7 Chapter 6 Change Starts from Details_1
Translator: 549690339
Nie Zhenbang’s return did not receive publicity from the Nie family. It was not something to be celebrated. The youngest son of the Nie family, who had only spent a year in Yanbei rural region as an educated youth, had brought back a son – one who sought him out on his own initiative. If it spread, the family’s reputation would be damaged.
However, even though the old patriarch was currently displeased, the child was, after all, already recognized as his own. The old patriarch questioned himself, acknowledging that he could not be excessively ruthless and do something such as silencing both of them since they were, at the end of the day, of Nie lineage. At this point, a small-scale family recognition ceremony was appropriate.
The youngest son of the Nie family, who had spent less than a year in the rural area as an educated youth, not only lost the opportunity for much education, but unexpectedly had an illegitimate child. Importantly, this illegitimate child had found his way to Jingcheng city. This news immediately spread throughout the families of Jingcheng.
Fragrant Hills
This was the retirement rehabilitation area for national leaders. In one corner of the Fragrant Hills, a special area was demarcated. The various villas were distributed in harmony with the surrounding mountains and rivers. The central guard division of the Jingcheng City Military District was stationed on the outskirts.
Outside one of the villas, under the shade of the trees, a chessboard was set up on a set of tree wood tables and chairs. Two old men were engaged in a game of chess.
“Haha, what a blessing in disguise, poor old Nie, he now has an additional grandson. Looking at the situation, he must be having a headache.” One of the elders sported white hair. He spoke gently and indifferently, exuding a refreshing aura. In his presence, even if the sky were to collapse, he would maintain his composure and detachment.
The other elder playing chess had sleek short hair, with a one-inch long scar visible on his cheek, his face exuded a natural authority.
Hearing the words of the white-haired elder, he also laughed and said, “Elder Dong, as the saying goes, virtue has its rewards. Old Nie, who spent his life as a political commissar, was famously kind-hearted in the base areas back in the day. But looking at it now, it doesn’t seem to be the case. Old Nie, who had an education and good upbringing, has brought great disgrace upon himself this time. It seems the Nie family will not be at peace. Considering how much Old Ye adores his daughter, it won’t be long before he causes a stir in the Nie Family.”
The white-haired elder, also known as Elder Dong, laughed heartily and said to the scarred elder, “You are said to be a crude person, but I see that you are the one playing smart. As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own fortune. But I suppose only you, the ‘Bear Barbarian,’ can look past this saying. Anyway, let’s get involved as well. Let’s go to the Ye family to discuss this matter. This situation can’t be solely blamed on Guowei. He was young at that time, a period of impulsiveness. When this happened, the Ye family wasn’t even involved, right? We cannot let the two youngsters fight. This could affect the national situation.”
The Nie family lived in a courtyard outside the Zhongcheng District. This place had originally been a Prince Mansion during the late Qing Dynasty. Later, Elder Nie bought this place as his retirement home. However, Elder Nie usually didn’t live here, he stayed in the Forbidden City. He only came here for private matters, while in normal days, it was occupied by Nie Guowei and his brother.
Nie Zhenbang looked around familiarly. History indeed repeated itself. Elder Nie had not chosen to hold the banquet in the Forbidden City, clearly showing his silent disapproval. Tolerating Nie Zhenbang and not forcing him out was already an act of great forbearance on Elder Nie’s part.
There weren’t many guests. Apart from a few close relatives of the Nie family, there were only some of the old man’s trusted subordinates. Even if he was an illegitimate child, he was still part of the Nie family. It was not about giving face, but at least being acknowledged. This was a matter of principle.
The Ye family was absent. The patriarch of the Ye family leaned towards progressive attitudes, opposed to Elder Nie’s radical stance. The saying “people of different principles don’t seek to plan together” held true here. After a few quarrels in the Politburo meetings, the relationship between the two families had cooled. This time, involving their own daughter, the Ye family had chosen to express their disapproval by ignoring the matter.
When the appointed time arrived, under the leadership of Nie Zhenbang’s paternal uncle, Nie Guodong, a small ceremony was held with the ancestral tablets of the Nie family. After Nie Zhenbang offered up the first stick of incense, the ceremony was considered done. Even though he was an illegitimate child, he was now officially a member of the Nie family.
However, it was clear that the old patriarch was not satisfied. Originally, according to Nie family’s generational name ranking system, people of Nie Zhenbang’s generation should have been given names starting with the word ‘Jia.’ Daughters of the Nie family can opt not to follow this system but for male descendants, it was mandatory. However, as if having forgotten, the old patriarch had not even bothered to mention it.
