Road to Revival

On the evening of the 30th, Tao Tang took the train to Yanjing. The following evening, after completing the task assigned to him by Feng Shizhao, he invited Lu Yaozu out for dinner at Xiang'e Qing Restaurant in Sanlihe, Xicheng District. Knowing that Feng Shizhao might not want him to be an audience member, he used the excuse of buying a train ticket back to Binjiang that night, and only had a drink with Lu and Feng before taking his leave. Feng Shizhao did not ask Tao Tang to stay, but sent his driver to see him off.

Tao Tang didn't plan to go back to Binjiang tonight; he wanted to visit his mother-in-law first. He told the driver the address, and only on his way home did he realize he hadn't called Tang Yikun back.

The call connected immediately. "I'm so sorry, I'm in a meeting this afternoon. What can I do for you, old classmate?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Yanjing."

"Hey. I was thinking of inviting you to meet up, but you're quick on your way. I heard you have a college classmate named Lu Yaozu?"

Tao Tang thought to himself, Tang Yikun's power is indeed formidable; nothing can be hidden from him. "Yes, what's wrong?"

"Don't be so somber. Vice Minister Lu will soon be Secretary Lu. I was hoping to take advantage of your connections to pay my respects to Secretary Lu, but I didn't expect you to have already gone to Yanjing..."

"You're really well-informed," Tao Tang thought. Half an hour ago, when he and Lu Yaozu were waiting for Feng Shizhao in a private room at Xiang'e Qing, Feng had been talking to him about Pingquan. But Tao Tang wouldn't tell Tang Yikun, "He might not be in the provincial capital. As far as I know, his wife and children are in Yanjing."

"Then we'll just have to find another opportunity... Lao Tao, I won't be coy with you. I hope you'll help me out in the future."

"No, you're my benefactor now." Tao Tang chuckled on the phone. "Chairman Tang, if you want to see Secretary Lu, go ahead, just open the Donghu Market to me completely. Just kidding, with Donghu's strength, I think Lu Yaozu would be eager to curry favor with you."

"No, the nature of Donghu means it can never compare to your Hongxing. I'm perfectly clear-headed. As for the market, no problem, anything you can do, I'll give you. It's a pity we're not on the same track, otherwise, I'd give you a few more factories. Haha. My brother is too talented; he wouldn't be interested in Donghu's little trinkets. I won't bother you any longer, let's get together again sometime. By the way, did you finalize the steel pipe factory matter after the holiday?"

"Okay. I'll report to the leader..." Actually, Tao Tang had already told Feng Shizhao about the transfer of the steel pipe factory from Donghu Machinery. Lu Yaozu hadn't taken office yet, but his heart was already in Pingquan. Both Feng and Lu thought it was feasible, so it was settled. But Tao Tang still didn't tell Tang Yikun the truth.

Tao Tang was perfectly aware of Tang Yikun's eagerness to see Lu Yaozu; it was nothing more than the Hongxing land. Thinking of this, Tao Tang made a phone call to Sheng Guangyun.

"Director Sheng, this is Tao Tang. No, it's nothing urgent. It's like this, I'd like to ask you to do some research, specifically to comprehensively weigh the pros and cons of relocating Hongxing. Yes, comprehensively, not just focusing on operations. We need to look at the issue from two perspectives: Why is the city eyeing this land in Hongxing? What does it intend to use it for? If it's for building a new city, it could accommodate at least a million people! Does Pingquan have that many people? What are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of relocating the company? Yes, I think your report is too narrow-minded… You should handle this slowly and discreetly, to avoid creating any instability. Yes, just be responsible to me."

Before meeting Sheng Guangyun alone, Tao Tang was impressed by Sheng Guangyun's calm and taciturn nature. Because of Lü Qi's introduction, and also because Tao Tang had a meal and a conversation with Sheng Guangyun, Tao Tang developed a liking for this dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man.

Relocation is not the same as strategic restructuring, nor is it the same as industrial restructuring. Although some leaders at headquarters always refer to this matter as restructuring or strategic reorganization, Feng Shizhao's trip to G Province half a month ago certainly included such arrangements. However, he was unaware of the outcome of Feng Shizhao's contacts with the province, nor did he obtain any official information on this matter from any channel.

