Chapter 1309: Coming to Call

Jin Ling now has a population of one million; only by selling expensive goods and high value-added products can Jin Ling become prosperous and its people live with ease.

Otherwise, if it relies solely on labor-intensive industries and the surplus value of its people, Jin Ling's competitiveness will inevitably be lost sooner or later. After all, various costs are rising, and people's demands are growing day by day; if earnings are neither substantial nor fast enough, the situation will revert to what the textile factories once faced.

Sluggish sales, pensions and healthcare for retired workers, and wages and benefits for current employees will gradually drag Jin Ling down.

This is precisely why Wang Yan continuously adjusts the industrial structure and develops new industries; home appliances are the next step for Jin Ling.

Once the establishment of the city through the merger of the three counties is resolved, some industries will appropriately begin to relocate elsewhere, such as the most basic footwear and clothing sectors, which hold no technical content and rely purely on design and upstream chemical fibers.

At that time, depending on the situation, footwear and clothing manufacturing will be moved out of Jin Ling to build factories elsewhere, while Jin Ling retains the upstream chemical fiber and textile stages, keeps the design department within the city, launches extensive designs, and continuously iterates new products.

Meanwhile, heavily polluting factories, such as steel mills, will also be relocated from Jin Ling to safeguard its environment.

In the not-so-distant future, Jin Ling's industries will retain only high-tech sectors, or rather, technology output, utilizing factories invested in and relocated from Jin Ling for implementation; Jin Ling will use massive funds to invest in various high-quality enterprises, leveraging this era's bonus to achieve enormous asset appreciation.

Thus, combined with Jin Ling's own continuous investment in high technology and constant output, the good days where Jin Ling's people can truly idle away their lives will be realized...

Of course, Wang Yan has not publicized these visions; he merely silently leads the people of Jin Ling forward according to his ideas.

The people of Jin Ling naturally support him, and from the provincial level up to Beijing, he enjoys backing; without this, Jin Ling could not have developed so rapidly.

To say nothing of other matters, the various raw materials needed for Jin Ling to commence production are all supplied by the state; after all, development is underway everywhere at this time, making various primary raw materials extremely important—without raw materials, how can production occur?

Even though Jin Ling did not use planned pricing but purchased at higher costs, there are countless factories that cannot obtain raw materials even if they have money to spend; who does Jin Ling think it is in comparison?

Compared to various provincial power bases, Jin Ling, merely a small county, possesses no speaking power; ultimately, it relies entirely on superior support.

However, on the other hand, Jin Ling's development is indeed excellent; for superiors to offer support, one must first prove oneself worthy. Jin Ling has completely emerged as a sudden powerful force, taking the vanguard in the current reform environment, with various regions drawing on Jin Ling's experiences to develop themselves; three hundred and sixty-five days a year, every single day sees inspection and study teams from outside arriving, with people sent from all over the country to learn.

Naturally, the increasing intensity of superior support is also inseparable from Jin Ling's 'correctness,' or rather, Wang Yan's correctness; from 1978 to the present, Wang Yan's decisions have never been mistaken, not even once. It is precisely the accumulation of so many correct decisions, combined with the diligence, unity, and indomitable spirit of the Jin Ling people, that has brought about Jin Ling as it is today.

This has also led to the great achievement wherein the original entire population of three hundred thousand in Jin Ling has preliminarily realized socialism.

In fact, by now in 1984, after merging the two counties, Jin Ling has absorbed another two hundred thousand workers within this single year, achieving the feat of lifting all seven hundred thousand people across the two counties out of poverty, which is likewise a remarkable accomplishment.

Meanwhile, all school-age children in both counties are attending school under a twelve-year compulsory education system, entering at age six and graduating high school at eighteen; those capable attend university, while those who cannot enter factories, and even those entering factories must organize to study some advanced professional knowledge.

From this generation onward, except for those with intellectual disabilities, there will not be a single illiterate person in Jin Ling; even the deaf-mute and the blind must receive schooling.

