Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

On Qingming Festival, a light rain was falling in Pingjiang. Lin Feng woke up before dawn. Standing by the window, he gazed at the hazy sky outside, the fine rain weaving a dense tapestry, the distant mines shrouded in mist, indistinct. Today was the day Old Zhou returned to Pingjiang to sweep his graves, and Lin Feng was going to accompany him. Before coming to Pingjiang, Lin Feng had asked Old Zhou if he needed a car arranged to pick him up in Lucheng. Old Zhou said no, he would go himself. "I know the roads in Pingjiang," he said.

The car arrived in the morning. Old Zhou sat in the back seat, next to his daughter. He was wearing a dark gray Zhongshan suit, the collar buttoned up meticulously, and his hair was neatly combed. He had lost a little weight since the last time I saw him, but he was in good spirits, and his eyes were bright. Lin Feng, holding an umbrella, stood by the roadside waiting. The car stopped, and he walked over and opened the door.

"Mr. Zhou, you must be tired from your journey."

Old Zhou got out of the car and waved his hand. "It's not hard work. The roads in Pingjiang are easy to travel."

Lin Feng accompanied him into the cemetery. The cemetery was on a small hill in the east of the city; the hill wasn't high, but it was very steep. Old Zhou's daughter tried to help him, but he pushed her hand away and, leaning on his cane, climbed up step by step. The rain wasn't heavy, but the path was slippery. Lin Feng walked beside him, wanting to help him, but he wouldn't let her. He said, "I'll walk by myself. My brother has waited for me here for decades; I can't let him down."

The tomb was halfway up the mountain, not large, with a blue stone tombstone inscribed with "Tomb of Martyr Zhou Tianliang." On the stone platform in front of the tombstone were several bouquets of flowers, already somewhat wilted, placed there a few days ago by someone who came to sweep the grave. Old Zhou stood before the tomb, gazing at the tombstone for a long time. Rain fell on his shoulders, his hair, and his face, but he did not wipe it away.

He slowly knelt down.

"Brother..." His voice was very soft, as if it were squeezed out of his chest, "I've come to see you."

Tears streamed down his face, running down his wrinkles and dripping onto the stone platform before the tombstone. "Brother, about Tianming... I'm so sorry. I didn't raise him properly. He went astray, broke the law, and went to jail. I have no face to see you."

His shoulders were trembling, and he lay prostrate on the ground like an old tree bent by the wind. His daughter stood beside him, covering her mouth, tears streaming down her face. Lin Feng stood behind her, neither approaching nor offering any words of comfort, simply standing there quietly. The rain continued to fall, fine and dense, soaking everyone.

After a long while, Old Zhou straightened up, wiped away his tears, and looked at the monument. "Brother, Pingjiang has changed. Those bad guys have been caught, and the chaos has been quelled. The people's lives are better now. Don't worry."

He stood up, his legs trembling slightly, and Lin Feng stepped forward to support him. This time he didn't push Lin Feng away, letting him hold him. He stood there, gazing at the monument, for a very long time, without moving.

After leaving the cemetery, Old Zhou said he wanted to walk around Pingjiang. Lin Feng accompanied him, visiting the Rare Earth Trading Center, the Rare Earth New Materials Industrial Park, and the Mining Park in Longnan Town. Old Zhou looked around very carefully, stopping at each place to ask questions. In front of the electronic screen at the trading center, he stood for a long time, silently watching the numbers flashing on it. Lin Feng stood beside him, quietly reporting the trading data for the past year. Old Zhou listened, nodding occasionally, without saying a word.

On the lakeside of the mining park, Zhao Tiejun was planting trees with several veteran miners. Seeing Lin Feng accompanying an elderly man, Zhao Tiejun put down his shovel and went to greet them. Lin Feng introduced him, "Master Zhao, this is Old Zhou. He's a former leader from Pingjiang, and he came back especially to visit everyone."

Zhao Tiejun paused for a moment, then extended his hand. His hands were rough, with large knuckles and thick calluses. Old Zhou grasped his hand and shook it vigorously. "Master Zhao, you've worked hard."

