Chapter 24 Commander, Comrade Xiao Yan seems to have encountered…
Yan Mingtao saw a jeep approaching, driven by a man in military uniform. He feared it was Song Yiping and subconsciously didn't want his sister to meet someone surnamed Song, so he almost instinctively slammed on the brakes, turned around, and pressed his head down.
As the car drew closer, it became clear that the driver was not Song Yiping.
Feeling guilty and afraid that Yan Ruyi would beat him, he stomped on the pedals as if a tiger was chasing him, almost turning them into wheels of fire.
The sun hadn't set yet, and the weather was still as hot as an oven. When the two arrived at the department store, they were covered in sweat, especially Yan Mingtao, who had been riding too fast and was now drenched in sweat.
Normally, he would have been cursing and swearing, then found a shady spot to cool off.
But today he was in a good mood and decided not to argue with the scorching weather. He lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat and went upstairs with a happy face.
The electronics counter is on the second floor.
The television supply receipts issued by Song Yiping were specially supplied to the troops. In addition to the model number, serial number, and supply date of the television, they also had the words "Special Supply to the Troops" on them.
Yan Mingtao has always wanted to join the army.
If it weren't for the fact that he had to take over his grandfather's job, he would definitely have joined the army.
Holding the television ticket in his hand, he pretended it was issued by his unit and handed it to the salesperson with a mix of reserve and pride, saying, "Comrade, I want to buy a television."
The salesperson took one look and realized it was a special ticket for the military.
Looking at Yan Mingtao again, although he wasn't wearing a military uniform, he stood up straight, had a calm demeanor, and was very polite.
They assumed Yan Mingtao was a People's Liberation Army soldier in civilian clothes and said to him warmly, "Comrade, please wait a moment. The one outside is a demo unit. It's been sitting there for a long time. I'll have someone go to the warehouse and get you a new one."
Even the way they address each other is now done with honorifics.
Yan Mingtao straightened his back again and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, I'm sorry to trouble you."
Yan Ruyi knew her second brother very well. She rolled her eyes at him and whispered, "Second brother, you're dreaming about joining the army again."
Yan Mingtao raised his hand and covered her mouth.
If I can't be a soldier, can't I at least have a taste of what it's like?
It would be even better if he had a green military uniform; he would definitely be more handsome than that guy surnamed Song!
The salesperson was very enthusiastic. Not only did they have a new TV brought over, but after I paid, they also had it delivered downstairs and placed on a flatbed cart.
Once outside the department store, Yan Mingtao revealed his true colors, sat down on the car seat, patted the handlebars, and said, "Little sister, come on up, your second brother will give you another Yan-style flying car performance."
"Slow down, or you'll throw the TV off again."
"I'm really steady when I ride my bike!"
...
Ye Hongzhen was cooking in the kitchen when someone called out to her from outside, "Aunt Ye!"
The voice sounds like Liu Dayun.
Liu Dayun is Zhao Cuifang's third son and a childhood friend of Yan Mingtao.
Ye Hongzhen thought he had come to see Yan Mingtao, so she said to Liu Dayun, "Ertao is not home. He just went out with Ruyi. I don't know what they went to do, and they didn't say when they would be back."
As he spoke, he came out of the kitchen and immediately saw not only Liu Dayun, but also two other people. The three of them were carrying a long bamboo pole, which was about two zhang long.
Not long ago, Zhao Cuifang mentioned to Ye Hongzhen that the small stool at home was broken and she wanted Yan Mingtao to make a new one.
Ye Hongzhen thought the bamboo pole was for Yan Mingtao to help make a small stool, so she said to Liu Dayun, "Put it against the corner of the wall. When Ertao comes back, I'll tell him that he doesn't have much to do lately and he can finish making the stool by the day after tomorrow at the latest."
Liu Dayun: "It's not for making benches, it's for mounting antennas, that's what Er Tao wants."
Ye Hongzhen looked bewildered. "What does Ertao need this for?"
Zhao Cuifang chimed in from next door, "I just came back from grocery shopping and saw Ertao and Ruyi. Ertao was riding a flatbed cart with Ruyi on the back. I asked them what they were doing, and Ertao said they were going to the department store to buy a TV."
Ye Hongzhen was so shocked that she dropped the vegetables she was picking to the ground. "You must have misheard me."
Zhao Cuifang: "You heard me right, they even brought the antenna pole, didn't they tell you?"
Not only did I not tell her, she didn't even hear a whisper of it!
Yan Guoqiang happened to return and, upon seeing the bamboo pole, exclaimed, "Wow!" "Where did you find such a long antenna pole?"
Ye Hongzhen, "You know about buying a TV?"
Yan Guoqiang certainly knew.
Last night, my daughter secretly told him that she was going to the department store to buy a TV today.
The daughter said she would keep it from her mother for now.
He let it slip.
He stammered, "I know a little bit."
Ye Hongzhen immediately became furious, "You all know about such a big thing, so you're just keeping it from me alone, aren't you?"
