Chapter 105 End of the text

The domestically produced soft drink industry, which was supported by foreign capital and developing rapidly just a few months ago, has collapsed?

The news spread quickly from the national soda industry, and all soda manufacturers were shocked.

"Can't even produce or sell Qingfeng soda?"

"I heard that Tianfu Cola is similar! Now all that comes out of that factory is Pepsi, which is sent to various places for sale."

The hearts of the people who were envious before were trembling with fear. Even if they did not understand capital, they understood it at this moment.

It turns out that the earlier joint ventures and even the various supports a few months ago were all illusions. At this moment, the two major colas have revealed their ferocious fangs under the masks they are good at disguising!

This time, everyone didn't need any notice or urging, and rushed to the capital to attend the soda guild meeting.

"Fortunately, fortunately we didn't sign a contract!"

"I was so greedy before, and I almost agreed to the joint venture. If our factory had agreed, it would definitely be gone now!"

"Comrade Lin Xiang, thank you! Comrade Li Jun, Comrade Zhao Jianjun, thank you for your constant persuasion, constantly pointing out that this is not right, that is not right! Otherwise, we would really be finished."

"Yes, our guild is better! Last time, Old Xie from Qingfeng came over to show off, and now... I was also hesitant after hearing what Chairman Lin said, and I didn't dare to agree. Fortunately, he listened!"

Lin Xiang has asked her secretary to investigate the latest situation and communicate with the Beibingyang Soda Factory. Coca-Cola and Pepsi have indeed taken action. Although the joint venture plan is not as smooth as they expected, under the huge temptation, many domestic soda factories are still deceived and fall into the quagmire.

They had fished enough, and this time, they took out their sharp knives and cut down the fish with a single move, leaving blood everywhere.

Under their absolute controlling stake, dozens of domestically produced soft drink factories were deprived of their production and sales rights and had no choice but to become tools for foreign colas to quickly seize the market and develop nationwide sales.

Seeing the other soda factory representatives who escaped the disaster looking happy as if they had survived a disaster, Lin Xiang couldn't feel happy.

Because the real battle has not yet begun.

"Everyone calm down for a moment. Although we have escaped a disaster, the purpose of Coca-Cola and Pepsi is not that simple. We have saved the factory and brand, but it is still unknown whether we can survive their attacks in the future." Lin Xiang briefly analyzed the possible actions of the two major colas. "They have abundant funds and are well versed in the ways of capital and the market. Our country started late in this regard and is no match for them. Once they start to gain power and want to suppress us, none of us can beat them."

"What should I do?"

"Just waiting to die?"

"I'm going to fight them!"

"Yes, we can't just wait to die. Our factory is really going to be crushed. I have to bite off a layer of skin before I die!"

Feelings of anxiety surged in people's hearts, and they also realized the huge gap between themselves and the wealthy, insidious and cunning foreign capital that has no loopholes.

Lin Xiang's eyes swept across the anxious and high-spirited faces below the stage, and said in a deep voice: "None of us has the capital to fight against the two major cola companies, but if all of us unite and fight together, we will have a chance of winning!"

The originally uneasy hearts seemed to suddenly calm down: "Then let's do it together!"

"Let's unite and fight those two foreigners!"

——

Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola swallowed up dozens of domestic soft drink manufacturers that had signed contracts, and seized market share at an extraordinary speed. Coupled with their lavish capital investment and marketing efforts, they became popular in China for a while.

Their promotional figures can be seen in department stores and shopping malls in almost every major city. They continue to engage in price wars, offering two pairs of chopsticks or a bowl for free at 40 cents a bottle of Coke, and they also engage in crazy advertising and marketing, making the news known to every household.

With these two measures in place, manufacturers in the soda maker industry are feeling unprecedented pressure to survive.

Larger and more profitable manufacturers like the 119 Group, Beibingyang Soda Factory, No. 2 Soda Factory, and Shanhaiguan Soda Factory can still hold on, but some small and medium-sized local soda factories are almost being squeezed to death. They are financially strapped and can only rely on the monthly or even daily sales to sustain themselves.

