Chapter 19: Silk Doll (Part 2)

He never expected her to be this stubborn—to insist on going to the military district to change the name.

If this were a court sentence, he had expected a 15-day detention, but Chen Yufeng was essentially handing him the death penalty—an immediate execution.

“Feng’er…” Chen Fanshi was still trying to gather his thoughts, wanting to persuade her further.

But before he could, Chen Yuhuang, ever the troublemaker, suddenly sneered and said, “Sister, don’t be ridiculous. Your name isn’t even on the antiques. You think you can just go to the military district and file a complaint? Commander Luo is my dad’s good friend. Do you really think the officials will believe you?”

“Yuhuang, shut up,” Chen Fanshi scolded.

But Chen Yuhuang didn’t take Chen Yufeng seriously at all. His aunt worked in the logistics department of the military district, and Chen Fanshi had strong ties with Commander Luo, Commander Xu, and Director Ma. They often dined together. With such powerful connections, Chen Yufeng stood no chance of overturning the situation.

This was exactly why Zhang Yanli had been so furious at home, complaining, “Why should we give Chen Yufeng any money? Let her go make a fuss at the military district, let her sue! Unless she can prove the antiques were hers, I don’t care how much noise she makes.”

“Sis, 30% of the shares is already pretty good. I only have 30%, and I’m still our dad’s son,” Chen Yuhuang added.

“Comrade Chen Fanshi, let’s talk directly with the military district leadership. I need to sweep the yard, so you should leave now,” Chen Yufeng said as she picked up a broom and started sweeping.

Chen Yuhuang had seen his mother suffer setbacks at Chen Yufeng’s hands before. As a streetwise troublemaker, he hadn’t learned much else but knew well how to bully people. While saying, “Sis, let’s talk properly,” he suddenly swung his elbow toward her face.

He was tall and strong, and that strike was meant to make Chen Yufeng suffer a loss.

Meanwhile, Han Chao, with his fair complexion and quiet demeanor, had been calmly eating the whole time.

Chen Yuhuang didn’t take him seriously at all. But before his elbow could even reach halfway, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his knee and dropped straight to the ground.

Han Chao had kicked him. Still seated with one leg crossed over the other, he gazed at him coldly.

Chen Yuhuang had heard that Han Chao was once a troublemaker himself. In an act of defiance, he spat on the ground.

But this time, Han Chao was even faster—he flicked a small stone with his foot, sending it flying directly into Chen Yuhuang’s mouth with perfect accuracy.

If Chen Yuhuang was a mere delinquent, then Han Chao was the king of delinquents.

Hearing his daughter say she would talk to the military district leadership, Chen Fanshi found it laughable.

He belonged to the generation that had been let down by the country. He had married Zhou Yafang back then due to circumstances—educated youths were too pampered for hard labor, while marrying a rural woman allowed for a government reward of 100 jin of fine grain per year. That was why he married in the countryside.

It wasn’t that he had deliberately wanted to take Zhou Yafang’s antiques.

But the country owed him. The government owed him. They had robbed him of ten years of a normal life.

Without those antiques, if he had returned to the city and been assigned a job as a bus conductor or a laborer carrying sacks in a state-run store, he would have been stuck in mediocrity forever. It was only with Zhang Yanli and those antiques that he had managed to become wealthy.

And now Chen Yufeng wanted to talk to the military district leaders? How?

For one, his relationships with those leaders were solid. Secondly, they were just antiques—even if Chen Yufeng had carved her name onto them, that wouldn’t prove ownership. Artifacts that had circulated for hundreds or even thousands of years sometimes had Qianlong Emperor’s seal stamped on them—did that mean they belonged to Qianlong?

“Feng’er, you’re being foolish. You have no way to prove that those antiques belonged to Zhou Yafang. Stop being stubborn. Take this share transfer agreement, and let’s put this matter behind us,” Chen Fanshi said patiently.

Chen Yufeng was so furious she could barely speak. Thankfully, she had Han Chao—and even more importantly, Han Chao didn’t care about money.

Right in front of Chen Fanshi, Han Chao tore the share transfer agreement in half and smacked the pieces against his chest.

Then, he reached out and lightly patted Chen Fanshi’s face—a wordless gesture telling him to leave.

Chen Fanshi was now a respected man. If anyone else had humiliated him like this, he would have immediately lashed out.

But with Han Chao, he didn’t dare say a word.

