Chapter 477: The Uncle and Nephew

"This person looks exactly like your maternal grandfather."

Thinking of her younger brother, Zhao Shui's eyes turned red; back then, after her father was wrongly accused, he had entrusted the four of them—her and her siblings—to his comrades-in-arms, and in the blink of an eye, over forty years had passed.

"Maternal grandfather?"

"Yes, where have you seen this person?"

"He is currently the Provincial Party Secretary of our Linhu Province, Zhao Lichun."

"What? Zhao Lichun, Lichun? This person is your own eldest uncle!"

It turned out that after the four of them were entrusted to the comrades-in-arms back then, they had been given the names Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.

Because Zhao Lichun had a fever when he was young, his mind had been muddled for a period of time, and he had forgotten many things from his childhood, retaining only vague impressions.

Later, because she got married, Zhao Shui named her son Zhao Lidong, all for the sake of one day being able to find her relatives; she never expected that such a day would actually come.

"This..."

Zhao Lidong only felt his ears buzzing; he had originally thought he might be able to establish some kind of kinship, but this had directly turned into his own mother's brother.

"Mother, are you sure?"

"What do I have to be unsure about? He looks exactly like your maternal grandfather; hurry and take me to see your eldest uncle."

"This, should we call and give him a heads-up first?"

"Right, Lidong is correct; this matter is of great importance, it is better to plan carefully."

"Father, Mother, let's make a trip to the provincial capital, stay at a hotel, and I will go and speak with Secretary Zhao."

"That works too."

Just like that, with anxious hearts, the Zhao Lidong family set off for the provincial capital.

Early the next morning, Zhao Lidong appeared at the Provincial Party Committee Building again.

"Secretary Zhao, Mayor Zhao from Jinghai is waiting outside."

"Oh? Let him in."

Zhao Lichun's heart stirred slightly; could it be that there really was a blood relation between the two of them?

"Zhao, Secretary Zhao." Zhao Lidong felt a slight surge of excitement as he looked at Zhao Lichun.

"Sit. It looks like you've found something out."

"Yes, Secretary Zhao, you might be my uncle. My parents are currently at a hotel not far from here."

"Oh?"

This was different from what he had imagined; in his memory, Zhao Lidong's appearance was very similar to his second uncle's, so how had he himself suddenly become his uncle?

The age difference between him and Zhao Lidong was only a little over a decade, so the possibility of being uncle and nephew was not high, but looking at Zhao Lidong's expression, he didn't seem to be lying.

"Fine, then let's go see them. You go ahead, and I will follow shortly."

"Very well, Secretary Zhao."

The two left the Provincial Party Committee Building one after the other. The moment Zhao Lichun saw Zhao Shui at the hotel, sealed memories came rushing back, and he blurted out subconsciously.

"Second Sister."

"Eldest Brother, it really is you. I never expected that after more than forty years, we would still have a day to meet again." Both of them were very emotional.

"Second Sister, I had a fever when I was young and my mind was muddled. It was only after seeing you just now that I remembered many things. When I saw Lidong, I only felt a sense of familiarity, but I just couldn't recall it."

"Don't blame yourself; it is good enough that you survived. Lidong, come over quickly and call him Eldest Uncle."

"Eldest Uncle."

"Hey, good, good, good."

Zhao Lidong also realized at this moment that it wasn't that he looked like his second uncle, but clearly that he looked like his second aunt.

"This is the second brother-in-law, right?"

"Ah, yes, I am Zhao Chuanqi."

Afterwards, the siblings chatted on and on about many things from their childhood; when they mentioned their eldest sister and younger brother, both of them looked somber.

"Second Sister, I remember everything now. I will try to investigate them."

"Yes, good."

Before they knew it, it was noon, and the four of them had a casual meal at the hotel.

"It's getting late, Eldest Brother, you go and get busy. We can gather again when you have time."

"That works too."

He had just been transferred here, so there were indeed many things to attend to. Now that they knew each other's addresses, they could visit each other at any time in the future.

