Reborn as a Noble’s Son - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Chapter 40: The Leader’s Attitude_l

Translator: 549690339

“Do it together?” Nie Zhenbang sneered, charging in at once. He began demonstrating Shape-Intent Fist. His blows whipped up a wind. All that could be heard were painful wails and screams.

Most of Ou Zheng’s henchmen were brought over from Jiangnan Province. The remaining few were recruited right here in Jingcheng. They don’t know anything about fighting techniques- they usually get by with a superior number of fighters. More often than not, they rely on their positions of power to oppress others. But right now, they’re facing someone even tougher, and their authority isn’t working. Ou Zheng and his gang withered on the spot.

Nie Zhenbang didn’t have to exert much energy at all – in a flash, the whole gang was lying incapacitated on the ground, with Ou Zheng’s arm broken. Now, he is the one screaming the loudest. When Nie Zhenbang went into action, he made sure to exercise restraint. The others were just small-time flunkies- Nie Zhenbang went easy on them. But as for Ou Zheng, Nie Zhenbang didn’t show any such courtesy. Breaking both his arms was a lesson to him – not to stir up trouble again. Next time won’t be so gentle.

Watching as Ou Zheng was carried away, everyone cheered. Yang Anbang revelled in the excitement at that moment: “Brothers, thank you all for bearing witness. Tonight, Zhenbang and I are treating everyone to a meal at the Capital Restaurant, in the Tan family’s room. We won’t leave until we’re drunk!”

The evening came.

The entire Tan family room at the Capital Restaurant was reserved solely by Nie Zhenbang. The whole city’s princes and princesses showed up like never before.

The gentlemen naturally gathered together. The sound of the thirty-year-old Maotai being served was like a gift from heaven. The noise of merriment filled the air, echoing back and forth.

The banquet finally ended around nine o’clock in the evening. Nie Zhenbang, by this time, had drunk nearly two litres of white wine and was a little tipsy. It was funny to think that in this life, Nie Zhenbang’s alcohol tolerance owes much to his past life. This time, even though he didn’t drink a tremendous amount, his tolerance seemed to have been passed down to him.

Staggering a little, Nie Zhenbang passed through the checkpoint of his red-walled mansion. As soon as he stepped into his house, he saw his grandfather sitting on the main seat in the living room, his face grim. Next to him sat a slightly balding, plump elder with a somber expression on his face, looking for him.

“Grandpa, why haven’t you gone to bed yet?” Nie Zhenbang greeted his grandfather as soon as he entered the door.

At this moment, Elder Nie nodded and said, “Zhenbang, come sit down. Let me introduce you. This is our newly appointed State Councillor, Uncle Ou Huajun.”

These words sobered up Nie Zhenbang quite a bit. Nie Zhenbang never expected that the Ou family would go to such lengths, having the parent of a twenty-something-year-old son who gets into fights come over to their house.

Looking at Ou Huajun, Nie Zhenbang noticed that Ou Huajun was staring back at him. Before he could even utter a word, Ou Huajun’s eyes flashed a dark glint and he chuckled, “Elder Nie, this must be Zhenbang. He indeed has a dignified presence and good looks.”

Grandpa at this moment turned to Nie Zhenbang and asked, “Zhenbang, did you beat up the Councilman’s son today? You see, you don’t know how to control your strength during a fight. You broke his arm.”

Hearing the tone of his grandfather’s words, Nie Zhenbang could tell that his grandfather was likely to side with him. With his grandfather’s character, he wouldn’t have been so cordial. He would have berated and scolded. He wouldn’t have spoken so favorably.

Feeling surprised, Nie Zhenbang answered, “Grandpa, are you serious? At that time, Ou Zheng was leading a dozen people to hit me. I didn’t fight back that hard. How did he break his arm then? Yang Anbang and everyone else was there. Our rules dictate we do so. I have no idea how he broke his arm.”

By now, Ou Huajun had figured it out. At the same time, he heard the truth. It turns out his son went with a bunch of his friends to beat up one man, lost, and got injured. At this point, Ou Huajun’s face was burning with embarrassment. This incident isn’t a secret. Anyone interested can easily find out what happened. Nie Zhenbang is definitely not lying.