After all, when Han Chao was nine years old, he had broken Chen Fanshi’s nose in a fight.

“Feng’er…” Chen Fanshi tried to speak again.

Han Chao pointed toward the door.

Chen Yuhuang, being the coward he was, had already run out.

As for Chen Fanshi, before he could say anything else, Han Chao shoved him out the door.

“Father, my sister is really dumb,” Chen Yuhuang muttered outside.

“Let her figure it out herself. She’ll come to her senses,” Chen Fanshi sighed.

He had never wronged anyone in his life—except for Chen Yufeng and her mother. He didn’t feel guilty about Zhou Yafang; after all, she had chosen to marry him. But Chen Yufeng was his daughter, and the thought of wronging her made him uncomfortable.

Still, he had been good to her in the past. And right now, his business ventures hadn’t started making money yet. Once he did, he would compensate her.

With that thought, Chen Fanshi felt he wasn’t in the wrong and left.

Back inside, Han Chao closed the door and turned to Chen Yufeng.

“Did you leave a mark on those antiques?” He paused before continuing, “You must think those marks can prove they belonged to your family. That’s why you want to report this to the leadership, right?”

After all, Chen Fanshi was still her father. Even though he had abandoned her, Chen Yufeng hadn’t forgotten the times he washed her feet, told her stories, carried her on his shoulders, or held her in his arms when she was little.

When she had marked those antiques back then, it hadn’t been to claim ownership—it had been a mark of love.

“What kind of mark did you make? Did you carve something onto them?” Han Chao pressed.

Even if she had, that wouldn’t be enough proof. If Chen Fanshi simply claimed that the carvings were made by a mischievous child scribbling on their family heirlooms, who would the leadership believe?

Chen Yufeng stomped her foot. Han Chao immediately stopped talking and stood behind her.

“I have an idea,” he said. “I’ll contact a friend at the Public Security Bureau to check Chen Yuhuang’s exact birth date. Then I’ll report this to Commander Xu.

“Even if you can’t prove the antiques belong to your family, the fact that Chen Yuhuang’s birth date doesn’t match the records will be enough to raise suspicion. Commander Xu will report this up the chain, and they’ll likely take back the Daqingshan Wholesale Market.”

This approach wouldn’t directly prove the antiques’ ownership.

But considering that Zhang Yanli’s ex-husband was a military man, and she had given birth while supposedly widowed—not to mention her recent involvement in child trafficking—the military district would definitely reconsider letting them keep the market.

If the military district reclaimed the market, it would be like smashing Chen Fanshi’s rice bowl.

It was the safest strategy.

Even if Chen Yufeng just wanted to vent her anger, this was the best way. Otherwise, if she failed to present strong enough evidence in front of Commander Xu, she might lose credibility.

The mark Chen Yufeng had made wasn’t something as simple as childish carvings. In fact, of the three marks she had left, she had only managed to find one so far.

And even that one mark was too complicated to explain to Han Chao just yet.

But she had made up her mind—she was going to take the risk and gamble on this chance.

After all, she wasn’t trying to reclaim the Daqingshan Wholesale Market, nor was she seeking revenge on Chen Fanshi.

She simply wanted to correct the name of the antiques’ donor—and, in doing so, acquire the restaurant.

“Brother, how about this? Go and invite Commander Xu again. Tell him that my braised yellow catfish is exceptionally delicious and invite him over to our house to try it. When the time comes, I’ll also invite Chen Fanshi and confront him directly. I believe I can prove that those antiques belong to my mother—through a verbal confrontation,” Chen Yufeng said.

A “verbal confrontation” was, put simply, an argument.

Chen Yufeng wanted to convince a senior military officer that the antiques were hers by arguing? It sounded absurd.

Besides, Han Chao was only a battalion-level officer. Inviting a commander over for a meal was one thing, but making him sit through a family dispute? That would be quite inappropriate.

If Chen Yufeng failed to prove the antiques were hers, wouldn’t that just make a laughingstock of their whole family?

Still, having grown up together, Han Chao had a basic level of trust in her. He studied his wife for a moment and then said, “Alright.”

Chen Fanshi also loved braised yellow catfish, and apparently, he knew Commander Xu. A three-way confrontation would be ideal.

Chen Yufeng had to prove the antiques were hers.

Mimi, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke up when she sensed the sudden quiet between her parents. Huffing, she said, “My sister dances beautifully! The teachers at the preschool always praise her. But Han Chao is a bad dad. He never watches or praises her!”

