Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 16 Provincial Capital

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Fengtian was the provincial capital of Liaodong.

This is a city with a rich history. It was once the capital of the Qing Dynasty and retains one of only two Forbidden City complexes in China. It is also the economic and cultural center of the six northern provinces. It boasts numerous national firsts and has historically been known as the Ruhr of China. It is a city of heavy industry and precision craftsmanship.

By 90, Fengtian had become a very advanced and modern metropolis, with towering buildings, wide roads, prosperous people, and thriving industries.

At that time, Northeast China was still a heavy industrial base, a wealthy and developed region in China, and also the region with the highest tax revenue in the country.

A police vehicle, license plate number 212, sped across the Hunhe Bridge, passed in front of the Wulihe Stadium, and headed north along Qingnian Street.

Inside the car, Xiao Hong and Xiao Wei sat in the back seat, their eyes fixed on the bustling city outside, their expressions a mixture of surprise, amazement, and bewilderment.

"The building is so tall, I can't see the top. The road is so wide, it's full of cars, look, look, sedans. That woman is dressed so nicely." Xiao Hong kept chattering away, while Xiao Wei didn't say anything, pressing his face against the car window and watching quietly.

After a while, Xiaohong sat up straight, tugged at Xiaowei, and when Xiaowei turned around, she whispered, "Brother Guizi, come on over. I'm scared here all alone. It's so big, I can't even find my way around. What if I get lost?"

Xiao Wei scratched his head, bit his lip, thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll come with you." But in fact, his mind was also in turmoil. In his mind, a small county town was a big city. Suddenly, he came here and saw that the stadium was almost half the size of the county town. After the initial surprise and excitement, all that was left in his heart was fear, fear of the unknown.

Xiao Hong reached out and grabbed Xiao Wei's clothes, as if she suddenly felt reassured. She turned her head and looked out the window with great interest, and began to exclaim. Xiao Wei looked at her profile and his eyes slowly hardened. What's there to be afraid of, man?

Sitting in the passenger seat, Li Zhongguo turned his head and said, "Once you come to Fengtian, just focus on your studies and don't wander around, especially at night. Remember that, Xiaowei? No matter day or night, don't go near the train station. Do you hear me? This place is different from ours. There are many people and all kinds of people here. Robbers, swindlers, and thieves are everywhere. Especially the train station. If you go there, you'll suffer. You might even get dumped there. Remember what I said."

Xiaowei and Xiaohong nodded together.

Li Zhongguo continued, "Write down the phone numbers at home, your dad's workplace, and mine. Call us immediately if anything happens. Even though we're from a small town, we can't let anyone bully us. Don't go to dangerous places, and don't go out at night. Don't worry about anything else. Your dad and I will take care of you if anything happens."

Xiaowei and Xiaohong nodded together again. Xiaowei asked, "Really, Uncle Li? Then, nobody cares?"

Li Zhongguo said, "There are people in charge, but with so many people and so many things happening every day, how can they manage it all? And where are we supposed to arrest people? This area alone has hundreds of thousands of people, from all over the country, some with residency and some without. Do you think our county town, with only a few tens of thousands of people, can hear everything? In a big city, you have to be careful. You have to be cautious when talking to people and doing things. Don't easily trust anyone, and don't tell everyone what to say. Got it?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "I understand. More people means more things to do. Don't worry, Uncle, I can take good care of Xiao Hong."

Li Zhongguo was taken aback for a moment, then said, "You're staying here too?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yeah, Xiao Hong is scared here all alone, and I'm worried about her too. I might as well stay here and not go back. Anyway, I'll be working wherever I am, so I might as well find a job here and have someone to look after me if anything happens."

Li Zhongguo asked, "Can your family manage? Your older brother is in the army, and your younger brother is in school. Can you manage the housework?"

Xiao Wei scratched his head, thought for a moment, let out a sigh of relief, and said, "It'll work. I'll send money back home to find someone to work. It'll definitely earn more money here than farming. While Xiao Hong is in school, I'll find work. I reckon it'll be more lucrative here than in the county. Once we have some money, we'll let someone else farm the land back home, and then my parents can come to the city to enjoy a better life. Farming is exhausting and there's no future in it. Anyway, I'm young, I can afford to take the risk. If things don't work out, I can always go back. It's only four years."

Li Zhongguo nodded and said, "It's good to venture out and try your luck. It would be best if you could get away from those mountains. Do you have any money? Where are you staying?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "I have money. I've brought all my salary from the past few months. As for a place to stay, I'll look for one after Xiao Hong is settled. Uncle, you said there are so many people from out of town. If they can find a place to stay, so can I."

Li Zhongguo thought for a moment and said, "Wait a bit, after we settle Xiaohong in, I'll take you to find someone and see if there's any way over there. You can't just wander around here alone; you might get arrested as a vagrant, and that would be terrible—you'd end up in a detention center."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you, Uncle."

Li Zhongguo lit a cigarette and said, "Be careful, it's not easy to get by out here. If anything happens, run to the police as fast as you can, understand? When you get there, just say your uncle is a policeman, he can usually lend a hand. We don't need his help, just don't suffer any losses. Give me a call when you need it, I'll find someone."

Xiao Wei nodded and asked, "Uncle, do you have acquaintances in Fengtian? You know so many people."

Li Zhongguo shook his head and said, "Traveling around all year, how could I not know a few people? I wouldn't call them close friends, but they should be able to handle small matters. Besides, did you think I served in the army for nothing? There are comrades all over the country. As long as you can contact them, they're like brothers, and they'll help you with anything. A person needs a few brothers in this life; one person can't accomplish anything alone."

As the car moved forward, the buildings along the roadside gradually became shorter, and clusters of residential buildings appeared. More and more people were riding bicycles, crowding the road. Buses dragged their long overhead wires along, groaning and creaking. Rows of willow trees lined both sides of the road, their branches swaying in the wind.

Li Zhongguo said, "Northeastern University is right next to Nanhu Lake. You can go there to play when you have time. It's a pretty big lake, you can go boating, and the scenery is beautiful. Don't go too far. Fengtian is too big. It would take a whole day to get from one end to the other. You wouldn't be able to get back then, and it's chaotic and dangerous."

Xiao Hong said, "Don't worry, Uncle, I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay at school. I'm here to study, not to play. Xiao Wei can't either. He's at work. He can come and see me when he has free time. He can't run around."

Li Zhongguo said, "It's not that I don't want you to go out and have fun, but be careful in everything you do and keep your eyes open. Before you go out, invite a few classmates with you, don't go out alone or with just one or two people. Sometimes, having more people can be more helpful. Once you've been here for a while, a year or two, you'll get to know people better. There will definitely be locals among your classmates, so get along well with them. It's good to know more locals."

The driver turned around and said, "Director Li, we've arrived."

The three of them turned to look and saw a row of European-style stone pillars, an iron railing, and an old European-style iron gate. On the right gatepost was a white sign with black lettering: Northeast Institute of Technology.