At this current moment, Jin Ling's comprehensive compulsory education is undoubtedly another achievement.

Another rather important point is Jin Ling's driving role; the surrounding areas of Jin Ling are developing quite well, visibly superior by a significant margin to places further away. The situation in the province is also very good; although Jin Ling runs a deficit every year, not a single cent of the required payments has been withheld, and the province uses this money to develop, naturally making progress over these few years.

At the national level, this sum of money from Jin Ling also finds its place and can drive development.

This does not even mention the foreign exchange earned by Jin Ling; aside from selling weapons and raw materials, no one earns more foreign exchange than Jin Ling. The foreign exchange earned over these past few years provides a quite significant boost to the nation's development; after all, at this time the country lacks everything, every region lacks everything, needing scientific research, livelihood improvements, development, and advanced technology, so Jin Ling has made its contribution...

"Did you see them off onto the bus?"

Seeing Wang Yan return, Song Yunping, who was holding the child and pacing around the room, asked.

"They are on the bus; Yang Xun helped carry the luggage."

"Xiao Hui secretly told me that after dating for a while longer, they will marry in October. What do you think of Kaiyan?"

"Didn't I say that the day she arrived?" Wang Yan took the child. "We are not some feudal family; nowadays everyone practices free love. As you know in Jin Ling, matchmakers have nothing to do; with so many marriages and births every year, not a single couple was forced, nor do families exist that forbid marriage.

What we think is unimportant; this is Xiao Hui's matter, after all, since he is the one living his life, and he is already a person with his own ideas. I feel we shouldn't worry so much; if Xiao Hui thinks it works, then it works."

Song Yunping nodded, rolling her shoulders, watching Wang Yan lift and pinch the child playfully; she was already very accustomed to this, as Wang Yan was truly skilled at caring for children, and no matter how Wang Yan played, the child would not cry or fuss, seeming quite amused and even grinning broadly.

She then said, "Then shouldn't we go to Jinzhou to visit Kaiyan's family?"

"Let's wait until the marriage is settled before discussing it; by then, we will all go over to visit."

"Alright."

Song Yunping smiled and said, "Xiao Hui's marriage is somewhat late, but he is finally settling down; it hasn't been easy."

"He is no longer young. Actually, I feel he was delayed by that Miss he secretly loved before; Xiao Hui didn't understand many things back then, and that Miss had a significant influence on him. Vague affection is fatal; it made Xiao Hui unable to forget her."

"You know this so clearly; who were you vaguely affectionate with?"

"Hey, that's unreasonable! In the past, I only knew how to fight, and later I devoted myself wholeheartedly to studying; where would I have found the mind to think about such things? I met you directly and became vaguely affectionate with you right away. Come here, son, hit Mom; Mom is being unreasonable."

Wang Yan guided the little one's hand to pat Song Yunping, and the whole family erupted in laughter and play...

Family matters are trivial to Wang Yan; his current work is actually very busy, as the hype surrounding the Olympic champions continues, Jin Ling remains busily engaged in various productions, and simultaneously he must oversee the production, research, and development of other industries, while also finding time to visit and conduct surveys throughout the county to ensure all tasks proceed in an orderly manner and are implemented stably.

There are also various livelihood issues, numerous construction matters, and all kinds of conflicts among the people; all these major and minor affairs do not unfold one by one in sequence but rush over all at once, proceeding simultaneously.

Wang Yan must inquire into all of these, making detailed adjustments continuously as development changes; especially regarding the crucial issue of atmosphere within the county, constant attention and correction are necessary, otherwise the very foundation of Jin Ling would be shaken.

Time passed day by day, and by the end of September, Song Yunhui sent a letter stating he intended to marry Cheng Kaiyan, with the date set for the end of October.

However, by this time Wang Yan was no longer in Jin Ling, as this year a grand military parade was being held to celebrate the thirty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic, and Wang Yan had been invited to attend and observe the ceremony from the rostrum.

