The old man in front of us is not as memorable as other great men, but he has made a significant contribution to both the first generation of leadership headed by the Chairman and the second generation of leadership headed by the Prime Minister.
There are two versions of the second generation of leadership in history books, but no matter which one, Cheng Ying is listed on paper.
Just by mentioning the name, you may not have much impression of the old man in front of you, but when it comes to the era of coupons, I guess everyone knows it. And the use of coupons is inextricably linked to the old man in front of you.
In later generations, the use of coupons may have caused various problems, but in the early 1950s, it was this unified economy and stable prices that ended the decade-long inflation left over from the Kuomintang rule.
In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, the old man in front of him spontaneously went to the countryside and proposed to the Chairman a very forward-looking suggestion of contracting production quotas to households in order to solve the problems in agricultural development. Unfortunately, this decision, which was completely correct in practice in later generations, made him be treated coldly, and he was even labeled as a rightist faction during those years.
According to Jiang Yilu's understanding in his previous life, the old man in front of him was demoted to a local factory by the Gang of Four in the late 1960s and only retained the nominal title of Central Committee member. It was not until 1972 that he was recalled to Beijing and restored to his title to handle economic and trade related affairs.
This also indirectly explains why Grandpa Bai and Grandpa Ruan were demoted in those years. At that time, the old man himself was also in the vortex of that era.
Looking at the kind and gentle old man in front of him, wearing ordinary long-sleeved trousers and a pair of plastic boots, with his hands and feet covered in mud, Jiang Yilu really couldn't see the shadow of the majestic and powerful old leader he had imagined.
"You must be Xiaocheng's grandson. In the blink of an eye, his grandson has grown up to this size."
The old man put down the big scissors in his hand and casually washed his hands in the small water tank in the garden.
"How is your grandfather's health now? Has he applied the medicine on time? Does his injured leg still hurt when it rains?"
Xiaocheng, Jiang Yilu felt a little embarrassed when he heard the old man in front of him addressing Grandpa as Xiaocheng, but thinking about the old man's age, it seemed that calling Grandpa Xiaocheng was also a very appropriate thing to do.
"Grandpa is in good health. He applies the ointment prepared by Grandpa Bai on time every day. Now, even on rainy days, my legs don't hurt anymore."
Facing such an old man, Jiang Yilu felt a lot of pressure. Even though the other party behaved very kindly, he did not dare to be as casual as he did with Grandpa Bai and Grandpa Ruan.
"That's good!"
The old man in front of him sighed and nodded: "If he hadn't saved me, his leg wouldn't have been injured."
"No, my grandfather often mentioned it at home, saying that it was a good thing that he saved you, Chief. Now our country has such a wise leader." Jiang Yilu flattered the old man in front of him a little. Flattery never wears out.
"Haha." The old man in front of him smiled and said, "You are not like your grandfather in this respect. He would never say such smooth words to bluff me. Fangqiu, is this the child you taught in Xinjiang? Among the few of you, he is the only one who looks serious but has a lot of tricks in his mind."
The old man smiled and joked with Bai Fangqiu, making Jiang Yilu regret his reckless behavior.
Was he too reckless? After all, his level of ability could be seen through at a glance by the old man in front of him.
"Xiaobao is a good kid."
Bai Fangqiu also smiled, glanced at the somewhat nervous Jiang Yilu and said to the old man in front of him.
"He is indeed a good kid, but what I hate most in my life are those flatterers."
The old man in front of him changed his expression. His original kindness instantly turned into coldness, even anger.
Jiang Yilu suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. He didn't expect the old man in front of him to suddenly get angry. The deterrent power of a superior is invisible. His face changed, and it seemed that even the air became heavy, making it difficult to breathe.
But after all the experiences in his first half of life, even so, Jiang Yilu was not frightened and at a loss like other children of his age.
