Although the eldest brother was gone, the eldest sister-in-law Dong Zhiqiu was the head of the family. Seeing that Lu Wen was speaking more and more presumptuously and was even about to argue with Dong Zhiqiu, Su Mo said a few words without hesitation.
After finishing her meal and returning to her room, Lu Wen complained, "Husband, you just said that to me in front of my sister-in-law. It was a bit too much. Didn't you make me lose face?"
Su Mo pointed at Lu Wen and said, "It's not easy for my sister-in-law to be alone for so many years. If it weren't for her, this family would have fallen apart long ago. The old man has been in poor health since five years ago. If you were to take care of him, could you guarantee that he would be healthy?"
Lu Wen's face darkened and she said, "I just don't like you speaking for her. I know she's working hard, and I can only blame her bad luck."
Seeing that Lu Wen was talking nonsense, Su Mo's face turned ugly. He said, "Lu Wen, I have been married to you for so many years. I know that you are a straightforward person and cannot hide your true feelings. But I solemnly declare to you that if you mention my brother or my nephew again, don't blame me for being rude to you."
Dong Zhiqiu's life was indeed unfortunate. Both her husband and eldest son were gone. It would be difficult for ordinary people to accept such a fate.
Su Mo has always had a good temper. When Lu Wen saw him getting angry, she realized that she had said something wrong, pursed her lips, and turned to leave the room.
Su Mo sighed, called Su Qing and said, "Sister, I've already returned to Xijing. When will you be back?"
Su Qing cleared his throat and said, "Wait a couple of days. There are so many things going on right now. How is it? Is the family in chaos again?"
Su Mo thought to himself that his elder sister's judgment was still very accurate, and smiled: "Sister, you guessed right. However, Lu Wen and Yuan Qi have also matured in the past two years, so the quarrel is not that serious. The two of them obey you and are waiting for you to come back and do a good job of ideological work on them."
Su Qing let out a long sigh and said with a smile, "I can't control the two of them. Is the third brother back?"
Su Mo shook his head and said, "He should have arrived in Xijing. He made a phone call, but after he hung up in a hurry, he never contacted me again."
Su Qing smiled bitterly and said, "This dandy young master, playboy, is already in his forties, but he still doesn't settle down. I'll call him later. If he doesn't return my call, I'll skin him alive."
Su Mo smiled and said, "If you are willing to help, he will naturally give you face."
After hanging up the phone with his elder sister, Su Mo stayed in the room for a while, and then went to the room where the old man lived in the backyard. The old man gave birth to him when he was nearly fifty years old. In all honesty, there was a big generation gap between Su Mo and his father, so he was always trembling in front of him.
As he approached the compound where Grandpa Su lived, Su Mo found that the old man was chatting with someone. He thought about it and stopped, but he still heard the conversation.
The old man said in a rather solemn tone: "Let's keep this matter under wraps for a while. Now is the critical moment for the Su family to make a comeback, and it cannot be affected."
The man opposite sighed and said, "Okay, Chief, I know what to do."
The man came out of the courtyard and saw Su Mo standing not far away smoking. He was slightly startled, then greeted him and said, "Hello, Second Young Master!"
Su Mo put out his cigarette and said, "Brother Xishan, when did you come? I didn't even know it."
Meng Xishan smiled and said, "Your family is having a dinner together, so it's better for me to come and leave in a low profile, otherwise it will ruin the atmosphere of the dinner. I still have things to do, so I'll leave first."
Su Mo stared at Meng Xishan's straight back, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he wondered what important things this old man was planning recently, and he actually asked his most trusted guard to handle it personally. Now Meng Xishan has long been an important figure in the military and one of the most influential generals in the Su faction.
Chapter 0518: Planning for 20 Years Later
Su Mo entered the courtyard. Old Master Su was lying on a rattan chair with his eyes closed. Su Mo knew that the old master was not asleep, so he walked over and touched the teapot. He found that the pot was warm, so he filled it with hot water. After pouring the tea, Old Master Su opened his eyes, glanced at Su Mo, and said, "Did you hear the conversation between Xishan and me just now?"
Su Mo nodded and said respectfully, "I heard it, but I didn't understand it."
Old Master Su sighed and said, "When the time is right, I will explain everything to you, but not now."
Hearing what Old Master Su said, Su Mo became more and more curious about what was going on. However, he knew that his father had his reasons for not telling him, so he smiled and said, "I have never been very curious."
