Great Power Reclamation

The mornings in Junken City are bitterly cold. At the end of December, the wind on the Gobi Desert is like a knife, cutting painfully into your face.

Ye Yuze stood in the courtyard, wearing a military overcoat with a sheepskin lining.

Yang Geyong stood next to him, wearing a military green parka and a Lei Feng hat, with his ear flaps folded down like two fan ears.

He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag. The smoke condensed into a cloud of white mist in the cold air, lingering for a long time.

"Old Ye, are you sure you want to pick him up? It's minus fifteen degrees Celsius in the provincial capital right now."

"So what if it's minus 15 degrees Celsius? I was building roads in the Gobi Desert back then, and I was still working even when it was minus 30 degrees Celsius."

Ye Yuze dodged his foot, making a crisp sound.

Yang Geyong glanced at him and didn't try to persuade him further. He knew Ye Yuze; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it.

Just like when I decided to start my own business, I wouldn't listen to anyone's advice.

Just like the decision to let Ye Feng take over the Warrior Group back then, no one could object.

Just like now, when he decided to personally pick up Ye Yuping from the airport, no one could stop him.

A black Warrior SUV was parked at the entrance of the yard.

The driver was Old Zhang, who had been driving for the Ye family for over twenty years, from a beat-up Jeep to their current Coaster, his hair turning from black to white. He jumped out of the car and opened the door.

"Uncle Ye, Uncle Yang, get in the car. The heater is on."

Ye Yuze got into the car and sat in the first row. Yang Geyong sat next to him. The car started, drove out of the military reclamation city, got on the highway, and headed towards the provincial capital airport.

Outside the window stretched an endless expanse of Gobi Desert. In winter, the Gobi Desert was grayish-yellow, devoid of any greenery. Only the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains in the distance shimmered white in the sunlight, like a silver ribbon.

“Old Ye,” Yang Geyong suddenly spoke up, “you say Yuping is back, Helena is back, and Ye Hai is back too. Three people, three guns, can this big plane engine thing work out?”

Ye Yuze looked out the window and remained silent for a long time.

“It will succeed,” he said, “because they have no way out.”

Yang Geyong was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Helena has long considered China her home. Ye Yuping has lived in Boston for over twenty years, but it is not his home.

Ye Hai grew up in the military reclamation city; his roots were here. The three of them had no choice but to charge forward. If they made it through, a new world awaited them. If they failed, they faced an abyss.

Yang Geyong stubbed out his cigarette in the crack of the car window without saying a word.

The car drove for two hours to reach the airport. Diwopu Airport is not large, but it is very clean.

The international arrivals hall was sparsely populated. Ye Yuze and Yang Geyong didn't sit down but stood there waiting.

On the display screen, the status of the flight from Boston changed from "delayed" to "arrived".

Ye Yuze's hands clenched unconsciously. Yang Geyong stood behind him, his hands in his pockets, his eyes fixed on the arrival gate.

The first group to emerge were regular passengers, dragging suitcases and hurrying along. Then came the business class passengers, a few scattered individuals. Then, Ye Yuping appeared.

He was wearing a dark gray cashmere coat and a dark blue scarf. Half of his hair was white, but he stood up straight.

He was carrying a black briefcase, and a young man pushing a luggage cart followed behind him—Ye Hai.

Ye Hai was wearing a black down jacket and a baseball cap pulled low over his head, but his face looked exactly like Ye Yuping's when he was young.

Behind them, Helena sat in a wheelchair, being pushed by an airport staff member.

She was wearing a red down jacket, her blonde hair was graying, her face was a little pale, but her eyes were bright.

Ye Yuze walked quickly, his steps light and quick. Yang Geyong was startled and rushed to help him, only to be slapped away.

Ye Yuping saw him. He quickened his pace, walked up to Ye Yuze, and stopped.

The two brothers looked at each other for a few seconds. More than twenty years had passed. They rarely met. Although they video-chatted every year, a video was a video, and a real person was a real person.

