"Uncle, I'm afraid you and Xiaoyue will have to make do with this room tonight. My sister and brother-in-law usually stay here, and the two guest rooms were also tidied up for my parents when they came to take care of them."
"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning, and we can take the bus back to our hometown together."
Since his elder sister was pregnant, and it was late, he didn't want to fuss, so there were no hosts to look after them that night, only Uncle and cousin would be staying.
"Yangyang, we're family, there's no need to be formal."
"It's such a big house, why should we feel inconvenienced? The house I lived in for decades in Jingcheng isn't as grand as this, and besides, neither of us are missing limbs, so you don't need to fuss over us."
Chen Liqi patted his nephew on the shoulder. He was a man who never cared for extravagance and had slept in freezing snow. If the courtyard was this nice, why couldn't he sleep in it?
"Sister Xiaoyue, my brother-in-law and I will pick you up tomorrow. Rest well tonight. After cycling for so long, your legs must be sore. We have wooden tubs at home, so you can heat up some water and soak your feet."
Glancing at Chen Yue, who had behaved well at dinner and praised his parents, Chen Yang offered a kind word.
Since his cousin was giving his family face, he had to reciprocate. Relatives were not enemies. He didn't particularly like Chen Yue's proud personality.
However, they were blood relatives after all, and she had given him face, so there was no need to be distant.
"You're a good kid, count yourself lucky. If you ever come to Jingcheng, I'll look out for you. Not to brag, but if you ever need to deal with anything, I have some influence."
Seeing that her cousin was so considerate and even cared about her, Chen Yue's haughty demeanor softened.
She wasn't like a typical girl; instead, she was more like a man, very loyal.
If others were good to her, she would go to great lengths for them. Although she sometimes carried a touch of the arrogance of a native of the capital, that was only towards outsiders.
For friends and acquaintances she truly connected with, she was absolutely sincere.
At this moment, she had come to recognize Chen Yang as her cousin.
Just listening to her father's conversation with Chen Yang on the way, she learned that her seemingly unremarkable cousin had achieved such great success. She was genuinely impressed.
Especially Chen Yang's views, which she agreed with wholeheartedly.
Poverty breeds the desire for change, and our country has reached a point where change is inevitable.
What we must do is seek development for the nation and happiness for the people!
Only by developing our economy can we ensure sufficient funding for national defense, and only by developing our economy can our people live good lives.
The Chinese people are never short of a fighting spirit. With our efforts, our country will eventually become prosperous and strong. Chen Yue was absolutely convinced of this.
Chen Yue was a pure patriot, which was why in her past life, she became a hawk in the military, even being reprimanded by her superiors multiple times.
In her heart, she longed to charge forward and engage those who bullied them in direct combat.
Those who offend China will be punished, no matter how far away they are!
"Yangyang, don't listen to your sister's nonsense. If I ever find out you dare to use my name, your mother's, or your maternal grandfather's to pull strings and get preferential treatment, I'll disown you as my daughter."
"We of the Chen family are upright and honorable. If you dare to act recklessly, I'll break your legs."
Chen Liqi glared sternly. He had heard that as soon as the higher-ups announced reforms, some people below would take advantage of the situation to make their own moves.
In his life, he despised such people the most.
If you're going to do business, do it honestly. Seeking favors and taking shortcuts is not doing business; it's purely deceiving the country and the people!
This was the true reason for his concerns about the reforms. After so many years of strict control, people were already causing trouble as soon as the slogan was uttered.
When the reforms were implemented nationwide on a large scale, how many more shenanigans would there be?
In the end, would it lead to national development and benefit the people, or would it only benefit a select few? Would it eventually be halted, and would the whistleblowers be made examples of?
These were all big question marks.
Chen Liqi was a veteran who had been to the battlefield. He had witnessed countless separations and deaths, and after returning, he had experienced the ups and downs of human relationships. He understood better than anyone.
Many things might have good intentions at the outset, but the final outcome is far from what was initially intended. Ultimately, it depends on the people who implement it.
"Uncle, don't worry. I'll maintain normal relationships and will absolutely not engage in businesses that involve pulling strings to resell goods."
Chen Yang gave a wry smile. As a reborn individual, he possessed a cheat-like advantage with his foresight into future trends. Why would he need to become a speculator?
Engaging in such a business could lead to him being targeted by someone in power who disliked him.
History has a memory. Don't think you're being clever. If they truly want to investigate, they can find out anything.
However, interpersonal relationships are unavoidable. China has always been a society of guanxi (connections), and as long as you don't challenge the system or cross that line, there's no problem.
"As long as you know that."
"And you, Xiaoyue. After the New Year, you might be going to Yangcheng. Keep your spoiled princess temper in check. If I hear you're still putting on airs and expecting special treatment there, don't blame me for having Uncle Luo send you back."
Chen Liqi's face was stern. In this era, many people were actually very upright, especially veterans who had experienced life and death on the battlefield.
Because this country was defended with their blood and sacrifices, the belief they held while fighting desperately on the battlefield was to protect their homeland and prevent the people from being oppressed.
This belief, which sustained them through life and death, was difficult to shake. Therefore, most veterans had this unyielding character and least wished for their children to do anything out of line.
"I know, I know. You're so nagging. You've said it a thousand times, at least eight hundred. Which eye of yours sees me bullying others or doing bad things?"
"You old man, can't you wish something good for your daughter? What if I go to Yangcheng and, like you, end up on the battlefield, defending the country? How do you know I'm just looking for trouble?"
Chen Yue pouted indignantly. She was a stubborn person who refused to admit defeat.
The more her father looked down on her, the more she wanted to prove him wrong.
"Enough. With your combat capabilities, you're already like this after cycling for an hour. And you want to go to the battlefield?"
"Do you know that back in my day, we had a night march of over 140 li for a flanking maneuver, carrying ammunition and eliminating enemies along the way. We covered a full 72.5 kilometers in fourteen hours. I'm not looking down on you, but could you do it?"
After Chen Liqi finished speaking, Chen Yue fell silent.
This was something her father had boasted about countless times at home, and it was an achievement she could never refute when he brought it up.
Let alone her, even in the entire military history of the world, such a high-intensity forced march, especially in mountainous terrain, was undeniably a military miracle.