Chapter 70 is Family (Completed)...
After He Changyi's persistent explanations, the Yan family seemed to believe that she was just selling scrap steel.
Although the scrap steel she imported into the country was a little special, cough cough...
He Changyi stayed in China for ten days. During those ten days, she met with relatives from both her father and mother's sides, from her aunt to her uncle. She attended no fewer than five family reunion banquets, and received so many gifts that her suitcase couldn't hold them all.
Yan Zhengchuan took a long leave of absence and took her around the compound to meet everyone, especially his childhood friends. He said to them with a touch of pride:
"Look, this is my sister. Have you ever seen such a cool girl?"
He Changyi glanced sideways. So this was how he meant when he said he wanted to take her to meet people.
His childhood friend warmly shook hands with He Changyi, then turned to Yan Zhengchuan and jokingly scolded him:
"You're so smug! You've always loved showing off your little sister since you were little, and you haven't changed that habit even now. You look like you've been squeezed into a door panel. What does it matter to you how pretty our sister is!"
Yan Zhengchuan said, "What do you mean 'our sister'? Don't try to get close to me. This is my own sister, she has nothing to do with you. By the way, I heard you started a steel mill. My sister happens to be dumping scrap steel from Oros. Let's keep the profits in the family and sell it to you."
My childhood friend was so angry he jumped up and down: "Didn't you just tell me not to get close to you? Now you're telling me to keep the good stuff in the family?! What kind of person are you?!"
He turned to He Changyi with a grin and said, "Little sister, I'm scolding him. It has nothing to do with you. Give me your business card, and I'll have my secretary contact you later. Doing business with family is simple, just two words: don't worry!"
Yan Zhengchuan said with dissatisfaction, "Secretary? What, can't my sister trouble you?"
His childhood friend pointed helplessly at Yan Zhengchuan.
"I'll contact them, I'll contact them myself, is that alright now?"
Yan Zhengchuan added, "The price can't be too low."
My childhood friend is completely speechless.
"Okay, okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say. Consider it a gift from me to my sister."
Yan Zhengchuan nodded in satisfaction, exchanged a few more words, and then pulled He Changyi away.
He Changyi asked him, "Is it appropriate to just leave like this? I haven't given him my business card yet."
Yan Zhengchuan said, "Why give him a business card? Let him contact your secretary. If that doesn't work, he can contact me. Let me tell you, don't be fooled by his respectable appearance. He's no good. You better stay away from him."
He Changyi: ...
This was the first time she had been treated like an innocent girl. No, did she really look that easy to fool?
"Yan... Second Brother".
He Changyi hesitated for a moment before awkwardly changing his address to "Second Brother" instead of Yan Zhengchuan by his full name.
Yan Zhengchuan responded naturally, seemingly wanting her to shout a few more times.
He Changyi asked him, "What happened to the robbers in the transnational train robbery?"
Yan Zhengchuan didn't think much of it and answered directly, "Those who have killed people have all been executed, and the rest have been sentenced to more than ten years in prison—why did you suddenly ask this?"
He Changyi didn't answer, but asked again, "If Ma San and Sister Hua were still alive, wouldn't they also be sentenced to death?"
Yan Zhengchuan somewhat understood what she meant, but it seemed he hadn't quite grasped the point.
"It's definitely the death penalty. It's not enough to appease public anger if such a heinous criminal isn't executed. Don't overthink it. Just kill him. Everyone who hears about it will say it's a good thing. And don't worry, your name isn't on the case file."
He said somewhat reluctantly, "That black-haired Russian took all the blame, and the person in charge over there is also cooperative. Anyway, don't worry."
He Changyi, however, said, "I killed him."
Yan Zhengchuan: ?
The two stared at each other, and he finally reacted a beat too late.
So Yan Zhengchuan: ...
Alright, his own sister can kill robbers with her own hands, and he's worried she'll be deceived in love? That's just worrying unnecessarily. He should be thinking about those clueless bastards who dare mess with her; they should be prepared to have a gun to their heads.
"The first month."
