The burly man's boxing was characterized by its speed and strength, devoid of any set boxing techniques; it was straightforward, reminiscent somewhat of the Shape-Intent Fist. The Shape-Intent Fist, known for its direct and rapid attacks, was counted among the three greatest styles of internal martial arts alongside Bagua and Tai Chi. However, Shape-Intent Fist excelled particularly in close-quarters combat. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang sidestepped, avoiding the punch of his opponent. He formed claws with his hands, employing the tiger form from the Shape-Intent Fist. With a ripping sound, the burly man's clothing was torn apart. Following this, Nie Zhenbang transformed into a crane form and struck the burly man's back, sending him flying a few meters forwards.
The gap between the two fighters was indeed substantial. While Nie Zhenbang's Shape-Intent Fist hadn't reached the level of internal power, it was more than enough to deal with three to five burly men. The battle was swift; in less than ten minutes, the burly man was knocked down. Zhou Chen had lost.
Ignoring the fallen burly man, Zhou Chen coldly huffed, "Nie Zhenbang, you're ruthless today. Remember this, my score with you isn't settled. You'd better not fall into my hands in the future."
At that moment, Nie Zhenbang approached the burly man, extending his hand, "Brother, your kung fu is not bad. It's a shame you chose the wrong side. If you're interested, how about hanging out with us in the future?"
The burly man's character was admirable. His moves during the duel were clean, which was why Nie Zhenbang made the offer. If he could get this man to hang out with Nie Jiamin and the others, they'd likely make a good gang.
Upon returning home, Nie Jiamin immediately became well-behaved, tiptoeing toward the courtyard. He gestured a respectful bow to Nie Zhenbang before sneaking into the house.
Nie Zhenbang strolled into the house without concern. The old man was absent. Since confirming his direction in life, Nie Guowei had begun to move around. Elder Nie's opinion held great weight. Yuedong Province was the front line for reformists, their stronghold. His son going there as a local government official was like breaching the defense of the conservatives from within, wasn't it?
Without Elder Nie initiating the conversation, Nie Guowei had to operate on his own. These days, he was out early and back late, hardly seen around.
At this moment, Ye Shuxian was helping Nie Ziyu with her homework in the living room. Nie Zhenbang came in to join them. In his previous life, Nie Ziyu had been good to him. Had it not been for the discord between him and Ye Shuxian, Nie Ziyu wouldn't have ignored him. The car he used for suicide was even arranged by Nie Ziyu. For this, Nie Zhenbang was grateful. Without committing suicide, he might never have had this chance to start over.
"Ziyu, doing homework? Can you solve all the problems? Do you want your big brother to help you?" Nie Zhenbang removed his shoes and joined her with a smile.
Nie Ziyu, at this moment, was still a twelve-year-old child, studying in middle school with Yang Anna. The little girl was cute and loved by everyone. Seeing Nie Zhenbang, the little girl looked at her mom, and after seeing that she didn't object, she happily said, "Big brother, don't underestimate me, I can solve these problems. Is it true you saved Anna? Anna said she wants to marry you; wouldn't that make her my sister-in-law? I don't want that. Big brother, promise me you won't marry Anna."
Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. Were children so precocious these days? However, Nie Zhenbang didn't take these words as a joke because in his previous life, when the Yang family came to thank him for saving Anna, Anna said the exact same thing in front of the grownups.
"Ziyu, Anna was just joking. You guys are still young. The most important thing is your studies now. With good knowledge, you can contribute to modernization when you grow up." Nie Zhenbang realized he had a natural talent for connecting with children.
Nie Ziyu nodded her head happily and said, "Big brother, I am so happy. Now I also have a big brother. Before, I was envious of Anna for having so many brothers. She had one more than me, but now we're even."
At this moment, Nie Zhenbang noticed that Ye Shuxian's face had turned somewhat unnatural. Before Ye Shuxian could scold Nie Ziyu, he quickly stood up and said, "Auntie, you carry on. I am going to my room."
As soon as he entered the room, Nie Zhenbang's face instantly resumed a calm and composed demeanor. It was already October. In another two months, Comrade Zhaohua would resign. This marked the leader's initial victory amidst the strife between reform and conservatism. At this time, the leader had repeatedly emphasized opposition to bourgeois liberalization at meetings. Nie should seize this opportunity to do something. Otherwise, after Comrade Zhaohua's retirement, without Zhaohua's support, the old man would relinquish his position as the fifth leader. The decline of the Nie family would begin from this point.
