Chapter 943: Liu Feng Arrives in Beijing

Wang Yan never treated Lin Dingding harshly; for instance, the next morning he stewed a old hen for soup, and when it came to buying a house, he bought one, and when he promised money for spending, he gave it. On one hand, this was fair treatment; on the other, it was also for his own convenience—staying at hotels was inconvenient, and staying at home wasn’t feasible, so he needed a love nest.

So Wang Yan contacted a former sent-down youth who had returned to the city, and eventually bought a unit in Xinjie Kou, not far from Beijing Post and Telecommunications College where Lin Dingding studied.

These sent-down youths had now begun trading goods between north and south, a scheme Wang Yan had suggested and funded. Of course, Wang Yan had no ulterior motive—he simply wanted to make some money, since women cost a lot to maintain.

Overall, the sent-down youths did quite well; their first trip was nervous, but they returned with double the profit. On the second trip, they grew bolder and carried more goods. By the third trip, they were fully hooked—anyone who stood in their way would be crushed.

Wang Yan skillfully balanced his sweet moments with Xiao Suizi and Lin Dingding. If judged purely by physical pleasure, Lin Dingding, who was open and playful, clearly outshone Xiao Suizi. But when it came to subtle romantic feelings between men and women, Xiao Suizi still held the edge—her shyness, often awkward and hesitant, carried a special charm.

As for Hao Shuwen, as her wedding date drew nearer, this woman who had always been loud and carefree now blushed easily whenever she saw Wang Yan, especially when teased.

Lin Dingding, however, was very sensible and noticeably reduced the frequency of her visits to Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi—from frequent to occasional, maintaining only surface-level relations, just enough to secretly gather intelligence and check whether Wang Yan favored them over her.

At the Beijing Military Region’s shooting range, a group of men stood holding binoculars. Before them, Wang Yan lay on the ground, gripping a black long rifle, slowly working the bolt to chamber a round, peering through the scope. Just as everyone expected the legendary combat hero—who had killed 365 Vietnamese monkeys in a single battle—to take a long time to aim, suddenly came a loud *bang*.

The massive Barrett bullet spun out of the barrel, trailing a huge burst of flame. In the blink of an eye, the circular steel target four hundred meters away was blown apart.

“Hit!” someone shouted through binoculars, holding the target.

Before the words had barely left his mouth, another *bang* rang out—and the six-hundred-meter target on the hillside was shattered.

Wang Yan kept firing—*bang, bang, bang*—shooting from four hundred meters all the way to seventeen hundred meters. He fired three shots at the seventeen-hundred-meter target, and every other target was hit with a single shot.

“Group leader is a divine marksman! No wonder he took out so many Vietnamese monkeys alone!” someone praised Wang Yan.

To be honest, this wasn’t flattery—it was simply the truth.

Wang Yan smiled, ejected the magazine, and stood up. “Overall, it’s quite good. Have the factory produce several more. Send them to Kunming Military Region. I hear the Vietnamese monkeys are forgetful—they’ve started acting up again. Let the Kunming troops test the rifles and give feedback for improvements.”

“Also, this scope still isn’t good enough—it needs further refinement. We must also continue developing new models. This rifle is powerful, loud, heavy, and hard to disassemble or carry. These are all points we need to improve. Thanks for your hard work.”

“It’s our duty,” they replied humbly, laughing happily—everyone was pleased with the results.

In fact, it wasn’t just this one sniper rifle that had seen results. Wang Yan’s uniform had also been replaced with green camouflage, and he wore tactical boots—all specially made by the clothing factory. It wasn’t the camouflage itself that was new; it had been used during the Vietnam War. It was the countless pockets on the pants and jacket that made them uniquely functional.

The physical training uniform had also been improved, though it still fell far short of future standards. Still, at least it was fully equipped with specialized gear. Once material breakthroughs came, gradual improvements would follow.

Wang Yan drove his jeep away from the range, heading straight for the train station, arriving at the platform to meet the train.

After waiting nearly half an hour, a green-painted train finally whistled as it entered the station, slowly coming to a stop. As the doors opened, a flood of people surged out.

Fortunately, Wang Yan was waiting for the sleeper cars at the rear of the train—these passengers were noticeably calmer.

