Chapter 708: Chapter 747 The Ye Family is Rising Up
"Yunzhu, you can rest now. Yifei and I still have sothing to discuss," the old patriarch said to Ye Yunzhu.
Ye Yunzhu knew the old patriarch had so matters to discuss with Li Yifei in private. Understanding the situation, she tactfully left the room. In these large clans, won were generally used for alliance marriages and seldom involved in family affairs. Ye Yunzhu’s participation was already a rarity, but there were still things they preferred to keep from her. She had seen this happen often enough; it no longer bothered her.
"Rest more when you get back. You’ve also had a tiring day," Li Yifei admonished before turning to close the door. He then took out a cigarette and finally allowed himself to smoke. He had always refrained from smoking in front of Ye Yunzhu, but now he could indulge.
"Co on, give
one. This cigarette really tastes good," the old patriarch requested a smoke, took a couple of puffs, and complinted, "Not bad at all. The cigarettes Su ngxin got for you are indeed good."
Li Yifei said proudly, "They’re quite decent."
The old patriarch blew a smoke ring and said with a mischievous grin, "Heh heh, you sneaky kid, you keep saying you won’t agree to Su ngxin and yet, you smoke the cigarettes she gives you. And judging by that smug look on your face, I bet you and the lady have gotten quite close already, haven’t you?"
Li Yifei rolled his eyes, deeming the old man’s remark as... utterly disrespectful of his age!
With another proud chuckle, the old patriarch continued, "You don’t need to curse
in your mind. I certainly didn’t say this in front of Yunzhu."
Li Yifei was caught between laughter and helplessness. The old man was indeed no simple figure. He said, "Then I really should thank you. While my relationship with ngxin has made so progress, I can’t really say where it will end up."
"Heh heh, that I’ll leave to you, but all I know is that my granddaughter is your woman, and so is Su ngxin. That makes our Ye family and the Su Family relatives," the old patriarch declared.
Li Yifei was too lazy to dispute this matter with the old patriarch. He wouldn’t easily let Su ngxin get involved with helping the Ye family, but as long as it was within his capacity, he would still assist them.
The reason the old patriarch dismissed Ye Yunzhu was primarily to discuss Su ngxin. What followed was a conversation about the details of the upcoming competition. The old man was experienced and shrewd, demonstrating thorough planning that made Li Yifei feel inferior. The old patriarch truly deserved to be the head of the family, with exceptional capabilities.
It wasn’t until dinner ti that Li Yifei joined the old patriarch in the dining hall. Three large tables seated the Ye family mbers, young and old. Li Yifei and Ye Yunzhu were specifically called over to sit at the table with Yunzhu’s parental generation, which clearly showed the old patriarch’s regard for Li Yifei.
The Ye family mbers held no animosity towards Li Yifei. His presence, however impressive in the Ye family, did not affect them adversely. His return would only be of help to them; he wasn’t taking anything away from the family. Even though Ye Yunzhu’s career might have taken so resources from the Ye family, her position as Deputy County Head had been secured with just a phone call from Li Yifei. Therefore, everyone agreed that he deserved to sit at the sa table as the old patriarch.
Those present for dinner were all Ye family mbers. Relatives who had co to pay birthday respects had been accommodated in a hotel, and a few Ye family mbers were there to entertain the guests. Consequently, not all Ye family mbers were present at this ti.
The old patriarch suddenly stood up with his wine glass in hand, and the bustling dining hall went silent. It was unusual for him to rise and speak during a al, so when he did, it ant an important announcent was coming.
He looked around at everyone there, all his descendants within the Ye family. The Ye family was not known for spoiled heirs; although there were not many of great talent, there were no wastrels either. In the second and third generations, there were quite a few capable individuals, which always made him proud.
"I am delighted to see all of our Ye family gathered together once more. Watching each of you grow brings
imnse comfort." His eyes first swept over those from the second generation sitting at the sa table, and he said, "In recent years, I haven’t been too involved in the managent of the Ye family, but you’ve all kept the family affairs running smoothly. You’ve done well, and I trust that when one of you takes over the family, you will not let it decline."
The second generation perked up; was the old patriarch about to na his successor?
His gaze settled on his eldest son, Ye Zhenlong, and he slowly said, "Zhenlong, as the eldest son of the Ye family, the position will be yours in the future. I will announce it officially tomorrow."
