Chapter 62

After reading some book reviews, Fangzi's confidence plummeted. As a newcomer, Fangzi knew there were many issues he hadn't considered well, such as stockpiling chapters. No matter what, Fangzi would finish the book according to his own ideas and would never leave it unfinished.

Still, Fangzi wanted to thank all the book friends who have been supporting and encouraging him. Thank you all! Here's a 4,000-word chapter!

After Mr. Zhao left, Wang Yong continued to chat with the second mother in the room, listening to her tell stories from the past.

As she spoke, she mentioned the Premier, recounting his work schedule before surgery: 9 days with 12-14 hours of work each day; 74 days with 14-18 hours; 38 days with over 18 hours; 5 days with 24 hours of work. In June 1975, his weight was only 30.5 kilograms, yet he still insisted on working beyond his capacity. This was told to her by a colleague from the health team when she and the second father visited the Premier's wife in the capital. As a national leader managing one-fifth of the world's population, he had no children and no savings abroad.

She also mentioned how she and the second father, following the Premier's instructions, protected dozens of scholars and experts from various fields, and provided shelter and protection to countless rightists who had been persecuted. They continuously welcomed new people and sent off old ones until they returned to their hometown, helping countless people. However, in that chaotic era, many people still...

The Premier undoubtedly deserves the respect of all Chinese people. From the founding of the Party, at every critical moment, the Premier used his frail body and superior wisdom to turn danger into safety. He received high praise from all sectors at home and abroad.

Li Zongren said: "As the chief representative of the KMT-CCP talks, Zhou Enlai had a broad vision and a radiant presence. Without considering the different beliefs of the KMT and the CCP, just by having such an outstanding leader, the victory of the Chinese Communist Party is justified and reasonable!" Yan Xishan said: "Zhou Enlai is a genius! Zhou Enlai is indeed a great talent, I have never seen anyone like him in the KMT." Zhang Zhong said: "All my progress is inseparable from the help and education of my old friend Zhou Enlai. I will never forget his sentiments, and his ability to unite people is a model for the nation to learn from." Yu Youren said: "Zhou Enlai's character is truly great"!

Former U.S. President Nixon said: "China would not have ignited the revolutionary fire without Chairman Mao, but without Zhou Enlai, it would have been reduced to ashes."

Former Indonesian President Sukarno said: "Chairman Mao is fortunate to have a Premier like Zhou Enlai. I wish I had a Premier like Zhou Enlai."

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, Stalin and Mikoyan said: "You will not have any trouble in setting up your government because you have a ready-made Premier, Zhou Enlai. Where else can you find such a good Premier?"

Former Soviet Premier Kosygin said to Chairman Mao: "A comrade like Zhou Enlai is invincible, he is the greatest politician in the world." He added: "It was in yesterday's American newspaper."

Former Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov said to Western journalists: "If you think I am difficult to deal with, just wait until you deal with Zhou Enlai."

After Zhou Enlai's death, the United Nations lowered its flags (not just the UN flag, but all member states' flags). Some leaders of countries were unhappy and asked: "Why not lower the flag for our deceased leaders?" The then UN Secretary-General said at a UN meeting: "If your leader can manage one-fifth of the world's population without children and without any savings abroad, I will lower the flag for them." Everyone was silent.

The Premier dedicated his life to serving the people, working tirelessly until his last breath, and is worthy of the eternal remembrance and pride of all Chinese people.

In the vast sky, after being brave,

I will break the chains of fate with determination.

To those who are cold,

Thank you for once looking down on me.

A cell phone ring interrupted the heavy mood of the grandfather and grandson. Wang Yong took out his phone and smiled at the second mother, saying: "It's Yuanyuan."

"Then answer it quickly!" The second mother was very satisfied with Yuanyuan as her granddaughter-in-law and urged Wang Yong to answer the call.

"Yuanyuan, it's me. Oh! I think it's better to transfer you directly to our village. No problem, it's settled. Good, the second mother wants to chat with you for a bit."

