chsdbacks Chapter 228 An Old Revolutionary Teaching His Son
Chapter 228 An Old Revolutionary Teaching His Son
The cold wind howled across the ice of Shichahai Lake, stinging people's cheeks.
Yang Weidong, Zhou Xiaoning, and the others felt a chill run from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads. They stared stiffly as Lin Yan, holding the little white dog, disappeared into the bare willow bushes, as if they had just regained control of their bodies.
"Jianguo! Jianguo! Are you alright?" Yang Weidong was the first to react and hurriedly squatted down to help Wang Jianguo, who was slumped on the ice.
Wang Jianguo lay on the icy ice, his cotton-padded coat soaked with cold sweat, as if he had been pulled out of the water. His body was still trembling uncontrollably. The bone-chilling cold emanated from the ice beneath him—no, it came even more from the icy, iron-like hand and the eyes that seemed to regard human life as worthless.
"Wei... Brother Wei Dong..." Wang Jianguo's voice was hoarse and broken, filled with sobs and deep fear, "He... he just... almost... almost really broke my neck! He really would have killed me! He really would!"
He practically screamed as he finished speaking, his emotions completely collapsing. The cold wind howled across his face, leaving it icy. He instinctively licked his chapped lips, tasting a salty bitterness—he couldn't tell if it was cold sweat from fright or tears of lingering fear.
Seeing his brother's miserable state, Yang Weidong felt a mix of shock, anger, and a fear he didn't even want to admit. He had grown up in Beijing and had seen plenty of fights and brawls, encountered both ruthless and reckless individuals, but the young man from before... that wasn't just ruthlessness, it was a cold indifference that disregarded rules and life! He had no doubt that if Jian Guo had let go even a second later, there might really be another corpse on the ice right now.
"Damn it..." Yang Weidong cursed under his breath, suppressing the pounding in his heart and trying to calm himself down. "Don't just stand there! Sun Hongjun, Zhao Shuguang, come and lend a hand! Help Jianguo up and take him home!"
He called to his equally terrified companions. Li Shengli, Sun Hongjun, and the others then snapped out of their daze and rushed forward to help the exhausted Wang Jianguo up from the ice. Wang Jianguo's legs were so weak that he could barely stand without his companions' support.
Zhou Xiaoning and the other girls stood to the side, their faces deathly pale. The anger they felt at being slighted had been replaced by terror. Looking at Wang Jianguo's disheveled appearance, they couldn't utter a single word. For the first time, they clearly felt that some "arrogance" was something they simply couldn't afford to offend.
"Let's go back first!" Yang Weidong gritted his teeth, taking one last look in the direction Lin Yan had disappeared, his eyes filled with complex emotions. Today's setback was devastating. But he knew in his heart that the mysterious young man was not someone they, a group of privileged kids, could easily get revenge on. The most urgent task was to get Wang Jianguo back safely.
The group arrived in a haughty manner, but left looking disheveled and dejected. Supporting their still-shaken companions, they silently slid away from the ice that had caused them such a tumble, leaving behind only a few messy scratches and a depressing silence on the ice.
In the evening, inside a two-story building in the compound of the General Staff of the Beijing Military Region.
Yang Tiezhu sat on the old sofa in the living room, listening to his son Yang Weidong stammering about his experience at the Shichahai ice rink during the day. His face grew increasingly pale, and the veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the enamel mug, bulged out.
"You wretched child, kneel down!"
Yang Tiezhu slammed his hand on the coffee table, making the enamel mug bounce and spill tea all over the table. He roared, his voice filled with the murderous aura forged on the battlefield, which startled Yang Weidong so much that his knees buckled and he fell to the ground with a thud, hitting the concrete floor with a crisp sound.
"Back in the day, I crawled out of piles of corpses amidst a hail of bullets. I've taken countless bullets. The military achievements I earned are not for you to use to oppress the people and run rampant!" Yang Tiezhu suddenly stood up, his tall figure casting a huge shadow under the lamplight, completely enveloping Yang Weidong.
His finger trembled as he pointed at his son, his chest heaving with anger: "I've seen you fooling around with cats and dogs, playing pranks with those kids in the yard, but I couldn't be bothered to interfere! I just thought you were young and didn't know any better! But now you think you're so clever? Huh? You dare to lead a whole bunch of people from the yard out to flaunt your official power? You even block people? And you call them capitalist bastards? What clothes they wear, what dogs they keep, is none of your business!"
"Dad, I..." Yang Weidong wanted to explain, but was silenced by the unprecedented rage in his father's eyes.
The next second, a rustling sound of leather rubbing was heard, and Yang Tiezhu actually started to unbuckle his belt!
"Old Yang! Old Yang! Don't get agitated! The child knows he was wrong!" Hearing the commotion, Yang's mother rushed out of the kitchen. Seeing the scene, she turned pale with fright and quickly grabbed her husband's arm. "Weidong, hurry! Quickly apologize to your father! Say you'll never do it again!"
