Chapter 519: Will

January 28, 2011, lunar month 12 day 25, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.

Li Yaozong stood at the arrivals hall, watching the screen as the flight from Kunming changed its status from "Estimated Arrival" to "Landed."

His palm was slightly sweaty as he clutched his phone and checked it repeatedly, though there were no unread messages.

Six years.

His father had been retired for six years, constantly traveling abroad with his mother.

In six years, he grew Wanxiang from five hundred billion to two thousand billion, expanded from the domestic market to a global footprint, shifted from feature phones to smart devices, and moved from car manufacturing to autonomous driving.

During those six years, every Spring Festival he received a call from his father—sometimes from Yunnan, sometimes from Tibet, sometimes from Xinjiang. On the Telephone's other end were always the same words: "All good, don't worry, keep working hard."

Now, he's back.

Ten minutes later, two figures appeared at the arrivals hall.

The one ahead wore a gray jacket, his hair jet‑black, posture upright, walking with a breeze. If not for the fine lines at his eyes, one would never guess he was a seventy‑nine‑year‑old elder.

Li Yaozong was startled for a moment.

"Dad?"

Li Ping'an walked up to him and gave a quick once‑over.

"You've managed the company well all these years; thank you for your hard work."

Lin Xueqing followed behind, still gentle as ever, though her hair had turned a bit white. She looked at her son, her eyes slightly reddened.

"Was the journey tiring?" Li Yaozong took the suitcase.

Li Ping'an waved his hand.

"Tired of what? I spent three months in Yunnan, climbing mountains every day."

The three of them walked out.

Li Yaozong couldn't help but glance at his father again.

After six years apart, his father seemed even more vigorous than when he left.

"Mom, what's your secret to staying so well?" he asked.

Lin Xueqing smiled.

"Your dad drags me up mountains every day; it's hard not to feel energetic."

The car left the airport and merged onto Shen Nan Avenue.

Li Ping'an sat in the back seat, watching Shenzhen through the window.

Six years, and the city had changed again. Buildings were taller, roads wider, cars more numerous. Wanxiang Dasha remained the same tower, but the surrounding structures had been replaced several times.

"How's the group doing?" he asked.

Li Yaozong glanced at his father through the rearview mirror.

"Pretty good. Last year revenue hit 230 billion, profit 48 billion. Smart devices sold 60 million units, cars 230,000 units. Phoenix Chat users surpassed 500 million."

Li Ping'an nodded, saying nothing.

Lin Xueqing asked softly from beside him.

"Nuanqing and Yaoyang? They're both fine, right?"

"All good," Li Yaozong said, "Nuanqing is still at Xiehe, promoted to chief physician last year. Yaoyang works at the R&D Center, leading a team on AI. Xiufen is also pregnant; next year you'll be a grandmother."

Lin Xueqing's eyes reddened again.

Li Ping'an still said nothing, just watching the view outside.

In the evening, the family gathered around the dining table.

Li Nuanqing and Su Jingming rushed back from Beijing. Li Yaoyang and Zhang Xiufen also arrived. Chen Jianghe's family and He Yuzhu's family were all present.

More than twenty people packed the restaurant to the brim.

Li Ping'an sat at the head seat, looking at the gathered crowd.

There were the children he had watched grow, the old comrades who had built his empire with him, and the younger generation he had seen born, now already parents themselves.

Lin Xueqing gently nudged him from beside.

"What are you thinking?"

Li Ping'an shook his head.

"Nothing in particular. Just looking around."

He Yuzhu lifted a cup of wine and stood.

"Brother Ping'an, this cup is to you. Six years have passed; you finally returned."

Li Ping'an raised his cup and clinked it with his.

"Zhuzi, how many Tan Family Old Flavor outlets do you still operate now?"

He Yuzhu laughed.

"One hundred thirty‑seven. All thanks to you."

Chen Jianghe also stood up.

"Big brother, I toast you as well. The foreign trade company did three hundred billion last year, didn't embarrass you."

Li Ping'an clinked glasses with him.

"Jianghe, how are your kids? All good?"