Wang Yong quickly said a few words and then handed the phone to the anxious second mother. Seeing the second mother chatting warmly with Yuanyuan, and knowing it would take a while, Wang Yong went to the courtyard to think about Yuanyuan's call.

Yuanyuan called to say that her second uncle had an opportunity to transfer her to the town. Wang Yong thought about it and decided to transfer her directly to the village primary school. Next year, they planned to relocate and build a new school in the village. Wang Yong thought about it and decided to build the new school on the hillside of East Mountain. East Mountain is not very high, only about 100 to 200 meters, but there is a flat area of a few hundred square meters on the hillside. With some expansion, it could provide several thousand square meters, enough for a primary school.

He planned to build a two-story building for classrooms, with six grades, each grade having two classrooms. Wang Yong didn't want the children to have classes with more than thirty students like he did. He admired foreign primary schools where each class had only a dozen students, making it easier for teachers to tailor their teaching. Of course, Wang Yong also had the intention of reducing Yuanyuan's workload.

This would require twelve classrooms, plus offices for teachers, storage rooms, activity rooms for each subject, a library, and a cafeteria. One building might not be enough. Considering his income, he decided to build two buildings, one for classrooms and offices, and the other for various other uses.

The cafeteria was essential. Every morning, the children would get a cup of hot milk and a boiled golden egg. The current production of golden eggs was enough to supply the village children. Besides, Wang Yong had left many eggs for the hens to hatch, and soon there would be a large number of chicks. Before long, the golden eggs should be sufficient for the cafeteria and the children.

However, no one in Half Mountain Village had ever raised cows for milk. Wang Yong would have to ask his uncle, and if necessary, invite someone to the village to raise dairy cows. It had to be green and eco-friendly. When there were enough cows, they could supply the children, the cafeteria, and the villagers. This would be a win-win situation. Wang Yong was unsure who could do this well, so he decided to entrust it to his uncle, who knew everyone in the village and their capabilities.

The most urgent task now was to find a construction team to build a road up the mountain. Without a road, it would be difficult to transport materials and machinery for the school construction next spring. However, the road would be challenging to build, as the mountain was made of hard granite. This task was also given to his uncle, who had experience in such projects.

With this in mind, Wang Yong told the second mother, who was still chatting with Yuanyuan, and left the second father's house to go to the village committee to find his uncle. His uncle now worked from 9 to 5, saying he wanted to set a good example for the village cadres. However, his wife said he was just bored and had nothing better to do!

At the village committee, Wang Yong pushed open the door to his uncle's specially arranged office. His uncle was sitting behind an old teacher's desk reading a newspaper. Hearing the door open, he looked up and saw Wang Yong, and his face immediately turned dark. Wang Yong realized something was wrong and quickly explained his purpose.

"Good! It's time to build a school. The children in the village have to walk more than twenty minutes to school every day. Especially the little ones who just started school, they need to be picked up and dropped off by adults, which is very inconvenient." His uncle slapped the table and stood up excitedly.

Wang Yong was puzzled. Didn't the village already have a school? Although it only went up to fourth grade, the children had to go to another village ten miles away for fifth grade and beyond. How did it sound like the village school had been canceled? After expressing his doubts, his uncle sighed and explained the reason.

It turned out that with the initial success of the national family planning policy, the birth rate had significantly decreased, and school enrollment rates were low. Therefore, the government began to merge schools on a large scale after merging townships in recent years, integrating educational resources and teaching staff. The Half Mountain Village primary school was one of those merged, and the students had to go to another school ten miles away. Because it was too far, some parents, like those in the city, had to pick up and drop off their children.

Wang Dahai had been feeling quite idle lately. After a lifetime of hard work, he found it hard to adapt to this sudden idleness. That's why he started working from 9 to 5 like a formal government official. Now, with Wang Yong's plan to rebuild the school, Wang Dahai felt he finally had a purpose. Having worked in construction for half his life, he was confident he could handle building the school. He completely forgot his anger and assured Wang Yong that he could handle it.

