Hu Yan frowned.
“Sister-in-law, this child really needs to be disciplined properly.”
Zhang Qiulian was ruthless enough to manipulate such a young child, and he was her own son, no less.
Hu Yan had always known that Chen Hao, despite his poor health, was frighteningly clever.
He might very well have understood what the consequences would be.
Yet he still did it.
That showed just how much of his mother’s vicious nature he had inherited.
Seeing Fourth son and his wife looking as though they had narrowly escaped disaster, Hu Yan couldn’t help speaking up.
“Why don’t you still go to the hospital and get checked?
“You’re almost eight months along. Better to be safe.”
Supporting Tang Lijuan, Chen Guangyao seemed to remember this only now.
“Right, right! I’ll go to the village office and get the tractor.
“Lijuan, wait here! Sister-in-law is right. We’d better get you checked.”
As Chen Guangyao hurried away, the commotion finally came to an end.
The noisy courtyard fell silent.
The triplets stood obediently where they were.
Second and Third sons hurriedly carried Chen Lei and Chen Sen back to their rooms.
Old Man Chen also led Chen Hao back inside.
Hu Yan and Teacher Bai both looked at Zhang Qiulian at the same time.
Hu Yan raised an eyebrow.
She was paying particular attention to Zhang Qiulian because she had been reborn.
Her mother-in-law, however, was a clever woman.
The moment something had happened, she had already begun suspecting her eldest daughter-in-law.
But then why, in her previous life, when Tang Lijuan lost her baby and nearly died, had there been absolutely no reaction from the family?
Then again, her mother-in-law had always been extremely cold.
As long as something didn’t affect her own interests, she was perfectly happy to turn a blind eye.
Just then, the village loudspeaker crackled to life.
“Chen Guangze! Chen Guangze! You have a phone call! Chen Guangze, you have a phone call!”
Chen Guangze noticed Hu Yan was still standing there in a daze and gently nudged her.
“Yan? Snap out of it. There’s a call for me at the village office. Want to come with me?”
Hu Yan nodded.
“Sure. Let’s go.”
The two of them slowly made their way toward the village office.
When they arrived, several village officials were already there.
The village Party secretary, Tang Jianguo, saw Chen Guangze and his wife.
“Guangze, Uncle heard about what happened this afternoon. Thank you for saving Lijuan.
“If it weren’t for you two, who knows what might have happened to her and the baby?”
Chen Guangze looked at the village secretary, who habitually wore a Mao suit and a Lei Feng cap, and teased him.
“Uncle, she’s my sister-in-law. It was nothing.
“Why are you suddenly being so formal with me, old man?”
Grinning, Chen Guangze pulled out a cigarette and lit it for Tang Jianguo.
Tang Jianguo wiped his dirty hands on his backside before taking the cigarette and drawing two deep puffs.
“Oh? Hongtashan? Now that’s a good cigarette!”
“Looks like you know your stuff!”
The two hadn’t said much more when the telephone rang.
Chen Guangze picked up the phone and listened for a moment before hanging up.
Hu Yan, standing nearby, was curious.
But with other people around, she didn’t ask what the call had been about.
The two nodded to Tang Jianguo and left the village office.
They weren’t in a hurry to go home.
Instead, they walked side by side through the village.
Willow Bay was a large village with more than ninety households and five or six hundred residents.
Chen Guangze didn’t hide anything from Hu Yan.
“Some of the guys working under me recently got hold of a batch of down jackets at a really good price.
“The problem is that we can’t sell them yet, and we don’t have anywhere to store them either.”
Chen Guangze paused.
“You know what down jackets are, right?”
Of course Hu Yan knew what down jackets were.
They simply weren’t popular in this area yet.
Hardly anyone wore them.
She gave him an annoyed look.
“Who are you looking down on? I saw people wearing them when I went to the provincial capital.”
Chen Guangze draped an arm over her shoulder and apologized cheekily.
“All right, all right. I underestimated you. Happy now?”
“It’s only September, and the weather is still hot.
“Even if you got the down jackets cheaply, you can’t exactly sell them right now, can you?”
