Great Power Reclamation

In September, the weather in London turned cool.

Ye Guigen's sophomore year schedule was packed:
Advanced Development Economics, International Finance, Econometrics II, and an elective in African Political Economy. Professor Sachs raised an eyebrow when he saw the courses he had chosen:

Are you trying to work yourself to death?

Ye Guigen smiled and said, "Take advantage of your youth and learn more."

During the first week of school, he was busy getting familiar with the new courses when he suddenly received a call from his grandfather, Ye Yuze.

"Ultimately, there's something I need to entrust to you."

Ye Guigen's heart tightened: "What is it?"

"Your grandfather Yang's grandson, Yang Chenglong, is coming to study in England."

Ye Yuze's tone was calm, but Ye Guigen detected a hint of helplessness in it:

“That kid is really wild. He spent two years in the provincial capital and didn’t even study properly in high school. Your Grandpa Yang can’t control him, so I’m thinking of sending him to your place. You can keep an eye on him.”

Ye Guigen was taken aback: "Coming to England? What to study?"

"Let's do a preparatory course first, improve our English, and then we can talk about university." Ye Yuze paused.
"Ultimately, this child is wild, but not a bad person. Please be tolerant of him."

Ye Guigen was silent for a few seconds: "When is he coming?"

"Next week. The plane tickets are already booked."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Guigen sat in his dormitory, quickly searching his memory of Yang Chenglong.

Actually, he and Yang Chenglong were childhood friends, but they hadn't seen each other much in recent years. In his memory, Yang Chenglong was a tall, thin boy with bright eyes, and he was very brave, daring to jump from very high places. Yang Geyong even praised him back then for being "spirited."

Later, he went to the provincial capital with his parents, and after that, we rarely heard from him. We only occasionally heard his grandfather mention that the child caused trouble at school, changed schools several times, and eventually dropped out of high school, spending his days hanging out on the streets.

Now, we're going to send him to England.

Ye Guigen rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling a headache.

One week later, Heathrow Airport.

Ye Guigen stood at the arrival exit, holding a sign that read "Yang Chenglong". The flight had landed for half an hour, and passengers were coming out one after another, but Yang Chenglong was nowhere to be seen.

He started to worry and took out his phone to make a call. Just as he opened his contacts, he heard someone call out from behind, "Brother!"

Ye Guigen turned around and saw a tall, thin boy standing not far away, carrying a large backpack and a plastic bag in his hand, smiling at him.

Yang Chenglong. Eighteen years old, the same age as him, but looks a little younger—not because of his appearance, but because of his eyes.

Ye Guigen was very familiar with that look; it was the look he had when he was fifteen years old and hanging out on the streets of the military reclamation city: wary, curious, and a little defiant.

"How did you come out from behind?" Ye Guigen asked.

"You went the wrong way, you went in a circle." Yang Chenglong walked over and looked him up and down. "Brother, you've changed."

Ye Guigen also sized him up. Yang Chenglong was wearing a large hoodie, faded jeans, and dirty sneakers.

His hair was a bit long, covering half of his eyebrows. He had a smile on his lips, but there was a hint of roguishness in that smile.

"Let's go back to where we're staying."

Ye Guigen took the plastic bag from his hand and found two bottles of baijiu inside. "What's this?"

"A gift for you." Yang Chenglong grinned. "My grandfather brewed mare's milk wine, saying you'd love it."

Ye Guigen was both amused and exasperated: "Your grandfather was just discharged from the hospital, and you're already taking his wine?"

“He gave it to us himself,” Yang Chenglong shrugged. “He said it was for the two of us to drink, and we shouldn’t tell him.”

On the taxi ride back to school, Yang Chenglong kept looking out the window at the scenery. The streets of London, the red double-decker buses, the ancient buildings—his eyes lit up.

"Brother, this place is really nice," he said. "Much better than the provincial capital."

Ye Guigen looked at him: "How's your English?"

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "I know a few phrases: hello, thank you, fuck you."

Ye Guigen: "..."

When they arrived at the dormitory, Hans had already left. Ye Guigen told Yang Chenglong to sleep in his bed for the time being, while he would sleep on a makeshift bed on the floor. Yang Chenglong threw his backpack on the ground, plopped down on the bed, and took out his phone to play.

