Chapter 35: The Sweet Restaurant

The two little girls were absolutely thrilled.

They especially loved the third-floor bedroom of the restaurant. The walls had wallpaper, and there was a parasol tree right outside the door. Even in the heat of summer, it was cool and comfortable. The floor was made of redwood, and right downstairs was their preschool class—how perfect!

They couldn’t wait to show their grandmothers their new home. They even made a pact: that night, they would sleep with them—one child per grandmother.

With Chen Yufeng’s approval, the taxi drove in to enter the courtyard.

Zhou Yafang busied herself unloading the supplies while finding a moment to tell Chen Yufeng:

“You handled this well. These past few days, our lives have been unbearable.”

“Why?” Chen Yufeng’s tone turned serious.

“Su Hong,” Zhou Yafang said bitterly. “We raised chickens and pigs—she poisoned them. We planted rice—she sprayed it with herbicide. She even got Han Xu to throw trash into our chili sauce vats. All our sauce was ruined. We couldn’t do business anymore.”

The ways of rural bullying—poisoning your livestock, destroying your crops, sabotaging your livelihood.

Chen Yufeng was so furious her scalp tingled. She had already expected trouble for her mother and mother-in-law after she left.

Thank goodness she had brought them here.

“This is the military district. Now that you’re here, no one will dare to bully you anymore,” she reassured them.

Zhou Yafang pulled her daughter aside and whispered, “I went to a temple and spent 80 yuan on a fertility charm for you. Look, these are all…” She took out a string of sachets from her pocket.

Chen Yufeng was irritated. “Mom, can’t you be more like my mother-in-law? When has she ever believed in superstitions? Besides, I’ve already had a tubal ligation—I can’t get pregnant anymore.”

Zhou Yafang had spent 80 yuan on that charm. When she heard her daughter had been sterilized, she was devastated, nearly collapsing to the ground.

“Feng’er, you really…”

“Mom, be careful. If you fall, hospital bills in the city aren’t cheap. I just opened a restaurant—I have no money and a mountain of debt. I can’t afford to pay for your medical expenses!” Chen Yufeng didn’t help her up. Instead, she crossed her arms and spoke in a deliberately sarcastic tone.

It wasn’t that she was cold-hearted—sometimes, if your own mother refused to wake up to reality, you had to force her to.

Sure enough, Zhou Yafang nearly fell but managed to steady herself against the wall.

“I’m perfectly fine. Before coming here, we had a full check-up in Anyang County. Both of us are in excellent health. We came to help you run the business.”

…

Guests had arrived at Chen Yufeng’s home, so Mrs. Bao busied herself with the restaurant while Zhao Wen brought over two braised pig’s feet, and Mrs. Wu delivered a plate of fruit. Chen Yufeng, despite being occupied, made time to visit the logistics department to register their stay.

She had thought, given the mess Zhang Yanli had created, that Zhang Aixia would have already stopped working. But that wasn’t the case—she was still at her job.

After all, everything had to go through proper legal procedures. No matter how much Ma Lin hated the Zhang sisters, she had to go through a lawsuit and wait for the court’s verdict.

When Chen Yufeng arrived, Zhang Aixia was in her office, sitting in deep thought.

According to military district regulations, external visitors needed to register their names and receive entry passes. However, if they were relatives and staying at someone’s home, they didn’t need to register—just inform the office.

Seeing Chen Yufeng, Zhang Aixia immediately came out to greet her.

“Yufeng, what brings you here?”

“I have two relatives visiting, just stopping by to inform you,” Chen Yufeng replied.

Zhang Aixia’s face lit up with surprise. “Is your mother-in-law here?”

Chen Yufeng hadn’t had a chance to talk much with her mother-in-law yet, but her instincts told her that Wang Guoguo didn’t want to see old acquaintances. So, she said, “Just a couple of relatives, not my mother-in-law.”

“That’s good. This weekend, my husband is planning to take some of his old comrades to Anyang County—first, to verify your mother-in-law’s absence from Mengzi back then, and second, to personally apologize to her,” Zhang Aixia said.

Her husband, Xu Yaoguo, had also been sent to the countryside in his youth, but he was discharged early and became one of the capital’s first real estate developers.

With his seniority, it was said that even military district leaders respectfully addressed him as “big boss.”

The way she referred to her as “the old lady”—why did those words sound so grating?

Wang Guoguo now claimed to be 46, but if she had left Mengzi at 16, she should actually be 44. She had likely exaggerated her age by two years back then to qualify for a marriage certificate.

