Chapter 201 She stared at Zhao Wenchang, her eyes wide with astonishment.
“We don’t do this when we’re at home. Have a seat.” Minister Cui waved his hand and pointed to the sofa opposite him.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Wan started preparing the meal. The dishes on the table were carefully prepared: the braised pork was stewed until it was glossy and red, the steamed sea bass was steaming hot, and there were also fresh vegetables that were hard to find in Beijing at this time of year. The table was piled high with food.
During the meal, Lin Wan took extra care of Ping An.
"Come on, Ping An, have a chicken leg to help you grow taller." Lin Wan put a big chicken leg into Ping An's bowl. Watching the child eat with relish, her eyes narrowed into slits with a smile. "This child is so good-looking, with big eyes that look so clever."
With his mouth full, Ping An mumbled his thanks, "Thank you, sister."
"Oh dear, why are you calling me 'Auntie' or 'Sister'? I'm so old!" Ping An's words made the other person cover their mouth and laugh heartily.
Jiang Wanqiu looked at the other person; his complexion was rosy, much better than when she first saw him, when he looked emaciated.
It seems that once his daughter is found, his spirits recover much faster.
The men's conversation naturally revolved around work.
Minister Cui took a sip of his wine, his expression turning serious. He said to Zhao Wenchang, "Wenchang, the reason you've been transferred to Beijing is because the higher-ups intend to give you an important position. At your age, being promoted to this position is too rapid; there are quite a few people watching you."
Zhao Wenchang put down his chopsticks, sat up straight, and listened.
Minister Cui tapped the table with his finger and said meaningfully, "Beijing is different from other places. It's a deep and complex place with several powerful families deeply entrenched in their connections. You've just arrived, so you must be careful with your words and actions and quickly produce some tangible results to shut those people up. Especially those few families... they're all eyeing you with greed."
Zhao Wenchang nodded steadily: "Don't worry, sir, I know what I'm doing."
After dinner, Minister Cui called Zhao Wenchang into his study, saying he had some confidential documents to discuss.
Only Lin Wan and Jiang Wanqiu remained in the living room. The nanny brought in two cups of hot tea. Lin Wan pulled Jiang Wanqiu to sit on the sofa, peeled an orange for her, and began to chat. They talked about everything from the weather back home to the baby in her belly, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant.
Jiang Wanqiu held her teacup and glanced upstairs.
The building was unusually quiet; apart from the meal just now, it seemed like we hadn't heard any other noises.
She hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Auntie, why haven't I seen Cui Hua come out for dinner? Is she not home?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Wan abruptly stopped peeling the orange.
For a moment, the smile on her face seemed to freeze, stiffening and looking somewhat unnatural.
Two seconds later, she slowly put down the orange peel in her hand, let out a long sigh, and lost her radiance, looking somewhat distressed.
"Sigh, she's upstairs." Lin Wan picked up her teacup but didn't drink it, instead stroking the rim. "This child... you know, she was abducted by human traffickers once and suffered terribly."
Lin Wan still looked heartbroken when she talked about this: "We finally found her, but she's changed. Now she refuses to come out no matter what, afraid of seeing strangers, and won't even let us open the curtains, saying she's afraid of the light."
Jiang Wanqiu frowned as she listened; this was a classic case of post-traumatic stress disorder.
She couldn't help but say, "Auntie, this...this is a psychological problem. You need to see a doctor. You can't keep bottling it up like this."
“Why bother seeing a doctor? It won’t help.” Lin Wan shook her head, her tone revealing a stubbornness and a somewhat twisted protectiveness. “There are too many bad people outside. I’ve realized that the safest place is at home, by my mother’s side.”
She looked up, her eyes fixed on the stairwell, and murmured to herself, "She's very well-behaved now. She stays in her room every day, drawing and reading, and doesn't go anywhere. I was thinking, why not just raise her like this for the rest of her life? Anyway, the Cui family can afford it. As long as she doesn't go out, she won't be hurt anymore, and I can keep an eye on her all the time, which gives me peace of mind."
