These past few years, following Grandpa to the Red Heart Brigade, Chi Yiyuan learned that in all matters, besides relying on himself, he could not count on anyone else.
Even his own parents were no exception.
Perhaps because his parents left him and disappeared without a trace all those years ago, Chi Yiyuan was actually a very sensitive person.
After so many years, as policies became increasingly relaxed, many who had gone abroad in earlier years returned, but Chi Yiyuan's parents still showed no signs of coming back.
This made the longing in Chi Yiyuan's heart for these parents gradually fade.
Chi Yiyuan's only thought now was to take good care of his grandfather and ensure he lived a life that others envied.
He wanted to strive to be the best person, to let everyone know that Chi Ge had raised an outstanding grandson.
Chi Ge felt quite heartbroken seeing Chi Yiyuan work so hard, but Chi Yiyuan's personality was such that once he set his mind on something, not even eight horses could pull him back.
Chi Ge, who had been strong-willed his entire life, harbored some resentment towards his children who had gone abroad.
However, he kept these thoughts deeply hidden in his heart, not speaking of them to anyone.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, another year of spring arrived.
The wheels of history creaked and groaned their way to the spring of 1981.
This was the final year of university for the first batch of students, including Su Shouwen and his brothers, and the last semester of high school for Su Xiaotian and her peers.
Thirteen-year-old Su Xiaotian, in later generations, would have only just graduated from primary school and entered junior high.
Yet, Su Xiaotian was about to take the college entrance examination.
Every time she thought about this, Su Xiaotian herself felt as if she were dreaming.
After being reborn, she had initially only wanted to change her own fate, but without realizing it, it seemed that not only her fate had been altered.
The destinies of her family and many others appeared to have been changed.
Especially the destinies of those close to her family had undergone significant transformations.
Su Shouwen, due to his excellent foreign language skills, had gone to the Translation Department for an internship. If nothing unexpected happened, Su Shouwen would likely stay and work there.
However, Su Xiaotian's suggestion was for Su Shouwen to pursue postgraduate studies.
It was difficult to get into graduate school in those years, but the value was truly high.
The postgraduate examinations were for selecting the best among the best.
Graduating with a master's degree would greatly benefit Su Shouwen's future.
Su Shouwen was also considering this matter very seriously.
As for the second eldest, Su Ciliang, within this year, he had won two more highly prestigious domestic awards and was now a leading figure among the younger generation in the national calligraphy and painting circles.
With the guidance of his unofficial mentor, Yu Ruiyuan, Su Ciliang's progress was remarkably fast.
He had no plans to continue his studies, but he had already bought a house and specially set up a studio within it, intending to dedicate himself to the study of calligraphy and painting.
Su Sangong had long planned to continue studying under Shen Zizhen.
Shen Zizhen's research in seed breeding had received strong support from the higher authorities in the past two years, and Su Sangong, as Shen Zizhen's most accomplished disciple, naturally benefited greatly.
Furthermore, Shen Zizhen considered Su Sangong his successor!
Su Xiaosi was having a blast making money.
Although he had missed some classes, what he was studying was economics, and the school teachers were quite satisfied with him applying his learning to practice.
With the support of his school teachers, Su Xiaosi became even more enthusiastic.
With the opening of two commercial banks, Su Xiaosi earned a fortune, and even the other children in the Su family received generous monthly dividends.
Upon hearing this, Grandma Su and Grandpa Su were quite envious.
They also wanted to open branches, but in the catering business, skill was crucial.
Fortunately, Li Linlin was now learning culinary skills from Grandma Su, and Grandma Su said that in a few more months, Li Linlin would be ready.
She planned to open another branch after Li Linlin was proficient.
Of course, Grandma Su's idea was also influenced by the very stable development of the relationship between Su Shouwen and Li Linlin.
When Li Linlin first arrived in the capital, her health was not very good, but with Su Xiaotian's almost magical presence, her health had improved significantly after a few months.
According to Su Xiaotian, she would be almost fully recovered in another three to five months.
With their last lingering worries gone, their relationship grew even sweeter.
At times, even Su Xiaotian would say that these two were so lovey-dovey it was hard to watch!
Li Linlin and Su Shouwen had already agreed to get married after Su Shouwen graduated from university.
Grandma Su, who had long been eager to hold a great-grandchild, was overjoyed!
Finally, one of these brats understood what she, the elder, was thinking.
As for Su Xiaowu, who was studying at a military academy in the south, Grandma Su had initially planned to buy him a house there, but Su Xiaotian advised against it.
Su Xiaotian persuaded Grandma Su to buy a house in the capital, saying that even if Su Xiaowu decided to stay in the south in the future, he could simply sell the house in the capital.
Grandma Su ultimately hoped that all her grandchildren would be near her, so she agreed.
The brothers numbered six, seven, eight, and nine, though young, already owned their own properties.
Because of this, the three older brothers in the Su family, who did not yet have their own properties, were extremely envious.
But it was also true that they earned less money than the children.
Oh, the exception was the second eldest son, Su.
Since opening their shop in the provincial capital, although not making a fortune daily, the monthly income of Su Lao Er and his wife had stabilized at around two thousand yuan.
Su Lao Er and Qi Liangying were overjoyed about this.
Two thousand yuan, in the past, would have been more than ten years of income for an entire family.
But now, earning it in just one month, how could they not be happy?
They had not yet decided whether to buy a house in the provincial capital or to move to the capital in the future.
Of course, the most gratifying thing was that after more than half a year, Su Xiaoba's problem had been largely resolved by Su Xiaotian.
It had to be said that this system was incredibly powerful, as if it had telepathy, always providing Su Xiaotian with the most suitable books when she needed them.
After Su Xiaoba developed psychological issues, Su Xiaotian quickly found relevant books in the system's library.
As a naturally gifted individual, Su Xiaotian quickly mastered the knowledge of psychology and applied it to Su Xiaoba in practice, achieving good results.
Su Xiaoba was now a healthy, positive, and upward-looking young boy.
Seeing Su Xiaoba like this, Su Xiaotian was truly relieved.
This day was a weekend, and also a day for several families to gather.
Over the past few years, every two weeks, the families would get together.
Including the grandfather and grandson of the Chi family, they now considered Yiming Pavilion and the Su family as their second home.
People are like this; even without blood ties, as they grow closer, their relationships deepen.
The families sat together harmoniously, drinking tea and chatting, discussing interesting events in the capital during this period, and also the future prospects of the children. There was always an endless stream of topics.
However, this weekend, with the arrival of uninvited guests, everyone's mood turned sour.