Although in terms of administrative rank, the Jin Ling Group is currently only a section-level unit and Wang Yan's rank is merely a positive section level; after the merger of the three counties to establish a city, it will be directly administered by the province, with the leadership team conforming to normal prefecture-level standards. Due to its special nature, the Jin Ling Group will be promoted by half a level to become a bureau-level unit, at which point Wang Yan's administrative rank will still only be a deputy department level.

But Wang Yan is the actual leader of Jin Ling, and Jin Ling holds considerable representative significance; in future reviews of reform achievements, Jin Ling will absolutely be mentioned at the forefront.

By virtue of this historical merit, Mr. Wang has a seat on the rostrum.

The last grand military parade was in 1959, marking the tenth anniversary of the founding of New China; since then, there has been no military parade of such scale. Twenty-five years later, another grand parade is taking place, alongside Reform and Opening Up, the recent Self-Defense Counterattack War, and the ongoing Battle of Laoshan and Zheyinshan, all amidst a complex international situation, making this parade highly valued both domestically and internationally.

This grand parade is also highly revered by future generations; soldiers who had just finished fighting marched in neat formation along Chang'an Avenue, executing the three-part rifle split and goose-step with vigorous spirit, high morale, and brimming killing intent.

Wang Yan enjoyed the view quite a bit; the vantage point from the rostrum was indeed superior, offering a better experience. After all, impressive as Mr. Wang is, having watched many parades, this is the only time he has viewed a New China grand military parade from the rostrum...

After concluding the grand parade and attending several meetings, Wang Yan returned to Jin Ling; he had originally intended to take his wife, child, and Song's parents to Jinzhou, after all, as the male side, they ought to take the initiative in visiting the family, which is quite unequal regarding gender, but this is the default rule. Wang Yan would naturally not put on airs; he would go where he should.

But unexpectedly, by the time he returned, the entire Old Cheng family had proactively come to Jin Ling.

When he arrived home, he saw the Old Cheng family sitting in the living room, talking with the Old Song family.

"It's really lively."

Wang Yan entered the house carrying his briefcase, and everyone inside stood up, all appearing somewhat nervous.

Song Yunping said, "Wang Yan, this is Kaiyan's father and mother, and this is Kaiyan's elder brother and sister-in-law."

"Oh my." Wang Yan raised his eyebrows in surprise, then stepped forward to shake hands with Father Cheng. "Uncle Cheng, hello; I was thinking of returning, tidying up, and bringing the whole family to Jinzhou to visit, but I didn't expect you to come first."

Wang Yan exchanged greetings with everyone else.

Father Cheng's eyes narrowed with a smile, and he said, "We know you are busy; Xiao Hui mentioned you even went to Beijing for the observation ceremony. Besides, your child is only three months old and cannot be left alone; how could you make such a long journey? We discussed it at home and decided, why don't we come over instead? This way, we can also witness Jin Ling's great socialist cause, hahaha..."

"It's not great yet; there is still much to be done." Wang Yan asked, "When did you arrive?"

"They only arrived yesterday afternoon."

Wang Yan understood; this itinerary had been scheduled based on an estimate of his return time from Beijing.

"Alright, it's nearly noon; let's have something to eat and drink shortly, then spend the next couple of days enjoying ourselves in Jin Ling. He Xiaoping, call my assistant and have Meng Xiaozao instruct Old Zhao to prepare ten dishes and send them over. For wine, we'll drink Moutai; tell him to bring out the aged vintage. Uncle Cheng, you all continue chatting; I've been traveling all the way here, so I need to wash up and change my clothes."

"Good, good, good," Father Cheng said with a nod and a smile.

With so many people, cooking would be impossible; it was far more efficient to have the factory's head chef prepare the meal. As for the wine, the factory purchased various famous brands by the truckload for official receptions and internal events, all of them top-quality spirits. It wasn't reserved solely for leaders; whenever an event was held, worker representatives, outstanding employees, and honored citizens all got to drink.