After saying that, she pulled Yan Guoqiang into the house and whispered, "You knew this but you didn't stop her. If Xiao Yan finds out that Er Tao spent so much money on a TV, won't she have a huge fight with Er Tao?"
Ye Hongzhen had always known that Yan Mingtao was taking on side jobs to earn extra money, and it was said that he earned more than his salary working in the furniture factory.
So she naturally assumed that Yan Mingtao had paid for the television.
The rest of the family couldn't come up with that much money all at once.
Li Yan lived a meticulous life and was very careful with her money. She would nag for a while even if Yan Mingtao bought a meat bun.
So Yan Mingtao must have bought this TV secretly. If Li Yan finds out, she'll fight Yan Mingtao to the death.
Besides, televisions are so expensive, costing at least five or six hundred yuan each. Even Ye Hongzhen herself felt the pinch, let alone Li Yan.
Yan Guoqiang knew he couldn't hide it anymore, and since the TV was almost bought anyway, he simply told the whole story.
Ye Hongzhen was stunned. It took her a while to come to her senses. She murmured, "Your Yan family's ancestral graves are really emitting auspicious smoke again. This time it's a huge one!"
Yan Guoqiang agreed wholeheartedly and decided to burn more paper money for the Yan family's ancestors next time he visited their graves!
Yan Mingtao was afraid others wouldn't know he had bought a TV, so he rang his bicycle bell all the way. When he arrived at his doorstep, a group of children followed behind him, jumping and shouting noisily.
Ye Hongzhen heard this and peeked outside. "Er Tao and Ru Yi are back."
After saying that, he went out.
Yan Ruyi jumped off the flatbed cart and saw the situation in the yard. Her mother must already know.
He ran to Ye Hongzhen's side, hugged her arm, and said proudly, "Mom, this is your birthday present. From now on, you won't have to squeeze into the screening room to watch TV anymore."
Even though her daughter earned the money easily, Ye Hongzhen still felt the pinch.
It would be great to save up all this money and use it as a dowry later.
Once I get married, there will be many more places to spend money.
However, this was a birthday gift from her daughter, a token of her daughter's affection.
She had lived most of her life and this was the first time she had ever received such an expensive birthday gift!
Even though it hurt her heart, she wouldn't scold her daughter in public. She just tapped Yan Ruyi's forehead and scolded her, "This child, you didn't even tell me beforehand. You can't spend money like this anymore."
Yan Guoqiang replied sourly, "My daughter said she wants to give you a surprise."
The daughter only thinks about her mother; I wonder when she'll give him a surprise too.
Ye Hongzhen glanced at her sideways, "Let's talk about it when you're able to have a baby yourself."
Yan Mingtao and Liu Dayun were setting up the antenna pole when Zhao Cuifang came over to watch the spectacle. She touched the television with envy and exclaimed, "My goodness, it's a Feige brand! That must have cost a fortune!"
Liu Dayun chimed in, “Having money isn’t enough; you also need ration coupons. TV set ration coupons are extremely rare. In our unit, with about 300 people, we only get two a year, and we have to draw lots every time. It’s been years, and I’ve never won one.”
Zhao Cuifang: "What's the use of winning? You don't have the money to buy it anyway."
Liu Dayun said, "If I don't have money to buy a TV, I can sell the ticket on Songshui Road for tens of yuan. It's in high demand."
This reminded Ye Hongzhen, who asked Yan Ruyi and Yan Mingtao, "Where did you two get your TV tickets?"
The two forgot to agree on their story beforehand, and Yan Mingtao, afraid of saying something wrong to Yan Ruyi, turned his head to look at her.
Yan Ruyi mouthed to him, "I bought it."
Yan Mingtao understood immediately.
The younger sister didn't want her family to know that Commander Song gave her the tickets, so she wanted him to say, "I bought them."
He casually replied, "I bought it. I was strolling around Songshui Road when I happened to see someone selling them. They were 50 yuan each."
Yan Ruyi, "..."
She originally wanted her second brother to say that she bought it!
Ye Hongzhen was about to say to him, "This time you're really willing to spend money," when she looked up and saw Li Yan had returned.
Yan Mingtao was digging a hole with his back to the courtyard gate, so he didn't see Li Yan.
Li Yan must have heard what Yan Mingtao said, because her face immediately fell.
Ye Hongzhen swallowed back the words she was about to say, and slapped Yan Mingtao across the face. "You bought it? Look at yourself and see if you're even worth 50 yuan."
Yan Mingtao jumped up and down, "Why did you hit me again? It's because..."
Ye Hongzhen gave him a wink, and he understood immediately. He then changed the subject, saying, "It was Ruyi who bought it."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked towards the courtyard gate, and sure enough, he saw Li Yan.
Luckily, he changed his mind quickly, otherwise, he probably wouldn't be able to get into bed tonight.
Li Yan's gaze darted between the television and Yan Mingtao a few times, but she didn't say anything. She went to the kitchen, scooped a ladle of cold water from the water jar, and gulped it down in one go.
With so many people around, we have to save face for the man and suppress his anger first!
