Chapter 200: A Warning
Chapter 200: A Warning
It was another New Year's Eve, and Deng Shirong was bustling about with his children and their spouses.
In the Shuangwang region, the family reunion dinner was still held at noon.
Before the meal, Deng Shirong gave a summary, saying, "This year has been a year of good fortune for our family. First, Yunheng was accepted into Peking University, becoming the pride of our Deng clan. Not only does he have the honor of being recorded in the family genealogy, but he even has the chance to have his own page. This is something to be proud of."
The faces of his children and their spouses lit up with smiles, sharing in the joy and pride.
In a large family like the Dengs, as long as the parents are capable and fair, the children tend to be very united. Conversely, if the parents lack ability and favor certain children, the family will fall apart, and the brothers will live separately with their wives.
Reborn, Deng Shirong proved to be a competent patriarch. Under his leadership, the siblings were united, and the sisters-in-law were as close as sisters. The family lived harmoniously, far better than the constant scheming and rivalry seen in other large families in the village.
Deng Shirong, feeling happy, continued, "Secondly, our third generation has arrived. Xiaodong has just been born, and she has already earned our family an additional plot of land, showing that she is a very fortunate person."
Zhang Xiuping gently patted her daughter in her arms, smiling, "Xiaodong, did you hear that? Grandpa says you are very fortunate!"
Deng Yunzhen added with a smile, "Xiaodong being born into our family is indeed a blessing. Take Zhang Qi's five daughters, for example. Being born into their family is a curse. Their lives are so hard that it makes me feel sorry for them. Even though her mother-in-law calmed down after being scolded by Dad, her attitude towards those girls hasn't improved much."
Deng Shirong said, "That's their business. As long as they don't go too far, I can't interfere much. Zhang Qi's life is tough now, but once those girls grow up, she might have a better life than most women in the village."
This wasn't just idle talk. In his previous life, once Zhang Qi's daughters grew up, her life did indeed improve.
Deng Yunzhen said, "Zhang Qi is pregnant again. We don't know if this one will be a boy or a girl. If it's a boy, her hard times will be over. If it's another girl, her struggles will continue."
Deng Shirong raised his wine glass and smiled, "We shouldn't worry about other people's affairs. Let's focus on our own lives. Here's to a prosperous year ahead for our family. May we have more children and wealth, and may our lives get better and better."
Everyone raised their glasses, the adults drinking wine and the children drinking soda.
Deng Shirong, mindful of his daughter-in-law who was still nursing, had even cooked a pot of ginger wine for her to drink.
The family reunion dinner lasted from just after noon until around three in the afternoon.
After the meal, it was time to give New Year's red envelopes to the children, followed by everyone gathering in the living room to chat and warm themselves by the fire.
During this time, a young man from the village came to invite Deng YunTai to play cards, but Deng Shirong sternly sent him away.
He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. After being reborn, he had transformed his second son, who had become a professional gambler in his previous life, into a Peking University student. Now, someone was trying to lure his eldest son into gambling. How could he possibly be in a good mood?
Gambling was a vile habit left over from the old society. As the saying goes, "Nine out of ten gamblers are cheats." It was a form of robbery, a corrupt way of life.
In the early days of liberation, due to the lingering influence of feudal society, gambling was still rampant in the county. It wasn't until March 1954, when the police launched a four-month campaign to sweep away the gambling problem and arrested 19 gambling bosses, that the situation began to improve.
By 1956, gambling had resurfaced, with 11 criminal cases that year. In 1957, the number rose to 19. In Fengshan District, 11 out of 17 towns had gambling problems, with at least 30 participants per session, sometimes reaching hundreds.
The police punished some of the gambling bosses and habitual gamblers, but this only temporarily suppressed the problem.
In 1979, gambling made a comeback, and the police had to crack down again.
The Bangjie Brigade was no exception, and a large number of gamblers emerged.
Deng Shirong could only watch helplessly. Despite his high status in the village, he couldn't stop this problem. All he could do was strictly prohibit his own children from gambling. As for others, that was their business, and he couldn't control it.
However, seeing someone come to his house to invite his son to play cards today, he realized he needed to be more vigilant. He would have to spread the word that no one was allowed to invite his children to gamble. Otherwise, he wouldn't hesitate to take drastic action.
In this life, with him around, his children would all be billionaires at the very least. He wasn't afraid of them spending money freely; what he feared was them getting involved in gambling. Gambling was truly terrifying. Even if you were the world's richest person, a single moment of impulse could leave you penniless.
Once you started gambling, no amount of money was truly yours; it would eventually belong to someone else.
Deng Shirong understood this all too well.
Of course, there were exceptions, like his second son, who had become a professional gambler in his previous life. For such people, money was always won, and even losses were gains. They could never lose everything, which was the difference between ordinary gamblers and professional ones.
In his previous life, many young men in the village envied his second son's lifestyle. His days were filled with mahjong and poker, and he always had money, albeit in small amounts. This life was what many young men in the village aspired to.
However, Deng Shirong always believed his second son had taken the wrong path. If he hadn't become a gambler, his intelligence and talent would have made him a millionaire or even a billionaire.
After sending the young man who had come to invite his eldest son to play cards away, Deng Shirong said sternly, "YunTai, and the rest of you, I want to warn you today. I won't interfere with what you do in your lives, but gambling and drugs are absolutely off-limits. If any of you touch either, and I find out, I will break your legs."
Seeing their father's unprecedentedly serious expression, Deng YunTai quickly replied, "I understand, Dad. I promise I won't touch those things."
The other children and their spouses also chimed in, assuring him that they would stay away from gambling and drugs.
(End of Chapter)
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