Now it is even more stretched.

Representatives of the six major soft drink companies met in the capital to summarize and analyze all the trends of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, as well as their development levels in different regions, and finally formulated a confrontation strategy.

Lin Xiang organized all the soft drink factories to form a joint alliance and use a sales campaign to fight back against the price war between the two major colas. If you buy any bottle of soda or juice from the alliance, you can get any bottle of soda or juice from the alliance for free within one month.

At the same time, they held a lottery with prizes for opening the lid to attract consumers. Their financial resources were limited and they could not compete with the foreign cola companies in spending money. They could only use this cost-control and gimmicky method to promote sales.

Secondly, large-scale soda factories hold the backbone and fight against the two major colas in the ten major cities where they are mainly attacking and expanding, while the remaining small and medium-sized soda factories have obvious regional advantages in their home countries and give priority to helping other allied domestic sodas pave the way and try their best to prevent foreign colas from entering small and medium-sized cities.

Third, the more than 70 soda factories participating in the alliance used decades of local distribution channels and chain advantages to try to delay or even cut off the national layout of foreign cola chains, create difficulties for them in various strongholds all over the country, increase their difficulty, and cannot be allowed to develop.

Fourth, we must firmly defend the rural and township markets that foreign cola has not penetrated, and concentrate our efforts to fight against foreign cola in the urban markets.

As various tasks were issued, at this moment, all the major soda manufacturers no longer cared about who they were and united to fight against foreign colas.

The initial joint holding plan of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo did not work as well as expected. They had thought that they could take over several large soda factories in one fell swoop, but in the end they only took over two, plus dozens of other small and medium-sized soda factories, and were barely able to continue the plan.

Time waits for no one. After completing the preliminary layout, they began to close the net, encroaching on China's domestic soft drinks and using them to expand their own cola business. In just three months, they became the most popular company and turned the beverage market into a mess.

As for those troublesome controlled soda factories, they only need to send a few lawyers to take out the contracts written in black and white to silence those people.

If they want to cause trouble, they can easily call the police thanks to the preferential treatment they receive as foreigners.

Under such a relentless onslaught, other non-joint-owned soda factories could no longer withstand their massive expansion and aggressive price wars, and ultimately ended up closing down and going bankrupt one after another.

At that time, they will be able to pick and choose, then make acquisitions, and finally completely control the beverage market of this oriental country.

only...

Everything seems a little different again.

Coca-Cola representative Smith received the report, read it hastily, and his face changed slightly: "What? Our coke shipment from Jing City to Jianghan City is blocked?"

Assistant Charles reported the details: "Yes. Originally it was transported to Jianghan City by rail. We found a transport team in advance to transport it from the railway station to the warehouse in Jianghan City, and then arranged for the transport team to deliver the goods throughout the city. But now they say they will not deliver..."

"Why?" Smith was puzzled. "Is the money not in place?"

"That transport team said that they were transporting supplies for other Chinese local soda companies stationed in Jianghan City all year round. Now they are going back on their word and saying... that we are foreign devils and not good people."

"Crazy, a bunch of lunatics!" Smith was furious. "What kind of reason is this? It's totally unreasonable!"

But this one incident was not enough. Over the next month, the distribution of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo across China encountered varying degrees of boycotts and "unintentional" delays.

After all, this kind of transportation cooperation is just verbal cooperation, and they can't even control others.

Smith sensed something was wrong and asked someone to investigate. Only then did he realize that it was a united resistance by all members of the China National Soda Water Association.

They even put aside their internal rivalries and united to fight against him.

In four cities, truck delivery times were delayed from five hours to ten hours. The main reasons were bad road conditions, insufficient diesel and flat tires.

Pepsi-Cola also encountered the same situation. The supply points in six cities were jointly squeezed out. They used the Qingfeng soda factory's distribution point, but they were almost unable to stand out under the pressure of more than 20 other domestic sodas. The salesperson in the department store even deliberately put all other domestic sodas in the front. It was said that the salesperson's husband was an employee of Tianfu Cola. Because Tianfu Cola Factory was restricted from producing its own cola, he went home every day to curse Pepsi-Cola.