After explaining the task, Wang Yong stopped his uncle, who was eager to make phone calls to find old friends to help build the road up the mountain.

"Uncle, in a couple of days, I need to go to Tianhai with my second uncle. Please keep an eye on things at home."

"No problem, go with peace of mind. I'll take care of everything!"

Feeling bored, his uncle was eager to help. He had been envious of Da Wei, who was busy running around to handle various procedures and hire employees, and Li Jianping, who was constantly busy at the construction site. However, the villagers' meeting had decided that the village should not interfere with the company's operations, and as the village party secretary, he couldn't set a bad example.

The next morning, his uncle rushed over and pulled Wang Yong off the sofa.

"What's wrong with you, young man? You lack the spirit of youth! I've found someone to raise dairy cows. Wang Liming from the village worked at a dairy farm in Zhili. The dairy cow project will be his responsibility. He'll come to see you later, and you can give him more details. I have to go now!"

With that, his uncle left in a hurry. It seemed he needed more tasks to keep him busy. When he was busy, he was much more energetic. The contrast with his listless state the day before was striking. Wang Yong thought about finding more tasks for his uncle, something that would keep him happy but not too tiring. If his uncle got too tired, his wife would surely scold him severely. Imagining his wife's angry face, Wang Yong shivered.

"Wang Yong, are you at home?" A man's voice called from outside.

Wang Yong quickly responded, "I'm here, come in!" Since the betrayal of Diao Zhu and the subsequent betrayal of Xiaolian, Wang Yong had no one to watch the house. In the past, Xiaohei and Xiaobai would take turns guarding the gate, barking to alert Wang Yong when someone approached.

When Diao Zhu was around, he would bark "Thief!" at strangers and "Welcome!" at familiar faces. Xiaolian would block the entrance, baring her teeth, and only let people in when Wang Yong or a few familiar people gave the word.

As Wang Yong spoke, a young man in his mid-twenties walked in. He was about 1.7 meters tall, thin, with messy hair and a sallow complexion. His large eyes had dark circles, clearly from lack of sleep.

"Liming, what did you do yesterday? I told you to be more restrained after getting married!" Wang Yong, who was two years older than Li Liming, felt no stranger and joked with him.

"Get lost, it's all your fault. Last night, Uncle came to my house and told me about your plan to rebuild the school and provide free milk to the children. He heard somewhere that I had raised dairy cows and left after giving me the task, saying to ask you if I had any questions. We discussed it until midnight, and I didn't fall asleep until 3 or 4 in the morning." Li Liming said, yawning widely.

"Alright, ask your questions quickly and go home to get some sleep. You look exhausted."

After taking a big sip of tea, Li Liming said, "I just want to know, will I be raising the cows myself and selling the milk to the village, or will the village pay to build a dairy farm and hire me to manage it?"

Wang Yong was amused that this had kept the whole family up all night.

"You can do it either way. If you want to raise the cows yourself, go ahead. If not, the village can pay to build the farm and hire you, paying you a monthly salary."

"I'll choose the second option. Raising dairy cows requires a significant investment, which I can't afford. I'd rather earn a steady salary."

"Alright, that's settled. Go home and get some rest."

Wang Yong saw Li Liming off, returned home, and tidied up. He then went to the greenhouse construction site in the village. He needed to talk to Li Jianping before leaving for Tianhai in two days.

He slowly enjoyed the early winter scenery of the mountain village. It was another warm winter, and the temperature had not dropped much since the beginning of winter, still above zero. The village stream flowed silently, and occasionally, fish and shrimp could be seen. Sensing the approaching cold, they were urgently seeking shelter. In deeper waters, groups of loaches and eels were seen burrowing into the mud. Northern birds, staying for the winter, occasionally swooped down to catch fish and shrimp, enjoying a last feast before the winter freeze.