At the academy.
Zhou Cheng waited by the telephone for a long time, until lights out, but his wife never called back.
She must be truly angry this time.
After crouching for so long, his legs were numb when he stood up.
In June, it was hot everywhere in the country. He wiped his forehead, covered in sweat.
“Zhou Cheng, are you going to make another call?”
The unit liaison was quite exasperated – handsome people looked good even when crouching. But watching Zhou Cheng wait there after making his call looked rather pitiful. Seeing him finally stand up, they quickly reminded him:
“If you don’t make a call now, you’ll have to wait until next week!”
The academy had strict rules. As a trainee student rather than faculty, Zhou Cheng could only use the phone once a week. Unlike at his own unit where, as team leader, he could use the phone whenever he wanted.
Zhou Cheng couldn’t wait a week. He thought about it – he wouldn’t be able to appease Xiaolan without resolving the Shi family matter.
For his final call, he didn’t dial Xiaolan, but Kang Wei.
“Tell me exactly what’s happening with the Shi family.”
Kang Wei held nothing back about what he knew.
“Everyone was keeping it from Mother Shi, but she already knew. She said no one owes the Shi family anything. Shi Kai sacrificed himself for the country and died honorably, and the state provided work and compensation.
But Wei Juanhong seems off. Sister-in-law and Aunt Guan went with good intentions to try getting another house allocated to the Shi family, but Wei Juanhong insisted on keeping the current courtyard house…
Brother Cheng, though I wasn’t there, for Sister-in-law to drive several hours specifically to ask how you’d handle, it must be serious. And you just said you’d transfer the courtyard house to Wei Juanhong… To be honest, don’t be angry, but Sister Xiaolan had reason to be upset.”
Wei Juanhong was being too unreasonable.
Getting greedy – no wonder Xia Xiaolan and Guan Huie were suspicious.
If she didn’t want her good job at the cigarette factory, she should consider if she was capable of doing anything else.
Kang Wei’s current job was good – relaxed work in, a respectable unit. But even as a martyr’s orphan, he couldn’t have gotten it – his Second Uncle Kang Lianming arranged it, sending his son to work at the grassroots level while letting Kang Wei have it easy.
Kang Wei would have preferred the opposite.
Though not highly educated, he grew up learning to be politically savvy in the office. He initially wanted to work hard and advance, but after learning Kang Lianming just wanted him to have an easy life and would never assign him important tasks, he gave up trying.
But that only worked because it was his uncle. Who hadn’t lost someone serving the country? Besides his father, when Kang Wei’s grandfather started working, he went with his cousins – only Kang Wei’s grandfather survived!
“Brother Cheng, let me be frank – even if I’m an idle second-generation, I’ve earned that right. My family struggled for two generations to give me this comfortable life, right?
Wei Juanhong wants instant success, but she needs to work for it! The Shi family’s previous hardships weren’t your fault. They just came to Beijing and already want to match your living standards, match Sister Xiaolan’s? How many times have we risked being robbed of doing business? And Sister Xiaolan buying cars and houses – didn’t she start by selling eggs?”
Kang Wei rattled on like a machine gun, as if afraid Zhou Cheng would interrupt.
Things he dared not say in person flowed smoothly over the phone. Zhou Cheng waited until he ran out of words:
“Are you finished? Now listen to me!”
Kang Wei immediately fell silent.
He always followed Zhou Cheng’s lead; going against him felt unnatural.
Zhou Cheng wasn’t upset with Kang Wei – he wouldn’t have said so much without good intentions.
It seemed Wei Juanhong was acting strangely.
Zhou Cheng’s impression of her was vague. He had been emotionally unstable then, focused primarily on Mother Shi’s eye surgery. After the operation, he returned to the academy, having little contact with Wei Juanhong.
She had written him two letters after he returned, having his contact information.
The first is about Mother Shi regaining her sight.
The second inquiring about job transfers.
The crooked handwriting with many mistakes showed she wrote them herself.
Zhou Cheng couldn’t picture Wei Juanhong’s face now – just a rural woman from the Southwest with a heavy accent. Beyond that, he knew nothing about her.
“Hold off on the courtyard house. Wait until the cigarette factory’s housing is allocated and see if she plans to move. After seeing her reaction, I’ll tell you what to do next. Your sister-in-law always follows through – she won’t handle this. Privately visit Mother Shi for me and ask her opinion.”
Kang Wei’s words deeply affected Zhou Cheng.
He was confident in making money, daring to trade cigarettes because he had connections.
That money came easily.
But Xiaolan worked hard for her money – riding her bike to sell eggs in the county town in the sweltering heat, earning one or two fen per egg, building capital bit by bit, dealing with harassment from hooligans… Xiaolan was smart and hardworking. While others stayed farming in the village, she dared to do business. She deserved her current lifestyle.
Wei Juanhong could be dissatisfied with him – Zhou Cheng felt guilty.
But envying Xiaolan was unacceptable.
Zhou Cheng hadn’t thought it through before. When Xia Xiaolan asked if he had a bottom line, of course, he did – he didn’t marry to have someone care for his family or to make Xiaolan suffer. How could he let others live better than Xiaolan? That was impossible – even he put himself after his wife!
Whatever Xiaolan had, Wei Juanhong wanted the same – Zhou Cheng couldn’t manage that. He was puzzled why Wei Juanhong insisted on comparing herself with Xiaolan. Xiaolan helped on his behalf – how could that be wrong?
After thinking for a day and night, he finally understood his mistake.
He needed to separate Wei Juanhong from the Shi family.
Wei Juanhong was part of the Shi family, but she couldn’t represent the entire family.
Before hanging up, Zhou Cheng added:
“Kang Wei, come to the academy when you can. I have something important to give you – can’t mail it.”
Now Zhou Cheng had multiple concerns.
Besides understanding the “differences” Xiaolan mentioned and resolving the Shi family matter, there was also material from Jiang Yan. Zhou Cheng couldn’t call or telegram Pan San – his last isolation and investigation taught him they were being watched.
He needed to be more careful.
First, see what he could investigate, then tell Brother Pan San.
Zhou Cheng couldn’t let Brother Pan San fall into the Jiang family’s trap.
Choosing righteousness over family ties had to be genuine.
If Jiang Yan was truly sincere, she could give him the original documents. Once Jiang Wu was dealt with, Jiang Yan could naturally meet Brother San!