Chapter 1311: The Living Buddha of the Wan Family

"It has changed so much."

Having disembarked from the train but not yet exited the station, Song Yunhui was already sighing with emotion repeatedly.

Cheng Kaiyan, holding their still-drowsy child, said, "The train station has moved locations, hasn't it? It shouldn't have been over here before."

"It has moved; it was different when we entered just now, so it must be on the outskirts now."

"The train station is bigger, and there are more people too. While on the train, I heard many people saying they came for tourism. They all said they wanted to see what socialism actually looks like, and there were quite a few foreigners as well."

"Jin Ling has indeed done wonderfully; in just four years, it has become unrecognizable. Let's go; over the next few days, we'll take a good look around the city."

The train station was built very large; the two of them walked for a while before merging with the crowd to exit. Outside the exit lay a small open square. In the distance, several sheds were visible, each flanked by large signs reading 'Tourist Reception Registration,' complete with English translations. Others read 'Visiting Relatives and Friends,' 'Corporate Business,' and 'Job Interview.'

Behind these sheds stood a large cluster of buses and blue-and-white taxis.

"Visitors from other regions, please keep your ID cards ready and register according to your needs; without registration, you cannot exit the station, and even if you slip out, you will find it impossible to move a single step. Please comply with Jin Ling's management system for non-local populations and cooperate with our work."

A railway police officer at Jin Ling Train Station wandered near the exit holding a loudspeaker, which played a pre-recorded message on repeat.

"Don't we have that Relative Visit Card? I remember we brought it; check your bag," Song Yunhui turned to instruct Cheng Kaiyan.

The couple moved to one side; under the railway police officer's gaze, Cheng Kaiyan set down the child, opened their bundle, and took out a red card.

Holding it up to the officer, she asked, "Is this acceptable?"

"Ah, a wandering child of Jin Ling returning home! Both the buses and taxis have verification machines; just swipe it once you board, and you'll know."

While speaking, the officer waved over a taxi; those possessing such cards were to take taxis.

Song Yunhui's family stowed their belongings and boarded the vehicle.

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Song Yunhui swiped the card on the machine in the center of the car, following the driver's instructions.

Beep! Verification successful.

The driver smiled and said, "Fasten your seatbelt; where to?"

"Textile Road, Factory One Avenue, Building Number One."

"Oh ho, so you're family of an old worker! These days, most people over there are leading cadres; the lowest rank would at least be a production team leader." The driver grew even more enthusiastic, shifted gears, started moving, and asked with a smile, "How many years has it been since you returned?"

"Four years."

"Then I'll drive slowly so we can properly admire the changes in our hometown."

"That's exactly what I was about to say," Song Yunhui laughed.

"Hey, every Jin Ling native returning from abroad makes 'drive slowly' their first request. Never mind that you haven't been back in four years; even someone who hasn't returned in three months wants to look slowly. Jin Ling has changed too drastically these past few years; I run around Jin Ling every day, and even I can't keep up. Jin Ling is enormous now; in the early days, the county town had only over thirty thousand people, but now this area has over six hundred thousand. If you miss visiting any place for even a month, it transforms completely."

The driver sighed with emotion, "It's all thanks to our Factory Director; otherwise, where would we have gotten such an opportunity?"

"Uncle, have you retired?"

"I retired the year before last, but I couldn't stay idle, so I came out to contribute my remaining warmth."

Without Song Yunhui needing to press further, the old master began speaking on his own: "I used to be from Shanyang Village; in 1981, I was recruited into the engineering team, but since I drove large trucks in the army in my youth, I never spent a single day working on construction sites; they directly assigned me to drive a tractor, running daily to haul goods and deliver materials. In 1982, my son entered the factory; in 1983, I entered the factory."

"Just then, they opened direct-sale stores and needed to run logistics out of the province to supply our primary large warehouses; since I had driven large trucks in the army, they transferred me over and made me a transport team captain, leading a team of ten large freight trucks running routes to the Northeast. By 1986, after three years of running, I turned sixty; the factory made me retire, paying me thirty yuan a month."

"I certainly disagreed; I told them I had arms and legs, was lively and jumping, and still wanted to work. The factory stubbornly refused, forcibly assigning me to sweep the streets. I swept for a few days, found it meaningless, and requested a transfer again; they assigned me to serve plates in a restaurant. I worked there a few more days, but it still didn't suit me, so I requested another transfer, saying I came from a farming background and asking them to send me to a lower-level workstation where I could still operate agricultural machinery."

