a nitroglycerin tablet from the drawer and told him to ce it under his tongue.0


    Chen Men, on the other hand, was busy dialing 120.0


    After a long while, Yan Peiheng recovered, took a deep breath, and said, "Commander Zhang''s grandson, Zhang Jun, from the Eastern Theater Command, the one who visited our house during the New Year, died while moving sandbags on the dike!"0


    Chen Men had met Commander Zhang from the Eastern Theater Command when he came to pay a New Year''s visitst year. At that time, Commander Zhang had told Yan Peiheng that his eldest grandson would join the army this year, serving in the Army, and that he would be sent to the most arduous ces to train.0


    Only 20 years old, just two years older than Little Wang, and he died from exhaustion while moving sandbags?0


    But such tragic incidents were not isted.0


    It was said that an entirepany, over forty men, had been submerged in water for four days and four nights without sleep, withouting out, managing to block a dike that was about to burst.0


    In another vige, a soldier died while clearing andslide-blockedke, crushed by a copsing embankment. It wasn''t until his father came to collect his body that everyone learned the soldier''s father was a wealthy businessman running arge factory, with assets worth hundreds of thousands.0


    The young man, it was said, had refused to eat for several days at home before joining the army because his father didn''t want him to enlist.0


    Such stories weremon on the front lines of the flood relief efforts.0


    Yan Peiheng had to leave on an urgent business trip.0


    Yan Zhao had no news either and had been away on business.0


    Whenever Chen Men and Yuanyuan returned home, they would turn on the TV to watch news about the flood relief efforts.0


    Gradually, the neighborhood stopped paying attention to entertainment news, and no one on the streets sang "Dynamic Spice Girls" anymore. As autumn approached, the entire nation was focused on the news of the disaster along the Yangtze River.0


    When Chen Men turned on the TV, even though other channels had more entertaining dramas and shows, the entire country was most concerned with news about the flood relief efforts.0


    For Chen Men, even though it was heartbreaking, she preferred to watch the news footage of the flood relief soldiers linking arms to resist the flood, carrying sandbags, while the vigers on both sides of the river cried, begging the soldiers not to jump into the water, yet the soldiers bravely and resolutely fought against the flood.0


    Whenever such scenes appeared, she would wipe away her tears and watch intently.0


    Day after day, for the soldiers, this was a new test since the Self-Defense Counterattack War.0


    For the children, it was a long and rainy, not very pleasant summer.0


    For Chen Men, it was the longest period of her life.0


    Before she knew it, September had arrived, and there was still no word from Little Wang.0


    Chen Men repeatedly urged Yan Zhao to ask hisrades and inquire about Little Wang''s whereabouts.0


    Yan Zhao kept saying that Little Wang was fine and that Chen Men didn''t need to worry.0


    But Chen Men felt something was off. If Little Wang was fine, why hadn''t he called?0


    So, she turned to ask people from the military who had just returned from the front lines about Little Wang''s whereabouts.0


    One day, she finally got news from a division-level leader who had just returned from the front lines. The divisionmander said he had seen Little Wang.0


    Chen Men and Yuanyuan immediately went to the divisionmander''s house.0


    "I saw Yan Wangqi at the Dongting Lake section. His reputation is quite loud," the divisionmander said with a smile.0


    Chen Men and Yuanyuan exchanged nces, both guessing that Little Wang must have gained notoriety for profiteering during the national crisis.0


    But then the divisionmander added, "At the Dongting Lake section, he provided us with over two hundred generators, water pumps, and various flood control and silt removal equipment. The young man is incredibly capable and has exceptional coordination skills. If you ask someone else for something, it might take three to five days to arrive, but if you ask him, he can get it for you in no time."0


    "He didn''t charge money?" Chen Men was stunned.0


    Little Wang had brought arge number of generators and water pumps to the flood site, and as a little money-grubber, he hadn''t hiked up the prices to make a huge profit. Instead, he had given the supplies away for free to the soldiers.0


    This soundedpletely unlike something Little Wang would do.0


    "All the things he brought were donated by manufacturers to our soldiers," the divisionmander also seemed puzzled.0


    After exchanging another nce with Yuanyuan, Chen Men finally believed that Little Wang had donated supplies to the military to help with flood relief. Although her son loved money, he was, after all, a member of the Yan family, with integrity, and hadn''t profiteered during the national crisis.0


    "Then where is my son Yan Wangqi now?" Chen Men asked again.0


    The divisionmander shook his head, "I saw him over a month ago. After that, he went to Nanjing, the area with the worst flooding, and I haven''t seen him since."0


    So, there was still no news about Little Wang for over a month.0


    Where exactly was he now? Had he been injured, gone hungry, or was he still safe?0


    The number of casualties due to the flood continued to rise, with over three thousand people already reported. Chen Men didn''t want to think about it, but she was terrified that the list of casualties might suddenly include Yan Wangqi''s name.0


    The mother and daughter returned home. Chen Men was cooking in the kitchen when she suddenly heard faint sounds of recitation from upstairs. She quietly went upstairs and saw Yuanyuan holding Little Wang''s high school notes, silently memorizing them. Not wanting to disturb her daughter''s studies, she tiptoed back downstairs.0


    Yuanyuan, after reciting for a while, took a deep breath, then recited some more, took another deep breath, and after struggling for a while, couldn''t hold back her tears.0


    When Little Wang left, he had pointed at her and said, "I''m going to the flood relief front lines. If it''s not too serious, I''ll be back in a few days to help you review. But if I don''te back, Yan Shengnan, show the backbone of our Yan family''s daughter and memorize these notes. Then, you''ll have a chance at Tsinghua University."0


    When he left, Little Wang probably didn''t expect his words toe true.0


    But now, whether Little Wang returned or not, Yuanyuan was determined to memorize all these notes!0