Yan Mingtao was thick-skinned. Seeing that Li Yan didn't get angry, he assumed that Li Yan hadn't heard him and forgot about it. After digging the pit, the group worked together to erect the antenna pole.
He left Liu Dayun and the others to hold the pole outside while he happily went to adjust the television.
At first, the TV screen was filled with static, with only occasional, faint figures appearing.
Yan Mingtao was shouting from inside the house, directing Liu Dayun and the others to turn the antenna pole outside.
Liu Dayun wiped his sweat and shouted into the house, "Ertao, are you sure you can do it? If not, let me take over!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cheer erupted from inside the house: "Got it! Got it! Someone's out!"
"Is this Sachiko? Let me see where they are. I haven't watched this episode yet. I went there late yesterday, and the screening room was packed with people. I could only hear the sound, but I didn't see a single person... Hey, Ertao, don't change the channel. Let's finish watching this episode first."
...
This commotion lasted for most of the night, until the screen started displaying static and everyone left.
When Ye Hongzhen returned from washing up, she saw Yan Minghe still sitting in front of the TV, watching intently.
"What are you standing here for after you've finished releasing everything? Hurry up and wash up and go to bed. You have school tomorrow!"
Yan Minghe was unwilling to give up. His eyes were almost closed, but he still forced himself to stay open, saying, "What if they release it again in a little while?"
Anyway, I can't bear to sleep.
Ye Hongzhen said, "Then you wait and see if the TV station will let you broadcast it."
After saying that, she ignored him and went back to her room on her own.
Yan Mingtao took a shower, brought in a basin, and kicked the small stool Yan Minghe was sitting on. "Didn't you hear me say goodbye? Why are you still waiting? If you had this much effort in your studies, you wouldn't have only scored 62 in math."
Yan Minghe retorted, "The math teacher said he's better than you, but you failed back then."
Yan Mingtao adopted the authority of an older brother, "Nonsense, how did your math teacher know I failed the test?"
Yan Minghe, "Our math teacher said he used to teach you!"
Yan Mingtao, “!”
He had forgotten that he and Sanhe attended the same primary school, and Sanhe's teacher might actually have taught him.
Yan Minghe added insult to injury, "The teacher said you never passed any tests when you were in school. You're not even as good as me. I always passed. I even got 68 points on my math test the time before last!"
Ye Hongzhen heard this from inside the room and laughed. "You two are evenly matched, only slightly better than your second brother. Your second brother went to school for several years, and the number of times he passed the exams can be counted on one hand. You are better than your second brother, but you can count the number of times on two hands. You two brothers are both capable."
All three sons combined, even including their two daughters-in-law, are not as good at studying as their daughter!
The whole family's brains are all focused on reading, and it all comes down to their daughter.
Yan Mingtao had intended to act like an elder brother, but his younger brother exposed his true colors.
Even her own mother was involved in revealing things.
He didn't dare say anything more and slunk back into the house.
As soon as he closed the door, Li Yan grabbed his ear.
Yan Minghe was still outside. Afraid that Yan Minghe would hear him, he whispered, "It hurts, it hurts, let go, let go."
Li Yan released her grip and snorted.
Yan Mingtao rubbed his ear, which had been pinched so hard, and said with dissatisfaction, "What did I do to offend you again?"
Li Yan, "Tell me honestly, who bought that TV set?"
Yan Mingtao: "Didn't I tell you? My younger sister bought it."
Li Yan: "Are you kidding me? A TV costs at least five or six hundred yuan. Ruyi just started working and hasn't even received her salary yet. Where did she get so much money? Did your parents buy it and put it on Ruyi's name to give her a good reputation for being filial so she can find a husband later? You've been secretly adding money to it behind my back, haven't you? Tell me honestly, how much have you added in total?"
Yan Mingtao handed over most of his earnings, keeping only a small portion for himself.
So she didn't believe that Yan Mingtao bought the TV; he couldn't possibly hide that much money.
But it's possible that Yan Mingtao added some of his own money to it.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have kept it from me without giving me any prior notice.
Li Yan was furious just thinking about it. Why should her sister-in-law's reputation be improved by using the family's money?
Yan Mingtao was stunned by her elaborate fantasies. "My little sister is so outstanding, she can choose any good husband she wants. Why would Mom and Dad spend money to pave the way for her and gain a good reputation?"
here we go again!
Li Yan said irritably, "Your sister is outstanding, your sister is a celestial being, but Commander Song still doesn't even look at her."
Yan Mingtao immediately became displeased and blurted out, "Who said Commander Song didn't like Ruyi! If he didn't like Ruyi, would he have found her a TV ticket?"
Li Yan's eyes lit up immediately, and she forgot all about the TV purchase. She whispered to Yan Mingtao, "Did Commander Song give Ruyi the TV ticket?"
I let it slip!
Yan Mingtao scratched his head in frustration. "He gave it to Ruyi. Ruyi didn't want anyone to know, so I said I bought it on Songshui Road."