"The factory certainly wouldn't agree to that; coincidentally, around that time, Jin Ling began mass-producing automobiles, and to solve the city's traffic problems, they decided to launch taxis. This job suited me perfectly, so I voluntarily volunteered. This time they agreed, but with requirements: no speeding, and before dispatch, we must assemble for inspections to check for alcohol consumption. There are also random spot checks midway; safe driving is mandatory; just a few days ago, they caught one person drinking."

"Our Factory Director is so busy, yet he personally convened a grand meeting to criticize him; it was broadcast live on city television, and he scolded him for half an hour. Afterwards, he was banished to sweep the streets; truly, he lost immense face before my lord."

The driver's story was amusing, making Song Yunhui laugh: "The Factory Director is only thirty-two; how did he become 'my lord'?"

"Seeing that you are an educated person, don't you understand how to grasp the spirit? Is it measured by age? Our Factory Director is a divine man; in ten years, he led us to a good life; I would call him Grandfather if I could."

"If it were possible, even if I had to die now and give my remaining lifespan to extend our Factory Director's life, I would be ten thousand times willing. If it weren't prohibited, I would want to erect a memorial tablet for the Factory Director, enshrine it in my home, and burn incense daily."

"Uncle, judging by your words, did such things actually happen?"

"Otherwise, how would anyone know it's prohibited? That happened the year before last; at the time, it made our Factory Director laugh in anger."

"Then how was it handled afterwards?"

"They held a grand meeting for criticism and self-reflection, established new rules, and prohibited random worship of Buddha, burning incense, and burning paper money."

The taxi drove very slowly; Song Yunhui chatted with the driver to inquire about the situation while observing the scenery outside the window.

In merely four years, Jin Ling had transformed to the point where he completely failed to recognize it. There was no longer any of the original dilapidation, nor any prefabricated houses; all that met the eye was cleanliness, tidiness, and distinctive character.

All street-facing buildings had been decorated; some were painted with various slogans, others with murals depicting labor scenes, while preserved historical buildings were interspersed among them from time to time, looking extremely beautiful.

Upon reaching the city center, construction was already complete; the area was entirely occupied by many large buildings, though none were high-rises.

"This is our city center; do you see that road checkpoint over there? Bicycles, motorcycles, and cars are all prohibited from entering; only official vehicles from the county or the factory may enter. The people are not restricted and may come and go freely; inside lies our county's largest People's Square, just like in Beijing, where flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremonies are held every morning and evening."

"The Group Headquarters and the Municipal Government are both located here; they open for visits every Friday, and one can see them by queuing from morning till night, with no limit on quotas. One can even see the offices of our Factory Director and the government leaders from the outside. The Factory Director says that apart from Jin Ling's vital economic lifelines, there is nothing that cannot be shown to the public; I heard they even caught quite a few spies."

"Pay attention; look to the left."

After the driver finished speaking, the taxi slowly crossed an intersection.

Song Yunhui and his family of three turned their gaze to the left.

There, at the end of the road, stood a towering statue with hands clasped behind its back, gazing far into the east with profound eyes.

"Wow~"

Song Yunhui's daughter, Song Yin, could not help but emit a cry of astonishment.

"It is the Instructor's Statue, forty-nine meters tall; within a radius of two kilometers, this full-body statue is the highest structure, constructed from spliced white marble. The road directly facing it is called Communist Road, running due east to due west, with a total length of 4.9 kilometers; this statue stands right in the middle of this road. There are four other roads: Beijing Road, Liaoshen Road, Huaihai Road, Pingjin Road..."

"I recall the plan also included Marx and Lenin?"

"Yes, they are there, just not this tall; in the park, there is a Socialist Wall featuring Marx, Engels, Lenin, and Stalin," the driver laughed.

Thus, Song Yunhui's family took the taxi on a circuitous route until they reached the worker housing area; upon disembarking, they paid one yuan.

This was the travel benefit for Jin Ling's people: taxi fares were one yuan regardless of distance, while bus rides were free.

