Chapter 721: The Old Man’s Gratitude!

The Jiang Family’s Old Mansion!

When Li Yi and Jiang Xue arrived at the old family home, the Old Master was sitting in the small pavilion in the courtyard, enjoying the cool breeze, accompanied by several young soldiers.

Seeing his granddaughter and son-in-law approaching with bags of all sizes, the Old Master immediately stood up, waved them over, and said, “Over here!”

Li Yi and Jiang Xue walked over to the small pavilion and immediately greeted the old man, saying, “Grandpa!”

The old man looked them over, saw that they hadn’t brought the children, and asked, “Why are there only the two of you? Where are the kids?”

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “Yunjin isn’t feeling well today, so we left him with his grandmother and aunts!”

“What’s wrong with the little one? Is it serious?”

“Nothing serious. We probably left the window open last night, and she caught a chill,” Jiang Xue replied.

“You’ll have to be more careful from now on. After all, she’s just a little baby—she gets sick easily!” the old man admonished.

“I know, Grandpa!”

Then Jiang Xue asked again, “By the way, Grandpa, where’s Mom?”

“She’s in the kitchen, stewing some meat for you!”

At that moment, the old man noticed the various items they were carrying and said, “You’ve come all this way, but why bring anything? Just take it back with you when you leave!”

“Grandpa, are you sure?”

Jiang Xue then added, “There are a few bottles of vintage liquor over 30 years old, plus a bottle of imported liquor over 50 years old. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them back and give them to my third older brother!”

The old man’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly said, “Don’t do that. Your third brother doesn’t know anything about wine. To him, Erguotou and Moutai taste the same. Giving him aged liquor would be a waste of good stuff!”

Jiang Xue smiled and said, “When I saw my third brother the other day, I told him you said he’s like a wild boar—he can’t handle fine food!”

“Hahaha, you little rascal—how did you go and get into such mischief just from a trip down south!”

The old man then glanced at Li Yi and said, “They say you’re as black as the ink you’re near, and as red as the vermilion you’re near—I bet you’re the one who taught her that!”

Li Yi chuckled and said, “So in your eyes, I’m that black-hearted rascal, am I?”

“I don’t know about ‘black-hearted,’ but you’re certainly a rascal. Just look at how you swindled those foreigners—they clearly took a huge loss, yet they still had to hold their noses and apologize to us, not to mention compensate for the damages. It’s infuriating just thinking about it!” Old Man Jiang said with a laugh.

“So, Old Man, what do you think of how we handled this? Was it good? Was it up to par?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“Good. You really did a fine job with this…”

Just then, Jiang Xue suddenly said, “Grandpa, you two keep chatting. I’ll take these things to the back room for you!”

“We’ll come in with you!”

Then the old man turned to Li Yi and said, “You young man, come over and help me up. Dinner isn’t ready yet; let’s go sit in the study for a while!”

“Sure!”

With that, Li Yi immediately stepped forward and helped the old man walk toward the inner room!

…………

Back in the study, the two sat down across from each other at a small round table.

The old man was getting on in years; even though he hadn’t walked far, he was still slightly out of breath.

After resting on the sofa for a while, he looked at Li Yi and said, “I’ve heard about what you did in Hong Kong. Good job, son!”

Li Yi smiled and said, “It’s nothing. Without the country’s support, I wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything, especially the Navy—they really came through for us this time!”

“I’m not talking about dealing with those foreigners—taking care of a bunch of strays isn’t really anything to brag about. I’m talking about the over a billion in foreign exchange you brought back for the country!”

The old man continued, “Don’t think that just because we’re such a big country, with countless talented people capable of handling any major project and doing it well, that we have plenty of them. But people like you—who can bring back such a huge sum of foreign exchange—are few and far between. Even the old Commander couldn’t help but praise you!”

“Which old commander are you referring to?” Li Yi asked curiously.

“The Second-in-Command!”

Although he had mentally prepared himself, Li Yi’s pupils still contracted slightly upon hearing the old man’s words!

“Grandpa, what did the Commander say about me?”