"Ah!" Ye Zhenlong suddenly stiffened in his seat, then, sowhat flustered, stood up and said, "Dad, you’re still in good health, the Ye family still needs you to steer the ship."
Patriarch Ye Jingfeng waved his hand and said with a smile, "I’m indeed still in good shape right now, but I can’t wait until I’m really senile to relinquish this position. I want to take the opportunity to see you do well in the role of the family head while I still can."
Ye Zhenlong quickly responded, "But among all the brothers, my abilities are not the most outstanding. In terms of aggressiveness, I’m inferior to the second brother; in terms of brainpower, I’m inferior to the fourth brother..."
The old patriarch looked at his children and said slowly, "In terms of abilities, you may not be the most extraordinary, but you are the most stable and capable of commanding respect. On this point, your brothers can’t compare with you. The rise and fall of a family primarily depend on its unity. The responsibility of the family head is to lead our clan to prosper and develop, which is a duty, not just about the benefits. Look at those families that have declined over the years; eighty percent fell because of internal discord, which led to external exploitation and eventually their complete downfall. The main reason the Ye family has endured is that we have always paid attention to this point, always uniting as one."
After a pause, the old patriarch looked at his other children and said, "Today, I’m hastily appointing Zhenlong as the family head. If any of you think I’m wrong, feel free to speak up. On this matter, I absolutely support you raising objections."
The second son, Ye Zhenhu, imdiately spoke up, "Dad, since you’ve decided to step down as the family head, I support my eldest brother. It’s only natural for the eldest son to inherit the position of the family head. Besides, the eldest brother has always had the highest prestige among us. If it were soone else, it would be easier to cause dissatisfaction. I support your decision."
And then the fourth son, Ye Zhenwei, said, "Dad, I also think there’s nothing wrong with your decision. Rest assured, I will fully support my eldest brother in the future, and we brothers will unite for the prosperity of the Ye family."
Ye Yunzhu’s father, Ye Zhenyang, along with several other brothers, also expressed their support for Ye Zhenlong becoming the new family head. First, it was already the patriarch’s decision, and opposing it was aningless. Second, Ye Zhenlong was indeed popular among the brothers.
Seeing no objections, the old patriarch was extrely gratified and spoke out loudly, "Our Ye family’s strength lies in brotherly unity. As long as we achieve this, the Ye family is sure to prosper for a long ti. You youngsters must learn from your uncles, work together with one heart, and make our Ye family even stronger!"
The old patriarch’s words made the younger generation’s blood surge with excitent. They all felt a great change was coming to the Ye family, one that would bring them glory and opportunities to showcase their talents.
Seeing his descendants’ spirits aroused, the old patriarch nodded with satisfaction and said, "Now I have a second announcent to make. From now on, our Ye family will compete with the other great families. I want our Ye family to beco the most powerful in our province!"
"Wow!" All the younger mbers cried out in excitent. As mbers of a great family, nearly all of them harbored such ambition. The Ye family had always been too low-key compared with other great families, which made them feel sowhat inferior in gatherings. Now it seed they no longer had to act that way. They not only needed to stand tall but also had to outshine the other families. Just thinking about it was exhilarating.
As for Ye Zhenlong and the others, they were not particularly moved by this announcent, as they had been preparing for years, and the patriarch had previously discussed it with them. However, appointing Ye Zhenlong as the family head was unexpected to them.
"Good, let’s toast to the rise of our Ye family!" The old patriarch raised his glass and drained it in one go.
Everyone lifted their glasses and followed suit, downing their drinks—even the younger children, caught up in the mont, took a sip.
At that mont, Ye Yunzhu was also deeply moved. Previously, she had not spent much ti living at the Ye family, so she didn’t have much sense of the strife among great families. Now, inspired by the patriarch’s words, she couldn’t help but pick up her glass to drink.
But Li Yifei quickly extended his hand and took the glass from her, replacing it with an empty one and drinking from Ye Yunzhu’s glass himself.
Ye Yunzhu couldn’t help but smile, but she also felt sweet inside. Although Li Yifei was doing this for the sake of the child she was carrying, it was also a sign of his care for her. With the uncles looking on, she could only give Li Yifei a glare and then smile apologetically at the uncles.
No one took the matter to heart, as everyone was aware of her pregnancy. Seeing Li Yifei’s gesture toward Ye Yunzhu, they all responded with kind smiles. The elders knew the role Li Yifei could play this ti might be the key to the Ye family’s success or failure.
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