Chapter 20: The Ginseng Doll (Part 1)

On Monday, when Chen Yufeng took Tiantian to school, Teacher Sun was waiting for her and immediately said, “Sister Chen, has Han Tian trained in dance before? She has an excellent foundation and is very flexible.”

“She was in the countryside before. She hasn’t learned anything,” Chen Yufeng replied.

“Have you considered enrolling her in an extracurricular dance class? She seems to love dancing,” Teacher Sun continued.

So, it wasn’t just her who noticed Tiantian’s talent—her teacher had noticed it too?

“As long as there’s a teacher willing to take her, I’ll definitely enroll her. Do you have any recommendations?” Chen Yufeng asked.

Teacher Sun said, “Our school’s Teacher Wang Liyuan used to be in a performing arts troupe. Her dance skills are excellent.”

“Does she teach at the school? How much is the tuition? How do I sign up?” Chen Yufeng inquired.

“She lives in the regimental family quarters. Her tuition is quite high—seven yuan per child per month—but she has a strong foundation and teaches very well. Plus, she only takes a maximum of five students per class, no more,” Teacher Sun explained.

She continued, “Teacher Wang not only teaches dance at our preschool class but also selects and coaches the children’s performances for the annual July 1st gala. If you let Han Tian study with her, she’ll have the opportunity to perform at the gala.”

In the novel, the ‘Chen Yufeng’ depicted was a rural woman who believed that girls learning dance was improper and firmly forbade Tiantian from dancing. But the real Chen Yufeng had no such hesitation and said decisively, “As long as Teacher Wang is willing to teach, I’ll sign her up.”

Teacher Sun smiled and said, “Teacher Wang is very eager to take her as a student, which is why she specifically asked me to talk to you. She usually collects tuition every six months, but if you’d prefer to pay for just three months first, that’s fine too.”

The reason they had to discuss it with her was likely out of concern that Chen Yufeng, coming from the countryside, might have traditional views and refuse to let Tiantian learn dance, thus wasting her potential.

At seven yuan per month, six months of tuition came to 42 yuan.

Chen Yufeng took out her handkerchief, counted out four ten-yuan bills and a two-yuan note, and said, “If this isn’t enough, I have more.”

Teacher Sun accepted the money and said, “Tonight, Teacher Wang will take Han Tian directly to class. You can pick her up at her home afterward.”

After sending the two little girls into school, Chen Yufeng counted the money in her handkerchief again and suddenly felt uneasy.

She had 400 yuan when she arrived, but lately, her expenses had been piling up, and now she only had 210 yuan left. While the military district provided rations such as rice, flour, and oil, and there were monthly coupons for meat and vegetables that could be used at the special supply store, the selection there was limited.

The special supply store only carried pork and lamb, and the vegetables were limited to potatoes and carrots. The meat was all frozen, and the fish was labeled as “fresh frozen.” If she wanted better ingredients, she had to shop at the wholesale market, which meant spending extra money.

Han Chao’s monthly stipend was only 70 yuan. At this rate, they would soon be burning through their savings.

Moreover, since Tiantian was now learning a skill, Chen Yufeng wanted Mimi to learn something as well, which would require more tuition. With Han Chao’s limited income, their family would barely be able to maintain a basic standard of living.

This made it all the more urgent for her to take over the restaurant. She also needed to bring Wang Guoguo and Zhou Yafang to the capital as soon as possible.

Han Chao had promised to personally invite Commander Xu, so for now, Chen Yufeng could only wait.

Since she was planning to open a restaurant, she needed to plan the menu and familiarize herself with the prices of vegetables, seasonings, and meats at the wholesale market. The ingredients in the city were very different from those in the countryside—there, vegetables were grown without pesticides or fertilizers, fish were freshly caught from the river, and chickens were raised at home.

But in the city, fish and meat came from specialized farms. The farm-raised chickens were plump but lacked flavor, and the pigs were bred for lean meat, often carrying a strange smell.

Finding high-quality ingredients would require time and effort spent exploring the market.

In the city’s markets, vendors often shortchanged customers on weight, and some were outright scammers.

At the Daqingshan wholesale market, there were two major seafood suppliers. One was a large establishment called “Ma’s Seafood,” which, according to rumors, supplied fish to the military district. However, the owner had a terrible attitude. If you so much as pointed at a fish to ask about the price, he would immediately grab it, knock it out, and demand payment with a knife in hand: “Pay up.”