Yang Weidong panicked completely, staring at the heavy, sweat-stained, and weathered leather belt in his father's hand, his back already throbbing with pain. "Dad! I was wrong! I really know I was wrong! I'll never do it again!"
Yang Tiezhu forcefully shook off his wife's hand, the force causing his mother to stumble. His eyes reddened, and his voice was filled with pain and unwavering resolve: "What do you know! If I don't teach you a lesson today, you'll dare to cause even bigger trouble tomorrow! Take off your coat!"
Yang Weidong dared not disobey, and tremblingly took off his thick cotton-padded coat, leaving him only in his thin autumn clothes.
"Snapped!"
The oil-soaked cowhide whistled through the air as it lashed hard across Yang Weidong's back.
"Ugh—!" The intense pain made Yang Weidong scream, his body jerking violently. The pain, combined with the sudden loss of protection from his cotton-padded coat, made him shudder, and tears instantly streamed down his face.
"Old Yang! Stop hitting him! The child can't take it! You always talk about war, but now that it's peaceful, do you treat the child like an enemy?" Yang's mother cried and tried to rush forward again.
"Get out of my way! A doting mother spoils her son!" Yang Tiezhu roared, his eyes red, but his hands didn't stop moving.
"Slap! Slap!"
Two more leather belts struck the same spot, instantly tearing the thermal underwear. The swollen undershirt bulged high, even oozing blood.
"This is a slap in the face for your blindness and your oppression of the good!"
"This time, it's to accuse you of forming cliques and tarnishing the reputation of the compound!"
"This is a beating for your lack of ambition and your tendency to only act violently!"
With each slap, Yang Tiezhu roared, both to discipline his son and to vent his own lingering fear and anger. He couldn't imagine what the consequences would have been if his son hadn't provoked someone who was just giving him a beating, but a real desperado or someone with powerful connections.
Yang Weidong lay on the ground, convulsing in pain, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't utter a single word except for screams and apologies. The only sounds in the living room were the cracking of the belt, Yang Weidong's wails, his mother's sobs, and Yang Tiezhu's heavy breathing.
That evening, wails echoed throughout the General Staff compound.
---
In Yang Tiezhu's study, the air was thick with smoke, and the ashtray in front of him was piled high with cigarette butts. He sat in a wicker chair, silent for a long time, before finally stubbing out his cigarette, picking up the old-fashioned crank telephone on the table, and dialing a few numbers with a heavy heart.
Half an hour later, three or four old comrades-in-arms, all dressed in old military uniforms and with solemn expressions, gathered in the study. They were the fathers of the young men who had participated in the "ice rink incident" during the day, brothers who had rolled through minefields together on the battlefield and could rely on each other.
"Old Yang, about today's events..." A tall, burly man surnamed Wang spoke first, his tone somber.
Yang Tiezhu raised his hand to interrupt him, took a deep breath, and said in a tired but unusually firm voice, "Old Wang, Old Li, and the rest of you, let me make my position clear about this matter."
He surveyed his old buddies, his gaze sharp: "These brats have given us fathers a good wake-up call today!"
He picked up a cigarette from the table and lit one for himself. His face was somewhat blurred by the smoke: "We, these people, risked our lives for the revolution back then, and fought to establish this country. Now, we're busy with work and have heavy responsibilities. We always think that as long as we throw our children into the compound, provide them with food, clothing, and education, everything will be fine. But we've forgotten that teaching them how to be good people is more important than providing them with material conditions!"
He tapped the table, his tone becoming more serious: "It was our oversight! We only saw that they hadn't caused any major trouble right under our noses, but we didn't know that they had already learned to form cliques and bully others outside! Today they've run into a brick wall; it's fortunate no one was killed! But if this continues, our revolutionary cause, what we've shed blood and sweat to protect, could be destroyed in the hands of these ignorant brats!"
These words were extremely heavy and sharp. The faces of the veterans present changed. They had all come from the years of war and knew what it meant to be a "descendant of revolutionaries." They were also well aware of how dangerous it was to be "detached from the masses" and to have a "privileged mentality."
"Old Yang is right!" Wang Dashan slapped his thigh hard, his face full of shame. "It was that brat of my own who started the trouble. I'm going to break his legs when I get back! This issue of discipline must be addressed, and addressed severely!"
"I agree!"
"I agree! We can't let things continue like this!"
Everyone agreed, and the atmosphere in the study became serious and unified.
Finally, Yang Tiezhu looked at Lao Li, who was in charge of intelligence work, and said in a deep voice, "Lao Li, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with. Go and investigate carefully who that young man who clashed with Wei Dong and the others today is. Judging from his demeanor and skills, he's definitely not simple. Find out which family he's from, or what his background is."
He paused, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Once we've investigated, a representative from each of us will personally go and apologize. Remember to bring those troublemaking brats from your family! Let them see for themselves what discipline and responsibility are! If they're wrong, they have to admit it!"
"Understood!" Old Li nodded immediately. "I'll make the arrangements right away and find out as soon as possible."