Nominal: My senior brothers are all big shots

Before the Spring Festival, Lin Feng finished processing the last batch of documents in Pingjiang and returned to Beijing with Su Wanqing and their daughter Lin Nianzhou. The high-speed train ride from Pingjiang to Beijing took four hours. It was Lin Nianzhou's first train ride. She pressed her face against the window, watching the fields and villages rushing past, her eyes wide and mouth agape, and said in her childish voice, "Dad, there are so many trees outside!" Lin Feng smiled, hugged her, and pointed out the window, saying, "Those are poplar trees, those are willow trees, those are wheat fields." Lin Nianzhou didn't understand, but she loved listening to her father talk.

Su Wanqing leaned back in her chair, watching the father and daughter, and smiled. She remembered when she was pregnant with Lin Nianzhou, Lin Feng was in Pingjiang, and she was in Beijing; the two of them rarely saw each other. She went to prenatal checkups alone, prepared baby supplies alone, and faced the anxieties and uncertainties of pregnancy alone. She didn't blame him; she knew he was doing something important. Now, that important thing was done, and he was back.

The Su family's old house remained unchanged. Blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and the old locust tree in the courtyard was bare, its branches stretching towards the hazy sky. Red lanterns were already hung at the entrance, put there by the housekeeper at Old Master Su's request. He said that this year's Spring Festival would be lively because his great-granddaughter was coming home. Lin Feng pushed open the courtyard gate. Old Master Su was sitting on the sofa in the living room, holding a newspaper, wearing reading glasses. His hair was completely white, but he was in good spirits, his eyes bright. Hearing the noise, he put down the newspaper, took off his reading glasses, and looked towards the entrance. Su Wanqing carried Lin Nianzhou in, and Old Master Su's eyes immediately lit up.

"Come here, let Great-Grandpa hold you." Old Master Su reached out, his voice trembling slightly. Su Wanqing handed Lin Nianzhou over, and Old Master Su took her, holding her in his arms as if she were the most precious thing in the world. Lin Nianzhou looked at this unfamiliar old man, neither crying nor laughing, but simply staring at him with wide, curious eyes. Old Master Su looked at her, his eyes reddening. "This child looks just like Wanqing when she was little."

Su Wanqing laughed. "Dad, you're saying that again. You didn't hold me much when I was little."

Old Su shook his head. "When you were little, I was in the army, and I could only come home a few times a year. Your mother raised you all by herself, and I feel sorry for you both. Now that I'm retired, I have time and wanted to hold my granddaughter, but she's grown up and won't let me. Now it's great, I have a great-granddaughter, and I can hold her as much as I want."

Su Wanqing's eyes reddened, but she didn't let the tears fall. She walked over, sat down next to Old Master Su, and leaned on his shoulder. "Dad, please don't say that. We all know you did it for the country."

Old Su didn't say anything, he just held Lin Nianzhou and rocked him gently.

Lin Feng stood to the side, watching this scene, feeling a warmth in his heart. He thought of his father, and of how his mother had raised him alone all those years. Now, he had a daughter, a wife, and a complete family. He took a deep breath, walked over, and sat down opposite Old Su.

"Grandpa, let me report to you about the work in Pingjiang."

Old Su looked up at him and nodded. "Go on."

Lin Feng gave a detailed report on the remediation of rare earth resources in Pingjiang, the rare earth trading center, the rare earth valley project, and the fact that Pingjiang's GDP growth rate ranked third in the province. He didn't exaggerate or conceal anything; every figure was accurate, and every event was true. Old Su listened attentively, nodding occasionally and asking a question or two now and then. Lin Feng answered them all.

After the report, Old Su was silent for a moment, then said, "Lin Feng, you did a good job. You handled the Pingjiang matter beautifully."

Lin Feng shook his head. "It wasn't just my achievement. It was He Bing, Lei Ming, Lu Jianping, Yang Xuefeng, and the others who worked together. And the miners like Zhao Tiejun, they trusted and supported the government. Without them, things wouldn't have been possible in Pingjiang."

Old Su looked at him, his eyes filled with relief and pride. "Your Grandpa Zhou called a few days ago. He said he's relieved to leave the Pingjiang matter to you."

Lin Feng paused for a moment, then lowered his head and remained silent. Old Su continued, "Your Grandpa Zhou has had a tough time. He shouldered Mingyuan's burdens. Anyone else would have collapsed long ago. He didn't; he pulled through. He said the best thing he ever did was hand Pingjiang over to you."

Lin Feng's eyes reddened. He remembered Old Zhou kneeling before his brother's grave, unable to rise, and Old Zhou saying, "Brother, I'm sorry about Mingyuan," and "You did better than me." He took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Old Su. "Grandpa, this battle was so difficult."

Old Su didn't speak, he just nodded.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The red lanterns in the courtyard lit up, casting a warm red glow on the snow. Inside, the heating was strong, and Lin Nianzhou slept soundly in Old Su's arms, her breathing light and even. Su Wanqing leaned against the sofa, her eyes closed, a smile on her face. Lin Feng sat there, watching all this, his heart at peace. He remembered how he had been when he first arrived in Pingjiang, the letters of complaint, the account books, the photos, the faces weeping in court. Those days were like a dream. The dream was over, and Pingjiang had changed. He had changed too. He was no longer the young, newly arrived secretary, but a husband, a father, a man with a promise to the people of Pingjiang. He took a deep breath, stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the deep night outside. In the distance, the lights of Beijing shone brightly. Closer still, the red lanterns of the Su family's old house. He stood there for a long, long time, motionless.

The transfer order arrived in Pingjiang on a typical Friday afternoon. Lin Feng's fingers paused slightly as he received the document from Shen Qiuping, the head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department. Governor of Jiangnan Province, a ministerial-level position. The leap from municipal party secretary to governor was enormous, even surprising to him. Shen Qiuping looked at him, her eyes filled with both satisfaction and expectation. "Comrade Lin Feng, this is the organization's trust, and also an affirmation of your work over the years. You've worked in Pingjiang for five years, turning a mess into a model for the entire province; the Provincial Party Committee has seen it all."

Lin Feng nodded without speaking. He lowered his head, looking at the transfer order; the paper was light, but its weight was heavy. Outside the window, the sky over Pingjiang was hazy, and the distant mines were shrouded in fog, their outlines indistinct. He had spent five years here, more than 1,800 days and nights. Those days flashed through his mind like a movie.

The news spread quickly. Lu Jianping was the first to call, his voice filled with undisguised regret: "Secretary Lin, are you really leaving?" Lin Feng said, "The transfer order has already been issued." Lu Jianping was silent for a moment, his voice a little strained: "Secretary Lin, the people of Pingjiang will miss you." Lin Feng didn't speak. He didn't know what to say. He also missed Pingjiang, but it was an organizational arrangement, and he couldn't refuse.