You can't see the wrinkles around the other person's eyes in the video, you can't see the gray hair at their temples, and you can't see their knees trembling when they stand up.

"Big brother." Ye Yuping's voice was a little hoarse.

"Third brother." Ye Yuze's voice was also a little hoarse.

Ye Yuping put down his briefcase and reached out his hand. Ye Yuze didn't shake his hand; instead, he opened his arms and hugged him.

Ye Yuping was stunned for a moment, then hugged his older brother back. The two old men embraced each other, neither of them saying a word.

Yang Geyong stood to the side, his eyes red-rimmed. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and turned away.

Ye Hai pushed the luggage cart over, stood beside him, and watched quietly.

He neither disturbed nor urged him. He stood there, like a tree.

Ye Yuze released Ye Yuping and looked at Ye Hai. "This is Ye Hai?"

Ye Hai grinned but didn't say anything. He knew this uncle better than his father.

Ye Yuze sized up the young man. Black hair, black eyes, high nose, he resembled Ye Yuping, and also Helena. He was over 1.8 meters tall, standing there neither humble nor arrogant, his gaze steady, neither evasive nor ostentatious.

“Ye Hai,” Ye Yuze said, “the apricot tree your grandfather planted in the military reclamation city has blossomed this year. Go back and take a look.”

Ye Hai paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Helena was wheeled over. She stood up from her wheelchair, her right leg slightly lame, but she stood straight. She walked up to Ye Yuze and extended her hand.

"Big brother, I'm back."

Ye Yuze took her hand. Her hand was thin, with distinct knuckles, but it was very strong.

"It's good that you're back. The runway in Junken City is long enough. You can fly as high as you want."

Helena's eyes reddened. She lowered her head, took a deep breath, then looked up and smiled.

"Brother, I'm not flying. I'm making the plane fly."

Ye Yuze smiled too. "Okay. Let the plane fly."

The group exited the terminal and boarded a Coaster bus. The bus drove out of the airport, onto the highway, and headed towards the military reclamation city.

Ye Yuping sat next to Ye Yuze, Ye Hai sat behind him, and Helena sat by the window, looking out at the Gobi Desert.

“Brother,” Ye Yuping said, “Junken City has changed. When I left, this road was still a gravel road. Now it’s all highway.”

Things have changed. But some things haven't.

"What hasn't changed?"

“Those tombstones on the back hill. They were there when you left, and they are still there now.”

Ye Yuping fell silent. He knew what Ye Yuze was talking about. They were their fathers, the first generation of military reclamation workers.

The old man came to XJ from the mainland and settled down in the Gobi Desert. The apricot tree he planted is still alive and blooms every spring.

"Big brother," Ye Yuping said in a low voice, "how are Mom and Dad?"

Ye Yuze patted his knee. "They know you're busy. They don't blame you."

Ye Yuping lowered his head and remained silent.

The car continued driving forward. On the Gobi Desert, the snow-capped peaks of the Tianshan Mountains shimmered in the sunlight.

Military reclamation town, Ye family villa.

The lights were on in Ye Yuze's study. Ye Yuping sat on the sofa, holding a cup of tea.

Helena sat beside him, a blanket covering her knees. Ye Hai stood by the window, looking out at the courtyard.

Yang Geyong sat opposite him, holding a bowl of milk tea in his hand, slurping it down loudly.

“Helena,” Ye Yuze said, “what do you need for your large aircraft engine? Just tell me.”

Helena put down her teacup, took a document out of her bag, and handed it to Ye Yuze.

"Brother Ye, here is the plan. We've already developed the small engine and obtained EU airworthiness certification."

The next step is medium-sized engines, then large engines. The development cycle for medium-sized engines is approximately three years. For large engines, it's five to eight years.

Ye Yuze opened the document and read it page by page. He couldn't understand the dense technical parameters. But he understood the last line—total budget: 1.2 billion US dollars.

