The Divorced Wife of the Richest Man is Reborn

Chapter 120

So the land certificate was indeed given to Wang Gebi by her elder brother and sister-in-law.0

They even knew it was Su Wen's only lifetime savings, and they were aware that Wang Gebi had ulterior motives. Yet, for the sake of securing overseas immigration quotas for their family, they still chose to give the land certificate to Wang Gebi.0

It wasn't even an oversight.0

They deliberately kept it from Yan Wei and Yan Zhao.0

Yan Zhao clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.0

Just then, a loud thunderclap boomed outside the window.0

"Oh my, is the weather turning bad there? We have weather forecasts here in America. Do you have those there?" Liu Xiuying remarked upon hearing the thunder over the phone.0

Chen Meilan replied, "No, we don't."0

"That's the difference between capitalism and socialism. Living in China forever must be such a struggle for you," Liu Xiuying sighed, finally regaining some confidence, and said in an especially intimate tone, "Well, let's meet in Xiping City then. Meilan, I can't wait to show you how exceptional Jim, my American-born child, is."0

Click. The other end hung up.0

The couple had been arguing earlier, but now Chen Meilan couldn't continue the fight.0

Not only had her elder brother and his wife sold out their mother for glory, but even after ten years, they showed not an ounce of regret.0

Now wasn't the time to be angry. Yan Zhao embraced her, and Chen Meilan didn't resist, simply lying down to sleep.0

As for little Jim, Chen Meilan would wait and see just how exceptional he really was.0

Currently, Factory 271 was running smoothly.0

With Xue Mingfang handling production and Hu Xiaohua managing sales - one managing internal affairs and the other external - Chen Meilan didn't need to worry too much.0

Instead, she still needed to keep an eye on her Xingda Construction Team.0

Overall, the Xingda Construction Team had it easy. Whenever they ran out of work, she would contact Cui Min.0

Cui Min had many connections and could always help introduce some small jobs. They couldn't make a fortune, but it was more than enough to support her elder brother's family and Yan Bin.0

Additionally, Yanguan Village would eventually face demolition. Chen Meilan had bought three apartments in the Dongfang Group building and spread word that she was willing to pay extra to exchange properties. After two years of trading, she finally managed to get all three apartments on the same floor.0

The three apartments would need to be connected and renovated. After renovation, they would need to air out for two to three years until the formaldehyde was completely gone and wouldn't harm Little Lang before they could move in.0

By then, Yanguan Village would be ready for demolition, making their move perfectly timed.0

For now, only Chen Degong knew about this besides herself.0

She had entrusted all the wall demolition and renovation work to Chen Degong.0

Today was the weekend. Mainly worried that Little Lang's eyes would be damaged from constant shooting practice, Chen Meilan brought the children to her elder brother's home to meet with Jinbao, Zhenzhu, and Baozhu, letting the cousins play together.0

If Little Lang continued practicing with the air rifle every day, his eyes would surely go blind.0

Although her elder brother had also bought three apartments, he had only renovated one so far, merely painting the walls, laying tiles, and installing a few cabinets before eagerly moving in.0

Zhou Qiaofang was naturally hardworking and especially good at keeping house. She had made the new home bright and clean, with the two girls sharing one bedroom, the couple in another, and Jinbao sleeping in the living room.0

Renovation was a process of learning from mistakes - people gained experience with each renovation.0

As soon as Chen Meilan entered, Zhou Qiaofang started sharing her insights, such as ensuring proper bathroom waterproofing and using quality hardware to avoid frequent repairs.0

Noticing the strong smell in the house that made her eyes sting, Chen Meilan asked Chen Degong, "Brother, where did you buy the paint? Why is it so harsh on the eyes?"0

Worried it might harm Little Lang's health, Chen Meilan quickly opened all the windows.0

Chen Degong opened a room door and explained, "It's all paint from Sanbao Paint Factory. The living room was done earlier with the old paint, but the bedroom has new paint - smell it, there's no odor, right?"0

