Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, six years have passed.
During these six years, China had undergone tremendous changes. In the same year that Zhou Nianxin's gang was arrested, several important Chinese leaders had passed away, and the nation was plunged into mourning.
After the mourning period, China began a series of reforms under the leadership of new leaders.
With a strong focus on education, reform and opening up, and economic development, the spring breeze of reform swept across China. People's lives became more prosperous, and the goods available on the counters of food companies and department stores increased day by day.
The first things to be eliminated were cloth and meat coupons. As long as people had money, they could buy as much cloth as they wanted, have new clothes made, and, with enough money, have meat on their tables every day. Soon after, small vendors emerged. Besides state-owned restaurants, small private eateries sprang up like mushrooms after rain, covering the streets and alleys of the city.
That's not all. With the further liberalization of private trade, farmers' markets and small commodity markets have emerged in every major, medium, and small city. Farmers can sell any leftover vegetables and grain at home at the market, and there's no limit on the number of chickens and pigs they can raise. With diligence, raising a few pigs and chickens will cover your annual household expenses. Small commodity markets offer a dazzling array of daily necessities and clothing, and anyone with money can buy anything.
Zhou Yuanyuan's family is also living a prosperous life.
General Zhou still held the position of Grand Marshal of the Three Armies, contributing his part to the development of China's military. Over the past six years, General Zhou, nurtured by Xiaoyu's innate spiritual energy, had maintained excellent health. He hadn't suffered any serious illnesses, and even minor colds hadn't required him to seek medical attention.
The wrinkles on General Zhou's face have also decreased a lot. Now General Zhou does not look like a man in his seventies at all. Instead, he looks like a middle-aged man in his fifties. A group of envious old friends asked General Zhou what kind of rare treasure he used when they saw him.
General Zhou would never tell anyone that Zhou Yuanyuan had saved him. He was always protective of his children. Zhou Yuanyuan was his great-granddaughter and belonged to him. After Zhou Zhixin was found, General Zhou valued his family very much. If those old buddies knew about Zhou Yuanyuan's incredible tricks, which not only cured General Zhou's hidden injuries but also restored his youth, they would go crazy!
General Zhou also understood that the spiritual energy Zhou Yuanyuan had used on him must be extremely rare. When General Zhou was still not yet Zhou Yuanyuan's great-grandfather, Zhou Yuanyuan had willingly used her spiritual energy to heal him, a truly immense favor.
To protect Zhou Yuanyuan, General Zhou consistently claimed that Zhao Qingshan had cured him. As a result, Zhao Qingshan became the most renowned Chinese medicine practitioner in Kyoto. Many leaders of important national departments designated Zhao Qingshan as their designated examiner or therapist.
Fortunately, Zhao Qingshan's medical skills were truly solid. Under his care, the health of several leaders improved significantly. As a result, Zhao Qingshan no longer had time to see patients at Renhe Hospital. Just taking care of the health of a few leaders was enough to keep Zhao Qingshan busy.
Zhou Zhixin had made tremendous progress in training special forces. Last December, the special forces regiment led by Zhou Zhixin participated in military exercises with several countries. In the areas of jungle assault and individual combat, the Chinese special forces achieved an overwhelming victory, shocking those tall-nosed foreigners who had always looked down on the Chinese military.
The victory in the military exercise led to Zhou Zhixin's direct promotion. He is now the youngest major general in China. General Zhou, who always promoted talented individuals regardless of personal connections, entrusted the development of the special forces to Zhou Zhixin. Zhou Zhixin lived up to General Zhou's expectations and made significant achievements in this area.
Fifteen-year-old Zhou Jiasheng was admitted to Kyoto University in June. After returning to his ancestral home, General Zhou, unwilling to let him hide his genius, encouraged him to skip a grade. Zhou Jiasheng proved brilliant, and after skipping several grades, he was accepted into Kyoto University's Department of Physics on the college entrance exam this past June. Zhou Jiasheng harbored a dream: to become a physicist and develop advanced deterrent weapons for his country.
Wen Ziqing enrolled at the Kyoto National Defense Academy. In his previous life, Wen Ziqing joined the military at the age of sixteen. While his combat prowess was top-notch, his academics were his weaknesses. Having a second chance, Wen Ziqing cherishes every day of his studies. Becoming a soldier has been Wen Ziqing's dream for two lifetimes. Therefore, when he applied for university, he directly applied to the National Defense University. He is now a sophomore.
Speaking of Zhao Yunxiang, she nearly caught everyone's eye. She had a gentle personality and a tendency to be a bit indecisive. After two years with Hu Sanniang, Zhao Yunxiang's personality had subtly changed. While still gentle, she had become more efficient. Zhao Yunxiang loved making clothes, and over the past two years, she had learned from Hu Sanniang, improving her skills rapidly. She had even mastered some of Hu Sanniang's embroidery skills.
Zhou Zhixin was very busy, preoccupied with military matters, and could only return home two or three days a month. Zhou Jiasheng and Zhou Yuanyuan, brother and sister, were always carefree, requiring no attention from Zhao Yunxiang. Bored at home, Zhao Yunxiang teamed up with Hu Sanniang to open a tailor shop in Shilitun, specializing in custom-made fine clothing.
Zhao Yunxiang's tailor shop is not comparable to the small tailor shop that Hu Sanniang used to own in a small alley. At Zhou Yuanyuan's suggestion, Zhao Yunxiang's tailor shop was opened on the busiest street in Shilitun. The storefront is more than 200 square meters and the decoration is elegant and generous.
At the beginning, the tailor shop consisted of only Zhao Yunxiang and Hu Sanniang: the owner and a worker. Zhao Yunxiang had considered bringing Hu Sanniang in as a co-owner, but she refused. For Hu Sanniang, worldly wealth was far less important than Zhou Yuanyuan's spiritual energy. Hu Sanniang's support for Zhao Yunxiang's business wasn't driven by profit, but rather by the hope of bolstering Zhou Yuanyuan's favor.
Sure enough, seeing Hu Sanniang's dedication to helping Zhao Yunxiang, Zhou Yuanyuan treated her much better. She would allow Hu Sanniang to wait outside her room during her evening training sessions, allowing her to absorb some of Zhou Yuanyuan's spiritual energy. After six years of training, the cracks in Hu Sanniang's inner core had shrunk by half, and her appearance had transformed from a woman in her forties to one in her thirties. To prevent Zhao Yunxiang from noticing, Hu Sanniang remained in her original form, as she had when they first met. Despite this, Zhao Yunxiang marveled at Hu Sanniang's ageless appearance.
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