Soon, he spotted Liu Feng, shouldering a bag and carrying two others in his hands, followed by He Xiaoping, who had a child strapped to her chest and carried a large pack on her back.

“Wang Yan!” Liu Feng beamed, hurried over, dropped his bags, and embraced Wang Yan.

Behind him, He Xiaoping also smiled brightly, nodded to Wang Yan, and tugged at the child strapped to her chest, urging the child to greet someone.

“Enough. The child’s exhausted—don’t bother him. Let’s go, the car’s outside.” Wang Yan took He Xiaoping’s two heavy bags, shaking his head with a smile. “I told you not to bring so much. Why didn’t you listen? How much of this will you even use? You’ve gone through all this trouble for nothing—you’ve worn yourself out.”

“A broken home is worth ten thousand taels. New for three years, old for three years, patched and mended for another three. Everything I brought is useful. I can’t just throw it all away. I don’t earn nearly as much as you do—I still haven’t repaid you a single cent for the house. Frugality is how you manage a household.”

Liu Feng began recounting old debts. Seeing Wang Yan glare, he changed the subject. “Even though the leader assigned you a new post at the General Staff, aren’t you still writing your book? Why have you been holding off all this time? What happened?”

“It’s good news. On one hand, the leader assigned me a new job—I’m now training troops, and I need to lay a solid foundation first. On the other…” Wang Yan stretched out his voice with a smile, then said, “I’m marrying Hao Shuwen. It’s set for October 4th. You two should come over for dinner.”

“Will you hold a ceremony?”

“We’re revolutionaries—what ceremony? I’ll just book the Beijing Hotel, invite friends and family for a meal, and let everyone get to know each other.”

“Book the Beijing Hotel? Is that okay?” Liu Feng hesitated.

“I earned every penny from my own writing—every ticket and voucher has been exchanged. I’m spending my own clean, honest royalties. What’s wrong with that? Don’t worry about it. Let’s go—Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi have already cleaned the house for you. They’re waiting for you three to move in and start cooking.”

Huh?

Hearing Wang Yan’s words, Liu Feng and He Xiaoping both looked puzzled. Liu Feng hurried over and caught up with Wang Yan: “You’re marrying Hao Shuwen—then what about Xiao Suizi…?”

“Why are you so curious? Do you know the secret to living a good life?”

“No.”

“Don’t waste your energy on useless concerns. Don’t meddle in useless affairs.” Wang Yan chuckled, bumping Liu Feng’s shoulder and sending him stumbling. “Come on, let’s go—we’re all starving.”

Liu Feng and He Xiaoping exchanged a glance, then followed Wang Yan out of the station…

They drove to Nanduo Gu Xiang. Liu Feng’s second courtyard house sat in the middle of the area, not far from Mr. Mao Dun’s residence. Since Mao Dun was still alive, Wang Yan had even visited him before—so it wasn’t yet a “former residence.”

Getting out of the car, seeing the open gate, He Xiaoping, though prepared, couldn’t help asking: “Is this really our house?”

“Of course it is! Do you think I’d lie to you?” Hao Shuwen greeted them warmly. “Come, take the child down—don’t strangle him. Oh, what’s his name again? I’ve blanked out.”

Liu Feng laughed. “Liu Jingxiu. Wang Yan named him—‘Stillness cultivates the self, frugality nurtures virtue.’ I was thinking, if we have a second child, a boy, we’ll call him Liu Jiande.”

Xiao Suizi helped unstrap He Xiaoping’s backpack and asked, “What if it’s a girl?”

“Then… we’ll bother Wang Yan again,” Liu Feng replied with a simple grin.

“Enough. Let’s go inside. Xiaoping’s here for the first time—show her around.”

Everyone entered the courtyard. He Xiaoping, now with the revived child, wandered around, amazed. Her home had been a communal courtyard—crowded, inconvenient. Now she had a two-courtyard mansion—she was overjoyed.

The child, full of energy, began playing wildly in the courtyard.

Liu Feng organized their luggage, smiling. “This is wonderful. Thank you, Wang Yan.”

