The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 684 - 653: Hesitation_1

Chapter 684: Chapter 653: Hesitation_1

He Tiantian slept soundly, and Huo Yingjie handed the child over to Grandma Wang before returning to his study to write an article, which he then presented to his father.

The time was ripe to push his father further.

Today was a rest day, and Huo Zhekun was drinking tea and reading.

"Why have you come here?" asked Huo Zhekun. If there was nothing important, his son would rather spend time with his child than accompany him for tea.

Huo Yingjie smiled, placed several sheets of manuscript on the stone table, and said, "I’ve written this for you to review. It might help with your work, with your career path."

After speaking, Huo Yingjie sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and leisurely sipped it.

Huo Zhekun, without much concern, picked up the papers and skimmed through them. Then he sat up straight, engrossed as if he had found a treasure, and read carefully.

He didn’t want to miss even a punctuation mark.

After a while, Huo Zhekun’s eyes finally moved away from the paper.

"Yingjie, did you write this?" asked Huo Zhekun. Lately, there had been ongoing discussions about major decisions at the top, but nothing had been settled.

This article provided a solid theoretical basis for that significant decision.

"Yes, I did," Huo Yingjie admitted brazenly. He knew that to have a peaceful life in the future, he needed to propel his father or perhaps his uncle to a higher position.

"This matter is too significant. I cannot act rashly. I must discuss it with your grandfather," said Huo Zhekun. "I’ll take the train to Yanjing today."

"What if grandfather and uncle are too cautious to support it?" Huo Yingjie retorted. If his grandfather were ten years younger, he might still have the ambition, but not now.

As for his uncle, he too lacked a certain sharpness.

"I can see the frustration. Surely grandfather and uncle can perceive it too," Huo Zhekun said, confused. In his mind, his father and older brother were more capable than him.

"Yes, having long resided in Yanjing, they can see the subtleties, but they lack the courage to move forward," Huo Yingjie said. "Father, trust me. If grandfather and uncle are unwilling, you must submit it in your own name."

"What if..." Huo Zhekun hesitated.

"Father, fortune favors the bold," Huo Yingjie said. "Besides, if it were truly dangerous, I wouldn’t have brought it out. Grandfather is getting old and will pass away sooner or later. If uncle can’t go further, then father, it’s up to you to step in."

Huo Zhekun was stunned, falling silent for a long time. As a family with a legacy in Yanjing, it was a case of moving forward or falling back.

Previously, with his father and older brother leading the way, his official career outside had gone smoothly. However, once his father was gone and his older brother had his own children and grandchildren,

it was time for him to consider his future.

He couldn’t rely on his father and brother for protection for the rest of his life.

Thinking of his son and his adorable grandchildren, he realized he couldn’t afford to be complacent as he had been before.

"Alright, I’ll go," Huo Zhekun decided. "After all, with grandfather and uncle above me, even if I release it, there won’t be any trouble for me."

Huo Zhekun did not get the chance to say goodbye to his wife Jiang Lifang before boarding the train to Yanjing that day.

Both He Tiantian and Jiang Lifang were puzzled and unaware of what Huo Zhekun was planning!

However, with school starting soon, He Tiantian had no time to worry about her father-in-law’s affairs.

As for Huo Yingjie, he often looked through newspapers, hoping to see his father publish the article. What kind of changes would it bring to his father?

Let’s talk about Huo Zhekun, who went to Yanjing.

Old Master Huo and Huo Zheqian were shocked to see Huo Zhekun return at an unexpected time, worried that something had happened in Nan City.

"Zhekun, what has happened?" Old Master Huo asked anxiously. It was a time when debates raged, and the Huo Family was in the thick of it. A single misstep might not bring about their downfall, but it could be seen as siding with the wrong team.

Huo Zhekun smiled, took out the few sheets of manuscript he had copied, while the originals written by his son had already been burned by Huo Zhekun.

"Dad, have a look," said Huo Zhekun. "I feel it’s necessary right now!"

Old Master Huo, taken aback, took them and was immediately struck by a resonating sentence, "Practice is the sole criterion for testing truth!"

This title left Old Master Huo speechless.

Seeing his father lost in thought, Huo Zheqian quietly prompted, "Father, what is written there that has left you so spellbound?"

Old Master Huo recovered and, without a word, continued reading. The short article took but a few dozen breaths to finish.

"Did you write this?" The handwriting was that of his second son, but the content was so shocking that Old Master Huo couldn’t believe his son wrote it.

Huo Zhekun would hide the truth from others, claiming he wrote it himself, but he did not conceal anything in front of his family.

Even if he insisted, his father and older brother would not believe it.

"No, it was written by Yingjie," Huo Zhekun said. "With this manuscript, our Huo Family can immediately rise from mere provincials to the heights of strategists."

Hearing the conversation between his father and younger brother, Huo Zheqian felt more intrigued. Seeing his father finish reading, he quickly took a look.

"Good, very good!" Huo Zheqian said, praising repeatedly.

"Father, what do you think we should do with this manuscript?" Huo Zhekun asked. If his father and older brother were willing, then he would give them the chance to lead with this opportunity.

Huo Zhekun would be content to work steadily on the outside and, upon securing a position of real authority, retire in comfort.

However, after hearing Huo Zhekun’s words, Old Master Huo and Huo Zheqian looked at each other in silence, weighing the pros and cons in their minds.

After a while, Old Master Huo slowly spoke, "Zhekun, you’ve been outside and don’t know the situation in Yanjing. The debates are intense, and no one can persuade the others. Anyone who gets involved now becomes a target for everyone."

Old Master Huo’s stance was clear even though he didn’t spell it out.

Huo Zheqian nodded, "There are already many eyes on me. If I were to present it, it would surely become an object of attack from other people or factions."

Hearing the words of his father and older brother, Huo Zhekun was not overly disappointed.

As his son had said, his father and older brother had many concerns and indeed were not suited to publish such an article.

"Father, older brother, I have worked locally for a long time and have much practical experience. I will publish this article under my name," Huo Zhekun declared resolutely. He did not want his son’s hard-earned truth to be obscured; that would be a desecration of his son’s efforts.

"You..." Old Master Huo was startled again. "Could that be risky?"

Huo Zheqian, too, was somewhat anxious and advised, "Younger brother, don’t be reckless!"

Huo Zhekun simply smiled and said, "Father, I have thought this through carefully."

"Oh?" Old Master Huo was surprised. "Then tell me, I want to hear your careful consideration!"

Huo Zheqian was also very interested.