Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2586 Going Home (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

“Saigon can only be Saigon for Saigon people.”

When the words came from the television, the Palawan refugee camp was already in an uproar.

People were shouting excitedly there; in the past few years, millions of Saigon residents had fled overseas by boat.

They were lucky, however, as they did not encounter pirates and were rescued by the coast guard of a neighboring country shortly after setting sail. They were then taken to a refugee camp.

They were screened in refugee camps and then entered refugee camps set up in places like Palawan in the Philippines, Siam, and Mindanao.

Although these refugee camps were established by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, their actual operation and expenses are borne by the SEA.

For the past few years, these refugees have been waiting to be accepted by other countries and leave the refugee camps, but this hope is very slim.

However, most of them still found a way to make a living—using refugee cards to work as laborers in various countries in the Nanyang Free Trade Zone.

Generally speaking, they can not only make a living, but they live quite well.

But after all, this was a life of dependence on others, so what did they feel when they heard the news on TV?

Is hope.

It is the hope of going home.

They were all cheering there, waving yellow flags, shouting excitedly, and venting their emotions.

They sang "Never Betray My Hometown" over and over again.

"With our own hands we take up millions of weapons, heavy weapons, and we swear to fight for justice and peace against that brutal enemy. We will destroy you..."

This rousing and catchy song was well-received by soldiers in the South. Some even say that almost every Southerner could sing it, making it, in a sense, their anthem of morale.

Once, this song was simply their nostalgia for the past and their hopes for the future.

Now, when they sing this song, what they feel is hope.

The yellow flag with three stripes swayed in one refugee camp after another, accompanied by songs.

That afternoon, when 9-year-old Christy Chung returned home, she heard her father singing as soon as she entered the living room. Not only her father, but also several uncles and aunts were singing.

"Even if we sacrifice ourselves, our descendants will continue to fight. Our blood has brought about thousands upon thousands of unforgettable victories..."

The men in the living room all seemed to be drunk; there was beer on the coffee table, and they were still wearing their old military uniforms.

These uniforms used to be kept in boxes, but now they're wearing them again.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

Christy Chung asked, somewhat puzzled.

As soon as the father saw his daughter, he excitedly said to her.

“My darling daughter, we can go home, we can go back to Saigon.”

An uncle also spoke to Christy Chung.

“That’s right, niece, your uncles and aunts will take you home, back to our own home.”

Listening to her father and uncles' words, Christy Chung's beautiful eyes were filled with emotion but also confusion.

"Go home? Isn't this our home?"

In her memory, Medanlao was their home, so why did she have to go home now?

As Chinese, they were different from ordinary Saigon people. While those Saigon people waited hopelessly in refugee camps, they, as Chinese, had the option to live in other countries.

With official assistance, they quickly found jobs and moved into new houses. They lived a comfortable life just like the locals and quickly integrated into the community.

There's really nothing to be uncomfortable about, since they are no different in terms of lifestyle or language.

Even so, in their hearts, Saigon is still their hometown.

And now they can finally go back, or rather, they finally see hope of going back.

But they all knew very well that they had to take up arms if they wanted to go back.

"Our home is in Saigon."

Christy Chung heard an old man talking there.

“We will definitely go back.”

Then they continued to put their arms around each other's shoulders and sang that familiar war song.

"We will fight the enemy to the very end, we would rather die than retreat, and we will never betray our homeland..."

For these Saigon people living in various places, this day is undoubtedly their festival.

The country they fought for finally has hope again.

Faced with such hope, they were naturally excited and thrilled.

At this moment, they seemed to have forgotten how they had embraced the North and welcomed the Northern army.

Ruan Minh Qu remembers it all. He has never forgotten how he joined the organization in school and how he got involved in the resistance against the American puppet regime.

On that day, when Saigon fell, he, like many others, cheered excitedly; this was something many had hoped for for decades.

On that day, everyone thought the future would be even brighter.

But what happened next?
The northern army that occupied Saigon did not come as compatriots, but as occupiers. They carried out social reforms according to their own will. Many of the northerners were corrupt and levied exorbitant taxes, while also implementing widespread repressive policies, resulting in economic devastation and a climate of fear among the people. This naturally aroused strong dissatisfaction in southern society.

Southerners, who initially supported the North and cheered for the end of the war, quickly came to deeply resent the North.

However, people never dare to express their opinions in public.

Because everyone was under surveillance, and everyone was at risk of being sent to re-education camps.

This is why even police officer Ruan Mingju dared not reveal his thoughts to outsiders.

But today, as she listened to the news on the radio, Ruan Mingju suddenly felt a sense of relief.

He didn't even notice that his hands were trembling involuntarily.

72 hours.

72 hours.

In 72 hours, the northerners will have to make a decision—whether to fight to the bitter end or to withdraw from this land!
"I want to get out, I want to get out..."

Almost uncontrollably, the thought popped into Nguyen Minh Qu's mind.

Without even pondering it further, he walked straight out of the house, only to see a large crowd already gathered on the roadside.

Many people had smiles on their faces.

Did they find out too?

They obviously already knew. How did they find out?

Do they all have radios hidden in their homes?
At least a significant number of people have radios hidden in their homes.

When people saw Ruan Mingju, the fear they used to feel towards him disappeared.

They even looked at him without any restraint, completely devoid of their former fear.

"Three days..."

At that moment, someone spoke out without any restraint.

"We can set off firecrackers in three days."

"Yes, it only takes three days."

People were talking amongst themselves, each one of them beaming with excitement.

Three days.

That is, 72 hours later.

Those Yankees would then make the corresponding decisions. And because of this, these ordinary people no longer had the fear they once had, and they even started talking boldly there.

"During the reigns of Ngo Dinh Diem and Nguyen Van Thieu, thieves at least had some sense of propriety, but these people from the north just steal whatever they see!"

"Do you think it's so good to drive the Americans away? Now we're having the Russians strangle us. When the Americans were here, at least we had something to eat. Now what do we have? Nothing."

"No, there's also the prison."

As he listened to the people around him talking about all this without any restraint, Ruan Mingju opened his mouth, and just as he was about to stop them as usual, he heard a familiar voice from the side.

"Everyone, please don't rush, wait a bit longer, and take another look."

The person Ruan Mingju saw was his colleague, who also looked overjoyed. However, he appeared very cautious.

"We don't know what decision the Yankees will make yet, so let's all be patient for now."

As the man in the police uniform spoke, he saw Ruan Mingju, and the two exchanged a glance.

Then, as if they hadn't seen each other, one walked to the other side and the other to the other side.

Why did Nguyen Minh Qu step forward?
He wasn't there to arrest these people, but rather... to share the news with them.

Because he himself had also had enough of those people. Years later, he never imagined that he would make such a choice today. Or rather, on that day, when he and his friends walked to the roadside to welcome the arrival of the Northern army, he never imagined that he would cheer for foreign interference as he does today.

It wasn't just him. Everyone... almost everyone in Saigon was like that.

These people, who were usually so cautious, seemed to have become bolder at this moment. They were emboldened and discussed the news they had just heard without any restraint.

The once arrogant police officers and officials had also changed. They acted as if they couldn't hear the conversation at all, completely ignoring it.

Unlike the joy on the faces of ordinary people, their faces revealed tension, and even a hint of fear about the future.

This fear of the future is not a fear of war, but rather a fear of uncertainty about the future.

At this moment, they only had one thought in their minds—what would the future hold?
Will the Rising Dragons abandon this place?

(End of this chapter)