After finishing frying the fish, it was already past nine, so the two of them stayed overnight at Lin Wanās house. Early the next morning, Lin Wan brought half a rabbit and a small basin of fried fish to Sister-in-law Zhangās house.
"You donāt have to bring something every time you come, Lin Wan. Brother Huang and I feel embarrassed," said Sister-in-law Zhang, who was relaxing at home on a Sunday watching Pidan doing some writing.
"Shi Lan and I came yesterday. Weāve been up in the mountains picking mushrooms. We caught some small fish and even got a wild rabbit yesterday, so we brought them for you. Let Pidan have a treat."
"Thank you, Auntie." Pidan, who hadnāt dropped his pen since Lin Wan walked in with the gifts, promptly set it down and started eating a small fish as soon as he heard it was for him.
"Naughty boy, if youāre going to eat, go over there and donāt get oil all over your books."
After saying that, Zhang Cuiping sighed at Lin Wan. "You know, frying fish uses up so much oil."
She usually cooked for the government, and even the head chefs there were reluctant to use too much oil.
"Itās not that much, and it tastes better this way," Lin Wan replied, not angered by Sister-in-law Zhangās comments. She knew it was meant for her own good.
Zhang Cuiping didnāt dwell on it as she knew Lin Wanās family wasnāt short on oil. "I wonder how Xiao Lanās business of selling soybean paste is doing in the city."
"Itās going well enough for her to support herself. She came back this time to gather mushrooms in the mountains."
"Really? Well, Iām free today; maybe I can go with you."
"No need, Sister-in-law. Weāre just killing time, wandering around the mountains."
"Iām bored at home anyway, so letās go. Iāll join you." Sister-in-law said, retrieving a basket from inside to help them pick mushrooms.
Before they left, she reminded Pidan to finish his homework.
Pidan was about seven or eight years old, and when the adults werenāt around, he would often run around the courtyard playing with kids his age. Zhang Cuiping wasnāt too concerned.
On their way down, they unexpectedly ran into Sun Yu and her mother-in-law in the courtyard, rushing out with a child in their arms.
Lin Wan glanced at the two of them but didnāt ask anything.
Sister-in-law Zhang was puzzled too, noticing that Sun Yu didnāt look too well.
Shi Lan was already waiting for Lin Wan at the gate and, seeing that Sister-in-law Zhang was coming along, jokingly asked, "Didnāt you bring Pidan, Sister-in-law?"
"Heās too mischievous. If he came along, nothing would get done."
The three of them chatted as they walked toward the mountains. This time, Shi Lan took them to a different spot with plenty of mushrooms.
Talking and stopping along the way, they collected quite a lot by mid-morning.
"Iām telling you, doing small business on your own is better. Look at me, working for over twenty a month and doing all sorts of tasks as a helper. The head chef just cooks while I and another woman do all the grunt work," remarked Sister-in-law Zhang.
"Thereās risk in business, too. I only manage to sell a few bottles a day, and sometimes I donāt sell any," Lin Wan said.
"Working for yourself has its advantages. Look at Sun Yu. Even if sheās on regular payroll, she only gets thirty-something a month. Both their salaries canāt support their family of four."
"But doesnāt Captain Yang earn a good salary?" Sister-in-law Zhang questioned. "The captainās salary is also over thirty a month. Together, thatās sixty or seventy a month. How canāt they support a family?"
"Sun Yu spends more than she earns, remember? Yang Weiās salary isnāt enough for her. Plus, her mother-in-law takes money from them, supposedly to nourish the grandsonāonly a month old. What does he eat?"
"I thought after what happened, sheād kick her mother-in-law out," Shi Lan said, puzzled.
"She wanted to, but Yang Wei wouldnāt allow it. He said if his mother leaves, Sun Yu will need to quit her job to take care of the child, so Sun Yu held back her resentment and didnāt make a fuss," explained Sister-in-law Zhang.
Lin Wan discreetly picked up a lot of information from Sister-in-law Zhang. Every family has its challenges. Sun Yu had a high opinion of herself, yet she put up with so much just to keep her job.
By noon, Lin Wan and Shi Lan advised Sister-in-law Zhang to head home since she had a kid, unlike them.
