Great Power Reclamation

The last week of December finally brought sunshine to London.

The gloom of the past few days dissipated, the sky was an unbelievably blue, and the sunlight shone on the remaining snow, dazzlingly bright.

Ye Guigen walked on campus and, unusually, felt that his mood, like the weather, had become much clearer.

Miyuki is gone.

Before leaving, she sent him a long message, not as a farewell, but more like a summary:

“Returning to one’s roots, I’ve thought about it for a long time. Actually, I knew the outcome from the very beginning. There are two people in your heart, one like the you I see, and the other like the you I can’t reach.”

"What I love is the you who watches the snow with me, listens to my stories, and holds me when I cry. But I know that you are only a part of yourself. You also have another part that belongs to a more complex world."

My mother's illness made me realize one thing: life is too short to waste waiting for someone uncertain. So I'm not waiting anymore. It's not that I don't love you, it's that I love myself more.

Thank you for being there for me on this journey. If we meet again, I hope we can both be better people.

After reading the message, Ye Guigen remained silent for a long time. He didn't reply because he didn't know what to say. He simply saved the message, as if saving a piece of time.

On Elizabeth's side, they reached a new understanding. No longer rushing to define their relationship, no longer worrying about the future, just simply spending time together. They ate together on weekends, occasionally watched a movie, but more often they read in her apartment, occasionally exchanging glances.

Sometimes Ye Guigen finds it strange that after going through such complicated entanglements, they end up getting along in the simplest way.

“That’s not surprising,” Elizabeth said one night. “Because we’re all tired. Too tired to act anymore, too tired to just be ourselves.”

Ye Guigen thought about it and realized she was right.

The new semester begins in early January.

Ye Guigen chose three courses: Advanced Development Economics, African Political Economy, and Econometrics. Professor Sachs, seeing his choices, raised an eyebrow: "Econometrics? Don't you hate math?"

"We must always face our weaknesses," Ye Guigen said.

Sachs laughed: "Okay, don't cry at the final exam."

The first week, the econometrics class gave him a rude awakening. He started getting confused halfway through the professor's lecture on regression analysis. After class, he went to Raj with his textbook for help.

Raj was writing his paper in the library when he saw him come in. He grinned smugly and said, "So you finally realize how difficult it is? I almost failed last semester."

The two spent the entire afternoon in the library. Raj talked until his throat was dry, while Ye Guigen listened until his head was spinning. But at least they managed to grasp the basic concepts.

“Treat me to dinner.” Raj closed the book.

"Row."

In the cafeteria, the two carried their trays and looked for seats. Hans was already there, with Emily sitting next to him. The four of them sat down at a table and ate and chatted.

"Have you heard?" Emily whispered. "Li Ming is back."

Ye Guigen ate a meal with his chopsticks.

“But he’s on leave from school and won’t be attending classes this semester,” Emily said. “I heard something happened at home. Apparently, his dad’s company is in trouble.”

Ye Guigen remained silent. He had lost interest in Li Ming's news.

Raj, ever the gossip, asked, "What's the problem?"

“I don’t know, but everyone in the industry is talking about it.” Emily shrugged. “The Wang family is also trying to distance themselves. Wang Jiaming has been keeping a very low profile lately.”

Hans interjected, "Whatever, it's none of our business anyway. Ye, how about coming to Paris with me this weekend? It's your sister's concert!"

Ye Guigen was both amused and exasperated: "You haven't given up yet?"

“Of course! This is faith!” Hans said with a solemn expression.

In the end, Ye Guigen didn't go, but he managed to get Hans a backstage pass—through Ye Yini's agent. Hans was so excited he almost knelt down before him.

In mid-January, Ye Guigen received an email.

It was sent by Fatima.

“Mr. Ye, my training is over. When I returned to the village, everyone came to see me. I taught them how to clean the solar panels and how to check for faults. The village chief said I’ve grown up.”

“My mom made date cake and asked me to send it to you. But I don’t know how to send it, so I’m telling you now. I’ll send it to you once I learn how. Fatima.”

Several photos were attached to the letter. Fatima stood in front of the solar panels, wearing a T-shirt from a training institution in Country A, and smiled brightly.

A few villagers stood nearby, looking somewhat reserved in front of the camera. Another photo showed a panoramic view of the village, with solar panels gleaming in the sunlight, and adobe houses and date palm trees in the distance.

Looking at the photo, Ye Guigen felt a warmth in his heart.

He recalled Mbeki's words: "True success is not about how many power plants you build, but whether the locals can still operate on their own without you."

Now, Fatima can.

This is enough.

He showed the photograph to Elizabeth. Elizabeth looked at it carefully for a long time, and then said:
"Ultimately, do you know what the biggest difference is between you and other investors?"

"what?"

