Great Power Reclamation

At Yang Geyong's horse farm, a group of people were drinking happily. Little Guaizi had just kissed Ayiguli, his face as red as a monkey's bottom, while Gulina clapped and cheered beside him, and Wei Yuxiang was the most enthusiastic in egging them on.

Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong stood to one side, watching the group of old guys make a ruckus, with smiles on their faces.

Ironhead's little pony also joined in the fun, circling around the crowd and snorting every now and then, as if it were laughing too.

The atmosphere was just right.

Then, several beams of car headlights shone over.

Two vans drove up from a distance, kicking up a cloud of dust, and drove straight into the horse farm.

Yang Geyong squinted at the sight, his heart skipped a beat.

"broken."

Ye Yuze also saw the license plate clearly, and his expression changed slightly.

The van stopped, the door swung open, and a group of people got out—all elderly women!
The one in the lead, blond and blue-eyed, in his sixties, was wearing a bright red sweater and stood there with his hands on his hips, looking menacing.

Niva.

Behind her followed seven or eight elderly women, all retired workers from the military reclamation garment factory. There were Han Chinese, Uyghurs, and Russians, and each of them carried a weapon—

Rolling pin, spatula, broom, and two others carrying mops.

Sweat began to bead on Ye Yuze's forehead.

Yang Geyong subconsciously took a step back.

Wei Yuxiang sobered up instantly and jumped up.

The little cripple's face turned from red to white.

Only Aygul and Gulina were unaware of what was happening, staring blankly at the group of uninvited guests.

Niva strode over, her blue eyes gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"Fine! Fine!" she pointed at the cripple, "You're here drinking and eating meat, hugging and kissing women, while I'm all alone over there! Liu Xinghua, are you even human?"

The young convict's lips trembled: "Niva, you...you listen to me..."

"What are you saying!" A plump old woman behind Niva raised a rolling pin:

"Little crook, what did you say when you were pursuing Niwa? You said you'd treat her well for the rest of your life! And now?"

Another old lady waved a spatula: "That's right! Niva has been with you for decades, gave you a son, helped you start your business, and now you're dumping her for a mistress?"

Another old lady said, "Our old sisters from the military reclamation garment factory are not to be trifled with!"

Gulina couldn't hold back any longer and stood up: "What right do you have to insult Uncle Liu? He and Aunt Niwa are divorced! Now that they're divorced, he can be with whoever he wants!"

Niva turned her eyes to Gulina and looked her up and down.

"You're that little vixen's daughter?"

Gulina's face flushed red: "You're the vixen!"

Aygul quickly pulled her daughter aside and whispered, "Don't say it, don't say it..."

Niva sneered and turned to look at Yang Geyong.

"Yang Geyong, say something!"

Yang Geyong was stunned for a moment: "What did I say?"

Niva pointed at the cripple: "Is this your brother? He's doing this kind of thing, aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Yang Geyong scratched his head: "Well... he's divorced, and it's none of my business who he's with..."

"Bullshit!" an old woman behind Niva shouted. "Divorce means you can mess around? What about the friendship we built together when we started this business? Did you feed it all to the dogs?"

Another elderly woman chimed in, "That's right! We old sisters followed Sister Meihua from scratch, did you know how hard it was? And now we're being bullied like this?"

Ye Yuze's head throbbed even more when he heard the words "Sister Plum Blossom".

These old ladies were all his mother's confidantes. Back when Meihua founded the military reclamation garment factory, she led them through the entire process, stitch by stitch.

Decades have passed, and Meihua has long since retired from public life, but these old sisters still stick together very closely. Anyone who bullies one of them is considered to be bullying the whole group.

Niva looked at Ye Yuze, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

"Ye Yuze, you're a sensible man. Tell me, have I had it easy all these years? When I was young, I came from the Soviet Union and worked with Sister Meihua, helped her have a son, and helped build factories in the military reclamation city. Now that I'm old, he's found a mistress and abandoned me. Tell me, shouldn't I make a scene?"

Ye Yuze opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment.

Wei Yuxiang whispered from the side, "Niva, this is indeed Xiaoguai's fault. But you're already divorced..."

“So what if we’re divorced?” Niva glared at him. “Does he think he can act like this just because we’re divorced? I gave birth to his son, I raised his son, and now my son is a high-ranking official in northern Xinjiang. What did I get out of this? I just wanted him to treat me well! And what happened?”

As she spoke, tears began to fall from her eyes.

The old ladies also wiped away their tears.

"Sister Niwa has had a tough time..."

"We old sisters can't be bullied like this..."

"We demand an explanation today!"

Yang Geyong's head was buzzing as he looked at the scene.

He'd been through countless battles his life, what kind of people hadn't he fought? But he was completely helpless against these old ladies. He couldn't hit them, he couldn't scold them, and he couldn't win an argument with them.

