Chapter 34: Havoc in Heaven (Part 1)

And in the end, what benefits did they gain from it?

One sister ended up in the logistics department, while the other worked at the military district store.

If they hadn’t shifted the blame onto Xiao A’mi and led the others in “finding” the child’s body first—earning the gratitude of everyone—would they have gotten these positions based on merit alone?

That military supply store might seem ordinary now, but back in the days of rationed goods, it was one of the most lucrative posts.

Zhang Aixia worked in the logistics department, and her husband, Xu Yaoguo, had long since left the military. Now, he was thriving in the real estate business. The first piece of land he acquired—wasn’t that also transferred from military ownership to private hands?

Someone suddenly said, “Zhang Aixia was only sent to the countryside for two years, right? But when she came back, she got a job in logistics. Meanwhile, Commander Luo and the others were exiled for a full five years.”

“Those first three years were so tough—everyone was breaking their backs reclaiming farmland. The people who arrived later barely did any work,” another person chimed in.

The crowd erupted in discussion, voices overlapping in anger.

Madam Wang, once a judge, had a strong sense of justice. She declared, “Yanli, even if you didn’t personally harm the child, you still profited from it. And you and your sister did this intentionally—it was a deliberate act. You should be held accountable for it.”

“Did Zhang Aixia really abandon the child? She always seemed like such a warmhearted person—who would have thought?” someone remarked in disbelief.

Another person, overcome with rage, said, “Just for running off to claim credit and neglecting the child, they should be executed!”

Commander Luo finally took control of the situation. “Ma Lin, go home and think this through. We need to give Xiao A’mi a proper explanation for this. As for the Zhang sisters—you work in the military affairs department, you know the law. Figure out how you want to handle this yourself.”

Perhaps fearing that Zhang Yanli might start crying and begging again—causing Ma Lin to soften—Madam Wang stepped forward. “Come on, let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

Zhang Yanli reached out, trying to grab Ma Lin’s hand. But this time, Ma Lin didn’t waver. Instead, she grabbed Zhang Yanli’s hair with a firm grip and yanked hard—once, twice—until Zhang Yanli’s face was left bloodied and torn.

Seeing the two women fighting, Commander Luo quickly intervened. “Old Ma, stop your sister!”

But Commander Ma did no such thing. Instead, he turned to Commander Luo and said coldly, “If I had a gun in my hand right now, I’d shoot her on the spot!”

An eight-month-old baby lost their life because of these two sisters’ reckless ambition—because they wanted to impress others.

Commander Ma was Ma Lin’s older brother. That baby was his niece. And just like that, she was gone.

If not for the law, if not for the uniform on his back, he would have shot Zhang Yanli dead right then and there.

Was Ma Lin wrong for beating her? No. Even if Ma Lin had killed her, it still wouldn’t be wrong!

But people had to follow the rules. Chaos wouldn’t solve anything. In the end, the others pulled Ma Lin away, her hands shaking as she sobbed uncontrollably. Zhang Yanli seized the opportunity to escape, dashing out of the compound and disappearing into the night.

And there sat Ma Lin, alone and devastated, crying as if the entire world had abandoned her.

She had always been proud and stubborn. When Commander Xu reached out to help her up, she immediately snapped, “Don’t touch me!”

In the end, it was Commander Ma, his wife, and Madam Wang who helped her home.

By the time all the commotion was over, the last bus had already stopped running, so the family had to walk back.

Han Chao wanted to carry Mimi, but Mimi insisted on being in her mother’s arms.

“Mommy, Grandma Ma is so pitiful,” the child murmured, resting her head on her mother’s shoulder.

Putting herself in Ma Lin’s shoes, Chen Yufeng thought about it. Even if Mimi or Tiantian got a small cut or scrape, she would be heartbroken. Ma Lin had lost her child entirely—how could her heart not ache?

Seizing the moment, Chen Yufeng gently taught her daughter, “You can climb trees, and you can play in the river, but you have to take care of yourself. If you get hurt, even just a little, Mommy will be as sad as Grandma Ma.”

“I will! I always try to be careful. I’ll take good care of myself,” Mimi promised seriously.

Just then, a motorcycle zoomed past them. She immediately perked up, eyes sparkling with excitement.

“When you grow up, you can ride a motorcycle,” Chen Yufeng said, taking the opportunity to teach her. “But you can’t ride recklessly like those speed demons—it’s too dangerous!”