Sanbao Paint Factory was now run by Xiong Dapao, and the paint quality had improved significantly - you could tell just from the smell.0

Chen Meilan took another careful sniff before saying, "Brother, I'll use this paint when I renovate my place."0

"Don't worry about the renovation, I'll handle it for you," Chen Degong said generously.0

"That won't do. When I renovate my house, we need to choose tile colors, toilets, and bathroom countertops together. It needs to be done according to my preferences," Chen Meilan said with a smile.0

In her previous life, she had lived in many houses, but they were all decorated by Lu Jingyu.0

Everything was done according to his aesthetic preferences - Roman columns, golden marble walls, yet oddly paired with Chinese furniture, making the houses neither here nor there.0

Without money, she had no say. Chen Meilan had never lived in a house that truly suited her taste. This time, she wanted to decorate one according to her own preferences and live comfortably.0

Zhou Qiaofang knew that Meilan had three apartments on the same floor, which was quite good by current standards.0

But being the type to boost others' pride while diminishing her own, she chimed in: "Meilan, you probably don't know, but Lu Jingyu has made good money in business lately and bought land to build buildings. My Xueqin is going to be a real estate tycoon's wife."0

Chen Degong disliked hearing Zhou Qiaofang mention Zhou Xueqin, so he retorted, "If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute."0

Zhou Qiaofang got angry too: "Both my sister-in-law and sister are doing well, I'm happy for them. Can't I say a few words about it?"0

She actually felt sorry for Meilan, especially since Meilan had brought the children and bought a live chicken, and was now busy slaughtering it.0

But the apartment kitchen was too small to work in properly. While holding the chicken and lifting the sharpened cleaver, it hit the cutting board. Though she managed to chop off the chicken's head, she lost her grip on the body, and the chicken escaped.0

The children were in the living room when they saw a headless chicken rush out, blood spraying from its neck.0

Not to mention that Yuanyuan was terrified - even Zhenzhu and Baozhu, who were already teenage girls, turned and ran in fright. As the headless chicken was about to charge at Yuanyuan, Jinbao rushed over but missed catching it. However, Little Wang gently scooped it up like catching a basketball, deflecting it away from Yuanyuan, then grabbed it with momentum, slamming the chicken against the window. With a splatter of blood, he finally caught it.0

Chen Degong was furious at this chaos and scolded: "Zhou Qiaofang, I told you to buy a plucked chicken, but you insisted on buying a live one. Look at this mess - is this tiny apartment a place for slaughtering chickens?"0

"What do you know? Live ones are fresher and cheaper," Zhou Qiaofang replied dismissively, still holding the cleaver.0

Children, being children, quickly got over their fright and became cheerful again.0

Since Yuanyuan was splattered with blood, her two older cousins took her to the bathroom to clean up and change clothes.0

Chen Meilan asked Chen Degong for his keys, planning to check out her new apartment.0

However, just as she was about to leave, she heard Zhou Qiaofang talking to Little Wang in the kitchen: "Your mom couldn't properly care for you last time, and she feels terrible about it. But she's about to have money now. She says not to be angry about last time and to remember her. When she has money, she'll definitely come back to take good care of you brothers, okay?"0

The mother Zhou Qiaofang referred to wasn't Chen Meilan, but Zhou Xueqin.0

Little Wang stood there holding the headless chicken, staring at Zhou Qiaofang, his eyes instantly turning red.0

His grip on the chicken loosened, and the headless bird suddenly flew towards Zhou Qiaofang's face.0

Zhou Qiaofang, still holding the cleaver, ducked and screamed in the kitchen.0

Little Wang also turned and ran.0

Seeing this, Chen Meilan left.0

Clearly, after several years of detours, Lu Jingyu had returned to real estate development.0

Real estate wasn't just a money tree now - it was a money-printing machine. Securing a plot of land meant waiting for wealth to explode, and Zhou Xueqin would certainly become rich.0

