Chapter 19: Silk Doll (Part 1)

After Chen Fanshi left, Chen Yufeng had spent every day at the town entrance waiting—waiting for six whole months.

Sometimes, in the dead of night, she would wake up and run to the entrance again, convinced that her father had gone to buy a house. That as soon as he secured a home, he would take her and her mother to the capital.

But in reality, at that time, he had already started a family with Zhang Yanli in the capital?

He had deliberately reported his son’s age as younger to cover it up.

And the fact that he had taken the antiques with him in 1974—it was clear now that he had planned to take them all along.

The hospital was located in the No. 1 Residential Compound for officer families. To get from there to the company-grade officers’ residential area was about a kilometer’s walk, with several different paths leading there.

But right now, they were taking the shortest route.

Han Chao, unwilling to exchange pleasantries with Chen Fanshi and his son, veered off onto another path and left ahead of them.

Meanwhile, Chen Fanshi continued lecturing his son as they walked.

“Yuhuang, your older brother used to be a street punk too. But I pulled some strings and got him into the army. Right now, the garrison in Hong Kong is selecting personnel. Don’t look down on him just because he’s only 22—if he gets into the Hong Kong garrison, he’ll be ranked at the battalion level, the same as Han Chao. If you’re willing to enlist, you could have the same opportunity.”

Chen Yuhuang’s older brother, Ma Shangbei, was the eldest son of Zhang Yanli and her late ex-husband.

Since his biological father passed away early, leaving him without proper guidance, it was only recently that Chen Fanshi used his connections to get him into the military.

Now, the military district was selecting personnel for the garrison unit in Hong Kong. As it happened, Chen Fanshi had a good relationship with Commander Luo of the military district. With just a word, Ma Shangbei was already shortlisted for the selection.

Chen Fanshi had no real affection for Ma Shangbei. He only pulled strings for him because Zhang Yanli had persistently begged him to do so.

But Chen Yuhuang was his own son. It was for this son that he had hardened his heart and abandoned Zhou Yafang and her daughter in the past. Naturally, he hoped Yuhuang would surpass not only Han Chao but also Ma Shangbei in achievements.

However, after trying to persuade him the entire way, Chen Yuhuang remained indifferent. As they reached the entrance of the battalion-level family compound, he stretched out his hand and said, “Dad, stop nagging me with all this nonsense. Just give me some spending money. I’m really short on cash right now. If you don’t, I’ll tell my sister that you tricked her with those shares. That so-called ‘equity’ is useless anyway, because my mom will never give her any share of the profits!”

“You… you useless, troublemaking brat!”

As a cultured and educated man, Chen Fanshi was so enraged by his son that he nearly coughed up blood.

Seeing how incorrigible his son was, he nearly raised his hand to hit him. But after a moment’s hesitation, he held back.

Han Chao had been worse than a stray dog when he was young, yet he matured after joining the army.

If his son joined the military, he might also grow up.

Han Chao walked fast and had already entered the house by then. Meanwhile, Tiantian was still dancing in the courtyard.

She danced so well that two neighboring wives, Mrs. Bao and Mrs. Wu, along with Bao’s two little rascals, Xiaowen and Xiaowu, were leaning against the courtyard wall, watching.

Han Chao wasn’t interested in dance and had serious matters to discuss with Chen Yufeng. Without hesitation, he reached out and turned off the radio.

Tiantian, who was fully immersed in her dance, was startled and ran back inside the house in fright.

Mimi was furious. She stomped her foot and demanded, “Stupid Dad, what are you doing? Why did you turn off the radio?”

“Your mom and I have something to discuss. Go inside,” Han Chao said.

“No way! Didn’t you see the neighbors watching my sister dance? You’re such a rude dad,” Mimi huffed.

Sister-in-law Bao chuckled. “Han Mi, your sister has been dancing for a long time. She should take a break.”

Sister-in-law Wu added, “The TV drama is about to start. We need to go watch it.”

With that, the two neighbors returned home.

Although Han Chao was wrong for interrupting Tiantian’s dance, Mimi’s lack of respect for her father was also inappropriate. Moreover, Han Chao’s expression made it clear he had something important to say.