"1.2 billion?" Yang Geyong leaned over to take a look and gasped. "Helena, you're burning money!"

Helena looked at him without a trace of hesitation in her eyes.

“Brother Yang, that’s how aircraft engines are. It’s not about burning money, it’s about burning time. Twelve billion US dollars, if put elsewhere, could build a hundred factories. But here, it’s only enough to make one engine.”

"But this one engine can enable Chinese planes to fly all over the world. You do the math, is it worth it?"

Yang Geyong opened his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at Ye Yuze. Ye Yuze closed the file and placed it on the coffee table.

“1.2 billion, I’ll contribute.” His voice wasn’t loud, but every word was clear. “Warrior Group will contribute 800 million, Brothers Group will contribute 400 million. If that’s not enough, we’ll add more.”

Helena looked at him, her eyes reddening again. "Big brother—"

"Stop talking." Ye Yuze waved his hand. "You gave birth to a son for the Ye family, spent more than ten years in Junken City, and developed a small engine. This money is what you deserve."

Helena lowered her head and remained silent. Ye Hai turned around from the window and looked at Ye Yuze.

“Uncle,” his voice was steady, “I don’t need money. I need people.”

"who?"

“Someone who understands materials. Turbine blades need new high-temperature resistant materials. China’s metallurgical industry is weak. I need a team specializing in materials.” Ye Yuze thought for a moment. “I’ll have the people from Junken Electromechanical cooperate with you. They make microchips and have experience in materials.”

"That's not enough. I need to collaborate with universities in China. Beihang University, Northwestern Polytechnical University, and Harbin Institute of Technology all have people working on materials science. But their research focuses on theory, while I need research that is more application-oriented."

Ye Yuze glanced at Ye Yuping. Ye Yuping nodded.

“I’ll handle this,” Ye Yuping said. “I have some connections in universities across China.”

Ye Hai nodded, then turned to look out the window.

Yang Geyong, holding his milk tea bowl, watched Ye Hai's retreating figure and whispered to Ye Yuze:
"This kid, just like his dad, doesn't talk much, but every word he says hits the nail on the head. Count me in, I can't let my money go to waste."

Ye Yuze laughed. "Better than his dad. His dad was still working as a boiler operator in the lab at his age."

Ye Yuping heard it, but didn't refute it. Because it was the truth.

New York, Manhattan, the same morning.

Ye Feng stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in his office, looking at the mouth of the Hudson River.

Snowflakes were falling outside the window, fine and dense, like someone had sprinkled salt into the air. He held a cup of coffee in his hand, which had already gone cold.

Susie Walton sat on the sofa with a pile of documents spread out in front of her.

She wore a dark gray suit dress today, her hair was up, and she wore a pair of small diamond stud earrings. Her expression was serious, and her brows were furrowed.

"The EU's anti-subsidy investigation has been officially launched."

Susie flipped through the documents. "The investigation period is twelve months. If the Warrior Group is found to have provided illegal subsidies, a countervailing duty of up to 30% may be levied."

Ye Feng turned around and walked back to his desk to sit down. "Thirty percent, plus customs duties, means that Warrior's new energy vehicles won't be competitive in Europe."

"So we can't let them make that decision."

Susie closed the document and looked at him. "Uncle Si has put his hand on the Senate. He joined forces with more than a dozen senators to write a joint letter to the EU Trade Commissioner, demanding that the investigation be open and transparent and that there be no discriminatory clauses."

Ye Feng picked up his coffee and took a sip. "Would a joint letter be useful?"

“It’s useful. The EU doesn’t want to offend the US Senate at this critical juncture. They need US support within NATO.”

Ye Feng put down his coffee cup and leaned back in his chair. "Susie, do you think the Warrior Group can pull through?"

Susie stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him.

"Yes. Because the warrior group is not fighting alone."

She turned around and said, "You have your fourth uncle in the Senate, I have me in the House of Representatives, the Brothers Group's investment network in Europe, and the chip technology from Junken Electromechanical. It's a network. It won't be so easy for Western politicians to tear this network apart."