But Chen Meilan would never believe that Zhou Xueqin would truly care for the children.0

Moreover, as Lu Jingyu gradually became wealthy, he would become unfaithful, not only having affairs but likely fathering children with his mistresses. Almost every mistress would secretly bear his child.0

He would gradually look down on Zhou Xueqin, openly and subtly mocking and belittling her.0

By then, Zhou Xueqin would have to swallow her bitter fate, unable to speak of her suffering even with broken teeth.0

Setting that aside, after passing two buildings on the second floor, Chen Meilan arrived at what would be her new home.0

The house was registered under Chen Meilan's name, and she had bought it with her own money - it belonged entirely to her.0

Opening the door with her key, she found it was still in its bare shell state.0

Three 65-square-meter apartments had been combined into one unit by breaking through the non-load-bearing walls.0

Though it was only 130 square meters, since houses were now sold based on interior space, the place felt quite spacious.0

However, because it was originally three units, there were many load-bearing walls, making it somewhat difficult to utilize the space efficiently.0

With renovation approaching, Chen Meilan needed to carefully consider how to make the best use of the space without wasting any.0

The balcony was exceptionally long, spanning half the floor, with good natural lighting, but it took up too much space.0

Standing with her hands on her hips, Chen Meilan observed for a while before suddenly having an idea - she could partition off the entire balcony to create a corridor, and install Little Lang's air gun on one side, making good use of the space.0

As for Yuanyuan's bedroom, it needed to be larger to fit the piano. The walls and ceiling would need soundproofing, since they had neighbors above and below. With a child practicing piano daily, they didn't want to disturb the neighbors and risk damaging relationships.0

As Chen Meilan was calculating all this, her mobile phone suddenly rang.0

It was Cui Min calling, screaming into the phone: "Hello, Meilan, is that you, Meilan?"0

...0

"Just now, my father said that after discussions throughout the military district, they want to contract 291 to us. You guessed right - 291 is about to be ours!" Cui Min continued screaming.0

This was within Chen Meilan's expectations.0

Other companies had been defeated by Deputy Director Zheng, and the last competitor, Yu Xiaoqiao, had been sentenced to prison.0

The military leaders, wanting to avoid trouble, would naturally package 291 with 271.0

Chen Meilan's main concern was: "How much is the contract fee?"0

"300,000 yuan. We have that much in our account, right?" Cui Min couldn't hide her joy. "291 is even bigger than 271, with more large machinery. We're going to make a fortune now."0

Regarding profits, Chen Meilan had to pour some cold water on Cui Min's enthusiasm: "The contract fee is 300,000, renovating the factory and paying wages will need another 500,000. Sister Cui, 271 has just started making profits, but with taking over 291, it'll be at least two more years before we see any dividends."0

The bigger the factory, the higher the investment needed. Using 271's cash flow to support 291 meant that while their operation was expanding, they wouldn't see any dividends or money in the short term.0

"It doesn't matter, as long as we invest, we'll see returns eventually." Cui Min was quite confident about this, but then she changed the subject: "Meilan, we got 291 ourselves, it has nothing to do with Gu Xiao, right? So we don't have to share the profits from 291 with him, do we?"0

She was thinking that since their operation was getting bigger and they'd make more money, she didn't want to share with Gu Xiao anymore.0

At this point, Chen Meilan had to remind Cui Min: "Gu Xiao is our major shareholder in 271. If you use 271 to acquire 291, Gu Xiao will automatically own 49% of 291's shares. How could we not share the profits with him?"0

Cui Min sighed: "It's so unfair. You work yourself to death for just 30% of the shares, I only have 21%, while Gu Xiao does nothing and gets 49%. Capitalists make money so easily. Why don't we keep two sets of books? If we make 500,000, we report 300,000 to him, and split the extra between ourselves?"0

"I wouldn't dare. If you want to do it, do it yourself," Chen Meilan said half-jokingly.0

