Chapter 64

This morning at six o'clock, Second Aunt and First Aunt ran to Wang Yong's place and made a lot of dumplings. This is a custom in many places in the north, called "sending-off dumplings and welcoming-back noodles." It means that when relatives and friends are about to travel far, the family should make dumplings. When relatives and friends return, they should eat a bowl of noodles.

Not long after, Uncle and Second Uncle came in, chatting and laughing. Second Uncle lived alone in their village. Wang Yong had suggested several times that he move in with him, but Second Uncle always refused. As Second Uncle put it, "I'm not so old that I can't take care of myself yet. When that day comes, you can come and get me."

Very reluctantly, Wang Yong was dragged out of bed by Second Aunt, still half-asleep, and stumbled to brush his teeth and wash his face. After finishing his morning routine, Wang Yong finally woke up completely. After eating the dumplings with Second Uncle, he drove straight to the capital with the family's farewell. Wang Gang had already bought the plane tickets and would drive Wang Yong and Second Uncle to the airport. As for Wang Yong's car, it would be left in his younger uncle's yard.

The journey to the capital went smoothly, with no road closures due to fog or traffic jams. It took about two hours from home to the capital, but once they entered the city, it took more than two hours to drive, stopping and starting, until it was past eleven o'clock when they finally arrived at his younger uncle's house.

This time, Wang Yong thought he could go in directly with his pass, but the reality was that he couldn't because Second Uncle didn't have a pass. He had to park the car on the side of the road and call Wang Gang. Soon, Wang Gang came over and led the two of them in.

"Alright, stop pulling that long face. I don't like living here either; the rules are too strict!" Wang Gang advised.

"Ah! This is what happens when you become an official; you lose touch with the people!" Wang Yong said, still angry.

"Exactly! You can tell your younger uncle that!" Wang Gang's eyes sparkled as he stared at Wang Yong, full of anticipation. This kid had long been tired of the strict management here and had always wanted to move out. However, his mother, Wang Yong's younger aunt, had always suppressed him, saying that Wang Gang would definitely move out after getting married and would spend most of his time with his wife, so they wouldn't see each other much. Therefore, before getting married, Wang Gang had to obediently go home after work.

At home, the younger aunt prepared a good meal to entertain Second Uncle. Everyone had met before and knew each other, so there was no sense of unfamiliarity, and they felt like a family. The younger aunt said, "Your younger uncle is accompanying the chairman on a foreign visit. He called me yesterday to apologize for not being able to entertain you properly this time. He said he would make it up to you next time."

"It's fine, we're not strangers," Second Uncle waved his hand and said.

Because they had to catch a flight, no one drank alcohol. After eating, they rested for a while and then got into Wang Gang's car to go to the airport. By the time they arrived at the airport, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Wang Gang had booked a flight for 2:30 PM from the capital to Tianhai. As soon as they got out of the car, Wang Gang made a phone call. Just as the three of them entered the terminal, two staff members came over.

"Mr. Wang? Hello, I'm the airport dispatcher, and this is my colleague in charge of airport security. Please follow me, the plane will take off in half an hour."

Following these two airport leaders, who clearly held high positions, they passed through the VIP channel and directly boarded the plane. Under the watchful eyes of the staff, the two airport leaders escorted them to their seats and instructed the captain and chief flight attendant to take good care of the two guests. Since the plane was about to take off, Wang Gang didn't stay long, reminding Wang Yong to call him after landing and saying goodbye to Second Uncle before leaving with the two airport leaders.

Wang Gang had booked a first-class ticket, and with the instructions from the airport leaders, the staff took excellent care of Wang Yong. This was Wang Yong's first time flying, and he didn't feel any discomfort at all. Wang Yong used to suffer from severe motion sickness, even on trains, but after traveling frequently, he gradually got better. However, he still got sick on long-distance buses, so he usually bought sleeper tickets for long trips or avoided traveling far. This was one of the reasons he rarely went home. Before boarding the plane, Wang Yong was very worried, but once the plane took off, he only felt a slight sensation at the beginning. Once in the air, he didn't feel the plane moving at all; it was very smooth.