"Bro, is there WiFi here?"

Ye Guigen told him the password, then asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I ate something on the plane, but it was awful."

"Let's go out and get something to eat."

The two found a Chinese restaurant near the school. Yang Chenglong ordered a table full of dishes and wolfed them down as if he hadn't eaten for three days.

Ye Guigen looked at him and suddenly remembered that when he was fifteen years old, he got into a fight on the streets of Junken City and was caught by his grandfather and locked up. He was just as hungry then.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Yang Chenglong's mouth was full of food, and he said indistinctly:
"Brother, let me tell you, no restaurant in the provincial capital is as good as this."

Ye Guigen laughed: "This is London, Chinese restaurants here can't compare to those back home."

"That's still better than the provincial capital." Yang Chenglong swallowed and took a sip of cola. "Brother, how are you doing here?"

"good."

Do you have a girlfriend?

Ye Guigen paused for a moment: "Yes."

Yang Chenglong's eyes lit up: "Is it beautiful?"

Ye Guigen didn't answer, but instead asked him, "Why are you asking this?"

"Just curious," Yang Chenglong chuckled. "Brother, you're so handsome, you must have found a beautiful girl. When can I meet her?"

Looking at him, Ye Guigen suddenly realized that although his cousin was wild, he wasn't so bad after all.

After dinner, Ye Guigen took him for a walk around the area around the school. Yang Chenglong asked questions all the way, like a little child.

Seeing people playing soccer on the grass, his eyes lit up: "Bro, can I play?"

"Not today, it's too late."

"What about tomorrow?"

Ye Guigen thought for a moment and said, "I'll take you to complete the enrollment procedures tomorrow. After that, you can go play football."

Yang Chenglong nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the soccer ball.

The next day, Ye Guigen took him to register at the preparatory school. The school was in North London, an hour's journey by subway. Yang Chenglong looked at his phone the whole way, occasionally glancing up at the station names.

"Dude, is there no signal on this subway?"

"Yes, but not good."

"That's so boring." He put his phone away. "Dude, tell me, what's fun in England?"

Ye Guigen thought for a moment: "Big Ben, the London Eye, the British Museum, the Thames..."

Are there casinos?

Ye Guigen was taken aback: "Why are you asking this?"

"Just asking," Yang Chenglong smiled. "I've heard there are a lot of casinos in London."

Ye Guigen stared at him: "Yang Chenglong, listen to me, you came to England to study, not to play. If you dare to go to a casino, I'll send you back right away."

Yang Chenglong's smile froze for a moment, then he waved his hand and said, "I know, I know, I was just asking."

After completing the enrollment procedures, Yang Chenglong was assigned to a student dormitory, where he shared a room with three other international students. Ye Guigen helped him pack his things, gave him a few words of advice, and prepared to leave.

“Brother,” Yang Chenglong suddenly called out to him, “thank you.”

Leaves return to their roots.

“I know my grandfather sent me to England to ask you to take care of me.”

Yang Chenglong was unusually serious. "Don't worry, I won't cause you any trouble."

Ye Guigen looked at him for a while and nodded: "Study English well. I'll come see you next weekend."

As Ye Guigen walked out of the dormitory building, he glanced back. Yang Chenglong was standing by the window, watching him. Seeing Ye Guigen turn around, he waved.

Ye Guigen also waved.

On his way back, he made a phone call to his grandfather.

"All settled in."

Ye Yuze hummed in agreement on the other end of the phone: "How is it?"

"It's alright, better than I expected," Ye Guigen said. "It's just a bit wild, so we have to keep an eye on it."

Ye Yuze laughed: "Weren't you wild back then? You were a street urchin at fifteen, and you got beaten up and your face was swollen." Ye Guigen was a little embarrassed: "Grandpa, that's all in the past."

“The past is the past, but do you know what those kids are thinking?” Ye Yuze said. “He’s wild because nobody’s watching over him. His parents are busy, and your Grandpa Yang can’t control him either. Ultimately, you need to put in more effort.”

Ye Guigen was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand."

The following week, Ye Guigen was busy with classes, but he would occasionally send messages to Yang Chenglong to ask how he was doing at school.

Yang Chenglong's replies were always simple: "Not bad," "Eaten," "Slept." Occasionally, he would post a few photos, mostly of the school scenery.

