Chapter 3905

As April passed day by day, Su Xinghui felt a heavy weight in his heart because that date was drawing closer and closer, yet he could not say a word about it. This feeling was incredibly stifling; he often woke up startled from his dreams, gasping for air, and would lie there with his eyes open until dawn, unable to fall back asleep.

Lu Xiaoya felt that his work pressure was too great and urged him not to stress so much. Su Xinghui would always respond with a smile, telling her he was fine and asking her not to worry.

In fact, there were quite a few people from Western Sichuan in Linshan now, because Linshan was currently full of construction sites and large-scale projects. Yu Ruizhi and his friends were very inclined to hire labor from those impoverished mountainous areas. Currently, he was building earthquake-resistant public schools in Western Sichuan, so they had recruited many people from the Western Sichuan mountains to work as construction laborers.

This made Su Xinghui feel slightly more at ease. In this lifetime, he had already done so much; many people from those impoverished mountain areas had come out to work, some even bringing their whole families. Although most of the children had not come out, most of them were now able to sit in earthquake-resistant school buildings, which would surely reduce casualties significantly when the time came.

As the temperature rose day by day, Linshan became more beautiful, especially the New District. The construction progress there was quite rapid, and it had already formed a new residential and administrative area. Many residential complexes had been built there over the past two years, and residents who had moved from the old city renovation projects had already settled in. The common people whose land had been requisitioned for the Canglong Industrial Park had also moved into the New District, becoming its residents.

The New District had not only built houses but also office buildings for various administrative agencies that had moved there. Among the rows of high-rise buildings, there were parks, stadiums, and commercial streets, allowing the residents to live and work in peace.

In this season, the flowers in the parks were all in bloom, colorful and extremely beautiful. Su Xinghui would take his day off to bring Niu Niu to the New District to play after Niu Niu finished Professor Yang's class, which could be considered a way for Niu Niu to relax.

Now that Linshan University had been officially established, Professor Yang served as its honorary president. Originally, Linshan University had intended to ask Su Xinghui for an inscription, as Baozhou University had done, but Su Xinghui politely declined, suggesting that Professor Yang provide the inscription instead.

Su Xinghui was, after all, a leading cadre, and he did not like to provide inscriptions for anyone. Moreover, there was a bad trend now where people liked to ask leaders for inscriptions everywhere, regardless of how well the leaders wrote. If it were just an inscription, it would be fine, but the fear was that some leaders might use the opportunity to collect "brush fees," which would become a breeding ground for corruption.

In the end, Professor Yang gladly wrote the school name for the new Linshan University. His calligraphy was also excellent, possessing the foundation of a master, and his inscription for Linshan University would still add luster to the school.

Although Professor Yang was now the honorary president, he still only had a few classes each week. He continued to teach Niu Niu diligently every day. Niu Niu had indeed learned a lot from him, and now, when he went out with his father, he could articulate many profound principles.

What Professor Yang taught Niu Niu were the ways of governing the world, not dead knowledge. Having studied history his entire life, he could naturally discern the patterns of dynastic rise and fall from history books and learn many skills for governing the state. Now, he was pouring all his insights into Niu Niu.

Besides historical knowledge, Professor Yang did not forbid Niu Niu from reading other books. He encouraged Niu Niu to read books from other categories, such as Marshall's "Principles of Economics," Descartes' "Discourse on the Method," Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," and philosophical works by many masters, which he would guide Niu Niu to read from shallow to deep.

Niu Niu was now eleven years old and could understand these books. Because this society was very different from ancient times, Professor Yang felt that besides studying history, he should also read such books to truly master both Chinese and Western knowledge, integrate them, and learn the true wisdom of governing the state.

Niu Niu did not just memorize things by rote. After learning something, he would always compare it with reality. For example, when he went out on the street with Su Xinghui, he would interpret the prosperity of Linshan's market using the economic methods he had learned. When he went to the countryside, he would discuss with Su Xinghui how to liberate rural productivity...

Although some of his views were still slightly immature, this already made Su Xinghui very gratified. The child's starting point was higher than Su Xinghui's; when Su Xinghui was his age, he didn't have a master like Professor Yang to teach him, let alone teach him so well, adapting to his aptitude. Su Xinghui was certain that Niu Niu would surely achieve great things in the future.

