Chapter 29: One Family

Of course, Chen Yufeng would take out the receipt in front of Ma Lin.

But this matter wasn’t going to end just like that.

Chen Yufeng was preparing to sue Chen Fanshi.

However, she could only sue Chen Fanshi—not Zhang Yanli. And the real problem was Zhang Yanli, especially since she was planning to open a shop.

Zhang Yanli still hadn’t given up on clinging to Ma Jinfeng’s influence.

A person doesn’t have to be a thief, but they also can’t spend their days guarding against one.

Recently, while out and about, Chen Yufeng had noticed a pattern—some people deliberately caused trouble at restaurants, throwing insects or hair into dishes just to blackmail the owners.

If Zhang Yanli did the same once her shop opened, it would be a nightmare—especially since the military district’s restaurant primarily served high-ranking officials.

These matters fell under the jurisdiction of the Military Affairs Office. What if Ma Lin continued to side with Zhang Yanli when the time came?

Suddenly, Chen Yufeng asked, “By the way, Director Ma, my younger brother Yuhuang—he’s 18 this year, isn’t he?”

Ma Lin immediately replied, “No way. He was born in ’74, so he’s 16 this year.”

As a close friend, did she truly not know about Chen Yuhuang’s situation, or was she just pretending not to?

Regardless, today, she was going to resolve things properly.

Otherwise, Chen Yufeng wouldn’t mind making a big scene.

But first, she had to find that receipt.

She smiled and said, “Let’s go inside. It’s a humble home—please don’t mind.”

It was a hot day, and the men at home weren’t fond of wearing shirts.

Han Chao was at least decent enough to wear a white tank top.

Zhao Fangzheng and Wang Shuya, on the other hand, were shirtless.

Being military men, they all had tanned, muscular physiques.

Captain Zhao was particularly hairy, his stomach covered in thick fur.

At first glance, seeing Ma Lin—the infamous female officer feared by everyone in the military district—walk in, the men panicked.

Captain Zhao scrambled to grab his son’s shirt and tried to pull it over his head, but after struggling for a while, he almost suffocated himself. He ended up saluting with the shirt half-stuck over his face.

Wang Shuya, still shirtless, threw on a jacket and saluted. “Good day, Commander!”

Ma Lin strode in briskly, ignoring the bunch of half-dressed men.

Han Chao remained composed. He set Mimi down from his shoulders and saluted. “Good day, Director Ma.”

He glanced at Chen Yufeng, not sure what was going on.

Chen Yufeng mouthed a single word: “Money.”

Han Chao frowned slightly.

But the couple had already discussed this matter the night before, so he was aware of the situation.

He gestured for Ma Lin to step into the courtyard and asked, “Director Ma, would you like some tea?”

“I’m here on official business. No need for tea.”

Ma Lin then looked down at Mimi and, for the first time, allowed a slight smile.

“Hello, little one.”

A grandmother in military uniform, with four stars on her shoulders, arrived at the house, scaring Tiantian so much that she immediately stopped dancing in the yard and hid in the bedroom, refusing to come out.

However, Mimi was quite intrigued by this uniformed grandmother with four stars on her shoulders.

As Ma Lin followed Chen Yufeng into the bedroom, Mimi also followed. At that moment, Chen Yufeng bent down to pull out a case from under the table—one that looked like a violin case. Meanwhile, Ma Lin casually crossed her legs and sat down on a chair.

Mimi approached her, reaching out to gently touch the stars on Ma Lin’s shoulder and asked, “Grandma, are these stars heavy?”

Chen Yufeng, worried that her daughter’s chatter might annoy Ma Lin, was about to tell her to stop talking.

But Ma Lin, rather intrigued, asked, “Sweetheart, why do you ask that?”

“Because my dad is really strong, but he only has one star on his shoulder,” Mimi said, then reached out to touch Ma Lin’s arm. “But you’re a woman, and yet you can carry four stars!”

Ma Lin had once lost a daughter—her little girl had died when she was only eight months old.

She had a soft spot for young girls. Stroking Mimi’s head, she explained, “Sweetheart, these stars represent responsibility. The greater the responsibility, the more stars you bear. If your dad can shoulder more responsibility, he’ll earn more stars.”

“He definitely can! He’s the best dad in the world!” Mimi declared confidently.

Children always idolize their fathers. Ma Lin smiled. At that moment, Chen Yufeng handed her a receipt along with thirty thousand yuan, saying, “Please take a look.”

The receipt was obviously written by Chen Yufeng. Since she hadn’t received much schooling, her handwriting was rough and awkward.

