"Zhang Yiping proposed two things to me."
Mr. Pei recalled the past and his smile deepened:
"One is the overall situation, and the other is the vision and ability of the writer."
At that time, the country was about to fall. The Pei family occupied the two rivers. Although they had power, they could only keep one acre and three mu of land. If the situation changed in the future, even if Old Master Pei could defend the two rivers, his scope would still be too small.
Although the Wen family has a low status and is currently not comparable to the Pei family, there is one very important key point, that is, the Wen family is rich.
"And your great-grandfather was a very capable and visionary man. He started from nothing and worked his way into a foreign firm. He often dealt with foreigners and learned fluent English." With this, he quickly took root in the foreign firm, rose through the ranks, and accumulated a fortune.
Zhang Yiping was impressed by his abilities and joined him to work for him after graduation.
Wen Wushan was ambitious and wanted to expand his business from Shanghai to Peking. At that time, he said that if Old Master Pei worked hard to develop business in the whole Liangjiang region and collected 60 million taels of silver in tax revenue each year, then Wen Wushan's assets would be more than 20 million taels of silver, which was equivalent to one-third of the Pei family's annual income. And Wen Wushan became prosperous in just six or seven years.
Just based on this point, the young Mr. Pei quickly took this matter seriously.
At that time, he actually already had someone he was planning to marry, but Zhang Yiping gave him some earnest advice. Mr. Pei's eyes fell on the cigar in his hand, his expression gloomy:
"Ayi, do you know what he said?"
Pei Yi listened to his grandfather talking about these old stories, slowly exhaled a breath, and shook his head:
"have no idea."
In fact, Mr. Pei just asked casually and did not expect him to answer. He sat up straight and looked at his grandson with some pity:
"He told Grandpa not to be impatient, because good things will always be saved for the end. Whether it's marriage, women, or the future and prospects of the Pei family."
There was something meaningful in his words, and Pei Yi immediately understood why his grandfather was chatting with him about these things tonight.
Pei Yi picked up the wine glass and took a sip. The wine tasted mellow at first, and then a spicy feeling rushed straight to his brain. He held it on the tip of his tongue, enjoying the extreme stimulation of his taste buds without making a sound.
Mr. Pei is already old, but his demeanor is calm and composed. He is like this unopened bottle of wine, with a unique charm and a biting spiciness.
"Grandpa followed his advice, and you see in the end." He spread his hands and said with a smile: "The Pei family came here from Tianjin."
Mr. Pei slowly placed his hand on the armrest of the sofa and tapped the back of the sofa with his fingers:
"I have never opened this wine since Zhang Yiping sent it to me." What kind of good things has Mr. Pei not seen in the Pei family? When he was young, cars and yachts were very rare in that era. Even now, many people don't have them, but Mr. Pei had seen them when he was young. He didn't care about a bottle of wine.
The reason why it was hidden in such a place and left unopened for many years is that the taste of the wine is secondary. What is important is the meaning of this bottle of wine and the person who sent it.
It was because of Zhang Yiping's words that he thought for a few days and decided not to get engaged for the time being and to wait for Miss Wen for two years. It was because of this decision that the Pei and Wen families cooperated, and Wen Wushan demonstrated his excellent business talent, and ultimately assisted the Pei family in blazing a path to success during the era of aggressive wars, allowing the Pei family to move from Tianjin to Beijing, and then to the entire China, and to achieve their current situation.
And Mr. Pei got a wife who is well-educated and well-mannered.
"You are still young, only 23 years old. Your future has infinite possibilities, and your vision is still limited to a certain extent." He pointed at Pei Yi with the hand holding the cigar: "Grandpa is sitting here and can meet anyone I want to meet in China. You are trapped in a small world, but you should broaden your horizons."
Old Master Pei crossed his legs. Even though he was over seventy years old, his eyes were still eye-catching. “Zhang Yiping has passed away a long time ago, but I still can’t bear to open this bottle of wine.”
"I understand what grandpa means." Pei Yi raised his glass and made a gesture to toast Grandpa Pei. Grandpa Pei also raised his glass and clinked it with him, then sipped the wine in the glass with great cherishment.
The taste of this wine may not be as good as the fine wines in his collection, but through this wine, he tastes memories and life.
"You are a smart child. Grandpa has no objection to your liking for Feng Nan." He raised his eyebrows, his eyelids drooping to hide the expression in his eyes. The wrinkles on his forehead carried the traces of years:
"When we are at a stage like this, what matters is not birth status, but character and conduct."
Mr. Pei put down his wine glass and stood up:
"I'm not afraid of you getting into trouble, I can handle it." He said with a smile, "I'm not afraid of you squandering money, the Pei family has plenty of money."
He pointed around the study. Every inconspicuous object here had a history:
"You've been throwing things here at will since you were a kid." If it were someone else's family, he would have been scolded a lot.
It was because of Mr. Pei’s indulgence that Pei Yi became lawless and unruly.
"Your father's personality is too restrained. I guess it's because I was too strict with him back then. He is upright, serious, but lacks the tiger spirit." At this point, Mr. Pei said:
"So you have been by my side since you were a child. You can get whatever you want, like a little bully since you were a child."
Perhaps it was because he was too spoiled in his childhood and had never suffered any setbacks or blows, so after she fell in love with Feng Nan, the more she knew nothing, the more he pursued her, and in the end, he could no longer let go of others and was devoted to her, no longer looking at anyone else.
Mr. Pei is not afraid of his choice, but he is afraid that he will make the choice too early and regret it in the future.
"Grandpa is just worried about you. If you choose the wrong path, your whole life will be ruined." Especially when Feng Nan's personality changed later, he immediately gave up and chased after Jiang Se instead. This time he was determined and they had been in a relationship for several years.
"Marriage is not a joke, but you need to be calm and composed. Ayi, ask yourself what you want."
Pei Yi spread his legs slightly apart, supported his thighs with his elbows, lowered his head, and looked at his reflection on the ground holding the wine glass.
This aged wine had a high alcohol content and had been stored for many years, so it was extremely strong. After drinking one glass, he felt a little drunk, his head was hot, and his instincts outweighed his reason.
What does he want? Mr. Pei's words made him ask himself.
He wants the girl who played rock, scissors, and paper with him when he was little, and the person who knows that he is domineering and impulsive, but tolerates him silently like flowing water.
He likes to see her confident look, likes to see her acting coquettishly, wants to hold her in his arms, see her calmly take out a mirror to apply lipstick in front of him, likes to hear her calling his name in a coquettish voice, and feels numb all over, like an electric shock. (To be continued)