Ending
That night, a meeting of all the Strongmen was held in the hotel's auditorium.
Zhang Nianzu walked into the venue and looked at the crowd below. Even though he had experienced countless hardships, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. This was the strongman tribe he was fighting for.
"I wish you victory in every battle!"
"I wish you every victory in every battle."
After the two sides exchanged greetings, Zhang Nianzu went straight to the point: "I'm honored. According to records, the last time so many people gathered together was..." He glanced at Li Erhu under the rostrum, and Li Erhu gave him three fingers.
"It was three hundred years ago." Zhang Nianzu pointed at Li Erhu and said, "Let me first introduce a member of our clan to you. His name is Li Erhu. His mother Liu Yali is the daughter of the warrior Liu Yang. The family tree ranks 102nd generation."
Liu Bei cried out "Ouch".
His two brothers hurriedly asked what happened.
Liu Bei said: "My father is only the 103rd generation. There are not two Lius in one stroke. Shouldn't we call Erhu our cousin?"
Li Erhu didn't expect Zhang Nianzu to specially introduce him. He stood up blankly and said hesitantly: "Actually... I am no longer a member of the Qiangren tribe..."
Zhang Nianzu said firmly, "Of course it should be counted. This is also the first thing I want to discuss with you today. I propose that from now on, women in the clan will be included in the clan tree and enjoy the treatment of clan members. The same goes for their descendants. If you have any opinions, please raise them."
It was quiet down there.
Zhang Nianzu was a little unsure and asked, "Is this... opposition or approval? Or are you worried about not being able to speak in public?" He asked several times but still got no response. A man in his thirties said, "There's nothing to say about this matter. Whatever Grandpa says is the truth."
Zhang Nianzu was surprised and asked, "What does this mean?"
The man simply stood up and said, "Your ancestors for two generations have suffered so much for us. If we oppose you when you first proposed it, wouldn't that make us ungrateful?" Many people followed suit.
Zhang Nianzu smiled and said, "That's not the case. I don't have the final say."
The man said, "To put it bluntly, there are half men and half women in this world. No one can guarantee that they can give birth to a son. Take me for example. I just got married. If I don't object, it will seem that I don't have the confidence to give birth to a son. But to be honest, I don't want to do that."
"Why?"
The man spread his hands and said, "What if I really can't have a son?"
There was laughter from below.
The man also laughed and said, "Soldiers have short lives to begin with. If they give birth to a child and it turns out it's not a son, they have to keep doing it. It's so fucking tiring. So, Grandpa, you are thinking about all of us. If we don't say anything, don't ask us. No one dared to mention this before because it was taboo. You are awesome for bringing it up. We recognize it."
Everyone cheered and applauded, and this item was approved by everyone.
Zhang Nianzu thought this was the biggest obstacle, but he didn't encounter any obstacles. It seems that the strong people have also kept up with the times and understood the principle that it doesn't matter whether you have a boy or a girl. He paused and said, "What I'm going to say next is about the life span of the warriors. The 45-year-old curse has been solved with the efforts of our scout, Doctor Xu Yingdong. The principle is too complicated, so I won't explain it. It's basically fighting poison with poison. The side effect is that you will become an ordinary person..."
Before he finished speaking, a tribesman in his forties stood up in a daze and said infatuatedly: "Grandpa, what you said... is it true?" Then a dozen people of similar age stood up in the entire venue.
Xu Yingdong said, "It's not accurate to say that the side effect is turning into an ordinary person. Without the verification of time, no one can say for sure whether this medicine has deeper side effects, but it can ensure that the warriors pass this test. I will follow up on the subsequent research work, but it may require the descendants of you here - several generations, or even more than ten generations to make it stable. This is also what I must say when I come to the tribe gathering."
Zhang Nianzu said: "The choice is in your hands."
The dozen or so people said in unison: "We choose to live!"
Ninety-nine percent of the people present were warriors. When they realized that they were finally no longer bound by the shackles of 45 years old, the entire venue suddenly boiled over after a dead silence!
The man who stood up earlier suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "After becoming ordinary people, will you still recognize us as your people?"
This sentence caused the meeting to fall into silence again. The savage vitality of the Strongman tribe was directly equated with their savage values. The brave and warlike warriors became ordinary people. In their subconscious values, it was like a beast losing its claws and teeth. Whether they would continue to be recognized as members of the tribe became a huge question mark, or even a sword hanging over their heads.
Zhang Nianzu smiled and asked back: "After your father caught a cold, you no longer acknowledge that he is your father? Of course I acknowledge him!"
