[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981":3,"chapter-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-185":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","That Year, the Flowers Bloomed in 1981",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2294603,4489,"Chapter 185: Boss, I Have a Cousin Who","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-185",185,"\u003Cp>Six months later, Li Ye, Jin Peng, Wang Jianqiang, and others stood again on Zhongyingjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The narrow street seemed even more prosperous; countless mainland tourists had turned into clever opportunists, slipping into shops on the Hong Kong side whenever orderkeepers weren’t looking, haggling in fluent or halting Cantonese.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng stood across from the stocking shop, staring at the new mannequin sign at the entrance, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six months ago, everyone had relied on San Shui’s connections, obtaining their permits through that smuggler Boss Zhang just to come to Zhongyingjie and buy goods—items none of them had ever seen before, pair after pair of silk stockings—that had opened a whole new world to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six months later, the people were different, the world had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hao Jian’s Pengcheng Seventh Factory had now firmly established itself in Pengcheng and no longer needed anyone’s help to enter Zhongyingjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that sharp-witted San Shui had gone astray and could no longer walk beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hss~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Jin Peng didn’t notice his cigarette had burned down to the filter—it seared his fingertip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flicked the butt away, took a deep breath to dilute the pressure in his lungs with fresh air, then stared coldly at the bustling crowd on the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were clearly first-timers, just like he had once been, amazed by everything, eyes darting everywhere, never enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others were clearly veterans, decisively choosing goods, shrewdly haggling prices, rushing past with heavy bags, blind to the “novelty” around them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These varied people reflected the surface of countless trendsetters of this era—some still lost, others already running forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of person will I become?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, Li Ye had met with Jin Peng, Hao Jian, and Wang Jianqiang and told them firmly: in this flood of change, countless people would rise, but even more would fall behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t want to be one of those left behind, if you want to live a life with a driver, bodyguards, and a female secretary, remember one rule—those who fall behind aren’t worth sympathy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh~, bodyguards, drivers, female secretaries? Am I turning into a capitalist now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng couldn’t help laughing. Li Ye kept saying things that stunned and bewildered Hao Jian and Jin Peng—but soon enough, those words would become reality, turning right back around to shock them again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng suddenly spotted two people appearing at the entrance of a shop across the street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One woman wore an office suit with black silk stockings and high heels—exactly like the female secretary Li Ye had described.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng turned back and called: “Xiao Ye, Xiao Ye, look—is that them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye, surrounded by a group of ex-soldiers, finally poked his head out from between them and looked across the street at Pei Wencong and A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After San Shui was taken away, he’d thrown out a threat—Jiang Hong immediately placed Li Ye under 24-hour protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Hong had learned on the battlefield that even a tiny oversight could lead to lifelong regret; excessive caution might seem ridiculous, but it had no downside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, these days, water smugglers weren’t exactly gentle souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Ye leaned forward to look, nearly ten men on his side all turned their gazes toward Pei Wencong and A Min.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among them were Jiang Hong, who had fought the White Elephants, and four young men who had fought monkeys on the southern front—their stares, when landing on others, were anything but friendly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered his first phone call with Li Ye—back then, Li Ye had struck him as one of those gang bosses in Tongluowan who flipped tables at the slightest provocation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, as he got to know Li Ye better, Pei Wencong’s perception of him had slowly changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, seeing him again, didn’t he seem even more intimidating than those Tongluowan gang bosses?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Could these really be the ones? Which one is Qiucun Dao Feng?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong managed to stay calm, but A Min couldn’t help stepping back a few paces, her face turning pale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In 1982, mutual understanding between the two sides might have been even greater than the misunderstandings between India and China forty years later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty years later, Mumbai taxi drivers called Shanghai “Little Mumbai,” fearing Mumbai would be overtaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in 1982, Hong Kong people believed people from the north were all warriors who “went barefoot and feared no one in shoes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Great Britain had once heard the sound of charging horns on the northern peninsula—they knew what fearlessness and sacrifice meant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye raised his hand to push aside Jin Peng and the others, stepped across the centerline of Zhongyingjie, and walked up to Pei Wencong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you Mr. Pei?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re… Qiucun Dao Feng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the familiar voice and seeing the handsome, smiling teenager before him, Pei Wencong couldn’t be sure this was the Qiucun Dao Feng who had swept Hong Kong over the past few months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye smiled and extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Li Ye—and also Qiucun Dao Feng.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, hello!” Pei Wencong hurriedly shook Li Ye’s hand, smiling. “I’m so sorry—I guessed from the phone call that Mr. Li was young and talented, but I never imagined you’d be this young.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young? You’re right. Talented? I’ve still got a long way to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Li is too modest, too modest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong gripped Li Ye’s hand and shook it vigorously—this was a trick he’d learned from a classmate who’d visited the mainland, who said the wider and longer the shake, the more enthusiastic it showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye felt the “enthusiasm” in his hand but saw cautious restraint in Pei Wencong’s eyes—he couldn’t help smiling inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re all monsters—no one needs to fear the other, right?