Cui Min got excited: "Let's do it then! I know someone who sells invoices. We can use them to pad the accounts and let Gu Xiao get less profit."0

This was obviously a joke.0

Although Gu Xiao hadn't sent an accountant to supervise them.0

But Chen Meilan had Qi Songlu keep the accounts crystal clear and transparent.0

After all, Gu Xiao was an old fox who had done business in capitalist countries for twenty years, and Chen Meilan didn't think she could fool him.0

Back at her elder brother's home, Zhou Qiaofang was cooking Chongqing-style food, making a spicy chicken hotpot both stir-fried and boiled.0

They had a honeycomb coal stove at home. She first stewed the chicken on the gas stove, then put it on the coal stove. Everyone gathered around it, adding Chinese cabbage, sausages, preserved meat, and handmade noodles, cooking and eating together.0

Zhou Qiaofang was a good cook. As soon as Chen Meilan opened the door, she could smell the strong aroma of hotpot.0

She had learned from restaurants how to make the dipping sauce, crushing garlic and adding coriander and other seasonings for everyone.0

When Chen Meilan had left earlier, Zhou Qiaofang had been grumbling but generally happy.0

She had only been gone for half an hour, but upon returning, Zhou Qiaofang's face was clouded with gloom and appeared quite dejected.0

Little Wang and Jinbao weren't there, having gone out to play basketball.0

The girls were busy setting up tables and chairs, while her elder brother was in the bathroom washing Yuanyuan's blood-stained clothes.0

Chen Meilan went into the kitchen to help Zhou Qiaofang prepare the dipping bowls. As soon as she entered, Zhou Qiaofang sighed: "Ah, Xueqin's life is probably ruined forever." Then she added: "Meilan, keep an eye on Little Wang. I hate to say what Xueqin said, but I feel that child will go astray sooner or later."0

"What's wrong with Little Wang now?" Chen Meilan's tone hardened.0

Unlike before, when someone would say Little Wang would go astray, Chen Meilan would disagree silently but say nothing.0

Gradually, she had become very resistant to people saying such things.0

And when people brought it up, she couldn't control her anger and would lose her temper.0

Zhou Xueqin noticed the girls outside were listening, so she closed the kitchen door and said in a low voice: "I just told him his birth mother misses him and that he should be good to you but not forget his birth mother. That's a nice thing to say, right? But do you know what he told me? He said to pass a message to Zhou Xueqin - if she dares to harass him again, he'll burn down her house, kill her first and then himself. Tell me, is this something a child would say? He wants to kill his birth mother!"0

Not only did he not want to see his birth mother, but he immediately talked about murder and arson. Zhou Qiaofang was shocked by Little Wang.0

Zhou Xueqin always said Little Wang was ungrateful, saying he appeared to be a good child on the surface but was actually very cruel inside.0

Zhou Qiaofang had never believed it before, but just now, she suddenly found herself believing it.0

Little Wang's tone and look in his eyes frightened Zhou Qiaofang, making her shudder. She felt the child needed some discipline.0

Chen Meilan took a deep breath before saying: "Sister-in-law, didn't you just say Zhou Xueqin is wealthy now and about to become a real estate boss's wife, living luxuriously? Doesn't she have her own children? Didn't she abandon Little Wang and Little Lang to raise the Lu family's children? If Little Wang doesn't want to see her, why does she keep trying to find him again and again?"0

"But they're her flesh and blood, of course she misses them. Besides, sister-in-law is thinking of your best interests. A child who can talk about murder and arson has problems - you need to discipline him!" Zhou Qiaofang raised her voice.0

Chen Meilan tasted the dipping sauce she had just mixed and looked up saying: "My son Yan Wang Qi is about to enter sixth grade. He ranks fourth in the whole school and second in his class. He hasn't missed a single day of school since second grade. Though he doesn't have any special talents and only takes basketball as an extracurricular activity, he can do laundry and cook at home, and most importantly, he's filial to his parents. I don't think my son has any problems."0

