In the riverside building of Huanhua Creek, Jiang's mother was on the second floor, facing the quiet water, talking to Li Jingping on the other side, "Hongshao and I will go there when the time comes. After meeting Dad, I will have to go on a business trip. Hongshao will stay there to accompany her grandfather, and her cousin will take care of the old man over there..."
"Oh, it's Liu Gao..."
Jiang Hongshao's cousin is Liu Gao, who is in business. When the old man of the Jiang family came, Liu Gao, who was in Yunnan to discuss a project, immediately handed over all the matters at hand to the people in the investment bureau and flew to Chengdu without stopping. The subordinate company was immediately mobilized to arrange the management, and the relevant people in the family were notified by phone, so as to welcome the old man in an orderly manner.
"Liu Gao is quite capable. Dad has a personal escort when he travels, and he also has some personal escorts. It's not suitable for him to come to my place, which will always cause discussion among outsiders and is inconvenient. So he went to Mount Emei for recuperation. It just so happens that he likes that place. The altitude is not high, the air is good, and he can reminisce about the past. It's very suitable for Liu Gao to come forward... Many times, he arranged Dad's trips. You know that Dad doesn't like his relatives to make a big fuss for him. Liu Gao's behavior over the years is very much to the old man's liking."
Li Jingping said, "This Liu Gao... Don't look at him from a distance. He looks festive with big red lanterns. He is a big hole if you look closely. In recent years, I have seen him in many places and provinces and cities when attracting investment. He is silent, but if his hidden background is really exposed, he is probably a local tyrant. Your brother-in-law, who is openly running a business, may be thriving in the cutting-edge industry, but in terms of strength, he is probably not much stronger than Liu Gao, whom he despises. With the assets in Liu Gao's hands, can you say that he doesn't use his family's prestige as a sign?"
Mother Jiang said, "My father can restrain us, the closest descendants, but he can't block the way out for all the blood relatives in the family. Some things cannot be completely banned, and that is not in line with human nature. As long as it does not exceed the rules, don't worry, Liu Gao is still capable. He can't support his career solely by relying on the prestige of his family."
"My father asked me for the audit reports on poverty alleviation work in the western states in recent years. Over the years... the old man has been thinking about the places he visited and the villagers in remote areas he met. He wondered if all the younger generations could get educated, get out of the mountains, and rebuild and change the mountains."
Jiang's mother paused for a moment, "Also, Chengdu is hosting the 'Six Provinces and Seven Parties Economic and Trade Fair and Commodity Exhibition'. County Chief Lu is also coming. I heard from Liu Gao that the old man specifically asked him to come."
On the other end of the phone, Li Jingping fell silent.
Mother Jiang felt something was wrong and asked softly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Can you get comfortable?"
Jiang's mother laughed, "You... are just jealous..."
…
Cheng Ran always wondered how to face Jiang Hongshao's grandfather. He had also heard Jiang Hongshao mention him before, and from clues it seemed that he was the one who had the final say in the family and was at the top of the pyramid.
Such elderly people have lived a lifetime and have seen a lot of the world and experienced many storms.
Cheng Ran thought about some of the helmsmen of large business groups, top officials, or those who had been in high positions for a long time in his previous life. They had a deep understanding of the world, and their life experience was enough to support them in making unique judgments on things, and they could see the truth. The thoughts of ordinary people were no different from those of invisible people in front of them.
Ordinary civil servants who have worked in government agencies for decades have their own set of rules for doing things that they have studied. As long as they still have the determination to move up and do not give up on themselves, they may not be worldly-wise, but at least they have polished their minds, are well-versed in human relations, and have their own style.
As for the leaders at the top, who have been in key positions for many years and have been rising steadily, it is not easy for them to deal with the thousands of people under them and weigh the various connections.
Cheng Ran himself has a soul that does not belong to this age and era. Maybe it's okay in front of ordinary people, but if Jiang Hongshao's character is similar to her grandfather, Cheng Ran is worried that it will be revealed in front of such an old man.