Yan Zhengchuan said with utmost seriousness, "We live in a society governed by the rule of law; it's not appropriate to kill people arbitrarily."
However, he added, "If you really want to kill someone, just tell me and we'll discuss it together."
He Changyi: ? ? ?
What are they discussing? Are they discussing how to create a flawless locked-room murder?
She said earnestly, "Yan Zhengchuan, this is a society governed by the rule of law."
Yan Zhengchuan: "Hmm...hmm?"
Why does it feel like he's being lectured by his sister instead?
As the commander of the unit, Yan Zhengshan only took five days off.
In the past few days, he has traveled all over the streets and alleys of Beijing, buying back many snacks and pastries, including pea flour cake, sugar ears, donkey roll, candied hawthorn, as well as shrimp crisp candy, hawthorn bread, glutinous rice strips, and animal crackers, all of which are childhood memories for local children.
Some of these seasonal snacks weren't available at the right time of year, and I don't know how he managed to persuade the chef to buy them.
Even in the sweltering summer heat, Yan Zhengchuan still managed to dig out a stove from the warehouse.
He moved a small stool and stood guard in front of the stove, baking steamed buns on the stove and roasting sweet potatoes and potatoes in the firebox. He was sweating profusely, and when he poked the stove, the ash blown up by the wind smeared his face black.
He Changyi advised him not to bother, saying it was too much work, and that she wasn't picky about food and could eat anything. But Yan Zhengshan said:
“You might not remember, but you were teething back then, and you wanted to eat everything you saw, but Mom wouldn't let you eat just anything, afraid you'd get a stomachache. When I came home from school for dinner, you'd sit on my lap, looking at me longingly, drooling, and ask, ‘Big brother, is it good?’ I'd tease you and say it was delicious, really delicious. You'd sigh and say, ‘When will I grow up?’”
Yan Zhengshan paused for a moment, then said, "Now you're all grown up."
He Changyi was somewhat moved and softly called out, "Big Brother."
—Sigh, the original owner was so unlucky; she should have had a wonderful family.
Yan Zhengshan shook his head: "Let's not talk about these things anymore. It's good that you're back. From now on, our family will be fine."
He used a stove hook to pull the roasted sweet potatoes out of the charcoal ash, burning his hands as he flipped them back and forth. After peeling them clean, he skewered them with chopsticks and handed them to He Changyi.
"Eat."
He was finally able to make up for the regret he had more than 20 years ago.
My father is very busy with work and spends very little time at home, but no matter how late it is, he always makes sure to come home, even if everyone in the family is already asleep.
He Changyi slept exceptionally well during his time at the Yan family's residence, often sleeping soundly until dawn. Compared to his time in Oros, the quality of his sleep was worlds apart.
No need to worry about thieves or robbers breaking in, nor to be awakened by gunshots or drunkards shouting outside; every night is filled with sweet dreams.
When she wakes up, there are often small gifts placed on her bedside table.
Sometimes it's a bunch of ripe, fragrant golden apricots; sometimes it's a bunch of slightly wilted wildflowers; and sometimes it's a large doll made from bullet casings—well, it's a bit too hardcore.
The iron doll has probably been made for a long time, as people often caress it, and the brass bullet casing has a warm luster.
He Changyi placed the iron doll in the most conspicuous position. A few days later, she placed a new gift on her bedside table: a tank model made of bullet casings.
The bullet-cased tank was clearly newly made; you could even smell a faint gunpowder odor if you got close.
He Changyi couldn't help but want to laugh.
Imagine a stern father, a general who commands respect without anger, sitting on his desk, wearing reading glasses, carefully gluing together bullet casings.
How did he tell the orderly when he asked for the bullet casings? He couldn't have picked them up himself at the firing range when no one was looking, could he?
Just thinking about this scene makes He Changyi's heart soften.
That's great.
That's really great.
The person who spends the most time with He Changyi is Yan's mother.
In just a few days, she became radiant, and even though she was still wearing a thick mask, her joy was evident.
After getting through the initial few days of adjustment, Yan's mother realized that He Changyi truly did not resent her family, and she did not blame herself for losing her in the first place. This made Yan's mother both happy and guilty.
