Nanyang 1931: From piglets to giants

Chapter 286: Parenting, Hong Kong Tribute

However, Zheng Yi and Li Jiazhi, after paying their dues, lay in bed, feeling extremely exhausted. After lighting a cigarette, they could not get up no matter what and lay on the bed, gasping for breath.

Li Jiazhi saw this and said with a little dissatisfaction: "No matter how busy you are, you still have to make sure to exercise regularly. Your body is really not as good as it used to be."

Zheng Yi: "Well, you're right. I'll try to make time, especially since I've been in the US lately. My blood pressure seems to be getting a little high. I'm approaching middle age."

Even if Li Jiazhi didn't say it, fitness and health care do need to be taken seriously. You know, Zheng Yi's most important and ultimate goal now is to hope to live until China rises in the future and hand over the baton of internationalization to the Chinese people.

At least he has to live to be ninety, or even a hundred years old.

Even for a rich and powerful person like him, even though the United States can use bone marrow transplants, heart transplants, and other less humane methods to extend the lifespan of the wealthy class, to live to that age, one still needs a good body.

Li Jiazhi glanced at him and said, "Don't look for so many women outside. It's better to give up lust."

Zheng Yi: “…………”

After thinking about it, Zheng Yi took the initiative to confess and said, "Well, um... Yamamoto Fujiko is... pregnant."

Li Jiazhi instinctively frowned upon hearing this, then nodded imperceptibly and said, "Thank you for telling me."

Zheng Yi: "I do want to ask for your opinion. Should we keep this child, or...don't we? After all, she's a Japanese bastard. I'll listen to you."

"hehe."

Li Jiazhi snorted coldly upon hearing this and said, "Are you asking me whether you want your child or not?"

Zheng Yi: "Of course I'm asking you. You're the mistress of the family, aren't you? I do intend to discuss the education of our next generation with you. Um... do you know the Rockefeller family? My main partner in this trip to the United States is John Rockefeller Jr. I've met a few of his sons, and they're truly exceptional."

Li Jiazhi: "Why, are you envious of other people's sons?"

"I'm really envious. The ancient saying that having many children brings good fortune does make sense."

Li Jiazhi: "That is to say, if you have more illegitimate children in the future, I will be responsible for them."

"Um...it's not the quantity that matters, it's the quality."

In fact, this is what Zheng Yi really meant, but he was just embarrassed to admit it.

For some reason, Zheng Yi's offspring are not very prosperous. So far, he has only five children in total.

Wang Qiaoyun and Qian Qiwen each had two children, but Li Jiazhi only had one. Qian Qiwen had two sons and an eldest son. Wang Qiaoyun had a son and a daughter, and Li Jiazhi had a daughter.

The most important thing is that as everyone gets older, Li Jiazhi herself knows that the possibility of her continuing to have children is very small. Wang Qiaoyun has taken the initiative to suggest giving her son to Li Jiazhi to raise, but Li Jiazhi refused.

Chinese people, when it comes to passing on the family line, especially when it comes to inheriting a business, prefer sons to daughters. Li Jiazhi has no son, so she would be at a disadvantage if the property were to be divided in the future.

To put it bluntly, Zheng Yi also hopes that he can be like little John, with five or even more outstanding sons as his right-hand men, who can protect him from wind and rain from all directions. If he relies on himself to do everything, he will be exhausted and may not do a good job.

Daughters and sons-in-law are still a little behind in this aspect. Although, they can also follow the example of the Japanese chaebols and adopt their sons-in-law as their adopted sons-in-law. In fact, Toyota Risaburo is the son-in-law of the Toyota family and he changed his surname. But what if there is a need for marriage in the future?

In fact, someone has already mentioned this to him. Nelson suggested that he hopes to let his son Michael Rockefeller, the unlucky guy who was eaten by cannibals in history, have more contact with their daughter Zheng Yiyi. The meaning is self-evident.

Zheng Yi would not say that his daughter must marry into an alliance in the future. Of course, even if it was an alliance marriage, it would not necessarily be with the Rockefeller family, but he would never say that his daughter must not marry into an alliance in the future and that as long as she was happy, everything would be fine.

In fact, personal love does not necessarily lead to a happier life than arranged marriage, and a handsome man who marries into the wife's family is not necessarily better than the fourth generation of Rockefeller. As his status becomes higher and higher, his children's future will not really be completely free.

We can only take things one step at a time and see what happens when the child grows up. But no matter what, the daughter will suffer. After all, the Toyota family business was passed on to Kiichiro Toyota, and Risaburo Toyota was just an assistant.

