Chapter Summaries

Great God Ni and Xiao Yu were transferred to Factory 506 after their research unit withheld promised bonuses and overtime pay, while Xiao Zheng stayed behind. They arrived at the factory and found a crowd of retirees gathered there, leaving them worried that their new posting was a trap.

• Great God Ni learned that he, Xiao Yu, and Xiao Zheng had been transferred to Factory 506, and he took his bonus after confronting Old Liu about the unpaid compensation.
• Great God Ni discovered that Xiao Zheng would remain at the old unit, while Xiao Yu told him that the unit had given its remaining technical staff bonuses and rooms and had replaced Great God Ni as team leader.
• Great God Ni offered to split his bonus with Xiao Yu, who refused and said he would confront Old Liu if his own pay was withheld.
• Xiao Yu described Factory 506 as a well-connected wireless equipment manufacturer with decent benefits as he escorted Great God Ni through registration.
• Great God Ni and Xiao Yu saw a large crowd of retirees gathered inside Factory 506 and suspected that their new posting might be a trap.

Great God Ni discovered that Factory 506 was preparing a joint venture with Hong Kong's Fengyu Electronics, and that Pengcheng Fengyu needed veteran technical workers. As the workers eagerly signed up to go south, Li Ye reflected on how private enterprise had become an accepted part of economic reform.

• Li Ye told Great God Ni that Factory 506 was negotiating a joint venture with Fengyu Electronics, prompting Ni to hope Pei Wencong would support future research.
• Great God Ni and Xiao Yu were swept back by the crowd as Factory 506 began recruiting skilled workers for Pengcheng Fengyu.
• Yang Suiyan announced the joint venture and explained that Fengyu needed experienced workers for its new color television production line in Pengcheng.
• Chen Donggou described the conditions and pay, including bonuses for training apprentices and advance wage transfers through Factory 506.
• The veteran workers signed up in large numbers, and Li Ye told Zhen Rongrong that private enterprise was no longer shameful.

Peking University students Zhen Rongrong and Chen Xiaoling gathered practical fieldwork at Factory 506 after Li Ye urged them to focus on workers’ and managers’ everyday concerns. Meanwhile, Great God Ni and Xiao Yu joined the joint venture with generous pay and benefits, then set off with Li Ye and a reemployed driver to visit their former workplace.

• Li Ye redirected Zhen Rongrong’s research from broad economic debates toward concrete questions about Factory 506’s workers, managers, and joint-venture reforms.
• Zhen Rongrong, Chen Xiaoling, and their classmates interviewed veteran workers and a deputy factory director, filling their notebooks with material for a practical economics paper.
• Li Ye met Great God Ni and Xiao Yu after they completed their transfer procedures, and Xiao Yu revealed his salary and new apartment while Great God Ni showed his company-issued Santana.
• Xiao Yu urged Great God Ni to visit the Chinese Academy of Sciences and recruit Xiao Zheng, while Great God Ni explained that the company had authorized him to assemble a technical team.
• Li Ye called over Chen Ergou, who found a reemployed veteran driver to take Great God Ni and Xiao Yu to their former workplace in the Santana.

At Factory 506, Li Ye explained to workers why Engineer Ni’s program-controlled switch research was worth far more than its development fee and argued that equal dignity could help ease conflicts caused by unequal incomes. When Ni and Xiao Yu returned, workers warmly welcomed them, unaware that Li Ye’s explanation had changed their view of Ni.

• Zhen Rongrong and her classmates overheard Old Zhou complain that newcomers were being favored while workers’ pay and opportunities became unequal.
• Chen Xiaoling asked whether income differences would create a middle class, and Li Ye said wealth gaps would grow and require people like them to resolve the resulting conflicts.
• Li Ye explained that Ni’s switch development had earned a $1.5 million fee and could save the country tens of millions, persuading nearby workers that Ni’s value justified his special treatment.
• Li Ye said that people could earn different incomes while retaining equal dignity, and the workers accepted his explanation as a basis for fairness.
• Ni and Xiao Yu returned to Factory 506, where workers greeted Ni warmly, leaving the two men puzzled about their welcome.

Li Ye and Wen Leyu went to Capital City Film Studio to meet the girl recommended for Little Red Tassel in “Deserter in the Flames of War.” After Wen Leyu corrected the girl’s rude behavior and Li Ye gave her the novel to study, Li Ye recognized her as Zhong Haohao.

• Li Ye agreed to bring Wen Leyu’s recommended candidate to Capital City Film Studio to audition for Little Red Tassel.
• Li Ye and Wen Leyu rode bicycles to the studio, where Li Ye found a cold, defiant girl waiting.
• The girl said she had not read the novel or script and had only come to go through the motions before leaving abroad.
• Wen Leyu ordered the girl to stand properly and reminded her to show manners toward people helping her.
• Li Ye gave the girl the novel and told her she would need to answer questions about the role.
• The girl introduced herself as Zhong Haohao, and Li Ye recognized her.