She naturally became close to her family, as if there were no more than twenty years of estrangement between them.
The strict mother gradually became bolder and no longer treated her daughter, whom she had lost and then regained, with the same careful and ingratiating manner.
He Changyi then realized that her mother was a straightforward and cheerful person. Tuberculosis only tormented her body, but did not wear down her spirit.
Whenever she had free time, Yan's mother would take her to a familiar tailor to have clothes made. A whole wardrobe of cheongsams and Western-style dresses were made. Luckily, cloth coupons were no longer in use, otherwise the Yan family's coupons would have been used up all at once.
Mother Yan even took out the fabric from her dowry that she had treasured when she got married, intending to cut it up to make clothes for He Changyi.
"I bought this at Ruifuxiang back then. It was made by a real master craftsman. You can't buy such good material anywhere now. It is said that the weaving skills were lost after the master craftsman passed away. Luckily, I still have a piece."
He Changyi took a look and indeed it was a fine material, shimmering and sparkling, with stunningly beautiful embroidery.
Mother Yan excitedly wrapped up the fabric, intending to make a cheongsam for He Changyi, modeled after the fashion style of Soong Ching-ling in her youth—dignified, elegant, and unconventional, perfect for a young girl.
He Changyi tried to stop her, saying it was a real waste to cut up such good fabric; they could make a dress for Yan's mother instead.
But the strict mother said, "What's there to regret? The fabric will rot if left for too long. It's better to make clothes for you. When I bought the fabric, I thought I would pass it on to my daughter. Now my wish has come true."
When He Changyi appeared at home wearing her newly made cheongsam, Shao Qian happened to be visiting and stared at her, completely mesmerized.
Yan Zhengchuan immediately realized what was happening and pushed Shao Qian away without saying a word.
"Alright, alright, you can go back now. We can talk about it later."
Shao Qian tried his best to brake with his foot, craning his neck to look back.
"What are you doing? I haven't greeted Zhengyue yet! Zhengyue, Zhengyue, I'm your brother Shaoqian. I even held you when you were little!"
Yan Zhengchuan was furious.
"You're talking nonsense! How could I let anyone else hold my sister? You've only seen her a couple of times at most!"
Shao Qian was pushed to the door, clinging to the door frame with both hands and refusing to move. Under Yan Zhengchuan's cover, he tried his best to peek left and right, straining to look in He Changyi's direction.
"I was the one who helped you get your import/export permit in the first month of the lunar calendar! I was also the one who drove to the airport to pick you up!"
He Changyi smiled and waved to him.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you so much, you're such a kind person."
That's what she said, but she didn't move an inch. She watched as Yan Zhengchuan pried Shao Qian's hand away, shoved him out, closed the door behind him, and shouted through the crack in the door:
"You're busy, you're busy, we'll talk when you have time. Bye-bye!"
Shao Qian was frantically scratching at the door outside, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"I'm not busy, I'm free right now!"
Before Yan Zhengshan returned to his unit, He Changyi finally met his sister-in-law, Song Hongmei, a heroic female officer.
She was dressed in military uniform, had short hair, and spoke and acted with competence and efficiency, standing next to Yan Zhengshan without being inferior in any way.
When Song Hongmei saw He Changyi, she happily stepped forward, warmly grasped her hand, and said with a smile, "You're back! Our family is reunited now!"
She added, "I used to hold you when you were little. I never imagined that more than 20 years would have passed in the blink of an eye."
He Changyi silently looked at Yan Zhengchuan.
Yan Zhengchuan coughed and said, "I did hug him."
Song Hongmei laughed out loud: "Back then, the second son was only in elementary school. How could he hold you steady? The two of you fell to the ground together. You cried and he cried too. After I comforted you, I had to comfort him as well. Before I left, the second son begged me not to tell your older brother about this."
Yan Zhengchuan pleaded, "Sister-in-law, that happened so many years ago..."
He Changyi squinted at him, and Yan Zhengchuan asked guiltily, "What are you looking at?"
"So this is how you raised me when I was little..."