Chen Yufeng grabbed Han Mi and said, “Your dad just got home from work after a long day. He must be tired and thirsty. Go get him a glass of water, okay?”

“I’ll do it, but he has to apologize to my sister later,” Mimi insisted.

“Just go fetch the water. If you do, I’ll make him apologize,” Chen Yufeng coaxed, successfully sending her off.

Han Chao got straight to the point: “Feng’er, your father is coming to our house.”

Then he added, “Did you know that his son, Chen Yuhuang, was born in 1972?”

Seeing Chen Yufeng momentarily stunned, Han Chao smirked and said, “I told you long ago, that man is no good.”

Chen Yufeng and Han Chao had grown up together, and they had never quarreled over anything else.

But when it came to Chen Fanshi, they frequently clashed.

The reason was simple.

Han Chao always believed Chen Fanshi was a terrible person, while Chen Yufeng had adored her father as a child.

Other fathers never carried or hugged their children, but young Chen Yufeng had always been lifted onto Chen Fanshi’s shoulders. Unlike other men, such as Han Chao’s father, who spent money on cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling, Chen Fanshi wasn’t like that. If he had even a single penny in his pocket, he would use it to buy sweets or hair accessories for her.

Though they had lived in poverty, Chen Yufeng had been genuinely happy.

She had also always held onto hope that, even if her father had taken the antiques and had another child in the city, he must have had his reasons. After all, he was still her father. She had been waiting for his explanation.

That was why, after arriving here a week ago, she hadn’t taken any action against him. Instead, she had been waiting for him to show up.

But now, hearing that Chen Yuhuang had been born in 1972, something clicked in her mind.

Starting in ‘72, Chen Fanshi’s behavior had suddenly improved. Since he frequently traveled to the city, he always brought back sweets and little hair accessories for her. Every night, he would wash her hair and feet and tell her bedtime stories.

Because he had been so kind at the time, Zhou Yafang had given him the antiques without hesitation, and even Chen Yufeng had supported the decision.

They had both believed that he would return and take them to the capital.

But thinking back now, the reason he had acted so well at the time was probably because he already had a son in the city. His eagerness to get the antiques and move back had likely been driven by that.

Han Chao continued, “Our division commander, Xu, also serves as the deputy head of the General Military District’s Political Department. I can report this to him. Of course, this would damage your father’s reputation and could even cost him his position. Are you okay with that?”

In the past, when Han Chao had beaten Chen Fanshi until his face was swollen beyond recognition, Chen Yufeng had been so angry that she refused to speak to him for an entire year.

And when she was 18, her father had called her to the city, and she had been overjoyed like a child.

Back then, she had been naive. She had thought that, even if her father had taken the antiques and had a son in the city, he still loved her. Perhaps it was because of this belief that, in the original story, she never pursued the matter of the antiques.

Chen Yufeng asked, “Is Commander Xu the same military officer who visited our home recently?”

“Yes,” Han Chao replied.

“He mentioned wanting to come over for a meal,” she added.

Han Chao said, “He was probably just making conversation. He’s a busy man. I doubt he’ll come.”

“Can you find a way to invite him? I want to discuss the antiques with him in private,” Chen Yufeng said.

Han Chao fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.

Chen Yufeng had already thought of a way to rent that restaurant the first time she saw it.

Chen Fanshi had donated antiques to the military district, and in return, they had given him a large marketplace to collect rent from.

If Zhou Yafang were to donate antiques, she wouldn’t receive a marketplace—since she didn’t have the status of a veteran militiaman, the military district wouldn’t grant her that. However, she could negotiate with them to obtain the restaurant instead.

She couldn’t come up with the 10,000-yuan deposit, but three antiques should be enough to exchange for a restaurant, right?

Han Chao said he had eaten at the mess hall in the military camp, but Chen Yufeng worried he wouldn’t be full, so she prepared some snacks for him. Before she could bring them out, they were chatting when suddenly, Tiantian called out, “Daddy.”

Han Chao turned around and asked, “Did you make these ‘silk dolls’ yourself?”

