Chapter 194: Sugar-Coated Bullets—What Does She Look Like?

Xiaocheng, North District.

Under the bright daylight, a shrill, piercing scream—nearly shattering glass—shook the three streets ahead and behind.

"Mama!!! Second brother's back!!!"

"."

Hao Cuicui scrambled in fright behind An Xiaolian, clutching her thigh and peering half-out from behind toward the gate.

She didn't understand the Ebei accent, but from her experience, whenever such commotion erupted in the countryside, a fierce argument was sure to follow—likely accompanied by shouting, tearing, and fighting.

Hao Jian rubbed his ears, laughing and sighing: "Xiao Qin, why scream so loud? You scared the kids."

The woman named Xiao Qin, however, was already tear-blurred, rushing over to grab Hao Jian's hand: "Second brother, you haven't written a single letter all these years. Why did you only come back now?"

"Aren't I back now?" Hao Jian's nose turned sour too: "But I thought you were only twenty-one this year! How come your child's already this big?"

"I'm twenty-two. You've been gone fifteen years."

"Fifteen years? No, only fourteen and a half."

Hao Jian remembered clearly—he recalled his little sister Xiao Qin hadn't even started elementary school when he left for the countryside; his memory of her was of a snotty little girl, so he hadn't immediately recognized the child as his niece.

Besides, today was New Year's Day; Xiao Qin shouldn't have been at her parents' home—she should've been at her in-laws'.

"You still remember fourteen and a half years!"

Xiao Qin finally broke down, pounding Hao Jian repeatedly: "You didn't even write one letter! Our letters to you got returned. Mama cries every year—yesterday she cried for hours, no matter how we tried to comfort her… Wuwuwu …"

Xiao Qin wept uncontrollably, when suddenly she felt a small hand tugging fiercely at her, trying to pull her away from her second brother.

Hao Cuicui tugged at Xiao Qin while squeaking in a child's voice: "Don't hit my dad—I my uncle's really strong!"

"."

Xiao Qin stared at the little girl before her and suddenly remembered: her second brother had a sickly daughter.

But before she could say a warm word to this little niece, hurried, chaotic footsteps came from behind.

His earlier scream had drawn everyone inside out.

The first to run forward was a woman whose age was hard to guess.

If you called her an old woman, her face didn't have that many wrinkles.

But if you called her a middle-aged woman, her hair was entirely white.

Seeing this woman appear, Hao Jian—who had held his composure until now—finally cracked.

It was his mother, Yao Hongmin, only fifty-two this year.

When Hao Jian left home, Yao Hongmin was still a strong laborer; now, seeing her white hair, he couldn't help but sigh.

Yao Hongmin grabbed Hao Jian's hand, wanting to speak but unable to, and like Xiao Qin, began pounding him repeatedly.

It was a family tradition.

Hao Cuicui tried again to help her dad fight, reaching out to tug, but her mother An Xiaolian pulled her aside.

Then Hao Cuicui saw her father kneel on both knees, hugging the white-haired old woman's legs and wailing loudly.

This man, who had held back his resentment for years, finally realized: what weighed in his heart wasn't just resentment—it was the blood-deep longing for kinship.

【How could you not recognize me? How could you reject me as your son?】

Xiaocheng was the only prefecture-level city in the country named after "filial piety," the ancestral home of China's filial culture.

Kneeling to heaven, earth, and parents was only natural.

Moreover, Hao Jian had unilaterally married in Dongshan, settled there permanently—behavior that bordered on being a "disobedient son."

Now, being struck a few times by his mother, Hao Jian accepted it willingly.

The mother and son wept for a long time before finally drying their tears.

Only then did Yao Hongmin notice An Xiaolian and her daughter.

She looked at the timid Hao Cuicui: "This is the little Cui'er you mentioned? Isn't this child doing well?"

"She's doing fine—I got her imported medicine and cured her illness. Cui'er, call Grandma."

Hao Jian wiped his tears and told his daughter to greet them.

Hao Cuicui whispered shyly, "Grandma," clinging tightly to An Xiaolian.

