Chapter 200: Warning
It was New Year's Eve again, and Deng Shirong was busy with his sons, daughters-in-law, and daughters.
In Double Prosperity Territory, people still held their reunion dinner at noon.
Before the meal, Deng Shirong made a summary, saying, "This year has been a year of good things for our family. First, Yunheng was admitted to Peking University and became the pride of our Deng family. Not only is he eligible to have his name recorded in the family tree, but he may even have his own dedicated page. This is something to celebrate."
Hearing this, all the sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law smiled, feeling a deep sense of pride.
In a large family like Deng Shirong's, as long as the parents are capable and fair, the children tend to be united. Conversely, if the parents are incompetent and biased, the family will fracture, and the brothers will likely go their separate ways after marrying.
Since his rebirth, Deng Shirong had proven himself a capable patriarch. Under his leadership, the brothers and sisters were united, and the sisters-in-law were as close as sisters. The family lived in harmony, a stark contrast to the infighting seen in other large families in the village.
Deng Shirong continued happily, "Secondly, the third generation of our Deng family was born. Not long after Xiao Dong'er was born, the family received an extra piece of land. It seems he is indeed a blessed child."
Zhang Xiuping gently patted her daughter and said with a smile, "Xiao Dong'er, did you hear that? Grandpa is praising you for being blessed!"
Deng Yunzhen smiled and added, "Xiao Dong'er was indeed born into a fortunate family. The five daughters of Zhang Qi, on the other hand, were born into a less fortunate household. It's heartbreaking to see how they live. Although her mother-in-law became more restrained after being scolded by Dad, her attitude toward those girls hasn't improved much."
Deng Shirong said, "This is someone else's family matter. As long as they don't go too far, I won't interfere. Zhang Qi's life is indeed difficult now, but when those girls grow up, she may live better than most women in the village."
This wasn't just talk. In his previous life, after Zhang Qi's daughters grew up, her life did improve significantly.
Deng Yunzhen said, "Now Zhang Qi is pregnant again. I don't know if this baby will be a son or a daughter. If it's a son, she'll finally have some happiness after all her hardships. If it's another daughter, I'm afraid she'll have a long, hard road ahead."
Deng Shirong raised his glass and said with a smile, "It's not our place to worry about others' affairs. We just need to focus on living our own lives well. Come, let's drink together. May our family have more children, earn more money next year, and enjoy an even better life."
The sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law raised their glasses—the adults drank wine, while the minors had soda.
To accommodate his daughter-in-law, who was still breastfeeding, Deng Shirong specially prepared a pot of ginger wine for her.
The reunion dinner lasted from around noon until two or three in the afternoon.
Next came the tradition of giving New Year's red envelopes to the children. Afterward, the family gathered in the living room, warming themselves by the fire and chatting, with no plans to go anywhere.
During this time, a young man from the village came over to invite Deng Yuntai to play cards, but Deng Shirong sternly sent him away.
It was no joke. After being reborn, he had managed to turn his second son, who had become a professional gambler in the future, into a Peking University student. Now, someone dared to invite his eldest son to gamble? How could he tolerate that?
Gambling is a bad habit left over from the old society. As the saying goes, nine out of ten gambling cases are scams. It's a form of disguised robbery and a decadent lifestyle.
In the early days of liberation, gambling was still rampant in the county due to the remnants of feudal society. It wasn't until March 1954 that the public security organs spent four months cracking down on gambling, arresting 19 gamblers and finally bringing the trend under control.
In 1956, gambling resurged. That year, there were 11 gambling cases that constituted criminal offenses. By 1957, the number had risen to 19. Eleven of the 17 townships in Phoenix Mountain District had gambling activities, with each session involving no fewer than 30 people and sometimes even hundreds.
The public security organs punished some gambling bosses and gamblers, but the crackdown only temporarily suppressed the trend.
By 1979, gambling had resurfaced, and the authorities had to crack down on it again.
The Help And Correct Brigade was no exception, and a large number of gamblers emerged.
Deng Shirong could only watch helplessly. No matter how high his prestige was in the village, he had no power to stop such activities. The most he could do was strictly forbid his children from gambling. As for others, it was their own business, and he had no right to interfere.
However, seeing someone dare to come to his house and invite his son to play cards, he knew he had to be vigilant. He decided to spread the word that no one was allowed to involve his children in gambling, or else he wouldn't hesitate to take action.
In this life, with him around, all his children were destined to be billionaires. He wasn't afraid of them spending money lavishly, but he was terrified of them getting involved in gambling. Gambling is a dangerous vice. Even the richest person in the world could become a pauper overnight if they succumbed to the temptation of gambling.
As long as you gamble, no matter how much money you have, it won't truly be yours—sooner or later, it will belong to someone else.
Deng Shirong understood this clearly.
Of course, there were exceptions. For example, his second son had become a professional gambler in his previous life. Such individuals always won money, and no matter how much they lost, it was all profit. They never lost their capital. This was the difference between ordinary gamblers and professionals.
In his previous life, countless young people in the village had envied his second son's lifestyle.
After all, his second son spent his days playing mahjong or poker, living a carefree life with plenty of money. This was the dream of many young people in the village.
However, Deng Shirong always believed his second son had taken the wrong path. If he hadn't fallen into the trap of gambling, with his intelligence and talent, he could have become a multimillionaire or even a billionaire long ago.
After chasing away the young man who had come to invite his eldest son to play cards, Deng Shirong said seriously, "Yuntai, and the rest of you, I want to warn you today. I won't interfere with what you do in life, but you must never touch gambling or drugs. If any of you do, I'll break your legs when I find out."
Seeing his father's unusually stern expression, Deng Yuntai quickly responded, "I understand, Dad. I promise not to touch these things."
The other children, including the daughters-in-law, also spoke up, vowing never to engage in gambling or drugs.
(End of this chapter)