Li Yan: "Why doesn't Ruyi want people to know that they aren't dating?"
"They're not dating. As for why, Ruyi didn't want to say, and I didn't ask any further. I guess Ruyi doesn't like him. But Ruyi didn't take his TV and plane tickets for nothing. She treated him to a meal at Xiangzailai, so they're even now."
He's just trying to flatter his sister again!
Li Yan pursed her lips.
Yan Mingtao yawned. "Are you done asking? I'm going to sleep now, I'm so sleepy, I have to go to work tomorrow."
After saying that, he was about to lie down on the bed, but before he could, Li Yan stopped him again, "You still haven't told me how much money you added?"
Yan Mingtao: "I told you it was all paid for by Ruyi, why don't you believe me?"
Li Yan didn't believe it. "Who are you kidding? Where would Ruyi get so much money?"
"She earns money by looking at old things. The people who come to her are all foreigners, and they're all very rich. That's what she learned. Just like me, we earn money through our skills."
It's just that he doesn't earn as much as his younger sister!
Of course, this was a matter of male pride, so Yan Mingtao wouldn't tell Li Yan.
Li Yan was stunned; her sister-in-law had such abilities!
She suddenly remembered her grandmother's little blue bowl. Yan Ruyi had been staring at it for a long time, and she had even asked Yan Ruyi if she wanted it.
She thought it was just junk and didn't want it.
Thinking about it now, something doesn't seem right.
If it were truly junk, would Yan Ruyi have stared at it for so long?
Moreover, she remembered that Sihe used to feed Xiaohua with that small bowl. After feeding Xiaohua, he would throw it in the corner, leaving it exposed to the wind and rain without anyone caring. She seemed to have never seen it again after that.
It must have been taken and hidden by Yan Ruyi.
Li Yan was furious, fearing that she had been tricked by Yan Ruyi. Seeing Yan Mingtao's carefree attitude as he lay down on the bed and started snoring, she became even angrier and said resentfully, "Of all the cunning people in your family, Ruyi alone has 799 of them."
Yan Mingtao was almost asleep and didn't hear what Li Yan was saying. He only heard the word "Ruyi" and thought she was asking where Yan Ruyi had gone, so he mumbled, "Ruyi thought the house was too noisy, so she went to find Luo Huihui."
She then mumbled a message to Li Yan, "Don't tell anyone about the TV and plane tickets. Ruyi doesn't want anyone to know."
Li Yan said angrily, "Do you think I'm so nosy about her business?"
She was preoccupied with the little blue bowl and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep well. The next morning, she emerged with dark circles under her eyes.
She searched the house thoroughly, inside and out, looking in every nook and cranny, but she couldn't find the little blue bowl.
Ye Hongzhen was cooking in the kitchen, Yan Guoqiang went out for a stroll, and Yan Mingtao and Yan Minghe were still sleeping.
With no one else at home, she mustered her courage and went to Yan Ruyi's room.
Besides the room where Ye Hongzhen and Yan Guoqiang slept, the room where Yan Ruyi slept was the largest.
She had heard Yan Mingtao say that young ladies have a lot of things, so when the rooms were assigned, Yan Ruyi was given a larger one.
Not only is the space large, but it's also fully equipped with everything: a wardrobe, a bookcase, a desk, and even a lamp, an alarm clock, and face cream on the desk...
They're not a particularly wealthy family, yet they raise their daughter like a pampered princess. It's likely that her father-in-law spends more than half of his earnings on this daughter.
No matter how carefully you raise them, in the end they'll still belong to someone else.
While inwardly grumbling, Li Yan quietly searched the area. She looked everywhere except for one locked drawer, and even opened the unlocked drawers, but found nothing.
It's probably in that locked drawer.
This further confirmed Li Yan's guess that the small bowl must be worth a lot of money!
Yan Ruyi was afraid someone would take it, so she locked it up.
Ye Hongzhen came to the main room to get something and saw that Yan Ruyi's door was open. She thought that Yan Ruyi had forgotten to close the door when she left yesterday. She went over to close the door, but she almost bumped into Li Yan who came out of the room.
Ye Hongzhen asked suspiciously, "What were you doing in Ruyi's room?"
Li Yan reacted quickly, without stammering at all, "I just saw Xiao Hua run inside, and I was afraid it would make a mess in Ruyi's room, so I went in and chased it out."
Ye Hongzhen said, "I guess Ruyi forgot to close the door yesterday. Let's close it for her."
Ye Hongzhen didn't think much of it and went about her business after she finished speaking.
Just as Li Yan closed the door, she saw Xiao Hua run out of Yan Minghe's house.
It was probably hungry, as it meowed and circled around Li Yan's feet.
Li Yan had a sudden inspiration. She pretended to search around the yard, then asked Ye Hongzhen, "Mom, where is the little blue bowl that we usually use to feed Xiaohua? Xiaohua is hungry, I want to get her something to eat."
Ye Hongzhen: "Who knows where it's thrown away? There's another one in the corner, you can use that to feed it."
Li Yan was so angry that she chased Xiao Hua away.