Of course, the leaders consumed the majority, primarily because there were too many inspection teams visiting Jin Ling and too many miscellaneous collaborations. Jin Ling's immense wealth was displayed right at the drinking table. After all, given the broader environment, Jin Ling wasn't always the party calling the shots; one still had to drink when necessary and extend hospitality when required. The expenses in this regard were substantial, all classified as public relations costs.

As for worker representatives and others, there were many events as well. During festivals, alcohol was occasionally distributed. Wang Yan always adhered to the principle of sharing benefits equally; after all, to ensure he wore a comfortable watch, he commissioned a custom purchase and distributed them to over a thousand people at once. This became a standard practice, forging a deep friendship with the Shanghai Watch Factory...

Wang Yan nodded to the others, then went inside to attend to his matters.

Song Yunping followed him in to help Wang Yan find clothes to change into.

"Kaiyan is quite good; her father and that brother of hers leave much to be desired. Her father possesses some depth, but her brother and sister-in-law wear their thoughts on their faces."

"These are all minor issues."

Wang Yan smiled, unconcerned, then remarked with a laugh, "Think about it the other way around: if our family amounted to nothing, we would have to travel all the way to Jinzhou just to put on smiling faces, and moreover, Xiaohui would suffer grievously in the future. Outsiders would claim Xiaohui was climbing the social ladder, while the Cheng family would believe they provided Xiaohui with immense assistance. As for Xiaohui's own excellence, they would absolutely never mention it; instead, they would exaggerate their patronage of Xiaohui and demand his gratitude."

This was precisely the situation Song Yunhui faced in the original drama; Father Cheng was quite repulsive, boasting that he had groomed Song Yunhui to be his successor in Jinzhou, when in reality his assistance was not that significant. After all, even without Father Cheng, Song Yunhui himself enjoyed the care of the Jinzhou Chemical Party Secretary, and although Secretary Xu had left Jinzhou Chemical, his network of connections, however convoluted, still provided support.

In the original drama, when Song Yunhui left Jinzhou, it infuriated Father Cheng, who believed Song Yunhui had escaped his control. Later, once Song Yunhui established himself in Donghai, Father Cheng tried using the children as leverage again, even feigning illness to force Song Yunhui to appoint his incompetent son to a procurement position at Donghai Chemical. The implication was obvious: he wanted his son to ride on Song Yunhui's coattails to make money...

However, now that Wang Yan had arrived, the situation had reversed; this time, it was the Cheng family doing the climbing. That was why the entire family had traveled all this way to meet in Jin Ling, adopting a very humble posture.

To Wang Yan, the Cheng family's issues were trivial. To exaggerate slightly, if Wang Yan merely narrowed his eyes, Father Cheng would lose at least three nights of sleep...

After washing up and briefly wiping his body, Wang Yan changed into clean clothes, glanced at the little one who had just woken up, played with the child for a while, and only then left the room to deal with the Cheng family.

The assistant quickly delivered the meal; Wang Yan and the Cheng family exchanged toast after toast, while Song Father sat silently, as if Wang Yan, rather than Song Yunhui, were the father.

An elder sister is like a mother, so naturally, an elder sister's husband is like a father; there is nothing wrong with that.

There was nothing substantial in the conversation, merely the Cheng family flattering Wang Yan, expressing amazement at Jin Ling's achievements, and discussing reform, policies, and future development with him.

Everyone had only just met; it was not yet time to conduct business. Even if they intended to ask Wang Yan for favors, Father Cheng would not approach Wang Yan directly; instead, Song Yunhui would have to do so.

Father Cheng understood this point very well. Therefore, he drank enthusiastically to build rapport with Wang Yan, while simultaneously taking good care of Song Father and Song Mother, ensuring they were not neglected, which was quite acceptable...