1065

After Huo Zhekun finished washing up, Jiang Lifang had already poured him a glass of milk and said, "Drink it and go to sleep."

"I just brushed my teeth," Huo Zhekun said. "Besides, I sleep well, so I don't need to drink these things."

"Who had a cramp on the train yesterday?" Jiang Lifang said. "You don't take care of your own health, and when others remind you, are they just being overly kind?"

Thinking of yesterday's embarrassment, Huo Zhekun had no choice but to take the milk, gulp it down, rinse his mouth with a sanitary napkin, and then go to sleep.

Whether it was a placebo effect or something that actually worked, Huo Zhekun didn't have cramps that night.

The next morning, the whole family packed up and went to the old house to celebrate the New Year.

Song Chunli is much better off now than before. She has already tidied up the room so that they can celebrate the New Year together at the old house on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, in a lively and festive atmosphere.

On the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the second branch of the Huo family returned to Mao'er Hutong.

Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Huo were extremely pleased.

The men played chess and cards together, while the women played mahjong, watched TV, and knitted.

When the children are older, you can let them play together without adults watching them.

In the evening, it was time for the Huo family men's tea party again.

The nanny brought up two thermos flasks and five teacups, then left.

Grandpa Huo looked at his second son with great satisfaction and said, "Second son, you've done well this year. You must keep it up."

"Yes, Father, I know." Huo Zhekun nodded, looking serious.

Huo Zhe, standing to the side, chuckled dryly and said, "Dad, don't worry. I'm here in Yanjing. If someone in higher-ups wants to harm my second brother, I will definitely not stand idly by."

"Thank you, brother." Huo Zhekun said with a smile. He and his brother had supported each other over the years, and it hadn't been easy for them to get to where they were now.

At the same time, their brotherly relationship was harmonious, unlike other families where there was infighting, which was quite rare in Yanjing.

“We’re brothers, there’s no need for thanks,” Huo Zhegan said. “From now on, we brothers will fight side by side, like father and son going to war together. With our father behind us, as long as we don’t commit crimes, we have nothing to fear.”

"Yes, brother is right." Huo Zhekun smiled. "By the way, I've heard recently that the polar bears in the north are not very stable. Does our country have any countermeasures?"

This is about international relations, and Huo Yingjun, who works in the foreign affairs department, has attracted everyone's attention.

Huo Yingjun was sent to a post outside the capital for several years, and now he has returned to Yanjing to participate in affairs.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Huo Yingjun smiled and said, "I have received some information that the Soviet Union's reforms have made the country very unstable. It has now deviated from the principles of socialism and is pursuing the so-called freedom and democracy of Western countries. Domestic contradictions have intensified, and the long-term Cold War confrontation with the United States has depleted the Soviet Union's strength."

Huo Zhegan was aware of these things; after all, he was a high-ranking official and was very sensitive to certain matters.

"I think the Soviet Union's reforms are bound to cause problems sooner or later," Huo Zhegan said. "Some people in our country think the Soviet Union's system is very good and want to carry out political and economic reforms as well, even wanting to copy it. I am very pessimistic about this. What do you think, Second Brother?"

“Yes, you’re right, brother.” Huo Zhekun agreed with his brother, proving that his brother had a high level of political acumen. “Our country is different from the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was an alliance of more than a dozen countries, forming a huge entity to counter NATO. However, they had prominent internal contradictions, and their political reforms were somewhat idealistic, so I’m not optimistic about them either. For us, political stability and vigorous economic development are the only way forward.”

Everyone else spoke up, but Huo Yingjie was the only one left, drinking tea and listening to everyone talk.

Suddenly the room fell silent, and everyone stared at Huo Yingjie.

Huo Yingjie then put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Hehe, what Uncle, Father, and Elder Brother said is very true, and I agree with them."

Grandpa Huo was quite dissatisfied with his grandson's leisurely demeanor. Everyone was discussing the domestic and international situation, which was of great importance, but this kid didn't care at all and wasn't in a hurry.

"Hey kid, what's your opinion? Your uncle, father, and older brother have all shared their perspectives from their work. Why don't you share yours in relation to your work and see if you have any new insights to share, so we can all broaden our horizons as well."

“Yes, you’re the smartest in our family, so you can’t be lazy,” Huo Yingjun said. Although he worked in diplomacy, he didn’t have the same foresight as his younger brother on some matters.

Who can blame me when my younger brother is such a prodigy, he's practically a genius like Zhuge Liang?

“Yingjie, tell us, we’d like to hear your advice,” Huo Zhegan said. Every time Huo Yingjie talked about these major events, he gained some insights and inspiration.

Seeing that everyone was saying this, Huo Zhekun also said, "Alright, you just say it, you do the talking, we'll do the rest."

How could a father not understand his son's thoughts?

He's good at giving advice, but don't come to him for tasks; that's just his mentality.

"Hehe." Huo Yingjie chuckled, "Since everyone's saying so, I won't hold back anymore and will share my humble opinion. I predict the collapse of the Soviet Union!"

"What?" Old Master Huo was taken aback. In the minds of the older generation, the Soviet Union was a behemoth. Although the two countries later became enemies, they had to admit its formidable strength.

“Yingjie, you can’t just say that.” Huo Zhegan was a little flustered. “That’s the Soviet Union, an alliance of countries that can rival the United States and NATO.”

Huo Zhekun was also somewhat incredulous, but he knew his son wasn't the type to talk nonsense.

“This is our family gathering, we can speak freely, but we can’t say whatever we want,” Huo Zhekun said. “However, since you said that familiarity will lead to disintegration, then tell us why, and let us hear your thoughts.”

"Yes, that's right, tell me about it." Old Master Huo nodded. They knew that the Soviet Union's reforms had caused domestic instability, but they did not expect that such instability would lead to the collapse of the behemoth that was the Soviet Union.

Haha, this isn't just nonsense, it's a fact of the future.

“Then I’ll just give a brief overview,” Huo Yingjie said with a smile. “Let’s look at a few points. First, from an economic perspective, the Soviet Union’s long-term confrontation with the United States and NATO, along with its arms race with the US, had a huge impact on the Soviet economy. While it vigorously developed heavy industry, light industry developed slowly, and people’s living standards didn’t improve much. Second, politically, Gorbachev’s reforms not only caused domestic political turmoil but also allowed for the infiltration of Western forces, making failure inevitable. Third, the Soviet Union was a union of states, with internal conflicts within each state and conflicts between states. When these conflicts became irreconcilable, it naturally collapsed.”

Upon hearing this, the people inside the room remained silent for a long time.

He fell into deep thought, carefully considering Huo Yingjie's words.