Li Yan works at a cardboard box factory run by the local government. It's close to home, only about a 10-minute walk away.
She had just arrived at the entrance of the subdistrict office when Yan Fenghua called out to her, "Li Yan, wait for me."
She jogged a few steps to catch up with Li Yan. "I heard your family bought a TV, and your sister-in-law paid for it. Is that true?"
Li Yan said irritably, "Who are you listening to? She just started working, how much money could she possibly have? Where would she get so much money to buy a TV?"
Yan Fenghua said, "Tsk, what's there to hide? It's been all over the place for a while now. They're saying your sister-in-law bought it herself. A TV must cost at least five or six hundred yuan. Tsk tsk, your sister-in-law is really rich. How did she earn that much?"
After saying that, he lowered his voice and whispered to Li Yan, "I heard that at the place where your sister-in-law works, even a small item is worth a lot of money."
Li Yan was immediately displeased.
Isn't this subtly implying that Yan Ruyi stole company property to sell for money?
It's true that she dislikes Yan Ruyi, but that's a family conflict that should be resolved internally.
To outsiders, they are a family; how dare Yan Fenghua, an outsider, speak ill of Yan Ruyi?
Li Yan sneered, "You can't just say things like that. No matter how valuable it is, it's still public property, and everything is priced accordingly. Do you think it's like our factory, where you can take a piece of cardboard home today, some glue tomorrow, and some nails the day after, and sell them to the scrap yard for money?"
Yan Fenghua, "..."
Yan Fenghua was greedy for small gains, and every now and then she would steal some odds and ends from the factory and take them home.
Her husband suffers from tuberculosis and cannot do heavy work. Her parents-in-law are also not in good health and are often sick.
The whole family basically depended on her income, and they lived a very hard life.
So when she stole things from the factory, as long as she didn't take the machines home, the other factories turned a blind eye, treating it as if the neighborhood was helping her family out.
She loves to take advantage of others and thinks everyone is like her.
Besides, the cultural relics bureau is just like their small street-level factory, able to take anything home!
Those are all antiques, worth a fortune.
Grandma's little bowl must be worth quite a bit of money.
Could Yan Ruyi have sold that small bowl? Otherwise, where would she get the money to buy a TV?
The thought of the missing little bowl made Li Yan feel terrible. She was even a little absent-minded when she was pasting paper boxes, thinking about how to get Yan Ruyi to say something when she got home.
Lost in thought, someone nudged her and pointed outside, "Li Yan, isn't that your sister-in-law?"
Li Yan looked in the direction the man was pointing and indeed it was Yan Ruyi.
The young girl, dressed in a pale yellow dress, stood out like a flower among a group of older people; it was hard not to notice her.
Having such a respectable sister-in-law made Li Yan feel proud, and she immediately forgot her anger towards Yan Ruyi, calling out to the outside, "Ruyi!"
Yan Ruyi turned her head and saw Li Yan, then ran over, "Second Sister-in-law."
Li Yan pulled up a stool for her. "What are you doing here?"
Yan Ruyi said, "I came with Director Xu and Teacher Zhao. They said someone on the street wanted to sell antiques and asked us to appraise them."
The woman who had just pushed Li Yan chimed in, "Is it Grandma Wang who wants to sell antiques?"
"It must be her. I heard about it a few days ago. She wants to sell the things that Teacher Wang left behind and use the money to build a school in her hometown."
"If her son finds out, he'll cause a huge uproar."
“They started making a scene a while ago. My house is right next to Grandma Wang’s. Last night, her son and his wife went and made a scene. They made a scene for most of the night, disturbing the peace of the neighbors. If the neighbors hadn’t taken it in and chased them away, Grandma Wang would probably have been seriously injured.”
"She's her own son, after all. She won't give him a single penny. No wonder her son has fallen out with her."
"Ha, her son cut off all ties with her and ignored her for years, never realizing that Grandma Wang was her biological mother."
"How did Grandma Wang get through those years? It was so pitiful."
"Her son is a real scoundrel. Have you all forgotten how he insulted Officer Li? Officer Li was kindly taking care of Grandma Wang, but he chased after her and cursed her, saying that Officer Li had ulterior motives, was trying to sow discord between the mother and son, and wanted to embezzle their family property. Officer Li has cried so many times because of this."
...
The room was filled with chatter, and Yan Ruyi managed to piece together some of the clues.
Grandma Wang's husband is named Wang Lianmo, and he is a teacher. They have a son named Wang Sicheng.
Wang Lianmo was implicated in the movement and sent to the countryside. Fearing that he would be implicated, Wang Sicheng published a notice in the newspaper severing ties with his parents shortly after his father was sent to the countryside.
During the years Wang Lianmo was sent to the countryside, he was afraid of getting into trouble, so he basically didn't take care of Grandma Wang.
Later, Wang Lianmo was exonerated and returned to his teaching position. Not only was his back pay paid, but a set of antiques that had been confiscated from his home was also returned. Wang Sicheng then began to acknowledge his parents again, bringing his wife, son, and daughter to visit them.