"All fine; they've been working for the group all these years, now the head of the group's legal department."

Li Ping'an nodded.

After three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes,

Li Ping'an set down his chopsticks.

"Everyone's here today, I have a few words to say."

The restaurant fell silent.

Li Ping'an looked at everyone present.

"I'm seventy‑nine this year. The old saying goes that reaching seventy is already rare; at this age, I can just go when I say so."

Li Nuanqing called softly from beside him.

"Dad..."

Li Ping'an waved his hand.

"Listen to me finish."

He stood up.

"In my whole life, I fled famine in Henan, then enlisted and fought Japanese Soldiers, also fought Nationalist troops, took part in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, then was discharged, joined the Steel Rolling Mill Security Department. After the reforms I went into business in Shenzhen, and up to today. Eighty years, I've seen everything."

He paused.

"What I fear most now isn't lagging technology or market changes. It's that after I'm gone, you few will quarrel over these things and become unhappy."

He looked at the three children.

Li Yaozong, Li Nuanqing, and Li Yaoyang all stared at him.

"When the family is discordant, nothing prospers. I understand this principle better than anyone."

He gestured toward the side.

Chen Anbang stood up and walked to his side.

Chen Anbang, forty‑three, was the Legal Department Director of Wanxiang Group, graduated from Peking University Law School, had been with Wanxiang for over twenty years. He is Chen Jianghe's son and Li Ping'an's nephew.

"An Bang, did you bring the things?"

Chen Anbang nodded and took a document from his briefcase.

It was a will.

Li Ping'an took the document and placed it on the table.

"This will was drafted by An Bang for me. Today, in front of everyone, I'll have it read."

The restaurant was so quiet that breathing could be heard.

Chen Anbang cleared his throat and began to read.

"Testator: Li Ping'an."

"Given that the testator is advanced in age, this will is made to properly arrange his affairs after death."

"Article One: Wanxiang Group share allocation."

"Eldest son Li Yaozong inherits forty percent of Wanxiang Group shares."

"Eldest daughter Li Nuanqing inherits twenty‑five percent of Wanxiang Group shares."

"Second son Li Yaoyang inherits twenty‑five percent of Wanxiang Group shares."

Chen Anbang paused.

"The remaining ten percent is allocated as follows: Chen Jianghe five percent, He Yuzhu five percent."

He Yuzhu was startled for a moment.

"Brother Ping'an, this..."

Li Ping'an waved his hand, indicating he should not speak.

Chen Anbang continued reading.

"Article Two: Cash asset distribution."

"The testator's cash and equivalents, about ten billion RMB, are divided equally into three portions."

"Eldest son Li Yaozong inherits one third."

"Eldest daughter Li Nuanqing inherits one third."

"Second son Li Yaoyang inherits one third."

Chen Anbang turned the page.

"Article Three: Post‑mortem arrangements."

"After the testator's death, the body shall be cremated, ashes buried beside his parents' graves in his Henan hometown. No monument, no ceremony, and no outside notification."

The restaurant remained quiet for a long while.

Li Nuanqing's eyes reddened.

Li Yaoyang lowered his head, his expression unreadable.

Li Yaozong sat there, motionless.

Chen Anbang closed the document.

Li Ping'an looked at the three children.

"Did everyone hear?"

The three nodded.

"If you have any objections, you may speak now."

Silence.

Li Yaozong spoke first.

"Dad, I have no objection."

Li Nuanqing added.

"I also have no objection."

Li Yaoyang lifted his head.

"Dad, I have something I want to say."

Li Ping'an looked at him.

"Speak."

Li Yaoyang stood up.

"You divided the shares fairly because you're afraid we'd fight. Rest assured, we won't fight."

He glanced at his elder brother, then at his elder sister.

"Elder brother has led Wanshang these years, growing from 50 billion to 200 billion. I respect that."

Li Nuanqing also stood up.

"I also respect that. Dad, you don't need to worry about this. The three of us won't disappoint you."

Li Ping'an looked at the three of them.

He stared for a long time.

Then he smiled.

As he kept smiling, his eyes grew a little red.