But Ma Lin recognized Chen Fanshi’s signature right away. As a military contractor, every request he made—big or small—needed her final approval, so she was very familiar with his signature.

The evidence was clear: the money came from Chen Fanshi, and from his perspective, it was child support.

Ma Lin was momentarily stunned, her hand hovering in mid-air for a long time. She had never expected Chen Yufeng to actually have a receipt.

But she quickly considered another possibility—perhaps Chen Fanshi had written this receipt for Chen Yufeng himself, to prevent Han Chao from getting entangled when Zhang Yanli made a fuss.

Even now, she still believed Zhang Yanli’s version of the story. After all, when it came to men, their words were the least reliable.

But she said decisively, “This is Chen Fanshi’s handwriting. It proves that this money was your legal income and has nothing to do with Han Chao. Now that I’ve seen the evidence, let’s consider this matter settled.”

“So it doesn’t matter that Aunt Zhang falsely accused me of extortion?” Chen Yufeng countered.

They had agreed to meet at 5 PM at Chen Yufeng’s house to resolve this issue. It was now 4 PM—Zhang Yanli would be arriving in an hour.

Ma Lin checked her watch and said, “She hasn’t reported this to the higher-ups. And I’m just her friend, not her superior. So technically, she hasn’t committed slander.”

Chen Yufeng thought to herself, Of course.

Zhang Yanli had nearly cost a veteran soldier of seven years his military career. Yet in Ma Lin’s eyes, they were “family,” which meant Zhang Yanli could file complaints, but Chen Yufeng couldn’t do anything about her.

So this was Ma Lin’s stance on the matter, as head of the military affairs office?

Her bias was practically spilling over.

Seeing Chen Yufeng’s displeasure, Ma Lin added, “She’ll be here soon. I can wait outside for her and make her apologize to you.”

An apology—for falsely accusing her. But just like with Director Qin’s daughter, the world wasn’t simply black and white. There were always shades of gray.

Chen Fanshi was a man. He wanted to give money to his daughter but was afraid of his wife’s reaction. So, it was possible he had lied to both sides.

Deep down, Ma Lin still believed that, in one way or another, Chen Yufeng had asked her father for money. Otherwise, why would Chen Fanshi have given it to her?

If he had really wanted to give her money, why hadn’t he done so in previous years?

“Alright, I’ll wait,” Chen Yufeng said as she stepped outside. “Shall I see you out?”

She had no intention of serving tea to this official—let her go find her dear friend instead!

Just then, Mimi suddenly grabbed Ma Lin’s hand. “Mommy, I don’t want Grandma to leave. I want her to stay with me!”

Ma Lin’s hand stiffened. Slowly turning around, she bent down and asked, “Sweetheart, why?”

“I want to know how you managed to carry so many stars on your shoulders. Can you tell me?” Mimi’s face was earnest.

Ma Lin bent down and studied the little girl for a long moment. She sniffled slightly, her eyes turning red. “Sweetheart, do you want to be a soldier too?” she asked.

“Of course! I want to be a soldier just like you!” Though small in stature, Mimi spoke with the confidence of someone standing ten feet tall.

Chen Yufeng nearly choked, while Han Chao—who had been listening outside the window—was equally stunned by his daughter’s boldness.

Children speak without fear, like young calves unafraid of tigers.

Mimi enthusiastically led Ma Lin to the living room. She even fetched her own little military uniform—it was freshly washed and folded neatly in the bedroom. She held it up proudly for Ma Lin to see. “Look! I’m a soldier too!”

Ma Lin said, “Commander Han, I’ll sit with your daughter for a while. You two go ahead with your business. No need to serve me tea—I won’t drink it.”

The implication was clear—she would talk with Mimi but didn’t want the couple around.

A true fire meeting gunpowder—what a temper.

And Han Chao, not one to back down, took her words literally. “If you’re not drinking tea, then I won’t bother making any,” he said, putting away the tea leaves.

Chen Yufeng considered telling Mimi to behave.

But before she could, Ma Lin coldly added, “Comrade Chen Yufeng, you should leave too.”

Han Chao immediately inhaled sharply. “Director Ma, this is my home, and Chen Yufeng is my wife.”

Chen Yufeng quickly pulled Han Chao aside and handed him three phone numbers. “Call my dad. If he’s not home, call the market. If he’s not at the market, call the company. Tell him I want him to come over for spicy chicken hotpot. The chili paste is homemade. Tell him to hurry.”

Han Chao frowned slightly.