This was good news for Wang Yong, as he no longer had to worry about traveling far. In high spirits, Wang Yong even took Second Uncle to the cockpit to see how the plane was flown. To his surprise, the plane was on autopilot, and the captain and co-pilot only needed to monitor the instruments. The captain, a former fighter pilot, said that as long as one passed the physical examination, anyone could learn to fly this thing, as evidenced by the 9/11 attacks in the United States. Compared to military aircraft, this commercial airliner had no driving pleasure at all.

Wang Yong had been a military enthusiast during his student days, buying many military magazines and books. In college, he had almost read all the military books in the school library. So, he had a lively conversation with the former fighter pilot, discussing everything from the MiG-15, MiG-19, to the domestically produced J-5 and J-6, and the famous J-7. The captain had flown the J-7 for a long time and said that its handling was excellent, but as a second-generation aircraft, it was inherently limited and had to be phased out. When they talked about the J-8, the captain became a bit agitated.

It turned out that he had flown the J-8 in the military from 1998 to 2003 when he retired. Due to confidentiality, he couldn't talk about many things, but he chatted freely with Wang Yong about what he could. He even started teaching Wang Yong how to recognize the instruments in the cockpit and how to fly the plane. He also explained the differences between fighter jets and helicopters and how to handle emergencies. Wang Yong never imagined how much this experience would help him in the future!

After the plane landed at Tianhai Hongqiao Airport, the captain patted Wang Yong on the shoulder and said that Wang Yong's theoretical knowledge was definitely solid, and with a few lessons from an instructor, he could easily learn to fly a propeller-driven aircraft.

After taking photos with the enthusiastic crew, Wang Yong and a flight attendant helped Second Uncle off the plane. All the other passengers had already disembarked, and as they walked through the empty cabin, they heard someone shouting, "Uncle Cao! Uncle Cao! Here! Here!"

Wang Yong followed the voice and saw a young woman in military uniform standing next to a Leopard vehicle, waving at them. She was about twenty years old, in the prime of her life. She was about 1.7 meters tall, with short hair and a well-fitted Air Force uniform that accentuated her feminine curves.

"That's the child of an old neighbor here, her name is Huang Jingyao, and her nickname is Yaotao. She's always been a wild one, but she's nothing compared to you!" Second Uncle, who was in a good mood from seeing familiar people, teased Wang Yong.

"Second Uncle, I'm a real man, and being a bit wild is normal. But this girl looks like she could cause trouble, and being so wild is not right. Girls should be more gentle, like our Yuan Yuan."

Wang Yong and the flight attendant helped Second Uncle down the stairs, and the girl immediately ran into Second Uncle's arms, crying uncontrollably. Wang Yong and the flight attendant looked at each other in surprise, wondering what was going on. After a while, the girl stopped crying and held onto Second Uncle's arm, dragging him toward the Leopard. Wang Yong quickly said goodbye to the flight attendant and followed.

As soon as they got in the car, the girl started driving recklessly, causing Wang Yong's forehead to hit the front seat. He winced in pain, but the girl laughed heartlessly. After a while, Wang Yong couldn't stand her driving skills anymore.

"Hey, Yaotao, can you even drive? If not, let me take over. We can't joke with our lives! Ouch!" As he was speaking, the girl suddenly swerved, nearly hitting an oncoming car. Wang Yong looked and saw that they were almost driving on the wrong side of the road. Scared, he immediately shouted, "Stop! Stop! Slow down, pull over!"

After the reckless girl finally stopped the car on the emergency lane under Wang Yong's direction, he quickly got out and pushed her out of the driver's seat. The girl, still defiant, said, "What's the big deal? Just because you can drive, you think you're so great?" It seemed this young lady was driving without a license.

"Alright, Yaotao, you sit in the back with Uncle and chat. Let your brother drive. By the way, this is your brother, Wang Yong, Uncle's nephew, who is five years older than you." Second Uncle, also scared by the girl's driving, pulled her to the back seat.

After getting in the car, the girl saw Wang Yong adjusting the seat and rearview mirror and made a face at him. Wang Yong shook his head; she was still a child! He started the car and smoothly merged into the traffic, heading toward Tianhai, known as the "Oriental Pearl."

