General Zhou knew He Shumin was unhappy with him, but he didn't care. Seeing He Shumin's words tinged with "ginseng rooster," General Zhou slammed the table, stood up, and pointed at He Shumin's nose with full force, calling him a short-sighted "hypocrite." General Zhou was in good health now, and his voice was loud and powerful when he argued.
Seeing that General Zhou showed no mercy to him, He Shumin was furious and cursed General Zhou as a "real butcher" who was eager to create chaos in the world.
When it came to arguments, General Zhou was truly fearless. Even though He Shumin was known as an "old fox," Zhou Jinyu was no pushover. Before joining the army, General Zhou was known as a talented scholar at Yucai Academy! After joining the army, General Zhou's literary demeanor faded considerably, and his words and actions became much more domineering than before. Whether in a verbal or physical fight, the two He Shumins combined were no match for General Zhou.
After He Shumin and General Zhou started arguing, it was the Supreme Leader who finally intervened. Afterwards, the Supreme Leader comforted He Shumin, saying that General Zhou was fully responsible for the affairs of the Chinese army, and that we old guys should just wait in Kyoto for General Zhou's good news and not get involved in military affairs.
The Supreme Leader's implication infuriated He Shumin, making him spit blood. He was the only one standing up against General Zhou, while the other old men had already reached a consensus? What was He Shumin doing? Wasn't his single-minded focus on improving the dwindling treasury meant to show the Supreme Leader that his abilities were not to be underestimated?
After He Shumin had a quarrel with General Zhou, not only did he fail to destroy General Zhou's image in front of the top leader, but instead made the leader think that He Shumin was narrow-minded. It is conceivable how depressed this incident brought to He Shumin.
The He family always had a late dinner schedule. He Shumin, always busy with work, usually left work an hour or two later than the average worker. Unless He Shumin had asked his secretary to call home beforehand, the He family would usually wait for him to arrive before eating dinner together. The only time the He family could see He Shumin was at the dinner table.
He Shumin held a high position, being one of the most important leaders in China. The younger members of the He family were intimidated by their own scheming old man.
The He family consists of two sons and three daughters. The eldest, He Boqian, is He Jingjing's father. He Boqian is a bureau-level official, but unfortunately, his unit, the Ministry of Culture, is a low-paying government agency, and He Shumin has never taken him seriously. His stepwife, Cao Yumei, is the daughter of Cao Yunfei. Cao Yunfei, on the other hand, holds a similar status to He Shumin and is one of the most important leaders in China.
However, although Cao Yunfei and He Shumin were in-laws, they operated independently in government affairs. Cao Yunfei was also eligible to attend today's meeting. Seeing He Shumin and General Zhou arguing, Cao Yunfei not only didn't defend He Shumin, but instead stood up and supported General Zhou's point of view. He Shumin's frustration was understandable. Upon returning home, she didn't give her a good look when her eldest daughter-in-law, Cao Yumei, came to her to ask about her well-being. She also looked at Cao Aimei's son, He Qiusheng, with a look of disdain.
He Qiusheng is only five years old and is a kindergarten student. Although young, she is smart and clever. Seeing her grandfather's dark face and sharp eyes when he entered the door, little Qiusheng cleverly hid behind her mother, Cao Yumei.
After He Jingjing came back, He Shumin's complexion had returned to normal.
Seeing He Shumin and He Jingjing, an old man and a young girl, sitting on the sofa and chatting happily, the younger generations of the He family who were watching with envy were extremely envious.
The He family's second son, He Boyuan, currently serves as the Party Secretary of Qingshan City. His wife, Liu Xiaoyan, was a college classmate of He Boyuan's. After He Boyuan went to Qingshan City to work, Liu Xiaoyan followed him to Qingshan City No. 1 Middle School to become a teacher. Their son and daughter, He Yusheng and He Yingying, remained in Jingcheng City.
Liu Xiaoyan's plan was a good one. Neither she nor He Boyuan were around He Shumin anymore. A few years from now, who knew if He Shumin would still remember them, a couple sent down to the countryside? Oh, I forgot to mention that under He Shumin's teachings, everyone in the He family believed that leaving Kyoto was a demotion. Even though He Boyuan's position in Qingshan City had been promoted by half a level, in the eyes of the He family, he was still in the mountains.
He Yusheng, fourteen, a year younger than He Jingjing, was a ninth-grader at Chaoyang Middle School. He Yingying, twelve, was a first-grader at Chaoyang Middle School. The two siblings carried the weight of Liu Xiaoyan's hopes for them on their small shoulders. Before she left, Liu Xiaoyan had instructed them to emulate their cousin, He Jingjing, and ideally, to do everything in her power to please He Shumin.
Watching He Shumin and He Jingjing getting along, to be honest, He Yusheng and He Yingying were jealous, but neither of them dared to go over. He Yusheng and He Yingying both knew that although their cousin He Jingjing appeared kind and harmless on the surface, she was actually ruthless and cruel. If He Jingjing found out that they were trying to steal her position in front of He Shumin, she would definitely take action against them.
"Jingjing, think carefully, have you seen any clips recently?" He Shumin looked at He Jingjing with a kind smile on his face.
He Jingjing's biological mother died early, and she is always observant and sweet-mouthed, and is very good at making He Shumin happy. However, these are not the main reasons why He Shumin values He Jingjing. What He Shumin values is the warnings that He Jingjing gives from time to time.
Ten years ago, at the age of five, He Jingjing predicted that China would be overrun by a sea of red. Half-believing and half-doubting, He Shumin avoided the then-popular young red warriors, also avoiding the denunciation and relegation that had plagued his previous life.
Throughout this journey, He Shumin, following He Jingjing's advice and closely adhering to the leadership's lead, remained unscathed during this difficult period. Watching individuals more formidable than himself fall during those ten years, He Shumin felt immensely fortunate. And all of this was brought about by He Jingjing.
From then on, whenever He Shumin encountered any unresolved issues, he would consult He Jingjing. Although He Jingjing's predictions were sometimes accurate and sometimes not, they still helped He Shumin a lot.
"Fragments? What fragments?" He Jingjing was dumbfounded. The general trajectory of that peculiar decade was something that any Chinese citizen who had lived through could still vividly recall twenty years later, and He Jingjing was no exception. Now, He Shumin's nonsensical words had left He Jingjing perplexed.
"Oh, it's about the war." He Shumin suggested.
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