After all, he was their own son, so Wang Sicheng took the initiative to visit and ease tensions. Grandma Wang and Wang Lianmo didn't stop them from entering the house.
You can enter, but you won't get a single penny.
Wang Sicheng didn't take it to heart. The old couple only had him as their child. If they didn't give it to him now, wouldn't the things still be his after those two died?
Not long ago, Wang Lianmo passed away due to illness. Before he died, he left a message that his grandmother should sell the several antiques passed down from his ancestors. The money from the sale of the antiques, plus his back pay, should be taken back to his hometown to renovate the school building there.
They said the school building was too dilapidated, leaking wind and rain from all sides, and it wasn't safe for the children to have classes there.
Somehow, this matter reached Wang Sicheng's ears, and he immediately exploded. Before his father was even buried, he was already making a scene with his grandmother, demanding money and antiques from her.
Grandma Wang was determined, saying that she respected her late husband's last wish that the money be used to rebuild the school in their hometown, and she wouldn't give Wang Sicheng a single penny.
The mother and son completely broke off relations because of this incident.
The Wang family's case has gone on and on, and the neighborhood committee has lost count of how many lawsuits they've had to resolve.
Wang Sicheng not only argued with Grandma Wang, but he also came to the subdistrict office every few days to cause trouble, claiming that the subdistrict office staff were the ones stirring things up.
Especially Officer Li, because Grandma Wang was the person she was helping, she had the most contact with Grandma Wang, so Wang Sicheng blamed her and caused her a lot of trouble, blocking the door and cursing at her, saying that Officer Li wanted to seize his family's property.
Officer Li, a woman, was easily embarrassed and cried several times because of Wang Sicheng's anger.
In short, because of Wang Sicheng, the subdistrict office could not function properly.
Today, Director Li was determined to resolve this matter completely, so he called Grandma Wang, Xu Licheng, and Yang Chaolei, the local police officer in charge of this area, together.
If Grandma Wang still insists on selling, then let the cultural relics bureau buy it on the spot.
Yang Chaolei was called over to be a witness, so that Wang Sicheng wouldn't later claim that the neighborhood committee had misappropriated Grandma Wang's money and then ask the neighborhood committee for the money back.
Furthermore, if Wang Sicheng gets wind of this and comes over, having a policeman like Yang Chaolei here can deter him.
The cardboard box factory was a small factory run by the neighborhood committee, with only about 10 people. They all lived on this street and saw each other all the time. They could find out if anyone's chicken laid a double-yolk egg, let alone something like the Wang family's affair, which they could uncover completely.
Everyone started talking at once, and the conversation eventually turned to the antiques that Grandma Wang wanted to sell.
These antiques are said to have been passed down from the Wang family ancestors.
The Wang family was a scholarly family, and I heard that one of their ancestors even passed the imperial examination. They were quite wealthy, and the treasures they passed down must be worth a lot of money.
Yan Ruyi works at the Cultural Relics Bureau, so people regard her as an authority. A woman asked her, "Ruyi, have you seen those antiques? What kind of antiques are they? They must be very valuable."
Yan Ruyi: "I just arrived, I haven't seen it yet..."
Before she could finish speaking, she heard Xu Licheng call out to her, "Xiao Yan, come here for a moment."
Yan Ruyi said, "Second sister-in-law, I'm going over there."
After saying that, he went to Director Li's office.
The others lost all interest in their work and followed, crowding around the entrance to Director Li's office to watch the spectacle.
Factory Director Li shouted a few times, but seeing that no one listened to him, he simply went over to watch the commotion.
Grandma Wang was wearing an old-fashioned side-fastening top. She was dark-skinned and thin, with a hunched back, and it was clear at a glance that she had suffered a lot.
When Yan Ruyi arrived, Yang Chaolei was helping her arrange the antiques one by one on her desk.
It is a set of twelve jade zodiac animal figurines from the Qing Dynasty. They are not very big, about the size of an adult's fist.
The carving is excellent, and the pieces are incredibly lifelike.
Moreover, the jade is delicate and moist, white as solid fat, resembling mutton fat jade.
Zhao Dongsheng picked up an ornament, looked at the inscription, and his eyes lit up. He said to Xu Licheng, "It's a work by Guo Xi."
Yan Ruyi had heard her teacher introduce Guo Xi, a famous sculptor of the Qing Dynasty who was proficient in jade carving, stone carving, and wood carving, and was skilled in carving figures, animals, flowers, etc.
Guo Xi's surviving works are few, and such a set of zodiac animal figurines is even rarer.
It probably cost a lot of money when it was bought back then.
It seems the rumors were true; Wang Lianmo's ancestors were indeed wealthy.
Grandma Wang didn't know who Guo Xi was; she only cared about how much money he could make.
She could tell that Zhao Dongsheng was in charge, so she asked him, "Comrade, can you calculate how much money we can make from this? We haven't touched the salary that Mo Fu has been paid. It's a total of 3,628 yuan and 97 fen. With the money from selling these jade ornaments, is it enough to rebuild the school? If not, I'll think of something else."
