Great Power Reclamation

Circles are a very important thing. Regardless of social class, whether they are ordinary people or wealthy and powerful people, they all have different circles.

The difference is that the things they do are different. The former might be going to the hospital to see a doctor, find a connection, or buy some cheap things.

The latter group consists of decision-makers, whose circles may determine the direction of the entire society.

Han Xiaojing is a special person. Her family background determined that she was destined to be extraordinary. Although she did not have a high rank until retirement, the power of the military intelligence department was frightening.

Moreover, they possess secrets that most high-ranking officials don't know, so no one dares to underestimate this group.

Although Old Master Han has passed away and the Han family's strength is somewhat weakened, the descendants of the Han family have developed and become a large, intertwined tree.

Ye Yuji is Han's daughter-in-law, so she naturally belongs to the Han faction.

But with Wang Honghua as her powerful backer, she doesn't actually need the Han family's support.

After all, Wang Honghua, a Harvard graduate student from the early days of reform, is now a heavyweight in the entire economic field.

Even at the highest levels, her opinion is sought no matter what policies are formulated, so she is unable to retire at this age and has become someone who will never retire.

Ye Yufan, the police chief, has also become a pivotal figure in the political arena.

Moreover, there is Ye Mao, a rising star of the Ye family, who is already a political star at a young age. Given time, he will naturally become a member of the decision-making body.

With the addition of Ayijiang and Yifei from Northern Xinjiang Province, the Ye family itself has become a force that no one dares to ignore.

Moreover, there's the Warrior Group, a company with immense global influence.

The Ye family mobilized, and so did the Han family. Soon, the noise stopped, and according to rumors, some people were dealt with.

There were many reasons, but none of them were made public, and those things targeting Ye Yuze disappeared without a trace. And Ye Yuze didn't say a word about any of this.

Yang Geyong sighed, raised his pipe, took a puff, and coughed.

Ye Yuze laughed and said, "Damn it, other people roll their cigarettes in newspaper and use Reference News, but you insist on using a pipe. How can you even smoke that?"

Yang Geyong flicked his wrist, and the pipe flew out. Ye Yuze was disappointed.
"Why didn't you give it to someone else? It's so expensive, didn't it cost you ten thousand US dollars?"

Yang Geyong glared at him: "I'd rather! I'll use US dollars to grill meat in a bit. Isn't that just paper?"

Ye Yuze scoffed: "Stop bragging to me with your meager earnings. My son earns more in a year than you do in ten. With the rapid development of new energy, you might not be able to sell your oil."

Yang Geyong disagreed: "Although new energy sources are developing well, it will still be a long process to completely replace fuel oil, unless it's nuclear power..."

Ye Yuze sighed. He knew Yang Geyong was right. Especially in the military field, new energy sources are currently almost entirely off-limits.

After bickering for a while, the two got up and went to Yang Geyong's horse farm.

Yang Geyong's greatest hobby in his life was horses, even though in this day and age horses have become pets and lost their original value.

But everyone has sentiments, and he always loved the scene of galloping on horseback across the grasslands; it was something he could never let go of in his life.

Ye Yuze's equestrian skills are actually quite good. Although he can't compare to Yang Geyong, he's still better than the average person.

Yang Geyong's personal horse was a chestnut horse, exceptionally fine, while Ye Yuze's horse was a white horse.

He still remembers the horses and the dog named "Silver" when he left the infrastructure company.

It is said that after Yinzi became the Wolf King, he still knew how to protect the company, but Ye Yuze never saw him again.

After all, dogs have very short lifespans and cannot stay with their owners until they grow old.

Yu'e and Zhao Ling'er stayed by her side; when these two old folks went crazy, no one could control them.

But given her age, a mishap could be fatal.

So once the two men decided to ride horses, the women could only follow quietly, as if following them would ensure that nothing bad would happen.

Both of them have grown old. Hair can be dyed black, but wrinkles are something that no amount of makeup can hide.

In addition, although the two of them are not short of money, they are unwilling to undergo cosmetic surgery. Although they still have their good looks, they have become two elderly people.

