Chapter 14: Two Bars, Four Stars

Meanwhile, at the Chen family residence.

Since Zhang Yanli had been discharged from the military, her housing had been reclaimed. She and Chen Fanshi now lived in a privately purchased apartment not far from the military district, right next to the Daqingshan wholesale market.

Of course, their home was luxuriously decorated—genuine leather sofas, a Toshiba big-screen TV, plush carpets covering the entire floor, and two grand Roman columns in the living room. The whole place exuded an air of opulence.

However, at this moment, Chen Fanshi, seated on the leather sofa, looked troubled. He furrowed his brows and rubbed his chin in frustration.

He had been educated and was nearsighted, so wearing glasses gave him a refined and scholarly appearance.

“What are you so worried about? The antiques were donated, but we did it to secure control over the Daqingshan wholesale market. As long as you promise Yufeng a share, she won’t make trouble.” Zhang Yanli said.

They had already prepared a share transfer document for Chen Yufeng, anticipating that she would come demanding answers.

The agreement promised her 30% of the profits from the Daqingshan wholesale market as long as she didn’t interfere with the matter of the antiques.

Chen Fanshi let out a long sigh and stared at his wife for a while before speaking.

“Can’t you just give Yufeng some money directly?”

As a businessman, he knew exactly what Zhang Yanli was up to.

A stake in the market meant profit-sharing, and Zhang Yanli was the one in charge of the books.

She had never reported any profits before.

If the market wasn’t profitable, there wouldn’t be any dividends to share.

This was just another way for Zhang Yanli to deceive Chen Yufeng, treating her like a fool.

As her biological father, now that he had money, he wanted to give some to his daughter. But the money was in his wife’s hands—he couldn’t access it.

The moment he brought up giving money, Zhang Yanli snapped, raising her voice.

“You just bought a car! Your son wrecks a motorcycle every three days! Where am I supposed to find extra money for your daughter?”

“Can’t you squeeze out at least a thousand or eight hundred?” Chen Fanshi pressed.

“Then forget about getting your pager. Save the money and give it to your daughter instead.” Zhang Yanli said, arms crossed.

That one sentence was enough to make Chen Fanshi back down.

Because in the capital, all the big businessmen had pagers. He was the only one who didn’t.

The device wasn’t all that useful, but since every other businessman had one, he needed to have one too.

It was a matter of status.

It showed that he was a boss.

Besides, the son Zhang Yanli had given him was an absolute headache, constantly riding around on motorcycles and getting into trouble.

Every time he crashed one, they had to buy a new one.

“Fine, fine, you win. Just give me the share agreement, and I’ll take it to Yufeng.” Chen Fanshi finally conceded, feeling utterly defeated.

Zhang Yanli shot him a sharp look. She acted as if she was about to hand over the document but suddenly pulled it back, a smirk forming on her lips.

She was over forty, yet when she cast a flirtatious glance at him, it sent shivers down his spine.

“Say what you want to say. Don’t act like this,” he said impatiently.

Zhang Yanli grinned excitedly. “Husband, remember that dark-skinned girl we saw at Yufeng’s house last time? Ma Jinfeng is desperate to have her. She just called me, saying no matter what, I must get that child for her. So, how about this—don’t give Yufeng the share agreement yet. Let me go to her first and ask for the child?”

Chen Fanshi’s eyes widened in shock. “Yufeng gave birth to that child herself—why would she give her away?”

“That’s where I come in. I’ll convince her,” Zhang Yanli replied smoothly.

She had seen Mimi at Bao Xiaofang’s house a few days ago and immediately thought of Ma Jinfeng, the wealthy coal boss who had been looking for a daughter—specifically, a girl with boyish features.

After returning home, Zhang Yanli had immediately informed Ma Jinfeng about Mimi.

And today, Ma Jinfeng had gone to see the child. The moment she laid eyes on Mimi, she had fallen in love with her.

She had just called, urging Zhang Yanli to do whatever it took to convince Chen Yufeng to give up her daughter.

As a mother, Chen Yufeng naturally didn’t want to give her child away.

But Zhang Yanli had once worked at a special supply store in the military district. She had a sharp tongue and was incredibly persuasive—her specialty was talking people into things. She was confident she could convince Chen Yufeng.