Chen Yufeng gave him another push. “Go, quickly.”

Having just Zhang Yanli here wouldn’t be enough.

If you act without kindness, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Ma Lin was clearly biased in favor of Zhang Yanli, and Zhang Yanli had a tendency for scheming.

Once she opened the restaurant, if Zhang Yanli tried to harm her again and had Ma Lin’s protection, wouldn’t she just have to suffer in silence?

Chen Yufeng was determined to call Chen Fanshi over and expose the truth about Chen Yuhuang’s parentage on the spot. If one person was going to lose face, then everyone might as well lose face together!

Chen Fanshi might be busy, but if he heard that there was a hotpot made with glutinous rice chili paste and spicy chicken, he would come as long as he could still stand. Spicy chicken hotpot, like yellow catfish, was one of his absolute favorites.

Yesterday, Chen Yufeng had bought a chicken. They ate half of it, and the rest was stir-fried with glutinous rice chili paste. Now, it was soaking in red oil, ready to be served. Spicy chicken is best eaten piping hot. Once the broth was added, the combination of the chili’s heat and the chicken’s savory broth—along with fresh vegetables dipped into the bubbling pot—was enough to awaken even the dead with its aroma.

As Han Chao was heading out, Chen Yufeng instructed him to buy some vegetables, tofu skin, tofu, and winter melon. They already had soaked dried bean curd, sweet potato noodles, and homemade cured sausage and bacon from their hometown. With just a little effort, they could prepare a hearty hotpot feast.

Hotpot was easy to prepare and kept things tidy. While cooking in the kitchen, Chen Yufeng listened in on Ma Lin and Mimi’s conversation.

“Grandma, were you as fierce as me when you were little?” Mimi asked.

Ma Lin’s voice was unexpectedly gentle. “Of course, when I was a child, I was the leader of all the kids in our courtyard.”

“Then I want to be the leader of the kids in our courtyard too,” Mimi declared, pointing at Tian Tian before asking, “Did you have an older sister?”

“No, Grandma didn’t have an older sister. But I had two younger sisters whom I grew up playing with. One is Zhang Yanli—you must know her because she is your mother’s mother, your grandmother. The other is Zhang Aixia, her older sister,” Ma Lin said softly.

“Wow! Just like us sisters. Did you ever get separated?” Mimi asked eagerly.

Ma Lin replied, “When I was eighteen, I was sent to Mengzi as part of the Down to the Countryside Movement. Three years later, they went too, and we have been together ever since.”

From the kitchen, Chen Yufeng chuckled. So Zhang Yanli and Ma Lin were not just close friends but childhood playmates. Zhang Yanli had also been sent to Mengzi, though likely not for long—otherwise, she wouldn’t have ended up as just a shop assistant.

Mimi continued, “So you and your sisters always stayed together. That must have made you very happy, right?”

Ma Lin regretfully reached out and gently stroked Mimi’s small face. “No, sweetheart. Grandma was not happy at all. Because I once had a daughter just as adorable as you, but she was taken from me.”

Chen Yufeng’s hand paused. She wanted to hear more, but at that moment, Han Chao returned, and Ma Lin fell silent.

Han Chao placed the groceries on the kitchen counter and said, “Your dad said he’ll be here in about an hour.”

Chen Fanshi was a food lover, and spicy chicken hotpot wasn’t available in the capital. Chen Yufeng guessed he wouldn’t even need an hour—half an hour would be enough for him to rush over.

Zhang Yanli was probably on her way too. Perfect. Let that loving couple have a big fight in her house.

Of course, the hotpot wasn’t for them—it was for her family.

Ma Lin and Mimi were deep in conversation, so Chen Yufeng simply closed the living room door, letting them talk in peace.

At that moment, Tiantian, no longer scared, sneaked out of the bedroom and placed a handful of peanuts in front of Ma Lin. The fair-skinned little girl remained quiet and reserved, hiding behind Mimi while staring at the uniformed woman before her with big, deer-like eyes—both cautious and gentle.

Mimi cupped her face with both hands and asked, “Grandma, did you go to college? When did you join the army?”

Her eyes were full of curiosity, staring at the stars on Ma Lin’s shoulders, as if she wanted to become just like her right away.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Chen Yufeng had already sliced ginger and garlic and was frying the fragrant, spicy glutinous rice chili paste in a bit of oil. As the pot heated up, she tossed in the ginger and garlic, followed by the leftover spicy chicken from yesterday, letting it sizzle in the red oil, releasing an intoxicatingly spicy aroma.