“You really care about these people.” She pointed to Fatima in the photo. “Not about the return on investment, but about whether she can become a doctor.”

Ye Guigen thought for a moment and said, "Maybe it's because my grandfather and his family were like that. When they built the army and reclaimed the land, they weren't thinking about how much money they could make, but about ensuring that the people on that land could survive."

Elizabeth looked at him gently: "So you will become like them too."

Ye Guigen shook his head: "I'm still far from good enough."

“No,” Elizabeth said seriously, “you are already on that path.”

At the end of January, news came from Junken City: Yang Geyong was ill.

Ye Yuze spoke casually on the phone: "It's an old problem, a slight heart issue. I'll be fine after a few days in the hospital. Don't worry."

But Ye Guigen was still worried. He called Wang Lina, who was very direct:

"You're over seventy, how can you not have some health problems? Don't worry about it, just focus on your studies."

He called his mother again. Yifei sighed on the other end of the phone:

“Your Grandpa Yang is just tired. Last month he went horseback riding at the horse farm and fell, but he insisted that he was fine. This time he was hospitalized because your Uncle Yang Wei dragged him there.”

"is it serious?"

“It’s not serious, but it needs to be taken care of.” Yifei paused. “Ultimately, your grandfather’s generation is getting old. You need to be prepared.”

Ye Guigen remained silent.

He remembered when he was a child, Yang Geyong taught him to ride a horse, lifting him onto its back while he protected him from the side. Yang Geyong was so strong back then, over six feet tall, his arms thicker than his legs. Now, he's also hospitalized.

Time waits for no one.

Over the weekend, he made a video call to Yang Geyong.

The video call connected, and Yang Geyong was lying in a hospital bed, his face somewhat pale, but his spirits were good. Seeing Ye Guigen, he smiled:

"Kid, instead of studying, what are you doing making phone calls?"

"I heard you were sick, so I came to see you."

“It’s a minor ailment, I won’t die.” Yang Geyong waved his hand. “Your grandfather is just making a fuss over nothing. He insisted that I be hospitalized. I lay in bed for three days, feeling terrible all over.”

Ye Guigen smiled and said, "Grandpa Yang, take good care of yourself and get well before riding a horse again."

“Of course,” Yang Geyong said. “I’m also waiting to teach your son to ride a horse.”

Ye Guigen paused for a moment, then smiled: "It's still early."

"Early? What do you mean early? You're eighteen already, it's time to find a girlfriend." Yang Geyong squinted. "How was that British girl from last time?"

Ye Guigen was both amused and exasperated: "Grandpa Yang, you still have quite the gossip spirit even in your hospital bed."

"I call this caring for the next generation," Yang Geyong chuckled. "Alright, I'm hanging up. Study hard, don't be like your dad, becoming a father at twenty and working yourself to the bone."

The video call ended, and Ye Guigen sat there, both laughing and sighing.

In February, London experienced another snowfall.

The snow was heavier than before, accumulating to half a foot thick overnight. The next morning, the entire city was at a standstill, and schools announced a one-day closure.

Ye Guigen slept in late, a rare occurrence for him. When he woke up, Hans was already gone—the guy had gone out early to take pictures of the snow. The world outside the window was a vast expanse of white, as quiet as a fairy tale.

He made himself a cup of coffee and sat by the window, lost in thought.

My phone rang. It was a message from Elizabeth: "The snow is too heavy, I can't go out. Want to video chat?"

He dialed the number.

Elizabeth was on the other end of the line, wrapped in a blanket, her hair disheveled, looking like she had just woken up. She yawned: "Good morning." "Good morning."

What are we doing today?

"I don't know. Just spacing out."

"What a coincidence, me too."

The two of them just stared blankly at the camera. Occasionally they would exchange a word, but most of the time they remained silent. But that silence wasn't awkward; rather, it felt quite comfortable.

“In the end,” Elizabeth suddenly said, “I haven’t had this much free time in a long time.”

"Me too."

“I was always busy before, busy proving myself, busy dealing with other people.” She looked at the camera. “Now that I think about it, I don’t even know what I was busy with.”

Ye Guigen smiled and said, "This is called growing up."

"You're only eighteen, what are you talking about growing up?"

"He's mentally old." Ye Guigen said seriously.

Elizabeth smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents.

At that moment, Ye Guigen suddenly felt that this was not so bad.

It's not a passionate love story, nor a promise to die for each other; it's just two people in their own places, watching the same snow and chatting about trivial things.

Simple and down-to-earth.

February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Couples on campus became more active, with students everywhere carrying bouquets of flowers. The cafeteria even launched a Valentine's Day special: heart-shaped steaks, priced at double the usual amount.

Raj complained, "Single people can't even afford to eat anymore."