Sister-in-law Zhang didnāt argue since the childās father would be back for lunch.
Lin Wan and Shi Lan had fried fish and buns for lunch and found some wild fruits in the forest.
"Xiao Lan, picking mushrooms alone every day isnāt sustainable. Maybe you should buy mushrooms from others," Lin Wan suggested.
"Iāve thought about that, but once it gets colder, itās hard to find mushrooms. Where do the mushrooms in your familyās hotpot come from, and are they expensive?" Shi Lan asked.
"I source them from a village nearby. They arenāt expensive. I buy dried ones for fifty cents. We use them year-round, and theyāre supplied by them. Iāll take you to check it out when we pass by tomorrow," Lin Wan replied.
"Alright, a jar of paste needs a bag of fresh mushrooms, and dried ones are only twenty to thirty pounds. Instead of spending time on picking, I might as well sell more paste in town," Shi Lan agreed.
They didnāt gain much else today aside from mushrooms, but they picked more than yesterday.
They had two large bags of mushrooms and enlisted a guard to help carry them onto the tram trolley the next day.
They originally planned to take Shi Lan to Huang Dashanās village but couldnāt manage with the two bags of mushrooms.
They would have to do it another day.
By the time they got home, it was almost noon. In the courtyard, Mom was playing with Little Star while doing laundry.
"Little Star... Mommy missed you so much," Lin Wan said, putting down the fried fish and kissing Little Star in the stroller.
"Alright, alright, youāve been out for two days. Look how dirty you are. Stay away from the baby and change so I can wash your clothes," Mom fussed.
"Oh... Mom, I brought some fish. Itās in the basket," Lin Wan said, looking down at her stained clothes and heading inside.
"Got it," Mom replied.
....
In a district in the south
"Commander Zhang, you have a letter," a guard from the communication office called out when he saw Commander Zhang entering through the main gate.
"Weimin, could you grab it for me? Itās probably a letter from my hometown," Commander Zhang said hurriedly as he continued towards his office, having just been informed there was a phone call from HQ.
Director Lu acknowledged and turned towards the communication office.
"Director Lu, hereās Commander Zhangās letterāone personal letter and another for your office," the communication officer handed over the two letters to Lu Weimin, who glanced at them briefly before taking them.
Then, with quick steps, he headed toward the office building.
The military-wide autumn competition was about to begin, and the leadership was busy with preparations.
Two days after receiving the letters, Lu Weimin finally had a moment to open them.
To his shock, as soon as he opened the envelope, an unsavory photograph slipped out.
The faces of the man and woman were clearly visible. Any leadership team would instantly recognize who they were at a glance.
Lu Weimin furrowed his brow as he discreetly glanced out the window.
Fortunately, it was nighttime, and there werenāt many people around the office building.
Lu Weimin dared not linger on the photo and carefully tucked the letter into his chest pocket.
He went straight to Mei Langchiās dormitory.
"Director Lu," Mei Langchi said as he returned from a shower and saw Lu Weimin hesitating at the door.
"Langchi, youāre back? I just remembered there are some specifics about this autumnās competition I wanted to discuss with you," Lu Weimin said.
Mei Langchi paused; Director Lu was from the political department, and the competition wasnāt his concern. "Please come in, Director Lu."
Director Lu nodded and entered Mei Langchiās room with his hands behind his back.
"Director Lu, where did we overlook?" Mei Langchi asked.
Without speaking, Director Lu pulled a letter from his pocket and handed it to him.
"If I didnāt have some rapport with your father, this could have been much worse, especially if someone else had come across this. Your military career would be over, and you and this woman could face a military tribunal," Director Lu said firmly.
Upon taking the two photos from the envelope, Mei Langchiās expression darkened, his brow furrowing deeply, feeling a cold shiver.
"Thank you, Director Lu. Iāll handle this matter," Mei Langchi said after a moment of pause, his eyes reflecting determination.
"As long as you know what youāre doing," Director Lu said with a slight frown before adding, "Iāll take my leave."
The Mei family held some status in the Capital City. By helping Mei Langchi this time, it also meant he owed Lu a significant favor.
This was no trivial matter, especially serious within military circles.