Honestly, He Shumin couldn't believe that such a small country in the south could cause such a big stir in the great nation of China. In He Shumin's mind, he always thought that General Zhou was exaggerating the war situation in order to promote General Zhou's grandson Zhou Zhixin.
It's no wonder that when everyone thought General Zhou had no successor, he publicly announced the return of his grandson, Zhou Zhixin. That wasn't all that significant; more importantly, Zhou Zhixin, who grew up in the countryside, wasn't spoiled. On the contrary, he fought through adversity and, relying on his exceptional military skills, became a battalion-level officer. Even more surprising, after being recognized by General Zhou, Zhou Zhixin began to demonstrate his formidable skills in training special forces soldiers.
He Shumin was unaware that Zhou Zhixin had Zhou Yuanyuan and Wen Ziqing behind him, advising him. A few years ago, Zhou Yuanyuan, concerned about the jungle warfare in this war, proposed the framework for establishing a special forces regiment, and Zhao Qingshan presented the proposal to General Zhou. General Zhou, a lifelong military leader, could unleash his military prowess whenever Zhao Qingshan suggested an idea, quickly analyzing it as a significant innovation for the Chinese military.
With the approval of General Zhou, the daily training of the newly established special forces corps fell on Zhou Zhixin's shoulders.
Wen Ziqing had spent his entire life in the military. In the years before his death, China's special forces had already gained international renown. Wen Ziqing knew every step of the training process. With his father-in-law taking the lead, Wen Ziqing, the prospective son-in-law, felt compelled to lend his support. He meticulously wrote a set of training methods and secretly placed them in Zhou Zhixin's drawer.
Zhou Zhixin wasn't stupid, he just lacked a bit of insight. Even with the vision and implementation plan, if Zhou Zhixin still couldn't build an iron army, then he would be doing a disservice to the blood of General Zhou that flowed through his veins.
Therefore, He Shumin was envious of Zhou Zhixin's achievements in recent years. He Shumin sometimes even compared her two sons with Zhou Zhixin, which naturally made her more depressed.
"Oh, Grandpa, are you asking about the war going on in the south?" He Jingjing frowned and thought about it when she heard He Shumin's reminder. In her previous life, the war between China and the small country in the south broke out this year. This should be what He Shumin wants to ask about, right?
"Yes, Jingjing, did you see anything? What were the consequences?" He Shumin was delighted to hear He Jingjing accurately say the words "Southern War," and then stared at He Jingjing eagerly. The Southern War had only just begun, and the news hadn't yet accurately reported it. He Jingjing could accurately say that the war was already underway, so perhaps she knew its final outcome?
"Grandpa, of course we won, but many people died." He Jingjing shook her head. Honestly, she didn't want to recall such bloody events. She remembered that in her previous life, a movie was based on several soldiers from that war, and it moved many people to tears. So much so that in the years that followed, the Chinese people would describe soldiers as iron-willed.
He Shumin's brow furrowed. It seemed Zhou Jinyu hadn't exaggerated. Perhaps this war wasn't as optimistic as everyone currently believed. Never mind. The leader had already said that the military would be in the hands of that old man Zhou Jinyu. He could just stand by and watch Zhou Jinyu get humiliated.
Thinking of this, He Shumin waved his hand and said, "Let's eat." This ended the conversation with He Jingjing.
After He Shumin gave the order, Cao Yumei quickly had the housekeepers start serving the dishes. The He family had many guests, and they hired several servants. Otherwise, just preparing this evening's meal would have kept Cao Yumei busy and exhausted.
Before He Shumin gave the order for dinner, all the dishes prepared by the He family were kept warm in the kitchen. Only after Cao Yumei gave the order were the dishes brought out from the kitchen one by one.
He Yusheng, He Yingying and the other children were already starving, especially He Yusheng. As a little boy, he consumed a lot and ate a lot every day. It was already around eight o'clock in the evening. It was a big test for He Yusheng to endure the feeling of hunger and watch He Shumin and He Jingjing chatting.
Despite this, the other members of the He family did not dare to show the slightest displeasure in front of He Shumin. In the He family, He Shumin was the head of the family, and whatever he did was right, even if it was wrong.
After He Shumin sat down at the main table and picked up his chopsticks to start eating, more than a dozen members of the He family, big and small, picked up their chopsticks and began to eat. During the entire meal, there was no sound at the He family table except for the sound of chewing. Even the youngest child, He Qiusheng, ate politely under Cao Yumei's care.
Although He Shumin didn't say anything, he was quite satisfied with his children and grandchildren's table manners. After dinner, when He Shumin walked into the study with a cup of hot tea in his hand, his frown had all relaxed.
After He Shumin left, the children at the table finally breathed a sigh of relief. He Yusheng shoveled his rice, He Qiusheng was busy asking Cao Yumei to remove the bones from his favorite fish, and even He Jingjing and He Yingying reached for the only remaining braised lion's head on the plate.
After several twists and turns between He Jingjing and He Yingying's chopsticks, the braised lion's head was already in He Yusheng's mouth. Throughout the process, Cao Yumei smiled as she slowly and methodically picked out the fishbone for her son, deliberately ignoring the children's movements.
To be honest, the lively atmosphere at the dinner table was what Cao Yumei liked. Faced with the silent pressure of He Shumin sitting at the dinner table, Cao Yumei couldn't eat anything at all.
"Hmph!" When He Jingjing came to her senses, the braised lion head on the table had disappeared. He Jingjing was very angry. She glared at Cao Yumei, threw down the chopsticks in her hand and went upstairs.
Cao Yumei remained silent. For years, Cao Yumei had doted on He Jingjing, until He Qiusheng was born. Only then did Cao Yumei withdraw some of the love and affection she had bestowed on He Jingjing and give it to He Qiusheng. Cao Yumei knew that He Jingjing wasn't born from her belly, after all, and that she couldn't dote on her without reservation.
As a stepmother, Cao Aimei undoubtedly had a very good reputation in Kyoto's upper class society. Cao Yumei treated He Jingjing, the child left by her ex-wife, even better than her own biological son. Only He Jingjing herself could sense that He Qiusheng's birth had taken away most of Cao Yumei's attention. However, He Jingjing ignored all this. In her eyes, Cao Yumei was just a pitiful and foolish woman who had been controlled by her father, He Boqian, for two lifetimes.
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