The Birth of Shanghai's First Conglomerate

As the fog gradually dissipated.

Those living in Shacheng could always learn some information that the higher-ups wanted them to see through public channels.

June 4th.

For the first time, two local public media outlets gave positive coverage to the Boiling Sheep Enclosure Incident.

The incident was naturally caused by the excessive medical treatment provided by Liu Xiangfeng and others, and many victims were subsequently reported.

The final result was that Liu Xiangfeng and the hospital director were both imprisoned, and the hospital was reorganized and taken over by the local health department.

The rectification is expected to be fully completed within six months.

This can be considered a preliminary characterization of the hospital incident, and several other media outlets subsequently began to follow up with reports.

The ins and outs of the incident were finally revealed in these reports, but Chen Pingsheng's information was deliberately hidden in all of them.

Only in some private groups, or in places where rumors circulate, is the discussion in full swing.

"Holy crap... so many days have passed and they're only reporting on it now. Looks like the contest has already reached a conclusion."

"What was the result?"

Some interested people kept asking questions below, saying that this was different from ordinary petty thugs fighting.

Rather, it is a power struggle at the top of the city.

Didn't you see the media only started reporting on it afterward? If it were a normal thing, they would have rushed over long ago.

Why would we wait until the event is over and the hype has died down before starting to follow up and report on it?

"What else could the result be? The winner of the three-way game has been decided!"

"What three-way game? You should explain it more clearly!"

"What an idiot! Such a big hospital has been standing in Shacheng for more than ten years. Suddenly such a big thing happened. Do you think this is something that ordinary people like us can handle? It's obvious that we've offended a real big shot."

"Who is it? They're so amazing!"

“Originally, this shouldn’t be said, but since everyone in the group is a relative, I told you not to tell anyone else. That hospital offended the number one entrepreneur in our Southern Province, the big boss behind Tengying Group. He’s someone who can shake the entertainment industry with a single stomp.”

All kinds of gossip are flying everywhere.

It started in private groups, then moved to general work groups, and then to university groups, etc.

In less than two days, the news spread everywhere.

Chen Pingsheng was not in a hurry to leave Shacheng; he even arranged a lecture at the medical school.

At the event, he only emphasized one thing.

A doctor's virtue lies in his medical practice.

Healthcare is the last resort for ordinary people; anyone who breaks this bottom line for survival is a threat.

Everyone will eventually suffer the ultimate backlash from ordinary people.

Ordinary people should not be underestimated.

On June 5th, Grandma briefly regained consciousness in the hospital.

Her final intention was to leave the hospital; she wanted to die in her hometown.

In her final days, Grandma only wanted to return to her roots.

Chen Pingsheng took her home. His grandmother, who had been in good spirits during the Spring Festival last year, suddenly experienced a brief resurgence of energy in her last three days.

He can eat and laugh, and his eyes are full of doting affection when he looks at Chen Xinyi.

On June 8th, Grandma Chen passed away peacefully, bidding farewell to the world she had lived in for eighty years with a smile.

Grandma Chen lived through a time of war from birth.

It was an era of extreme chaos, where anyone with guns and cannons could become king.

There is no law, no order.

It all comes down to whose gun is stronger.

When Grandma Chen was little, she was always dirty as she wandered around the village.

Their family experienced the Japanese invasion of the village and the warlord conflicts.

Finally, in the East in 1949, Grandma Chen, who was only 12 years old, passed away.

She raised her thin little hand and looked up at the sky.

On that day, as the sun rose high, an old man announced the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The whole village was overjoyed, and every household brought out large firecrackers to celebrate this historic moment.

What followed was even more dramatic and eventful, unfolding like a historical scroll.

The distribution of land to earn work points, the production brigades engaging in production, and the sending of educated youth to the countryside followed one after another.

The People's Commune became the most important government department in their era.

Six years later, Grandma Chen met Grandpa Chen through an introduction from the village.

Before the two could even exchange a word at their first meeting, Grandpa Chen went to the battlefield and waited for two or three years.

Then, two red candles and several red paper-cuts were lit, and the couple held hands to get married.

Divorce was a rare thing back then; many people never even heard of anyone in their team getting divorced in their entire lives. Holding hands meant a lifetime commitment.

The two of them went to the production team together. Although life was hard, their faces were always filled with the purest smiles.

As the days went by, Grandma Chen became like most rural women.

She had four sons and one daughter.

The old man's only hope is that they can all grow up quickly.

Days passed by, and the tide of history was unstoppable.

The college entrance examination was reinstated, and educated youth returned to the cities, marking the beginning of the country's reform and opening up.

Most people were swept up and rushed into this turbulent world.

Many of the lazybones in the village packed their bags and headed to the pioneering areas of reform.

Guangdong in the south.

Some people disappear without a trace, while others return in great glory.

He became the most famous household in the village with ten thousand yuan in income.

Grandma Chen remained unmoved, firmly believing that she could live a good life with the few hoes in her hands.

In 1984, his eldest son, Chen Jianjun, gave birth to his first grandson.

He was named Chen Pingsheng.

The meaning is that one does not seek great wealth and status, but only a peaceful and joyful life.

On June 9th, the entire Wangcun village set up a stage.

All businesses, including schools and health centers, will be closed for one day.

This is to honor Grandma Chen's ordinary yet humble life.

For miles around, white cloth is laid out, and every household is covered in white mourning clothes.

In reverence for Grandma Chen's spirit in heaven.

No matter how busy they were, the relatives of the Chen family who lived away from home rushed back to their ancestral home as soon as possible.

To send the old lady off on her final journey.

Representatives came from all around, and people from the county and town levels also came in droves.

Chen Pingsheng, dressed in theatrical costume, sang his last performance of "The Virtuous Younger Sister-in-Law" for his grandmother on stage.

The place was packed with people; it was incredibly lively and unusual.

Grandma, like Grandpa, loves Huagu Opera the most.

They would go to any place in the village where there was a performance, no matter how far away it was.

What an ordinary life.

Before they could even experience the splendor of this world, they died from the greed of human nature.

June 12th was the last day of Grandma Chen's burial.

News came from Shacheng that Han Shan had been arrested, and countless others had also fallen victim to the long arm of the law.

The "Cash King of Shacheng" makes its profits by exploiting the survival instincts of ordinary people.

In the end, he still fell victim to his own heinous crimes.

This was perhaps Grandma Chen's last bit of comfort.

Her eldest grandson has made something of himself, and in the end, she didn't leave this world unjustly.

Wangcun is still the same familiar place, except that an eighty-year-old Grandma Chen has passed away.

For the Chen family, there may be sadness, but it won't last too long.

After all, he passed away at the age of eighty, which can be considered a happy death in some respects.

In particular, countless important figures have come to attend the funeral in the past few days.

Grandma Chen, born ordinary, considers simply living a luxury.

She enjoyed the endless scenery before she left.

This was arguably the most remarkable day of her life.

I vaguely remember that era of constant warfare.

A bowl of white rice and a dirty little steamed bun—that's happiness.

Grandma Chen has left, and Grandpa is no longer happy living alone in Wangcun.

He was still taken to live in Shanghai by Chen Pingsheng.

Most of the Chen family members are now in Shanghai, so the elderly man probably won't be lonely after he goes there.

Chen Pingsheng didn't finish his grandmother's funeral arrangements until mid-June, by which time Da Piwa was already almost on summer vacation.

His older sister, Chen Yao, also brought her two daughters to live in Shanghai.

(End of this chapter)