Yu'e looked at Zhao Ling'er and asked, "When are you going to the United States?"

Zhao Ling'er thought for a moment: "I'll leave in a few days. I'm afraid that if I don't stay with him, the old political commissar's hard work will be wasted."

The Liu Qinghua Foundation has made significant contributions to the entire northern Xinjiang region. Although he now has descendants, Zhao Ling'er is still uneasy about leaving the foundation to foreigners.

Yu'e advised, "You'd better not go. The fund is controlled by Ye Feng's brother company, what are you worried about?"

Zhao Ling'er shook her head: "It's not that I don't trust Ye Feng, it's just that I'm worried about him."

Yu'e didn't try to persuade her anymore. She knew that Zhao Ling'er was different from her; she could only have Ye Yuze in her heart for the rest of her life.

Zhao Ling'er, however, bore too many burdens, and romantic feelings became secondary.

Watching the two men gallop across the grassland, their hearts were in their throats. Until they grew tired and stopped.

They led the horses for a while, giving them water and brushing their manes—all things they did themselves.

Although there are workers at the horse farm, the horses still prefer to be handled by themselves; it's a matter of personal sentiment.

Several Kazakh teenagers sped past on motorcycles near the horse farm, and Yang Geyong cursed:
"They've forgotten their roots... Do you think they'll still be able to ride horses in a few years?"

Ye Yuze was speechless. Nowadays, herders ride motorcycles to herd livestock, and driving cars has become the norm. Horse riding has become a hobby.

Ye Yuze was unwilling to comment on this change, after all, with the development of society, everything is changing.

Living by following the grass is the way of nomadic peoples, but with the development of animal husbandry technology, this way of life will eventually be eliminated.

A Kazakh girl, about seven or eight years old, rode a horse toward the horse farm. She was very pretty.

She called out to Yang Geyong, "Grandpa, do you have milk tea? I'm thirsty."

Yang Geyong smiled: "Go inside, and you'll find not only milk tea, but also baursak and meat."

The little girl grinned, dismounted, and went into the house.

Yu'e and Zhao Ling'er skillfully poured tea and placed snacks on the table.

The little girl looked genuinely thirsty and hungry, and she wolfed down her food and drink.

Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong both knew that the Kazakhs who could come here were from pastures that were not far away, and were probably all next to the military reclamation city.

So I couldn't help but ask, "What's your name? Where do you live?"

The little girl blinked her big eyes, looked at the two of them, and then smiled, revealing her dimples:
“My name is Reyizha, and I live on the grassland about 20 kilometers to the south.”

The way Reyizha ate reminded Ye Yuze of many years ago. Back then, the military reclamation city had just been built, and everything was scarce; it was a blessing if the children could have enough to eat.

Unlike now—milk tea, baursak, and hand-pulled mutton are laid out on the table, and the little girl is still picking and choosing. She only eats the freshly fried baursak and won't touch the cold ones.

Yang Geyong sat opposite her, holding a bowl of milk tea, watching her eat with a smile, his gaze even gentler than when he looked at his own Akhal-Teke horse.

"Who is your father?" Yang Geyong asked.

With half a baursak stuffed in her mouth, Reyiza mumbled, "Adil."

Yang Geyong thought for a moment, but couldn't remember. There were too many Kazakh ranches around the military reclamation city; the young man couldn't recognize them all.

"Where is your grandpa?"

"Kurban."

Yang Geyong's eyebrows twitched. "Kurban? Old Kurban?"

Reyizha nodded and picked up another piece of meat.

Yang Geyong put down his bowl and looked at Ye Yuze. "Old Kurban's granddaughter. Do you remember her? When we were building the road, Old Kurban gave us sheep. Back then, he was just a young man, riding a horse and herding thirty sheep for three days and three nights."

Ye Yuze certainly remembered. It happened in the 1970s. The soldiers in the infrastructure company were so hungry they were gnawing on tree bark. Old Kurban came with his flock of sheep, tied them up at the company headquarters, and said something Ye Yuze would remember for the rest of his life—

“You build roads for our sake. I give you sheep, also for our sake.”

