Chapter 265: Chapter 265 Shares Chapter 265: Chapter 265 Shares At dinner time, An Zhigao indeed came to pick up An Zhiyuan; the two brothers left the house.
An Cheng hadn’t e down all day. An Zhiyuan went to see him after lunch, and actually, their father was not too ill; he was just old with high blood pressure! He inevitably felt dizzy and tired, so he needed a quiet environment to recuperate. The father and son chatted for a while! Everyone consciously avoided the sensitive topic of An Zhiyuan’s marriage and actually got along quite well, considering An Zhiyuan’s life in the military was rich enough to keep An Cheng thoroughly pleased.
Having his own son as a successor was the greatest fort.
Such an exceptional soldier, An Zhiyuan possessed all the virtues of a military man! He was a natural soldier embryo, a man with sharp insights and military responsiveness; he ought to feel forted.
Not everyone could achieve having a successor. Many of his old rades’ descendants had chosen other paths! Few continued to develop in the military in the spirit of their forefathers, and even fewer were as outstanding as An Zhiyuan.
Others might not be aware, but how could he not be? An Zhiyuan had never relied on his authority; he even consciously concealed his identity outside, except for his senior leaders, not even An Zhiyuan’s regiment mander was aware of An Zhiyuan’s identity.
This child was too exceptional.
Once in the car, An Zhiyuan saw his elder brother still had a sullen face, “What’s up? What’s troubling you so much?” He and his elder brother had been confidants since childhood, probably because they were close in age.
An Zhigao shook his head, “I’ve hit some troubles in business recently, no worries! Even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to help! How about you? I’ve been calling you, but you often aren’t there! Still pushing yourself too hard?” He knew his brother well; An Zhiyuan treated his career as if it were his life, especially military honor, which to An Zhiyuan was above everything else.
“It’s not that I’m pushing too hard. I’ve recently been transferred to the Fourth Field Army, and it’s just the adaptation process at the beginning; actually, everything is going smoothly. You know me; for those dissenting heads in the troops, I can settle them with my fists, beating them until they’re convinced. In the military, we solve problems straightforwardly; we don’t argue but see who has the stronger fist, who is mighty, and adhere to them!” An Zhiyuan loved his career and the simple, dedicated, and heroic atmosphere of the barracks.
“You! You were born to be a soldier. As a child, you loved playing at riding and fighting; now you’ve straightforwardly gone into the military and never looked back! Are you planning to be a soldier for life?” An Zhigao parked the car in front of a large hotel, and An Zhiyuan got out, surveying the luxurious and majestic decorations, noticing how much the streets and alleys of the Capital City had changed.
“Me, I’m just born to be a soldier. If I don’t train for a day, I feel really unfortable. This morning, it’s because I came back too late last night, arriving home at three, otherwise I would have gone for a couple of laps; now my body feels unfortable. I don’t plan to leave the army; I chose this, so of course, I’ll strive for it for life.” He got out of the car and stretched a bit, amusing An Zhigao.
“e on, future Major General Sir, big brother is treating you to a good meal today. This restaurant is most famous for its Cantonese cuisine! They’ve hired a new southern chef, especially his seafood, his skills are quite impressive. Today, we brothers won’t return unless we get drunk.” An Zhigao’s mood lightened instantly as if being with his brother made all worries evaporate.
“Alright! Let me see how your drinking tolerance has improved these past few years,” An Zhiyuan boasted, managing to get his elder brother drunk every time, almost always carrying him home! It had bee a tradition.
An Zhigao laughed out loud, warmly draping his arm around him as they walked inside.
“You know, I give up. My drinking ability could never surpass yours, I admit defeat.”
The two brothers entered, and An Zhigao had arranged a private room, making it convenient for the two of them to have a conversation. After such a long time apart, naturally, they had some heartfelt things to discuss.
An Zhigao ordered lobster and abalone, along with two side dishes for the drinks, and a bottle of Maotai, but An Zhiyuan gestured with his hand that it was enough.
“It’s just the two of us; let’s not waste.”
“Don’t be polite with your big brother. I have finally achieved a little success. If I don’t spend this money on you, who will I spend it on?” He sympathized with his brother having to abide by military restrictions, and of course, those military allowances weren’t enough for him to dine luxuriously like Zhiyuan.
“Big brother, I’m not short on money. Right now I’m already a battalion mander. If nothing goes wrong, once I pass next year’s assessment, my promotion is guaranteed. For my age, that’s already a high rank. I think it’s pretty good! The military takes care of everything—I don’t need anything special. I have enough!” An Zhiyuan maintained the simplicity and humility of a soldier.
“You, well, I won’t lecture you. Just know, I told you, my pany has shares for you. The initial capital for my business was provided by you. If you don’t want it, I might as well close down the pany to save me the heartache!” An Zhigao remembered how tough the early days were, and how the family member An Cheng would agree to a child of a military family venturing into business, which he saw as irresponsible, except for serving in the army, probably all other jobs in An Cheng’s eyes were irresponsible.
So he wouldn’t give him a penny, and he didn’t even have the money to rent an office for his pany. At that time, he was truly desperate, knowing the old man was just forcing him to surrender, but he preferred roaming the streets over bowing his head.
He clearly remembered his younger brother finding him spending the night in a movie theater, without a place to stay; at that time, all he could do was buy a late-night movie ticket and spend the night inside the theater.
During that period, he couldn’t even remember what it felt like to lie in a bed.
Having only been a soldier for two years, An Zhiyuan took out all his allowances and even borrowed some money from a rade, amounting to three thousand yuan. In 1982, that sum was astronomical. He remembered his brother’s eyes, telling him that since he chose this path, no matter how bitter or difficult, he must persist. He believed in his brother, knowing he wasn’t weak.
Perhaps that was the reason he managed to overe any difficulty over the years—what could pare to his brother’s support and encouragement?
So when his pany more officially began making money, unknowingly earning many times that three thousand yuan, he told his brother! Half of the pany’s shares belonged to him, although An Zhiyuan’s name wasn’t on the business license, of course, to protect Zhiyuan, since military personnel cannot engage in business and must eschew connections with local businesses, but he always made sure the accounting was done every year according to the two shareholders’ dividends.
“Big brother, you know I don’t need that money. You’re my big brother, why would I want anything in return from helping you? Besides, you’re not unaware of our military’s discipline. You wouldn’t want to get me punished by military law, right?” An Zhiyuan teased his big brother, knowing very well Big Brother’s intentions. His big brother is stubborn by nature, but deeply affectionate.
An Zhigao poured him a drink, “What military or not military? All I know is that you’re my brother. Brothers don’t have next lives; having you as my brother in this life is already enough. So, if you’re too polite with me, I’ll get impatient! Whatever you say, it’s still yours, and when you get married, I’ll hand it to your wife.”
An Zhiyuan took the bottle and filled up An Zhigao’s glass.
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