“Elder Nie, you truly have a tiger for a grandson. I never dreamed your grandson could be so formidable. I’ve been rude in this matter. Another day, I’ll come over again to apologize in person. Please forgive the misunderstanding this time due to the rashness of my son. Elder Nie, I must take my leave now,” Ou Huajun couldn’t press further in this matter without feeling embarrassed and hastily took his leave.

Once Ou Huajun left, Elder Nie resumed his calm demeanor, and while sizing up Nie Zhenbang, he nodded in approval after a while, “Not bad, you remind me of myself, unlike your father who has always been indecisive since his youth and lacks assertiveness. This is all because he was spoiled by your grandmother. You, on the other hand, grew up outside and seem to be doing well in various aspects.”

Having said that, Elder Nie turned serious, “Zhenbang, you must be extra careful during this period. The current situation is uncertain and you should maintain a low profile. The time for you to act freely will only come in the next two years.”

These words startled Nie Zhenbang. The old man was indeed no pushover, even though he was entrenched in the military, he had an astute understanding of matters. Historically, the next two years were precarious until the 1990s, when everything normalized after a new leader took over.

With this in mind, Nie Zhenbang immediately nodded and responded, “Don’t worry, Grandfather. I know what to do. Besides, I plan to go to the Soviet Union in a few days.”

This statement, however, took Elder Nie by surprise. At this point, national diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union were still frosty. There were not any apparent signs of a thaw in relations and going to the Soviet Union through formal means was highly unlikely. However, going there privately raised a big question about Nie Zhenbang’s safety.

At this point, Elder Nie was conflicted. Among the third generation, Nie Jialei was more of a guardian and less of a risk-taker. Nie Jiamin, on the other hand, was clearly made for a military life. Politics and power struggles were completely foreign to him. Only his grandson, who had grown up among common folk, showed promise and gave Elder Nie hope.

After a moment of silence, Elder Nie looked at Nie Zhenbang and asked, “Are you certain you want to go to the Soviet Union at this time?”

Before Nie Zhenbang could respond, a hearty laughter came from outside, “Old

Nie, what’s this I hear about someone going to the Soviet Union?”

Following the sound, both Elder Nie and Nie Zhenbang were shocked. The head of state – why was he here?

Elder Nie quickly recovered, got up swiftly, and went to greet him, “Leader, why are you here?”

The head of state, however, just waved with a smile on his face, came into the living room, sat straight down on the sofa, and chuckled, “Old Nie, don’t be so formal. We were equals during the Anti-Japanese War and we were classmates. There’s no need for such formalities. There’s no leader here, only brothers. I overheard something about the Soviet Union. Are you planning to send Zhenbang there? This is not the best time. Gorbachev is not an easy figure to deal with, much like Khrushchev.”

At this point, Elder Nie was fully at ease. Since the Nie family had been pushed to the side of the reformists, Elder Nie was no longer stubborn. He went on to share Nie Zhenbang’s analysis of the Soviet Union and his reasons for wanting to go there with the head of state.

The head of state’s expression also turned serious at this point, and he looked at Nie Zhenbang and questioned, “Zhenbang, where did you get this information? We have a lot of people in the Third Bureau of the General Staff Department in the Soviet Union who don’t know anything about this. Are you sure about this?”

The country has its own channels and spies. The head of state was somewhat puzzled. From Elder Nie’s just-spoken words, it would appear that there might be some truth to it. Still, why did the country get no clues? This is what baffled the head of state.

At this moment, Nie Zhenbang also felt a little awkward. He certainly couldn’t admit to his reincarnation. Having no other choice, he ambiguously said, “Leader, it’s just my speculation. That’s why I want to go there personally to see for myself.”

Faced with the prospect of obtaining industrial equipment, mother machines for machine tools, as well as researchers and their data that the nation urgently needed, the head of state pondered for a while, then made his decision. He looked at Elder Nie and said, “Old Nie, I’d like to discuss something with you. I want to adopt Zhenbang as my foster grandson. We are preparing to hold a small-scale acknowledging ceremony. What do you think?”

This statement instantly surprised both Elder Nie and Nie Zhenbang. The intentions of the head of state were made very clear here..