Jiang Wanqiu felt a chill run down her spine. This wasn't protection; it was clearly captivity.
She put down her teacup and earnestly advised, "Auntie, you're wrong to think like that. Cui Hua is still young, and she has a long road ahead of her. This is an illness that needs treatment. Keeping her locked up at home may seem safe, but it will ruin her life. This will be very detrimental to her future."
Lin Wan's expression softened. She smiled at Jiang Wanqiu, as if she had listened, or perhaps she hadn't thought about it at all: "I know you mean well. But I know my limits. Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things. You're quite heavy-set, when is your due date? Perfect timing, I have some supplements that someone gave me, I can't finish them all by myself, take some of them."
After saying that, she stopped talking about it and turned to ask the nanny to find something for Jiang Wanqiu, clearly not wanting to discuss her daughter anymore.
Seeing Lin Wan's unyielding attitude, Jiang Wanqiu sighed inwardly and couldn't say anything more.
The nanny had just turned and gone to the storage room, and the living room hadn't even been quiet for two minutes when a sharp screech of brakes suddenly came from outside the yard.
Immediately following, the sound of high heels clicking on the concrete floor grew louder as they approached, a crisp and clear sound.
Lin Wan was about to say something when she heard this noise, her brows furrowed instantly, and a clear hint of impatience flashed in her eyes.
But being a lady from a respectable family and used to being an official's wife, she quickly adjusted her mood, put down her teacup, stood up, tugged at her hem, and put on a proper smile again.
"Someone coming at this time is up to no good," she muttered to herself.
The door was pushed open as soon as he finished speaking.
The nanny led the way, followed by two women.
The young woman walking behind looked to be in her early twenties. She had face cream on, bright red lips, and was wearing a fitted Western-style dress, a rarity at the time, paired with shiny leather shoes. In an era where blue, gray, and black were the dominant colors on the streets, her attire was utterly out of place.
The woman walking in front was dressed in a flamboyant manner, with a perm and a silk scarf around her neck.
These are distant cousins of the Cui family, Yi Lianxin and her daughter Yue Ke.
"Oh! Cousin! Long time no see!" As soon as Yilianxin entered the door, her voice boomed like a megaphone, her face full of smiles. Before anyone could greet her, she went straight to the sofa. "They said we have some important guests at home today? Coco and I came over to check on them."
Lin Wan twitched the corner of her mouth and replied indifferently, "I just finished eating too. You guys are quite well-informed."
As they were talking, a noise came from the stairwell.
Minister Cui walked ahead with his hands behind his back, while Zhao Wenchang followed half a step behind him.
The two men had just finished discussing business, and both wore serious expressions. Zhao Wenchang was dressed in a crisp military uniform, the belt cinching his lean waist. With broad shoulders and long legs, the heroic spirit and imposing presence emanating from his very bones were like a newly drawn sword, strikingly conspicuous.
Yue Ke, who was casually looking around at the furnishings, stared at Zhao Wenchang and her eyes lit up instantly, as if a light bulb had been turned on.
She had been lazily slinging her arms over her shoulders, but now she instantly straightened her back and pulled in her stomach. Her hands unconsciously smoothed the stray hairs at her temples, and her gaze was fixed on Zhao Wenchang, unable to leave him.
Yue Ke, wearing those little leather shoes, took a few quick steps to greet him, bypassing Lin Wan and Jiang Wanqiu who were about to introduce themselves, and rushed straight to Zhao Wenchang.
"This must be Officer Zhao, right?" Yue Ke's voice suddenly became sweet and cloying. Her exquisitely made-up face was tilted up, her eyes fixed on Zhao Wenchang. She even extended one hand generously in front of Zhao Wenchang. "My name is Yue Ke. I've often heard my uncle mention you before, saying that you are a leader among the younger generation."
