Rich, Rhine Metal; poor, Rhine Steel. 21

Chapter 21: Departure! Back to School! (Second Update!)

Two tea mugs clinked. Outside the window, a red firework trailed a fiery tail as it soared from the ground into the sky, briefly pausing before exploding.

Bang.

This explosion served as a signal. More and more fireworks shot into the sky, exploding one after another, blooming into beautiful flowers.

The sound of the fireworks startled the two men drinking.

Lin Yu, holding a dumpling in his left hand and a tea mug in his right, opened the door and went out to the balcony, sitting down on a chair to drink.

After taking a sip, Qian Jianguo also came onto the balcony. Looking at the exploding fireworks, he sighed, “The last time it was this lively, I think it was back in ’97.”

“Back then, there were more people at the base. Although life wasn’t great, we at least had some money. Everyone could chip in and buy some fireworks.”

“Let me tell you, to truly appreciate fireworks, you need to see a professional fireworks display.”

“In ’93, when I went to Beijing to ask for money, I saw a fireworks show.”

“Those fireworks soared into the sky, exploding into lotuses, peonies, and lanterns— incredibly beautiful.”

“I wonder when we’ll be able to use fireworks like that again.”

“If we used those fireworks during Chinese New Year, I tell you, the whole of Lanling City would come to watch.”

“That would be a sight to behold.”

Qian Jianguo spoke while sipping the alcohol from his tea mug. Gradually, his gaze became distant, as if he were completely immersed in the scene of the fireworks display he was imagining.

Seeing his state, Lin Yu popped a dumpling into his mouth and said a number:

“5,000 kuai.” (kuai: Chinese Yuan)

The entranced Qian Jianguo slowly came to his senses, blinked, turned to Lin Yu, and asked, “5,000 kuai? What 5,000 kuai?”

Lin Yu calmly lifted his tea mug, took a sip of alcohol, and explained, “The cost of making one of your lotus fireworks is roughly around 5,000 kuai.”

Hearing this outrageous figure, Qian Jianguo was stunned. After a long moment, he uttered a single word:

“Damn.”

The two men drinking on the balcony were naturally seen by others.

At Mei Liang’s house, where he had been demoted, his wife stood on the balcony, watching the fireworks, watching other families standing at their doors, and watching the two men drinking on the distant balcony. Her anger boiled over.

She turned and scolded her husband, “Don’t you think you’ve had enough to eat?”

“Now that you’ve lost your position as workshop director, and you’re earning less, I told you to go work digging, but you refused.”

“Other people are earning 300 kuai, have food and drink during the New Year, their children wear new clothes, and they have meat on the table every meal.”

“Now look at you!”

The woman shouted for a long time, but she found her words had no effect, because her husband remained seated at the dining table, calmly drinking and watching television.

It was as if the fireworks outside, and her complaints, were irrelevant to him.

She glanced out the window again.

A firework soared before her eyes, exploding in the sky.

The light of the exploding firework was green, illuminating her face, seeming to mock her.

Mocking her for having endured a poor year.

The woman’s resentment vanished at that moment. She walked to her husband and sat down.

Staring at her husband for a while, she softly said, “Since you think working as a digger is shameful, let’s go south to find work after the New Year.”

“In the south, we won’t see familiar faces, and no one will ask if you have a position in a state-owned enterprise.”

The gentle words made Mei Liang slowly raise his head. He couldn’t believe his wife would say such things.

She had always valued her position at the 567 Factory more than her life.

Their eyes met. The woman nodded emphatically, asking again, “Okay?”

Mei Liang also nodded emphatically, “Okay.”

Having made their decision, the couple raised their glasses and drank another cup.

Then they turned off the lights.

……

That large amount of alcohol had a strong aftereffect.

When Lin Yu woke up the next day, it was already the New Year.

Both the lunar and solar calendars showed it was 2002.

He reheated the leftover dumplings from the night before and had a quick meal.

He then rummaged through his belongings, finding a bag of incense and firecrackers, and headed towards the base’s public cemetery.

In a corner of the public cemetery, there were four graves side by side.

On the limestone tombstones were four photos.

Two men and two women. The two men were seven-tenths similar, clearly father and son; the two women looked completely different.

However, they shared the same smiles on their faces, and the same resolute spirit.

He inserted the candles and lit the incense.

Lin Yu took out the paper money and burned it in front of the four graves.

“Dad, you were right. I’ve become the factory director of the base. Down there, when you argue with Mom, you can boast loudly, ‘My son is the factory director! I told you so!'”

“It’s a pity that this base is a mess, there’s not much money, and I still have to worry about everything.”

“Mom, your son is an official now, not a big one, but I’m in charge of several hundred people.”

“Those who argued with you every day, some have left, but many are still here, and now they all have to watch my face.”

“Are you happy?”

“When they eventually go, you can ask them one by one, are they happy? Are they pleased? Are they surprised?”

“Grandma, your grandson is successful now. Although I can’t yet bring glory to the family, I’m definitely better off than most people.”

“Grandpa, I haven’t been able to fulfill your last wish yet. I’m too busy.”

“But I promise, in two years at most, I’ll be able to send you back to our hometown.”

“But I can’t guarantee that the ancestral graves are still there.”

“Also, if you have to blame someone, blame my dad. All these years, he never mentioned bringing you back.”

“He’s an unfilial son.”

“But it’s no use coming to me, you’ve never seen what I look like.”

After the paper money had burned, Lin Yu cleaned up and returned to the residential area.

He spent some time in the residential area, getting a few meals, until the sun set before going back home.

Back in his study, he took out special stationery, picked up his pen, hesitated for a long time, and wrote a few words on the first line:

“Information Acquisition, Analysis, Deception, and Anti-Deception under Information Warfare; commonly known as: Information Fraud.”

This was his thesis.

His master’s thesis was already finished and was in the process of polishing, but he decided to go big.

Time slipped away with each stroke of his pen.

By the time the thesis was finished, it was already the Lantern Festival (the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar).

It was time to return to school.

Several workshops in the factory had started operating on the eighth day of the lunar New Year, but due to a lack of orders, they mainly focused on maintenance and adjustments to the production lines.

After spending two days creating a comprehensive plan for each workshop and instructing them to strictly adhere to it, Lin Yu boarded the train back to school.

On the train to Beijing.

Lin Yu leaned against the window, watching Qian Jianguo still on the platform. He waved his hand and shouted loudly, “Go back. And don’t be too soft-hearted.”

Hearing his voice, Qian Jianguo also shouted towards the window, “Whether you come back or not doesn’t matter, just bring the buyers back. We’re all counting on you.”

“Remembered.”

Swish.

Lin Yu reached out and pulled the window of the green train shut, pulling the curtain along with it.

Sitting back in his seat, Lin Yu opened his notebook and wrote down two names:

Hed Ahmed Durbi.

Kuintain Ahmed Alaborila.

(End of Chapter)

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