"Hahaha--"
Just when Jiang Yilu was racking his brains to think of how to restore his image in the old man's mind, the old man opposite suddenly laughed. This time, Jiang Yilu was really confused.
"He is indeed a talent. The aid to Xinjiang is right. This child is a talented person with great potential."
The old man in front of him looked at Jiang Yilu with a kind and gentle expression, as if he was looking at a very close junior. Jiang Yilu also understood that what he had just done was just a test from the old man, as if he wanted to test whether Grandpa Ruan's evaluation of him was true.
When we came to the capital a few days ago, Grandpa Ruan took Uncle Da Wu away for a while. He should have come to see the old man in front of him.
"Don't stand in the yard. I asked your Grandma Bai to prepare the cake that you kids love the most. That's what it's called, right? I don't understand what's so delicious about this foreign thing, but my granddaughters and grandchildren all like to eat it."
Cheng Ying smiled and said to Jiang Yilu that the Grandma Bai he mentioned was his wife, also a heroine, but now she has retired behind the scenes and is in charge of the old man's food, clothing, housing and transportation.
"I originally thought I could drink Wuyi Dahongpao today, but it looks like I won't have that chance today." Bai Fangqiu sighed, seeming a little disappointed.
"I only get a few ounces of tea, and you're still staring at it. Every time you come to my place, you won't leave until you've had enough to drink. Even if I had a mountain of tea, it wouldn't be enough for you to drink."
Cheng Yun obviously had a close personal relationship with Bai Fangqiu, and he mercilessly exposed his past: "Your godson is watching, don't you worry about being seen by others with your shameless appearance?"
Jiang Yilu didn't dare to speak casually now, for fear that the old man in front of him would scare him again.
"If you don't have Da Hong Pao, then let's have a pot of Longjing. I'm not picky at all." Bai Fangqiu replied with a smile: "My precious godson won't make fun of me. But you just scared the child. From now on, Xiaobao will turn his head away when he sees you."
The two old men teased each other, and Jiang Yilu could only smile bitterly and remain silent so as not to offend either side.
After passing through the flower corridor, the group stepped into the house. Jiang Yi stayed in the hall and saw someone who shouldn't be here.
"Xia Ai!"
Jiang Yiliu exclaimed, not expecting his mysterious roommate to appear in his grandfather's chief's house. But when he came to his senses and thought carefully, Xia Ai seemed to have never talked about his family. Even though they had crossed paths because of Miao Lao's special chili sauce, it was limited to chili sauce, oh no, there was also mushroom sauce, meat sauce, and Miao Lao's special spicy meat jerky and five-spice meat jerky.
Now that I think about it, why are they all food?
Jiang Yilu looked surprised, but Xia Ai was not surprised at all, as if she had known that Jiang Yilu would appear.
"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is my grandson. You two must be classmates, right? The old man shamelessly used his connections to put you in the same dormitory. The grandfathers were brothers who had sworn to be together for life, so the grandsons can't be much worse."
Cheng Yun's words solved Jiang Yiliu's doubts. Huaqing's dormitory division is very interesting now. Students in each dormitory are from different majors. It seems that they want students from different majors to have different inspirations and increase the intercommunication of the college. He and Xia Ai are the only ones in their dormitory who are both majoring in economics. It turns out that this is all the work of the old man in front of him.
"This child has a sullen temperament. It would be a miracle if he spoke. Xiaobao, you have to teach him well. I want to hear this kid praise me before I die."
Cheng Yun teased Jiang Yilu again about his unsuccessful flattery.
"This must be Xiaocheng's grandson."
An old lady wearing a plain long-sleeved cheongsam walked out of the house. Her short silver hair was curled into a fashionable style. She had a plump figure and a kind face.
She is a wealthy and fashionable old lady.
She was holding two plates of cakes, each with three small and compact cream cakes, decorated with flower-shaped white cream and various fruits, which looked very appetizing. Jiang Yiliu also wandered around after arriving in the capital, but did not see such cakes for sale outside. It seemed that they were homemade or specially supplied, and only people of this level could enjoy them.