Tao Tang couldn't understand what direct benefits relocation would bring to Hongxing. Of course, his primary consideration was operations, followed by Hongxing's massive logistical support system. Thinking of the tens of thousands of employees and their families at Hongxing, Tao Tang seriously doubted whether Pingquan City could pull off such a large-scale undertaking.

Because they had agreed that she would come back for dinner, Qiao Xiuying carefully prepared several dishes that her son-in-law liked, waiting for Tao Tang to return.

That morning, Tao Tang had already "reported" to her about buying a house in Pingquan. As before, Tao Tang reported every large expense he made in detail. Even now, she still controlled most of Tao Tang's savings, including Fang Lan's untouched compensation money. Tao Tang had repeatedly stated that the money was for her retirement, but Qiao Xiuying refused it, and the money was still deposited in the bank in her name.

After retiring, Qiao Xiuying, having nothing to do with her time, learned to manage her finances. Although she had both gains and losses, it was still better than putting money in a fixed deposit. Qiao Xiuying planned to use the money for her granddaughter, Xiaohe. She hoped to send her granddaughter to study abroad. After researching the options, she chose the UK. Although studying in the UK was more expensive, she felt it was the most reassuring option overall, and most importantly, she could afford it.

But Tao Tang was unwilling. Because Xiao He was still young, it wasn't the right time yet, so Qiao Xiuying wasn't in a hurry.

Qiao Xiuying once said that the happiest thing in her life was choosing Tao Tang as her son-in-law. Her husband objected at the time, feeling that Tao Tang was too assertive and his family wasn't well-off. Due to her father's opposition, their only daughter, Fang Lan, hesitated. It was her insistence that brought them together. At the time, she was Tao Tang's colleague when he first started working, and could be considered his mentor. Time has proven her judgment. She has more than once teased her husband, saying, "See? I was right!" In Qiao Xiuying's eyes, Tao Tang was indeed a rare and excellent son-in-law: filial to his elders, loving to his wife, and in over ten years of marriage to Fang Lan, they had never argued. Moreover, he was capable at work, had a smooth career, and a promising future… Unfortunately, Fang Lan was unfortunate and passed away prematurely.

Having endured the devastating blows of losing both her husband and daughter, Qiao Xiuying persevered. Her entire life revolved around her son-in-law and granddaughter. However, more than her granddaughter, Qiao Xiuying cared deeply about Tao Tang's future. He was still young and neither needed nor could he remain single forever. In fact, the year after her daughter's death, Qiao Xiuying had already advised her son-in-law to consider remarriage. Later, she personally arranged marriages for him, though she didn't want him to remarry. Subconsciously, she felt that remarriage might mean losing this son-in-law, whom she considered like a son. It wasn't until Qiao Xiuying discovered Fang Ke's feelings that she, after careful consideration, persuaded Tao Tang to accept him. However, Tao Tang refused without hesitation, arguing that the age and personality differences were too great, making them unsuitable.

Fang Ke is Fang Lan's cousin, 28 years old, a graduate of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and now runs an art gallery and works part-time as a print model. Qiao Xiuying can now conclude that Fang Ke has been in love with Tao Tang for a long time. Fang Ke's grief when Fang Lan passed away was more likely due to her brother-in-law than her sister's. She was only 22 years old that year, not yet graduated from university. With her looks and family background, it wouldn't have been difficult for her to find a wealthy husband. The reason she hasn't found someone yet is entirely because of Tao Tang.

Six months ago, Fang Ke's mother, Du Xiangqin, came to Beijing to discuss her daughter's personal life with Qiao Xiuying. Du Xiangqin bluntly revealed Fang Ke's feelings, saying that she had long known Fang Ke had feelings for Tao Tang, and she had always opposed it. Fang Ke's father also disagreed, but now she probably couldn't object anymore. Fang Ke was getting on in years, and even in Beijing, she was of marriageable age. Moreover, she knew her daughter's personality; she was too stubborn. After much thought, she had no choice but to let it go. She asked her sister-in-law to persuade Tao Tang. Xiao Lan had been gone for six years; let's make it happen and strengthen our family ties through marriage. Xiao Ke will treat Xiao He well; they already had a good relationship.