"There's one more thing."

He took another document from Chen Anbang's hand.

"This is the family precept I drafted."

He unfolded the document and read:

"Descendants of the Li Family must firmly remember three rules."

"First rule: live modestly. Do not flaunt wealth, do not be ostentatious, do not cause trouble."

"Second rule: act boldly. If you act, do it to the utmost; otherwise, don't act at all."

"Third rule: keep compassion in your heart. When you have ability, help others more."

He lifted his head.

"Wealth that does not last beyond three generations is a curse many families cannot escape. I don't want the Li Family to suffer the same fate."

He looked at the three children.

"Have you memorized these three rules?"

The three of them nodded together.

"Remembered."

He Yuzhu said quietly from beside them.

"Brother Ping'an, may I also have He Xiao and the others remember this family precept?"

Li Ping'an smiled.

"That's a matter of the He Family; why ask me?"

He Yuzhu scratched his head.

"Then I'll tell them myself when I go back."

Chen Jianghe also spoke from beside them.

"Elder brother, my five percent is too much. I…"

Li Ping'an cut him off.

"Jianghe, how many years have you followed me?"

Chen Jianghe thought for a moment.

"Counting from the Steel Rolling Mill Security Department, it's almost forty years."

"Forty years," Li Ping'an said, "you're worth that amount."

He looked at He Yuzhu.

"Zhuzi, you as well. The Tan family's old business grew from one to over a hundred, and you made that happen yourself. I have little to give you; this share is a token of goodwill."

He Yuzhu lowered his head.

When he lifted his head again, his eyes were also red.

It was late at night.

The guests gradually dispersed.

Li Ping'an stood alone on the balcony, looking at Shenzhen in the distance.

Lin Xueqing came over and draped a coat over his shoulders.

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Ping'an shook his head.

"I'm not thinking anything. Just looking."

Lin Xueqing stood beside him.

"The will is set, the family precept is decided; you should be at ease now, right?"

Li Ping'an was silent for a few seconds.

"At ease? As a parent, there's never a moment of true ease."

He paused.

"But at least everything that needed to be done has been done. The rest is up to them."

Lin Xueqing grasped his hand.

That hand she had held for almost fifty years.

"They will do well."

Li Ping'an nodded.

"Will do."

The next morning, Li Ping'an got up early.

He went to Nanshan alone.

Standing on the mountaintop, he looked at Shenzhen below.

He watched this city transform from a small fishing village into what it is now.

Forty years.

He has been here, working from age forty‑three to seventy.

He recalled when he first came to Shenzhen, construction sites were everywhere; from apparel to now, Wanshang has over a million employees, with business spanning the globe.

He remembered when the first van rolled off the line, He Xiao was still a boy in his early twenties. Now, He Xiao leads a team that has taken smart cars to Frankfurt.

He thought back to the launch of the first generation of the Fenghuang Phone, when only a few hundred people were in the audience. Now, Fenghuang Phone has over 500 million users.

He stood on the mountaintop and stared for a long time.

Then he turned and descended the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain is his home.

There are his children.

There are his old brothers.

There is the place he has fought for his whole life.

Three days later, New Year's Eve.

On the roof of Wanxiang Dasha, a large round table was set.

Li Ping'an, Lin Xueqing, Li Yaozong, Li Nuanqing, Su Jingming, Li Yaoyang, Zhang Xiufen, the Chen Jianghe family, the He Yuzhu family… more than twenty people sat around the table together.

The New Year's Eve dinner was prepared personally by He Yuzhu. Red Braised Pork, Four Joy Meatballs, steamed fish, poached chicken… all the dishes that Li Ping'an loved back then.

Outside the window, Shenzhen's night sky was illuminated by fireworks.

Inside, the family laughed, ate, and drank.

Li Ping'an raised his glass.

"Come, this cup is to toast our family."

Everyone stood up.

The glasses clinked together, producing a crisp sound.

"Family harmony brings prosperity," Li Ping'an said.

"Family harmony brings prosperity," everyone said together.

Outside, the fireworks were in full bloom.

Inside, the laughter was thick.