Behind Grandma Houbai there was a middle-aged woman wearing an apron and dressed as a housekeeper. She was holding a pot of tea and several teacups in her hands.
"Why did you soak my precious Da Hong Pao again? There is only a little left." Cheng Yan said with a hint of complaint, but everyone could see that it was just a joke.
"That's what Fangqiu likes, right? Don't you see where all those medicinal wines and ointments in your room come from?" The old lady was not afraid of him at all and said mercilessly.
"Your name is Xiaobao, right? Your Grandpa Cheng is just like that. Even though he appears to be quite serious in public, he likes to tease the younger generation in private, and he even calls it a trial. Our Ai Ai was originally such a clever and lovely child, but she was teased by this old man into looking expressionless."
Jiang Yilu looked at Xia Ai's expression, which had not changed from beginning to end, and the corner of his eye twitched.
"Okay, don't you want to go buy some groceries? It's rare for Xiaobao to come to our house today, so make more delicious dishes." Cheng Yun saw that his wife was getting more and more outrageous and hurriedly stopped her. He didn't want to ruin his majestic image in the child's heart.
Old Mrs. Bai rolled her eyes at her old man, exchanged a few words with Jiang Yilu, then went back to the house to get her wallet and went out with the nanny.
"Come, Xiaobao, have some cake. The cakes here are pretty good. Xiaoai likes to eat cakes here. He has a very picky taste."
Cheng Ying greeted Jiang Yilu warmly and took a piece without hesitation. However, before he put it in his mouth, Xia Ai snatched it away.
"It's sweet and can't be eaten." Xia Ai's words were still so concise.
"You unfilial grandson, your grandma is not around, so what's wrong with giving me a piece of cake?" Cheng Yan looked at his grandson and glared angrily, just like an ordinary old man bickering with his grandson. When Jiang Yilu saw this scene, the estrangement that had arisen because of the old man's test was suddenly reduced by half.
However, he remembered that the old man had just severely disparaged cake as a disgusting foreign thing in front of him.
"Sister Bai is not here, but I am still here."
Bai Fangqiu coughed a few times to remind the other party of his presence. As the attending physician of these old leaders, he was the one with the most say regarding their health.
"Xiao Ai, skim off the cream on the cake and let your grandpa have a bite of the sponge core inside." Bai Fangqiu said to Xia Ai.
"What's the point of eating this?" The old man angrily refused to accept the pitiful amount of sponge cake handed to him by his grandson. What he liked was the sweet and rich cream. Unfortunately, his current high blood pressure and diabetes did not allow him to eat these things.
Without being able to eat his favorite food, Cheng Yan could only do his work. He straightened his face and asked Jiang Yiliu, "Have you ever thought about what you will do after graduation?"
The old man's expression was very serious, and Jiang Yilu couldn't help but sit up straight.
Speaking of the future, Jiang Yilu is actually a little confused. At the beginning of his rebirth, he only wanted to change the fate of himself and his sisters. Now it seems that his eldest sister is living a happy life, his second and third sisters have been admitted to excellent universities, and if nothing unexpected happens, his fourth sister will be able to be admitted to the university of her dreams next year. It seems that his goal has been almost achieved.
As for the future, with the foresight of the future, they bought land, antiques, stocks, or started their own business during the rapid economic development in the 1980s...
After the old man reminded him, Jiang Yilu realized that his ideas about the future seemed quite confusing and he didn't have a complete idea.
Seeing that Jiang Yilu had not answered, Cheng Yun changed the question: "In other words, why did you choose your current major? Based on your grades, you can choose a more popular major. After all, China's economy is now..." The old man's voice was meaningful, and his eyes were as sharp as a sword, piercing Jiang Yilu's heart.
"I want to know what you see from the current situation!"
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