Great Power Reclamation

Spring comes late to Junken City. It's March, and while peach blossoms are in full bloom in the inland areas, the foot of the Tianshan Mountains here is still a gray-yellow landscape.

But the sunlight is different. Winter sunlight is white and feels cold on the skin. Spring sunlight is golden, and when it falls on your shoulders, it feels heavy and warm, like a cotton-padded coat.

Ye Yuze stood by the study window, looking at the apricot tree in the yard. The branches were bare, but he could see the buds, plump and swollen like millet grains, which could only be seen when he got close.

In ten days, or at most two weeks, the flowers will bloom. It's the same every year. No matter how cold the winter or how strong the wind, they bloom when the time comes. Not a day early, not a day late.

He kept a mental ledger, recording the flowering seasons of each year. These numbers were useless, but he couldn't help but record them. Recording them gave him hope for the future.

Yang Geyong pushed open the door and came in, carrying a bowl of steaming milk tea.

He wore a new cotton-padded coat today, dark blue, made for him by Zhao Ling'er. He wasn't used to it, his neck tucked into the collar, like an old turtle.

"Old Ye, guess who called me?"

Ye Yuze turned around. "Who?"

"Yang Wei. He said the road to Guozigou is open."

Ye Yuze was taken aback. "So fast?"

"Quickly?" Yang Geyong put the milk tea on the table and plopped down on the sofa.

“He’s been working in Guozigou for three months and he’s lost a lot of weight. If you don’t get him to finish the road soon, he’ll be sleeping on the construction site.”

Ye Yuze walked back and sat down opposite him. "Now that the road is open, the sheep can be transported out. The herders in Guozigou will see a significant increase in income this year."

Yang Geyong picked up his milk tea and took a sip, making a slurping sound.

Yang Wei said that the pastures in Guozigou are larger than those in Qingshuihe, with more herders and more sheep. But without roads, everything is in vain.

"Now that the roads are open, the next step is to build a cold chain logistics system. Once the sheep are slaughtered, they can be transported directly to Guangzhou without going through the wholesale market, allowing herders to earn 30% more money."

Ye Yuze looked at him. "Your son is better than you."

Yang Geyong put down his bowl. "So what if they're strong? I'm not jealous."

Ye Yuze smiled. He leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice.

"Old Yang, how big do you think Yang Wei's platform can become?"

Yang Geyong thought for a moment. "I don't know. But I know he can't stop. If he stops, those herders will lose a road. He won't stop."

Ye Yuze nodded.

Outside the window, the apricot tree swayed gently in the wind. The wind was still cold, but it wasn't prickly anymore.

London, East End docks.

Yang Chenglong sat in the office of "Foundation and Wings" with a pile of documents spread out in front of him.

His eyes were fixed on the numbers, but his mind was elsewhere—

The road in Guozigou is now open. His father, Yang Wei, slept on the construction site for three months, lost fifteen pounds, and finally repaired the road that had been in disrepair for over a decade.

He picked up his phone and sent Yang Wei a message: "Dad, is the road open?"

The reply came quickly: "It's connected."

How much weight have you lost?

"You haven't lost weight. You've actually gained weight."

Yang Chenglong felt a lump in his throat as he looked at the words. His father, like him, was the kind of person who would say "it's nothing."

He said he hadn't lost weight if he was thin, said he wasn't in pain if he was in pain, and said he wasn't tired if he was tired. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk about it, it was that he was embarrassed to. He typed:

"Dad, after I graduate, I'll come back and help you build roads."

There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then a voice message came through. He listened to it; Yang Wei's voice was a little hoarse, but very steady.

"Son, you don't need to help me build roads. You be your Pegasus, and I'll build my road. We'll each do our own thing. If you get tired, come back. Dad's here."

Yang Chenglong listened to it three times. He pressed the phone against his chest and closed his eyes.

Ye Guigen came downstairs carrying two cups of coffee. He placed one in front of Yang Chenglong. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing much."

"You're lying. Your eyes are red."

Yang Chenglong rubbed his eyes. "It was from the wind."

Ye Guigen glanced at the closed window but didn't speak. He sat down opposite him, picked up his coffee, and took a sip. "Grandpa called. He said the apricot blossoms are about to bloom."

Yang Chenglong looked at him. "You're going back?"

“Let me go back, and let you go back too. He said, you’ve been wandering outside for a year, it’s time to come home.”

Yang Chenglong was silent for a moment. "I'm going back.

"Where's Wanwan?"

"She can't leave. It's peak season at Tianma, and there are a lot of orders. I'll go back alone."

Ye Guigen nodded. The two sat in the office, drinking coffee, neither of them speaking.

The Thames outside the window was grey and flowing slowly. But sunlight peeked through the clouds, illuminating the river's surface and scattering it into a golden glow.

Military reclamation city, research institute. The third test run of the engine is scheduled for April. Helena sits in the control room, the screen in front of her displaying a dense array of data.

Her blonde hair had turned gray and was tied in a ponytail. Her face was lined with deep wrinkles, but her blue eyes were still bright.

Ye Hai stood on the test bench, wearing a safety helmet and goggles, conducting final checks.

"Fuel system normal." His voice came through the walkie-talkie. "Lubrication system normal. Ignition system normal. Test drive is possible."

Helena pressed the start button. The engine emitted a deep roar, like a wild beast awakening.

The sound grew louder and louder, rattling the windows of the control room. The numbers on the screen flickered.

