Pink lilies, these were Yuanyuan's favorite. As a child, she loved singing "Little Lily." She reached out to grab them, saying, "Brother, thank you for the flowers."
"These are for our mom," Little Wang quickly replied. Then, turning back, he called, "Brother, come quickly, this is our home."
He had another brother?
It had been a year since Yuanyuan last saw Little Wang. Her initial scream of surprise turned into a laugh that she couldn't hold back, and then she covered her face, tears of joy streaming down.
It was Jinbao, her childhood companion who would share his bread with her, chase away the chickens that pecked at her when she first returned to the countryside, and who, though silent, was gentle and kind. He was the spitting image of his father, Chen Degong, tall, dark, and simple-hearted.
As soon as Chen Meilan saw Jinbao, she came out of the house, asking, "Jinbao, when I went back to the village recently, your dad said you were working for a construction company. What are you doing here?"
Jinbao had already graduated from university. Because his father was a contractor, he had naturally pursued civil engineering.
He was assigned to a large construction company and should have been working on projects elsewhere. How did he end up with Little Wang?
The two of them looked like purebred migrant workers. As they entered the house, the spotless floor was soon marked with footprints, and sand and cement dust fell with each step.
Yuanyuan went to the kitchen, washed her hands, and pulled out some hand-pulled noodles to knead into dough, letting it rest. She then kneaded another lump of dough, coated it with vinegar and oil, and added some chili oil. This was a must. Noticing there was only a little vinegar left in the bottle, she hopped on her electric scooter and rode to the outdoor market to fill up on the most sour and fragrant Shanxi vinegar she could find.
As she walked back in, she heard Chen Meilan exclaim in surprise, "You took a year off from school to work as a laborer on a construction site?"
Yuanyuan slowed her steps and tiptoed into the kitchen.
For a whole year, Little Wang had been away, and Yan Zhao had even gone to Wuhan to extend his enrollment. Yuanyuan was very curious—had her brother really gone to work as a laborer on a construction site?
Had he made any money? Last year, Little Wang had taken a total of 500,000 yuan worth of water pumps and generators from Chen Meilan, and borrowed another 200,000 yuan from Shen Changqi, draining all of Chen Meilan's savings.
If he was working as a laborer on a construction site, could he repay that money?
Yuanyuan was extremely worried for her brother.
"Auntie, it's not an ordinary site. Our company is in collaboration with the Three Gorges Construction Company," Jinbao quickly explained.
Yuanyuan rolled out the hand-pulled noodles thinly, waiting for the water in the pot to boil. Once it did, she dropped the noodles in, and as soon as they floated to the surface, she scooped them out and plunged them into ice water.
Noodles like these, topped with chili oil and vinegar, were Little Wang's favorite.
Chen Meilan didn't ask about the money but instead asked Little Wang, "What specific site is it? Are you working there? Did you make any money?"
Little Wang was no longer the little tycoon he once was, now burdened with 700,000 yuan in debt. Even though that money belonged to Chen Meilan, it was still her life savings. If Little Wang hadn't had a very important reason for staying away for a year, Chen Meilan might have let it go, but she was afraid Yan Zhao wouldn't be so forgiving.
Could it be that Little Wang had been secretly working as a contractor elsewhere for the past year?
Had he made back the 700,000 yuan?
"Auntie..."
"Let him speak for himself," Chen Meilan said.
Little Wang hesitated for a moment before saying, "Mom, I really went to be a migrant worker, but not somewhere else. It was at the Three Gorges Dam. This year, I only made 5,000 yuan, but I witnessed the birth of a super project. Honestly, it had a huge impact and significance on my life."
So, the guy really had skipped university to become a migrant worker.
At the time, a migrant worker's salary was around 600 to 700 yuan a month, and 5,000 yuan for a year was indeed the typical annual wage.
Chen Meilan herself wasn't too bothered, as when she lent Little Wang the money, her intention was to have him donate it. But she didn't know how Yan Zhao would react when he found out his son had skipped university to become a migrant worker. Would he be furious?
Thinking of this, she said, "Don't eat lunch at home. Hurry up and take your sister to school. Stay there for a while, get to know her dormmates, and have dinner with her tonight. Come back late."
Yuanyuan had already prepared the hand-pulled noodles and made a side dish of mung bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, and braised beef. As she stretched the noodles, she turned back and said, "Mom, the meal is already ready. Why eat out?"
Yan Zhao and Yan Peiheng were scheduled to return that afternoon.
Chen Meilan wanted to send Little Wang away because she was afraid Yan Zhao would get angry when he found out Little Wang had been a migrant worker for a year.
The child had just returned, and if he was going to be scolded, it could wait until tomorrow. Today, let him have a happy time and send Yuanyuan off first.