"Lidong, remember my private number; if you have anything in the future, just look for me."

"Very well, Eldest Uncle."

With his confusion resolved, Zhao Lichun's mood also brightened; this transfer to Linhu had truly been the right move.

If you had to say who was the most excited, it was Zhao Lidong, and the one who regretted it the most was also him; if he had known about this powerful backer earlier, he would never have gotten involved with underground forces.

Now that both sides were already deeply intertwined, it was impossible for him to withdraw even if he wanted to; just based on He Liming, he would not agree to it.

"Sigh, this Eldest Uncle was able to reach his current position, he must be a person with faith in his heart. Perhaps in the future, I will even become his political achievement. This kinship, sigh."

Zhao Lidong felt somewhat melancholy, but when Zhao Lichun brought his children over on his day off, he seemed to see hope again.

"Dahui, Xiaohui, Ruilong, this is your second aunt, second uncle, and your cousins."

Zhao Lichun introduced both sides, and Zhao Shui also introduced her family; at noon, the two families had a lively meal together.

"Cousin, I heard that the bathhouse culture in Jinghai is very famous. How about I take you to see the world tonight?"

Zhao Ruilong had already drunk quite a bit of alcohol and said in a low voice to Zhao Lidong beside him.

Jinghai was not far from Pengcheng and Guancheng, and it was adjacent to Xiangjiang, so capitalist sentiments had entered early, and naturally, related cultural industries had also developed.

"This, I don't go to those kinds of..."

"Alright, cousin, we are all our own people. I could tell at a glance that you are a kindred spirit. It's just a foot wash and a massage; it's neither illegal nor against the rules."

"..."

"Alright then, let's talk about it tonight."

"Heh, this cousin relationship is truly something; they started whispering to each other the moment they met."

"Aunt is right. Cousin Zhao Lidong and I hit it off immediately. Come, cousin, let's have another drink."

After the banquet broke up in the afternoon, Zhao Lidong called Xu Jiang and told him to make arrangements for the evening.

"Lidong, don't take it to heart with Ruilong; he talks nonsense whenever he drinks too much."

"Not at all, Uncle. Cousin Zhao Ruilong is just being his true self."

Zhao Lichun shook his head, naturally understanding that his nephew was just being polite. To put it nicely, someone like Zhao Ruilong was being his true self; to put it bluntly, he was like a dog's stomach that couldn't hold onto sesame oil.

In the evening, Zhao Lidong first took Zhao Ruilong to two ordinary bath and massage parlors, but Zhao Ruilong looked disgusted. It wasn't until they arrived at the White Swan Club that his eyes lit up.

"That's right, cousin, this is the place."

Looking at the resplendent Baijinhan and the long, fair legs standing on both sides, Zhao Ruilong finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Ruilong, go have fun. My position makes it unsuitable for me to be here, especially at night."

"Alright, alright, alright. Then you go back first, cousin."

Watching the impatient Zhao Ruilong, the corners of Zhao Lidong's mouth twitched. He couldn't understand how an uncle like Zhao Lichun could have such an unbearable son.

"Hmm."

Zhao Lidong didn't leave in his car, and before long, Xu Jiang came over.

"The man with the slicked-back hair who just went in is my cousin. Satisfy whatever he wants to do, as long as it's not excessive."

"Understood, Leader."

"You all should keep a low profile recently. I might be transferred to another province. I won't be needing my share from now on; tell Bai Jiangbo and the others as well."

Zhao Lidong rarely met with Xu Jiang and the others directly; usually, his Secretary would come. Now, there was interference-shielding equipment in the car, so he wasn't worried about Xu Jiang recording the conversation.

"Leader, this..."

Xu Jiang felt both happy and afraid. He was happy that he wouldn't have to split the big profits anymore, but afraid that he would have no one to protect him.

"Don't worry. As long as you keep a low profile from now on and try not to touch gambling, drugs, or prostitution, you can slowly go legitimate."

Zhao Lidong was the one who most hoped they could go legitimate. Once they did, his own dark history would also cease to exist.