Li Jiazhi is actually very upset about this matter, especially now that Yamamoto Fujiko is pregnant. To put it bluntly, who knows how many more girls Zheng Yi will find outside in the future besides the three of them?
The physiological differences between men and women are there. Zheng Yi might still have children even after he is 70 years old, but the possibility of her, or even the three of them, having children in the future is very low.

"How do you want to educate them? How did the Rockefeller family educate them?"

Zheng Yi: "How to educate them... The most important thing is that I hope the children love each other. It's better for them to grow up together. You know, Qiaoyun and Sister Wen have always lived separately from us. I'm worried that these children will not be close to each other in the future."

"Not to mention people like Yamamoto Fujiko. My idea is to set up a kindergarten at home. Even if the children go home at night, they still have to study together during the day. And we might as well be more diligent in terms of material conditions."

"You know, the Rockefeller family. Little John himself had no idea his family was rich when he was little, and he even had to pick up trash. Little John, when he was young, was always selling oranges at a stall. After middle school, the other children in his family all earned their own pocket money. When they grew up, they started their own businesses, and no one ever used their family's money. I'm really impressed. For this kid, the greatest wealth is education."

"I really don't have the time to take care of the specifics of their education, so you'll have to decide. My initial idea is to build a special school for these children in Penang. We'll manage the kindergarten, primary school, and secondary school education ourselves, tailoring the teaching to each student's aptitude. We'll hire more teachers for each child, and then send them to public schools in the UK or the US when they reach high school."

Upon hearing this, Li Jiazhi immediately retorted, "Bullshit! You're talking nonsense! You're not spending your family's money and you're starting your own business. Who over 30 would believe such nonsense? Yes, they don't use their family's money, but as long as they're named Rockefeller and are in business or politics, no matter what they do, who wouldn't give them some respect?"

"The family won't give them money to start a business? With the Rockefeller name, which bank in the world wouldn't rush to give them a low-cost loan? At the very least, if their descendants are truly incompetent, they could become artists, or historians, anthropologists, sociologists, or other liberal arts careers."

Zheng Yi: "You're certainly right, but at least these third-generation people have received a very good education. They still need to learn."

Li Jiazhi saw through his thoughts and said, "To put it bluntly, you want your children to grow up together, and you also want the children of people like Yamamoto Fujiko to grow up with them, and even learn the same things and have similar backgrounds, so that at least they won't hate each other."

Zheng Yi: "I also hope that when I get old I can be as worry-free as little John."

In fact, this is definitely a good thing for Li Jiazhi.

After all, all the children receive unified and centralized education, so when it comes to their academic performance, naturally, Li Jiazhi, the eldest wife, has the final say.

And thinking more darkly, it would be difficult for Li Jiazhi herself to have children in the future, and there is a high probability that she will not have any. Qian Qiwen's advantage of having a son is very great. However, if Yamamoto Fujiko, and even other women who may appear in the future, send their sons to Penang for unified education, and if there are many sons in the future, Qian Qiwen's advantage will naturally be smaller.

The difference between a legitimate son and a concubine's son can be huge, but the difference between a concubine's son and an illegitimate son is sometimes not that big. For example, if Yamamoto Fujiko really gave birth to a son who was sensible and Li Jiazhi liked him, she could take him home to raise him.

This was a very common practice among some wealthy families. As the saying goes, the Chinese in Southeast Asia have heavy feudal remnants.

Although Li Jiazhi felt that Zheng Yi had no good intentions and was just using this method to get Li Jiazhi to agree and accept the outside child.

Li Jiazhi: "As for Xiaohuan, I want her to stay in the United States. What do you think of being your secretary general?"

"Secretary-General is impossible. Rockefeller and I have a cooperative relationship in the SAARC branch in the United States. In name, he is the deputy and I am the principal, but when it comes to specific matters, I'm afraid he is the boss."

"I've just invested in Citigroup and Morgan Stanley, making me an independent director. It's impossible for me to personally manage the daily affairs of these two banks. Let Xiaohuan represent me."

Li Jiazhi thought about it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, but since you mentioned children and family, I do have something I want to discuss with you."

"You said."

Li Jiazhi: "You have always had an extremely long-term and accurate vision. In your opinion, what are the chances of our party winning the war?"

Zheng Yi: "100%."

Li Jiazhi was stunned: "Ten, ten percent?"

Zheng Yi nodded.

Of course I wouldn't say this outside, but since my wife has asked, I might as well say it.