She said, "No wonder I didn't like you back in Mosk. It turns out I knew you weren't reliable since I was a kid."
Yan Zhengchuan: ...
He calmly raised his hand and lightly touched He Changyi's head, his fingers about five centimeters away from her hair.
"It's a good thing I made you realize this when I threw you down back then, otherwise you wouldn't be so smart and capable."
He Changyi retorted, "So I should thank you?"
Yan Zhengchuan tried to keep smiling: "We're family, no need to be so polite."
He Changyi nodded understandingly, then turned to Yan's mother and Yan Zhengshan and said, "Mom, Big Brother!"
Yan Zhengchuan was shocked: "What are you shouting?!"
Yan Zhengshan had already come over with his fists clenched. He first patted him on the shoulder reassuringly, and then skillfully threw him to the ground.
"I was wondering why my little sister cried so much her face turned red that time. You said she was missing our mom, but it turns out it was you who fell down."
Yan Zhengchuan lay on the ground, trying to awaken his brotherly affection for Yan Zhengshan.
"Big brother, I'm your own brother!"
Yan Zhengshan nodded.
"She's still my own sister in the first month of the lunar calendar."
Yan Zhengchuan: "...Wait, boss! Big brother! Brother! Let me explain!"
Song Hongmei was already inviting He Changyi to eat the snacks she had brought back.
While drinking tea and enjoying snacks, He Changyi would occasionally offer a few comments on live-action WWE.
"Second brother, keep it up! How can you fight criminals like this?"
"Second brother, get up! Even if you get beaten, stand up straight and take it!"
Yan Zhengchuan: ...Who can give him back a sweet and soft little sister?
In the evening, the family went to the Listening to Orioles Pavilion in the Summer Palace.
Previously, He Changyi often came to eat Peking duck alone after returning to China, and the waiters in the restaurant all knew her. This was the first time she brought her family to eat together.
The waiter first looked at the Yan family who came with He Changyi with surprise, then knowingly led them to a private room and handed the menu to He Changyi.
He Changyi handed the menu to Yan's mother. Yan's mother looked at her, then at Yan's father beside her, and couldn't stop smiling as she took off her mask.
"Okay, then I won't stand on ceremony, I'll order."
The strict mother knows the family's tastes well. Even He Changyi, who has just been recognized by her, can accurately choose her favorite dishes. It is a mother's heart and her dedication.
Originally, Yan's mother did not plan to eat with her family, especially He Changyi, for fear of infecting her with tuberculosis during the first month of the lunar year.
It was Song Hongmei who used her medical knowledge to persuade her, telling her that tuberculosis after recovery is basically non-infectious and that she doesn't need to worry about infecting her family.
While the mother hesitated, He Changyi pleaded pitifully, "Mom, I don't know what you look like since I came home... Mom, can I see you?"
Yan's mother's eyes reddened, and she hurriedly took off her mask, revealing a smile on her face, which was marked by the mask.
"It's just two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, nothing special, really nothing special..."
He Changyi stepped forward and hugged her, saying gently, "Mom and I look a lot alike. It turns out that when I look in the mirror, I can already see my mother through myself."
Tears streamed down Yan's mother's face as she choked up, unable to speak. It was Yan Zhengchuan who interrupted her.
"Hey, I look just like Mom too! Why didn't you see me in the mirror during the Lunar New Year? And my older brother too—"
He hesitated suspiciously.
"Forget about my older brother. He was practically born from our dad's own body. I even suspect that it was our dad who went into the delivery room back then."
Song Hongmei covered her mouth and laughed. Yan Zhengshan walked over and slapped her on the back of the head without hesitation, scolding, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Yan Zhengchuan exaggeratedly cried out in pain, and his mother scolded him with tears in her eyes, "Serves you right! If your father heard this, he would definitely whip you with a belt."
He Changyi immediately volunteered, "I'll call Dad about this right now!"
Before he could finish speaking, his stern father's voice came from the doorway.
What do you want to tell me?
The whole family was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Mother Yan laughed so hard that tears streamed down her face. He Changyi immediately stood up and took the initiative to go forward to greet Father Yan.