As soon as the ceremony was over, the old patriarch stood up. His calm face revealed no changes in expression as he sternly said, “There are still many things to do in the Military Commission. I will leave first.”
Even though the old man needs to take responsibility for the military commission’s affairs, it doesn’t mean he’s too busy to a point where he wouldn’t have time for family gatherings. In other words, the old man was expressing his displeasure.
It was the old lady who stood up at that moment, scolding the old man, “Old man, what are you doing? Is the military commission really that busy?”
The old lady was extremely fond of her youngest son and now, through a phenomenon called love transfer, besides being slightly dissatisfied with the fact that Nie Guowei was Nie Zhenbang’s illegitimate son and thinking that Nie Guowei was a bit too casual, the old lady still liked Nie Zhenbang. Genius and talent were things that were apparent at first glance. At that moment, seeing the old man about to leave, she also stood up to express her displeasure.
“Are you going or not? If not, I’m leaving first.” The old man’s feelings couldn’t be easily changed by words. After speaking, he left without looking back.
The old lady might have been worried about the old man’s health, she looked helplessly at Nie Zhenbang, petted his head and said, “Kid, remember to visit your grandmother’s house. She has delicious treats for you.”
Once the old man and lady left, only the Nie siblings were left at the moment. A middle-aged military officer who was sitting on the sofa stood up; he was Nie Zhenbang’s second maternal uncle, Xiao Zhen-chang, currently the commander of the Jingcheng City Military District.
“Big brother, big sister, Guowei. There are some matters at my home, Guorong and I will leave first.” Xiao Zhen-chang and Nie Guorong both stood up after speaking.
Xio Zhen-chang was always smooth and savvy in his dealings. Under such circumstances, it was best to keep out of the Nie family issues.
The eldest sister-in-law, Nie Guoping, also stood up at the moment, looking at Nie Zhenbang with a hint of reluctance. Being the one to uncover this matter, she knew that Ye Shuxian had a big disagreement with her. However, with her personality, even if the situation were to occur again, Nie Guoping would still acknowledge it. Nie Guoping had the clearest understanding of Nie Zhenbang’s experience. He was a poor child. Smiling, she said to him, “Zhenbang, feel free to visit your eldest aunt’s place when you are free. I live in the residential area of the General Hospital.”
With the departure of the Nie family’s daughters and sons-in-law, only the Nie brothers were left in the courtyard. This was where they were living at the moment. Nie Guodong had no place to go.
On the side, the younger generation of the Nie family, Nie Guodong’s two sons, Nie Jialei and Nie Jiamin, were all looking at Nie Zhenbang, while Ye Shuxian’s daughter, Nie Ziyu, was also curiously looking at her brother.
“Shuxian, look at the mess this has caused. Guowei was young back then. At that time, he was quite a notorious brat in the city. It was a badge of honor for the young ladies on the street to scold them. Since it has already happened, I think, you should stop blaming Guowei. He was sent down to work in the countryside before you met him, it’s forgivable. Besides, the child’s mother has already passed away. You should consider having another son.” Huang Yuerong, the eldest sister-in-law, started to persuade her, but her tone was somewhat strange, as if she was enjoying others’ misfortune.
With a stern face, Ye Shuxian appeared very upset. Even though this happened before her, she still felt that Nie Guowei had betrayed her. Looking back at the time when she met Nie Guowei, he was just like this. When she called him a hooligan, he asked her how she knew his nickname. When she scolded him as a jerk, he was not angry, but instead jokingly asked how she knew his nickname. She should’ve known that such a man is born to be liked by women. However, it was her bad luck to have only given birth to Nie Ziyu. At that moment, it was Huang Yuerong who was speaking.
Nie Guodong stood up and said in a deep voice, “What are you saying? You’re a woman, what do you know? Go to bed. I have something to discuss with Guowei.”
Nie Zhenbang listened on the side, feeling suddenly alarmed. In his last life, it was under the same circumstances that Nie Guodong had a long conversation with Nie Guowei. He didn’t know the details, in his last life, Nie Zhenbang was naive and such a situation had frightened him. But after that conversation, his uncle’s family looked down on him a lot. His step-mother did not treat him well, and because of it, his biological father’s career was hampered and was abandoned by the old man. All of his anger was vented on him. In this life, Nie Zhenbang did not want this incident to repeat itself. The change had to start from such details.
Thinking of this, Nie Zhenbang stood up under the surprised gaze of everyone, looking at his uncle Nie Guodong and said, “Uncle, if it’s about me, can I stay?”
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