Old Master Su sighed and said, "You have a gentle personality, which is completely different from your eldest brother. If he hadn't acted so tough and caused such a big disturbance in the affairs of Western Xinjiang, he wouldn't have been hated and killed behind your back. However, you still have to pay attention to change in the future. A gentle personality can certainly keep you safe, but if you want to go further, you still need to have a certain amount of courage."
Su Mo knew that Old Master Su was giving him a hint. He could also realize his own shortcomings. He had been smooth sailing in the officialdom for so many years, but he was always one step behind his peers. In the list of thirty vice-ministers, he was only in the middle. Among the major factions in the country, the Su faction is now in decline and no longer glorious. It is not that there are fewer core positions than other factions, but that there is a serious fault in the middle. In this term and the next term, after several ministers of the Su family have retired to the second line, there will be a situation of lack of successors. Su Mo is still one crucial step away from that step, but in the eyes of Old Master Su, it is still difficult for him to reach that step.
Su Mo's face became solemn, he sighed deeply, and said: "Dad, please rest assured, I will work hard and will not let you down."
Old Master Su nodded and said, "You are much more sensible than that useless third child. I am very confident in you. In fact, ever since the eldest child got into trouble, I have also figured it out. Don't force things. If I hadn't forced him back then, the eldest child wouldn't have developed such a stubborn character. I am already satisfied that you can move forward step by step. After all, your sister is still there to support you. If nothing unexpected happens in the next term, and she can move up a step, then the Su family will still have spare strength."
Su Mo nodded and said, "Sister is so outstanding, she will definitely not let you down."
Old Master Su sighed and said, "She is a girl after all. This is a society where men are strong and women are weak. She will always be at a disadvantage. It's hard for her. She hasn't married in all these years."
Su Mo sighed softly: "Eldest sister has sacrificed too much for the family."
Old Master Su said: "This is her fate, no one can change it."
Su Mo pondered over what Old Master Su said, and always felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know where the problem lay.
Su Mo and the old man then talked about some domestic situations. Old Man Su was extremely worried about the current economic policies. Capital from Western countries was pervasive and was gradually eroding the body that had been developed after China's reform and opening up. The impact seemed to be small in the short term, but in the long run it was very likely to become a major chronic disease deeply rooted in the Chinese economy.
Old Master Su said: "Now the country should support local private enterprises more, focusing on cultivating domestic financial investment platforms and outstanding entrepreneurs. The financial field is a battlefield without gunpowder. We must rely on our own weapons and equipment, rather than always seeking help from abroad. This will only make us puppets in the hands of others, causing resources to flow out, and ultimately making the domestic financial field a mess. Now there are too many US dollar reserves, which is a serious problem."
Now China is the largest creditor of the United States. On the one hand, it shows China's strength, and on the other hand, it is tied to the American economy. Once the dollar depreciates, it means that the dollar reserves will shrink significantly. In short, China originally lent the United States 100 yuan, but in fact, even if the United States includes interest, it only needs to pay back 80 yuan to repay the debt. The way the United States wants to depreciate the dollar is also very simple, the banking system can print more money.
The US dollar has become the world currency. Not only China, but the whole world is tied together by the United States. In 2008, the Chinese stock market experienced a major shock, which also made the Chinese government fully aware that the cruelty of the financial battlefield is no less than that of the battlefield of hot weapons.
Su Mo pondered for a long time and said, "The central government also realized the seriousness of the situation, so it proposed a 4 trillion rescue project."
Old Master Su smiled bitterly and said, "This is just a strategy of robbing Peter to pay Paul. The government is afraid that the more than 10 trillion yuan of residents' savings will lead to an economic collapse, so it is issuing 4 trillion yuan. This is actually a disguised way of squeezing the people's capital and making the bubble bigger."
Old Master Su is not an economist, but he has a high enough perspective and has experienced enough things to point out the crux of the problem in a few words. Four trillion yuan to rescue the market? Everyone knows that this is actually to slow down the speed of economic decline.
Su Mo said: "It makes sense not to let the crisis break out immediately. After all, there will always be some variables, and we can find appropriate methods to restore vitality to the domestic economy."
Old Master Su shook his head and sighed solemnly, "In fact, everyone knows where the problem lies, but it is difficult for the leaders of this term to have the courage to scrape the bone to heal the wound."