Jin Ling had already begun applying electronic information technology; after implementing the first-generation ID card registration system in 1985, Jin Ling, while cooperating with the policy to issue first-generation ID cards, launched the Jin Ling People's Identity Card. Similar to a second-generation ID card, it incorporated identity marker authentication; whether for various registrations, clocking in for work, or enjoying Jin Ling's welfare benefits, everyone used this card.

After all, Jin Ling had become very large; it was no longer a place where everyone knew everyone, and with many non-local populations wandering the streets, a Jin Ling identity authentication was necessary.

Now, utilizing electronic information technology, the anti-counterfeiting measures here are sufficiently robust; in high-welfare locations such as hospitals, when scanning the Identity Card, a photograph simultaneously appears to guarantee consistency between the person and the certificate.

If welfare eligibility were confirmed solely by the Jin Ling household registration on an ID card, an unknown amount of money would be siphoned off annually through various means; the anti-counterfeiting measures would be insufficient.

Such incidents happened before, when a certificate issued by the factory alone was enough. But later, outsiders forged certificates to seek medical treatment at the hospital. After this was discovered, the factory plugged the loopholes by adding multiple layers of verification; having a certificate was no longer enough—one also needed a factory leader to appear in person.

To solve the people's healthcare problems, Jin Ling has exerted tremendous effort. Through years of development—purchasing and researching medical equipment and instruments, recruiting and training medical talent, and poaching renowned experts from other hospitals—Jin Ling's current medical conditions, while perhaps not among the top two nationwide, are already unrivaled within the province and rank highly across the nation.

However, although Jin Ling is wealthy, it ultimately cannot save so many patients; even for the people of Jin Ling, there is a reimbursement cap. After all, sustaining life for those lingering between life and death with terminal illnesses costs far too much. Jin Ling provides maximum rescue efforts and limited life support, avoiding the expenditure of massive resources on any single person's terminal illness.

If this is the case even for the people of Jin Ling, how could it possibly open the floodgates to serve so many people from other places seeking medical treatment...

Nevertheless, the consciousness of Jin Ling's people is very high. Although those diagnosed with terminal illnesses feel sorrow, they all display an open-minded and positive attitude toward death. Having eaten, drunk, and enjoyed life, they do not worry about affairs after their passing or about their children and grandchildren; they depart with few regrets.

At the same time, the people of Jin Ling are very supportive of the city's medical endeavors. Many have donated their bodies to Jin Ling People's Hospital for research and experimental purposes. Other patients actively cooperate with various experiments conducted in Jin Ling, contributing bricks and tiles to the city's medical cause.

The vast majority of Jin Ling residents possess a considerable spirit of dedication. This is the result of collective development, which frees them from worry, and also the result of persistent ideological education, which has fostered their consciousness.

The collective serves the people, and the people serve the collective. This is one part of Jin Ling's socialist achievements...

Only Mother Song was at home; Wang Yan and the others had gone to work, while the little one, now over four years old, had gone to kindergarten.

Song Yunhui had called home early to say he would be returning soon, but he hadn't fixed a date. Mother Song held her granddaughter tightly, unwilling to let go; she had only seen this granddaughter twice. The first time was right after birth, when he went to take care of Cheng Kaiyan. Last year, he traveled a long distance again to visit, but children grow so fast that now she barely recognized her.

Since it was already afternoon, Mother Song called Wang Yan and the others, asking them to return early.

Within two hours, the whole family had returned, with Wang Yan arriving last. The return of his wife's younger brother's family did not warrant him dropping everything in his hands to leave immediately; he could only say that he had finished his current tasks and would do no more work for the day.

"Brother-in-law," Song Yunhui and Cheng Kaiyan both stood up to greet him, pulling their child over to recognize him.

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow: "Younger brother-in-law, have you suffered some shock? Since when do you stand up when I come home?"

"I respect you, dear brother-in-law; your achievements are too great, and my reverence comes from the bottom of my heart," Song Yunhui said with a smile.

"Very good, you've learned how to flatter," Wang Yan said, nodding with a smile. "Your life these past few years hasn't been too easy, yet your progress has been impressive."

"Stop joking; Xiaohui has been transferred. The Donghai Chemical project has been approved, and Xiaohui has been appointed deputy factory director," Song Yunping interjected to defend her brother.

