Chapter 333: Chapter 326: Are You Looking for Trouble?
Another summer vacation had arrived, and this year many significant events occurred in China. There was no need to mention the war in Vietnam, and China and the United States had begun to establish diplomatic relations. In addition, many other major matters were brewing, such as family planning and special economic zones. This year also marked the first year of China’s reform and opening up.
Since learning that the Central government intended to establish export special zones in Shenzhen, XiaMen, Zhuhai, and Shantou, Yang Wenbin had regretted not acting sooner. He hurried to Shenzhen to buy land, and fortunately he was well-informed and caught the last chance, grabbing some plots of land. However, it was still less than the amount of land He Xuewen had acquired, leaving him sighing deeply.
Yang Wenbin greatly admired He Xuewen, and since then, before making any major decisions, he would discuss them with He Xuewen in advance. Of course, He Xuewen would definitely consult with Sisi, as he believed his daughter was a person of great fortune, and he trusted her insights wouldn’t be wrong.
Eventually, He Xuewen learned about Sisi’s involvement in the battlefield and severely scolded her. However, despite the scolding, there was a silver lining, at least He Xuewen and the Old Man no longer watched over Sisi as cautiously as before, treating her like porcelain.
Whether it was the Old Man, Granny Zhao, or He Xuewen, whenever they were uneasy about Sisi going out, she would respond with: "I have even been on the battlefield, who would dare provoke me?"
Everyone thought about it and indeed, Ah Nan had become a war hero recognized for her valor. There was no reason to restrict her as before!
Thus, Sisi became the most free-spirited person, able to go wherever she wanted without the need for the excessive permissions required before. She just needed to notify them in advance now.
During the summer vacation, Tian Xinhua and Lei Gang returned to the battlefield, bringing along Sisi’s medicinal wine. Sisi later improved the medicinal wine by adding ginseng and notoginseng, which were beneficial for healing. Ginseng could boost energy and notoginseng supplemented blood. The improved medicinal wine showed significant effects, ensuring recovery as long as there was a breath left in the body.
Regarding the origin of these medicinal wines, Tian Xinhua claimed they were made by soaking precious herbs in ordinary liquor. The rare herbs were hard to come by, and stocks had run out. The military had taken some of the medicinal wine for testing; indeed, it contained ingredients like ginseng and notoginseng, alongside other undetectable elements likely due to chemical reactions with alcohol. Tian Xinhua was certainly not lying.
The military greatly lamented this development, as such effective medicine could not be mass-produced. This matter ended there, partly due to Mr. Yun’s support from behind. Otherwise, it’s likely that Sisi’s medicinal wine would have been confiscated.
Having witnessed the remarkable effects of Sisi’s medicinal wine, Zhang Jie and Shangguan no longer accompanied them. Shangguan didn’t want to return to Harbin, and Zhang Jie didn’t want to go back to Inner Mongolia, choosing to stick with Sisi and spend the summer vacation with her.
Upon obtaining Mr. Yun’s consent, Sisi took Shangguan and Zhang Jie with her. Of course, there was no issue with their integrity and character; however, she still stated upfront that she needed to travel during the summer vacation. If Shangguan and Zhang Jie had any concerns, they were free not to accompany her.
Nevertheless, she underestimated the guts of these two courageous souls. Upon hearing where they were going, Zhang Jie’s eyes sparkled instantly, "Sisi, that’s really unfair of you to keep such fun places a secret from me. No way, I’m sticking with you this summer."
Shangguan’s eyes glittered as well, almost as if she would throw a punch if Sisi disagreed.
Sisi wryly smiled, "My dears, I didn’t want to drag you into it. It’s not exactly a welcoming place."
"No worries, it’s the era of reform and opening up, no one can say anything. Sisi, how are we getting there?" Zhang Jie was extremely excited.
"Of course, by boat. But we need to head to Shanghai first, as I need to return home."
Although the Mainland had now opened up to Hong Kong, and some Mainlanders with relatives there could apply for visits, the procedures were terribly complicated and restrictive. Importantly, Mr. Yun didn’t wish for others to know about Sisi’s connections to Hong Kong just yet; the time was not right.
The return to Shanghai was also because their supply of Qiong Wine was running low. He Xuewen had called earlier, asking her to replenish it during the summer vacation.
Zhang Jie and Shangguan had no objections, unanimously agreeing to go wherever Sisi went.
When Zhang Jie saw ’Sisi Garden,’ she was full of praise, "Sisi, you’re so fortunate to have such a wonderful father. Unlike mine, who does nothing but yell at me all day."
"Come on, doesn’t Uncle Zhang treat you well enough? I heard that during the last stint at the front lines, Uncle Zhang went a whole month without proper sleep because of you!" Sisi gave her a glance, and Zhang Jie chuckled sheepishly.
Shangguan, however, wasn’t much concerned about material things; her main interests were whether there was meat to eat and whether it was fun. At one time, Sisi had asked her why with such skills she didn’t choose to remain in the army and pursue advancement there, instead opting to learn painting.
Shangguan simply replied with two words: "Not cool!"
It seemed she disliked the strict regulations of the army and feared being constrained.
He Xuewen was not at home. These days, he was terribly busy, hardly ever visiting Yuequan Village. A few months ago, when Tian Manjin came to Beijing, he mentioned that He Xuewen had given him the keys to the house in Yuequan Village, asking him to help look after it.
Being busy like He Xuewen probably helped him forget the sorrows in his heart, Sisi mused, knowing about Xiulian’s marriage, which had always been a painful matter for He Xuewen.
After freshening up, the three of them went out for lunch. He Xuewen’s old jeep was parked in the yard, conveniently available for their shopping trip.
As the car exited the yard, a figure flashed around the corner and nearly collided with the vehicle. Fortunately, the car had just started and wasn’t moving fast. Sisi quickly hit the brakes, her heart filled with suspicion. This place was a private residence; how could someone just wander in?
The person outside was equally frightened. How could she have known that a car would suddenly drive out? She was just looking to revisit the old house. Regaining her composure, anger surged within her as she yelled at Sisi and the others:
"Are your eyes blind? Can’t you drive properly? You almost killed someone!"
The voice belonged to a young woman, sounding delicate yet somewhat familiar. Sisi didn’t give it much thought, reckoning that girls from Shanghai might all sound similar. It was probably because she had heard Song Mengshi speak so often at school that now any Shanghai girl seemed to sound like her.
Even though the accident wasn’t her fault, since it had scared someone, Sisi got out of the car intending to apologize. However, upon seeing the girl who was scolding them, Sisi immediately retracted her nearly spoken "sorry."
"Song Mengshi, you really think you’re in the right here? This place is a private residence. What are you doing at our home? Even if I accidentally killed you, the Police Station wouldn’t arrest me."
Sisi’s Shanghai dialect had become smooth over time. The He Family’s linguistic talent had further developed in her, to the point where she sometimes mastered these dialects without intending to, merely from frequently hearing them.