“My mother-in-law is still young. She’s not an ‘old lady,’” Chen Yufeng corrected.

Zhang Aixia forced a smile and said, “My husband is taking this matter very seriously. He’s organizing a group, and they’ll likely bring a few reporters along. You should send a telegram to give her a heads-up.”

Her husband, a wealthy businessman, driving down with reporters—if Wang Guoguo and Zhou Yafang were still back in the village, those two women in their old-style padded jackets would be photographed, and the images would probably be framed as some kind of charity mission: “A prominent businessman from the capital visits a poverty-stricken rural area.”

Chen Yufeng thought, Good thing my mother-in-law is already here. Otherwise, if she had to face the very people responsible for the destruction of her entire family showing up with cameras for a “visit,” she might just die of rage on the spot.

“Alright, I’ll send the telegram,” Chen Yufeng replied.

Zhang Aixia then asked, “Does your household need blankets? I can get you a couple.”

“No need, we have our own,” Chen Yufeng declined.

“I only recently found out about some of the unethical things my sister, Yanli, has done. I apologize on her behalf. Please pass a message to your mother—tell her to let go of the past. Men aren’t worth much anyway. She has you, and that’s enough,” Zhang Aixia added.

After finishing her business, Chen Yufeng was about to leave when she turned back and said, “My mother is actually two years younger than you.”

“Oh? Then she really is quite young,” Zhang Aixia replied sarcastically.

Chen Yufeng had the urge to slap her, but she held back.

Instead, she would dress Wang Guoguo and Zhou Yafang beautifully and let their appearance do the talking—that would be her way of slapping Zhang Aixia in the face!

…

Back home, Zhou Yafang and Wang Guoguo had finished drinking water and were watching the two little girls put on a performance.

Tiantian danced to the music from the tape recorder, while Mimi tumbled around beside her. The house felt like a lively dance hall.

“Tiantian dances really well. I heard she’s even performed on stage. But don’t city folks look down on little girls who dance?” Zhou Yafang asked when she saw her daughter return.

Before Chen Yufeng could respond, Wang Guoguo answered for her, “Why would they? The city isn’t like the countryside. People appreciate girls who can sing and dance.”

Then she stood up and said, “Come on, Feng’er, take us to see your restaurant.”

The restaurant had been fully renovated—it was time for the two mothers to inspect it.

Mimi strapped on her roller skates, clasped her hands behind her back, and zipped ahead like a bolt of lightning, leading the way.

Meanwhile, Tiantian thoughtfully carried water bottles for her grandmothers, fearing they might get thirsty in the summer heat—one bottle on her left, another on her right.

As they walked, Wang Guoguo asked, “Feng’er, I heard that Commander Xu and Ma Lin are both here, is that true?”

“Yes, along with quite a few others you might remember,” Chen Yufeng replied.

But Wang Guoguo’s face darkened. “Feng’er, you should know that it was those very people who destroyed my family. I don’t want to see them.”

“I heard it was an accidental fire?” Chen Yufeng asked.

Wang Guoguo was silent for a long time before saying, “The cadre school was built at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by nothing but green thorns. There shouldn’t have been a fire that big.”

After a deep sigh, she added, “Anyway, I don’t want to see them.”

The revolution had passed, but the scars left on its victims would never fade. And now, those responsible were pretending to be benevolent visitors—who could stand that?

…

Suddenly, Wang Guoguo stopped in her tracks. “Is this the place? I thought… I thought…”

She had assumed Chen Yufeng had set up a small shop. She never expected to see a three-story building, its white-tiled exterior gleaming under the sun, so beautiful that she couldn’t even find the words to describe it.

“Come on! Let me show you the room my mom prepared for you!” Tiantian called, waving excitedly.

They went around to the back and climbed to the third floor. The living conditions here were far better than those in the regimental family housing. The redwood floors were polished to perfection, and two beds were already neatly made. Chen Yufeng had even thoughtfully prepared bamboo mats for the summer.

“This… This is where we’re staying?” Zhou Yafang was in disbelief. “Han Chao did all this?”

“This has nothing to do with Han Chao. I did it,” Chen Yufeng deliberately emphasized.

“But you’re just a woman. I can’t believe you managed to secure such a nice place,” Zhou Yafang muttered.

Wang Guoguo, however, looked proud. “In the city, women are often more capable than men,” she declared.

