After taking a shower upstairs, Su Li came downstairs to find that Yan Yuan had already laid out the takeout dishes on the table. Jiang Chengzhou had also tossed together a cold dish for him.
There was a whole tableful of food. They had originally thought there would be plenty left over, but after Su Li polished off one bowl of rice after another, even Jiang Chengzhou was stunned.
“Lili, how many days have you gone without eating?”
Su Li put down his chopsticks and burped. “I always eat this much.”
Jiang Chengzhou sighed and joked, “Luckily your uncle and aunt can make money. Otherwise, they really might not be able to afford to feed you.”
Leaning back in his chair, Su Li rubbed his satisfied stomach. “My mom says I’m growing, so it’s normal for me to eat a lot. You and my sister were like this too.”
Su Li ate a great deal, but he also exercised a lot and burned through the calories. He grew upward rather than outward; otherwise, Lin Zhilan would have had to control his diet too.
Jiang Chengzhou, however, was reminded of his own childhood by Su Li’s words.
When he was in middle school, he really could never get enough to eat.
Every day after school, the first thing he did when he got home was rummage through the cupboards for something to eat. Even after a full meal, he would be hungry again in less than two hours.
He would even suffer from growing pains at night, with cramps in his legs and feet.
Lin Zhilan knew that he was deficient in calcium and magnesium, so she went out of her way to improve his nutrition. Every day, she made him drink a glass of milk and eat a handful of nuts, while making sure the rest of his meals included a proper balance of meat and vegetables.
Su Li had reached the same stage now.
People said that the first child was raised according to the books, while the second was raised like a pig. With her experience, Lin Zhilan had become even more adept at “fattening up” Su Li.
Linlin had drunk milk together with her older brother when she was little, but she had never developed the same problem as the two boys.
As Jiang Chengzhou thought about it, the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously.
He loved hearing his aunt talk about him.
He poured a glass of water for Su Li and set it within reach, then asked brightly, “What else did Auntie say about me?”
Su Li pretended to think hard. “I can’t remember, but I do know what my dad said about you.”
“What did he say?”
Su Li gave him a meaningful smile. “Dad said you’re an old bachelor and might end up freeloading at home for the rest of your life.”
“You little brat…”
The smile on Jiang Chengzhou’s face stiffened. He rolled up his sleeves and started to get up.
Su Li was ready for him. With a whoosh, he sprang to his feet and hid behind Yan Yuan, saying righteously, “Dad said it, so go find him on the island. Don’t come after me!”
Jiang Chengzhou was so exasperated by his shamelessness that he burst out laughing. “He has some nerve saying that about me. Didn’t he get married at thirty himself?”
Su Li poked his head out from behind Yan Yuan’s shoulder. “Then you’re both as bad as each other. The elder shouldn’t laugh at the younger.”
Yan Yuan lifted his teacup and took a sip, raising his brows slightly. He neither intervened nor took sides. With two brothers-in-law like these, offending either of them was out of the question.
Jiang Chengzhou sat down. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he gave Su Li a meaningful smile. “Lili, you haven’t forgotten about your puppy love back in kindergarten, have you?”
The smug look vanished from Su Li’s face at once. He slumped back into his chair.
Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan exchanged a quick glance.
“What? Can’t we talk about your puppy love?”
Su Li leaned against the back of his chair and tilted his head back with a long sigh, affecting the air of an old man. “The past is best left in the past.”
After a pause, he added gloomily, “Zhuang Nuo stopped being friends with me ages ago.”
During the first couple of years, neither of them knew enough characters to write much, so Su Li would pester his mother to call Zhuang Nuo’s family.
Later, Zhuang Nuo’s parents were transferred several times for work, making it even more difficult for them to keep in touch.
As the two of them went longer and longer without seeing or contacting each other, they grew older and more mature, and began to feel awkward around each other. Their contact became even less frequent.
Over all those years, Su Li had seen Zhuang Nuo only once in the capital. But Zhuang Nuo seemed to have changed quite a bit. The moment she saw him, she hid behind her parents.
Su Li had originally wanted to say hello, but he was annoyed by her reaction and decided against it.
Seeing that the young man was looking a little down, Yan Yuan smiled and said, “Enough of that. Have you decided where you want to go? Or is there anything you’d like? I’ll buy it for you.”
Su Li waved him off. “No need. Mom gave me spending money and told me not to use your money.”
In Lin Zhilan’s eyes, they were all still children.
“What do you mean, your money and ours?” Jiang Chengzhou disliked the way he put it. He hooked an arm around Su Li’s neck. “We’re your brothers. We’re happy to spend money on you, all right?”
Yan Yuan smiled faintly. “Your brother is right. I heard they’re selling Sony Walkmans at the foreign exchange certificate counter now. How about I buy you one? I can also have someone record your English textbooks onto tapes so you can use it to practice speaking.”
Su Li knew what a Walkman was.
The department stores in Yangcheng sold them too, but they wouldn’t accept renminbi—only foreign exchange certificates.
They could be bought on the black market, but the price was marked up. A single one cost several hundred yuan.
That was far too expensive. Su Li didn’t dare accept it. “No, no, it’s too expensive. My parents would punish me when I got home.”
Yan Yuan was in no shortage of money these days, and he was already planning to give him one anyway.
After dinner, the three of them cleared the dishes and carried them into the kitchen.
The telephone in the living room rang.
Yan Yuan and Jiang Chengzhou sent Su Li out to answer it.
Su Li picked up the receiver. After saying a few words, he covered the mouthpiece and called toward the kitchen, “General Manager Yan, it’s for you!”
Yan Yuan dried his hands and came out to take the phone.
Su Li tactfully stepped several paces away.
Jiang Chengzhou finished washing the dishes and returned to the living room as well.
No one knew what the caller said, but Yan Yuan’s expression grew increasingly solemn. He occasionally responded with an “Mm,” but otherwise said nothing more.
The living room fell silent, and even Jiang Chengzhou stopped what he was doing.
Several minutes later, Yan Yuan said, “Understood,” and hung up.
Jiang Chengzhou frowned. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“It’s nothing.” Yan Yuan reached over and rubbed the back of Su Li’s head. “There’s an urgent matter at the company that needs to be dealt with. I’ll take you out to have fun in a couple of days.”
Su Li nodded. “Brother Yuan, don’t work too hard.”
“All right.” Yan Yuan smiled, picked up his car keys, and left.
It wasn’t until Linlin returned from the research institute that afternoon that Jiang Chengzhou and Su Li learned what had happened.
Yan Yuan’s company had been established under the collective of Sijiqing Township. It made money by modifying printers and developing Chinese-language driver software.
Because the profits were extraordinarily high, a group of people had jointly submitted a report to the central government, accusing the company of smuggling, illegal foreign-exchange transactions, reselling state-owned assets, and profiteering.
A special investigation team had now been formed and had entered the company to conduct an inspection.
Smuggling, illegal foreign-exchange transactions, and reselling state-owned assets—each of the three charges was a serious crime.
Their mood instantly sank, and none of them had any interest in going out anymore.
At that point, they still had no idea what the exact situation was, and they didn’t dare tell the older members of the family.
Lin Zhilan and Su Lang had finally managed to take a trip together. Besides, one was a doctor and teacher, while the other belonged to the military. There was nothing either of them could do to help in a matter like this. Telling them would only leave them anxiously worrying.
Linlin called Yan Yuan, but Liang Ping answered instead. He said that Yan Yuan had been taken away to assist with the investigation and still hadn’t returned.