Hans was completely unaffected because he was going to Germany to see Ye Yini's tour—a trip he had really gone all out on, saving up his allowance for three months.

“You’re crazy,” Raj commented.

"To be crazy about art is worth it!" Hans said with a sacred look.

Ye Guigen went to see Elizabeth that evening. She was cooking at home, and this time she had improved a lot; the steak was cooked perfectly, and the pasta was cooked to the right consistency.

"You practiced secretly?" Ye Guigen asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth admitted, "I don't want you to eat terrible food every time."

After dinner, the two sat on the sofa to watch a movie. It was an old film, *Casablanca*. At the end, Elizabeth leaned on his shoulder and whispered:
“Richard said, ‘We’ll always have Paris.’ What do we have?”

Ye Guigen thought for a moment: "We have London."

Elizabeth laughed: "London? Rainy and gloomy, and the food is terrible?"

“There’s still snow,” Ye Guigen said. “There will be sunny days after the snow.”

Elizabeth looked up at him, her eyes shining.

“Ye Guigen, do you know, sometimes you talk like an old man.”

"That's called precocious puberty."

“No,” she said seriously, “it’s called having something in your heart.”

The movie ended, and the snow started falling again outside the window. The two stood by the window watching the snow, neither of them speaking.

After a long while, Elizabeth suddenly said, "In the end, I don't want to wait any longer."

Ye Guigen turned to look at her.

"I don't mean to pressure you into marriage," she smiled. "It means I don't want to overthink it anymore. Whether you've thought it through or not, I want to be with you. Just like that, simple and straightforward."

Ye Guigen felt a surge of warmth in his heart and reached out to pull her into his arms.

"Okay," he said. "That's settled."

At the end of February, Ye Guigen received an email.

It was from Professor Sachs, saying there was a summer research project involving two months of fieldwork in Kenya. He asked if he was interested.

Ye Guigen stared at the screen, his heart racing.

Kenya. Africa.

He remembered Fatima, Mbeki's words, and the smiling faces under the solar panels.

But he also remembered Miyuki's words: "You have another part, which belongs to that more complex world."

Which one is what he truly wants?

He hesitated for three days before finally replying to Professor Sachs's email: "Thank you, but I've decided to stay in London for the summer. I want to do well in metrology."

Sachs quickly replied: "A wise choice. Young man, no rush. There's still a long road ahead."

When he told Elizabeth about his decision, she was somewhat surprised: "Why not go? Don't you love Africa?"

“I like it,” Ye Guigen said, “but I want to lay a solid foundation first. If I can’t even learn econometrics well, I won’t be able to do anything there.”

Elizabeth looked at him, and there was something different in her eyes.

“Back to the roots,” she said, “you’ve really grown up.”

In early March, news came from Junken City: Yang Geyong had been discharged from the hospital.

Ye Yuze sent a video of Yang Geyong walking his horse in his yard. The Akhal-Teke horse followed closely beside him, like a big dog. Yang Geyong would walk a few steps, stop to catch his breath, and then continue walking.

At the end of the video, Yang Geyong said to the camera, "Kid, don't worry about me. Study hard, and come back to teach my grandson to ride a horse."

Ye Guigen watched, feeling both amused and heartbroken.

He made a phone call to his grandfather.

Ye Yuze said on the other end of the phone, "That's how it is when people get old. But your Grandpa Yang is stubborn and refuses to admit he's old. That's good, he still has some energy and will live a long life."

"Grandpa, you should also take care of yourself."

"I'm fine," Ye Yuze said. "I can live for another twenty years and watch you get married and have children."

Ye Guigen smiled: "Then you have to keep your word."

"Of course." Ye Yuze paused. "Gui Gen, how have you been lately?"

"It's good. I chose metrology, which is a bit difficult, but I can keep up."

"What about feelings?"

Ye Guigen thought for a moment and said, "It's alright. Being with Elizabeth is simple and peaceful."

Ye Yuze was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Simplicity is good. After a lifetime of complexity, I know how rare simplicity is."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Guigen stood by the window.

The London night was gentle, with lights twinkling in the distance.

He suddenly remembered many things—his childhood in the military reclamation town, the street fights, the North African desert, Miyuki's smiling face, Elizabeth's eyes. And his grandfather's words, Grandpa Yang's video, Fatima's letter.

These fragments, pieced together, form who he is today.

He's not perfect, not extraordinary, just a young man who's slowly finding his way on his journey of growth.

Outside the window, snow began to fall again.

They are very small, fine and dense, like sprinkled salt.

Ye Guigen looked at the snowflakes and suddenly smiled.

He remembered what his grandfather had said: "Men of the Ye family are not afraid to walk at night."

He's no longer on the night road.

He was on a sunny day after the snow.

The road ahead is long.

But he wasn't in a hurry to leave. (End of Chapter)