[{"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-232":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},2294650,4489,"Chapter 232: You","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-232",232,"\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa arrived at Zaojunmiao around seven in the evening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Li Zhongfa walk in alone, Li Ye asked, “Grandpa, why did you come on foot? Didn’t you drive into the capital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa said, “Try not to let outsiders know about this courtyard—it might bring trouble and complications.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye frowned. “Trouble and complications? Who’s going to cause me trouble?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa waved his hand, signaling Jin Peng to shut the door. The room held only him, Li Ye, and Jin Peng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why I came to the capital this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We don’t know! Jin Peng only said you came with the bureau’s car—did you have official business?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, yeah, official business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa chuckled. “China Grain is planning a big project in Dongshan this year. The city wants to compete with the provincial capital, so they sent me here to network. You tell me—what connections do I have?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye suddenly understood—this was tied to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, Grandpa, what’s your plan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s my plan? Of course I don’t even know which way their front door faces. Do I really need to teach you this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa smiled. “I’m retiring in two years at most. At my age, do you think I can still get promoted?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I waited until everyone else left the city before staying an extra day—to come see you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye nodded, showing he understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa had told Jin Peng not to mention he’d arrived early—probably to keep Wen Leyu from finding out, avoiding unnecessary misunderstandings and trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And by waiting until everyone had left, then deliberately staying an extra day, he likely had his own reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He claimed not to know which way Wen Qingsheng’s front door faced—but he certainly knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, today I came to tell you something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa suddenly grew stern, looking at Li Ye and Jin Peng. “Do you know San Shui’s been released?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and Jin Peng exchanged blank looks, then both shook their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>San Shui had been locked up last winter—less than half a year had passed. Something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, you two are sloppy. Why waste so much effort gathering useless evidence?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You shouldn’t have tipped him off. You should’ve waited until he went home for the New Year and taken care of him in Qingshui County. Now you’ve left a big threat loose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye thought for a moment. “Grandpa, has San Shui quit his smuggling operations in Dongshan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quit?” Li Zhongfa sneered. “Men die for wealth, birds for food. How could he give up such fortune? He’s doubled down—his business is bigger than ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye relaxed inside, no longer concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already late spring ’83. In a few months, a storm would hit—people got jailed for whistling at girls. San Shui wouldn’t escape if he kept acting up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not telling you this to make you regret it—I’m warning you to be careful from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa looked at Jin Peng, who wore a face full of remorse. “Don’t just cling to brotherhood and hand out favors like candy. In the end, you’ll only raise a pack of ungrateful wolves. If others want your benefits, they must pay a price.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you, Xiao Ye—you’ve always trusted people too easily, see everyone as good. Don’t you know you must guard against others? You’re lucky you’ve got dumb luck—you’ve used a few people who are at least decent. But from now on, you must be harsher. Otherwise, just stop meddling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye grinned awkwardly, not daring to argue with Li Zhongfa now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng was worse—he hung his head, wishing he could vanish into the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in the capital, Li Zhongfa had met Jin Peng twice—and each time, he’d given him a cold stare. Jin Peng had been confused until now—he realized Li Zhongfa’s scolding was deserved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Ye felt he’d been unfairly scolded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t too trusting—he simply had no one else to rely on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was ’82. Most capable people still belonged to the state. If he hadn’t trusted Hao Jian, hadn’t trusted Jin Peng, could he have gotten this far?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you don’t offer them heaven-sent fortune, who’ll work for you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wave your arm and people think you’re dancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Li Ye dared to trust people because he had the arrogance of a cheat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew too many windfalls, too many chances to get rich. Even if someone betrayed him halfway, he could rise again and seek revenge easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But men like Li Zhongfa, who’d spent their lives crawling through the system, were always cautious, never letting opportunities slip to others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For ordinary people, life offered maybe one chance—why share it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a harsh scolding, Li Zhongfa finally said, “I’ve looked into your Pengcheng Seventh Factory. It’s growing fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When things grow fast, you attract good and bad alike. You must establish a vetting system—people in key positions must be trustworthy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you can’t be sure, avoid hiring people from Qingshui County—otherwise, you won’t be able to act when trouble comes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and Jin Peng both nodded in agreement. They’d already started doing this—next time someone like San Shui showed up, they’d eliminate him immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After talking for a long time, Li Zhongfa stood to return to his hotel. His driver and aides were still there—it wouldn’t do to stay away too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at the door, he met Wen Leyu returning from the movies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hello, Grandpa Li!