What's worse, after being cheated and unable to produce his own Qingfeng soda, Director Xie regretted his decision and even turned to the soda guild to compete with foreign colas.

Directly mobilizing all the connections in Jianghan City, especially the urban transportation links that have existed for decades, has caused considerable transportation troubles for the two major cola companies.

......

These incidents may seem insignificant, but they happened frequently, slowing down their layout and supply speed. In addition, the strategy jointly launched by more than 70 local soft drink manufacturers, where if you buy a bottle, you can get another bottle for free at any time within a month, as well as the extreme rewards for opening the cap, greatly attracted consumers, which greatly weakened the only light of their promotional strategy.

Not to mention, China's rural areas and towns have rugged terrain and are highly unopened. Families, clans or villages are too tightly knit and are basically all controlled by local sodas, making it even more difficult for them to conquer them.

The expansion plan was unexpectedly hindered and the results were lower than expected, especially as the two major cola groups were constantly confronted head-on and attacked from the side, causing their own troubles.

Coca-Cola took the lead.

"We can't let the situation go on like this! I really underestimated them before." Smith didn't expect so many Chinese soda brands to unite and cause him so much trouble. After learning about the soda guild and its backbone behind the scenes, he said, "We must split them up."

Not long after, after the soda guild held a meeting to summarize the initial results of the three-month joint confrontation, Lin Xiang of 119 Soda and Director Li of Arctic Ocean Soda respectively met with representatives of Coca-Cola who came to their homes again.

This time, Smith lobbied Lin Xiang again, and the offer was even more generous. The translator conveyed: "If 119 Soda is willing to form a joint venture with us, on behalf of the group, I am willing to invest 10 million yuan in 119 every year, unconditionally and without restrictions. It will also be stated in the contract that we will definitely help 119 Soda go beyond the gates of your country. Chairman Lin, you should have heard that the Coca-Cola Group has a strong global distribution capability and market share, which is a precious asset for 119 Soda."

Lin Xiang declined: "I'm sorry, Mr. Smith, no matter how good the offer is, I can't be tempted."

"Chairman Lin, your 119 is large in scale, and there is no need to be tied up with other small and medium-sized soda factories. Why bother? They will only drag you down. It is better to cooperate with our company. Don't worry, I know your ability. Qingfeng Soda Factory just can't afford a large-scale investment, so we requisitioned its factory for production. As for your 119, we will definitely not interfere too much." This time, Smith made up his mind and vowed to disintegrate this soda guild: "Chairman Lin, why don't you tell me what conditions you want, whether it is for 119 soda or for yourself."

"Mr. Smith, what you said does make some sense. Over time, it has been hard for our factory to drag other factories forward. However..." Lin Xiang heard the implication of Smith's words and smiled slightly: "Can I really set the conditions?"

This was a joke, and Smith responded generously: "Of course, you should know the strength of our group."

Lin Xiang's eyes moved slightly, and she made a shocking request: "If your company's shareholding is less than 30%, and you unconditionally provide more than 20 million yuan of investment to 119 Soda every year, and provide the most advanced water treatment equipment and soda production equipment in Country M, I can agree."

The controlling shareholder required that the investment amount be doubled. Smith narrowed his eyes and looked at the Chinese woman in front of him seriously.

Half a year ago, he had a vague feeling that this person was not simple. If she had not strongly stopped and promoted the establishment of the China Soft Drinks Association, his expansion plan would not have been unsatisfactory.

"Okay." Smith made another request, "I also need you to do one thing, quit the soda guild."

"Deal." Lin Xiang agreed readily.

Correspondingly, Smith prepared to fly to Beijing and use the same method to persuade the Arctic Ocean Soda Factory. As long as it was taken down, all problems would be solved and all that would be left of the soda guild would be rotten fish and shrimp.

But he didn't know that during the few hours he was on the plane, a phone call was also made from south to north.

