Chapter 514

Su Xinghui nodded, left the study, first greeted Song Qiao, and then said to Lu Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, I'm leaving."

Although Lu Xiaoya was reluctant to part with him, she knew Su Xinghui had serious business to attend to, so she saw him out. Outside the villa, Su Xinghui kissed Lu Xiaoya on the cheek before leaving the Provincial Committee compound, hailing a taxi to return to the White Rose Hotel.

Upon reaching the eighth floor, Su Xinghui walked straight to the door of Hou Guangbi’s room and knocked. The door was opened by Hou Dali, who smiled and nodded at Su Xinghui, saying, "You've arrived."

Su Xinghui called out "Uncle Hou" and followed him into the room.

Hou Guangbi was sitting in the room drinking tea while playing Go with Hou my lord. His two sons, Hou Dayi and Hou Dajun, were watching the match. Although they were middle-aged men in their forties or fifties, they sat upright like students, which demonstrated the Hou family's excellent upbringing.

Seeing Su Xinghui enter, the group nodded at him. Su Xinghui pulled up a chair and sat down to watch the game.

Hou my lord played with the black stones, and Hou Guangbi with the white. After watching a few moves, Su Xinghui realized that both men were quite skilled. Hou Guangbi’s style was calm and gentle, leaning toward that of old-school national masters, focusing on the shape of the stones and a strong sense of the overall situation.

Hou my lord’s style, however, focused more on territory and favored combat, excelling at finding victory in chaos.

The game had already entered the mid-game battle, and the situation was essentially evenly matched; for the moment, no clear winner could be determined.

Everyone in the room adhered to the ancient rule of not speaking while watching a game, remaining silent. The only sound in the room was that of the stones being placed.

In the end, Hou Guangbi won the game. Hou my lord made a mistake during the endgame phase, losing about three points, and ultimately lost by two and a half points.

Hou my lord shook his head and said, "Sigh, it was a mistake after all."

Hou Guangbi asked Hou my lord to put away the Go set and asked Su Xinghui, "Do you know how to play?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "I do."

Hou Guangbi said, "It’s a pity I’m old and my energy is failing; I can play at most one game a day. Next time you have time, I’ll play a game with you."

Su Xinghui said, "All right."

Hou Guangbi smiled and said, "I heard you say last time that you are already a town mayor?"

Su Xinghui said, "Yes, I am the mayor of Pengjiawan Town."

Hou Guangbi recalled, "Pengjiawan, I visited it over forty years ago. Is it still called by that name?"

Su Xinghui said, "For a period, it was renamed Patriotic Commune, but later it was changed back to Pengjiawan Town."

Hou Guangbi had clearly heard about that history from the brothers Hou my lord and Hou Dali. He nodded understandingly and asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Twenty-three."

"That is truly young, to be a town mayor at only twenty-three."

"I heard that you became a provincial councilor before you were thirty."

"Haha, you know that too? But I can't compare to you. I heard from Dali that you are doing a very good job as mayor. My time as a provincial councilor was a complete failure."

Hou Guangbi shook his head and sighed.

Su Xinghui said, "You can't blame yourself for that. When the will of the people shifts, no one can change the great trend of history."

Hou Guangbi mocked himself, "I considered myself an elite, yet I couldn't see the trend of the times. Isn't that a failure?"

Su Xinghui quickly changed the subject, "Grandpa Hou, now that you have returned to the country, what is your impression of it?"

Hou Guangbi said, "This time I’ve only seen this small part of Jiangcheng, and it is much better than I imagined. The French media depicted China as a place where people still wore blue and gray clothes, but coming here, I see everyone wearing colorful clothing, and high-rise buildings are everywhere. This White Rose Hotel is also quite nice. I just don't know what Shangjun County is like now."

Hou Guangbi’s eyes were filled with anticipation. His hometown, unseen for forty-five years—what has it become now?

Su Xinghui said, "You will see it tomorrow."

A sudden look of panic appeared in Hou Guangbi’s eyes: "Sigh, the moment I think about returning tomorrow, I feel an inexplicable unease. We unfilial descendants have been away from our hometown for too long!"

Su Xinghui remained silent; perhaps this is the feeling that the closer one gets to home, the more timid one becomes.

Hou Dali said, "Third Uncle, Shangjun County is well-developed now. They built a commercial street in the county seat and are building some tourist attractions. Do you remember Nanmen Street? It has been demolished, and they are building a residential complex there with buildings seven or eight stories high."

Hou Guangbi nodded, "Hearing you say that, I am even more expectant."

Su Xinghui said, "Grandpa Hou, economic construction is happening everywhere in the country now. When you go to Shangjun County tomorrow and come back in half a year, you surely won't recognize it."

Hou Dali nodded, "That is indeed true. In the last year or two, the development of Shangjun County has been too fast; there are buildings under construction almost everywhere."

Hearing Su Xinghui and Hou Dali’s words, Hou Guangbi was very excited. Who wouldn't hope for their hometown to become better and better?

After listening to Su Xinghui and Hou Dali talk about Shangjun County for a while, Hou Guangbi’s energy was clearly failing. Su Xinghui stood up and said, "Grandpa Hou, please rest. I will go downstairs to book a room, and I will come to pick you up tomorrow morning."

Hou Guangbi sighed, "I originally wanted to have a long talk with you by candlelight, but my energy is failing, so I will rest first."

Hou Guangbi was, after all, a man in his seventies. He had sat on a plane for over ten hours last night, and his excitement upon returning to the country today, combined with several social engagements, had exhausted him. It was inevitable that he would be sleepy now.

Su Xinghui took his leave, and Hou Guangbi was left to be attended to by his sons and nephews as he went to sleep.

Su Xinghui went to the hotel lobby and requested a single room on the seventh floor. After entering the room, he called Zhang Kaishan to report on his situation in Jiangcheng today.