With that, she picked up two sauce bowls and pushed open the kitchen door.0

As she came out, she froze.0

Because Little Wang was standing right at the kitchen door, holding a basketball.0

The eleven-year-old boy was tall and thin, already looking like a young man.0

He was covered in sweat from playing basketball, his nose glistening.0

He must have heard the argument between Chen Meilan and Zhou Qiaofang.0

But he said nothing, just put the basketball on the rack and went to the bathroom to wash his hands.0

Chen Meilan followed him and saw him turn on the tap, standing with his back turned for a long while. Suddenly, he punched the bathroom wall, then kicked it.0

As for whether this child would turn bad, Chen Meilan couldn't say.0

But clearly, Zhou Xueqin's constant harassment had created rage in Little Wang's heart.0

Chen Meilan needed to find time to properly counsel him, otherwise, a good child might really be driven to become a criminal by his mother.0

"Little Wang, come out and eat hotpot!" she called out.0

Little Wang quickly wiped his eyes while turning away, and was already smiling when he turned back: "Yes, mom."0

...0

Chen Meilan had been waiting for Liu Xiuying because she had announced her visit in advance.0

As for how exceptional Jim really was, Chen Meilan had no idea.0

Between the two cousins, Little Wang was only slightly better at academic studies in the test-oriented education system but had no other special talents.0

He was just an ordinary child.0

However, Little Lang was truly exceptional - at just seven years old, he showed remarkable talent in shooting.0

He started practicing at three meters, then gradually expanded to five meters. Later, Yan Zhao cleared out the hall and set up an air gun at the courtyard entrance, a full 10-meter distance. After practicing for a while, Little Lang could still achieve perfect accuracy, hitting the bullseye every time.0

Yanguan Village was located on a plain where the wind was particularly strong, and it was said that wind greatly affected bullet trajectories.0

But whenever Little Lang picked up the gun, at ten meters, his shooting accuracy matched his father's.0

So Chen Meilan was quite confident, placing her hopes of competing with Jim on Little Lang.0

Initially, Liu Xiuying had said she would come in July.0

But now it was already September, with school about to start, and there was still no movement from Liu Xiuying's side.0

During this summer vacation, Little Wang, who would be entering junior high next year, spent all his time studying except for daily basketball lessons.0

Yuanyuan, after Chen Meilan's careful selection, had agreed to a movie called "The Empress is Expecting" and spent the summer filming another movie at the Xiping Film Studio.0

Little Lang remained steadfast in his routine, practicing boxing stances and shooting every day.0

During this time, Chen Meilan had a particularly important task - it was the one-year anniversary of Gu Xiao's investment, and she needed to report the accounts to him.0

This was a big deal because as the major shareholder, if Gu Xiao wasn't satisfied with the accounts, he had the right to intervene in financial management. If he intervened in financial management and company operations, Chen Meilan would be constrained.0

So Chen Meilan was incredibly busy during this period.0

She absolutely had to produce a financial report that Gu Xiao couldn't find fault with.0

It was at this time that she received Liu Xiuying's call.0

"Meilan, I've arrived in the capital and am about to board a flight to Xiping City. This time I've brought lots and lots of things for you all, I guarantee you'll like them," Liu Xiuying said, then changed the subject: "By the way, we're family, and I have a small request - could you keep Yan Zhao away today? I want to meet with you alone first, then meet him later, is that okay?"0

Recently, Yan Peiheng had been supervising work in the Central Theater Command and would return home on weekends.0

Yan Zhao was about to be promoted to the city bureau and currently had no new cases, so he wasn't particularly busy.0

And since her sister-in-law was coming, Chen Meilan would definitely need to notify Yan Zhao and have them meet today.0

