“There’s nothing wrong with being a little simple-minded.” Wang Shouren shook his head: “Let’s see tomorrow.”
"OK."
On the other side.
Sun Hongbo dragged his tired body back home.
When Sun's mother saw Sun Hongbo return, she rushed forward and said, "Uncle Hong, Zhicheng hasn't come back for two days. Please send someone out to look for him. My heart has been pounding all day. I'm so afraid something has happened to him."
Sun Hongbo opened his mouth, but the words that were on the tip of his tongue changed to: "Mom, it's okay. I sent that kid Zhicheng to the army camp. Let him be a soldier for a few years, study hard, and come back after he's learned well."
"No, why did he suddenly join the army?" Sun's mother asked, puzzled.
"That kid is so naughty all the time, he should grow up a bit."
This argument is actually untenable.
In Beijing, most powerful and influential families generally have two paths to choose from.
One option is to go to school. Those who excel academically and obtain the necessary diplomas can directly become officials in their localities. As for which locality they can enter, that depends on their personal abilities and the extent of support they can receive from their connections.
The second option is to join the army. By relying on connections, one can rise to a certain position. If one's family is in the military, they might remain there indefinitely. If not, they can transfer to civilian life. This option heavily relies on family connections, as many people transfer during this period.
Of course, there are also third and fourth options, but most people choose the first two: either politics or the military.
Sun Zhicheng, however, did neither of these two things. He couldn't continue his studies, and at eighteen, his father, Sun Hongbo, couldn't bear to send him to the army. As a result, he's been sidelined for years.
Now, for no apparent reason, they've been sent to serve in the army again.
This made Sun's mother somewhat suspicious, but she couldn't question her own son, so she could only nod and say, "Then when will he be able to come back?"
"It's hard to say, Mom. We've already asked for help, but don't worry," Sun Hongbo said.
"Okay, that works too. But can you come back for holidays and festivals?"
"Mom, it all depends on whether there's a holiday. You've been there before."
Seeing that Sun Hongbo was getting impatient, Sun's mother stopped asking questions: "Then... let's eat. The food is ready, don't let it get cold."
Just as the two were talking, there was a loud knocking on the door.
Sun Hongbo turned around and opened the door.
I saw an acquaintance.
"Old Qian? What brings you here?"
Qian Hongjun and Sun Hongbo were sworn brothers. Qian Hongjun had transferred to civilian work a few years earlier than Sun Hongbo. He heard that Sun Hongbo had some connections. After Sun Hongbo came to China, Qian Hongjun visited him a few times to catch up. Later, he got busy and they saw each other less often.
"Old Qian? Is that Hongjun? Perfect timing! Come on in, we've cooked dinner, and even made too much. Come and eat with us."
"Alright then, I've been thinking about your taste, Auntie. I specially picked a good time to come over." Qian Hongjun happily took off his shoes and entered the door.
Sun Hongbo gave him a wink, and he nodded slightly.
We've been friends for many years, so there's no need to say more.
Neither of them mentioned drinking; they just chatted about unrelated things at the dinner table.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the housekeeper they had hired came over to clear the dishes, and then the two of them went upstairs. Sun's mother put on her clothes and went out. Usually at this time, she would go out for a walk.
After the old lady left.
Qian Hongjun then said, "Your son has gotten into quite a mess this time."
"Is there any other way?" Sun Hongbo looked at Qian Hongjun hopefully. The two had a life-or-death friendship, so he wasn't being overly polite.
"There's no other way. The only way is to go tomorrow with gifts to apologize to that deputy factory director. Putting everything else aside, we have to show the proper attitude."
"But the boss said..."
"You don't actually think your son is alright, do you?" Qian Hongjun looked at Sun Hongbo in shock. "Didn't anyone tell you what the 'Dayun' automobile factory really is? Let me put it this way: many projects at Dayun are in cooperation with the government. Moreover, many research facilities and laboratories were built by Dayun. Do you know that most of the money Wang Shouren has earned over the years has been used for national defense and internal construction?"
"This is the kind of person who, in his own home, on his own turf, was threatened with a gun and even had his deputy factory director attacked. If you were in that situation, what would you do?"
Sun Hongbo fell silent.
What to do? Killing him would be too lenient.
"Putting everything else aside, if your son really comes out like this, then what's the point of all our hard work and revolution?"
Sun Hongbo was completely speechless.
Qian Hongjun stood up and patted Sun Hongbo on the shoulder; "Think it over carefully. Don't try to pull any strings about this. The more you try, the more people you'll offend. You don't know, but our leader called you today. He won't be able to advance in the next few years. Once your thinking is messed up, nothing can fix it."
Sun Hongbo suddenly looked up and stared at Qian Hongjun in shock.
He knew that Qian Hongjun wouldn't lie to him.
“That’s just how the leader is, you don’t need to take it to heart.” Qian Hongjun sighed, then looked around. “Your place is quite big, but also quite empty. Think about it carefully.”
Qian Hongjun walked out of Sun Hongbo's house, looked back one last time, and sighed.
Back in the day, Sun Hongbo was a true hero on the battlefield. How did he become like this today, willing to do anything for his son? I hope my last words will bring him to his senses.
Does Sun Hongbo understand?
He understands.
The house was large and empty, simply a way of saying he had few descendants. Years ago, his mother had been urging him to remarry; these days, one son was indeed a minority. But he felt it wasn't too bad, and he had no interest in it. Now, however, a sense of helplessness washed over him. What could he do? He couldn't save his son, and he had to keep it a secret from his mother.
He sat in the living room for a while, rubbed his face, shook the water off his hands, went to the bathroom, washed his face, and turned on the TV. His mother should be home soon.
As usual, after watching TV for a while, Sun's mother returned.
When he came back, he was carrying a bunch of grapes in his hand, and he said happily, "I was lucky today. I ran into a vendor selling grapes. They looked fresh, so I went to wash them and eat them."
"Hmm." Sun Hongbo hummed in response, focusing his attention on the television as usual.
After a while, Sun's mother washed the grapes and put them on the table: "Here, eat them, they're quite sweet."
"good……"
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