An Xiaolian had to say: "Mother, this child's always shy and timid since she was little."

"It's fine, fine—come in, come in! Come meet Grandpa—he was just talking about you all yesterday!"

Yao Hongmin ushered her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter inside, while neighbors nearby, having heard the commotion, began spreading the news: Old Hao's second son had returned from Dongshan.

After stepping into the house, Hao Jian saw his father, Hao Dongmin, standing at the threshold of the main hall, eyes bright, his gray-white hair neatly combed.

Yet whether in his eyes or hair, there was a dampness.

His eyes had clearly been moistened earlier; his hair had been dampened and combed into place—otherwise, his authority wouldn't have been so evident.

Men's way of communicating was sometimes strange: though deeply moved, they still put on the demeanor of patriarchs.

When Hao Jian saw his father, he didn't get as emotional as he had with his mother—he simply said, "Dad," then introduced his wife and children, especially his daughter, dragging her right up to his father to show off.

"She was much thinner a while ago. Let me nurse her for a year, then bring her back to you—I guarantee she'll be plump and rosy, everyone will love her."

Hao Dongmin frowned at Hao Jian: "No need to wait another year—I already like her."

But turning his face, he smiled warmly at Hao Cuicui: "Little Cui'er, have you eaten? Are you hungry?"

Hao Cuicui answered plainly: "I ate, but my dad didn't. I told him to eat before leaving, but he said he wanted to eat the meal Grandma makes."

"Cook, cook, I'll cook right away!"

Yao Hongmin immediately pointed at Hao Dongmin: "You come help me cook."

Hao Dongmin frowned: "Let the kids help you. Why should I cook?"

But Yao Hongmin firmly pulled her husband into the kitchen to cook for their son.

Once the old couple left, the atmosphere inside instantly brightened.

Hao Jian's older brother Hao Le, younger brother Hao Ren, and little sister Hao Qin bombarded him with questions.

Meanwhile, Hao Jian's two daughters-in-law, Wen Qian and Tang Ping, surrounded An Xiaolian, playing a guessing game.

You say a phrase in Dongshan dialect, I say one in Ebei dialect—let's guess what each other said.

The third brother, Hao Ren, handed his older brother a cigarette and asked: "Second brother, how have you been these past few years? Our letters got returned—we didn't know how you were doing at all."

Hao Jian pulled out his cigarettes and gave one to each brother: "How else could I live? Just endured it. This year's been a bit better—that's why I came back to see you."

"It's more than just a bit better, isn't it?" Older brother Hao Le chuckled: "One pack of cigarettes costs half my monthly salary, and your clothes? You look sharper than our factory director."

Hao Jian smiled carefree: "These are made by our factory workers—they put extra care into things for their own. I brought a few outfits for you too—I'll bring them down from the car later, try them on, see if they fit. It's been so long, I've forgotten your sizes."

"No need to wait later—do it now!"

Hao Ren had already spotted Hao Jian's Lada Niva; men love cars—how could he possibly wait?

Hao Jian had no choice but to take his older and younger brothers outside to see the car—only to find that the seven or eight children in the family were already scrubbing the car with two buckets of water!

The Lada Niva had traveled over a thousand kilometers; its body was filthy, yet the children laughed happily, scrubbing with great enthusiasm.

Seeing Hao Jian approach, the eldest son rushed over and shouted loudly: "Second Uncle, Happy New Year!"

"Second Uncle, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year, Second Uncle!"

All the little ones ran over to pay their New Year's respects to Hao Jian.

Hao Jian was delighted, pulling out red envelopes and handing them out one by one—but after handing them all out, he noticed the children were still staring at him. He realized: in their eyes, colorful candies were more appealing than colorful bills.

Hao Jian took his two brothers out for a drive, and during the trip, he pulled out his camera to take a photo of his older and younger brothers beside the Lada Niva.

In this era, half of all photos were of people with scenery; the other half were of people with cars.

By now, Hao Le and Hao Ren had no doubt: their second brother (younger brother) had made it big!

So when they sat down to eat, none of the dishes on the table interested Hao Le and Hao Ren—they kept pressing Hao Jian with questions, overly affectionate.

