Chapter 1762: Regional Economic Cooperation

On the afternoon of the third day of the Lunar New Year and throughout the fourth, Su Xinghui drove Lu Xiaoya around Jiangcheng to pay New Year calls to his elders one by one. On the fifth, he flew to Jingcheng alone.

At the Jingcheng airport, Yu Ruizhi and Yu Junchu, the two brothers, along with Yu Ruoqiu, met him, and they went directly to the home of Elder Yu to pay their New Year respects. He ate lunch at Elder Yu's home, and the families of Yu Yan'an and Yu Kangzhan also ate there that day.

Elder Yu and his wife are in much better spirits now. After the meal, Elder Yu told Su Xinghui with great interest: "Xinghui, that Five-Animal Exercise of yours is truly useful. After practicing it for over a year, I feel that the injuries I sustained when I was young are much better now. I estimate that after practicing for a while longer, they shouldn't hurt anymore."

When Elder Yu was young, he fought in countless battles and sustained many injuries. Whenever the weather turned cloudy or rainy, these old wounds would ache, sometimes so painfully that he couldn't sleep. Of course, with his fortitude, he wouldn't tell anyone about it, simply enduring it in silence.

Now that he is telling Su Xinghui this, it is because he is truly happy. Practicing the Five-Animal Exercise has alleviated his pain and made his body healthier; he is grateful to Su Xinghui from the bottom of his heart.

The Five-Animal Exercise is a form of internal health cultivation, different from ordinary martial arts. Some martial arts, if practiced too much, can damage the body—for example, Muay Thai or Iron Palm—which are destructive to the body when over-practiced. The Five-Animal Exercise is different; the more one practices it, the more beneficial it is to the body.

Of course, the Five-Animal Exercise is not a panacea; it is impossible to say that all old injuries will be completely healed. It can only provide a certain degree of improvement, as well as delay aging and improve bodily functions. However, this alone is enough to make Elder Yu very happy.

Su Xinghui smiled and said: "Grandpa Yu, if you and Grandma practice this every day without interruption, I estimate that living to be one hundred and twenty years old will be no problem at all."

Elder Yu's wife laughed: "If we live that long, wouldn't we become old monsters?"

Elder Yu said: "I actually would like to live that long. I want to see what our country can become. I hope for a powerful China, and I want to see that day."

Elder Yu's wish moved Su Xinghui. This was the lifelong wish of these older-generation proletarian revolutionaries. It is a pity that the vast majority of them left this world before truly seeing that day, which must be said to be a huge regret.

Su Xinghui said: "Grandpa Yu, you will definitely see that day. Our China will surely become more and more powerful."

Elder Yu nodded with a smile and asked: "I heard that Xiaoya is pregnant with a 'Mao Mao'?"

In the Hudong dialect, young children are called "Mao Mao." Although Elder Yu has been away from his hometown for many years, he has not forgotten this local term.

Su Xinghui nodded and said: "It has been almost four months now."

Elder Yu said: "When you two got married, Grandma and I originally wanted to go, but they wouldn't let us. So I only wrote a piece of calligraphy for you. You won't blame Grandpa, will you?"

Su Xinghui quickly said: "The calligraphy you wrote is the most precious gift I received; how could I blame you? You are advanced in age and it is inconvenient for you to travel to our place, and now that Xiaoya is in a delicate condition, it is also inconvenient for her to come to Jingcheng to see you. Next year during the Spring Festival, Xiaoya and I will bring the child to pay you a New Year call together."

Elder Yu said: "Alright, then you must come next Spring Festival. I have to hold your 'Mao Mao'."

Su Xinghui nodded in agreement. Elder Yu sat with his wife for a while, chatted with Su Xinghui for a bit, and then went to rest. This is a routine they must follow every noon; such a nap is also beneficial for their health.

Yu Yan'an and Yu Kangzhan were both full of wonder. Elder Yu rarely shows such a pleasant countenance to young people like Su Xinghui, but he is truly an exception for Su Xinghui. He is even more attentive and appreciative of Su Xinghui than he is of his own grandsons.

However, they can understand it. A young man like Su Xinghui is truly a phoenix among men; describing him as "one in ten thousand" is not an exaggeration. He is both outstanding and polite, happens to be compatible with Elder Yu, and can even teach Elder Yu the Five-Animal Exercise to relieve his pain—how could Elder Yu not like him?