Back then, old Kurban had a dark red face, rough hands, and a mouthful of white teeth when he smiled.

"Time flies." Ye Yuze looked at Reyizha. "His grandfather's granddaughter is so grown up now."

After finishing her meal, Reyizha wiped her mouth and jumped off the chair.

"Grandpa, may I go see your horse?"

Yang Geyong stood up, took her hand, and walked outside. "Come on. Grandpa will take you to see it. Do you recognize that best chestnut horse?"

"I know you! You let me ride it last time I came!"

"So, are you going to ride it or not?"

"Ride!" The two went out the door. Ye Yuze remained seated, not moving. Yu'e walked over and placed a cup of hot tea beside him.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing much," Ye Yuze said, picking up his teacup. "I just feel like I'm getting old."

Yu'e sat down opposite him. "Didn't you always say that you're not afraid of getting old, but of growing old at heart?"

Ye Yuze looked at her and smiled. "You remember what I said so clearly?"

"I remember every word you said."

Ye Yuze didn't speak. He reached out and took Yu'e's hand in his. Yu'e's hand wasn't as soft as it used to be; her skin was loose, and her knuckles were somewhat deformed, but it was still warm to hold in his palm.

Zhao Ling'er stood at the door, looking out the window. Yang Geyong was helping Reyizha onto the horse. The little girl sat on the chestnut horse, not afraid at all, holding the reins with both hands and sitting upright.

Yang Geyong led the horse slowly through the courtyard, the sunlight casting long shadows on the old man and the child.

"Zhao Ling'er," Yu'e called to her, "come and sit down. What are you standing for?"

Zhao Ling'er turned around, walked over, and sat down next to Yu'e.

“I think if the old political commissar were still alive, he would be very happy to see this child.”

Liu Qinghua has been gone for several years. On the day he passed away, Zhao Ling'er didn't cry. She didn't shed a single tear; she just stood by his bedside, watching him close his eyes.

Later, Ye Feng asked her why she didn't cry. She said, "What's the use of crying? He's gone, and his business isn't finished. I want to do it for him."

From then on, Zhao Ling'er became Liu Qinghua's shadow.

She's doing everything he wanted to do—the foundation's work, the work in northern Xinjiang, the things he had thought about but didn't have time to do before he passed away. Even now, she's not finished.

“Ling’er,” Yu’e looked at her, “you should take a rest.”

“I can’t rest.” Zhao Ling’er picked up her teacup. “If I rest, I won’t know what to do.”

Yu'e didn't try to persuade her further. She knew Zhao Ling'er was telling the truth. Some people, after a lifetime of busyness, become ill when they stop. Not physically ill, but mentally ill.

In the courtyard, Reyizha rode her chestnut horse and was already able to walk slowly on her own.

Yang Geyong loosened the reins and stood to the side, his arms outstretched like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

"Giddy up!" Reyizha shouted. The chestnut horse quickened its pace and began to trot. Yang Geyong followed behind for a few steps, then stopped, panting heavily, and bent over, supporting himself on his knees with his hands.

"Slow down! Slow down!"

Reyizha turned around, her dimples widening in a smile. "Grandpa, you can't run anymore!"

Yang Geyong straightened up, panting heavily, and cursed, "Little girl, when your grandpa was young, I could run faster than a horse!"

Reyizha didn't believe it. "Liar!"

Ye Yuze walked to the door, looked at this scene, and smiled.

"Old Yang, you used to be faster than a horse when you were young? How come I didn't know that?"

Yang Geyong glared at him. "You were still studying in Tangcheng back then, of course you wouldn't know."

Two old men stood in the sunlight, watching the little girl on horseback. The chestnut horse ran around the yard once, then again, and Reyizha's laughter, like silver bells, echoed in the yard.

The phone rang. Ye Yuze took it out and saw it was Ye Feng.

"Dad. The matter in Beijing has been taken care of."

Ye Yuze walked to the side, lowering his voice. "Dealt with? How was it dealt with?"

Those who needed to be dealt with were dealt with. Those who shouldn't have been dealt with were left untouched.

"What do you mean?"

