She said that I was always the quickest to admit my mistakes, but I never corrected them.
Hey, I'm the oldest person in this family, do I need to change? What a joke! I won't change, I won't change, what can you do to me?
After so many times, she stopped scolding me and just silently helped me keep warm. After all, my old bones couldn't afford to be hurt.
Every day after work, she would come back and take a look around in the morning or afternoon, for fear that something happened at home that she would not notice.
One day I was sleeping soundly in the recliner and I heard her voice again.
"You don't bring a blanket. Are you afraid that you will die too long, old man?"
She is always like this now. She says she is disrespectful to me, but she really cares about me in her heart. Look, the way she covers me with the quilt is so gentle and comfortable.
I was secretly satisfied and was about to have a good sleep when I heard her say, "Old man, this kind of life is what I've been looking forward to. I have a home to protect and family members who are willing to risk their lives for me and I for you. This is the greatest satisfaction in my life."
This girl is very smart. She always knows what she wants and is content with what she has. This is a level that many people cannot reach.
I fell asleep peacefully, secretly feeling lucky that after all the hardship, there would be a happy ending. It would be even better if I could step down from the position of clan leader someday.
But before I stepped down, another big event happened in the clan.
Reform and opening up have affected the entire country. Ambitious men in the village all want to go out and have a look, or earn some money and become rich if they are lucky.
The young men in the clan were also eager to move, but where to go? What to do? How to find work? They couldn't figure out any of these questions, let alone make money.
Fortunately, Pei Yuanzheng came into being. The couple worked hard outside while taking care of their family, leading the entire clan and village to prosperity together.
But after all, it is impossible for the couple to bring all the tribesmen with them, so should the tribesmen choose to brave the rapids and fight with the crowd, or choose to defend the status quo and wait and see?
As the head of the clan, I have a very high prestige in the clan, and most people in the clan listen to me.
For this matter, I specially called back Pei Yuanzheng and his wife.
"Tell me, what is the situation outside now? You and your wife have been very prestigious in the tribe over the years. If you are not interested in expeditions, you should be the next tribe leader. Even if you don't want to take the position, the prosperity of the tribe is what you hope to see."
I particularly admire the young man Pei Yuanzheng and this branch of his family. His grandfather served in the Red Army with me, and later in the People's Liberation Army. If he had not been so outstanding, how could he have been given the name Yuanzheng by his leaders?
In order to commemorate his grandfather's outstanding performance, the name "Yuanzheng" will be passed down from generation to generation as long as the descendants join the army. What an honor it is for us?
Pei Yuanzheng looked me straight in the eye and said firmly, "Second Uncle, if you must ask me for my opinion, then I will tell you that you must break through. Reform and opening up is a wind outlet that can make people all over the country rich. If our clan does not seize this wind outlet, development will be much slower."
"So you mean to ask all the people in the tribe to leave? This is not an ordinary event. If something goes wrong, our tribe..."
I was a little hesitant, but Pei Yuanzheng was already a successful person of his generation.
Although people always return to their roots and have a certain respect for many people in their tribe, but at his level, the tribe is not of much help to him, it is more of a sense of belonging.
He looked at my hesitation with a more determined look in his eyes and an unquestionable tone. "Second Uncle, among all the brothers who have followed me out over the years, which one of them have I ever let fail? Which one of them have I ever let come back in disgrace? Every brother I brought out has bought a house and a car in a big city, and their lives are getting better and better. Second Uncle, a good life is earned through hard work."
My heart was completely shaken by his words.
Just when I was about to let all the young people in the tribe go out and try their luck, his wife suddenly spoke.
"It's not necessary to go out and make a living. I believe there are still many people who don't want to leave their hometowns. Second Uncle, have you heard recently, or did Brother Qingshan say anything about developing the rural collective economy when he came back?"
Rural collective economy? This term really makes me feel very unfamiliar. I have never heard my grandson mention it, and I have not paid attention to this issue for a long time. It is basically only the eldest grandson and his granddaughter-in-law who talk about it together.
Just when I didn't know what to say, Liu Ping came back. She continued what Yuanzheng's wife was talking about and talked to her about the rural collective economy.
I stood up shakily with the help of a cane and said to them, "You guys chat while I go get you some tea. Oh, I tend to forget things when I get old. I've been here for so long and I haven't even had a cup of hot tea from you, an old man. You guys chat slowly."
While pouring the tea, I pondered for a long time.
This era belongs to the young people. I can no longer understand the new words they say, and I don’t know how to respond to them.
We old guys can only fight with knives and guns to kill the enemy and get a few words in. There is nothing more we can say.
It took me a long time to make tea that day. When I brought it out, the water was no longer hot, but warm, just right for drinking.
After seeing Pei Yuanzheng and his wife off, I asked Liu Ping, "Girl, is it time for Grandpa to choose a new clan leader?"
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