Little Wang, smelling the aroma of the chili oil noodles and hand-pulled noodles, felt his stomach grumble. It seemed he wasn't afraid of his strict father anymore. He washed his hands and prepared to eat.
"Mom, let's eat first before sending her, okay? My dad should be back soon. I called him, and he said he'd be here by noon," Little Wang said nonchalantly.
Did he want his father to punish him?
Just then, there was a loud bang outside—the sound of a car door closing.
Little Wang's eyebrows shot up. "That's my dad."
Chen Meilan looked out the window and saw not only Little Wang's strict father but also his strict grandfather.
Yan Zhao and Yan Peiheng had strong tempers and high self-esteem. They weren't as wealthy as Chen Meilan, so they were very concerned about the 700,000 yuan Little Wang had taken last year. Hearing that Little Wang was back, they had rushed back as quickly as possible.
Yan Zhao's footsteps were heavy, and Yan Peiheng walked quickly. As soon as they reached the door and saw Little Wang, though they didn't speak, the anger in their eyes was palpable, as if they wanted to tear Yan Wangqi apart.
"Grandpa, the chili oil noodles will be ready soon. Please take a seat," Yuanyuan called from the kitchen, her arms flailing as she tossed the noodles into the pot with a loud slap.
Yan Peiheng looked into the kitchen and chuckled, "Alright."
But when he turned back to his grandson, his expression hardened, and his voice changed: "Yan Wangqi..."
Little Wang pulled out a magazine from his bag, smiling at his grandfather but handing the magazine to his father.
Yan Zhao was puzzled but took the magazine. On the cover was a picture of a rebar-binding scene before cement pouring.
Chen Meilan had worked on projects, and Yan Zhao had often accompanied her to construction sites, so he was somewhat knowledgeable in this area. The rebar in the picture was unusually thick, and the quality of the cement was excellent, something Yan Zhao had never seen before.
The combination of these materials meant the concrete structure could withstand an eight-magnitude earthquake, no exaggeration.
Among the migrant workers binding the rebar in the picture, one with dark skin and a tall, sturdy build was clearly Jinbao, his head lowered. Another, slightly thinner and unusually tall, was the only one looking straight at the camera.
Yan Zhao suddenly looked up at his son.
Little Wang stepped back, spread his arms, and Yan Zhao was immediately shocked. That was his son, Yan Wangqi.
So, for the past year, Little Wang hadn't been attending university but had been working as a migrant worker on a construction site?
The little guy was brimming with pride and satisfaction, all because his photo had made it into the magazine while he was binding rebar?
Yan Zhao remained silent and continued reading.
The title of the article in the magazine read: "The Three Gorges Dam is Not a Century-Long Project!"
Due to last year's floods, the Three Gorges Project was not only the focus of national attention but also of the world. Foreign media constantly claimed that with the current technology available to the Chinese, the project would not last a century and would collapse within fifty years.
Yan Zhao, like everyone else, was very concerned. If the decades-long project couldn't last a century, what would happen to the people living along the Yangtze River?
The "Construction Engineering and Construction" magazine was a leading publication in the domestic construction industry. If it stated that the Three Gorges Dam was not a century-long project, could it be criticizing the construction's substandard quality?
This was a serious issue.
Yan Zhao glanced at his son again and quickly flipped open the magazine. The main text read:
As the world's only superpower project in history, the Three Gorges Dam, if an accident or destruction were to occur, would cause incalculable damage to our country. Therefore, the chief designer, XXX, stated that the design and quality of the Three Gorges Dam should not be described as a "century-long project."
A century-long project implies a lifespan of only one hundred years.
We cannot help but ask, what will our descendants do a hundred years from now?
Therefore, when constructing the dam, the designers aimed to set no limits, no expiration date.
With all human effort, they aimed to achieve the best possible outcome.
So, we can understand that its lifespan is permanent!
The Three Gorges Dam is not a century-long project, but its service life is the longest possible duration that human strength can achieve on this planet. It is eternal!
Yan Zhao exhaled and handed the magazine to Yan Peiheng, asking Little Wang, "Were you working as a cement worker at the Three Gorges construction site?" His tone was so gentle, it was like the singing of a nightingale.
"At that time, the flood had just subsided, and the construction team was extremely short-handed. The contractor had high requirements for migrant workers, needing young ones with a relatively high level of education. When I went, Jinbao's unit was recruiting, requiring a high school diploma and willingness to work as a migrant worker binding steel bars. So, I went." Little Wang continued, "Dad, I'm just a small migrant worker, but the lock we poured is the largest and strongest in the history of the world. It is entirely different from the inferior small dikes on the Yangtze River. With it, the Yangtze River will be much less likely to experience floods that human efforts cannot withstand."
Yan Peiheng, without his reading glasses, had to hold the magazine up close to his eyes.