Qiao Xiuying naturally wouldn't object, nor did she have the right to. Fang Ke was undoubtedly better than anyone else to be Xiao He's stepmother; the only drawback was the small age gap between her and Xiao He, but that didn't really matter. Qiao Xiuying knew that Tao Xiao He, whose personality resembled her father's, didn't want Tao Tang to remarry, and that somewhat rebellious child would find it difficult to accept other women besides Fang Ke.

The ball is now in Tao Tang's arms. Tao Tang's personality is not like Fang Lan's, but rather comparable to Fang Ke's. Qiao Xiuying knows that Tao Tang, who is easygoing on the surface, is extremely stubborn at heart. Once he has made up his mind, he will not give up no matter what.

Six months after Du Xiangqin brought the matter up, Fang Ke started visiting more often. Qiao Xiuying found an opportunity to talk to Fang Ke about it. Fang Ke admitted that she had long considered Tao Tang as her ideal partner. When her sister was alive, she admired and blessed her; now that her sister was gone, she naturally didn't want to let go of her brother-in-law. As for age, that wasn't a problem at all. "We're fifteen years apart. It might seem like a gap now, but it will narrow in ten years, and in twenty or thirty years, there won't be much of a gap," she said. "Besides, that so-called gap is an old-fashioned concept from your generation. What's the foundation of marriage? It's love. As long as there's love, what does an age gap matter?"

Fang Ke confided her troubles to her aunt. She had confessed her feelings to Tao Tang more than once, but Tao Tang was too hard-hearted. Now he had even blacklisted her, and she couldn't even call him anymore.

Qiao Xiuying was both amused and exasperated, feeling that Tao Tang had gone a bit too far. This May Day holiday, Qiao Xiuying had told Fang Ke that Tao Tang would be returning to Beijing and arranged for Fang Ke to come over, but Fang Ke had gone to Qingdao to attend an art exhibition and wouldn't be back in Beijing until the 2nd at the earliest. Qiao Xiuying then decided to find a reason to have Tao Tang leave Beijing for Binjiang on the evening of the 2nd.

The reason was readily available: she had a chronic rheumatism problem, and she asked Tao Tang to take her to see a doctor, which Tao Tang would definitely not refuse.

But plans never keep up with changes. Tao Tang returned home after completing Feng Shizhao's task, and before he had even finished his meal, he received a call from Binjiang. Tao Tang's mother said on the phone that Xiao He had gone to Pingquan and was probably on the train now.

"What's going on?" Tao Tang was immediately anxious. "Didn't we agree on something? Why did you let her go?" Her mother said that Xiao He hadn't even said goodbye. She had just called to say that Xiao He was already on the train.

This is utterly ridiculous. Tao Tang quickly called his daughter, but the phone was switched off. Since his daughter lived alone, Tao Tang became anxious and called his younger sister, Tao Meiling, asking her to pick Xiao He up from the station the next morning.

"This child... don't worry, Pingquan has her uncle and aunt, she's not in any danger. We'll have news by tomorrow morning," Qiao Xiuying comforted Tao Tang.

"This is utter nonsense. I haven't had time to take care of her all these years, and my parents and you have spoiled her rotten..." Tao Tang was a little anxious. Tao Xiaohe's willfulness had disrupted his plans. Should he go back to Binjiang tomorrow?

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Tao Tang called Tao Meiling. Tao Meiling said that she, Wu Shi'an, and Tao Youdao were at the station to pick up Xiao He. The earliest train from Binjiang to Pingquan arrived at 7:40. According to the calculation, Xiao He should be taking this train.

At eight o'clock, Tao Meiling finally called. Xiao He didn't answer, but the call went through. The girl had gotten off the train at Pingquan East Station early and was picked up by one of her classmates.

Tao Tang immediately panicked. Xiao He had never attended school in Pingquan, so where would she have gotten classmates? He told Tao Meiling to find Xiao He as soon as possible, no matter what. He had no intention of returning to Binjiang. After calling his parents, he immediately set off for the airport, determined to get back to Pingquan as quickly as possible.