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye deliberately withdrew his hand, pulled two small boxes from his pocket, and handed them both to Pei Wencong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First meeting, a little gift for you and Mrs. Pei—don’t be formal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can I accept this? How can I? I—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong took the boxes and genuinely felt embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he hadn’t brought Li Ye any gift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Kong people valued these traditional courtesies, but Pei Wencong never expected the Qiucun Dao Feng, who always emphasized “phone calls are expensive,” would be so thoughtful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Min, quickly bring Mr. Li what he asked for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong had no choice but to urge A Min to fetch the items Li Ye requested as a token.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min quickly handed Li Ye a tote bag containing several thick books—the economics titles Li Ye had requested from Professor Zhang, personally listed by him—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>plus a thick envelope containing ten thousand U.S. dollars, as Li Ye had asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And three invitation letters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Li, here are the invitation letters you requested. Will you be visiting Hong Kong in the next few days, or as planned after the Spring Festival?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Already done so quickly? Looks like your business has really grown, Mr. Pei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye joked with Pei Wencong, recalling how, when he’d first asked Pei Wencong to get him one invitation before the Spring Festival, Pei Wencong hadn’t been sure he could manage it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, just a few days’ notice, and he’d produced three—clearly, in Hong Kong, wealth and social status were even more tightly linked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is all thanks to Mr. Li’s favor. Now, whenever you wish to visit Hong Kong, just give me a few days’ notice—I’ll arrange everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, but I won’t go this time. I’ll call you before I come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye shook Pei Wencong’s hand again, ready to take his leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, Pei Wencong couldn’t hold back—he glanced at Li Ye’s retinue of ex-soldiers and whispered: “Mr. Li, are you with those men?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye turned and looked back casually. “I don’t go out much. My grandfather was worried, so he sent a few men to accompany me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong suddenly understood, filling in the blanks with his imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The word “grandfather” opened up too much room for speculation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then let’s meet after the Spring Festival. I’m truly sorry—I rushed over as soon as I got the invitations ready, had no time to prepare a gift… I was terribly inconsiderate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong felt he’d made a mistake—this boy before him might well be his future benefactor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No—he already was. Without this Qiucun Dao Feng, Talang Literature Publishing might already be bankrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet during another enthusiastic handshake, Pei Wencong felt Li Ye brush against his wristwatch—then he took it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Mr. Li, if you don’t mind, I just bought this Rolex—let it be a token of our first meeting. Don’t refuse it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye was surprised. From Pei Wencong’s eyes, he clearly saw reluctance—but the motion of removing the watch was decisive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A man of substance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds later, Li Ye smiled. “A cherished possession shouldn’t be casually given away. I appreciate your gesture—let’s talk about it next time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, alright—I was too abrupt. Hey, Mr. Li, take care!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong watched Li Ye return to the eastern side of Zhongyingjie, where Jiang Hong and the others closed in around him again, slowly heading toward the checkpoint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did A Min exhale, stepping close to Pei Wencong. “Boss, I don’t feel like he’s a writer—he’s more like… I can’t quite say.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who cares what he is? Anyone who helps us get rich is a good person. Don’t say anything stupid when we get back—or you’re fired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong scolded A Min, walking toward the Hong Kong checkpoint while casually opening the two small boxes Li Ye had given him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first one, he opened—and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside was a grandfather medallion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What does this mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong was stunned. To Li Ye, this item clearly held deep sentimental value—but in Pei Wencong’s hands, it shone with an entirely different meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min, seeing the medallion and Pei Wencong’s expression, couldn’t help smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when Pei Wencong opened the second box, A Min’s eyes went wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside was a jade bracelet, emerald green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong paused, then handed it to A Min. “Put it on—otherwise, you might have trouble passing the checkpoint.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were checkpoints on both sides of Zhongyingjie; though Hong Kong’s side was looser, valuable items still needed caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min admired the bracelet on her wrist, holding it up to the sun to examine its quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, this looks like… Bingzhong jade!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong’s face turned cold. “What are you staring at? It’s not for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Min pouted, then eagerly said: “Boss, you’re already over thirty. I have a distant cousin—she’s really hot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Min, if you mention your cousin one more time, I’ll fire you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boss, don’t say that—she’s really nice…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you want me to dock your salary?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, boss, I have a cousin's daughter.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pei Wencong quickened his pace to escape Amin’s nagging, but Amin, in her high heels, ran swiftly, like a late-autumn bee discovering a tardily blooming camellia, buzzing endlessly around it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1829,"2026-06-20T05:04:59.129Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0d37291ab18a725f6c04f837fe327f7bb76919bf4aa27282e26bd15b89941f70","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-186","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-184",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]