The whole mountain is my hunting ground.

Chapter 1905 Zhao Jun Has a Son
"Huh?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback by Wang Meilan's appearance, which resembled a warrior with swords and spears.

When he realized what was happening, he was somewhat angry.

How can you let someone bully you like this in front of your son? Even if that person is his mother, it's unacceptable.

Enraged, Zhao Youcai turned around and glared at Wang Meilan with his small eyes, saying in an unfriendly tone, "No? What are you trying to do? Have I been giving you too much face?"

"Come on, give me face, come on." Wang Meilan pushed open the car door forcefully, and as she got out of the car carrying an oak stick, she said to Zhao Youcai, "Get out."

"You..." Seeing Wang Meilan's aggressive demeanor, Zhao Youcai's anger instantly dissipated by more than half.

"Lan, is it really that big of a deal with this?" Zhao Youcai didn't get out of the car and said to Wang Meilan through the car window, "What I had last night wasn't pure."

"What?" Wang Meilan was taken aback by Zhao Youcai's words. She frowned and looked at him. In a panic, Zhao Youcai explained to Wang Meilan, "I dreamt I was fighting with someone, and then I swung my stick at you..."

As Zhao Youcai finished speaking, Wang Meilan's face flashed with astonishment, followed by a sharpening of her gaze.

"Oh no!" Zhao Youcai thought to himself, and quickly changed his words, "Lan, why did you provoke me?"

"You fucking hit me back!" Wang Meilan glared at Zhao Youcai and said, "I was wondering why my chest hurt so much during my dream. Turns out you hit me."

“I didn’t do it on purpose.” After saying this, Zhao Youcai urged Wang Meilan, “Lan’er, get in the car quickly, don’t let people see us and laugh at us.”

Seeing that Zhao Youcai's attitude was not bad, Wang Meilan opened the car door and got back into the car.

"Drive quickly." Zhao Youcai pulled Zhao Jun down from beside him and urged him.

As Zhao Jun started the car, he heard Wang Meilan ask Zhao Youcai, "Hey, tell me, what about my family's stocks?"

"What?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback by Wang Meilan's question, while Wang Meilan, sitting in the back row, gripped a stick with both hands and pressed on, "Stocks, the stocks my father left behind."

"Dad also owns stocks?" Zhao Youcai frowned, but Wang Meilan said matter-of-factly, "Of course! Shanhe Match Factory, Flax Factory, and that... the distillery where you drink Shanhe Baijiu, all have shares in our dad."

Hearing Wang Meilan's words, Zhao Youcai looked incredulous. He looked at Zhao Jun, who was driving, and Zhao Jun took a moment to exchange a glance with Zhao Youcai.

When Zhao Youcai saw the expectation on Zhao Jun's face, he knew that the mother and son were serious about it.

Having slept on the same kang (heated brick bed) for over twenty years, Zhao Youcai knew Wang Meilan's personality all too well. He knew Wang Meilan was already on the receiving end of his bets; otherwise, she wouldn't let it go easily!
But Zhao Youcai genuinely had no idea what stocks Wang Dabazhang had left behind. He had only heard the term for the first time on the radio.

But would Wang Meilan believe him if he said that?

"Lan, I really don't know." Zhao Youcai tried his best to control his expression, attempting to let Wang Meilan see the sincerity on his face.

To Zhao Youcai's surprise, Wang Meilan said irritably, "You always say you don't know."

"I..." Zhao Youcai was speechless. Even he himself had to admit that he had indeed failed to report several times before.

This is troublesome. It's like the story of the boy who cried wolf. After several breaches of trust, no one will believe him when he tells the truth.

“Let me tell you something.” Wang Meilan leaned forward, gripping the backs of the seats in front of her with both hands, and leaned over to say to Zhao Youcai, “Think about it carefully, this is very important to our family. If we get those stocks back, you won’t have to spend any money on Shanhe Bai liquor anymore.”

"You don't have to pay for drinking Shanhe Bai?" Zhao Youcai was taken aback, then heard Wang Meilan continue, "Well, think about it, that factory belongs to our family, how could you expect to pay for your drinks?"

Wang Meilan's words did not elicit a response from Zhao Youcai. Just as Wang Meilan was about to get angry, she saw Zhao Jun wink at her.

Wang Meilan, sitting in the back, couldn't see, but Zhao Jun could clearly see Zhao Youcai's tense face and furrowed brows, as if he were pondering something.

The jeep was quiet for about ten seconds before Zhao Youcai called out to Wang Meilan, "Lan, that's me."

"Yes!" Wang Meilan answered quickly and crisply.

“Don’t you remember? Just three days after we started living together, I went back to your parents’ home with you for your wedding.” Zhao Youcai went back more than twenty years, and then said as he recalled, “There were my parents, Qiangzi, and the five of us eating on the kang in the east room. My dad took out half a jar of wine with great interest, and I took a sip and said that the wine was good, like Shanhe Bai.”

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Wang Meilan fell into recollection, but her memory was clearly not as good as Zhao Youcai's, and only a slight blankness appeared on her face.