Director Li of the Beibingyang Soda Factory was holding the receiver, and couldn't help but be shocked: "What? You let me push and pull a few times before you agreed to a joint venture with Smith? Director Lin, you are kidding, right?"

"I'm not kidding. I promised him verbally and agreed to sign the contract in a week. Note that the bigger the lion's mouth is, the better."

Smith didn't expect that the stumbling negotiations would go smoothly. He flew to the Arctic Ocean Soda Factory, and the two sides negotiated several times. Finally, they reached a verbal agreement based on a huge investment plan. In the end, of course, Arctic Ocean had to withdraw from the soda guild.

On the way back to Coca-Cola's headquarters in China, assistant Allen was curious: "Mr. Smith, why did you agree to their unreasonable request? These people are simply greedy. We would rather use this money to fight a price war and a sales promotion war with them."

"Hey." Smith waved his hands. "These two soda factories are the leaders of the soda guild. Only by conquering them can the soda guild be torn apart. As for those unreasonable conditions, you have to trust our lawyers. We will not suffer any loss in the contract... These Chinese are so greedy that they want to take advantage of us? It's ridiculous. Just wait, they will pay the price for this sooner or later."

The two white faces smiled at each other, looking very pleased with themselves.

The Coca-Cola Company, which planned to trick 119 Soda and Arctic Ocean Soda into becoming a joint venture, visited the company one week later to sign the contract, but was unexpectedly turned down.

"What? Didn't we agree to sign a joint venture contract a week ago? We've negotiated all the terms." Allen was furious.

Kong Zhenzhen asked the translator to tell her: "Sorry, we regret it and will not sign it."

"Don't you Chinese people always value integrity? How can you go back on your word?" Smith keenly sensed that something was wrong. Something must have happened this week. He glanced at his assistant Charles, who immediately dodged.

Kong Zhenzhen continued to communicate through the translator: "I suddenly feel that your conditions are just like that. I will not receive you today. Goodbye."

After being directly rejected, Smith was at a loss. Then he was turned down again by the Arctic Ocean. The contract was agreed upon a week ago, but today the two parties suddenly changed their minds and decided not to sign the joint venture agreement.

When the group returned to the headquarters, Charles' private investigation revealed the result: "It was Pepsi who visited 119 and Arctic Ocean in the past few days."

We are all Western capital and are direct competitors in the United States and other global markets. How can we not understand each other's thoughts?

Even the methods used by both sides are very similar.

Smith pondered, "It seems that Stephen also wants to grab 119 and Arctic Ocean. He has a big appetite."

"Mr. Smith, Pepsi is really stealing our business. It was clearly us who negotiated the cooperation with 119 and Arctic Ocean first."

"After Stephen took office, he has been leading Pepsi to oppose us. When we entered China several years ago, he said we should cooperate for mutual benefit and divide up the market. Now I have seen through this extremely hypocritical guy. It is the most stupid thing to cooperate with him!" Smith's face showed some anger. "This time, we can't let them go! They want to grab the market, grab the two leaders of China's soft drinks, we must not get used to it!"

At this moment, at the 119 Soda Factory, Lin Xiang was meeting with a representative of PepsiCo and proposed a joint venture and holding conditions. After reaching a verbal agreement, he said, "Mr. Stephen, you are really straightforward. We spent a lot of effort to negotiate the details with another company a while ago."

Pepsi representative Stephen laughed loudly: "Chairman Lin, you are also very straightforward! The other company is Coca-Cola, right? I also know their Asia General Manager Smith. He is indeed a bit stingy and not as generous as me. I am willing to provide all the investment conditions you proposed."

Lin Xiang smiled slightly: "Then it's a pleasure to work with you."

However, Stephen also reached a verbal agreement with 119, agreed to sign the contract a week later, and went to the Arctic Ocean to continue negotiations.

Finally, I was rejected by both 119 and Arctic Ocean a week later.