Mimi wrinkled her nose and poked her mother playfully. “You’re so naggy! Like an old grandma’s foot-binding cloth—long-winded and never-ending!”

“You’re getting cheeky, huh? If you keep talking back, I’ll send you to sleep with your daddy tonight,” Chen Yufeng raised an eyebrow.

Immediately, Mimi slumped her shoulders. “Nooo, I always want to sleep with Mommy!”

Unlike energetic Mimi, Tiantian had long since fallen asleep, her head resting on her father’s shoulder, a long string of drool trailing down. Her father’s broad chest was like a giant pillow, his steady stride like a rocking cradle—she was sleeping soundly.

Since they had to pass by the restaurant, Chen Yufeng decided to stop by.

Even though the Hong Kong businessmen and Dan Haichao had only worked for half a day, the kitchen waste had already been cleared out, and the back hall had been scrubbed clean.

At this pace, in five days, the restaurant could be fully renovated.

Chen Yufeng had also been busy purchasing tableware—pots, bowls, plates. If everything went smoothly, they could open next week.

But now, another problem loomed. Her mother-in-law must have found out by now that the person looking for the jade was Commander Xu.

That meant she had likely guessed that most of the people in the military district were old acquaintances—or worse, the enemies who had wiped out her entire family.

Would she still come because of that?

As the couple walked, Chen Yufeng voiced her concerns.

Han Chao immediately responded, “What does Mom coming or not have to do with the jade or Commander Xu?”

Chen Yufeng sighed internally. Was this man really that clueless?

For Wang Guoguo to cherish that jade so much—wasn’t the reason obvious?

If it were just some random piece of jade she had picked up, would she have treasured it so dearly?

This man simply doesn’t understand the emotions between men and women.

Commander Xu was educated, knowledgeable, and a soldier. On top of that, he was handsome. Back then, Wang Guoguo must have had feelings for him.

But soldiers preferred women who were more beautiful, well-educated, and cultured—the kind of girls who grew up in the military compound.

What Wang Guoguo felt was just an unspoken crush.

Since it involved her mother-in-law, Chen Yufeng didn’t want to say it outright. Instead, she hinted, “Mom took someone else’s jade and never returned it. Given her personality, she’d probably feel ashamed. She might be too embarrassed to come.”

“This whole thing is off. Ma Lin said the jade was lost, but my mom said she found it. If neither of them is lying, then there must be more to this story. There’s a saying: ‘If you don’t want people to know, don’t do it in the first place.’ Also, who snitched back then? Who led the charge in denouncing my grandfather’s family? Was that fire truly an accident? I will get to the bottom of all of it, one by one.”

Han Chao spoke in a cold, expressionless manner, as if these old grudges intertwined with deep emotions were something he could actually unravel.

By the time they got home, Chen Yufeng was busy getting their daughters ready for bed.

After settling them in and taking off their shoes, she turned around and said, “That was thirty years ago. You’re just a battalion-level officer. How are you supposed to investigate this? Are you planning to go after those high-ranking officials?”

But as soon as she turned, she bumped right into Han Chao’s broad chest.

The man’s chest was so wide it was intimidating. His unshaven stubble from the day pricked her forehead, tickling her.

When she looked up, she saw his dark, brooding gaze—it was the same look he had when he was a kid, gripping a brick, ready to fight.

“…Brother,” Chen Yufeng said softly, feeling a little nervous.

His steady breathing suddenly became erratic.

He said, “Feng, I’m your husband, not your brother.”

“You’re my husband, but you’re also my brother,” she replied gently, reaching out to touch his chest.

Han Chao took two steps back, rubbed his head abruptly, put on his hat, and turned away. “I have to be on duty tonight. I won’t be off this weekend either. Make sure you lock the doors and windows, and don’t forget to keep warm.”

With that, he practically ran out in a panic.

Chen Yufeng sat down on the bed, covering her face with her hands.

She suddenly realized—Han Chao wasn’t just dull. He simply didn’t want to force her.

And the fact that he pointedly said he was her husband, not her brother, meant he didn’t only see her as a sister.

Life was finally starting to look promising.

Chen Yufeng had thought that the antique lawsuit would take a long time to reach court, even if it was filed.

But on Saturday, she received a court acceptance notice, and a mediation hearing was already scheduled.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong businessman and Dan Haichao had started working on renovating the restaurant’s exterior.

By coincidence, Monday was July 1st—Party Founding Day.

