Chapter 223

Li Ye's hesitation left the three people in the private room with a feeling of "to know what happens next, listen to the next installment," which was very unsatisfying and very frustrating.

Wen Leyu would absolutely never force Li Ye, and the nanny, Xiao Liang, didn't have that kind of standing, so...

"A guess?"

Guo Donglun let out a laugh and said with a bit of "disdain," "I actually know a few scholars who do research. They also like to make guesses about the international situation. So, Student Li Ye, have you become so excellent too?"

A challenge. An absolute challenge.

Li Ye saw through Guo Donglun's little thoughts at a glance.

Of course, Guo Donglun didn't intend to hide his little thoughts. I am challenging you; if you chicken out, then so be it.

Li Ye thought for a moment and said, "Let's change to a less sensitive object of explanation. Do you know about the Confucian cultural circle?"

None of the three answered, but looking at their eyes, Li Ye knew they might know about "vassal states," but they hadn't grasped his meaning.

"The Confucian cultural circle is a circle centered on the historical Zhonghua Empire, radiating cultural exchanges in all directions. You can also consider this exchange as infiltration or invasion."

"For example, the country on the northern peninsula that is one of the Four Little Dragons. They were once one of the regions radiated by our civilization.

Don't look at how they are much richer per capita than us now, but if you look at their ID cards or household registrations, there must be a name written in Chinese characters on them.

If you delve deeper, you will know that their laws are all written in our characters.

Because if they were written in their own characters, many rigorous legal tenets would be impossible to interpret—that is, impossible to explain clearly. You wouldn't be able to figure out what crime the criminal should be convicted of..."

Wen Leyu, Guo Donglun, and Xiao Liang were all a bit surprised.

In 1982, there weren't that many information dissemination channels available for ordinary people. Besides, this kind of thing wasn't deliberately publicized. If someone hadn't stayed in South Gao Li, they naturally wouldn't understand this kind of knowledge.

Li Ye continued: "This situation is the power of the Confucian cultural circle, and this is only the residual power."

"Residual version?" Wen Leyu asked: "What does this mean?"

"It's just the lingering power of the deceased!" Li Ye sighed: "Hundreds of years ago, this land of ours was the center of the Confucian cultural circle.

North to the 38th parallel, south to Malacca, east to the Fusang Country, west to Suiye City—all were within the sphere of influence of our Zhonghua family."

"Within such a large circle, everyone was full of respect and longing for the Zhonghua family. They thought everything we had was good and everything we did was right.

They would worship our language and culture, identify with our habits, envy our strength, and even... learn our social systems."

"..."

Speaking of this, Wen Leyu and Guo Donglun suddenly woke up.

System—that is a taboo topic.

Li Ye didn't look at their surprised eyes and continued: "For example, the Fusang Chrysanthemum Country. During the Tang Dynasty, they sent a large number of envoys to Tang. After returning, they reformed their social management system.

Needless to say about Goryeo in the north; they were directly our vassal state, and their power structure was also deeply influenced by us. The Luzon Country in Nanyang paid homage to our emperor every year, calling themselves subjects..."

"Stop for a second."

Guo Donglun interrupted Li Ye and asked seriously: "The meaning of you saying these things is that we will be radiated by the culture of the Lighthouse and changed by them into...?"

"..."

Li Ye was silent for a few seconds before smiling and saying: "So I said, this is just my guess! After all, it's something our ancestors played with, and I don't know if they would even look at it."

"But I have come into contact with a few people who returned from overseas. They tell everyone they meet how good overseas is and how superior overseas society is.

Isn't this the same as the envoys who returned to Goryeo and Fusang from Chang'an during the Tang Dynasty?"

"There were poor beggars in Chang'an who couldn't get enough to eat, but the envoys only saw the romantic talents on the towers.

The Lighthouse also has bankrupt refugees with nothing to cover their bodies, but some people only see the elite executives in Manhattan... Why is this?"

Guo Donglun was like a crosstalk performer, asking directly: "Why is this?"

"Because they are all excellent people," Li Ye said. "To become an envoy to Tang, one must be a capable person selected layer by layer from Fusang and Goryeo. You can't just pull an idler from the village and send him to the Great Tang, right?"

"These people have intelligence and resilience. No matter what kind of environment they are in, they will not be content with mediocrity.

From the moment they step onto any piece of land, they will look upward.

The clouds are their goal. What does the mud beneath them have to do with them?"

"..."

Wen Leyu suddenly picked up her chopsticks.

"Alright Li Ye, stop talking, I'm hungry!"

"Ah? Oh, eat, eat. Look at me, running my mouth, talking nonsense, being negligent, negligent."

Li Ye was cut off by Wen Leyu and also felt that he had gone a bit too far. He smiled and invited Guo Donglun and Xiao Liang to eat.

But Guo Donglun and Xiao Liang didn't move their chopsticks; they just watched Li Ye and Wen Leyu eat.

【I'm just watching you eat, are you embarrassed to eat? Are you telling me a story? And hanging me halfway?】

But as they watched, Guo Donglun and Xiao Liang were both surprised.

These two young people can really eat!

If it weren't for Li Ye and Wen Leyu's eating manners being relatively "refined," Guo Donglun would have wanted to mock them for being starving ghosts reincarnated.

An eight-inch large plate—one person eating three plates of dishes wasn't even satisfying.

Although the blue and white small bowl wasn't big, one bowl after another—is there no end to it?

