Chapter 315: Chapter 307: Good News or Bad News
Sisi only brought a few jars of wine and some clothes to change into. Hong Kong was still the same old place, but Boss Qiao and Mu Xiulan had changed dramatically.
Boss Qiao became increasingly burly and Mu Xiulan more and more radiant. Their affection for each other also deepened. Meanwhile, Qiao Zhenbang was still grudgingly studying and working in the United States, not even having earned enough for a ticket home yet.
What Sisi felt had notably changed were Boss Qiao’s important underlings, like Brother Fei and Brother Li, who seemed even more enthusiastic toward her. Although they had been enthusiastic before, Sisi knew it was all on account of Boss Qiao’s face. But what about this time? Where did all this gratitude and goodwill in their eyes come from?
Mu Xiulan told Sisi the reason, which was that since she had brought a bit too much wine last year, Boss Qiao, being a man of honor, had gifted some to a few of his brothers. Although these brothers were in better shape than Boss Qiao, they had all climbed up through battles, and who among them didn’t have a few scars?
Ever since they drank the medicinal wine that Sisi brought, their hidden injuries had improved a lot. The bodies that used to ache with sourness on rainy days were now much lighter and more agile, as if they had returned to their past peaks, bringing them immense joy.
For those in their line of work, the body was their capital for revolution. Therefore, these people were very grateful to Sisi, and naturally, they became sincerely warmer towards her.
In fact, these underworld figures actually valued loyalty very much and were also very rule-abiding, much more righteous than some of the riffraff who came along later.
And the most obvious benefit of receiving these people’s goodwill was that — Qiao Xingbang no longer dared to grimace in front of her, because —
These uncles would always pat Qiao Xingbang on the shoulder, saying with a smile: "Xingzai, you must be a good brother and not bully your sister, okay?"
Or: "Xingzai, you have to treat your sister well, oh! If uncle sees you bullying sister, uncle will spank you, oh!"
...
Thus, under the protection of a host of elder brothers, Sisi’s days became even better. Without the annoying Qiao Zhenbang flitting before her eyes, and with Qiao Xingbang as docile as a little lamb, He Chunfeng’s movies made more money one after another, and her wallet grew fatter. Sisi’s mood was wonderful every day.
Initially, Mu Xiulan wanted to take Sisi to some banquets. She wanted her daughter to become a socialite of Hong Kong, a true high society lady, but Sisi declined, telling Mu Xiulan that the time had not yet come.
Now that the Mainland and Hong Kong had not yet truly opened up, it would not be good for her to draw too much attention to herself in Hong Kong. It was better to keep a low profile for the next couple of years! Moreover, she really had no interest in becoming a socialite.
In her view, throughout history, the fate of socialites had always been somewhat rocky, perhaps this was the curse of beauty.
Compared to being a socialite, she preferred to be a pampered and cherished lady!
A summer vacation quickly passed, and with Tian Manjin seeing her off, Sisi returned to Beijing once again. This time their group had gained a new member—Zhong Ankang, who had been admitted to Beijing Jiao Da, majoring in electronic engineering. Along with him were Tian Pinggui and his wife Xuan Le Ping, both of whom also passed the test and went to Shanghai, thinking that being closer to home, it would be more convenient to take care of their child.
turned out to be a bountiful year, with continuous good news. At the end of the year, the country held the Third Plenary Session, which clearly proposed reforms and opening up, to enhance the productivity of society and the comprehensive national strength, invigorating the spirits of the entire nation. Many people sensed opportunities from this.
He Xuewen and Yang Wenbin were among them. The two had earned a lot of money by trafficking in electronic products, and they were just waiting for an opportunity to make a big splash. However, the policy had only just been proposed, and they had to wait patiently for the country’s policies to become more explicit.
Although there was an unending stream of good news, bad news also followed. Before the start of the new year in 1979, Tian Xinhua announced to everyone some bad news.
The country was going to declare war on Vietnam, and this time many members from the Tian Family would be going to war, including Tian Aiguo, Tian Guanghua, Tian Chaohua, Tian Zhonghua, and Tian Qinghua, who had just joined the army last year. They would attack Vietnam in batches.
That is to say, this time all the family members serving in the army were assigned to the battlefield. To put it bluntly, the Tian Family had staked everything. Tian Xinhua was also hurrying to the battlefront. He already had an assignment in the army, and he wasn’t supposed to go to war, but Mr. Yun insisted that he go, and He Chengsi was also required to go.
Mr. Yun said: Without having been baptized by gunfire, a man simply cannot grow into a true man.
So, to become a true man, Tian Xinhua naturally went without hesitation. Moreover, there was a faint excitement and impulse in his heart, looking forward to the country declaring war soon, so that he could fight fiercely on the battlefield!
Although the country hadn’t issued a declaration of war, this war was definitely unavoidable. The Tian Family spent the new year in gloom. To sacrifice their lives and shed blood for the country was undoubtedly their duty. However, this time, too many from the Tian Family were going. If something bad happened, what would the rest of them who remained alive do?
The ones who were most heartbroken were the women like Li Yuedi, Jin Wanming, and Ma Zhaodi. They were worried about their children and forced smiles every day.
Having been through many trials, Granny Zhao had become accustomed to war and even slightly numb to it. Therefore, she still did everything as usual, only the smile on her face had lessened quite a bit.
Sisi irritably slapped her forehead. How could she forget such an important war as the Vietnam War!
She remembered that the country would declare war on Vietnam after the first lunar month and the army would launch an attack on Vietnam at that time. Although it only lasted for a month, the war continued on and off until the mid-to-late 1980s, with countless battles of varying scales.
During the early stages of the war, China had fought very fiercely because, at that time, due to the influence of ten years of turmoil, the overall quality of the army, the equipment, the combat effectiveness, as well as the soldiers’ battle readiness were quite poor. Many were freshly recruited soldiers like He Chengsi and Tian Qinghua, with no combat experience.
What worried Sisi the most was that the Chinese army’s weapons were too poor, much worse than those of the Vietnam army supported by the Soviet Union, and there were also many inferior quality weapons. In the famous 1980s movie "Flowers Under the High Mountain," Lei Jun’s son, Little Beijing, died due to such defective weapons.
In her previous life, she did not recall hearing about anyone from the Tian Family dying in the Vietnam War, although someone did get injured in the leg and later transferred to work at the Sui City Police Station, having a fairly successful career. She just couldn’t remember who that person was.
Sisi’s heart eased a bit, but then tension gripped her again. In this life, many things were different from the last. In the previous life, Tian Xinhua, Tian Qinghua, and He Chengsi had not been to the battlefield at all. This time they had also gone, could it be...?