Zhao Tiejun shook his head. "It's not hard work. Secretary Lin is leading us, so we're not afraid of hardship."

Old Zhou looked at him, his eyes slightly red. "I've heard about your son's situation. I'm sorry I'm late."

Tears welled up in Zhao Tiejun's eyes. He didn't wipe them away, letting them flow. "Old Zhou, please don't say that. Secretary Lin came and got justice for us. My son can rest in peace now."

Old Zhou didn't say anything, but he squeezed Zhao Tiejun's hand tightly.

At noon, Lin Feng arranged a simple lunch at the municipal party committee guesthouse. There were no fancy dishes, just a few home-style fare, which Old Zhou enjoyed immensely. After lunch, instead of resting, he said he wanted to chat with the miners' representatives. Lin Feng asked Qian Shumo to invite them, and within an hour, more than a dozen miners' representatives arrived. They were all people Lin Feng had met during the rectification work; some were leaders of cooperatives, some were forest rangers in the mining park, and some were new workers in the new materials industrial park.

Zhao Tiejun sat at the front, next to several old miners who had planted trees with him. Old Zhou sat opposite them, and Lin Feng sat beside him. The symposium had no stage, no nameplates, just a long table, a few chairs, and a cup of tea.

Old Zhou cut to the chase: "I'm here today to hear what's on everyone's mind. How's Pingjiang doing? Are you all doing well? What difficulties are you facing? Just tell me, don't be afraid."

Zhao Tiejun was the first to speak. His voice trembled slightly, but it was clear. "Old Zhou, we didn't dare to speak up before. Even if we did, no one would listen, and no one would care. Now, with Secretary Lin here, we dare to speak up. The mine has closed, the roads have been repaired, the school has been built, and the clinic has been renovated. I plant trees in the mine park and earn more than three thousand yuan a month. My wife works in a factory in town and earns more than two thousand yuan a month. We, the two of us, are living a better life."

Old Zhou asked, "Are there any other difficulties?"

Zhao Tiejun thought for a moment and said, "There are still difficulties. Although the road has been repaired, there are no buses running, so it's still inconvenient to go to the county town. The school has been built, but there aren't enough teachers, so the children can't have good classes. The health center has been renovated, but there aren't enough doctors, and good doctors are unwilling to come. Secretary Lin said that these things should be done one by one. We trust him."

Old Zhou nodded and looked at the others. A middle-aged woman raised her hand to speak, saying that her husband used to work in a mine and was injured, but the mine didn't care. Now the government helped her get compensation. A young man said he used to work outside, but now he's back and works in the new materials industrial park, earning four or five thousand a month, which is better than working outside. An elderly woman with white hair said her grandson was admitted to university last year with government assistance, and her son and daughter-in-law work in town; the family is reunited. Old Zhou listened, nodding from time to time, his eyes constantly reddening.

After the meeting, Mr. Zhou stood up and bowed to the miners' representatives. "Thank you. Thank you for your trust in the government."

Zhao Tiejun quickly stood up and waved his hand. "Old Zhou, please don't do this. We should be thanking you."

Old Zhou shook his head and didn't say anything.

In the evening, Old Zhou was about to return to Lucheng. Lin Feng saw him to the door, where the car was already waiting. Old Zhou stood beside the car, looking at Lin Feng for a long time.

"Comrade Lin Feng, you did a better job than me."

Lin Feng was taken aback. "Old Zhou, please don't say that. Everything I've done is thanks to the foundation you laid."

Old Zhou waved his hand. "Don't be modest. I worked in Pingjiang for so many years, and I didn't do a good job. You came and did a good job. You did a better job than me. Pingjiang has hope, and the country has hope."

Lin Feng's eyes reddened, and he lowered his head without saying a word.

Old Zhou patted him on the shoulder. "Work hard, don't let the people down."

Lin Feng raised his head, looked at Old Zhou, and nodded vigorously.

Old Zhou got into the car, which slowly drove out of the municipal party committee compound. Lin Feng stood at the gate, watching the car disappear into the distance, for a long time.