Li Ye brought Zhong Haohao to audition for Little Red Tassel in Deserter in the Flames of War, while the other candidates struggled to capture the young character. The chapter ended as Zhong Haohao stepped onto the stage with Little Red Tassel’s twin braids, catching Director Wang Haowei’s attention.

• Li Ye recognized Zhong Haohao as the future actress Ke Lan and suggested she read about Little Red Tassel to see whether the character resonated with her.
• Li Ye brought Zhong Haohao to the production’s auditions, and Director Wang Haowei agreed to let her audition after the other candidates.
• Zhang Fengyi and Chen Peisi auditioned for Hu Yi and Li Youcai, followed by Zhou Lijing, leaving Li Ye uncertain about the male lead.
• Liu Xiaoqing and several younger actresses auditioned for Little Red Tassel, but Li Ye judged their performances unsuitable for the role.
• Li Ye called Zhong Haohao to audition, and she walked onto the stage tying her hair into Little Red Tassel’s twin braids, making Director Wang Haowei’s eyes light up.

Zhong Haohao impressed the casting team with her portrayal of Little Red Tassel and argued that the character’s age and unusual military background were essential to the role. Li Ye helped Wang Haowei frame the story as a special-operations drama, and Zhong Haohao agreed to move into the studio guesthouse if she was cast.

• Zhong Haohao performed Little Red Tassel’s mess-hall scene so convincingly that Wang Haowei and the others applauded her.
• Zhang Fengyi, Zhou Lijing, and Chen Peisi discussed their roles, and Chen Peisi asked Li Ye whether Li Youcai counted as a traitor.
• Zhong Haohao argued that Little Red Tassel could only be believable as a child soldier, while Li Ye explained that Ninth Company’s misfits were flawed but dependable in battle.
• Li Ye suggested presenting Ninth Company as a special-operations unit, and Wang Haowei and the others embraced the idea.
• Li Ye warned Zhong Haohao that acting in the production could mean living alone at the studio guesthouse, and she eagerly agreed to move in that day.

At a farewell banquet for Zhen Rongrong and Sun Xianjin, Li Ye reflected on the paths he had helped open for his classmates and walked Zhen Rongrong home. He urged her to prioritize her studies abroad over earning money, then revealed that he had brought her a gift.

• Li Ye paid his share of the classmates’ farewell banquet, where everyone toasted Zhen Rongrong and Sun Xianjin before they left to study abroad.
• He Dazhuang recognized Li Ye’s influence on Sun Xianjin’s opportunities and decided to seek a sincere talk with him, but Zhen Rongrong took Li Ye away after the banquet.
• Zhen Rongrong asked Li Ye to become class monitor and organize a reunion after she left for Lighthouse, and Li Ye agreed to keep in touch with everyone.
• When Zhen Rongrong talked about earning money abroad like Xu Wenli, Li Ye warned her not to sacrifice study time for dishwashing work and urged her to make full use of her education opportunity.
• Li Ye said he had a small gift for Zhen Rongrong and pulled a thick envelope from his pocket, making her realize he intended to give her money.

Li Ye persuaded Zhen Rongrong to accept a loan for her studies abroad and gave Sun Xianjin travel money before joking with Wen Leyu at breakfast. The chapter left him deciding how to respond when Cheng Muye asked to borrow one thousand U.S. dollars.

• Li Ye warned Zhen Rongrong about dangers abroad and convinced her to accept several thousand U.S. dollars as a loan at three percent annual interest.
• Back in Dorm 209, Li Ye learned that students were gossiping about him and Zhen Rongrong, then gave Sun Xianjin money for his trip to Moscow.
• At breakfast, Li Ye told Wen Leyu about the loan and teased her by saying that she was his interest.
• Cheng Muye introduced himself as a student selected to study abroad and asked Li Ye to lend him one thousand U.S. dollars.

Director Xiong visited Li Ye to ask about Chang'an Film Studio’s overdue overseas profit share from Lone Army Gazing Homeward, while explaining that the studio was afraid to press Pei Wencong and lose his investment. Li Ye agreed to inquire, then reached Aqiang by phone, whose nervous response left the conversation poised for an explanation.

• Director Xiong brought a truckload of gifts to Peking University for the Lone Army Literary Society and a separate delivery for Li Ye.
• Director Xiong told Li Ye that Chang'an Film Studio wanted to know when its agreed ten-percent overseas profit share would be paid.
• Director Xiong explained that Chang'an Film Studio feared offending Pei Wencong, whose investment had transformed the studio’s fortunes and attracted other film studios’ interest.
• Li Ye agreed to ask about the overdue payment and advised Director Xiong to keep the studio’s independence and dignity in future partnerships.
• Li Ye called Huo Renqiang, and Aqiang answered nervously after hearing Li Ye address him as Mr. Huo.