Lin Xiang told Stephen: "Mr. Stephen, I'm really sorry. I also want to sign a contract with your company, but someone who knows your company well told me that your company, especially you, is insidious and cunning, and your business is cruel and vicious. He asked me not to let you fool me."

After that, she specifically reminded the translator: "The last sentence must be translated accurately."

translation:"...?"

After hearing these words, the Pepsi representative, who already had a bad temper, immediately became furious. He walked out with his assistant swearing. He heard similar words at the Beibingyang Soda Factory and returned to the headquarters in China and became furious.

"Coca-Cola is the cunning one! That Smith, I had dinner with him for a few times, but he actually said bad things about me behind my back!"

——

Members of the soda guild were surprised to find that after half a year of united protest, the two major cola brands seemed to be fighting each other.

First, they competed for the cola market that each of them had peacefully dominated, and then they started a price war and promotion war without giving in to each other, with each other as their target.

Then there are all kinds of rumors. These include, but are not limited to, rumors that Coca-Cola is not as good as Pepsi, that the water source of Pepsi is not as good as Coca-Cola, and even that Coca-Cola is poisonous. The rumors have become more and more serious, and Pepsi's raw materials are not clean...

How come the two most popular and rapidly expanding colas are fighting each other?

Domestic soda manufacturers were shocked: "Why did the two of them start fighting each other?"

"Who cares? It's a good fight anyway!"

It would be difficult for them to fight together, so let these two foreign guys fight on their own!

After all these operations, the people across the country were indeed affected, and the craze for foreign cola faded a lot.

Director Li of the Beibingyang Soda Factory excitedly called Lin Xiang from 119 and said, "Director Lin, so this is what you meant in the beginning. You deliberately agreed to their joint venture, and then went back on your word to provoke an internal fight between them!"

Lin Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. The crisis was finally resolved temporarily. "That's right. These two companies are too powerful. It's difficult for us to fight them together. We should just use their strength to attack each other. This way we will have a chance to catch our breath."

Factory Director Li praised: "Great! By the way, are those rumors true? This is poisonous, that has problems with the raw materials. I heard that some people don't dare to buy it to drink now."

Speaking of this, Lin Xiang wanted to laugh: "They did attack each other in public opinion. As for the two points you mentioned, it was Lao Zhao who did it."

Zhao Jianjun has nothing to do after retirement, but he has always been concerned about the survival of domestic soft drinks. When he learned that Lin Xiang wanted to trigger an internal fight between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, he tried hard to fan the flames.

Anyway, you are unkind and I am unjust, so he joined in and made up some things to spread.

The rumor was not spread widely at first, but the two companies got into a fight. One company thought the other company was spreading rumors that it was poisonous, so it spread rumors that the other company's raw materials had problems. The other company saw that the other company was spreading rumors that its raw materials had problems, so it also started a public debate and spread the rumors that the other company was poisonous.

Only Zhao Jianjun quietly stepped back and kept his achievements and fame hidden.

It was at this time that domestic soft drinks were able to catch their breath and began to work hard to improve their own development, while 119 decided to deliver the final fatal blow.

After five years of secret preparation and development, 119 Coke was launched and quickly distributed to rural areas and towns across the country, firmly occupying the rural market in China that Coca-Cola and Pepsi had never been able to conquer.

Taking advantage of the internal strife between the two major colas, Lin Xiang personally decided that 119 Coke would go straight in, surround the cities from the countryside, and use the distribution channels and chains protected by other major soft drink factories to easily seize the urban cola market, compete with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, and bite off a piece of fat meat.

When the two major cola brands in the United States were fighting fiercely, a Chinese cola suddenly appeared. The speed of its expansion and the speed of its distribution were shocking.

They had been planning for more than ten years and taking various actions in the past two years. They had finally divided up the Chinese cola market, but they unexpectedly lost one third of it!

When they tried to stop the "war" and wanted to deal with 119-Cola, other domestically produced soft drinks came in and attacked them from both sides.

On one hand, there is the direct competitor - 119 Coke, and on the other hand, there are countless domestically produced soft drinks. The two major colas are at a loss, surrounded by enemies on all sides, with no way out.