Li Jiazhi: "My Li family in Xinyi, my hometown, and my uncle's family have accumulated a total of more than 10,000 hectares of land. If our party really wins the world, then wouldn't it be..."

Zheng Yi couldn't help but sit up from the bed when he heard it: "A lot, how much? When did this happen? When did your family have so much land? Are you crazy? Is this your father's idea or your mother's idea?" Zheng Yi had never paid attention to this matter. He only knew that the Li family did have some land in their hometown, but he didn't know there was so much.

This is much more than in history.

"Oh~, it's mainly my uncles and the others. We just... have money but nowhere to spend it. Riches that don't return home are like walking in the night in fine clothes. No, but we have never done anything to exploit the people."

"My mother and my uncles have also told me that the Li and Gan families are now wealthy and powerful, and they don't rely on this little piece of land to make a living. In order to let the people in our hometown remember our kindness, we rent out that land at a very low price, and we never take a penny of the rent back to Southeast Asia."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Yi touched his forehead helplessly.

This matter may be led by the Gan family, but now the Gan family's affairs are probably also led by his mother-in-law.

His father-in-law no longer does any serious work all day long. In fact, the old man was a Jinshi, and he has never been very interested in making money. He went into business to support the domestic revolution, and later did business to save the country through industry. Now he is obsessed with the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry and songs, and even writing books all day long. He has long given up on business.

But the Gan family is a merchant family. Strictly speaking, they can be considered as Zheng Yi's relatives, or even close relatives.

Zheng Yi didn't quite believe what Li Jiazhi said, that the Li and Gan families rented the land to local people at low prices after buying it, or even that they were doing charity.

He believed that the leaders of the Gan and Li families did not make much money from the land, and their original intention might even be to look down on these small things. However, once things reached the grassroots level, anything could happen.

"If our party takes over the world, these lands will be..."

Zheng Yi: "Of course, the details will depend on your cooperation. But even from my perspective, I think it's unnecessary for you to occupy so much land. If you have spare money, why not invest it in something else?"

Li Jiazhi: "Can't the elders wrap their heads around this? Besides, whether it's the stock market or running a business, it's ultimately not as stable as land. Besides, isn't this also about building bridges and roads, doing good deeds for the family?"

"I was thinking, since Mr. Chen is going back to China, should we also consider splitting up and returning to China?"

Zheng Yi: "My oldest child is only six years old. You're not planning on asking me to send Sister Wen's child back to China, are you?"

Li Jiazhi: "Of course not, I mean Hong Kong."

"Li Xiangjiang?"

Li Xiangjiang is the second son of Li Xiaoshi, and he was named so because he was born in Hong Kong Island.

Li Jiazhi said: "Xiang Jiang is old now and it's time for him to do things. My sister-in-law said that she hopes he can join Thai Oil or Penang Petrochemical and start from scratch, starting from the business side. But I think it would be better for him to join the Hongmen and go back with Situ Gong and the others.

He could go to Hong Kong Island and be responsible for the smuggling of military supplies, or join China Resources Company. Or he could simply go to Yan'an or the Northeast, where he would be useful in military logistics."

"I've heard that our party is very short of talent who understands economics, especially international economics. Xiangjiang is a graduate of Eton and Cambridge, majoring in economics and management. Plus, he has a relationship with us, so he's a natural fit for us as a spokesperson for connecting us with the rest of the country."

"Nanyang is a place where, especially for us Chinese, it will be very difficult to avoid dealing with China in the future. This is a relationship that cannot be avoided. When our children grow up, if necessary, they can return to China and have a cousin to take care of them. To put it bluntly, even if it is a marriage, we can consider forming an alliance with China, and then let Hong Kong act as a matchmaker."

Zheng Yi seriously considered this, then frowned. "That depends on Xiang Jiang's own wishes. If he truly does return to China, the conditions will undoubtedly be difficult. Our Party values ​​equality for all. How can a young master like him endure such hardships? What are his political leanings?"

Li Jiazhi: "Who are you looking down on? Our Li family has a good family tradition. Xiangjiang got into Cambridge on his own, so how could he not endure hardship? As for your political leanings...that's not a problem. I believe in you, and Xiangjiang believes in you too. Since you say our party can win, then we will definitely win."

"That's it..."

Zheng Yi knew that this was a bit of a rush to get the three generations of the Li family out to do things.

After all, the second generation of the Li family only had three brothers, and Li Jiqian, as an early revolutionary, really did not take concubines.