"If life were going well, he wouldn't have progressed so quickly," Wang Yan laughed heartily, then picked up Song Yin, teased her a couple of times, and then let the two children go play.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and get ready to cook. Everything is already cleaned up; it's not me saying this, but your son wants to eat, and we're just tagging along to share the benefit," Song Yunping urged Wang Yan to start cooking immediately.

Wang Yan went cheerfully to change into a short-sleeved shirt and large shorts, washed his hands, and got busy in the kitchen.

Song Yunhui stood guarding the kitchen with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, chatting.

"Brother-in-law, you move really fast; you built all this in just four years?"

"With four hundred thousand people working on construction year-round without rest, how could it not be fast? This was also achieved by sacrificing a certain degree of development speed. All these building materials cost money, as did labor expenses; apart from maintaining operations and normal R&D investment, all profits from these past few years were poured into urban construction.

Fortunately, regarding building materials, Jin Ling had invested in quite a few enterprises, saving a lot on costs. It was a struggle to sustain, but we finally managed to resolve it."

"I truly haven't felt that Jin Ling's development was restricted; I've only seen more and more items in Jin Ling's direct-sales stores. Not to mention various electronic products, they're even displaying cars in the direct-sales stores now."

"It's all accumulation from the past; only by launching so many products subsequently could we sustain this. But now it's fine; basic infrastructure is essentially complete. Future maintenance and new construction costs will be a drop in the bucket. The people can also afford to wait now and don't need to be as anxious as before."

Wang Yan then asked, "How many days are you staying this time?"

"Half a month. The Donghai project is in preliminary preparation, so I came out early to construct the factory zone."

"Not bad; you've reached the same rank as me now."

"I don't have over a million people under my command, I'm not the number one leader, and my words don't carry final authority."

"It's only a matter of time. Actually, once you have results, you should tell me; I could pull some strings for you. Even if you can't become the number one leader immediately, becoming a factory director with a concurrent post as deputy party secretary is no problem. If nothing goes wrong, after two or three years you'll be promoted to the top position, saving several years of time."

"I don't want to do it that way; I just want to ensure I'm not oppressed, and that's enough."

"You have ambition," Wang Yan said, nodding with a smile; Song Yunhui's backbone was still very hard.

After a moment of silence, Song Yunhui said, "Brother-in-law, actually, there's something else I came back to ask for your help with this time."

"Don't say 'ask for help'; just state the matter."

"My job has been transferred, and the child is older; I don't have time to look after her. If I let Kaiyan keep caring for the child alone, I feel I'm letting her down. With this transfer, my rank qualifies me to relocate my family, so I want to take Kaiyan with me, but then I won't be able to look after the child.

If we leave her with my father-in-law's family, Kaiyan's older brother already has two children to care for. So I want to leave the child in Jin Ling for my parents to help raise for a few years, and then take her back once she's old enough for school."

"We're all family; does this matter really require asking? Are you insulting me?"

Wang Yan shook his head amusedly: "My niece is also over three years old now. You spend a few days playing with the child, then handle the procedures for her and send her directly to kindergarten. Just remember to come back often to visit; otherwise, if too much time passes, the child won't even recognize you as her father."

"There's no other way; it's all for the sake of work. Once she enters elementary school, it will be fine; Donghai Chemical also has an elementary school there. Actually, there's a kindergarten too, but I'm afraid Kaiyan won't be able to handle it all."

"That doesn't matter at all; we're all family, so it doesn't matter how long she stays. Actually, leaving her in Jin Ling is better; after all, conditions here are superior to anywhere else. Moreover, we are currently focusing on education, aiming to let Jin Ling's children receive high-quality education and become capable, thoughtful, and healthy socialist successors."

"Let's just leave her for two years first and see how it goes."

Song Yunhui then changed the subject: "I heard the situation over in the Soviet Union seems quite complicated?"

"It's about to collapse," Wang Yan said cheerfully. "The situation is too complicated..."

The two chatted about matters concerning the Soviet Union, moving from the Soviet Union to international affairs, and then to the impact on China.

"At the national level, there will definitely be an impact; exactly how things will develop is hard to say, given that international relations are too complex. But for Jin Ling alone, it is a great piece of good news; the Soviet Union possesses quite a few good things."

Song Yunhui widened his eyes: "Jin Ling is already operating on this?"

Wang Yan nodded with a smile; on his path of growth, if one were to ask who had aided him the most, it would probably be none other than the big brother...