Zhou Yafang sat on the bed and pressed down on it. “Oh! It’s a cotton mattress.”

The pillows and bedding were all soft and plush.

Wang Guoguo, still recovering from illness, couldn’t resist the comfort. As soon as she lay down, she refused to get up.

…

That night, in their shared room, Chen Yufeng took the opportunity to explain how she had claimed valuable antiques from her father and secured financial support for her mother. She even handed Zhou Yafang a bankbook with a balance of 20,000 yuan.

After hearing everything, Zhou Yafang was stunned. “Not only did you open a restaurant, but you also sued your father and won?”

“I changed the donor’s name on the antiques to yours. This way, if the military district ever offers any benefits, you’ll be eligible,” Chen Yufeng explained.

Zhou Yafang was silent for a while before asking, “You’ve met the woman your father took up with. What’s she like?”

“She’s trash,” Chen Yufeng answered bluntly.

Zhou Yafang let out a quiet sigh and murmured, “She’s younger than me, isn’t she? A city woman… she must be fashionable.”

If she were still the same person from the book, Chen Yufeng might have felt the same inferiority complex—believing she could never compare to a stylish city woman.

Not as glamorous.
Not as fashionable.
Not as young.

But now, she no longer thought that way.

She carefully explained to Zhou Yafang how Zhang Yanli had, in her eagerness to claim credit, caused the death of Ma Lin’s daughter in Mengzi. Then she added, “Mom, she’s not better than you. At the very least, she’s not as kind as you.”

“You’re right. Your mother isn’t just kind—she’s hardworking too. She loves to keep busy,” Zhou Yafang said with a smile.

Chen Yufeng picked up a stack of clothes from the bedside and held up a blouse. “Hard work alone isn’t enough. If you’re going to work at the restaurant, you need to dress well. Otherwise, people will think we’re too rustic and that our food tastes earthy.”

“City restaurants care about things like this?” Zhou Yafang asked as she took the blouse and quickly put it on. “How do I look?”

In truth, she was still quite young. Her facial features were attractive, and her figure hadn’t changed much. But she always saw herself as plain and carried a deep sense of inferiority.

She looked at her daughter with nervous anticipation, afraid that Yufeng might laugh at her.

Chen Yufeng kept a straight face and said, “You don’t look as plain as before, but if you want business to thrive, you’ll need to dress up even more!”

Zhou Yafang didn’t care much about dressing up, but she did care about the bankbook. Clutching it tightly to her chest, she said, “This is for my two granddaughters’ dowries—ten thousand each. Their grandmother is leaving it for them.” Then she added, “Go check on your mother-in-law. I’m tired and need some rest.”

Wang Guoguo wasn’t sleeping. She was listening to Mimi excitedly recount her experience of performing acrobatics on stage.

As a last-minute stand-in for the Sun Wukong, Mimi had been flipping and tumbling from the beginning to the end of the performance, refusing to leave the stage until the teacher had to drag her off.

After settling the children elsewhere, Chen Yufeng briefly told Wang Guoguo about Ma Lin’s daughter’s tragic death. However, she downplayed how others had falsely accused Wang Guoguo and imprisoned her for thirty years, hoping to spare her unnecessary anger.

Of course, she also didn’t mention that Zhang Aixia’s husband, Xu Yaoguo, was organizing a group to visit the countryside to “offer condolences.”

After listening for a long time, Wang Guoguo suddenly wiped her eyes and hoarsely asked, “Ma Lin married Xu Yongyi?”

Chen Yufeng hesitated but eventually answered, “Yes. They had a daughter.”

“Xu Yongyi has always liked daughters. Having a girl must have made him happy,” she said, referring to the man she once called “Commander Xu” as just “Xu Yaoyi” now.

“But she’s gone. She got caught in the burning wild hemp and didn’t survive,” Chen Yufeng added.

Wang Guoguo’s eyes turned red with anger. “There was wild hemp everywhere around the re-education camp. I used to clear it all by myself. After I was gone, no one was willing to do it anymore—especially Xu Yaoguo. As the leader of the revolutionary youth, all he cared about was persecuting people to earn merit. Maybe it’s wrong for me to say this, but they brought this upon themselves. A child needs to be cared for! When Han Chao’s father used to beat me, I would hold my children tightly to my chest, willing to die myself rather than let them suffer a single blow!”

Karma is relentless. If they hadn’t burned Wang Guoguo’s family alive, if she had still been there to clear the hemp, would that child have died?