Acai's Sky

Li Huaishan was holding several newly bought newspapers in his hands, walking hurriedly, his eyes constantly wandering over the newspapers.

His ears were as sharp as antennas, listening carefully to the conversations of the people around him.

I only heard a conversation coming from not far ahead: "The battle in the north is being fought so beautifully! Let's go, there seems to be a donation place ahead, let's go and donate some money for cigarettes!" The speaker was an ordinary man who looked a little unkempt.

His friend standing next to him couldn't help but laugh at him when he heard this: "Donate money for cigarettes? You really can resist quitting smoking? I don't think you can quit at all!"

After hearing this, the man hunched his body slightly and put his hands into the sleeves of the opposite hand, forming a hand-in-the-cuffs gesture.

Then he replied calmly, "Give it another try. Anyway, the new government has already issued an order prohibiting smoking. When there are no smoking dens anymore, there won't be any places to smoke even if you want to. Then you'll have to quit anyway!"

Ah Cai kept her eyes fixed on the man, thinking to herself, "Which of these opium smokers didn't originally have a substantial family fortune? But once they get hooked, it takes at least a few years, or even more than a decade, for them to end up with their families ruined."

Li Huaishan noticed that his daughter was staring at the old man intently, so he quickly reached out and gently turned his daughter's face back.

He lowered his voice and said, "My dear daughter, stop looking. That man is the fourth master of the Tu family. His family used to be extremely wealthy, with countless shops and lands under their names. But it was because of his bad habit of opium that he became so destitute today."

Li Jingqi frowned and said, "I thought so. He speaks so slowly. Does a man like him smoke opium?"

"It's strange that he can resist it. He's addicted to opium. Mr. Tu Si tried to quit smoking several times but failed. When he had money, he even consulted many doctors for help, but the effect was only temporary. He then started smoking opium again and became even more addicted!"

Li Huaishan hurriedly led his two children back to the small hotel.

Along the way, the little girl was full of curiosity about everything around her. She looked around with her eyes wide open, as if she wanted to take in all the new things.

After returning to the room, Li Huaishan sat by the bed, looked at the children, and slowly said, "Don't underestimate that Fourth Master Tu. Although he looks so down and out now, he was a famous hero in his time! He once studied at the Army Academy, a place that many people dream of. Moreover, he was injured when he went to war. It's a pity that in the end, his parents forced him back home to inherit the family business at the threat of death."

Li Jingqi frowned and asked, "If that's the case, why doesn't he just donate all his property? That way, he wouldn't have to obey his parents' orders, would he?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaishan curled his lips in disdain and replied, "Silly boy, how can you do that? That would be extremely unfilial! His entire family would come to him to argue, and then he would become the target of public criticism."

Li Jinghong, standing by, couldn't help but be curious and asked, "Dad, isn't there anyone in the clan who is doing anything about his opium addiction?"

Li Huaishan sighed and patiently explained, "Alas, the situation in the clan is very complicated. Most of the clan members rely on the Tu family for their livelihood, and at that time, they happened to be conscripting men everywhere. The young and strong were all captured, and the ones left were basically the old, weak and sick. Therefore, when it came to the matter of Master Tu Si smoking opium, everyone turned a blind eye. Besides, Master Tu Si started smoking opium at the instigation of those with bad intentions, saying that it could help him get rid of his sorrow."

Ah Cai listened attentively to Mr. Tu Si's story, and a wave of emotion welled up in her heart.

This person who once tried to fight against fate ultimately failed to persevere and became a typical example of giving up.

She shook her head gently. "Tsk tsk, if it were me, I would just donate all my property and let no one worry about it anymore. Wouldn't that be the end of it? Unlike Mr. Tu Si, who has caused so much trouble!"

At this time, Li Jingqi slowly stood up, walked to the table and poured a cup of steaming hot water.

He held the cup tightly with both hands, feeling the warm current passing through his fingertips, as if this brief warmth could dispel the coldness in his heart.

After a while, he spoke up, "But now the country has started classifying people by status. Master Tu Si has lost all his property, so he should be classified as a poor peasant, right?"

Li Huaishan, who was standing by, nodded in sudden realization, agreeing, "That's right! He's squandered everything in his family, leaving them with nothing. Even his relatives have suffered along with him. As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise! Perhaps this could actually be a good thing for them."

Li Jinghong's eyes widened in surprise, "Goodness! Does that mean the whole family really has to thank him?"

Ah Cai quickly agreed and nodded repeatedly, her small head like a chick pecking at rice, thinking in her heart, shouldn't we thank him? This ingredient issue will have a crucial impact in the next few decades, involving all aspects of life!

In the evening, Li Huaishan left the hotel and went to buy food for his children.

Ah Cai was wandering around the small hotel bored, when she suddenly heard a faint voice coming from a corner.

Out of curiosity, she tiptoed towards the corner.

When she got closer, she found that there were two men talking in low voices.

One of them wore a pair of glasses and looked gentle, but his furrowed brow and gloomy face made people feel that he was not a good person at all, and was a typical scoundrel.

He asked with a gloomy face, "Did you see him donate money? And he didn't even touch opium? How is that possible?"

Another man, dressed as a waiter, quickly lowered his voice and replied, "Master, didn't you swindle away all the last of his family's wealth using various tricks? Now he has nothing. According to the social class classification, he's already been classified as a poor peasant!"

The gentlemanly scoundrel gnashed his teeth in anger after hearing this and said viciously, "Humph! I never thought I would actually help him become a poor peasant. It's really too easy for him!"

Then, as if he had thought of something important, he pressed the issue, "Are all those antique jade pieces in his family really gone? Impossible, absolutely impossible! Especially the pair of jade lions that his great-grandmother brought as a dowry. I've never seen him trade them for money!"

The guy rolled his eyes inwardly, thinking that this guy was too greedy. It would have been bad enough if he had destroyed someone else's family, but he was still coveting other people's things.

You have to know that it was because this scoundrel coveted the other person's property that when he learned that the other person's family had tried to get him back from the Army Academy, he came up with a vicious plan. He first tricked the other person into becoming addicted to opium, and then took the opportunity to force him to sell his property to satisfy his own selfish desires.