“The old Commander said you’re a capable young man with a broad perspective. He also said you’re the first person to actually strike at the enemy’s home turf—you’ve accomplished what we couldn’t!” the old man said.

Li Yi grinned and said, “The old Commander is too kind. I’m not nearly as good as he makes me out to be. At best, I just used business rules to make a few billion from them—nothing worth mentioning!”

“Heh, modesty is a virtue, but I think the old commander was right—you’ve earned that praise!”

The old man continued, “You brought back a full ten billion US dollars for the country. Most people wouldn’t even have the capability to do that—and even if they did, they might not have the courage to dedicate such a massive sum to the nation.”

“But you managed to do it, and to ensure this money was safely returned to the country, you even went so far as to risk offending the British Hong Kong government and putting yourself in danger—that makes it all the more commendable!”

Thinking back to the words the old commander had spoken when he summoned him to the Forbidden City for a talk, the old man couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion. With this son-in-law in the family, the Jiang clan would surely thrive for at least another fifty years.

Li Yi had no idea what the old man was thinking. He smiled and said, “Grandfather, the situation isn’t actually as perilous as you make it out to be. Just as you said, the British Hong Kong government is nothing but a pack of stray dogs. They may have the will and the audacity to cause trouble, but they lack the strength to back it up.”

“They know full well I’m on our side, yet they dare not strike at me openly. At the end of the day, they’re still wary of our nation’s strength. With the motherland as my backing, I can operate over there with ease!”

The old man smiled, then suddenly said, “You know what? Your second uncle has been promoted!”

Li Yi was taken aback for a moment, then asked, “So my second uncle is now…”

“A full minister!”

“I think my second uncle is 51 this year. A ministerial-level leader so young—his future is limitless!” Li Yi said.

“Hmm. If he does a good job, he might even move up another rank in ten years!”

Then the old man looked at Li Yi and said with a hint of gratitude, “To be honest, Grandpa has you to thank for this!”

“Grandpa, you’re making a big deal out of this. I can’t possibly accept such praise!” Li Yi hurriedly replied.

The old man sighed and said, “You don’t know—ever since your eldest brother was killed in action on the front lines, the entire Jiang family has faced the dilemma of having no one to carry on the family line. That’s why I’ve always been worried: how many more years can the Jiang family survive after I’m gone?”

“How could that be? Not to mention the second generation of the Jiang family, but even in the third generation, we have Second Brother and Brother Longze…”

Before Li Yi could finish, the old man shook his head and said, “Your eldest and second uncles have limited potential. While they aren’t exactly mediocre, they lack the necessary drive. Realistically, the rank of vice-ministerial level is already their ceiling.”

“As for your father-in-law, he has ability and doesn’t lack drive, but he wasn’t in good shape before Xue’er was found. Plus, your mother-in-law’s health has been a major distraction for him. Grandfather doesn’t have high hopes for him either.”

“Of the third generation, Long Yin is decent enough, but he’s too calculating. As for Long Cheng… never mind, let’s not talk about him. As for Long Ze and the others, they’re all too young. It’s highly unlikely they’ll mature enough before I die.”

“That’s why Grandfather has been worried these past few years. If I were to pass away, given the Jiang family’s state at the time, its decline would be almost inevitable. While it wouldn’t vanish entirely, it would sink to the ranks of a third- or fourth-rate family, never to regain the prosperity it enjoys today…”

Hearing this, Li Yi felt a quiet sense of admiration.

They say experience is the best teacher, and the old man’s foresight was truly spot-on.

In his previous life, the Jiang family had indeed declined rapidly after his death; within just a few years, the second generation had dwindled to a single member: Jiang Shiying.

Among the third generation, only Jiang Longyin had achieved anything of note; the rest, lacking resources, ultimately failed to rise to prominence.

As a result, the once-illustrious Jiang family of the capital had completely fallen into obscurity, becoming a fourth-rate clan. It wasn’t until his father-in-law rose to power, sword in hand, trampling over the heads of countless corrupt officials, that the Jiang family finally restored its former glory.

But by then, the political landscape had shifted, and the Jiang family had already missed its prime opportunity for growth!

Just then, the old man’s voice echoed in his ears once more…

…….