Thousands of men in the audience laughed, and then started to cry. They suddenly rushed over, hugged Zhang Nianzu, threw him into the air, and caught him. Because these men had amazing arm strength, Zhang Nianzu was almost thrown out of the skylight several times in this auditorium with a height of more than ten meters. Fortunately, he had some golden fingers to save him...
The meeting lasted a long time that night. After Zhang Nianzu came down from the skylight, he issued some tribe rules, including detailed welfare benefits, clarification of loan subsidy conditions, and the provision of old-age care and education for the young. He also stipulated that if nothing unexpected happened, the tribe meeting would be held every four years. I guess I will see more women, children, and the elderly on such occasions in the future. The centripetal force of the Qiangren tribe has also reached a new height.
After the meeting, Zhang Nianzu found Mr. Bai standing outside the venue waiting for him.
"Why don't you go in?" Zhang Nianzu asked.
Mr. Bai smiled awkwardly and said, "I'd better not go in on this kind of occasion." He suddenly said seriously, "Hearing the cheers inside, I know that the Seventeenth Marquis made the wrong choice back then."
Zhang Nianzu said: "You are too kind."
Mr. Bai suddenly said, "Jack came to me again, but he only asked me to buy him a ticket back to the United States. He should really be shown what happened today, and maybe he will give up completely."
Zhang Nianzu didn't know what to say.
Mr. Bai said, "I don't deny that you are the most outstanding grandfather in hundreds of years, but you are not as good as Jack in one aspect."
"Which one?"
Mr. Bai said, "In Jack's plan, he wanted to gather the tribesmen together to do something big. No matter how naive and narrow-minded his plan was, at least he painted a pie for the people. But you didn't. The tribesmen gathered together and then dispersed. From then on, they became free and rich again, but they still didn't know what to do."
Zhang Nianzu nodded and said, "You are right. Fortunately, I am still young. I can do what you said in the next four years or the next four years. Anyway, I have something to do in my life."
Mr. Bai was stunned after hearing this, then he bowed solemnly and said, "I wish you victory in every battle."
…
Two years later.
From morning to noon, several people came to Zhang Nianzu's villa: Ah San, Ah Si, Xu Yingdong, Lao Jiang, the Liu brothers, Li Erhu, Zhao Qing, Zhang Xiaoliang, Liu Xinliang, Xu Wei, Lao Guo...
They had not entered the house since they arrived, but had stood together silently on the lawn, their expressions solemn and filled with a hint of sadness.
Today is Li Changgui's 45th birthday. Since yesterday evening, he has shown the same symptoms as Du Heng when he left: blurred vision, shortness of breath, and sensitivity to pain. Li Changgui tried to hide it, but how could he hide it? His friends got the news and came one after another, but they could only stand outside silently.
At this time, Yang Jie came in. He was always a lively person, but now he was struggling to walk. He stood with everyone else and asked Zhao Qing beside him, "Uncle San...are you still unwilling to get the injection?"
Zhao Qing said: "Grandpa is still in there trying to persuade us..."
Zhao Cai'e said calmly: "Based on my understanding of this old man, it's useless..."
In the past two years, Zhao Cai'e, Zhang Nianzu, and Asan and Asi, who were close to him, tried indirect methods and said earnest words of advice, with only one goal : to get Li Changgui to get an injection. However, Li Changgui never responded and would even lose his temper when pushed too far. People eventually shut up, but two years passed quickly. Time is sharp. It can take away pain and bad memories, and will eventually take away everything. Eventually, metabolism will allow the world to repeat itself.
Zhang Nianzu walked out of the house and shook his head sadly at everyone. In the end, he failed to convince Li Changgui.
Chen Lingyan's eyes suddenly turned red, and she pressed her face tightly against the little face of her one-year-old son in her arms.
Liu Laoliu stepped onto the lawn and saw this scene. He was furious and said, "Does this old man really have nothing to worry about?"
Ah San couldn't hold back any longer after hearing this and shouted, "Uncle San, please!"
Asan's son Leng Ding burst into tears.
The rest of the people also shouted together.
"Uncle San, please!"
"Uncle San, please!"
"Uncle San, please!"
Jia Xiaolong had been sitting on the grass, picking stones silently. After two years of growth, he had become slimmer and no longer the fat boy he once was. He had the appearance of a teenager. Suddenly, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Changgui, if you die, I will no longer have a grandfather!"