"Dad, I have something to tell you, my second brother..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yan Zhengchuan rushed over and covered her mouth from behind. He said to his father, somewhat unaccustomed to the situation, "It's nothing, we were just joking around."
He Changyi: "Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh—!"
The stern father strode over, slapped Yan Zhengchuan's hand away, and said harshly, "Let go of your sister! What are you doing!"
As soon as He Changyi was freed, she immediately rattled off a long string of words without taking a breath: "He said it was Dad who gave birth to my eldest brother in the delivery room!"
Strict father: ?
Yan Zhengchuan was slowly turned to look at his father.
Yan Zhengchuan began a strategic retreat, "Wait, I can explain..."
The stern father sneered, "I think I haven't beaten you enough. How dare you spout such nonsense!"
As soon as he reached out, Yan Zhengshan tacitly handed him the feather duster.
Yan Zhengchuan looked at He Changyi with a pained expression: "I'm your own brother! I found you back then with just a photo!"
He Changyi considerately asked, "Then I'll ask Aunt Wang for a bottle of alcohol."
Yan Zhengchuan: "What do you need alcohol for?"
He Changyi said gently, "Disinfecting it after the treatment is good for your health."
Yan Zhengchuan: ...Is this something a younger sister would do?!
Back at Tingli Pavilion.
A four-pound duck is sliced into 108 pieces, with skin and meat still attached, for roasting. The pieces are a mix of lean and fatty meat, served with thin, translucent lotus leaf pancakes, brushed with sweet bean sauce, and topped with scallions and cucumber strips. The result is a tender, delicious, and refreshing dish that leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth.
As the youngest member of the family in terms of seniority and age, He Changyi originally intended to sit at the lower end of the table, but in the end, she was forced to sit in the main seat, flanked by her strict father and mother. She was undoubtedly the apple of her parents' eye.
She didn't even have to roll the roast duck herself!
Just as He Changyi finished eating the roast duck lotus leaf pancake lovingly rolled by Yan's mother, Yan's father, with a big smile on his face, handed over his extra-large, fully-stuffed, meat-dripping-sauce roast duck roll.
Because the roast duck slices were stuffed in so much, they even tied a knot on the outside of the lotus leaf bun with scallion shreds—a bow knot, no less.
He Changyi: ...Thank you so much.
Yan Zhengshan called over a waiter and asked, "Does your restaurant have any dishes suitable for children? For example, pine nut corn, cream buns, or the like?"
The waiter's bewildered gaze swept over all the guests at the table—
Wait, where are the children?
He Changyi sighed and Yan Zhengchuan glanced at her, then, as if wanting to stir up trouble, said to the waiter, "Give her a cup of hot milk, with extra sugar."
The strict mother scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about!"
He Changyi looked at Yan's mother with relief. At least there was still a normal person here who remembered that she was an adult woman!
However, the mother continued, "Your sister has been lactose intolerant since she was little and can't drink milk—waiter, could you please bring me a glass of juice?"
...He Changyi no longer wanted to recall the waiter's bewildered and terrified eyes.
After finishing the last dish of duck bone soup, the Yan family left the restaurant and took a walk in the Summer Palace to digest their food.
The night breeze was cool, and He Changyi felt a little lazy. She relaxed for once and strolled around slowly, surrounded by her family from this world.
Then, He Changyi heard Yan's mother sigh with satisfaction.
"This is wonderful... I never dreamed I would have this day in my entire life. I would gladly die for it now."
The stern father quickly said, "What do you mean by death? We have a long life ahead of us."
The strict mother ignored him, a slightly tipsy smile on her face.
For more than twenty years, even in her dreams, she never dared to imagine that she would be where she is today.
He Changyi took her mother's arm and said in a coquettish tone, "Mom, this is nothing. When you're feeling better, I'll take you around the world. We'll see all the sights in the world."
The strict mother patted the back of her hand, her eyes crinkling with laughter.
"I don't need the whole world, just seeing you is enough to make me happy."
She finally found her daughter, and finally found that moon again.
Her first month of the lunar calendar.
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