50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 394 Returning to Beijing in a Low-Key Manner
The couple quickly finished tidying up the house, then pushed their bikes out together, joining the large number of cyclists commuting to work on the street.

It's rush hour now, and bicycles from all over the city are converging on the main road, forming two opposing streams of bicycles on both sides of the road.

The road is invisibly divided into two parts: two-thirds are bicycle lanes on both sides, and one-third is a car lane.

There are very few cars now, and drivers are very careful, afraid of hitting someone, which would be a big problem and might even cost them their jobs.

This results in the middle lane of the road often being occupied by bicycles.

The kindergarten does have its own cars, but from the first generation of principals, from Principal Yu to Principal Wang, and from Sun Zhiwei to Tong Jiajia, they have all consciously avoided riding in the cars.

Despite the incredibly strong network of connections within the Beihai Kindergarten system, they are remarkably discreet in their actions.

Even retired principals Yu and Wang, and Sun Zhiwei who was transferred, rarely used the kindergarten's network of connections for personal gain.

The reality is that while driving a car may give you prestige, it doesn't give you the same right-of-way as a worker's bicycle, because workers are the ones who truly have the power now.

This can be considered the workers' last glorious period. Once everything becomes about money and the social atmosphere changes, nothing will be so appealing anymore.

Sun Zhiwei and Tong Jiajia quickly arrived at the kindergarten gate on their bicycles. The soldiers on duty today were all acquaintances, and they greeted Sun Zhiwei warmly as "Old Principal".

After greeting the soldiers on duty and dropping Tong Jiajia off at the kindergarten, he turned east and headed for the Diplomatic Building at No. 225 Chaoyangmen Inner Street, Dongsi.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the East and West at the beginning of the year, the ministry has been busy as many countries that were originally from the West have established diplomatic relations with us.

Many of the original regional division-level positions have been split into numerous equivalent departments due to the continuous expansion of business.

For example, the West Africa Department was split into the Western Europe Department and the Africa Department, and the North Australia Department was split into the Americas Department and the Oceania Department.

Fortunately, the intelligence department was not split up, but its size increased significantly.

In recent years, Sun Zhiwei has been away on business trips, so Xu Yimin has taken over the training of new recruits in the Action Department. Two batches of people have already graduated successfully.

Because of their professionalism, Xu Yimin had to rely on them to solve many thorny problems, and the Action Division was beginning to show its talent within the intelligence department.

In Sun Zhiwei's view, these two batches of operatives who graduated are not yet comparable to the elites of the KGB and CIA. However, with the training program he has developed, they will eventually catch up.

The quality of operations is also closely linked to the domestic economic situation. Not only does training require funding, but equipment also requires funding, and operations abroad also require funding.

Without money, you can't move an inch. With the current funding from higher authorities, it's very difficult to develop some special equipment. Otherwise, he wouldn't be clinging to the unused timed grenades.

Almost all the advanced special equipment in the intelligence department's warehouse was seized during our domestic counter-espionage operations; even the miniature radio in his hand was a war trophy.

At 8 o'clock, when Sun Zhiwei arrived at Xu Yimin's office on time, Xu Yimin was already making tea for himself.

He quickly took out his own cup and placed it on the table, also getting a free cup of tea.

Xu Yimin smiled as soon as he saw him.

"Oh, our great hero is back! We should offer him a proper cup of tea."

"No way, I just want to get a free high-quality snack."

Once the tea was brewed, he quickly picked it up, took a deep sniff, and then sighed, "Ah, it smells so good."

"You have no idea how tough it is for us out there. We can't even get a cup of authentic Kao Sui tea. The tea from those Indian guys is like cat pee; it makes you want to vomit."

Xu Yimin didn't expose his exaggerated description. Now, all the high-ranking officials who knew his identity knew that Sun Zhiwei was a wealthy man outside.

It's impossible not to get domestic tea; they probably think it's too expensive and are unwilling to pay a high price for it. "Don't be stingy when you're abroad. If you think tea is too expensive, just buy it. You're not short of money for tea. If there's more demand abroad, we can raise the export price of our tea."

When Sun Zhiwei heard Xu Yimin analyze tea prices from this perspective, he was taken aback. After thinking about it again, he realized that it was indeed the case.

The market for tea, a popular beverage, needs to be cultivated. Europeans and Americans didn't drink black tea before, but now they love it.

In the future, let's cultivate and recommend more green tea, and strive to develop the green tea market.

After all, China is the largest producer of green tea, and the name CHINA shouldn't be used for nothing.

After taking a few sips of tea, the two began to talk about work.

"Boss, I've completed my task here. I'm requesting a month's leave to spend time with my wife and kids at home."

"Taking a vacation is no problem. But can you really leave your work in Washington alone?"

"I heard you also opened an antique shop. Are you sure it's okay for you not to go back for so long?"

"It's not an antique shop, just a craft shop. They appraise antiques on the side, just to fool foreigners."

“I have an appraiser in my shop, but I can still do business whether I'm there or not.”

"Alright, you haven't been home for years, so take a proper rest."

"Then thank you leader."

"By the way, there's an all-army commendation conference in the middle of the month. Remember to attend. However, your commendation won't be at the main conference, but at a smaller meeting afterward."

"I understand. It's better to keep my identity hidden when I'm out in the public eye."

He was too embarrassed to ask what the specific award would be. He was currently on a threshold, and one more step would allow him to cross the threshold.

If it were based on merit, I would definitely be promoted, but this matter cannot be judged solely on merit; there are many other factors involved.

It's like two soldiers who achieved the same feat, but one returned unharmed while the other sacrificed himself on the battlefield.

So, the fallen soldiers would receive first-class honors, and the returning soldiers would receive second-class honors, but they would also receive promotions. This is a very normal arrangement.

Moreover, he couldn't ask directly about something that involved himself, lest he make things worse.

After chatting for a while, Sun Zhiwei took his leave.

The department is very busy right now, and Xu Yimin was able to receive him alone so early in the morning because of his great contributions. He must not take advantage of this favor.

He was only officially on vacation after leaving the ministry.

Although he has been away from home for several years and no longer holds a position in the department, his benefits will not be reduced.

If he doesn't have a place to stay in Beijing, the logistics department will arrange for him to stay at the Six Nations Hotel at No. 30 Dongjiaomin Lane.

Since the earthquake in 1966 caused the old headquarters building to crack, that area has been incorporated into the ministry.

It is now used as an internal reception building, where leaders returning from overseas posts are usually arranged to stay temporarily.

(End of this chapter)