Xia Xiaolan thought for a moment, “So you do know. Let me rephrase then – does this leader have a daughter who married someone with the surname Ho? I have business dealings with his grandson and wanted to learn about their family values.”

Guan Hui’e felt relieved at Xia Xiaolan’s explanation.

“Don’t scare me like that with your questions. Does Mayor Tang know you’re asking about this?”

Xia Xiaolan was troubled, “Uncle Tang only gave me half the story and told me to figure out the rest. I’m not sure how to handle it.”

Guan Hui’e felt inexplicably pleased:

“You’re doing the right thing – when you don’t know how to handle something, don’t rush, ask others for advice!”

Since Xia Xiaolan was asking her, it showed trust and treating her as an elder. This naturally made Guan Hui’e happy. Zhou Guobin hadn’t returned yet, and the unpleasant sister-in-law had been driven away, so Guan Hui’e invited Xia Xiaolan to sit on the sofa and listen:

“Mayor Tang’s story with Old Song has become quite a beautiful tale over the years – there’s no need to hide it from you. Old Song experienced many ups and downs in his life and loved giving opportunities to young cadres. He supported Mayor Tang because he appreciated him. Mayor Tang had no background when he was young. His acquaintance with Ji Ya was thanks to Old Song’s influence. Back then, Mayor Tang was Old Song’s secretary, naturally with a promising future – how else could he have married Ji Ya? Don’t look at me like that – I’ve asked around. Ji Ya was very popular when she was young. Though somewhat prideful, it didn’t stop many men from competing to marry her.”

Xia Xiaolan thought about Ji Ya’s appearance.

She had to admit Guan Hui’e was right.

If Ji Ya wasn’t so obsessive and crazy, she could indeed be quite captivating. Even now she could still bewitch George, so Xia Xiaolan couldn’t question Ji Ya’s charm.

In her youth, she must have had many pursuers.

It wasn’t easy for Tang Hongen to stand out!

When Guan Hui’e mentioned Old Song, Xia Xiaolan had some guesses, but she didn’t presume to make Guan Hui’e tell her the full name. She was more interested in the parts related to Tang Hongen:

“What happened then?”

“Then the Cultural Revolution came. Mayor Tang had probably already been transferred out and had been married to Ji Ya for several years – they had a son by then. At that time, criticism and self-criticism were happening nationwide, and the situation was very unfavorable for Old Song. Some radical people came out to attack him… They completely denied everything about Old Song, from his thoughts to his actions, and forced those who had worked with him to do the same.”

Though Guan Hui’e spoke indirectly, Xia Xiaolan understood.

Although Xia Xiaolan hadn’t personally experienced that era, she could comprehend it.

Why else would Wang Jianhua, originally from a high-ranking cadre family, end up in a place like Dahe Village? It was because Wang Guangping was sent down for labor reform, and the young master Wang became no better than a common bird, sent to be an educated youth in the remote Dahe Village!

Speaking of closer examples, there was her teacher Mao Kangshan, who was reported by his student and sent to the cowshed.

“Uncle Tang was close to Old Song, he must have suffered terribly!”

Ah, the methods of humiliation were all similar back then – being confined to the cowshed was both a spiritual and physical assault on intellectuals.

Guan Hui’e nodded: “That’s right, Mayor Tang suffered greatly. He had been Old Song’s secretary for several years and handled many of his speech drafts. To thoroughly defeat Old Song, they had to start with Mayor Tang. Others forced him to come out and criticize Old Song. Mayor Tang was working in Yunan Province then, not in a very high position but with good prospects. They supposedly promised Mayor Tang that if he helped bring down Old Song, he would not only be safe but would be promoted for his contribution, showing his high ideological consciousness!”

Was Tang Hongen that kind of person?

Unless Old Song had truly done something wrong, Xia Xiaolan felt Tang Hongen wouldn’t be threatened:

“Uncle Tang didn’t agree.”

Guan Hui’e smiled, “You’re right. Not only did he refuse to go along with them, he deceived them by saying he would write articles exposing Old Song. But when the article was published, it strongly criticized those attacking Old Song. He was very brave, publishing under his real name, stating his unwavering support for Old Song’s views… This stirred up a hornet’s nest. While they didn’t dare do much to Old Song, they made Tang suffer terribly, keeping him in the cowshed for several years! I heard that every week someone would ask if he would change his stance and write articles exposing Old Song. Mayor Tang submitted articles weekly, but they were all in support of Old Song, elaborately explaining Old Song’s concepts – he could have written a book about Old Song. It made them furious!”

Guan Hui’e originally didn’t know these things either; she inquired because of Xia Xiaolan’s closeness to Tang Hongen.

Now it seemed both satisfying and amusing to hear, but it must have been very difficult at the time.

Xia Xiaolan could imagine it:

“Uncle Tang was such a stubborn person, full of integrity, but he must have become a thorn in their side.”

“Exactly. Mayor Tang endured several years of hardship because of this. During this time, not only did Ji Ya divorce him, but I heard his family members also turned against him, fearing they would be implicated. But several years later, when the situation cleared up and Old Song regained influence, the first person he called back to help was Mayor Tang! He helped Old Song sort out the chaos, and two years later was transferred out again. You can look up his later career yourself.”

He quickly became the mayor of the Special Zone.

No wonder he was so capable.

Tang Hongen’s rapid rise wasn’t just because he protected Old Song.

Historical progress proved Old Song’s views were correct. Tang Hongen followed the historical tide – China’s Reform and Opening Up needed open-minded reformists like Tang Hongen, which is why he was appointed to the Special Zone!

“About the Ho family – it should be Old Song’s daughter who married into the Shanghai Ho family. The Ho family were major merchants in Shanghai before the founding of the nation, with strong connections in the banking system. They remained stable after the nation’s founding. I’m not sure if they were affected by Old Song’s troubles in recent years – I might not know if they were. I don’t know much about the Ho family.”

Everyone knew about Old Song’s affairs.

It was normal for Guan Hui’e to inquire about Tang Hongen, but there was no need to dig into Old Song’s family matters.

Xia Xiaolan pondered thoughtfully. Some things were common knowledge without asking – like how everyone who knew the Zhou family knew they valued Zhou Cheng highly. The fact that Old Song’s children weren’t well-known also indicated they weren’t very successful.

For instance, Old Song’s daughter married into the Shanghai Ho family, but Guan Hui’e couldn’t say much about them.

Were the Ho family living low-key, or were they just not capable?

Probably both.

Of course, now the Ho family was rising again, thanks to marrying Old Song’s daughter.

Ho Chenzhou was Old Song’s favorite grandson, so he could treat Tang Hongen like a family retainer.

How excessive – they only saw that Tang Hongen was valued by Old Song, but forgot how he was sent to the cowshed, how his wife left with their son, and how his family turned against him. For the sake of defending Old Song and standing on the side of truth, hadn’t Tang Hongen ended up all alone?

“Aunt Guan, thank you. With what you’ve told me, I can finally clear up my thoughts.”