Chen Yufeng observed for a while and saw at least seven or eight women get swindled into buying dead fish.

She knew right away that she couldn’t do business with someone like that.

The other seafood shop was at the far end of the market—a small family-run business. The couple who ran it were kind-hearted and originally from Miyun. Their yellow catfish, Chinese perch, and bullhead fish were particularly fresh, large, and wild-caught.

Chen Yufeng made up her mind: when she opened her restaurant, she would source her fish from them.

That evening, when she went to pick up Tiantian, she was surprised to recognize Tiantian’s dance teacher, Wang Liyuan, as a character from the book. Wang’s husband, Xiao Sheng, was one of the admirers of the novel’s female protagonist, Qi Cailing.

That novel had a strange number of men who didn’t love their wives but instead unconditionally adored Qi Cailing, helping her both in life and in her career. Chen Yufeng never understood why, nor did she care to.

She was only focused on living her own life.

On Monday, Han Chao didn’t return home but sent a message through an orderly, saying that due to a firearm accident, his regiment was undergoing an internal review and he wouldn’t be able to come home that night.

The next night, he finally came home at midnight.

Chen Yufeng had already put the two little girls to bed and was waiting for him.

She wanted to know whether he had managed to invite Commander Xu.

When she first arrived, she had assumed that as long as people were in the military district, they could easily interact and form friendships. But over the past few days, she had realized that the ranks were strictly divided, even among the family quarters.

Regimental-level, divisional-level, and higher-ranking officers all lived in separate family quarters, and someone like her, a battalion-level officer’s wife, couldn’t just walk into the quarters of higher-ranked officers. She had to report her visit at the gate, and only if the guards confirmed with the residents would she be allowed to enter.

Among the officers, the hierarchy was even more rigid. Commander Xu was indeed Han Chao’s superior, but there were several ranks between them—vice regimental commanders, regimental commanders, brigade commanders, vice division commanders, and so on.

A battalion commander like Han Chao was just one of hundreds under Commander Xu’s command. It wasn’t realistic to expect that he could simply invite him over for a meal. After all, division-level officers had their own household staff to prepare meals—why would they bother dining at a subordinate’s house?

Knowing this afterward made Chen Yufeng even more anxious. She was worried that Han Chao wouldn’t be able to invite Commander Xu.

So, as soon as the man stepped inside, she asked, “Brother, did you invite Commander Xu? Will he come for dinner?”

Han Chao was taking off his coat and casually replied, “I’ve been on the battlefield for eight years, and he’s my direct superior. Having him over for a meal is perfectly normal.”

Did that mean Han Chao had really invited him?

“By the way, when he visited our home that day, didn’t he ask about Tiantian’s jade pendant?” Han Chao added.

When Commander Xu met Tiantian, he had specifically asked Chen Yufeng about the jade—who it belonged to—and even came to their house to inquire further.

This made Chen Yufeng suspect that there might be some connection between Commander Xu and her mother-in-law.

Wang Guoguo was a woman from Yunnan-Guizhou but had married near the capital. Some said Han’s father had abducted her, while others speculated that she had made some mistake during the revolution and had come to hide. In any case, no one knew where she was truly from.

Since Commander Xu was also a refined person, Chen Yufeng secretly guessed that he might be her mother-in-law’s relative, perhaps even her brother.

Excited by the thought, she quickly nodded. “Yes.” At the same time, she handed Han Chao a cup of water. His lips were extremely dry, so she had prepared warm water with honey for him.

Despite Han Chao’s tall and intimidating appearance—often seeming like he disliked everyone—he had a particular fondness for sweets.

“He said he used to have a jade pendant just like my mother’s, but it was stolen,” Han Chao said.

“When did he lose it?” Chen Yufeng asked.

Han Chao replied, “According to him, around 1960.”

Wang Guoguo had arrived in Guihua Town around that time. Could it be that Commander Xu suspected his mother-in-law had stolen his jade, and that’s why he had come to inquire?

That seemed impossible. Wang Guoguo was an exceptionally proud person—how could she steal someone else’s jade?

It was more likely that someone had resold it to her.

Chen Yufeng had initially thought that Commander Xu and her mother-in-law might be old acquaintances—if not siblings, at least familiar with each other. But it seemed she had been hoping in vain.