“I’ve told you a hundred times—don’t be so formal,” Wang Yan waved dismissively, gathering vegetables in the courtyard. Clearly, today’s housewarming feast for Liu Feng and He Xiaoping would be cooked by Wang Yan himself.

“Before I left, the political commissar pulled me aside. He told me to remind you not to forget the Art Troupe. And Fang Hongmin, Old Liao, Little Ballet—they all asked me to send their greetings since they heard I was moving to Beijing.”

Liu Feng recounted everything from before their departure—all the kind words, blessings, and hopes for Wang Yan’s future. Everyone knew Wang Yan was powerful, and they wanted to keep good ties in case they needed his help someday.

Wang Yan listened with a smile, preparing to cook.

With Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi helping, and Wang Yan wielding his wok with a clatter, everyone enjoyed a delicious meal. Wang Yan even shared two cups of wine with Liu Feng.

They chatted until nearly sunset, then Wang Yan, Hao Shuwen, and Xiao Suizi took their leave…

Watching the jeep disappear around the alley’s end, Liu Feng and He Xiaoping barred the gate, circled the screen wall, and returned to the courtyard.

He Xiaoping marveled, “I never thought Wang Yan would marry Hao Shuwen. But Xiao Suizi was also… you think… are they…?”

Liu Feng grinned, shaking his head. “Do you know the secret to living a good life?”

“No.”

“Don’t waste your energy on useless concerns. Don’t meddle in useless affairs.”

He Xiaoping pinched him. Liu Feng laughed. “Anyway, Wang Yan’s life is definitely better than ours. We should stop worrying about useless things and just focus on living our own lives well. By the way, shall we visit your mom tomorrow? We’ve arrived in Beijing, and they still don’t know. That’s not right. And since the baby was born, your mom hasn’t even seen him.”

“Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.” He Xiaoping nodded, linking arms with Liu Feng, gazing at the big courtyard. “It’s so wonderful…”

“Yes… it’s wonderful…”

Wang Yan didn’t know their thoughts—he simply dropped Hao Shuwen off at school, then took Xiao Suizi back to the big house for their usual pleasures…

Liu Feng and He Xiaoping’s arrival didn’t affect Wang Yan’s routine. He continued as before. But Lin Dingding, upon learning from Hao Shuwen and Xiao Suizi that Liu Feng and He Xiaoping had come to Beijing, visited them herself and slipped the child some money.

Their life was going well. Liu Feng’s position at the General Political Department’s Song and Dance Troupe was purely ceremonial—he showed up only when he felt like it, otherwise he stayed home with the child. He Xiaoping had been admitted to the Dance Performance Department at the Central Nationalities College, striving to become a dance artist with a bright future.

Time passed as Wang Yan gradually laid the foundation for his special forces soldiers. After this period, their physical fitness had visibly improved, and their strength was remarkable. Brick-breaking hard qigong was child’s play.

They could now hold basic English conversations, all knew how to drive and operate tanks, and all could parachute. But their technical skills were still relatively poor—time was simply too short.

Their marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and tactics had all improved. Their academic subjects, however, remained weak due to insufficient accumulation.

Overall, over these months, these special forces soldiers had become vastly stronger than before—truly transformed.

Of course, there was internal screening—not all forty-nine could qualify. During these months, Wang Yan eliminated nineteen. But he didn’t abandon them—special forces were expanding, and many positions remained. These nineteen simply lagged behind the other thirty in physical fitness and learning ability, but they could still handle other roles well.

Wang Yan also organized a live exercise and invited senior officers to observe. The results were impressive, and they approved his proposal to expand the special forces by adding fifty more soldiers and support personnel.

Meanwhile, at the Equipment Department, Wang Yan never slackened. Whether or not his ideas could be realized, he always had many. Some were implemented, some proved viable after testing, and many remained unrealized. In this area, Wang Yan had made considerable contributions.

During this time, Wang Yan finally finished writing his book, *Youth on the Plateau*, and published it again through the People’s Literature Publishing House. The 900,000-character novel earned him another substantial royalty payment.

Throughout, he never forgot to show care and affection toward Xiao Suizi and Lin Dingding.

Thus, time swiftly arrived at October—and Wang Yan married Hao Shuwen…