Yan Zhao slowly sat down.
At that moment, Yuanyuan brought out some oil-splashed noodles.
She first served them to her grandfather and father, but the bowl for Little Wang had the exact amount of vinegar and chili that he preferred. Then she said, "Grandpa, let's eat first."
Little Wang's stomach was already growling from hunger.
Yan Peiheng finally put down the magazine, looked at his eldest grandson, and handed him the chopsticks, saying, "Let's eat together."
Although they didn't know why the child had changed his ambition to study civil engineering, the relief they felt now was immense, contrasting with the anger they had felt when Little Wang had previously dropped out of school.
In the grand scheme of the Three Gorges Project, Little Wang was just a small wave in the vast ocean.
But in this era, how many high school graduates would be willing to become migrant workers, binding steel bars and mixing cement?
Last year, due to severe flooding, the Yangtze River region suffered greatly, and the contractor of the Three Gorges Project had very high recruitment requirements, making recruitment difficult. Little Wang's efforts might have been insignificant, but the ocean is made up of droplets. If he did it, there would surely be many other children like him, each contributing their droplet of effort.
And every wave, every bolt of effort, is the key to China's ability to build world-class projects.
During the meal, no one spoke. After finishing, Yuanyuan was due to report to her school.
Chen Meilan gave Little Wang a look, "Go on, hurry up."
But what had to come would come. Yan Peiheng said, "Wait, Yan Wangqi, you took 700,000 yuan from your mother last year. How do you plan to repay that?"
Little Wang, still sitting at the dining table, had already had his own plan for this matter. He said, "Grandpa, I originally invested in a company. At the time, the company's valuation was only 200,000 yuan, and I held 30% of the shares. Now the company is restructuring and preparing for an IPO, with a current valuation of 5 million yuan. I'll sell 15% of my original shares to repay my mother's money."
Yan Peiheng and his son exchanged a glance and collectively nodded, "That's acceptable."
What a joke! That company would become the richest in the entire country.
Little Wang held original shares, which would be diluted in a round-by-round bidding process. If he sold them now, it would be difficult to buy them back later.
"Alright, hurry up and send Yuanyuan to school. I'm not short of money right now. We'll talk about repaying the money when I need it," Chen Meilan quickly said.
Little Wang went upstairs and pulled Yuanyuan's suitcase down. Seeing Yuanyuan still cleaning up the dishes at the dining table, he tapped her on the forehead, "Let's go, what are you still standing there for?"
"We can leave a bit later. As long as we report tonight," Yuanyuan glanced at her father and pushed Little Wang away a bit.
Her father was watching. If they kept fooling around like this, Yuanyuan was afraid her father would punish Little Wang later.
And since her father was back, Yuanyuan guessed he wouldn't let Little Wang send her. Maybe he would take her himself.
Yuanyuan knew her father's intentions well. He was very cautious about Little Wang.
But this time, Yuanyuan was wrong. Because Yan Zhao said, "Yan Wangqi, take your sister to school. If there's no food in the dorm tonight, have a meal with her before coming back."
Not only was Yuanyuan surprised, but even Chen Meilan was astonished. Yan Zhao actually let Little Wang take Yuanyuan to school and even have a meal with her?
What had gotten into this man?
Was it because he felt that Little Wang had finally done something meaningful for society, and that's why he had changed his attitude?
As they walked out the door with the two children, Chen Meilan said as she walked, "Be careful on the road."
Yuanyuan smiled and nodded.
Little Wang whispered to Chen Meilan, "Mom, when you go back inside, check my bag. There's a share certificate in it, in your name. The company is a hydropower equipment factory in Nantong. Although it's a private company, I've compared it, and its large equipment quality is no less than that of foreign big brands. A large amount of hydropower equipment for the Three Gorges was purchased from it. I estimate that it will become the main procurement supplier for large hydropower stations in our country. The 200,000 yuan I borrowed from Shen Changqi was invested in it. Trust me, this time you'll definitely make a big profit from it."
After saying that, he pulled the suitcase and left.
Chen Meilan couldn't help but smile wryly and shake her head.
This was Yan Wangqi. He might suddenly have a change of heart due to national hardships, donating money and goods, or even donating a year of his youth to become an ordinary cement and steel worker.
But when it came to magazine covers, he would meticulously plan to be on them, and he would be the only migrant worker to appear.
Seeing a promising factory with good prospects for making money, he would never miss the opportunity, making sure to buy shares.
He was willing to sweat, showing only his high-minded side in front of his father, while also pursuing fame and profit, doing it all beautifully. Making money? That was just a bonus.
Yan Xishan couldn't compare to him at all!
In the September midday sun, a tall, upright young man and his graceful sister walked side by side, occasionally exchanging glances, and walked off together!