In this regard, the Wang family is incomparable. The second generation of the Wang family has nine sons and seven daughters.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Wang family at least has the most people and power in the second generation. Although it is still far inferior to the Li family outside, it is hard to say what will happen in the future.

At this time, the difference between having more children and having fewer children can be seen. There are only three people in the second generation, and they have all been arranged. There is no way to arrange anything more, so naturally we can only turn our attention to the third generation.

But it must be said that what Wang Jiazhi said does make sense. It is very difficult for Nanyang to separate from the country. Not to mention that they are all Chinese, even the natives of Nanyang can basically not escape the word China.

At this time, if there is someone who can be trusted and represent himself and returns to China with Situ Meitang or Tan Kah Kee, it will at least be helpful to the future development of the Southern Asian Alliance.

"Will sister-in-law agree to this?"

"If you think it's feasible, I can talk to my sister-in-law."

"Then...if there's no problem with my sister-in-law and Hong Kong, let him go to China Resources in Hong Kong Island first. If he has a better understanding of the domestic situation, is still willing to return, and is prepared to endure hardships, then let him go back.

As elders, we fear the most that we haphazardly arrange the paths of our juniors. We can let them stay in Hong Kong Island for a few more years before making a decision. If they feel uncomfortable, they can always come back."

Li Jiazhi: "Okay, then I'll listen to you. Then... how about selling the real estate of our Li and Gan families?"

Zheng Yi: "Who are you going to sell it to? Since you didn't intend to make money when you bought it, if you listen to me, you can just divide the land directly. It would be best to just pull out an army. Xinyi is adjacent to Guangxi, and General Li and General Bai are both our people."

"When Xinyi is liberated one day, it would be a good thing to revolt directly on the battlefield. Then, the crime of annexing land will probably no longer be mentioned."

Li Jiazhi: "Okay, I'll tell my uncle when I get back and let him do this."

Zheng Yi: "Hey, seriously, let Cambridge come back and help me. The focus in the United States is getting heavier and heavier. I'm not even sure how long I'll stay this time. To be honest, I want to train Cambridge. When I'm old, I might have to rely on him to support our Southern Alliance."

Li Jiazhi rolled her eyes at him. "How dare you try to flatter me? How long are you going to stay in the US? I suppose at most, until after next year's election."

Zheng Yi: "If Dewey wins, then it might be about the same, but what if Dewey loses? If... both the Senate and the House of Representatives are taken by the Democrats, then I'm afraid it's really hard for me to respond."

Li Jiazhi: "How is that possible? Are you saying President Du will not only be re-elected, but also win both houses of Congress? Isn't the Democratic Party already split? The Republican Party should have a sure win, right?"

Zheng Yi could only smile bitterly when he heard this.

As a time traveler, it is really painful to have to stand on the losing side of history because of one's own position.

Historically, President Trump actually staged such a stunning reversal the next year. Not only was he successfully re-elected, but he also overturned both houses of Congress in one fell swoop, almost becoming one of the most powerful presidents of the United States after World War II.

If history does not change, with great advantages in both houses of Congress, President Du will definitely master the ideology, that is, McCarthyism, in the next four years. However, Zheng Yi has now made it clear that he sympathizes with and slightly supports our party in China.

Tan Kah Kee, the most important person in the entire South Asian Association besides Zheng Yi, is clearly a member of our party. If Zheng Yi really works hard and leaves the United States to return to Southeast Asia, who knows what policies the Democratic Party will come up with in the next term.

Not to mention the historic war of founding the country in 1950.

Based on Zheng Yi's understanding of the CIA, during President Du's second four-year term, they are very likely to take action in the Southern Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and find a way to replace him as chairman in order to further weaken the Republican Party.

Li Jiazhi's expression became even more serious after hearing this. "If that's the case, then why don't we stabilize the situation first and not rush to show goodwill with China? Cambridge is my nephew, and your relationship with our Li family is already special. He's working in Hong Kong, so it's impossible to hide it from others. In the eyes of the CIA, you're definitely a traitor."

"Why not wait until the situation becomes clearer and see what's happening in the US after next year's election?"

Zheng Yi thought for a moment, then shook his head. "If we're going, it's best to establish contact there before the end of the year. I'm well prepared for the Democrats' tactics. I'm relatively pro-tributary and don't want a direct conflict between the US and the Soviet Union. That's always been my political perspective. Whether I go to Hong Kong or not, this is enough evidence to prove it."

Zheng Yi opened the wardrobe door, revealing dozens of brand new evening gowns. "You should think about what you're going to wear when you go to Washington with me tomorrow. You don't have to be afraid of them."

(End of this chapter)