The temperature is rising, the pressure is rising, the rotation speed is rising. Everything is within the design range.

Helena gripped the edge of the table tightly, her knuckles turning white. She remembered that laboratory in Hamburg more than twenty years ago.

She was the same then, gripping the edge of the table, staring at the screen, listening to the roar of the engine. Back then, her hair was blonde, her knees were fine, and her eyes were full of light.

“Thirty percent thrust,” Ivan reported.

"Fifty percent."

"Seventy percent."

"Ninety percent."

"hundred percent."

The engine roared to its peak, and the entire research facility trembled. One minute, two minutes, three minutes. The data stabilized. No anomalies. Helena loosened her grip on the table and took a deep breath.

"Ivan, maintain 100% thrust and try for another ten minutes."

"clear."

Ten minutes have passed. The data remains stable.

"Shut down," Helena said.

Ivan pressed the stop button. The roar of the engine gradually subsided and finally disappeared. The control room was so quiet you could hear everyone's heartbeat.

Ye Hai's voice came through the walkie-talkie, tinged with a smile. "Mom, it's done."

Helena closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She opened her eyes and looked at Ye Yuping sitting in the corner. "Yuping, it's done."

Ye Yuping stood up and walked to her side. He didn't say anything, but simply placed his hand on her shoulder and gently massaged it.

Helena reached out and took his hand. The two stood there, holding each other's hands, neither of them speaking.

For over twenty years, from Hamburg to the military reclamation city, from youth to old age, they have been doing one thing—

Let China's aircraft be equipped with its own engines. Now, we are one step closer to that day.

Ye Hai jumped off the test bench and walked into the control room. His face was covered in sweat, but his eyes were bright.

"Mom, the data from the third test drive was even better than the second. The combustion efficiency improved by two percent."

Helena looked at him and smiled. "You're just like your father, all you know is data."

Ye Hai was taken aback. "Is the data incorrect?"

"Yes. But what your mother wants to hear is not the data."

"what is that?"

Helena stood up, reached out, and touched her son's face. "You were the one who said, 'Mom, you've worked hard.'"

Ye Hai's eyes reddened. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no words came out.

Ye Yuping stood to the side, watching the mother and son, a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

In the sanatorium, Ye Wancheng sat in a wheelchair, looking at the sky outside the window. The sky was blue, the clouds were white, and sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the gray blanket on his lap.

Plum Blossom stood behind him, holding a comb in her hand, and was combing his hair.

"Wancheng, Yuping called. He said the engine's third test run was successful."

Ye Wancheng's eyes lit up. "How's the data?"

"It's even better than the second time. The combustion efficiency has improved by two percent."

Ye Wancheng nodded. "This kid is just like his father. All he knows is data."

Mei Hua laughed. "Just like you. You only know data."

Ye Wancheng was taken aback. "When did I only know the data?"

"When you were planting trees, you measured their height and how many centimeters they grew every day. Wasn't that data?"

Ye Wancheng thought for a moment, then smiled. "That's data. But that tree is still there, and it's grown into a big tree. The data didn't lie to me."

Meihua walked around to him, squatted down, and looked into his eyes. "Wancheng, do you think Yuping's engine can be installed on an airplane?"

"can."

Are you so sure?

"Because he's a member of the Ye family. For members of the Ye family, words spoken are like water spilled – they can't be taken back."

Plum Blossom took his hand.

"Wancheng, keep an eye on him. He will do it."

Ye Wancheng nodded.

London, Heathrow Airport. Yang Chenglong, dragging his suitcase, stood in front of the security checkpoint. Ye Guigen stood beside him, hands in his pockets.

"Let me know when you arrive," Ye Guigen said.

"Row."

"Don't argue with your grandfather."

Why should I argue with him?

"He wants you to get engaged, but you don't want to. You're bound to argue."

Yang Chenglong scratched his head. "I won't argue with him. I'll reason with him."

Ye Guigen laughed. "You want to reason with me? With your temper, trying to reason with you will just turn into an argument."

Yang Chenglong glared at him. "Shut up."

Ye Guigen smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go. The plane won't wait."

Yang Chenglong dragged his suitcase and walked into the security checkpoint. He turned around and glanced at Ye Guigen.

Ye Guigen stood still and waved to him. Yang Chenglong also waved, turned around, and disappeared into the crowd.

Ye Guigen stood alone outside the security checkpoint for a long time. Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Ye Yuze:
"Grandpa, Jackie Chan has boarded the plane. He'll arrive tomorrow."

The reply came quickly: "Okay. I'll go pick him up."

Ye Guigen looked at the words and smiled. He put his phone away, turned, and walked out of the airport. Outside, the London sky was overcast, but his heart was bright.

Junken City, Ye Family Villa. Ye Yuze stood under the apricot tree, looking at the bare branches.

The sunlight shone on the branches, making the buds plump and round like millet grains. In a few more days, the flowers will bloom.

Yang Geyong walked over and stood beside him. "Old Ye, do you think Jackie Chan will argue with you when he comes back?"

Ye Yuze laughed. "Let them argue. I've argued with his grandfather my whole life, and we've never broken up."

Yang Geyong glared at him. "When did I argue with you?"

"You argue with me all the time."

Yang Geyong opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but didn't say anything. He stood there for a while, then suddenly laughed. "Fine. Let them argue. They won't break up anyway."

The two people stood under the apricot tree, the sunlight shining on them and casting long shadows.

The wind has stopped. Spring has truly arrived.

(To be continued) (End of this chapter)