This is soup, not water.

The appetite of Dongshan people is no joke. Compared to Shaanxi and Gansu black soil, it might not be obvious, but if compared to south of the Yangtze River...

Anyway, when Li Ye went to the South to eat in his previous life, the restaurant owners would always show strange expressions.

This child, an ordinary family really can't afford to raise him.

Guo Donglun took a moment and said softly: "When I was in the military, I had two comrades from Dongshan. They were also particularly able to eat. I originally thought it was an individual characteristic, but now it seems it might be a regional characteristic."

Li Ye didn't stop his chopsticks and said: "Yes, we Dongshan people do have big stomachs, just like our temperament—open and bright!"

【You're open and bright, my ass!】

Guo Donglun cursed inwardly, but with a slight smile, he waited until Li Ye and Wen Leyu were both full before he asked his inner thoughts.

"Since you guessed the danger of cultural radiation, have you guessed any countermeasures?"

"Does this need me to guess?"

Li Ye thought for a while and said: "There are many ways. What we have used for decades is actually one, and it still seems effective so far. Another is to defeat them."

Guo Donglun: "Defeat them? What does that mean specifically?"

Li Ye said earnestly: "It means exactly what it says. Defeat them uprightly, with real swords and real guns, in terms of economy and culture."

"When our people eat better than them, dress better than them, and use better things than them, what are we afraid of in terms of infiltration?"

"By that time, the Confucian cultural circle will be revived again, and everyone around will be back to learning Chinese from us."

Guo Donglun asked suspiciously: "Let our people eat well, dress well, and use good things—is that enough?"

"What do you mean by 'is that enough'?" Li Ye smiled: "This is not simple. We have one-sixth of the world's population! And this is just the first step..."

"In short, we are all pebbles carried in a torrent. If we can make a splash, this life will be worth it."

"..."

Guo Donglun fell silent. After thinking for a long time, he suddenly said to Xiao Liang: "Serve me a bowl of rice."

"Oh!"

The nanny, Xiao Liang, hurriedly served him rice. Having drunk so much alcohol and eaten only a little bit of food, he had to have a bowl of rice to cushion his stomach.

Guo Donglun chewed slowly and swallowed two bowls of rice, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and stood up to say goodbye.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I might stay in the capital for a few more days. If you have anything, you can find me at the Great Wall Hotel."

Li Ye stood up and asked strangely: "Going back so early? You came to the capital, isn't it to chat with me?"

Guo Donglun said calmly: "Haven't we chatted already?"

Li Ye: "..."

The four of them left the small eatery. The driver of the Volga hurried down to open the door, letting Guo Donglun and the nanny, Xiao Liang, sit in.

Of course, the nanny, Xiao Liang, had given him a 20-yuan tip when they arrived, otherwise he wouldn't have been so diligent, let alone waited here for so long!

After Guo Donglun left, Jin Peng and the others appeared again.

Jin Peng said: "Xiao Ye, how did the talk go?"

Li Ye said: "Hard to say. He will stay in the capital for a few more days. We'll play it by ear!"

Jin Peng's heart didn't settle, but he could only send Li Ye and Wen Leyu back to school first.

After returning to school, when Wen Leyu was walking with Li Ye by Weiming Lake, she said to him: "You said a bit too much to him today, making him feel like we were persuading him to continue cooperating."

"We don't need to lower our posture. Let it be whatever it will be. What are we afraid of him for?"

Li Ye smiled: "Where was I afraid of him? I just think he's a bit interesting. Anyway, he's bored, so I'll find him something to do. Maybe there will be one more person walking with us?"

"Isn't the person walking with you me?"

"Oh oh, Xiao Yu, you are the one walking with me arm in arm, different from others."

"Pfft~"

Wen Leyu rolled her eyes and then asked Li Ye: "You painstakingly strengthened the Pengcheng Seventh Factory just to cross swords with those financial groups?"

Li Ye nodded: "Something like that! One has to do something for life to be meaningful."

Wen Leyu giggled twice and said: "When you applied for the Economics Department, I thought you wanted to be a billionaire! It turns out your ambition is much bigger."

Li Ye said in surprise: "You guessed right! Being a billionaire doesn't conflict with having big ambitions."

"..."

"Wow, you said so much tonight, making me so moved. It turns out you actually have this kind of thinking?"

"Wow, I forgot you are a candidate Party member! Xiao Yu, you won't arrest me to claim a reward, will you?"

Wen Leyu kicked Li Ye's calf and said with claws and teeth: "Arrest you to claim a reward? Arrest me together? We are grasshoppers on the same rope, who can escape who?"

"..."

Guo Donglun and Xiao Liang arrived at the Great Wall Hotel and used their introduction letter to open a room.

Xiao Liang fulfilled her duty as a nanny, helping Guo Donglun wash his face and feet, and serving him as he rested.

Then Xiao Liang suddenly said: "That Li Ye today, what he said was a bit exaggerated."

Guo Donglun said: "It is a bit exaggerated, but I have nothing to do now, playing around doesn't matter."

Xiao Liang glanced at Guo Donglun and didn't say anything more.

Although Guo Donglun said he was just playing around, Xiao Liang felt that he was serious.

She turned and went out. Behind her, Guo Donglun said again: "Call Old Liao and have him get me a Crown car. It must be through proper channels."

Alright! He was indeed serious.

(End of chapter)