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, Wen girl, finished the movie? Good—have Li Ye take you back to school.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No rush,” Wen Leyu smiled. “Grandpa Li, my mom invited you to dinner tomorrow. You must come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa chuckled. “That wouldn’t be proper. Too much trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not at all,” Wen Leyu shook her head. “Mom said if you come to the capital and don’t visit our home, you’ll be too distant. Please don’t be polite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then. I’ll be there on time tomorrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa reluctantly agreed, then told Li Ye to take Wen Leyu back to school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the young couple on their bicycle fade into the night, Li Zhongfa’s old face broke into a radiant smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng sighed. “Private Secretary, Xiao Ye is lucky. Not like Da Yong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Da Yong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know? Da Yong’s dating a girl from the provincial capital.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jin Peng briefly told Li Zhongfa about Li Dayong’s affair, clearly feeling it was a waste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to his surprise, the usually calm Li Zhongfa sighed softly. “Love doesn’t follow reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Compound One of China Grain, Lao Lu stepped out of the gatehouse and wiped clean the small notice board of mail notices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Sunday. Most residents were home, and by noon, all the mail and newspapers piled at the gatehouse had been collected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sun was good. Lao Lu stretched his arms and legs in the sunlight, then returned to the gatehouse and opened his lunchbox.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as he was about to eat, he saw a familiar Beijing 130 driving up from the end of the street outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, that kid’s back for another meal. Doesn’t he know how to be polite?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lately, Lao Lu had seen that 130 often—either dropping off Wen’s girl or bringing the two young people to visit the Wen household.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Checking the visitor log, Lao Lu knew the handsome young man was a student at Beijing University—Li Ye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, educated people have better luck with girls.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Lu smiled, shook his head, and lifted a chopstick of braised pork toward his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that bite of braised pork never reached his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beijing 130 stopped, as usual, dozens of meters from the compound gate. Three people got out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Lu recognized Li Ye and Wen Leyu—but the third person… didn’t he look familiar?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the three drew closer, Lao Lu’s hand began to tremble. The fragrant pork dropped with a *plop* onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Dajiao, you’re still alive?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa, who’d been thinking how to greet Ke Laoshi and Wen Qingsheng, froze. He instinctively glanced left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who called me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Over here, over here! You nearsighted old fool, where are you looking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhongfa finally noticed—it was the gatehouse guard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted, watching the excited old man sprinting toward him. Only when he reached him did Li Zhongfa recognize him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You old troublemaker, you’re still alive too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lao Lu wiped his eyes, trembling. “I wanted to die. Couldn’t manage it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good you’re alive. Then why cry? Still as useless as ever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Useless? You’re the same! Look at your monkey tears all over your face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You troublemaker, still talking like a bastard. No wonder you won’t die—evil men live a thousand years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, you can envy me. I guarantee I’ll outlive you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the street, two old men glared at each other, spat curses—but tears streamed down their faces. Their hands gripped tightly, refusing to let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Ye and Wen Leyu were baffled—how could two people from opposite ends of the country recognize each other?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next sentence made their ears prick up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lao Huishui, our… medic—still alive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1518,"2026-06-20T05:05:01.382Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","235048fa6e88da8b74007ce1a7c2dd1530702b3b168ebe0da3430c52a06ca3a4","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-233","that-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-chapter-231",884,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthat-year-the-flowers-bloomed-in-1981-cover.jpg"]