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Grandpa Tang nodded and said, "Yes, they're all doing quite well, similar to your family. Not everyone can stay in Yanjing; they need to go out and gain experience so they can advance further in the future. Right now, I'm most satisfied with Xiao Si. I had given up on him before, but after those absurd things, he actually reformed, got married, had children, and his career is thriving. With Xiao Si, I don't have to worry about the younger generation in the family getting involved in corruption or bribery."
“That’s right,” said Old Master Huo. “We have more money than we can spend, so why would we need to spend money from outside?”
Thinking of his son's previous "peach blossom curse," Old Master Tang said, "Luckily, Yingjie reminded me that Xiao Si might have been tainted by the peach blossom curse from his previous outrageous actions. So I tried to find a Taoist priest on the mountain to help me take a look, and sure enough, someone had cast a peach blossom curse on my son. It took me a lot of effort to find someone to resolve it."
"Yingjie reminded you?" Old Master Huo asked in surprise. "He's a scientist, would he be so superstitious?"
"Later, I asked Tang Qian to inquire, and I learned that Yingjie knew a man named Huashan who understood some metaphysics. He saw through it and told Yingjie," said Old Master Tang. "If it weren't for that incident, I wouldn't have known that someone would use this method to retaliate against my family."
Old Master Huo stroked his chin and frowned, saying, "That's quite insidious! Have you found out who it is?"
Grandpa Tang stretched out his hand and then wrote the character "Li" in his palm.
"You think it's him?" Old Master Huo naturally knew who Old Master Tang was referring to. "Impossible, right?"
"I wouldn't make this up," Old Master Tang said. "All the clues pointed to the Li family, and then I had someone break the Peach Blossom Curse. They probably found out too, and dared not make a move!"
"Oh!" Old Master Huo nodded, seemingly lost in thought.
"Your second son stole his third son's place, so you'd better be careful," Old Master Tang said. "As the saying goes, it's easy to dodge an arrow in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. Your family and the Li family have a conflict of interest, much bigger than the conflict between me and him. Back then, it wasn't that I didn't want to save him, but I was barely able to protect myself, so how could I save his family? Besides, I don't have that much of a relationship with his family, so why would I disregard my own family to save them?"
“You’re right, I do need to be careful,” said Old Master Huo. “Actually, I’ve always felt that there’s more to your relationship than just the Cultural Revolution. There must be something else going on.”
"What is it?" Old Master Tang couldn't remember. Perhaps he was too preoccupied with his own affairs to make the right judgment.
Old Master Huo said softly, "Do you remember during the Liberation War, his eldest son worked under you? Just when the war was about to be won and we were about to enjoy the fruits of victory, his son died in battle."
Upon hearing this, Old Master Tang really wanted to curse.
"Back then, I clearly ordered that those who surrendered be treated with courtesy, but his eldest son was arrogant and cocky. When clearing the battlefield, he disobeyed discipline and courted death," Old Master Tang said. "Besides, he wasn't even needed to go, but he took a fancy to the team doctor and raped her. That woman, being a strong-willed woman, shot his eldest son to death and then committed suicide." Old Master Tang cursed, "I thought we might be brothers in the same trench, having gone through thick and thin together, so I gave him face and didn't reveal the real cause of his son's death to outsiders. I made him a martyr, and after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the families of martyrs received preferential treatment. He knew about this, and instead of thanking me, he even hated me."
Old Master Huo was also surprised and said, "Was his eldest son really killed for this reason?"
“Yes, I think the person is dead, and I personally told him the reason at the time, so he knows the truth,” Old Master Tang said. “In the end, I didn’t get any benefit, and he even blamed me for not disciplining his children properly.”
"I overheard this news from someone else," said Old Master Huo. "Anyway, he blamed you for his eldest son's death. Now that I've heard about these two things, I really need to be on guard, lest the old bastard from the Li family do something desperate."
"Yes, that's right," Old Master Tang said softly. He reminded the Huo family, and the Huo family also gave him some information, exchanging information with each other.
The two old men were whispering when they saw the guards beside them remind them that Huo Zhekun and Huo Yingjie had arrived, and after seeing them, they got out of the car.
"Greetings, Father. Greetings, Uncle Tang." Huo Zhekun stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
Huo Yingjie followed closely behind.
"Great, very good." Grandpa Tang said with a smile, "You're back. Old Huo came over early this morning to wait for you. Hurry up and go home. I'm going to see my granddaughter too."
"Come over for a drink tonight," Old Master Huo invited.
"No, you father and son, grandfather and grandson must have something to say, so I won't disturb you. Anyway, there will be plenty of time in the future to drink together," Old Master Tang said with a smile, then nodded and turned to leave.
The whole family had already gotten off the bus and were walking along the tree-lined avenue of the resort.
Others also saw that Huo Zhekun and Huo Yingjie greeted the elders very respectfully.
The Huo family is no longer what it used to be; it's the time for others to curry favor and curry favor with them.
Upon arriving home, Madam Huo was beaming with joy. She and Song Chunli directed the family's housekeeper to prepare the food that the younger generation liked.
During the meal, Song Chunli held Jiang Lifang's hand and said, "Lifang, you've been living away from home for a long time. Although your ancestral home is Yanjing, your connections have become somewhat distant. Your older brother is leaving for his hometown tomorrow. As for me, I'll stay in Yanjing for a while. After I've explained everything to you about my family in Yanjing, I'll go and take care of your older brother."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lifang was very grateful and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. I originally wanted to ask you for advice, but I heard that my brother is going to take up his post tomorrow, so I was too embarrassed to ask. Now, sister-in-law, you can introduce me to the connections in Yanjing and tell me about the affairs of various families. I am so grateful."
Hearing Jiang Lifang's words, Song Chunli was very happy. When she was young, she had thought she could compete with her sister-in-law. After experiencing so much, at this age, Song Chunli has finally understood that in critical moments, you still have to rely on your own family. No matter how good the relationship is with others, once danger comes, they will run far away, and it's already good enough if they don't kick you when you're down.
“Although we’re not going to pursue official careers, there are some things and taboos you need to be aware of. We don’t gossip, but we can’t be ignorant of these things,” Song Chunli said. “I just signed up for some senior citizen interest classes. There are a lot of people in them. Once you’ve settled in these next few days, I’ll take you there.”
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