Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 2755 We Can Do More (Second Update, Please Subscribe)
A person's fate can always change unexpectedly.

The next morning, Wang Fuguo rode his bicycle to work.

As soon as he arrived at his workplace, he used his father's name to persuade his superiors, saying that "his father wants him to visit his old comrades and former leaders in Guangzhou, bring them some local specialties, and pay his respects for the New Year." With that said, how could his superiors refuse? Thus, he smoothly issued a letter of introduction stamped with the official seal.

With the letter of introduction from his employer, he had the necessary permits, which put Wang Fuguo at ease. All that was left was to raise the money.

The money was easy to raise, but the hardest part was getting the local specialties. It took four days of work to get everything ready. By the time we finished here, it was time to set off.

When I arrived at the train station, the square in front of the station was crowded with people, and passengers carrying large and small bags were squeezing in and out, while the loudspeakers repeatedly broadcasted train ticket information.

Chen Jianjun, dressed in a railway uniform, was already waiting at the entrance. Seeing Wang Fuguo carrying two bulging canvas bags and a military green satchel slung over his shoulder, he couldn't resist stepping forward, taking the bags from him, and asking with a smile:

"Fuguo, why are you carrying so much stuff? We're going to buy goods, not move house."

Wang Fuguo took a breath and chuckled in a low voice:

“We’re going to Guangzhou, right? We’re unfamiliar with the place. My father went south back then, and many of his comrades stayed there. I’ll go and pay my respects for the New Year so we can look after each other in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Jianjun immediately gave a thumbs up, his face full of admiration:
"My brother, when it comes to getting things done, you're the best. You've thought of everything so thoroughly!"

As he spoke, he pulled a cardboard ticket from his pocket and handed one to Wang Fuguo:
"Here's your ticket, hard seat. It'll be crowded, so please bear with it."

Fearing that Wang Fuguo would be unhappy, he quickly leaned closer and said:
"Don't worry, just come to the dining car tonight and I'll move a bed for you in the sleeper car. It's better than a hard seat."

Wang Fuguo nodded. He understood whether or not there was a sleeper berth. Sleeper berth tickets weren't something you could just buy with money; even with a letter of introduction from your work unit, you might not get one.

You need to take a letter of introduction to the planning office at the train station to apply. The staff in the planning office will decide whether to grant you a "planned ticket" based on the policies at the time and the closeness of your relationship.

So, in short, this matter is extremely troublesome. Although his workplace could coordinate a solution, Wang Fuguo didn't want his trip to Guangzhou to become common knowledge.

So, I never even considered a sleeper berth.

“I always said that as long as Jianjun is there, things can be done. It costs less money and gets things done.”

After a few simple compliments, Wang Fuguo followed Chen Jianjun smoothly through the ticket gate and boarded the southbound train.

With the Spring Festival approaching, the train carriages were packed with passengers visiting relatives, making them extremely crowded. The smells of sweat, cigarette smoke, and various other odors mingled together, and the passengers were noisy and boisterous. Wang Fuguo found a seat and sat down. As for the three thousand yuan, he had already given it to Chen Jianjun earlier. The train was too crowded, and it was safer to leave the money in the crew compartment.

As evening approached, most of the passengers grew drowsy, and the dining car gradually emptied. Wang Fuguo went over as agreed, and as soon as he entered, Chen Jianjun, who had been waiting for him, waved at him with a smug look on his face.

"You're in luck, kid. We've got you a sleeper berth today."

"Soft sleeper?"

Wang Fuguo froze, his steps halting, and worry immediately appeared on his face:

"That won't do, that won't do. Only officers at the regimental level or above can sit in the soft sleeper carriages. I'm just an ordinary employee. If I get checked, wouldn't that cause you trouble?"

Although he came from a privileged background, Wang Fuguo could still distinguish between the senior and junior Wangs, and knew clearly what he could and could not do.

Soft sleeper berths sound nice, but you might run into trouble if you're not careful.

Chen Jianjun waved his hand dismissively and pulled him toward the sleeper car:
"What are you afraid of? We're heading south, and the sleeper berths are never full. I switched shifts with my colleague today, and I'll be in charge of watching the sleeper berths tonight. Even if someone gets on the train, I can arrange another bed for them. Don't worry, it's the Lunar New Year, there aren't that many high-ranking officials traveling. The sleeper berths are usually more than half empty on both the round trip."

As he reached the door of the sleeper car, he stopped again and gave a special instruction, lowering his voice slightly:
"But you also need to be careful. There are a few foreign guests on the bus. They seem to be people of high status, and they are accompanied by a special person. You can tell at a glance that the person is a policeman. When you go in, don't speak loudly and don't disturb them."

"With police officers accompanying them, the foreign guest must be a very important person."

"So just stay here comfortably. Even if someone gets on the train, I can just say there are foreign guests on the train and it's just a matter of changing their berth."

"This is also the most important thing when receiving foreign guests."

Wang Fuguo nodded quickly, feeling a bit curious. This was the first time in his life he had ever been in a sleeper car, let alone traveled on the same train as foreign guests.