Yu Yan'an said: "Xinghui, why don't we learn this Five-Animal Exercise from you as well? We are old now, and sometimes the 'parts' of our bodies don't listen to us."

Fan Xinyun said: "Hearing you say that, I want to practice it too. I am old as well, and my body isn't as good as it used to be."

Su Xinghui smiled and said: "Uncle Yu, Aunt Fan, if you want to practice, I can certainly teach you, but you are not old at all. You look like you are at most forty years old, especially you, Auntie—if you walked down the street with Ruoqiu now, others would definitely think you are Ruoqiu's older sister."

Fan Xinyun laughed: "Xinghui, you really have a silver tongue! No wonder you were able to find such a beautiful girlfriend as Xiaoya!"

Yu Ruoqiu, however, pouted: "How does he have a silver tongue? Is he complimenting you on being young, or saying that I am old?"

Yu Ruoqiu's words made everyone laugh.

Yu Kangzhan said with a smile: "Xinghui, I'm sorry. When you got married, I was too busy with work and couldn't attend. Please don't take offense!"

Su Xinghui said: "How could I take offense? At the time, Uncle Yu and Aunt Jingxian attended my wedding, and I felt flattered."

Yu Kangzhan looked at Yu Junchu, who was sitting upright nearby, and said: "Xinghui, I also have to thank you. With Junchu in Wushui County, if it weren't for your support, I'm afraid his job as county magistrate wouldn't have been so easy to handle."

The Yu family's upbringing is very strict. When the elders are talking to Su Xinghui, Yu Ruizhi, Yu Junchu, and the others don't dare to speak casually. Only Yu Ruoqiu dares to interject; after all, she is the most favored girl in the Yu family.

Su Xinghui said: "Brother Junchu has actually done a very outstanding job. His work in Wushui County is also a great boost to my work in Changshan County. Now, the economic ties between Changshan and Wushui counties are very close, and in the future, they will surely become the core of the Tianyue Mountain Range Economic Cooperation Zone."

"Tianyue Mountain Range Economic Cooperation Zone?" Yu Yan'an and Yu Kangzhan asked in unison: "What does this mean?"

Su Xinghui smiled and said: "Let Brother Junchu explain it."

Su Xinghui is giving Yu Junchu an opportunity to shine. Although Yu Junchu is Yu Kangzhan's son, the Yu family's upbringing is strict, and Yu Junchu rarely has such opportunities to perform in front of his elders.

Yu Kangzhan nodded and said: "Alright, Junchu, you explain it."

Yu Junchu glanced at Su Xinghui, nodded slightly to him, and then began: "The Tianyue Mountain Range Economic Cooperation Zone is a concept proposed by Xinghui and me. Both Changshan County and Wushui County are located in the Tianyue Mountain Range, and within the Tianyue Mountain Range, there are more than a dozen counties from Hudong Province, Huxi Province, and Jiangyou Province. These dozen counties are all economically underdeveloped areas because the terrain of the Tianyue Mountain Range is too complex and transportation is too inconvenient."

When he first started speaking, Yu Junchu was a bit nervous, but he became more fluent as he went on.

"Although the economic development of these dozen counties is not satisfactory, they are rich in resources, and these resources have both homogeneity and complementarity, making them very suitable for regional economic cooperation. For example, the meat processing and slaughterhouse base project launched by Changshan County can stimulate the development of animal husbandry in these areas, allowing animal husbandry to become one of the pillar industries for these dozen counties. This is a model of regional economic cooperation."

Yu Yan'an and Yu Kangzhan looked at each other and nodded together. They certainly knew very well about this slaughterhouse base project; Yu Junchu's vigorous promotion of animal husbandry in Wushui County relied on this project.

Yu Junchu continued: "Of course, transportation between these dozen counties is very inconvenient, which has become a huge bottleneck restricting their economic development. However, this situation has now improved somewhat. Xinghui has already built or is about to build roads connecting Changshan County with the neighboring counties, and this Tianyue Mountain Range Economic Cooperation Zone is already beginning to take shape..."

Yu Junchu explained some of the specific ideas he and Su Xinghui had to his father and uncle, and both of them nodded repeatedly, expressing their appreciation.