A collective gasp rippled through the room. Yan Fenghua stared at him with envy, whispering to the person beside her, "That old woman is really confused. Instead of leaving all that money to her descendants, she's using it to build schools. No wonder Wang Sicheng doesn't acknowledge her as his mother. I wouldn't want to either."
The man rolled his eyes at her, not even bothering to respond.
Yan Fenghua felt awkward and muttered, "It's bad luck to have a mother-in-law like that. Luckily, she's not my mother-in-law."
A woman advised Grandma Wang, "You should at least leave some for yourself; you still have to make a living."
Grandma Wang smiled gently, "I don't need that much money. Lian Mo's pension is enough for me."
After saying that, he remembered that he had forgotten something, so he bent down and took it out. It was a black velvet box. Yang Chaolei took it and opened it. Inside was a golden fountain pen.
Grandma Wang said, "When Lian Mo was sent down to the farm, he lived in the same room with a comrade surnamed Zheng for five years. Comrade Zheng left the farm before Lian Mo and later went abroad. Before he went abroad, he came to see Lian Mo and gave him this pen as a souvenir. Lian Mo never used it. When he left, he said that this pen was a good thing and could be sold for money."
Zhao Dongsheng took it and glanced at it, then handed it to Yang Chaolei without saying a word, saying, "This pen is neither a cultural relic nor an antique, so we won't accept it."
Grandma Wang said anxiously, "Lian Mo said this pen is quite old, and that it was very expensive when he bought it. Even now, it's still worth a lot of money. Comrade, why don't you take another look?"
Zhao Dongsheng said, "This isn't an antique; the older it is, the more valuable it becomes."
Grandma Wang was greatly disappointed and murmured, "Lian Mo said this pen was good and he hadn't been willing to use it. I originally wanted him to take it with him, but he said it would be a pity to take it and that he could use the money to buy a few stools for the child..."
A woman outside chimed in, "Grandma Wang, why don't you try selling it on Songshui Road? Maybe you can make some money."
Zhao Dongsheng said, "Even if I took it to Songshui Road, I wouldn't get much money from it. It's been around for too long, and nobody would want it there..."
Yan Ruyi exclaimed, "I want it!"
Everyone turned to look at Yan Ruyi.
Yan Ruyi said, "This pen has never been used before; it's brand new. I'll take it at the price of a new pen."
Zhao Dongsheng, "..."
Others might not recognize its value, but he was a Parker enthusiast and immediately recognized it as a rare 14K pure gold Parker pen.
Zhao Dongsheng had always wanted to buy a Parker pen, but they were all too expensive. The cheapest ones sold in department stores cost 5 or 6 yuan, so he had never been able to bring himself to buy one.
I never expected to run into Grandma Wang selling pens today.
This is a genuine gold pen, a Parker 75, commonly known among connoisseurs as the Tiffany 14K solid gold model. The cap, body, and nib are all made of 14K solid gold.
And it's brand new.
This style isn't sold in department stores; it's probably only available at Friendship Store, which accepts foreign exchange certificates, and the price starts at at least 10 yuan.
His monthly salary is only 186 yuan, and he has to support a large family. Even if he could afford it at the new price, he wouldn't be willing to spend the money.
That's why he kept saying it wasn't worth much; he just wanted to drive the price down.
Grandma Wang wanted to sell it, and in the end she estimated it would sell for 3 or 4 yuan.
When he bought it back then, he also gave Grandma Wang a favor, and Grandma Wang was grateful to him. Others would also say that he was kind-hearted.
Anyway, none of the people at the scene knew anything about it, so whether it was valuable or not was up to him to decide.
Little did he know that after all his preparations, Yan Ruyi would steal the show from him.
He said to Yan Ruyi in an annoyed tone, "It should cost at least 20 yuan at the new price."
The unexpected implication is, can you afford it?
Actually, he didn't know how much the pen was worth. He deliberately overstated it, hoping to discourage Yan Ruyi.
A young girl who has just started working, let alone not being able to come up with 20 yuan, even if she could, would be beaten to death by her parents if she actually spent 20 yuan on a pen.
To everyone's surprise, Yan Ruyi didn't hesitate at all. She took out her wallet, pulled out two ten-yuan bills, and gave them to Grandma Wang, saying, "Here you go."
Yan Ruyi went to the department store to buy a TV the day before. She withdrew all her money, a total of 750 yuan. She spent 700 yuan on the TV and had 50 yuan left, which she carried with her.
She still owed Song Yiping a favor, and thought that if she ever needed to treat Song Yiping to a meal, she should carry some money with her, just in case.
It came in handy today.
The moment she saw the pen, she inexplicably thought of Song Yiping and felt that only Song Yiping was worthy of using it.
In a moment of impulse, she blurted out what she wanted.
When everyone saw her casually take out 20 yuan and give it to Grandma Wang without even blinking, they were all stunned. Yan Fenghua's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She poked Li Yan and said, "Li Yan, how come your sister-in-law is so rich? Did she marry into a wealthy family? Is her money given to her by her husband's family?"