Ma Jinfeng was a female coal boss. Her husband was mining in Africa, and the couple was loaded with money.

If Zhang Yanli could form a connection with Ma Jinfeng, wouldn’t that mean securing a golden opportunity for herself?

And now, all she had to do was persuade Chen Yufeng to give up her child, and she’d have that golden connection.

Originally, she had only prepared a bag of cheap market clothes for Chen Yufeng, but now, things were different. She decided to part with two bottles of royal jelly meant for her superiors and two boxes of cosmetics she had bought in Hong Kong, despite the pain of giving them up.

After packing these things, she also needed to call her niece, Xu Min, who worked in logistics for an independent regiment. She needed Xu Min to check if Han Chao was on duty.

Because when it came to giving a child away, it was best if the husband wasn’t home.

She had to wait for a moment when Chen Yufeng was alone before making her move.

Meanwhile, Chen Yufeng had gone out that day to enroll both children in a preschool. The principal readily agreed, telling her to prepare some supplies, buy them small backpacks, and bring them to school the next day. Just like that, the matter of their schooling was settled.

Next to the preschool was a large restaurant, but it was closed.

Chen Yufeng noticed that the interior was nicely decorated, and there was a rental notice posted on the door. As she was thinking about it, she saw a refined middle-aged military officer passing by and asked him, “Comrade, does this restaurant belong to the military district? How much would the rent be?”

If she could lease the restaurant and open her own business, with Wang Guoguo’s cooking skills, they could definitely win over all the top brass in the military district.

The middle-aged officer had two bars and four stars on his shoulders, meaning he was a senior colonel, usually holding a division-level leadership position.

He was friendly and refined, explaining, “This is a military property under our district. The rent is very low, but to lease it, you need to pay a 10,000 yuan deposit upfront.”

“That much?” Chen Yufeng was startled.

“As long as you run the business properly and don’t violate any regulations, you’ll get the deposit back after two years.”

After explaining, the officer noticed Tiantian and said, “That jade pendant around the child’s neck looks nice.”

“Oh, this? My grandma gave it to me,” Tiantian said. The pendant was actually a gift from Wang Guoguo.

The officer examined it carefully and then said, “This piece of jade looks very familiar to me.”

While Chen Yufeng was out looking for business opportunities, she realized that whatever she wanted to do, she needed capital.

And right now, capital was her biggest problem.

After saying goodbye to the officer, she left.

As they walked, Mimi suddenly asked, “Mom, that military grandpa had so many stars on his shoulders. He must have earned a lot of honors, right?”

“Of course, he’s a division commander—a high-ranking officer,” Chen Yufeng replied.

“When I grow up, I want to be a soldier too, just like that grandpa, with lots of stars on my shoulders,” Mimi said dreamily.

It was just a casual remark from a child, but it sparked an idea in Chen Yufeng’s mind.

She had found a way to lease the restaurant—or a storefront. She could even bring her mother-in-law and her own mother to join her in business.

Setting that aside for now, when she got home, she saw Zhang Yanli chatting animatedly with a group of military wives. Several luggage bags were placed on the ground beside her.

She was pulling out a pink dress, boasting, “I bought this dress during my business trip to Hong Kong. Look at the color, look at the style! My Yufeng grew up in the countryside and never wore nice clothes. She’s always been so plain. Now that she’s in the city, I have to help her dress up properly.”

“That’s the same grandma who came looking for you a few days ago,” Tiantian and Mimi immediately tattled.

Chen Yufeng turned around and took the kids to the security office. She borrowed their phone and called Han Chao.

If Chen Fanshi was also there, then they were likely here to talk about the antiques.

But if Zhang Yanli had come alone, then she was here to discuss adopting Mimi.

Chen Yufeng would never give Mimi away, and she firmly believed Han Chao wouldn’t either.

Zhang Yanli showing up at their door was actually a good thing.

Because for Mimi, this would be the reassurance she needed.

If Zhang Yanli dared to bring it up, Chen Yufeng was going to put her in her place.

And Han Chao had to be present too.

Because the person Mimi trusted the least was Han Chao—he had to make his stance clear as well!

Han Chao responded immediately, “Ten minutes. If that’s too long, I’ll get there in eight.”

The military district was at least a kilometer away. Eight minutes? Was he planning to fly over?