Tianhai is the largest city in China, one of the municipalities, and a national central city, a prosperous international metropolis. Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, it faces the East China Sea to the east, overlooks Kyushu Island in Japan across the sea, borders Hangzhou Bay to the south, and connects with Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces to the west, forming the largest economic zone in China, the "Yangtze River Delta Economic Circle," with Tianhai as the leader. Tianhai has a rich modern urban cultural foundation and numerous historical sites. The traditional Wu-Yue culture of the Jiangnan region and the diverse cultures brought by immigrants have blended to form a unique Haipai culture.

Tianhai is one of the most famous industrial and commercial cities and international metropolises in China, the largest comprehensive industrial city in the country, and the center of China's economy, transportation, science and technology, industry, finance, trade, exhibitions, and shipping. Its GDP ranks first among Chinese cities. The Tianhai Port has the highest cargo throughput and container throughput in the world, making it an excellent international port.

As they drove, the bustling streets, towering skyscrapers, and endless streams of vehicles all demonstrated the prosperity and wealth of the city. Following the girl's directions, Wang Yong drove straight to the Tianhai Garrison.

To Wang Yong's surprise, they arrived at the garrison's canteen. At the canteen entrance, about a dozen people were standing. As soon as Wang Yong's car stopped, they all rushed over. Seeing Wang Yong get out of the driver's seat, everyone visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

A middle-aged man in his fifties with the rank of a major general came forward, holding Second Uncle's hand and said, "Brother Cao, you must have been scared! This girl lied to us, saying she had a driver's license and insisted on driving to pick you up. I just heard from Old Gao that she doesn't have a license and was about to call you and come to pick you up!" He then glared at the girl, who glared back defiantly.

"Alright! You two, stop making a scene. Let me introduce you, Wang Yong. This is the Wang Yong I mentioned on the phone. Wang Yong, this is your Uncle Huang from the garrison, Uncle Li from the municipal government, Uncle Liu from the municipal police, Uncle Chen from the municipal disciplinary committee, and Uncle Miao, my old colleague, who retired around the same time as me. We worked together for a lifetime."

For each introduction, Wang Yong nodded and greeted them. After all the introductions, Wang Yong was surprised to find that Second Uncle had a strong network in Tianhai. At least, the people who came today, whom Second Uncle called his "younger brothers," were all top figures in Tianhai's power institutions, even the top leaders.

When everyone was about to sit down at a large dining table, Uncle Huang led in another person, and everyone except Second Uncle and Wang Yong stood up. Before Wang Yong could understand what was happening, a chorus of greetings came: "Secretary Zhao is here, Secretary Zhao, welcome, Old Zhao, you're late, that's not right."

Secretary Zhao? What's his background? Could he be like Uncle? Wang Yong thought with a bit of mischief. Now, Uncle had a lot of authority, already respected in the surrounding villages, and with a younger brother who was a high-ranking official, he was even more respected. Everywhere he went, people called him "Secretary Wang."

"Uncle Cao, why didn't you let me know you were coming? If I did something to upset you, you can scold me all you want, but don't ignore me!"

"You, still so stubborn! That's not good! Why haven't you changed?"

Wang Yong sized up this Secretary Zhao. He was around forty, wearing a black suit, and exuded a commanding presence. He seemed to be a high-ranking official, even more so than his younger uncle.

"Wang Yong, this is your Brother Zhao. If you have any problems in Tianhai, just find him; he's the local host here." Second Uncle's words made Wang Yong pause. Local host? Could he be the Party Secretary of Tianhai? That would be impressive!

"Wang Yong, I've heard your name many times. Climbing trees and getting stuck, stealing corn with your brother at the age of three..."

"Brother Zhao, please, have mercy, have mercy." Wang Yong quickly stopped him, as he was about to reveal his past.

"Alright, you two, stop fooling around. Sit down and eat. After the meal, you can chat wherever you want," said Uncle Huang in his major general's uniform. Everyone then took their seats.

During the meal, Wang Yong sat next to Secretary Zhao. He learned that Secretary Zhao's name was Zhao Zhicheng, currently the Deputy Secretary of the Tianhai Municipal Committee, a vice-ministerial-level official. Wang Yong was truly surprised by Second Uncle's connections here. What had Second Uncle done in Tianhai? How could all his friends, "younger brothers," and juniors be in such high positions and respect him so much?