Ye Yuze also had a headache. These old ladies were all his mother's people; if he dared to say anything harsh, the Empress Dowager would personally come and kill them tomorrow.

Wei Yuxiang was even more cowardly and immediately shrank back.

The cripple stood there, his face as white as paper.

Gulina was still unconvinced and wanted to say something, but Ayiguli held her back tightly.

The scene froze.

Just then, another car drove up.

This time it was an older model Santana. After it came to a stop, the door opened and a person got out.

Everyone who saw that person was stunned.

plum bossom.

Ye Yuze's biological mother was the founder of the military reclamation clothing factory and the eldest sister of these old ladies back then.

He was over eighty years old, but his back was still straight. He was wearing a dark gray coat, his hair was neatly combed, and his face was expressionless.

She slowly walked over and glanced around the room.

Those old ladies who were so aggressive just moments ago all became quiet and obedient.

"Sister Mei..." someone called softly.

Meihua nodded and walked up to Niwa.

Niva looked at her, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Sister Mei..."

Meihua reached out and gently patted her face.

"Why are you crying? It's nothing."

Niva sobbed, "Sister Mei, he bullied me..."

Meihua turned to look at Xiaoguaizi.

With just one glance, the young cripple almost knelt down.

"Liu Xinghua".

The young kidnapper's voice trembled: "Aunt Mei..."

Meihua slowly walked over and stopped in front of him.

"I don't care about your relationship with Niva. Once you're divorced, it's your freedom to find someone you want."

The cripple breathed a sigh of relief.

“But,” Mei Hua changed the subject, “you shouldn’t have let Niva make such a scene. She’s been with you for decades; she’s done her a lot, if not great. You just dumped her like that, without even giving her any dignity?”

The little cripple lowered his head.

Meihua continued, "And you too." She looked at Ayiguli.

Aygul gripped her daughter's hand tightly with nervousness.

“You’ve had it tough too, raising a child alone. But you need to understand that the relationship between Niva and the kidnapper is not something you should interfere with. Let them settle their own affairs. Your involvement will only make things more complicated.”

Aygul nodded, her eyes reddening.

Meihua then looked at Gulina.

"Young lady, you were quite talkative just now?"

Gulina opened her mouth, but didn't dare to make a sound.

A smile appeared on Mei Hua's face.

"You have guts. But remember, cursing won't solve anything. If you want to protect your mother, you need to use your brain, not your mouth."

Gulina lowered her head.

Mei Hua looked at Ye Yuze last.

What are you doing here?

Ye Yuze was stunned for a moment: "I...I came to take a look..."

Plum Blossom snorted: "What are you looking at? Watching them make a scene? You're an old hand, can't you even handle this little thing?"

Ye Yuze smiled wryly: "Mom, I didn't mean to..."

"Alright," Plum Blossom interrupted him, turning to face everyone.

"I'll settle this matter today."

The entire room fell silent; no one dared to speak.

Mei Hua pointed at Xiao Guaizi: "Liu Xinghua, I can't interfere with your divorce from Niwa. But you owe her an apology and a dignified farewell. Today, in front of everyone, bow to her and say sorry."

Without saying a word, the little cripple walked up to Niva and bowed deeply.

"Niva, I'm sorry."

Niva's tears fell again. Meihua looked at Ayiguli again: "It's not easy for you to raise your daughter alone. But you must remember, don't make Niva too embarrassed about what happened between you and Xiao Guaizi. During holidays, you should greet each other and visit each other. We're all from the same city, we'll run into each other all the time."

Aygul nodded: "Aunt Mei, I've got it."

Mei Hua finally looked at the group of old women: "And you? Fighting with rolling pins and spatulas, what kind of behavior is that? Is this how people from our military reclamation clothing factory conduct themselves?"

The old women lowered their heads and quietly put down the tools in their hands.

The plum blossom sighed.

"Alright, everyone, that's enough. I'll treat you all to dinner tomorrow, my old friends. Tell me your grievances slowly."

Niva grabbed Meihua's hand: "Sister Mei..."

Mei Hua patted her and said, "It's okay, I'm here for you."

The group of old ladies looked at each other, packed up their belongings, got into their car, and drove away.

Before leaving, Niva glanced back at Little Guaizi. In her eyes, there was resentment, hatred, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Then she left too.

The racecourse fell silent.

The moon hung in the sky, illuminating the mess on the ground—overturned wine glasses, scattered dishes, and rolling pins left behind by several old women.

The little cripple stood there, like a piece of wood.

Aygul walked over and gently took his hand.

Gulina stood to the side, her eyes red-rimmed.

Wei Yuxiang breathed a sigh of relief: "My God, that scared me to death."

Yang Geyong glared at him: "Coward."

Wei Yuxiang retorted sarcastically, "You're not a coward? Who stepped back just now?"