The air seemed to freeze for a second.
Zhao Wenchang stopped, lowered his eyelids slightly, and coldly swept his gaze over the hand with nail polish in front of him, showing no intention of shaking it.
He acted as if he hadn't heard Yue Ke's words, simply nodding politely to everyone before walking past Yue Ke and striding to the sofa.
He squatted down beside Jiang Wanqiu, his originally cold and hard facial features softening instantly. He gently supported Jiang Wanqiu's lower back with his large hand, his voice low and gentle: "Are you tired? Does your back ache from sitting for so long? Would you like some warm water?"
Yue Ke's hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to extend it or retract it. Her smile instantly vanished, turning bright red, and she was incredibly embarrassed.
Seeing this, Elaine's eyes lit up, and she quickly clapped her hands with a big laugh, trying to smooth over the awkward atmosphere: "Oh my, look at this, seeing is believing! Our Officer Zhao is not only handsome, but also a loving husband! How wonderful!"
As she spoke, she subtly pulled Yue Ke back to reality, her mouth never stopping: "Keke just told me that she had to come and see the talented person her uncle promoted. Tsk tsk, look at him, he's even more handsome than in the photos! So young and promising, his future is limitless."
At this point, Elaine changed the subject, her gaze drifting to her daughter: "Unlike our Coco, although she is the principal dancer in the troupe and usually associates with people of some status, she lacks a steady mentor like Wenchang. If you ask me, young people need to interact more."
The sales pitch was so blatant it was practically overflowing.
Minister Cui frowned, didn't respond, but simply pointed to the sofa: "Please sit down."
After everyone took their seats, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
The moment Elaine's bottom touched the sofa, her shrewd eyes swept over Jiang Wanqiu.
Looking at Jiang Wanqiu's simple attire, and then at her fair but obviously pampered hands, a hint of disdain flashed in her eyes.
"By the way, this must be Wenchang's wife, right? Her name is Jiang... Jiang Wanqiu, isn't it?" Yilianxin asked, feigning friendliness. "Judging from her accent, she doesn't seem to be from Beijing. Which unit did she work for back in our hometown?"
Holding a teacup in her hand, Jiang Wanqiu said calmly and frankly, without any attempt to hide her feelings, "I don't work for a company anymore. I used to run a small business in Shanghai."
"Doing business?"
Elaine and Yue Ke exchanged a glance, their expressions quite fascinating.
Elaine covered her mouth and giggled, her laughter revealing undisguised contempt: "Oh, so you're... a self-employed individual? That must be really tough, always out in the public eye, dealing with money. I heard Shanghai underwent a major overhaul last year. Since you're from the Northeast, you're probably one of those who were sent down to the countryside back then, right?"
In this era, although policies have been relaxed, in the eyes of these self-proclaimed high-minded "compound people," individual business owners are on the verge of "speculation and profiteering," lowly peasants who cannot be brought to the table, and are worlds apart from those of them who live off the government.
Yue Ke straightened her back even more, her sense of superiority instantly overflowing.
She straightened her skirt, raised her chin slightly, and said sarcastically, "So you're in business. Sister-in-law, you'd better watch out."
Her gaze fell lightly on Jiang Wanqiu, her tone carrying a hint of admonition: "Beijing is not like your small town. The circles here have many rules and etiquette. Today's occasion is fine, but in future formal social occasions, when everyone is talking about art and policy, if you keep talking about purchasing goods and accounting, won't people laugh at you?"
As Yue Ke spoke, her gaze returned to Zhao Wenchang, and she sighed with feigned regret: "Brother Zhao's status is different now. He will be navigating the complexities of the capital from now on. If the people around him are too petty, unable to keep up, or even unable to keep up with the conversation, then taking them out in the future... I'm afraid they will not only be of no help, but will also bring shame to Brother Zhao."
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