In 1997, the three-year-long war between domestic soda and foreign cola was approaching a calm. Foreign cola, which had been unable to defeat domestic soda for a long time, finally gave up its plan to completely destroy domestic soda and finally chose peaceful coexistence.

Price wars and promotion wars were no longer carried out in a frenzy, and joint venture plans for domestic soft drinks were also suspended. The public was eaten up and many soft drink factories went bankrupt. However, compared with later generations, many large and medium-sized soft drink factories still survived. With the reform of the system, the promotion of technological innovation, and the strengthening of all-round improvement of sales methods, they still had a place in the era of fierce competition.

That summer, Lin Xiang and her husband He Hongyuan flew to the capital to pick up their daughter to spend the summer vacation. At the gate of Peking University, they saw He Lin running out like a beautiful butterfly wearing a white tank top and blue denim shorts.

A family was walking on the streets of the capital. On a hot summer day, they saw vendors carrying baskets on their shoulders and selling iced soda from door to door. These were all self-employed people who applied for wholesale licenses from major soda factories to sell their soda.

As the white gauze was removed, the cool-steam was revealed, all kinds of white, yellow, black, red... a dazzling array of sodas, all printed with the names and logos of major brands.

Lin Xiang picked a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda, He Hongyuan took 119 coconut juice, and He Lin chose 119 Coke. In summer, drinking icy soda is stimulating and comfortable.

Lowering her eyebrows, she took another look at the dazzling array of domestically produced soft drinks, with dozens of brands on display. Lin Xiang smiled, thinking, "That's great."

Everybody is still here.

In 1998, 119 became the largest soft drink group in the country, with the largest market share. Its coconut juice and 119 Cola have high sales, and it also has popular drinks such as kumquat water, mango juice, and passion fruit juice. It has been on the counters of major supermarkets for many years, appeared in newspapers and TV commercials, and is a classic sponsor of major TV programs.

It was also the year that 119 expanded beyond the mainland for the first time, selling its beverages and canned food products to the Macao market, which it had returned to last year.

In 1999, when Hong Kong was returned to China, 119 took the opportunity to launch a special packaged drink to celebrate the return of Hong Kong, which became a big hit. At the same time, the product was also sold to Hong Kong.

After successfully entering the beverage markets of Macao and Hong Kong, 119 gradually launched its Southeast Asia plan, steadily and step by step, becoming a well-known group with a market value of over 10 billion.

The 119 Group also moved from the island to the coastal area of ​​Phnom Penh, re-selected a site, and built Asia's largest food group. Along the blue sea and surrounded by coconut trees, a majestic white high-rise building rose from the ground, and behind it was a factory area covering thousands of acres. The 33-story 119 Group was majestic and magnificent, standing tall and majestically on the southern coast of China, shining brightly.

Brigadier General He retired from the army, and Lin Xiang also temporarily left the business empire he had built. A professional manager took over the affairs, and the two middle-aged men began to travel around the world, which made the lady He Lin very resentful.

After graduating from University, He Lin opened her own clothing store in Phnom Penh. The store is not too far from her family’s villa by the sea. She leads a carefree life and loves to walk along the seaside with her grandmother.

She also likes to complain to her grandmother: "Grandma, look, my parents are traveling outside, leaving us two at home. How pitiful!"

He Guifang is over 70 years old. She was basking in the sun on a lounge chair by the beach. The soft and fragmented sunlight shone on her body, making her feel warm and cozy, making her squint her eyes comfortably.

"Your mother said she was going to Europe to investigate something, and your father is accompanying her." He Guifang patted her granddaughter's face, "Don't disturb their world of two."

He Lin's cheeks puffed up, and she immediately made her position clear: "I'm not going. I won't go even if they invite me! Who wants to go on a trip with this couple and watch them show off their love? They've been away for so long and they haven't come back yet."

He Guifang rocked in the rocking chair, feeling comfortable: "Soon, your mother said she would come back before the turn of the millennium, and she even ordered fireworks from Liuyang."