Although government offices would still be open, there was a gala performance at the Grand Hall that night, with all the top brass from the Capital Military District attending.

Since the preschool class was performing, Tiantian had to go to school. But Mimi didn’t have a role, so she didn’t need to go.

Early in the morning, catching the work rush, Chen Yufeng brought Mimi to court.

She was early, but Chen Fanshi was even earlier. He looked disheveled, his hair greasy, and his suit crumpled.

The moment he saw her, he sighed. “Feng’er, I never expected that your mother-in-law had ties to Commander Luo and Commander Ma.”

In fact, even Madam Wang knew about Chen Yufeng’s lawsuit against Chen Fanshi. That meant as soon as the filing reached the court, Chen Fanshi had heard about it—he had too many connections in the military district.

If Chen Yufeng had to guess, he had probably been scheming with Zhang Yanli in the background, trying to destroy the evidence. But Zhang Yanli getting exposed by Han Chao had been an unexpected twist. Over the weekend, Zhang Yanli had been too busy dealing with Ma Lin’s fury to focus on antiques.

And now, today, Chen Fanshi had no choice but to show up.

“Ah, yesterday, Yuhuang crashed his motorcycle. There was a fight at the market too, and now we have to pay compensation,” Chen Fanshi lamented. “Your Aunt Zhang has been kneeling outside Director Ma’s house for two days straight, but he won’t even open the door. How did our family end up like this?”

He was playing the pity card while crying about money.

“Feng’er, how about this? From now on, I’ll give you half the market’s rent. You won’t have to do anything—just collect money. When the judge mediates, you drop the lawsuit, okay?”

He spread his hands, pretending to be generous. “After all, you’re a girl. You don’t know how to make money. The military district market is a goldmine—why not take it? I’ll give it back to you, alright?”

Giving his daughter half the rent while keeping the management rights for himself—this way, he wouldn’t lose or gain much. It was a win-win for him.

After all, thanks to the wholesale market, he had already built his financial foundation. He could make money even without it now.

Chen Fanshi thought his scheme was foolproof.

Chen Yufeng was about to ignore him when Wang Liyuan suddenly ran in. She saw Chen Yufeng and said urgently, “Sister Chen, it’s an emergency! I need to borrow Han Mimi.”

“What happened?” Chen Yufeng asked.

“The boy playing Sun Wukong in Havoc in Heaven sprained his ankle. But Han Mimi can do flips—she has to step in as Sun Wukong!” Wang Liyuan grabbed Mimi. “She’ll be the first-ever girl to play Sun Wukong on stage!”

“How about Han Tian? How’s her rehearsal going?” Chen Yufeng asked.

Wang Liyuan grinned. “I was about to tell you—our original lead dancer got stage fright and wet her pants during rehearsal. She cried and refused to go on stage. So now, Han Tiantian is our lead dancer.”

She pulled Mimi along as she coaxed her. “Mimi, if you perform your flips well, you can ask for anything you want, and I’ll buy it for you.”

“I want a motorcycle!” Mimi shouted as she ran. “A big one that can make me fly!”

At that moment, the judge finished mediating another case and rang the bell, signaling the next in line to enter.

Chen Fanshi was stunned. He turned to Chen Yufeng and asked, “Your little white girl is the lead dancer at the gala performance?”

He remembered that little white girl as a clumsy, naive child—a little fool.

Chen Yufeng ignored him and was about to enter the courtroom.

Chen Fanshi chased after her, still in disbelief. “And the little black one? She can do flips? She’s playing Sun Wukong? Chen Yufeng, this is the gala performance. Every kid there was carefully selected. How did both of your daughters make it in? What kind of connections do you have?”

Even in the military district, where seedlings were cultivated, only the children of senior officials had a real chance to perform on stage.

For ordinary families, unless a child was exceptionally outstanding, their path was blocked by the lack of connections.

By this time, Chen Yufeng had already stepped into the courtroom. She faced the judge and stated clearly, “Judge, my requests are as follows:
First, to reclaim the wholesale market and recover all profits generated over the years.
Second, to transfer the antique to Zhou Yafang’s name. I do not accept mediation.”

Chen Fanshi knew his daughter had a guaranteed win—she had witnesses, and not just any witnesses, but two division-level officers.

He also understood that his daughter was completely severing ties with him.

Having compromised step by step, he had no choice but to lay all his cards on the table. “Yufeng, let’s talk privately. I’ll give you all the rental income from the market. That’s 60,000 yuan a year, alright?”