But thinking about it, he felt that he was overthinking and overly cautious. After all, in a materialistic country, if there was no serious scientific conclusion, such a thing would be regarded as a monster swept into the garbage dump of history. After all, no one would have thought that his young body contained a soul from another life.
On Thursday, Cheng Ran spoke to Jiang Hongshao on the phone.
"My mom will pick me up after class tomorrow. We will go to Mount Emei to see my grandpa first. My grandpa doesn't live with me, but with my mom. It's not convenient for him to live here, and he doesn't want to disturb my mom and other people's work. On the other hand, he likes Mount Emei very much and has said many times that he wants to go there again. Let's go there first. You can come over on Saturday. Just tell someone to go to the Hongzhushan Hotel in Baoguo Temple, find me and tell them your name, and there will be a room for you... Cheng Ran, can you stay one more day?"
"I'm free on weekends, so this is no problem. But if your mother is here..." Cheng Ran paused and smiled, "Doesn't this mean I'm meeting the parents directly?"
"What are you talking about..." Jiang Hongshao was stunned at first, her voice was indescribably pleasant in its laziness, and it also carried a bit of annoyance, "What are you thinking about... My mother is leaving the next day."
So that's how it is. Jiang Hongshao had created a time difference.
Cheng Ran asked, "What did you tell your grandpa? Didn't your grandpa come here to see you more? Don't let him get angry because of me coming here."
Outside the window are the flower pots that Xu Lan had placed on the windowsill of this new home. The vegetation is lush, the leaves are swaying, and the wind makes a rustling sound, bringing a little breeze in from the window as the evening heat gradually fades away. Cheng Ran listens to the voice on the phone. The sound of each other's voices ringing in his ears sounds like a chat, but it also gives him a feeling of the vastness of the sky and the clouds. A kind of excitement of meeting an underground party member gradually surges up from his spine.
"My grandpa actually likes children very much, and he likes to have fun and tell stories to people. I have heard all his stories. If there is another listener, I think his stories will be more interesting."
Jiang Hongshao paused and said, "Besides, I said you are my classmate and good friend. In fact, your name should not be unfamiliar to him..."
It would have been better if Old Jiang didn't mention it. But when he did, Cheng Ran immediately thought of the Liu Zhiguo gang incident. Presumably, after that incident, his name was most likely reported to Jiang Hongshao's grandfather.
But Cheng Ran felt it was dangerous... Don't make things worse.
Let's take it one step at a time.
Thinking of this, Cheng Ran relaxed, but he couldn't let Lao Jiang go at this time. "Logically, you should find someone to accompany you to Mount Emei. You have many friends there, such as Su Hongdou, Shu Jiexi, and Ma Ke... Why did you choose me? Isn't this a disguised way of meeting the parents?"
Jiang Hongshao was stunned for a moment, and then she said softly on the other end of the phone, "Cheng Ran, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?"
Cheng Ran smiled, still pretending to be confused, "I'll know only if you tell me."
"Do you really want me to tell you?"
"Sometimes a leaf blocks your view of the forest. Please enlighten me."
"How can you say such a thing..." The voice on the other end was soft and sticky. Cheng Ran felt that Lao Jiang really had the potential to be a vixen. Just the sound of this voice alone was very impressive. His scalp was numb. "Unless you promise not to regret it."
Cheng Ran thought that it was too late to regret it. It was just a show of face. The important thing was that it would be more interesting if the person involved said it himself. He said, "I will never regret it."
"Let's make a pinky promise."
"Childish, that's it."
"Okay," just as Cheng Ran was about to listen to her nice words, Lao Jiang changed his tone, "Last time I risked my life with you to catch the criminals, although it was a heroic act, I still got scolded badly... If I don't push you, the culprit, out to take the blame, how can my grandfather forgive me..."
Cheng Ran: “…!?”
"I want to get off."