"It means that the person who wrote the briefing was transferred from their original position. But the person behind them didn't move."

Ye Yuze paused for a moment. "Can't move?"

"I can't move. There's someone behind that person. Above that is the ceiling."

Ye Yuze held his phone, gazing at the distant Tianshan Mountains. The snow-capped peaks shimmered in the sunlight, dazzlingly white.

“Then let’s not move for now,” he said. “Let’s wait until he shows his tail.”

"I think so too."

Ye Feng paused for a moment, then said, "Dad, there's one more thing. Han Xiaojing called from the Han family. She said someone is investigating the Ye family's background. Not just the Warrior Group, but also Ye Yufan, Ye Mao, Ayijiang, and Yifei. Everyone is being investigated."

Ye Yuze's hand tightened. "Who's investigating?"

"I don't know. But she said it wasn't one person, it was a system. Someone is using the power of the entire system to investigate the Ye family."

Ye Yuze remained silent for a long time.

"Dad," Ye Feng's voice lowered, "Are you scared?"

Ye Yuze looked at the Tianshan Mountains in the distance. Those snow-capped mountains had stood there for millions of years, untouched by wind and sand, and unyielding to lightning.

“I’m not afraid,” he said. “Because the Ye family’s background is clean. Even if you investigate it a thousand times, it will still be clean.”

After hanging up the phone, Ye Yuze stood in the yard for a long time. The sunlight shone on him, warm and comforting, but he felt cold. Not physically, but emotionally.

He never expected that donating an engine would cause so much trouble.

He thought he had done the right thing, but in some people's eyes, the right thing is the wrong thing. Because you did the right thing, it makes them seem like they did the wrong thing.

Yang Geyong walked over and stood beside him. "What's wrong?"

Ye Yuze repeated Ye Feng's words. After listening, Yang Geyong took out the pack of cigarettes from his pocket, tore off a corner of the Reference News, rolled a cigarette, and lit it.

"Old Ye, I have something to tell you."

"explain."

“When I was young, I was building roads in the Gobi Desert. There was a section of road that was repaired three times and collapsed three times. The fourth time, I said I wouldn’t continue building it and would build it somewhere else.”

“My father said, ‘We can’t change places. If we change places, the next place will also collapse. We must put our roots here and lay a solid foundation. If the foundation is solid, the road won’t collapse.’”

He exhaled a puff of smoke, which dissipated in the sunlight like a gray cloud.

"Right now, someone is investigating the Ye family's land. Are you scared?"

Ye Yuze looked at him and smiled.

"Don't worry. The foundation is made of stone, not mud."

Yang Geyong nodded and stubbed out his cigarette. "That's good. Let's go ride horses. That white horse hasn't ridden in a long time; it needs a good run."

The two walked toward the stables. Yu'e and Zhao Ling'er followed behind, neither too close nor too far, like two shadows.

On the horse track, Reyizha had already ridden her chestnut horse twice. Seeing Ye Yuze lead out the white horse, she clapped her hands and shouted:

"Grandpa, do you want to ride too? Are you sure you can handle it?"

Ye Yuze mounted his horse slowly but steadily. He sat upright on the horse, like a young cavalryman.

"Little girl, your grandpa has been riding horses all his life. Do you think I'm up to the task?"

Reyizha giggled. "Then you should pursue me!"

She spurred the horse, and the chestnut horse galloped off.

Ye Yuze smiled and gently nudged the horse's belly. The white horse followed at a leisurely pace. He didn't chase after it, but simply trotted along, letting the wind blow on his face and the sunlight shine on his body.

Yang Geyong caught up on another horse and rode alongside him.

"Old Ye, tell me, who does Reyizha look like?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment. "Like her grandfather. Old Kurban was like that when he was young, fearless of everything."

Yang Geyong nodded. "Kurban's daughter will be quite a character when she grows up."

Two old men rode their horses slowly. Two old women stood by the horse paddock, watching them.

Four Kazakh boys sped past the horse farm on motorcycles, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Reyizha rode her chestnut horse at the front, her hair blowing in the wind like a black flag.

(To be continued) (End of this chapter)