Over the weekend, Ye Guigen bought some fruit and snacks and went to see Yang Chenglong.

When he arrived, Yang Chenglong was talking to someone downstairs in the dormitory. The other person was a white male, about his age, and the two were gesturing as if they were arguing.

Ye Guigen strode over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Yang Chenglong's eyes lit up when he saw him: "Brother! You're here!"

The white boy glanced at Ye Guigen and said something in English, his tone unfriendly. Ye Guigen understood; he was complaining that Yang Chenglong was occupying a public area and wouldn't leave.

Ye Guigen explained in English: "He's new here and his English isn't good. I apologize on his behalf if there's any misunderstanding."

The white boy snorted and turned to leave.

Yang Chenglong asked, "What did he say?"

"He said you were taking up too much space." Ye Guigen looked at him. "Why did you argue with him?"

“I didn’t argue, he yelled at me first.” Yang Chenglong looked innocent. “I just asked him where to get a meal card, and he rambled on and on, but I couldn’t understand him, so he got angry.”

Ye Guigen sighed: "You need to hurry up and learn English. Starting next week, I'll come and tutor you every week."

Yang Chenglong's face fell: "Huh? Tutoring?"

“If you don’t get extra lessons, you’ll stay like this forever, unable to understand or speak.” Ye Guigen handed him some fruit. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and have a seat.”

The dorm room was a mess; clothes were strewn everywhere, and there were instant noodle bowls and empty Coke bottles on the table. Yang Chenglong scratched his head sheepishly, "Brother, I haven't had time to tidy up yet..."

Ye Guigen didn't say anything and started helping him tidy up. Yang Chenglong stood by, at a loss, but eventually joined in.

After tidying up, the two sat on the edge of the bed. Yang Chenglong suddenly asked, "Brother, back in the military reclamation city, did you also hang around there?"

Ye Guigen glanced at him: "Who told you that?"

“My grandfather,” Yang Chenglong said, “said that when you were fifteen, you got into a fight with a bunch of thugs and were beaten black and blue. Later, Grandpa Ye caught you and put you in solitary confinement for three months, making you copy the Analects of Confucius every day.”

Ye Guigen laughed: "Your grandfather talks a lot."

"He also said, 'You've made something of yourself now.'" Yang Chenglong looked at him. "Brother, I want to make something of myself too. But I don't know how."

Ye Guigen's heart stirred.

“During those two years in the provincial capital, I hung out with a bunch of people.” Yang Chenglong lowered his head. “Actually, it wasn’t very interesting. Nobody was watching over me, and I was just messing around. My mom was busy every day, and my dad wasn’t home either. I was all alone and didn’t know what to do.”

Ye Guigen was silent for a moment, then said, "Jackie Chan, do you know what I was doing before I came to London?"

Yang Chenglong shook his head.

“I’m in North Africa, in a desert village, working on a solar power project,” Ye Guigen said. “That village has no electricity, and the children can only read by candlelight at night. There was a girl named Fatima who told me that with electricity she could read at night and wanted to be a doctor when she grew up.”

Yang Chenglong's eyes lit up as he listened.

"Later, I sent her to country A for training," Ye Guigen continued. "After she finished her studies, she returned to the village to teach others. Now, the village has lights at night, the children can read books, and the medical station is operating normally."

Yang Chenglong remained silent for a long time.

"Brother," he said finally, "I also want to do something."

Ye Guigen looked at him and said, "Then let's start by learning English. If you learn English well, you can go anywhere in the future."

Yang Chenglong nodded, this time without complaining.

From that day on, Ye Guigen tutored Yang Chenglong every week. He taught him English, math, and even history and geography—whatever came to mind.

Yang Chenglong struggled with his studies, but he stopped complaining. Sometimes when they got tired of studying, the two would go out to play football or wander around the campus.

When Elizabeth heard about it, she also came to help. She was British and much more professional at teaching English than Ye Guigen. Yang Chenglong was a little afraid of her at first, but after they got to know each other, he started calling her "sister-in-law".

Elizabeth blushed slightly upon hearing this address, but did not deny it.

By the end of October, Yang Chenglong's English had improved considerably, and he could already have simple conversations with his roommates. One day, he suddenly said to Ye Guigen, "Brother, I want to learn to ride a horse."