Although he was insignificant and had no right to speak within the Nie family, Nie Zhenbang had found someone who could speak on his behalf.
Immediately thereafter, Nie Zhenbang spread out his resource papers, picked up a pen, and rapidly wrote the title "On the drawbacks of Soviet Union's reforms". At this time, the Soviet Union and the domestic economic reforms began almost simultaneously. Unlike the cautious reforms at home, the Soviet Union was making strides, approaching full Westernization, which consequently led to the instability of its reforms. Based on memories from his previous life, Nie Zhenbang compared policies from the Soviet Union's economic reforms and those domestically. He highlighted some similarities and differences. Also, he analyzed the current domestic tendency of associating reforms with liberalization, and pointed out some issues that needed to be recognized in the domestic reform and opening up. At present, the domestic interest in such radical reforms was great and the leader highly prioritized it. Ultimately, Nie Zhenbang boldly predicted that the Soviet Union would collapse within three to five years. This paper, once published, would undoubtedly cause a sensation.
The Nie family's courtyard was a five-section quadrangle dwelling, with the main hall as the home of the old man. However, the old man usually stayed in the Forbidden City. Nie Guowei's and Nie Guodong's households were located in the rear. In fact, the bedroom Nie Zhenbang was currently staying in was only separated by a wall from Nie Jiamin's bedroom.
Nie Zhenbang rhythmically knocked on the wall a few times and soon heard a reply from the other side. Nie Jiamin was quite experienced in these matters. As Nie Zhenbang stepped out, he saw Nie Jiamin also sneak out of his room. Upon seeing Nie Zhenbang, Nie Jiamin asked, "Third brother, what's the matter? Why does it feels like we are doing underground work?"
Nie Zhenbang's face was very serious as he looked at Nie Jaiamin, "Jiamin, our eldest brother works in the State Council Office, right? Normally, does he have a habit of bringing his work home?"
Nie Jiamin nodded in surprise. He rarely had contact with the eldest or third brothers, but how did the latter know about the eldest brother's habits? Before he could talk, Nie Zhenbang handed over the completed work to Nie Jiamin, "Second brother, this document, find a way to hide it in his files without the eldest brother knowing. Remember, you must slip it in. This is related to the future of our Nie family. Rest assured, I will definitely not harm the Nie family."
Nie Jaimin hesitated, "Third brother, it's not something illegal, is it? It won't get the eldest brother and the Nie family in trouble, will it?"
Despite Nie Jiamin's easygoing attitude, every child from a noble family is not a fool when it comes to matters of great importance. They are all very cautious.
Nie Zhenbang was sincerely resolute at this moment, "Second brother, look at me. I might harm people, that's true. But remember, I am also a member of the Nie family and my blood is the same as yours. If I harm anyone, it definitely won't be the Nie family. I can assure you with my life. You go now, I'll wait here for your news."
Nie Jiamin was silent for a moment, then nodded. After less than half an hour, he came out again and gave Nie Zhenbang an OK sign. Then he disappeared. At this moment, Nie Zhenbang also relaxed, as if he had just fought a battle. The outcome would gradually change from this point onwards. His efforts had finally paid off.
He chose the eldest brother because Nie Guoliang was the secretary of the State Council Office. The documents Nie Guoliang sorted everyday would eventually end up in Vice Premier Huang's hands. Vice Premier Huang was Nie Guoliang's grandfather but sadly, he was also a reformist. For the Nie family, it was ironic that the old man's two sons-in-law were confirmed reformists while he himself was a conservative. This had resulted in little communication between the two families. The old man remained the same as always, persisting in his own ways regardless.
When Vice Premier Huang saw this paper signed by Nie Guodong, he would undoubtedly report it to the leader. With the leader's wisdom, he would not miss this opportunity to publish Nie Guodong's paper in "Alarm". By then, the old man of the Nie family would be unable to clear his name, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.
Nie Zhenbang intended to use this method to gradually create friction between the Nie family and the conservatives. Eventually, he would make the conservatives oust the Nie family into the embrace of the reformists, step by step.