Han Chao finished his drink, licked his lips, and looked at his wife. Was he asking for more?

Chen Yufeng scooped some honey from the jar, added more water, stirred it well, and handed him another cup of sweet honey water.

It was past midnight, and she needed to go to bed.

Just as she stepped into the bedroom, she heard Han Chao say, “Feng’er, I don’t close my door.”

“Okay,” Chen Yufeng responded as she closed her own bedroom door.

She understood what Han Chao meant.

However, according to the book, not only did Xiao Sheng consider Qi Cailing his confidante, but Han Chao also had some special feelings for Qi Cailing.

This was supposedly because Qi Cailing had raised outstanding children and was an exceptional woman herself.

But by now, Chen Yufeng no longer fully trusted that book. While the major events matched reality, Han Chao had barely interacted with Qi Cailing in his childhood. How could he suddenly become her confidant after joining the military district?

She found it hard to believe.

Nonetheless, she decided to observe for a while longer. If Qi Cailing’s children were truly outstanding and Han Chao wanted to be their godfather, she wouldn’t object.

But if he harbored any deeper feelings for Qi Cailing, she wouldn’t tolerate it.

Chen Yufeng was possessive. She had stayed home alone for seven years, carrying their daughters on her back when they had fevers and colds, watching over them tirelessly.

During holidays, when other families were celebrating together, she was always alone.

She would wake before dawn to gather mountain goods and work diligently every day. Half of the family’s savings had come from her efforts.

And in the end, all of it had been spent on her mother-in-law. She didn’t regret it, but she still felt uneasy about it.

People have feelings. She would continue to work hard and not hold Han Chao back. He could go on never loving her, treating her like a sister.

But if he dared to love someone else and treat another woman as his confidante—

She was possessive. She wouldn’t accept that!

…

The next morning, Chen Yufeng went to the Daqingshan wholesale market again.

Chen Fanshi managed this market. Though he didn’t stay there all the time, he had an office on the second floor, where his family’s phone number was displayed on the wall. After jotting it down, Chen Yufeng called him, asking him to visit on Friday. She mentioned she was making a braised yellow catfish sour soup hotpot and invited him over for a meal.

At that time, Zhang Yanli had just returned from the hospital and was with Chen Fanshi when he answered the call. Hearing a woman’s voice on the phone, she immediately asked, “Who is it?” She was very strict with her husband, fearing he might have affairs outside.

“It’s Yufeng. She invited me over for dinner on Friday,” Chen Fanshi replied with a chuckle. “She’s probably come to her senses.”

Neither Chen Fanshi nor Zhang Yanli could figure out how Chen Yufeng planned to prove that the antiques were truly hers.

They assumed she had given up and was now trying to curry favor with her father. Zhang Yanli scoffed, “Smart choice. She knows she can’t fight against those more powerful. When you go, remind her to send that dark-skinned girl to Ma Jinfeng. Ma Jinfeng is looking to buy a mine and has promised me that if I give her the girl, she’ll share half the mine’s shares with us.”

“You’re obsessed with money,” Chen Fanshi scolded.

“You don’t love money? Then why invest in so many companies?” Zhang Yanli retorted.

The profits from the Daqingshan wholesale market had been invested into an electronics company and a real estate firm, in which Chen Fanshi held a 30% stake.

So, while they didn’t have a large cash reserve, they were financially well-off.

Of course, without Zhang Yanli, Chen Fanshi wouldn’t have been able to connect with military district officials or amass his current wealth. Though her behavior was excessive, he tolerated it.

Compared to the weak and ignorant Zhou Yafang, Zhang Yanli—who could help a man make money—was a much more competent wife.

Friday arrived in the blink of an eye. Chen Fanshi had long detested Guihua Town and everything about his past as a sent-down youth, except for one thing—Wang Guoguo’s sour soup yellow catfish.

Especially the soft, quivering tofu cooked inside, forming a honeycomb-like texture. He craved it intensely.

Though he had despised Wang Guoguo, he had never objected to her sending fish to his family.

Back then, everyone was hungry and rarely saw meat, so they were all craving it. Whenever Wang Guoguo sent over a fish, Chen Fanshi could finish the entire thing in one sitting. Now, it seemed Yufeng had perfectly inherited Wang Guoguo’s culinary skills.