The two little girls started sneezing from the heat.

Ma Lin, genuinely fond of Mimi, began sharing her life story—from the time she was sent to the army at fourteen as punishment for fighting, to how she refused to take off her military uniform ever since, her experiences training in Yunnan, and her eventual return to the city where she continued to serve and rise through the ranks.

She was part of the “Old Third Class” generation, and her life had been nothing short of extraordinary.

The two little girls listened intently—one munching on melon seeds, the other peeling peanuts. Tiantian even made Ma Lin a cup of tea. They sat close on either side of her, completely absorbed in her stories. When Ma Lin mentioned that she had once carried a rifle into battle against bandits and even chased them on a motorcycle, Mimi exclaimed, “Wow! Grandma, you’re amazing! You actually carried a real gun!”

“Yes,” Ma Lin said, her voice tinged with sorrow. “But my greatest regret in life is the loss of my daughter.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Yanli had first gone to the government compound to look for Ma Lin but, unable to find her, was now on her way here.

It was the weekend, and Chen Fanshi had nothing to do. Zhang Yanli, feeling guilty for her recent actions, had been treating him exceptionally well—no arguments, no tantrums. The household had been unusually peaceful. With his wife out, he was considering dining out when his daughter invited him for spicy chicken hotpot. He didn’t hesitate for a single moment and rushed over immediately.

As he walked, he imagined the delicious flavors—the mushrooms, leafy greens, sweet potato noodles, and soft potatoes, all dipped into the spicy broth.

That aroma was indescribable.

It wasn’t just spicy; it was fragrant, rich, and appetite-whetting, making one’s blood boil with excitement.

Simply put, it was a fiery, exhilarating experience.

By then, Ma Lin was still chatting with the two little girls, and Chen Yufeng had just added water to the hotpot.

The moment Chen Fanshi stepped through the door, he sneezed and immediately exclaimed, “That’s the smell!”

Chen Yufeng thought to herself, Perfect timing. If Zhang Yanli had arrived first, exposing the truth about Chen Yuhuang might have been trickier.

Fortunately, Chen Fanshi’s love for food made him come early.

Ma Lin, an old acquaintance of Chen Fanshi, was momentarily surprised to see him. She stood up and asked, “Where’s Yanli?”

Chen Fanshi was momentarily stunned. “Director Ma, what are you doing here?”

It was quite the coincidence. At this moment, Zhang Yanli was still dreaming of not only getting her thirty thousand yuan back unscathed but also having Mimi acknowledge Ma Jinfeng as her godmother and seeing her business flourish. However, for that to happen, Chen Yufeng had to completely sever ties with her biological father.

She turned to Chen Fanshi and said, “Dad, I’m sorry, but I have to inform you—I’m suing you.”

Not only was Chen Fanshi shocked, but even Ma Lin was taken aback. In her mind, Chen Fanshi and Chen Yufeng were working together, conspiring to swindle money from her best friend. Yet, right in front of her, they were turning against each other?

“What are you trying to do now?” Chen Fanshi asked.

Chen Yufeng, fuming, said, “Back then, you divorced my mother for Yuhuang and abandoned me—I let that go. You asked me to help cover up Yuhuang’s age—I let that go too. But how could you send Aunt Zhang to the military office to report me?”

Chen Fanshi was confused, but the moment he heard Yuhuang’s name, he became alert. “Yufeng, you can’t say such things recklessly. Keep your mouth shut!”

“What’s there to hide?” Chen Yufeng retorted. “Director Ma is Aunt Zhang’s best friend. Aunt Zhang was already pregnant when her ex-husband was still alive—not only did Director Ma know about it, she must have even helped her. We’re all family here, so why can’t we talk about it?”

If a military wife committed adultery, the law stipulated a prison sentence of up to three years or detention.

What Chen Fanshi knew was that when Zhang Yanli was pregnant with Chen Yuhuang, she secretly went to Tianjin to give birth. But since Zhang Yanli and Ma Lin were such close friends, could it be that Ma Lin knew about this too?

However, Ma Lin was enraged at this moment. She sternly said, “Comrade Chen Yufeng, I won’t blame you for being uneducated and ignorant of the law, but you must take legal responsibility for spreading false rumors. You are a military spouse, representing the image of the Huaguo military—please be mindful of your words and conduct!”

Chen Yufeng countered, “Director Ma, if a law-abiding military spouse gets pregnant with another man’s child while her husband is still alive and even collects military benefits, should she be held legally accountable? I don’t know—why don’t you explain it to me?”