Following Chen Jianjun into the quiet and tidy sleeper compartment, Wang Fuguo's face broke into a smile as he looked at the soft berths and clean table, muttering to himself:
"Our buddy's sleeping in a soft sleeper now, we have to brag about this properly..."

As he said this, Chen Jianjun glanced outside as if afraid of disturbing the foreign guests, and whispered:

"The soundproof glass won't let the sound through. Okay, you can go to sleep now."

After Chen Jianjun left, Wang Fu, lying on his bed, first thought about how to visit his elders in Guangzhou, then about buying and selling goods. As he pondered these thoughts, he vaguely heard footsteps outside the door. He thought to himself:

"They must be foreign guests. What are they doing in this carriage? They're accompanied by police officers. Could it be some prince?"

……

In reality, there were no princes; they were just a few ordinary people.

It wasn't exactly ordinary, after all, Song Fan and his group were, to some extent, representing the government, which is why the foreign affairs department sent someone to accompany them.

As night fell, the land of Hunan Province outside the train window was shrouded in twilight. Song Fan, who couldn't fall asleep, finally got out of the carriage and sat on a chair by the side of the carriage, where he started smoking a cigarette.

Over the past few months, Song Fan and his colleagues, with the cooperation of the local government, have located many people; however, the whereabouts of some people's relatives are still unknown.

Now, with the Spring Festival approaching, their visit is coming to an end. Because they couldn't buy plane tickets, they have to take the train to Guangzhou, then to Hong Kong Island, and finally back to Chang'an.

At this point, the journey was halfway over, but what was on Song Fan's mind?
It wasn't the families of the fallen soldiers they visited this time, nor was it the families of the fallen soldiers whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Instead, it was the photos in the archives, the photos of the fallen soldiers, many of whom were extremely young, the vast majority only around twenty years old.

They are in their prime, they are full of vigor, ... they will never grow old.

Yes, their lives ended at that moment. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh deeply and take another deep drag on his cigarette. At that moment, images of the families of those orphans flashed through his mind.

Although they themselves will not grow old, their family members, their parents, brothers and sisters will grow old.

After all, several decades have passed.

When the visitors find them, these elderly people always burst into loud sobs.

They held the death notice tightly in their hands.

Their cries were filled with unspeakable longing.

After all, this is a longing for family.

For decades, they have been longing for their family.

They had all sorts of fantasies, but now this death notice has shattered them all.

In a way, this is a relief for them.

After all, after decades of waiting, the news has finally arrived.

After all, sometimes, that's exactly what people are waiting for.

Watching the expressions on the faces of those white-haired old people as they received their death notices, and seeing tears streaming down their wrinkled faces.

Looking at the dilapidated houses behind them, Song Fan's search team had found the families of dozens of fallen soldiers in the past few days.

However, their lives were mostly unsatisfactory.

Many are alone—and many more fallen soldiers left no children.

Their parents have grown old, and after their parents grow old, who will remember them?

Once again, the image of the family of the fallen soldier he had found before leaving came to mind.

I thought of the old man standing in front of the mud-brick house, holding his son's death notice and crying there. He was another lonely old man.

All he owned were these two mud-brick houses.

His wife died, and his daughter died too.

He was all alone—with neither son nor grandson.

The son, whom they had waited for for decades, was now just a death notice.

What a devastating blow this must be for an elderly person like this!

Perhaps the authorities could provide him with sufficient compensation, and could take him to a nursing home so that he can live a comfortable and peaceful life in his later years.

But then what?

For an elderly person like this, what they need is more than just compensation. Or rather, compensation is meaningless to them.

What does he need?
Looking at the old man in front of him, Song Fan knew the answer in his heart.

He knew very well that what the old man in front of him needed was family.

However, he was all alone and had no relatives.

Thinking of this, Song Fan couldn't help but sigh.

Over the past few days, he has encountered many such people, but what can he do?

Thinking of this, his brows furrowed. Then he just kept smoking, taking one puff after another.

Just then, someone walked over.

It was Xu Shengli from Jiaozhou. Because he was good at finding people, the accompanying personnel from Kunming negotiated with the local authorities to ask him to assist them in their work. Now, Xu Shengli has been arranged to escort them to Guangzhou.

Xu Shengli sat down opposite him and asked:
"Mr. Song, is something on your mind?"

"I was thinking about those survivors."

Song Fan's answer surprised Xu Shengli. After these few months of contact, Song Fan, Zhao Hai and other people from SEA completely overturned his understanding. It was not because they were very serious about their work, but because of their attitude towards martyrs and their families.

Although they were complete strangers, Xu Shengli could sense that their respect for the martyrs came from the bottom of their hearts, and it wasn't just empty talk. This was evident in their treatment of the martyrs' families, whom they called "bereaved families," and in their exceptionally responsible and earnest attitude towards them.

Over the past few days, seeing them express gratitude and apologies time and again—all of this touched people's hearts, and he had witnessed it all. Xu Shengli thought for a moment and said:

“They…haven’t they all been settled? I mean, they’ve all been given so much money.”

These foreigners are really generous with their money. They've given so much money, and they even let their parents, wives, and children settle abroad. What's wrong with that?

"money……"

Song Fan shook his head and said:
"Can money heal their wounds? Besides, some people need more than just money..."

(End of this chapter)