Chapter Fifty-One: Not Speaking of the Living, Speaking of Ghosts and Spirits

  Xue Xiang was sarcastic, "Isn't the old man just venting his private grievances? The certificate you gave me only says 'special participant', even a fool knows it's for burning incense paper on the grave - deceiving ghosts' identity, who knows what authority it has?" At first, Xue Xiang was dissatisfied, but after thinking about it, he became overjoyed. Since the old man is angry with me and doesn't argue, isn't this equivalent to tacit authorization? Not taking advantage of a good opportunity would be stupid. Now, Xue Xiang has completely become shameless, the more fiercely the old man scolds him, the happier he becomes. As soon as the old man stopped talking, Xue Xiang smiled shamelessly and said, "Alright, I'll do it according to your instructions." Then, he turned around and left.

  Xue Xiang strode into the bamboo forest, his voice booming as he shouted: "Old An has given orders, get a squad of brothers to cooperate with me!" He brazenly issued commands in front of Lao Touzi's face, fabricating imperial decrees.

  As soon as Xue's voice fell, the bamboo forest, pine forest, house tops, and even the flower beds all emerged with a sudden movement. In just a moment, over a hundred people appeared in front of him, it was unknown how they had been hiding. The hundred or so people quickly formed a line, standing at attention and saluting, saying: "Please instruct us, leader!"

  This is not a class, but almost a company of people. These guys have been lurking and guarding all day, and they are eager to go out on a mission with Xue Xiang. Anyway, Xue Xiang didn't specify which class he wanted, so now everyone is pushing forward with thick skin, regardless of what the leaders in the distance think.

  This time it was Xue's turn to be stunned, he had no idea what the other party's number or organization was, although he could confirm that these guards were all elites among elites, but who to call and who not to call, it became difficult. General An heard Xue falsely transmitting the imperial edict in the pavilion, and wasn't angry, but didn't expect Xue to want a whole battalion, and actually squeezed out a regiment, the old man's face immediately couldn't be maintained. "You don't think I'm worthy of your respect? One by one, you all want to slip away?" Later, seeing Xue being awkward on the spot, the old man found it amusing again, looking at how this young man would arrange things, with no hair on his mouth but not doing things firmly, he must have offended someone.

  Xue Xiang gazed at the row of tall and upright soldiers in camouflage uniforms, each with a spirited and hopeful expression. He found it difficult to choose among them. Thinking of selecting the tallest ones, he looked around and saw that they were generally of average height; it seemed like every person's height would need to be measured with a ruler to distinguish between the tall and short. Thinking of selecting soldiers from a particular squad, he didn't even know if their combat units were divided by squads.

  Xue Xiang scratched his head for a while, then suddenly noticed the equipment on the soldiers. He had an idea and shouted: "Soldiers carrying submachine guns, step forward! The rest, dismiss and return to your original positions!" With a rustling sound, the soldiers retreated in an orderly yet chaotic manner, leaving behind only about a dozen soldiers carrying micro-submachine guns, who remained in place and saluted Xue Xiang.

  The soldiers who had been given the opportunity were extremely excited, finally able to go out and get some exercise.

  He chose two good soldiers, Xue was appointed as the leader of this action, and after arranging them, he called two soldiers to drive Lao Tzu's car team to wait at the front door. At this moment, he simply took advantage of the situation to enjoy the treatment of J Shou Zhuang.

  The old general had expected that with Xue Xiang's cunning, resolving the personnel arrangement wouldn't be too difficult. What he hadn't expected was that this little brat would brazenly drive off without even a greeting, falsely transmitting an imperial edict to take his own cavalry away. The familiar rumbling sound rose up, and the old man's cholesterol instantly skyrocketed, feeling stifled to the point of being unbearable, unable to help but shout at the top of his lungs: "You little scoundrel, treating chicken feathers as imperial decrees!"

  Old Wang, who was standing by, couldn't help but chuckle. "Just now you said that guy was treating the imperial edict like a feather duster," he thought to himself, "but I think that young whippersnapper is just waiting for you to scold him." The smile at the corner of Old Wang's mouth was caught by Commander Hua, who rapped on the table and said, "What are you laughing at, Little Wang? Are you making fun of me?"

  Old Wang hastily said seriously: "Chief, how dare I...I just think...think you're a bit..." Old Wang's words trailed off halfway.

  The old man said discontentedly: "What's wrong with you, speaking like a woman, can't even say one sentence clearly. Isn't it just that you think I'm being too good to that kid? What's wrong with saying so?"

  Old Wang nodded in agreement, the old general's words were similar to what Old Wang wanted to express, but the two words in his heart surpassed the general's statement. He felt that the old general was not too good for Xue Xiang, but rather spoiled him.

  The old general continued: "Tell me why I value him so much?"

  Old Wang thought for a moment and said, "Talents are hard to come by!"

  The old man sneered, "Sly boy, it's as if you didn't say anything, do you think I'd take a bumpkin seriously? However, you did hit the nail on the head. This young fellow appears to be like a child, jumping and dodging, but in reality, he is meticulous and extremely clever. Especially his sensitivity towards ZZ, it's sharp to the point of being terrifying. When I compare him to Gan Luo and Yan Shifan, it's not flattery - this boy is a perfect combination of the two. To be able to sense the coming storm from the tip of a blade of grass, what endurance! He's not just a young man, he's an old official, a seasoned scoundrel."