At this point, Zhao Youcai continued, "Qiangzi asked for a sip, so Dad gave him the wine cup. Then Qiangzi choked on his sip in a hurry, and Dad said he was a good-for-nothing."

"Ah..." Hearing Zhao Youcai say this, Wang Meilan recalled the scene from that year when Wang Qiang coughed until his face turned red, and her mother gently patted Wang Qiang's back under the dim light.

"Half a jar of wine isn't much, and my son and I finished it in no time," Zhao Youcai said. "Afterwards, Dad started nagging, saying that in the old days, we could drink as much wine as we wanted without spending any money."

"Really?" Wang Meilan frowned, looking suspicious. "I don't remember Dad saying that?"

"Hmm!" Zhao Youcai nodded emphatically, then said to Wang Meilan, "What can you remember with that terrible memory of yours?"

After saying this, Zhao Youcai, fearing that Wang Meilan would be angry, quickly added, "Maybe when Father said this, you and Mother had already left the table."

Wang Meilan was fairly satisfied with Zhao Youcai's explanation, but that wasn't the key issue. So, she immediately asked, "And then what happened? Did Dad tell you who had those shares?"

"How would I know?" Zhao Youcai's small eyes widened as he said, "Dad didn't tell me."

“Zhao Youcai, you…” Wang Meilan said, picking up the stick that was lying across her leg.

"Mom! Mom!" Zhao Jun, who was driving, sensed something was wrong and quickly tried to persuade Wang Meilan, "Don't worry, let my dad think about it some more. After all these years, do you think he can just remember it like that?"

Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Wang Meilan put down the stick, but Zhao Youcai was not happy. He turned to look at Zhao Jun and said irritably, "What do I want? What stocks? What can you do if your family has them? They would have been turned over to the government long ago!"

These words were addressed to Zhao Jun, but they were undoubtedly meant for Wang Meilan's ears.

But before Zhao Youcai could finish speaking, a dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and an oak stick was placed in front of him. At the same time, Wang Meilan shouted, "What did you say? What do you mean by 'public ownership'?"

At this moment, Zhao Jun seemed to be cooperating with Wang Meilan, and slammed on the brakes to stop the jeep.

The strong push against his back caused Zhao Youcai to slam forward. He got up and yelled at Zhao Jun, "What are you doing? Can't you drive?"

"Dad," Zhao Jun said, ignoring Zhao Youcai's hostile attitude, "Everything's been turned over to the public? How come our family's shares are also turned over to the public?"

"Give us back our shares? You don't know anything!" Zhao Youcai retorted to Zhao Jun indirectly, then said, "Back in the 1950s, privately owned factories were all nationalized. What more do you have?"

"Then why should we?" Wang Meilan asked. Zhao Youcai replied irritably, "Why should we? What? They just took it, are you trying to rebel against us?"

Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Wang Meilan fell silent. Although she had several hundred men under her command and a loyal follower, her strength was still less than that of Wang Dabazhang back then. How could she possibly reverse the tide of events?
At this moment, Wang Meilan was heartbroken and lay down on the back seat, clutching her chest.

"Oh dear, Mom!"

"orchid!"

This incident terrified Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai. The father and son hurriedly got out of the car and pulled open the back doors on both sides.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Zhao Jun asked, and then he saw Wang Meilan move her head and reach under the driver's seat to pick out a one-cent coin.

"Who dropped a coin?" Wang Meilan said, getting up. Seeing this, Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai breathed a long sigh of relief.

"Sigh!" Wang Meilan sighed deeply, then looked at Zhao Youcai and asked, "Father, have all privately owned factories been nationalized?"

"Ah!" Zhao Youcai nodded and said, "You remember, our brigade's loudspeaker talked about this every day for those few years."

"Oh dear!" Upon hearing this, Wang Meilan let out another heavy sigh, then leaned back weakly, tilting her head to the right and resting it on her shoulder, looking utterly hopeless.

Zhao Jun and Zhao Youcai exchanged a helpless glance. Zhao Youcai then moved to sit next to Wang Meilan and comforted her, saying, "It's alright, Lan. With our current lifestyle, we don't need another winery."

“That’s right, Mom.” Zhao Jun said as he started the car, “Either of our two ginseng kings could be exchanged for a winery.”

The father and son took turns trying to persuade her, but Wang Meilan remained silent. They arrived at Yongsheng Village, and Zhao Youcai said to Wang Meilan, "Lan'er, we've arrived in Yongsheng! You look great!"

Hearing Zhao Youcai say this, Wang Meilan finally mustered her spirits.

When the car was still thirty or forty meters away from the Zhou family's house, Zhao Jun saw Zhao Chun carrying a child and strolling outside.

Hearing the noise and turning around, Zhao Chun immediately recognized her brother's car.

"Son!" Zhao Chun held the child in one arm and gently lifted the child's small hand with the other, waving it towards the jeep, and said, "Your uncle is here!"

"Sister." The car stopped, and Zhao Jun called out through the window, "Get in!"