Han Chao had never been interested in dance. Back when the military art troupe performed at the front lines, soldiers would fight for the best seats, but Han Chao would always give up his ticket to others. He understood that music and dance could lift soldiers’ spirits and help them forget the horrors of war, but he simply didn’t enjoy it.

“I praise her. She dances well,” he said flatly.

Mimi pouted. “Next Friday, our class is performing. You won’t come, will you?”

The man replied, “I really don’t have time next Friday.”

Mimi had been using reverse psychology, trying to provoke her father into agreeing to watch the performance.

But her dad… he was completely unfazed. He didn’t take the bait at all. The little girl was on the verge of exploding with frustration.

Chen Yufeng recalled that, according to the novel, Han Chao was indifferent to Mimi and completely negligent toward Tiantian. He was a man, a soldier, and he naturally preferred wild, mischievous boys who could fight.

With both parents neglecting their daughters, Mimi ended up being given away, while Tiantian remained unnoticed and was later described in the novel as a naïve, clueless girl.

Getting Han Chao to care about Tiantian would be difficult since he had no interest in dance.

In the book, their marriage had become strained. They stopped speaking to each other—not just because of Mimi being given away, but also due to their differing views on the antiques. Moreover, Han Chao was handsome, and several women in the military admired him. Chen Yufeng felt unworthy of him and became fixated on having a son.

And so, their daughters suffered in the process.

But the current Chen Yufeng was not the same as the one in the book. Besides, she had known Han Chao since they were kids.

This shameless man—other people might not be able to handle him, but she could. After all, she had seen him running around in crotchless pants as a child.

By now, Han Chao had gone to shower. Chen Yufeng ushered the two girls to bed.

One was dark-skinned, one was fair. One was sulking, while the other was grinning. Both had unresolved feelings toward their father.

They had once feared his presence, but now they felt he wasn’t home enough.

The bathroom had a water tank where hot water could be mixed in for a simple shower. While Han Chao was bathing, Chen Yufeng gathered the dry bedding to prepare the bed.

Through the frosted glass of the bathroom window, she said, “By the way, brother, when I was little, I adored my dad. Do you think that’s ridiculous?”

Chen Fanshi had never married Zhou Yafang for love—he had only pursued her after learning that her family owned valuable antiques.

“His intentions were impure,” Han Chao said, water splashing in the background.

Chen Yufeng almost spat blood in frustration. She took a deep breath and continued, “When I danced as a child, my dad would applaud. If I tied a ribbon in my hair, he’d say it looked beautiful. He would wash my feet, trim my nails, and even kiss my little toes.”

She wanted to hit something. This infuriating man—just like in the novel—was nothing but a block of wood.

Sure, Chen Fanshi had ulterior motives, but it was his tenderness that had made her love him.

Frustrated, Chen Yufeng decided she wouldn’t make the bed for Han Chao anymore.

However, through the sound of rushing water, Han Chao suddenly asked, “Should I take watching Han Tian dance more seriously?”

Finally, this dense man realized it—he might not care for dance, but even a fake round of applause would make his daughter happy.

Chen Yufeng went inside and neatly arranged his bedding. A moment later, she heard the bathroom door bang open. She quickly returned to the master bedroom and shut the door.

She listened closely.

After a long pause, Han Chao spoke in a low voice, “Feng’er, I won’t close my door tonight.”

Mimi, still awake, immediately tattled, “Mom, Dad isn’t closing his door again! The big bad wolf is going to eat him!”

“Let the big bad wolf eat him,” Chen Yufeng said.

“Maybe not… I think Dad is actually okay,” Mimi mumbled, worried. She snuggled into Chen Yufeng’s arms but kept glancing outside. “Dad, close your door!”

Shameless man—of course, Chen Yufeng understood what he meant.

Back when they first got married, Han Chao had been about to go to war. Wang Guoguo had forbidden them from consummating their marriage, fearing it would be a burden if she ended up with a child while he was on the battlefield. A wife could be married, but she was off-limits.

But Chen Yufeng had secretly crept into his room. He had stayed home for three days, and she had gone to him three times.

Now, he was pulling the same trick—waiting for her to sneak into his bed once the kids were asleep.

But what was on Chen Yufeng’s mind? Pickled peppers, chopped chili—she had brought them from home, and their flavor was impeccable.

The market had yellow catfish, so she was confident the dish would turn out great.

But would Commander Xu actually come?