Li Ye learned that Lone Army Gazing Homeward's overseas dividends had only been delayed by extended screenings, and Chang'an Film Studio invited him to Tokyo for a film festival. He considered bringing Wen Leyu, then heard that Fu Guiru wanted to meet both sisters' partners.

• Li Ye asked Aqiang about the missing overseas dividends, and Aqiang explained that extended screenings had delayed the final settlement and promised to send an advance payment.
• Director Xiong gave Li Ye a box of antiques and told him Chang'an Film Studio had reserved him two places on its trip to the Tokyo Film Festival.
• Li Ye invited Wen Leyu to consider going to Japan with him, and she said she would ask her mother about the trip.
• Li Ye visited Li Yue, who said she would not attend the festival, and learned from Fu Guiru that she had investigated Nakamura Corporation and found its weakness.
• Li Ye told Fu Guiru he might travel to Japan with Wen Leyu, and Fu Guiru asked him to arrange for both partners to meet her.

Li Ye visited County Second High School during Li Juan’s college entrance examination and brought drinks for her and the other students. After the first exam ended, Li Juan reunited with her brother, and her nervousness disappeared.

• Principal Chang worried that Li Juan’s examination performance would determine County Second High School’s standing against County First High School.
• Old Liu Tou argued with Li Ye at the school gate over the noise from Li Ye’s Santana, but Principal Chang let Li Ye enter to bring drinks to the students.
• Principal Chang helped Li Ye carry crates of soda, then rode with him into the school and told Old Liu Tou to watch the gate.
• The examination bell rang, and the candidates left their rooms during the break between subjects.
• Li Juan left her classmates and ran to Li Ye, happily accepting the drinks he brought her.

Li Ye encouraged Li Juan through her exam and returned home to find Li Ying secretly riding their father’s motorcycle. He scolded her, promised her a bicycle, and stopped the sisters’ fight before it could distract Li Juan from the college entrance exam.

• Li Ye reassured Li Juan about her upcoming exam, and Principal Chang had students shake Li Ye’s hand for good luck.
• Li Juan asked Li Ye to let her rub knowledge from his head, and she left her final exam feeling confident.
• Li Ye and Li Juan found Li Ying straddling their father’s motorcycle and revving it in the courtyard.
• Li Ying asked Li Ye to honor his promise of a bicycle after improving her class rank, but he scolded her for riding the motorcycle and warned her not to touch it again.
• Li Juan and Li Ying began grappling until Li Ye reminded them that Li Juan’s college entrance exam was the next day, and they stopped fighting.

Li Ye’s family shared a lavish dinner and discussed buying Li Ying a bicycle after her grades improved. After Li Juan credited her smooth exam to touching Li Ye’s head, the family summoned Wu Juying and arranged for several girls to take turns massaging him in secret, hoping to share his supposed literary talent.

• Li Kaijian returned with food from Jin Peng’s house, and Li Ying and Li Juan bickered over who would get the pork knuckles until Li Ying took one with Li Ye’s permission.
• Han Chunmei came home, took over cooking, and scolded Li Ying when she saw her eating while Li Ye worked in the kitchen.
• Li Ye urged his parents to support Li Ying’s plan to improve her grades and follow Aunt Chun Lan to the markets, and Li Kaijian agreed to buy her a bicycle.
• Li Juan said she had touched Li Ye’s head during the exam and that it had made the test go smoothly, prompting Han Chunmei and Li Kaijian to summon Wu Juying and Li Mingxiang.
• Wu Juying seated Li Ye in the courtyard and ordered Meiwen, Li Juan, and Li Ying to massage his head for an hour each without telling anyone.

Li Ye guarded Li Juan during her college entrance exams because he feared the Bi family might disturb her, while he and Jin Peng discussed business plans in Soviet Russia. When Bi Hongwei and his mother appeared near the school, Jin Peng’s men took them to the police station, and officers arrived to keep the exam site safe.

• Li Ye told Jin Peng he was staying near County Second High School to prevent the Bi family from disturbing Li Juan during her exams.
• Jin Peng said he planned to take twenty people to Soviet Russia, and Li Ye warned that the country might collapse within five or six years and advised him to build connections while avoiding unnecessary risks.
• Jin Peng returned with Ma Qianshan, Wang Jianqiang, and Chen Ergou, and Li Ye spotted Bi Hongwei and his mother near the school.
• Li Ye quietly instructed Jin Peng, who led Wang Jianqiang, Chen Ergou, and Ma Qianshan to accuse Bi Hongwei of lingering suspiciously near the exam site and take him and his mother to the police station.
• Police officers arrived at the school, posted a notice about escorting the college entrance examination safely, and began guarding the site.