The two were about to start fighting again.

Ye Yuze ignored them and walked up to the plum blossoms.

"Mom, what brings you here?"

Plum Blossom looked at him and snorted.

"If I hadn't come, would you have been able to clean up this mess?"

Ye Yuze smiled bitterly.

Meihua looked at her old friends, then at the distant Tianshan Mountains.

“Yuze, the people I care about most in my life are these old friends. They’ve been with me for decades, and it hasn’t been easy for them. You didn’t handle Niwa’s situation well.”

Ye Yuze nodded: "Yes, it was my oversight."

Meihua shook her head: "It's not negligence, it's that you didn't treat her like one of your own. She's divorced from Xiao Guaizi, but here, she's still that girl from the Soviet Union. You can't just abandon her because she's divorced."

Ye Yuze remained silent for a while.

"Mom, I see."

Meihua nodded and turned to leave.

After taking two steps, he turned back and looked at Yang Geyong.

"Yongzi, save me two bottles of your mare's milk wine. I'll come back for a drink another day."

Yang Geyong paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay, Aunt Mei."

Meihua waved goodbye, got into the old Santana, and drove off.

The racecourse fell silent again.

The boy with the liar suddenly squatted down and covered his head.

Aygul squatted down beside him and gently patted his back.

Gulina stood to one side, unsure of what to say.

Ye Yuze walked over and sat down next to the little cripple.

"Okay, don't be sad anymore. It's over."

The little cripple looked up, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Old Ye, I'm truly sorry to her."

Ye Yuze remained silent.

The conman continued, "Niva has been with me for decades, but I've never given her a good life. When I was young, I was always busy with business and couldn't take care of my family. Now that I'm old, I've found someone else. I'm not human."

Aygul listened from the side, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Ye Yuze patted him on the shoulder.

"It's good that you know you were wrong. Be nicer to her in the future, visit her during holidays, and help her out when you can. She's had a tough time too."

The little cripple nodded.

Wei Yuxiang walked over and handed him a bottle of wine.

"Have some to calm your nerves."

The little cripple took it and gulped down a few mouthfuls.

Yang Geyong also came over, carrying several bottles of mare's milk wine.

"Alright, stop standing. Sit down and have some more drinks."

The group sat together again.

But the atmosphere was different.

The moon rose higher, shining brightly on the horse ranch. Little Tie Tou ran over again, curiously watching the group.

Gulina suddenly asked, "Grandpa Ye, who is that Grandma Mei?"

Ye Yuze smiled.

"My mother."

Gulina's mouth dropped open: "Your mother? That powerful?"

Ye Yuze nodded.

"When she was young, she led a group of girls to start a garment factory from scratch. Those old ladies were all her soldiers back then. So they all listened to her."

Gulina seemed lost in thought.

"What about Aunt Niva? Was she one of those girls?"

Yang Geyong said from the side, "Niva was among the first batch to come. Back then, your Grandma Ye had just started her factory and lacked technical expertise, so Niva came from the Soviet Union to help. She helped for decades."

Gulina nodded.

Aygul sighed softly.

"They are all people who have had a tough time."

The little cripple kept his head down and didn't say a word.

After a while, he suddenly stood up and looked at Ayiguli.

"Guli, I've made up my mind."

Aygul looked up at him.

Little Guaizi said, "Tomorrow, I'll go apologize to Niva. I'll apologize sincerely. Then, we can take things slowly. There's no rush. I need to take care of things on her end first."

Aygul's eyes reddened, and she nodded.

Gulina whispered to Liu, "Uncle Liu, you're a real man."

The old men all laughed.

Yang Geyong raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink to a real man!"

Everyone raised their glasses and drank them down in one gulp.

They drank until very late that night.

As the moon began to set, the thug led Ayiguli and her daughter away. Wei Yuxiang also drove off. Only Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong remained at the horse farm.

The two sat there, looking towards the Tianshan Mountains in the distance.

"Old Ye," Yang Geyong suddenly said, "Do you think we really didn't handle Niva's matter well?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment.

"It wasn't handled well. We were so focused on helping the little cripple that we forgot about Niva's feelings."

Yang Geyong nodded.

"Aunt Mei is right. No matter how much she makes a fuss, she's still one of us."

Ye Yuze looked at him.

"Shall we go see Niva tomorrow?"

Yang Geyong smiled.

"Okay. And bring two bottles of mare's milk wine while you're at it."

Ye Yuze smiled too.

The two stood up and walked home.

After walking a few steps, Yang Geyong suddenly said, "Old Ye, your mother is really amazing."

Ye Yuze smiled.

"of course."

Under the moonlight, the shadows of the two old people were stretched very long.

In the distance, that little guy Tie Tou was still running around in the horse farm, his four legs kicking incredibly fast.

The night in the military reclamation city was quiet and warm. (End of Chapter)