Silk dolls were a special delicacy unique to Guihua Town, and only Wang Guoguo knew how to make them. The dish involved steaming rice sheets and cutting them into palm-sized squares, then wrapping them with ingredients like fried tofu skin, bean sprouts, shredded kelp, marinated sweet radish strips, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds. The rolls were then drizzled with a sweet and spicy sauce made from minced chili paste and pickled radish juice. They were a perfect light snack before or after a meal, bursting with flavor.

Chen Yufeng had prepared these for Han Chao to keep him from going hungry after returning home. She hadn’t even started making them yet, but Tiantian had already quietly rolled some on her own.

The little silk dolls were plump and white, about the size of a thumb. The translucent rice skin revealed the vibrant red and green fillings inside, making them look especially appetizing. Han Chao picked one up, popped it into his mouth, and nodded. “Tastes great.”

Tiantian, both shy and excited, placed the entire plate in Han Chao’s lap, shot him a quick glance, and then ran off.

Just then, before even stepping inside, Chen Fanshi called out, “Feng’er.”

When she was little, Chen Yufeng loved her father just like Tiantian loved Han Chao now. It was an unconditional love—a daughter’s gaze toward her father was even more passionate than a young girl’s gaze toward her first love.

In the past, if she heard her father calling, she would have leaped up, dashed outside, and clung to his shoulders like a little gecko. This was exactly why Chen Fanshi was so sure that, with just a few casual words, he could brush her off, and she would never question him about the antiques again.

She loved him. Deeply.

But this time, Chen Yufeng didn’t move. Even when Chen Fanshi walked into the courtyard, she remained seated and didn’t get up.

Chen Fanshi had never liked Han Chao. The moment he stepped in and saw him, he said, “Feng’er, this is a family matter between us. Why don’t you ask Han Chao to step aside?”

When she was younger, if Chen Fanshi had told her, “Han Chao is just a stray dog, don’t bother with him,” she really wouldn’t have. In fact, when she was 18 and he visited Anyang County to see her, it was to introduce her to a suitor—Zhang Yanli’s nephew, a young soldier named Xu Qing.

At that time, Chen Fanshi had analyzed everything and concluded that Han Chao was inferior to Xu Qing, urging Chen Yufeng to date him. She even exchanged letters with Xu Qing for a long time until he suddenly stopped responding. Only then did she end up marrying Han Chao.

So, Chen Fanshi was confident—he knew his daughter loved him.

By his logic, such a small request should have been easy for her to agree to.

But what she said next nearly made Chen Fanshi’s jaw drop.

She said, “Dad, I only have one request regarding the antiques—change the donor’s name to my mother on all the records with the military district.”

She had to be joking.

Chen Fanshi held back his frustration and said, “Feng’er, it was because I donated those antiques that the military district gave me the Daqingshan Wholesale Market. If we change the name to your mother’s, they’ll take back the market. How am I supposed to make a living then?”

“You started renting that market in 1978. You’ve already made money from it for twelve years. Isn’t that enough?” Chen Yufeng countered.

Chen Fanshi glanced at Han Chao, who was still standing in the courtyard, casually eating silk dolls from a plate. Two little girls were beside him, gazing up at him with the same adoring eyes that Chen Yufeng used to have when she was little.

For a moment, a wave of guilt washed over him.

Silk dolls—Zhou Yafang used to make those for him all the time.

The rice skin was soft and glutinous, the vegetable fillings were crisp, and the sweet, sour, and spicy flavors burst in his mouth with every bite.

Looking at Han Chao, Chen Fanshi couldn’t help but swallow.

He was puzzled—why hadn’t his daughter served him any? But fine, that wasn’t important right now.

He said, “I’m willing to give you 30% of the Daqingshan Wholesale Market shares and an additional 3,000 yuan in cash. This market belongs to our family, and when I die, my shares will go to you anyway.”

The 3,000 yuan was originally money he had set aside to buy a pager.

But looking at his two adorable granddaughters, he suddenly felt softhearted and wanted to give the money to Chen Yufeng instead.

He was sure she would accept this offer.

But to his shock, she responded, “I don’t want the shares. If you won’t bring this up with the military district, I will. I demand that the antiques’ donor name be changed.”

Chen Fanshi had been more anxious about Zhang Yanli’s illness than his daughter’s demands because he assumed he could easily pacify her with a few words.