"Eldest son, let's ride in the car!" Zhao Chun, holding the child, walked over happily. After a few steps, Zhao Chun saw Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan in the back seat.

"Oh!" Zhao Chun was taken aback. It was normal for her younger brother to drive around. It was also common for him to take her mother out for a stroll. But this was the first time Zhao Chun had ever seen her younger brother take her parents out.

"Dad, Mom," Zhao Chun said, getting into the passenger seat with the child in her arms, and then asked Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan, "What are you doing here?"

"Chun'er!" Looking at the big cotton monkey, Wang Meilan felt a surge of grievances, and tears streamed down her face.

"Mom! What's wrong? What happened?" Wang Meilan's outburst terrified Zhao Chun. In Zhao Chun's memory, the last time her mother cried so bitterly was when her grandmother passed away.

"It's alright, sis." Seeing this, Zhao Jun quickly replied, "Nothing happened."

As he spoke, Zhao Jun gently touched his nephew's chubby cheeks.

This child's grandfather was powerful and his maternal grandmother was wealthy, so he was exposed to the world every day from a young age. Therefore, even though he couldn't speak or remember anything yet, he was bold and not shy around strangers.

When Zhao Jun slapped his face, the child felt itchy and immediately giggled, raising his little hand to grab Zhao Jun's big hand.

The child's laughter and Wang Meilan's sobs rang out simultaneously in the car, creating a somewhat amusing scene.

"What are you doing?" Zhao Youcai gently nudged Wang Meilan and said, "In front of the children."

Zhao Youcai meant well, but before he could finish speaking, Zhao Chun asked him, "Dad, did you upset Mom again?"

"I..." Zhao Youcai almost fainted from anger. His eldest daughter was usually quite affectionate, but when it came to getting serious, Zhao Chun still sided with Wang Meilan.

"No, sis." Zhao Jun quickly gave Zhao Chun a meaningful look, and Zhao Chun followed his gaze to Zhao Youcai. Seeing Zhao Youcai's gloomy face, Zhao Chun hurriedly added, "I knew my dad couldn't..."

Zhao Youcai glanced at Zhao Chun with his eyelids, then said to Wang Meilan, "Are you ever going to stop? If your mother-in-law pulls this stunt again, people will laugh at you."

Wang Meilan wiped away her tears with her sleeve, then reached out to Zhao Chun and hugged Xiao Zhoudao.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Chun asked Zhao Jun in a low voice. Zhao Jun smiled and said, "I lost some money."

"Ah..." Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Zhao Chun fell silent. Zhao Chun remembered that when he was five years old, Wang Meilan lost two cents. No one in the family said anything to her, and Wang Meilan cried for two hours. From then on, Wang Meilan never lost money again.

"Brother, what are you doing here with Mom and Dad?" Zhao Chun asked as the car arrived at the Zhou family's house.

"I'll pick you up and go with Zhou Niang to her house for some Xi'er," Zhao Jun said. Zhao Chun frowned and said, "What Xi'er? Didn't we just lose money?"

"Hehe..." Zhao Jun chuckled and said, "Alright, sister, stop asking. The sheep have already been killed, let's hurry up and call Zhou Niang to come with us."

As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Hu Sanmei came out of the small vegetable garden.

By this time, Wang Meilan had composed herself. She and Zhao Youcai got out of the car and invited Hu Sanmei to her home for a banquet.

When her in-laws and mother-in-law came to invite her, Hu Sanmei couldn't refuse and had no choice but to get into the jeep.

The jeep returned to the Zhao family compound in Yong'an Village. The five people got out of the car and walked into the courtyard. Hu Sanmei praised Wang Meilan, saying, "Mother-in-law, your family's courtyard is really nice."

Wang Meilan forced herself to chat with Hu Sanmei. At this moment, the group walked to the front of the house and saw two white sheep strips on the door panel.

"Where are they?" Wang Meilan frowned upon seeing this and said, "Where are they? Leaving the sheep here like this, won't it attract flies?"

Wang Meilan stepped forward and waved her hand to shoo away the flies that had landed on the mutton.

At the same time, Wang Meilan sensed something was wrong. Where had all the dozen or so people in her family gone?
"Sister-in-law!" Just then, Jin Xiaomei came out of the house.

"Sister-in-law Zhou, Chun'er." After greeting Hu Sanmei and Zhao Chun, Jin Xiaomei said to Wang Meilan with a big smile, "Sister-in-law, what a joyous occasion!"

Ever since Wang Meilan heard Zhao Youcai say that all of her family's shares had been transferred to the public, she has felt bitter.

Hearing Jin Xiaomei's words, Wang Meilan smiled wryly and said, "What's wrong, Xiaomei? What's all the fuss about?"

"Sister-in-law!" Jin Xiaomei said to Wang Meilan with a smile, "You're a grandmother now!"

"Huh?" Wang Meilan's eyes widened instantly upon hearing this. Shares, mutton—all of that was thrown to the back of her mind at that moment.

The next chapter will be released around 1:00 PM.