But she still said: "Alright, I won't tell Yan Zhao yet."0

Let's get sister-in-law here first, she thought, and see what kind of face these people would show - the ones who had given away their mother's temple property to outsiders in exchange for opportunities to go abroad, and now shamelessly appeared without any sign of remorse, supposedly doing so well for themselves.0

Hearing Chen Meilan agree so readily, Liu Xiuying's voice became particularly excited: "Meilan, I've always heard from Meilan that you're a good person, and indeed, as sisters-in-law, we're so fortunate. I feel we really click."0

Chen Meilan hung up and immediately called Yan Zhao.0

She told him to come home early tonight.0

She also left work early herself, and on her way home, called the house to tell Little Wang and Little Lang to stay home and wait for her.0

It wasn't about making comparisons - Jim was Little Wang and Little Lang's cousin, born and raised in America, now returning from there. As family, they needed to meet.0

With modern transportation being so efficient, Chen Meilan got home around four in the afternoon. Upon entering, she went straight to the kitchen to check what vegetables Little Wang had bought during the day and to plan dinner.0

Just as she came out of the kitchen and was washing her hands at the tap, she heard a car horn outside, followed by someone knocking and saying "hello."0

Looking back, she saw an extremely obese middle-aged woman wearing a large T-shirt with a jacket over it, her permed hair dyed wine-red, smiling at the door: "Is this Chen Meilan's home?"0

"I am... Sister-in-law?" Chen Meilan said.0

The woman was so ordinary-looking, except for her wine-red hair, that Chen Meilan could hardly believe she had come from America. Moreover, she walked with a noticeable limp.0

Liu Xiuying looked around and sighed deeply, starting with: "Looking at the journey here, our country has changed quite a bit. Although it's still a hundred thousand miles behind England and America, compared to those small African countries, it's not bad at all."0

That was quite an interesting way of praising.0

Chen Meilan noticed her severe limp and asked: "What happened to your leg, Sister-in-law?"0

Liu Xiuying patted her thigh and proudly said: "A scar of the times. I got rheumatism when I was in Qinghai. If I had let those incompetent traditional Chinese medicine doctors treat it here, I'd probably be paralyzed by now. But with advanced Western medicine in America, I can still walk."0

Chen Meilan didn't believe Western medicine was better than Chinese medicine for treating rheumatism - after all, Yan Zhao's hand had been successfully treated with Chinese medicine. But some people just blindly worship Western medicine, so she said nothing.0

Little Wang and Little Lang had heard from Chen Meilan that their cousin from America was coming today, and the children were very curious about what their American cousin looked like. They all rushed toward the door.0

Little Wang, being the tallest after four years of playing basketball, naturally ran the fastest. Being at an age of rapid growth, his movements were somewhat clumsy. As he rushed out the door, he nearly bumped into Liu Xiuying, and then directly collided with a blonde boy outside.0

Liu Xiuying, who had been smiling just moments before, first shouted "Oh my God!" then suddenly grabbed Little Wang's hair, bursting out in old Beijing dialect: "Are you blind, you little brat? Jim is an award-winning violinist - if you damage his hands, his life will be ruined. Can you afford to compensate for that?"0

Not only was Little Wang stunned, but Chen Meilan was also dumbfounded.0

Weren't they supposed to be coming from heaven? Where were their manners and education? Starting with profanity, and so much of it?0

Moreover, she was surprisingly strong, pushing Little Wang back forcefully. Yuanyuan and Little Lang, who were also rushing out, couldn't stop in time. Little Lang, who was running the slowest, fell to the ground with a thud.0

Setting aside what Liu Xiuying had come for,0

And not mentioning the great difficulties she and Yan Jun supposedly had when they transferred Su Wen's temple property to Wang Gebi,0

To start things off like this before even entering the house - wouldn't anyone be angry?0

Chen Meilan picked up Little Lang and saw that his hand was bleeding. She lifted him up completely and confronted Liu Xiuying: "Sister-in-law, my son happens to be the nation's most excellent marksman. If you've damaged his hand, his life will be ruined - you must compensate!"0