Although Niu Niu was only eleven, he was already over 1.6 meters tall and looked like a teenager. Besides studying with Professor Yang, he also learned martial arts, calligraphy, and painting from his father at home, living a very fulfilling life every day; he could be called a talent in both literature and martial arts.

Because Niu Niu learned from Professor Yang and his father and often went among the common people, he understood many principles of conduct. He never showed off his skills in class, feeling that such behavior was very childish. Of course, his academic grades were always first in the grade, a position no one could replace.

Niu Niu's growth truly made the whole family overjoyed. Such an excellent child was truly the pride of the entire family!

Su Xinghui did not have a child of his own in his previous life, but in this life, he had such an outstanding son as Niu Niu. He felt this was a blessing from heaven.

Having such an outstanding son as Niu Niu also diluted some of the unease in Su Xinghui's heart, because that date was truly drawing closer and closer, yet Su Xinghui always felt that he seemed unable to do anything.

At the end of April, Su Xinghui called Yu Ruizhi. He had originally wanted to ask when Yu Ruizhi would return from Western Sichuan, as Yu Ruizhi had been staying there supervising the construction of the earthquake-resistant public schools. Additionally, he felt the scenery in Western Sichuan was beautiful, so he wanted to see more of it there.

However, Su Xinghui could not just watch Yu Ruizhi stay in Western Sichuan, because that date was almost here. It was too dangerous for Yu Ruizhi to stay there. If anything happened, Su Xinghui would never forgive himself, because it was he who had encouraged Yu Ruizhi to go to Western Sichuan to build the earthquake-resistant public schools.

On the phone, Yu Ruizhi was very happy, saying he was playing in a famous scenic area in Western Sichuan. He said the scenery there was extremely beautiful and asked if Su Xinghui had time to come and play.

Su Xinghui said he had no time and asked when Yu Ruizhi would have time to visit Linshan, as he had something to discuss with him.

Unexpectedly, Yu Ruizhi said he would return to the capital in two days and would visit Linshan when he was free. Su Xinghui asked why he was returning to the capital, and Yu Ruizhi said that this year's May Fourth Youth Day was the 20th anniversary of his marriage to Liao Rong, so he had to return to the capital to spend the day with her.

Su Xinghui suddenly realized that Yu Ruizhi had been married for twenty years. People in the past usually chose to get married on International Women's Day, May Fourth Youth Day, or National Day. For example, Su Xinghui and Lu Xiaoya had married on National Day.

Su Xinghui said to Yu Ruizhi, "Brother Yu, so you've been married for twenty years? You don't look that old!"

Yu Ruizhi laughed, "That's because I have a good mindset. I have a young mindset, so I look young. Yu Haowen is already nineteen, so haven't I been married for twenty years?"

Su Xinghui said, "Brother Yu, then you must celebrate your 20th wedding anniversary well. Shall we go and celebrate for you?"

Yu Ruizhi said, "Skip that. My wife and I still need to have some time for just the two of us. We plan to travel to Europe and visit Haowen. I'll visit Linshan after I return."

Yu Haowen was studying at the University of Zurich, so Yu Ruizhi said he would travel to Europe with Liao Rong and visit Yu Haowen along the way. Hearing that he was going to Europe, Su Xinghui felt relieved. A trip to Europe would take at least seven or eight days, and after returning, he would still have to visit Linshan, which would allow him to avoid that date.

Su Xinghui said, "Then I wish you a pleasant trip to Europe!"

Yu Ruizhi laughed, "Xinghui, why don't you and Xiaoya go to Europe for a trip too? You are under so much work pressure every day, you should relax. People aren't machines that just need a little oil; you need rest too."

Yu Ruizhi was speaking from the heart. As a friend, seeing Su Xinghui working so hard every day, he also felt anxious for him.

Su Xinghui said, "I'm not as relaxed as you. Besides, my current status doesn't allow me to go on a trip to Europe."

Su Xinghui was now a high-level leading cadre; he really could not go abroad for tourism at will, unless someone abroad invited him for an inspection.

Yu Ruizhi said, "That's easy. I'll help you find a country to invite you for an inspection, won't that be it?"

Su Xinghui said, "Better not. Linshan is at a critical moment of development and cannot do without me, so I appreciate your kindness, but there will be plenty of opportunities in the future."

Yu Ruizhi said, "What opportunities in the future? Once you get promoted a few more levels, it will be even harder for you to go out and play."