Hao Jian didn't reveal everything, nor did he feign modesty—he casually hinted at a little of his strength, and instantly the whole family buzzed with excitement, making him the undisputed center of the Hao household.

Hao Dongmin looked at his radiant second son with a complex expression, then after a moment raised his wine cup toward him.

"Second son, it's good—very good—that you came back with your child to see your mother."

He felt guilt toward this second son, especially after Hao Jian sent back 120 yuan—he never sent any money back, never wrote to ask anything, which said plenty.

But Hao Jian's demeanor today showed the bearing of a true man—truly impressive.

Hao Jian grinned, lifted his cup, and drained it in one gulp, then said: "Dad, I'll be even better from now on!"

Hao Dongmin chuckled, downed his wine in one swallow.

He heard Hao Jian's pride—and even a hint of challenge.

It was like a lion pride passing leadership: Hao Dongmin had been the unquestioned pillar of the family, but from today on… Hao Jian had taken his place.

By accident, through twists of fate, Hao Jian had abandoned his resentment—and with a gentle, water-like grace, revealed the brocade he wore.

Hao Cuicui generously handed out candies to her brothers and sisters; though they couldn't understand each other's dialects, it didn't stop them from playing joyfully together.

At this point, who would still think of her as a sickly, worthless burden? Who could deny she was Hao Jian's "golden phoenix"?

……

Dongshan Railway Station, Li Zhongfa personally saw Li Ye off on the train.

Director Li Da spoke to Li Ye in a lecturing tone: "When you get to Hong Kong, don't let capitalist decay blind you. Don't bring shame to us. Never let your knees weaken—keep your head high. Understood?"

Li Ye yawned: "Grandpa, you've told me this eight hundred times. Don't you think I'm the type to get taken advantage of?"

"Don't be careless," Li Zhongfa said sternly: "You're young, inexperienced—you can't see through conspiracies. Being cautious never hurts."

Li Ye straightened his posture, standing at attention as he listened to the old revolutionary's wisdom, only relaxing when the train pulled into the station.

As Li Ye stepped onto the train, Li Zhongfa whispered: "Don't worry too much about San Shui—I'll find more people to help you. After all, you can afford to pay wages now, right?"

Li Ye nodded: "As long as you think it's fine, the more the better."

Li Zhongfa turned to look at Jin Peng.

Jin Peng felt uneasy and embarrassed, having been scolded by Li Zhongfa eight times over the San Shui incident.

This time, Li Zhongfa did not curse again, only warned: "Your loyalty is good, but next time something like this happens, call me immediately."

Jin Peng quickly replied: "Private Secretary, I understand."

"Alright, get on the train!"

Li Zhongfa waved them off, seeing the two junior brothers onto the sleeper carriage.

Jiang Hong, meanwhile, led a group of ten men onto the hard-seat carriage.

San Shui's final threat before being taken away enraged Li Zhongfa—how could a group of smugglers dare threaten people on the soil of Huājiā?

Huājiā may not have much else, but it has plenty of retired soldiers; countless retired troops sit idle at home, and even picking and choosing, we could drown you in numbers.

On his sleeper berth, Li Ye took out the English manuscript given to him by Professor Ke and activated his biological hard drive to record it.

He had originally asked Pei Wencong for three invitation tickets, intending to invite Professor He and Wen Leyu to join him, but Professor Ke wasn't interested in such an opportunity, and Wen Leyu, being a young woman, wouldn't likely travel alone with Li Ye for so many days in this era.

So Li Ye took only the manuscript and went to Hong Kong alone, assigning the two remaining slots to Jin Peng and Hao Jian.

"Little Ye, do you know what the Private Secretary meant by 'sugar-coated bullets'?"

"What else could it be? Money and beautiful women!"

"."

"What kind of beautiful women? I heard Hong Kong has blond ones…"

"."

Li Ye finally noticed Jin Peng's gaze, thought for a moment, and decided it was necessary to repeat to him the lecture Grandpa had just delivered.

(End of Chapter)