Ye Feng remained silent for a while.

"Susie, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Thank you for always being there.

Susie looked at him, her eyes holding something indescribable.

"Ye Feng, do you know? Sometimes I wonder what I would be like without you."

"What kind?"

"I'm probably just an ordinary congressman, in an ordinary district, doing ordinary things. Nobody knows my name, nobody cares what I say."

Ye Feng stood up and walked to her side.

"But you are not now."

“Yes. I am not now.” Susie looked at him. “Because of you, I became Susie Walton. Not because of your money, but because you showed me a bigger world.”

Ye Feng didn't speak. He reached out and gently touched the back of her hand.

Susie neither pulled her hand away nor reciprocated. She simply stood there, letting Ye Feng's hand rest on the back of hers. The snow outside was falling heavier and heavier, but it was warm inside the office.

“I’ll handle the hearing.” Susie withdrew her hand. “You take care of the Warriors Group.”

"it is good."

Susie picked up her bag, walked to the door, and turned back.

"Ye Feng, has your third uncle gone back?"

"gone back."

"Helena went back too?"

"gone back."

Susie paused for a moment. “That woman is a ruthless character. It’s no small feat to carve out a bloody path in a place like Europe. Please pass on a message to her—Susie Wharton admires her.”

Ye Feng paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay. I'll take it."

Susie left. The office fell silent.

Ye Feng sat back down in his chair, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a number.

“Uncle Scar. It’s me.”

“Young Master Ye.” The voice on the other end of the phone had a heavy Northeastern accent.

"How is Liu Zixuan doing in London?"

"I've behaved myself. I go to class every day and go straight back to the dorm after class. I don't go out fooling around, and I don't contact people I shouldn't contact."

"Keep an eye on him. Don't let your guard down."

"clear."

"There's one more thing. Any news from Wang Jianguo's side?"

"No. He's in Hong Kong, playing golf every day. Wang Jianye won't let him go out."

Ye Feng paused for a moment.

"Uncle Scar, how many years have you been with me?"

"Twenty years."

"Twenty years, you've worked hard."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Young Master Ye, why are you saying all this? You saved my life. It's only right that I work for you for the rest of my life."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Feng leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

The snow is still falling outside the window. New York winters are very cold.

But he wasn't afraid of the cold. Because he was Ye Feng.

Junken City, on the same evening.

The light was still on in Ye Yuze's study. Ye Yuping was sitting on the sofa; Helena had already gone back to her room to rest, and Ye Hai had also gone to sleep.

Yang Geyong was still sitting opposite him, holding a bowl of milk tea, but the milk tea had gone cold and he hadn't drunk it.

"Old Ye," Yang Geyong put down his bowl, "do you think Helena can pull this off with the large aircraft engine?"

Ye Yuze thought for a moment.

"Yes. Because she has Ye Hai."

"Ye Hai? That kid is only thirty years old."

"Thirty years old is enough. When Ye Feng was thirty, he had already taken over the Warrior Group. Ye Hai was thirty and working on engines, it's not too late."

Yang Geyong nodded.

"Old Ye, tell me, was our life worth it?"

Ye Yuze looked at him and smiled.

Why are you suddenly asking this?

"I just suddenly felt like asking."

Ye Yuze leaned back in his chair, looking at the stars outside the window.

“It was worth it,” he said. “We came out of the Gobi Desert and carved out our own path. Our sons and grandsons are better off than us. The trees we planted have borne fruit. The roads we built are being used by people. Don’t you think it was worth it?”

Yang Geyong picked up the bowl of cold milk tea and took a sip. It was cold, but the flavor was still there.

“It’s worth it,” he said.

The two elderly people sat in the study, neither of them speaking.

The stars outside the window were shining, dazzlingly bright.

Tomorrow will be another new day.

(To be continued) (End of this chapter)