In her mind, she would only spend her husband's family's money freely.
Who would be willing to part with their own money?
The women's director next to her criticized her, "Comrade Yan Fenghua, there's something wrong with your thinking. Who says women have to rely on their husbands' families to make money? Can't women earn it themselves?"
A woman chimed in, “That’s right, Ruyi is a college student, she’s capable of earning enough to buy a TV, she won’t be short of 20 yuan.”
After saying that, he eagerly said to Yan Ruyi, "Ruyi, let me see that pen."
Yan Ruyi handed the pen to her, and the woman took it carefully. "A pen that costs 20 yuan looks like this? It's all yellow, is it made of gold?"
Yan Fenghua said, "Let me see. I've heard that gold is soft and can be bitten with your teeth. If you can't bite it, it's fake."
After saying that, he took the pen from the woman's hand and opened his mouth to bite it.
Li Yan stood right next to her, not stopping her, and said coolly, "Go ahead and bite. If you break it, just pay for it. 20 yuan, not a penny less, no credit!"
Yan Fenghua thought to herself, "I'm not that foolish and rich girl like your sister-in-law, who would spend 20 yuan on a pen, and an old one at that."
She awkwardly handed the pen back to Yan Ruyi, saying, "I just wanted to check for Ruyi to see if it was made of gold."
Yan Fenghua kept mentioning "gold," which made Zhao Dongsheng increasingly unhappy. Since he had already completed his mission and didn't want to stay there any longer, he told Xu Licheng and left in a huff.
Out of sight, out of mind.
He had just reached the gate of the courtyard when someone rushed in.
Zhao Dongsheng walked out, and the other person ran in; the two bumped into each other.
Zhao Dongsheng was not as strong as the other man, and was knocked back several steps, almost falling on his backside. He was so angry that he cursed at the other man, "How do you walk? Don't you have eyes?"
The man ignored the scolding and ran past Zhao Dongsheng into the room.
Hearing the commotion at the courtyard gate, everyone turned around and recognized the person who had come as Wang Sicheng, Grandma Wang's son.
Yan Fenghua, always eager for excitement, shouted loudly, "Grandma Wang, your son is here!"
She was originally standing at the main entrance, but after speaking, she moved aside to make way for Wang Sicheng.
Wang Sicheng came over and aggressively pushed aside another woman at the door, saying, "Get out of the way."
The women's director stopped him, "Wang Sicheng, what are you doing?"
Wang Sicheng had already seen Xu Licheng and the jade ornaments on his desk.
He had visited the antique shop to inquire about antique prices and had seen Xu Licheng there. He guessed what Xu Licheng had come for and his face immediately turned ashen.
He didn't reply to the women's director. Seeing a half-brick at the base of the wall, he picked it up and rushed into the house.
You won't give it to him? Then smash it up, and nobody will get it.
The women's director tried to stop him, but she was too weak to hold on. She anxiously called out to Yang Chaolei, "Officer Yang, come out and stop him!"
Yang Chaolei came out of the house and said sternly, "Wang Sicheng, what are you doing? Put down the bricks you're holding!"
Wang Sicheng acted as if he hadn't heard him and pushed him aside.
Seeing that things were not going well, Yang Chaolei tried to take the brick from Wang Sicheng's hand, and Director Li also came over to help hold Wang Sicheng down.
But Wang Sicheng was tall and strong, and he was in a fit of rage, so he was incredibly strong. He jumped three feet high, and neither Yang Chaolei nor Director Li could hold him down.
Xu Licheng and Director Li were afraid that he would come in and get violent, so one of them protected Grandma Wang, and the other lay on the table to protect the antiques on it.
The others were all women, and seeing Wang Sicheng's reckless attitude, none of them dared to approach him.
Yan Ruyi got a little too close, and Li Yan pulled her away, saying, "Ruyi, come here. Don't get too close. Bricks don't have eyes; you'll get hit for nothing."
Seeing that Yang Chaolei and Factory Director Li couldn't hold Wang Sicheng down, Yan Ruyi realized that this wouldn't do. If Wang Sicheng broke in, the jade ornaments would be ruined.
He cleverly told Li Yan, "I'll go get someone."
After saying that, he ran out.
The neighborhood office is right next to a main road, and she wanted to go out and call someone over for help.
Today, Song Yiping went to the Armed Forces Department to discuss the autumn conscription. On his way, he passed by the Xinli Subdistrict Office and could hear a commotion coming from inside.
The neighborhood office deals with trivial matters, and it's often noisy inside, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
Cheng Chao, who was driving, saw Yan Ruyi run out from inside.
Although he didn't know what the relationship was between their regimental commander and this Comrade Yan, he could sense that their regimental commander treated Comrade Yan Ruyi differently from other female comrades.
He took it upon himself to stop the car and turned to Song Yiping, saying, "Commander, it's Comrade Xiao Yan. He looks quite anxious, like he's encountered some trouble."
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