On December 31, 1999, Lin Xiang and He Hongyuan landed at Phnom Penh Airport early in the morning. They were met by their secretary and driven to their seaside villa.

The Audi drove smoothly on the asphalt road and drove into a majestic golden iron gate among the lush coconut trees.

Two iron doors opened, revealing a 500-square-meter seaside villa. Lin Xiang, wearing a brown windbreaker, and He Hongyuan, wearing a dark gray windbreaker, got out of the car.

The fountain in the center of the gate was splashing water, as if welcoming the return of its owner.

"Mom, Dad, you're finally back!" He Lin came over, supporting her grandmother.

"Mom, Linlin, you're back. We said we would come back to celebrate the new millennium together!"

From 1999 to 2000, the intersection on this last day is a meeting of different centuries.

At 11:50 p.m., the family stood on the second-floor balcony and looked out at the sea, looking back over the past few decades, filled with memories.

"I never thought I could still watch the millennium like this!" Lin Xiang never thought of this before. Time flies. From the time she traveled through time to 1973 to 2000, a full 27 years have passed.

He Lin was the youngest and was the most excited, but she didn't feel much. When she saw people setting off fireworks everywhere, she danced with excitement: "Look, they're setting off fireworks over there, so beautiful! But ours are definitely the most beautiful!"

He Hong glanced at the fireworks that were rising one after another in the distance and began to warm up. His eyes then swept over the three most important people in his life one by one: his mother, his lover, and his children.

"Yes, it was you who asked for the biggest and most beautiful fireworks, so I asked someone to bring them back. These fireworks are incredible. They are said to be able to bloom in the sky and even look like smiling faces."

"Wow~" He Lin looked at her watch, there were still three minutes left!

He Guifang held the railing with her hands, feeling overwhelmed: "I never thought that an old woman like me could live to see the year 2000. That's enough. I am very satisfied!"

He Hongyuan hugged his mother and whispered, "Mom, next year in 2000, Xiangxiang and I will go out with you more often. We can drive out by ourselves. You used to say that it was not easy to take a green train and you needed an introduction to go out. Now it is so convenient. Besides, traveling has become popular in the past two years. We have lived for most of our lives. It is time to see more."

Lin Xiang agreed. She also wanted to travel around. "Yes, Mom is in good health. Let's go out more often and have some fun. It's the new millennium. We have to live differently."

He Lin had an opinion: "What about me? Dad, Mom, you're just going to take grandma out and leave me alone?"

Lin Xiang looked at the lady and said, "Young people, it's time to work hard. Don't hang out with us middle-aged and elderly people."

He Lin: “…”

As they were talking, there was a sudden bang, one after another, and brilliant fireworks bloomed in the night sky, almost lighting up the darkness, with colorful lights and outlining various shapes.

2000, finally here!

Looking back, there were laughter, sadness, and thrills. Now, the ordinary and plain life is the real life.

Lin Xiang looked at the grand and gorgeous fireworks, and her eyes were also decorated with brilliant light: "It's been so long, and the year 2000 has really arrived."

"Yes." He Hongyuan recalled the first time he met his wife. "We first met in 1973."

"I still remember it." Lin Xiang started talking. "When I first met you on the island with my marriage certificate, you were so arrogant and looked like you didn't want anyone to come near you. If I wasn't so brave, I might have been scared away by you, and you wouldn't even have a wife in the future."

He Hongyuan laughed: "I was very sullen at that time, and no one could persuade me. At that time, I thought that arranged marriages were not good."

He Guifang smiled with wrinkles on her face: "The biggest credit goes to me. If I hadn't gone to the city to look for Xiangxiang, there wouldn't be any of your stories later."

He Lin, who couldn't fit into the elders' memories, raised her hand and said, "It's a pity that I wasn't born at that time, otherwise I would have helped to let my parents fall in love earlier!"

Hearing this, everyone laughed. The fireworks bloomed into smiling faces in the dark night, and the people on the ground were also laughing.

(End of text)