  Old Wang was startled by General An's words, and the old general had met countless people in his life, but he had never seen any young or middle-aged person receive such a high evaluation from him. Old Wang found it hard to believe, so he went forward and refilled his cup of tea, saying: "Chief, isn't that an exaggeration? I admit he's clever and resourceful, but I haven't found anything different about him compared to ordinary young men. Look, at noon he recklessly came to ask you to help his uncle resolve the disaster, but didn't succeed, is this really a mature way of thinking?"

  The old general hummed and said: "You have a shallow understanding. You think his main purpose is to come for his uncle, but that's just one of the purposes he wants to achieve. His main purpose is to recite those few lines of crooked poetry to me, intending to tell me that he has a deep understanding of the current situation. This is like jade in a box seeking a good price, and hairpins waiting for the right moment to fly."

  Old Wang is well-versed in secretarial and security services, but lacks a broad view of ZZ's trend. The old general's words piqued Old Wang's curiosity: "Even if he sees clearly the current political situation, what can a little kid do? He's just watching from the sidelines, enjoying the excitement."

  The old man had a love-hate relationship with Old Wang. Old Wang was meticulous and rarely made mistakes, making him perfect for the roles of secretary and security guard. However, whenever they chatted, especially about ZZ, his dullness was laughable. The old man pointed to the stone stool by the stone table, gesturing for Old Wang to sit down, and said with a smile: "It seems you're destined to be a secretary this lifetime. I wouldn't dare let you go out on your own."

  Old Wang scratched the back of his head and said with embarrassment: "It's pretty good to be your secretary, when you don't need me one day, I'll go back to my hometown to farm, that's also pretty good."

  The old general smiled reassuringly and said, "When have I ever let a good person suffer? Don't worry, I've got your future taken care of. You can stay in the General Political Department later on, it's quite suitable for you."

  Old Wang nodded emotionally, he didn't want to discuss this heavy topic, time was a cruel thing for the elderly. He seemed worried that in the conversation, the old man in front of him would rapidly age and even die. He changed the subject: "You haven't said what Xue Xiazi's intentions are yet?"

  The old general said, "It's simple, use me as a bridge. You just said he can only watch from the other side and sigh in vain. But with me as a bridge, he can step across and stand beside him." The old man was indeed wise and hit the nail on the head.

  Old Wang knew Xue Xiang's plan and took a cold breath. He was just a child, but his mind was so deep. This level of chess game, are you daring to intervene? Old Wang still didn't understand: "Why are you willing to pave the way for him?"

  "The reason is simple, the road ahead is uncertain, I couldn't see where the path lies, and I hope he really is my Gan Luo." General An sighed.

  "What you said is too serious, and he can't see clearly, let alone a little kid." Old Wang's surprises today were more than his entire life. The road mentioned by the old general was too heavy, concerning a country, 56 ethnic groups, and over a billion people.

  "I don't know if he can see clearly, but at least he's a sensible person. Nowadays, sensible people are hard to come by." The old general looked up at the sky, where the bright moon was shining like a plate, and suddenly laughed, as if talking to himself: "It's laughable that I'm putting my hopes on a child, I'm really getting old. Little Wang, do you believe in fate?" He suddenly threw out this question that should be taboo.

  Old Wang was already beyond surprise, he really couldn't understand why the old leader who had believed in Marxism all his life would ask such a question about believing in fate. Although he had doubts in his heart, Old Wang still didn't ask anything and simply answered: "I believe!" One word, very short, but also very powerful. In front of the old leader, he didn't need to hide his true thoughts. Old Wang had studied the works and theories of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and others, and felt that what they said made sense, but couldn't overthrow the simple fatalism in his heart. He kept asking himself why those people became great figures, was it just because of their natural talent, emotions, and hard work? No, there were many people who were more talented, worked harder, and were more outstanding than them, so why did they sink into the long river of history, unknown and unheard of, turning to dust. Their theories couldn't explain this at all, but Old Wang's grandmother gave a clear explanation: fate.

  Old General was not surprised by Old Wang's answer. He didn't avoid or shy away from the topic like most party members at this time. At his level and age, he had experienced too much and seen too much. The old man knew what propaganda was and what ZZ needed. The old man said nothing, lit a cigarette, sat under the clear wind and bright moon, and enjoyed this rare tranquility.

  Old Wang smelled the smoke and didn't remind him to quit smoking as usual. He was still thinking about why An Lao suddenly asked this question, and the seed of curiosity took root in his heart, sprouting, he broke the silence: "Chief, is this related to Xue Xiazi?"

  The old general spat out a mouthful of smoke and laughed: "Where is there such mystery? I thought of something, felt it was interesting, and asked impulsively."

  "What's going on." Old Wang broke the silence.

  "After a lifetime of playing chess, no matter how badly I've lost, there have only been two people who have ever checkmated me. Once was today, and once was forty years ago in the cave." The old general's mouth curled into a smile.

  "Who won the game?" The old general said solemnly, Old Wang listened with a startled heart, he had already guessed in his mind, and asked with a trembling voice.

  "You guessed it, no need to ask further." The old man glared at him.

  "You wouldn't think Xue Xiaozi could be with him for so long..."

  Old Wang's words were cut off halfway by Old General's laughter: "Haha, Little Wang, you're really good at associating ideas, but this is nonsense. I just think it's interesting, peeling a pig isn't a good thing after all, remember that deeply."

  Old Wang did not continue asking, and Old General took "life" as a metaphor, what could he say, saying more would be boring and uninteresting.

  The old general and Old Wang were drinking tea under the moonlight, chatting idly, extremely leisurely. But in Xue's direction, it was exceptionally fiery.