Ye Guigen was taken aback: "Why?"

“My grandfather can ride horses,” Yang Chenglong said. “He said that when he was young, he rode horses across the Gobi Desert and felt very impressive. I want to learn how to ride so I can show him when I get back.”

Ye Guigen thought for a moment and then took him to a horse farm on the outskirts of London.

It was a beautiful day, with warm sunshine. It was Yang Chenglong's first time riding a horse, and he was so nervous that he didn't know what to do with his hands and feet.

The riding instructor was an old man who patiently taught him. After falling a few times, he was finally able to sit steadily on the horse's back.

After riding horses, the two sat down to rest on the grass. Yang Chenglong looked into the distance and suddenly said, "Brother, I think I understand now."

"What do you know?"

"Now I understand why my grandfather liked you so much." He turned his head. "When you taught me things, you didn't force me; you made me want to learn on my own."

Ye Guigen smiled and said, "That's what your grandfather taught me too."

On the first weekend of November, Ye Guigen received a phone call.

It was a call from Yang Chenglong's school, saying he had gotten into a fight.

When Ye Guigen arrived at the school, Yang Chenglong was sitting in his office, his face bruised and bloodied. A white boy stood next to him, also with a swollen face; it was the same boy from last time.

"What happened?" Ye Guigen asked.

Yang Chenglong kept his head down and didn't speak. The white boy rattled off a bunch of things, which Ye Guigen roughly understood:

The two got into an argument while queuing in the cafeteria. The boy said, "All Chinese people are viruses." Although Yang Chenglong didn't fully understand what he meant, he guessed the meaning and punched him.

Ye Guigen was silent for a moment, then asked Yang Chenglong, "Did you understand what he said?"

“I didn’t understand everything.” Yang Chenglong looked up. “But I understood ‘China’ and that swear word.”

Ye Guigen nodded and turned to the teacher: "The other party insulted China first, so my brother took action. We will cooperate with the investigation, but I demand an apology from the other party."

The teacher, a middle-aged woman, seemed somewhat embarrassed. When the white boy heard he was supposed to apologize, he started shouting, claiming he was exercising his right to free speech.

Ye Guigen looked at the boy and slowly said in English:
"Freedom of speech does not include racial discrimination. If you do not apologize, I will hire a lawyer and sue you for discrimination. My father's company has business in the UK and knows many lawyers."

The boy froze, his expression changed, and finally he whispered, "I'm sorry."

As they left the office, Yang Chenglong followed Ye Guigen without uttering a sound.

After walking a long way, he suddenly said, "Brother, I'm sorry, I've caused you trouble."

Ye Guigen stopped and turned to look at him.

“You did nothing wrong,” he said. “He insulted China, so you should hit him. But remember, next time don’t hit his face, hit his stomach, so the injury won’t be visible.”

Yang Chenglong was stunned for a moment, then laughed.

That was the first time Ye Guigen had seen him smile so happily.

In early December, London had its first snowfall.

Yang Chenglong's English has improved to the point where he can understand simple news. He sent Ye Guigen a message written in English:
"Brother, it's snowing. I miss my grandpa."

Ye Guigen felt a warm feeling in his heart as he looked at the message.

He replied, "I'll take you horseback riding this weekend. Horseback riding in the snow, your grandfather did it when he was young."

Yang Chenglong quickly replied with a "good" followed by three exclamation marks.

Outside the window, the snow was falling heavier and heavier.

Ye Guigen stood by the window, recalling Yang Geyong's words: "I'm still waiting to teach your son to ride a horse."

Now, he is teaching Yang Geyong's grandson to ride a horse.

Perhaps this is what inheritance is.

It's not about the inheritance of bloodlines, but the inheritance of spirit.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Yang Geyong: "Grandpa Yang, Jackie Chan is learning to ride a horse. When he learns, he'll come back and ride it for you."

The reply came quickly. Not with text, but with a photo.

In the photo, Yang Geyong is sitting in the courtyard next to his Akhal-Teke horse. He smiles at the camera, a smile like a child.

Ye Guigen looked at the photo and smiled.

The snow is still falling in London.

But in my heart, it felt as warm as spring. (End of Chapter)