Li Changgui's pale face suddenly appeared at the door. His eyes were blank, but his ears were still standing up, trying to listen.
Zhang Nianzu took the needle from Xu Yingdong and walked to Li Changgui, saying word by word: "Changgui, life is not easy, so you need more courage. If you choose to leave now, we will miss you forever, but if you are willing to stay, we will thank you."
Li Changgui raised his chin in surprise, seeming to be in a dilemma.
Zhang Nianzu put the needle in his hand and said, "You choose."
The shouting outside suddenly became urgent.
Li Changgui finally inserted the needle into the blood vessel with trembling hands.
People rushed in and put Li Changgui on the sofa. His face gradually turned red. Li Changgui opened his eyes and said tiredly, "My body feels so heavy."
Liu Laoliu squeezed into the crowd, grabbed Li Changgui by the collar and shook him vigorously, saying, "You're so heavy, and Master Liu even lowered his generation - in order to keep you, I followed them and called you Third Uncle for a long time!"
Li Changgui forced a smile and said, "Then I'll call you Uncle Six and give it back to you."
Liu Laoliu said in a daze: "That's more like it—" Then his face changed and he said, "That's not right, you are only 45 and I am over 60, you should call me uncle!"
Everyone wiped their tears and laughed.
Yes, he is only 45. For most people, it is a bit too much to say that there are still infinite possibilities, but he is Li Changgui, the golden guard of the strongman tribe. Although he will find himself becoming heavy, easily tired, and afraid of pain in the long years to come, these are actually not important. What keeps him here is concern. This ignorant warrior will understand in the future that concern is the greatest source of strength and courage in the world.
…
On a sunny afternoon, in Zhao Cai'e's bedroom, she was sitting on the bed, wearing reading glasses and looking through the photo albums she brought back from her old home, while Lei Tingting was lying on the bed with her legs crossed, listening to the old lady talk about the origins of those photos.
"Mom, I've always wanted to ask you a question." Lei Tingting said.
"Just ask."
Lei Tingting poked her left cheek and said, "How did Nianzu get that scar on his face? He said he had it before he could remember, so he couldn't explain it."
Zhao Cai'e's face changed and she slowly took off her glasses.
Lei Tingting was shocked when she saw this and asked, "Can't I tell you?"
Zhao Cai'e paused, and finally spoke: "Nianzu was only three years old at that time. That day, his father and I were the only ones at home... Suddenly, two people came."
"An enemy?"
"No, it's Du Heng and Liu Yuejin. They came to my house for a free meal."
Lei Tingting rolled her eyes: "Why are you so nervous? What happened next?"
"Then the meal was ready and we started drinking. Four of us drank six bottles of white wine. We were so happy at that time."
Lei Tingting said speechlessly: "I asked you to tell me about the injury on Nianzu's face."
"Oh, yes. I was drunk and heard Nianzu crying in the outer room. I went out and saw this kid climbing up the cabinet and falling down, with his face hanging on the corner of the glass table—" Zhao Cai'e laughed while stroking her legs. "Why is this kid so naughty?"
Lei Tingting was stunned: "That's it? I thought..."
Zhao Cai'e said, "Life doesn't have so many ups and downs. A simple and ordinary life is the real life." She suddenly lowered her voice and said, "Don't tell Nianzu about this before I die."
Lei Tingting said with a smile: "What if I can't help it?"
Zhao Cai'e said: "Then you will get a wicked mother-in-law who forces you to have children every day."
At this time, Zhang Nianzu was knocking on the door outside. Zhao Cai'e gave Lei Tingting a threatening look again, and then said leisurely: "Come in."
Zhang Nianzu pushed open the door and said, " Mom, I have something to tell you. Xu Yingdong is visiting our house."
Zhao Cai'e suddenly became a little flustered and asked, "So what?"
"So you make more dinner."
Zhao Cai'e said quickly: "I know."
Zhang Nianzu put one arm on the door frame and said with a half-smile: "Please explain to me 'life has ups and downs and is ordinary' again."
Zhao Cai'e stood up and walked out the door, saying, "I'm going to cook."
After her mother-in-law left, Lei Tingting lay on her side on the bed, resting her hand on her head and looking at Zhang Nianzu playfully.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhang Nianzu blushed for no reason.
Lei Tingting said: "It seems that the places where you were injured will become invulnerable, right?"
"What's wrong?"
Lei Tingting scratched her cheek and said, "So, someone has had an indestructible thick skin since childhood." She giggled and said this with infinite tenderness.
(End of the book)