Hearing him talk about the down jackets reminded Hu Yan of the winter in her previous life.
Down jackets had indeed started becoming popular around that time.
In their area, people usually wore military coats or padded cotton jackets during winter.
Some chose wool coats or windbreakers instead.
Down jackets were still considered rare and novel.
She vaguely remembered that Zhang Qiulian had been the one who started selling them.
Apparently, she had made quite a lot of money.
Could Chen Guangze’s batch of merchandise in her previous life have ended up in Zhang Qiulian’s hands?
Back then, Hu Yan had never involved herself in family affairs.
“What did you pay per down jacket?”
Seeing her interest, Chen Guangze explained.
“We bought 5,000 altogether, in all kinds of styles and colors.
“Ten yuan each.”
He looked at her.
“What? Interested?”
Of course she was.
Why should that scheming woman Zhang Qiulian get the advantage?
As they continued walking, they eventually reached the foot of the mountain.
There stood a two-courtyard traditional Chinese residence.
Twenty years earlier, it had belonged to a landlord.
After the landlord class was overthrown, the house had been turned into an educated youth compound.
Over the past few years, with the restoration of the college entrance examination, the educated youths had gradually returned to the cities.
The place had slowly fallen into disrepair and abandonment.
Chen Guangze and Hu Yan, however, became unusually excited.
They looked at each other at almost exactly the same time.
Chen Guangze rubbed his hands thoughtfully and looked at Hu Yan.
“Yan, you’re thinking the same thing I am, aren’t you?”
Hu Yan walked around the property, looking it over from every angle.
“Mm. We should buy this place.
“Whether we use it to store merchandise or run a business, there’s more than enough space.”
Chen Guangze thought so too.
He lowered his voice conspiratorially.
“Yeah. If the village really gets demolished, this place could bring us a huge payout.”
Hu Yan shook her head helplessly.
She really didn’t know what to do with him.
Ever since he had heard about the demolition, he had been in a constant state of excitement.
At this point, he should already have made quite a bit of money.
And although he could be impulsive and greedy about money, she found that side of him rather endearing.
Hu Yan spoke lazily.
“Since you’re staying home for the next few days, find some people in the village and have them properly repair this house.
“Fix the roof, walls, and doors. Make everything sturdy.”
Chen Guangze nodded.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure this house is fixed up perfectly for you.”
“And don’t forget to ask the village secretary about the price.
“The paperwork needs to be completely legitimate and clear. Understand?”
Hu Yan reminded him,
“Houses in the village shouldn’t be too expensive. If you don’t have enough money, I have some.”
Chen Guangze thumped his chest confidently.
“Don’t worry, Yan. Don’t you trust me to handle things?
“I’ll get everything sorted out properly.”
With that, he hurried off to find the village secretary.
Hu Yan stayed behind, continuing to inspect the courtyard.
She was already planning ahead.
Once the house was repaired, she would have Chen Guangze bring the down jackets over.
When winter arrived, they would definitely make a fortune.
Just as Hu Yan was happily imagining the future, her stomach suddenly growled.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t even eaten breakfast.
And now it was already afternoon.
She’d just go home, eat some snacks, and wait for dinner.
When Hu Yan returned home, she took several biscuits from the trunk and made herself a cup of milk powder.
She took a few small sips.
The flavor was rich and creamy.
Milk powder from later generations couldn’t compare.
She had barely put down the cup when Chen Guangze came running back, looking thrilled.
“Yan, we negotiated it!
“The village secretary said the house only costs 2,500 yuan.
“He’ll even help us take care of the paperwork.”
Hu Yan was delighted.
“That’s wonderful.
“Tomorrow, bring the village secretary a few things.
“If you want the horse to run, you’ve got to feed it well.”
Chen Guangze watched her drinking the milk powder so enthusiastically that he made himself a cup too.
He gulped it down in a few huge swallows and even burped afterward.
“Once we get all the paperwork finished, I’ll feel much more at ease.
“Even if we have to spend a little extra money, it’s worth it.”