Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

As the car entered the sanatorium gate, the sky had just cleared. A rainstorm the previous night had washed Lushan clean, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the camphor trees along the roadside, their leaves a vibrant green. Lin Feng asked Old Zhou to park the car at the entrance, then carried a fruit basket inside. Before coming, he had called Old Zhou's family; Old Zhou's daughter answered, saying her father was much better and could get out of bed, and was very happy to hear Lin Feng was coming.

The sanatorium remained the same, a few low buildings nestled behind sycamore trees, as quiet as a park. Lin Feng walked along the cobblestone path he had traversed many times before, arriving at the last building. The door was open, and Old Zhou's daughter stood in the doorway. Seeing him, she smiled. "Secretary Lin is here, come in quickly. Dad has been waiting for you for ages."

Lin Feng walked in and saw Old Zhou sitting on the sofa in the living room, not in a wheelchair. He was wearing a dark gray jacket over a white shirt, the collar buttoned up meticulously. His hair was completely white, but he looked much more energetic than the last time Lin Feng had seen him, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to have smoothed out a bit. He was holding a newspaper, and when he saw Lin Feng come in, he put the newspaper down and smiled.

"Comrade Lin Feng is here? Please have a seat." His voice was still a little hoarse, but much clearer than last time.

Lin Feng walked over, sat down next to him, and placed the fruit basket on the coffee table. "Old Zhou, you look much better."

Old Zhou nodded and patted his leg. "Much better. I can walk around now, although not very far, but it's better than being in a wheelchair. The doctor said I'm recovering well, and with some more rest, I should be able to throw away my crutches next year."

Lin Feng said, "You will definitely live to be a hundred years old."

Old Zhou smiled, a soft but warm laugh. "A hundred years old? What's the point of living that long? It's just suffering." He paused, then added, "However, seeing Pingjiang recover makes me reluctant to die."

Lin Feng's eyes were a little red, but he didn't let the tears fall.

Old Zhou's daughter brought in tea, then left, closing the door behind her. Only the two of them remained in the living room. Old Zhou picked up his teacup, took a slow sip, put it down, and looked at Lin Feng. "Comrade Lin Feng, how is Pingjiang doing now? Tell me."

Lin Feng took a document from his briefcase and handed it to Old Zhou with both hands. The document wasn't thick, only a few pages, but each page felt heavy. Old Zhou took it, put on his reading glasses, and began to flip through the pages one by one. Lin Feng quietly reported beside him: "All illegal mines have been closed, a total of 237. The legal mines have been consolidated into 15 mining rights, all of which are operated uniformly by a state-owned platform. The rare earth trading center was established last year, and in its first year, the transaction volume exceeded 10 billion yuan, with tax revenue exceeding 800 million yuan."

Old Zhou turned to a page and paused. It was a photo from the unveiling ceremony of the Rare Earth Trading Center, showing Lin Feng speaking on stage amidst a sea of ​​people below. Old Zhou stared at the photo for a long time.

Lin Feng continued, "The deep processing project has also been launched. A central state-owned enterprise has invested 5 billion yuan in Pingjiang to build three rare earth new material projects. After they go into production next year, Pingjiang's rare earth industry will be able to shift from selling raw ore to selling raw materials. The ecological restoration of the mines has been fully launched. The old mine site in Longnan Town has been transformed into a mining park, where locals go for walks and fishing on weekends. The income of the people in the mining area has also increased. The city has extracted 10% of the rare earth transaction tax revenue to set up a special support fund to improve infrastructure, help people find employment, and subsidize the schooling of children from poor families."

Old Zhou turned to the last page, which was a photo of the Longnan Town Mining Park. In the photo, the lake water was emerald green, the willows were shady, several elderly people were fishing by the lake, and several children were flying kites on the grass. Old Zhou looked at that photo, and his eyes reddened. He didn't say anything, put the materials on the coffee table, took off his reading glasses, and wiped his eyes.

"Comrade Lin Feng, you've worked hard." His voice trembled slightly, but it was very clear.

Lin Feng shook his head. "It's not hard work. Old Zhou, Pingjiang's success today is thanks to you. Without your letter of complaint back then, and without your support later on, Pingjiang wouldn't have been where it is today."

Old Zhou waved his hand. "Don't mention it. I was just making amends. I also bear responsibility for Tianming's situation. If I had been able to harden my heart and keep him in check back then, he wouldn't have ended up like this." He paused, his voice lowering, "How is he in there? Have you gone to see him?"

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then said, "Old Zhou, Minghui and I went to see him. He's lost a lot of weight, but he's in good spirits. He said he's studying law inside, reading every day. He said he's made up his mind that once he gets a reduced sentence, he wants to be a useful person and do something for those he harmed."

Old Zhou's tears finally streamed down his face. He didn't wipe them away, letting them flow. "It's good that you're alive; as long as you're alive, there's hope."

Lin Feng didn't speak. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and the tea had gone cold.

After a long while, Old Zhou raised his head, wiped away his tears, and looked at Lin Feng. "Comrade Lin Feng, Pingjiang has hope. The country has hope too."

Lin Feng looked at him without saying a word. Old Zhou's eyes were bright, like two lamps.

"When I was young, I fought in the army for more than ten years. At that time, I thought that after the war, the country would be better. Later, after the war, the country was still poor, and the people were still suffering. Then I thought that after construction began, the country would be better. Later, construction began, but the country was still in chaos. Then I thought that after reform and opening up, the country would be better. Later, reform and opening up came, and the country became rich, but there were also more problems. Corruption, smuggling and drug trafficking, organized crime, and the people were full of complaints. Then I thought that after these bad guys were caught, the country would be better."

He paused, his voice lowering. "Now, I see it. Those bad guys in Pingjiang have been caught. The chaos in Pingjiang has been quelled. The people of Pingjiang are smiling. I don't have many years left to live, but I see hope."

Lin Feng grasped his hand, feeling its coolness yet strength. "Old Zhou, please take care of yourself. Next spring, when the weather warms up, I'll take you back to Pingjiang. See the newly built mining park, the newly constructed schools, and the newly paved roads. Go and see for yourself, Pingjiang has changed."

Old Zhou looked at him for a long time, then nodded. "Alright. I'll go when it gets warmer. I'll go see Pingjiang." He paused, then added, "To see the people I've wronged all these years."

Lin Feng's eyes reddened again. He didn't let the tears fall, stood up, and bowed deeply. "Old Zhou, on behalf of the people of Pingjiang, thank you."

Old Zhou waved his hand. "Don't thank me. Thank yourself. Thank those who worked with you. The Pingjiang incident wasn't done by me, it was done by you all."

Lin Feng straightened up and looked at Old Zhou. Old Zhou also looked at him, and their eyes met, as if across decades of time, they were seeing the same direction.