“Brother, take your time. I’ll first find out what she’s here for,” Chen Yufeng said.

After hanging up, she took the two kids back to the house.

Zhang Yanli was still chatting energetically with the military wives.

Chen Yufeng cleared her throat.

Zhang Yanli glanced at her but didn’t seem to recognize her, turning back to continue bragging about the cosmetics she had brought.

Chen Yufeng cleared her throat again.

Zhang Yanli glanced at her a second time—but still didn’t recognize her.

Everyone around noticed. Seeing that Zhang Yanli appeared not to recognize Chen Yufeng, someone spoke up, “Director Zhang, this is Yufeng! Isn’t she your daughter? You don’t recognize her?”

Zhang Yanli slowly turned around. Her mouth slowly opened, then slowly fell.

Her eyes, which seemed to bulge out unnaturally—probably due to hyperthyroidism—widened even more.

After a long pause, she finally said, “You’re… Yufeng?”

The last time she had seen a picture of Chen Yufeng was eight years ago, when Chen Fanshi had brought one. Back then, Yufeng had long braids, a floral cotton jacket, and while her features were decent, she had been undeniably rustic.

Zhang Yanli had heard that Han Chao had taken his mother to the capital for medical treatment, spending thousands in the process.

She assumed Chen Yufeng was still poor and hopelessly plain.

But now, she was wearing a black midi skirt and had her hair styled in an Audrey Hepburn-like fashion.

Even in the military district, this was considered extremely stylish.

“You need something?” Chen Yufeng asked, unlocking the door.

Zhang Yanli had indeed come for Mimi. As soon as she stepped inside, she pulled out a Polaroid camera from her pocket and handed it to Mimi.

“Sweet girl, here, Grandma got you a fun gift. This thing is expensive—it costs several thousand yuan.”

Mimi crossed her arms and stared coldly at Zhang Yanli without reaching for the camera.

Her expression was exactly like her father’s.

Seeing that Han Chao wasn’t home and the neighbors were all outside, Zhang Yanli lowered her voice and said, “Yufeng, your father misses you very much. But he’s been busy these days and hasn’t had time to visit. He and I are husband and wife, and though you may not think I deserve to be called ‘Mom,’ I’ve always treated you like my own daughter.”

Chen Yufeng remained unfazed. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Do you know how much a regiment-level officer’s monthly stipend is?” Zhang Yanli raised a finger. “Four hundred yuan.”

Then, leaning in closer, she continued in a hushed tone, “But for battalion-level officers, it’s much lower—only seventy yuan, right?”

She moved even closer and whispered, “I have a way to help Han Chao get promoted to the regiment level sooner. Do you want to hear it?”

Chen Yufeng didn’t wear a watch, but from the time she made the call to the time she got home, only about five minutes had passed.

Han Chao wasn’t good at many things, but he had grown up running wild like a stray dog, making him incredibly fast. At this moment, he had just reached the courtyard gate. He wasn’t out of breath, nor was his face flushed. His sharp eyes and fair complexion gave him an air of quiet intensity as he watched Zhang Yanli.

Chen Yufeng deliberately raised her voice. “You can get Han Chao promoted to regiment level?”

That was a tempting offer.

It was relatively easy to rise through the ranks below the regiment level, but reaching regiment level was a significant hurdle. Many soldiers who couldn’t make the cut would eventually transition into civilian careers.

Of course, a regiment-level officer enjoyed far better pay and benefits than a battalion-level one.

Mimi and Tiantian were listening too, their faces filled with curiosity.

Zhang Yanli continued, “Nowadays, everything in the military district is about connections. Without the right connections, no one gets anywhere. The division commanders only open doors for those they know. Han Chao, on his own, will never make it big in his lifetime—but I can get him promoted.”

Chen Yufeng had to admit—it was an interesting coincidence.

Just then, Han Chao, still standing at the gate, suddenly straightened up and saluted someone.

The courtyard wall was low, so people passing by could see everything.

Chen Yufeng turned her head and recognized the middle-aged officer approaching—it was the very same division commander she had met earlier, the one with two bars and four stars on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yanli was still going on and on about connections, backgrounds, and backdoor dealings.

A senior division commander was standing right outside, listening to everything she was saying.

Should Chen Yufeng stop her?