Li Ye helped Jin Peng’s wedding party collect the bride while Grandma Wu Juying planned to confront the Bi family after the wedding. At the celebration, Li Ying learned Hao Jian’s wife was having their second child in Hong Kong, and the chapter ended with Li Ye recognizing the Liu family’s meddling relatives as the sort of irritating trouble Jin Peng had warned him about.

• Wu Juying scolded Li Ye for not warning her about the Bi family and said she would confront Village Chief Bi after the wedding.
• Li Ye took Li Ying to Jin Peng’s home, where Hao Jian told him that his wife was in Hong Kong awaiting the birth of their second child.
• Li Ying learned from Hao Cuicui that Hao Jian’s wife had gone to Hong Kong because families could have more children there without fines or criticism.
• Li Ye led a noisy convoy of cars and motorcycles to Liu Qiaorong’s home, where the disciplined wedding party collected the bride.
• Liu Qiaorong’s mother gave her marriage advice, and several relatives argued that she should follow and serve Jin Peng, prompting Li Ye to understand Jin Peng’s warning about trivial troubles.

Jin Peng married Liu Qiaorong, who chose to leave with him despite her relatives urging her to stay home, and he promised to provide for her while he went to Soviet Russia. At the wedding banquet, Li Yue took over Jin Peng’s sales network, but Li Ye learned she was arguing with his former girlfriend.

• Liu Qiaorong stopped her aunts from delaying the wedding procession and left with Jin Peng.
• Jin Peng offered Liu Qiaorong a car and reassured her that she could visit her parents whenever she wanted.
• Li Ye joked that Jin Peng would earn enough in Soviet Russia to provide money they could not spend in three lifetimes, and Liu Qiaorong realized how much he might earn.
• Jin Peng’s wedding celebrations drew more guests than his family could seat, so Hao Jian, Zou Zhiguo, and Li Yue received out-of-town guests at Qingshui Restaurant.
• Zou Zhiguo hurried Li Ye to the restaurant, where Li Yue was arguing with Li Ye’s former girlfriend.

Li Ye intervened when Lu Jingyao demanded that Li Yue apologize to Gao Xiaoyan, then offered the Lu family a pointed explanation rather than a true apology. He left Lu Jingyao with a question about whether she had ever apologized to him.

• Zou Zhiguo told Li Ye that Li Yue and Lu Jingyao had clashed at the Lu family's full-month banquet.
• Li Ye pulled Li Yue away from Lu Jingyao and told her to return to the guests, but Lu Jingyao tried to stop her and demand an apology.
• Li Ye grabbed Lu Jingyao's wrist, then released her when Gao Xiaoyan pleaded with him to let go.
• Li Ye told Li Yue that she should have cursed Lu Zixue instead, and Li Yue clarified that Gao Xiaoyan had not been the target of her insult.
• Li Ye poured himself a glass of liquor at the Lu family's banquet and explained that old wounds could stir up painful feelings, then drank and left.
• Li Ye turned back to ask Lu Jingyao how she would apologize to him and whether she had ever willingly done so.

At the Lu and Gao families’ full-month banquet, Li Ye’s question about whether Lu Jingyao had ever apologized willingly left her uneasy. Director Sun arrived and, after hearing Lu Zixue complain about Li Ye, offered to confront him, leaving the families poised for another clash.

• Li Ye asked Lu Jingyao whether she had ever willingly apologized to him, and she struggled with guilt after he left.
• Lu Jingyao and Gao Xiaoyan stayed to welcome Director Sun, hoping his support would help Gao Xiaoyan go to Britain.
• Director Sun noticed the families’ strained mood and learned that Gao Xiaoyan planned to leave the country soon after her baby was born.
• Director Sun guessed that Li Ye had been stirring up trouble, and Lu Zixue angrily described Li Ye’s behavior at the banquet.
• Director Sun told Lu Zixue to bring Li Ye over so he could confront him.

Lu Zixue tried to summon Li Ye to Director Sun’s private room, but Li Yue explained why Li Ye did not need to answer to the county official. The chapter ended with Li Yue revealing that Director Sun’s daughter had once been considered as a match for Li Ye.

• Lu Ruichang and Gao Zhanming discouraged Director Sun from intervening in their dispute with Li Ye, while Lu Jingyao resisted the idea of mediation.
• Lu Zixue left the private room to fetch Li Ye, then told a waiter to summon him in Director Sun’s name.
• Li Yue told Li Ye that Lu Jingyao had gained Director Sun’s favor by bringing a foreign-currency investment to the county.
• Li Yue urged Li Ye not to let others summon or order him around and explained how influence worked in the county.
• Li Yue teased Li Ye that Director Sun had nearly become his father-in-law, then reminded him that Director Sun’s daughter had been suggested as a match.