1968: Started from breeding

After declining countless invitations to eat along the way.

Su Wenchen finally returned to the family compound.

Pushing open the door, the unique warm aroma of the food mixed with the dry heat of the charcoal brazier wafted over, instantly melting away the chill of the wind and snow that had enveloped Su Wenchen.

That familiar taste, the mark of home, easily soothed the tension and fatigue of a month of traveling.

"Dad! Mom! Ali! I'm back!"

Su's father was sitting on a small stool, looking after the child. On a nearby table, a radio was playing opera tunes.

Su's mother and Jiang Li, wearing aprons, peeked out from the kitchen upon hearing the noise.

"Xiao Li, I just heard Lao Yao's voice. Is Lao Yao back?"

Su's father said directly.

"I didn't hear anything from this side of the door, how did you hear it from your side? You must have good hearing!"

However, Su's mother said to Su's father.

"You old geezer, you're like you're hard of hearing all the time. I have to turn the radio up this loud to hear you. What can you possibly hear?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted, revealing Su Wenchen's travel-worn figure.

Mother Su was immediately delighted.

"Hey, it really is you back, youngest brother!"

"I knew I hadn't misheard!"

“My ears are perfectly fine! You think they’re like your broken ears, where someone could yell at you from three meters away and you wouldn’t even know it?”

Then he called out to the inner room.

"Little Pear, Ah Chen is back!"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen also spoke directly.

"Mom and Dad, Ali, I'm back."

Su's mother took Su Wenchen's things with a disgruntled expression.

"So what if you're back? It's not like nobody cares!"

Su Wenchen looked at the concern on his mother's face, but he still refused to budge.

Hearing the sound, Jiang Li quickly came out of the kitchen. Ignoring the chill still clinging to his shoulders, she naturally took the old rattan trunk from his hands.

"Why don't you have some water and rest for a while?"

"Mom and I will have the food ready in a bit."

Su's mother spoke directly to Su's father, who was in the distance.

“Come and tend the fire, let the youngest son get closer to his wife and children.”

"You old man, you have no sense at all."

Su's father rolled his eyes.

"I haven't even said a word yet! And you've been going on and on like a machine gun!"

Seeing this, Su Wenchen spoke directly.

"Mom, let me have a drink of water first, then I'll start the fire!"

Su's father said in a very irritable tone.

"Pull him down!"

"If you keep the fire going, we probably won't even have dinner tonight!"

As she spoke, she handed her eldest grandson, whom she was holding, to Su Wenchen.

"You just need to keep an eye on your son!"

"You know what, taking care of a kid isn't an easy job. This brat has the same vibe as his father when he was young, he's got plenty of energy every day."

"I think he'll definitely be a good candidate for the army."

Su's mother simply snorted coldly.

"You old fool, stop calling him a promising soldier all the time."

"Even the youngest is a leader now. What can't he do in the future that's better than being a common soldier!"

Upon hearing his mother's words, Su Wenchen replied with a smile.

"Qi Jin is still young! We'll see what he does in the future. If he wants to join the army, we'll definitely support him!"

After speaking, Su Wenchen's gaze lingered greedily on the faces of his wife and children.

He immediately bent down and reached out his hands to his son, "Seven pounds! Come here, let Daddy give you a hug!"

Upon seeing this, Su's father immediately handed his eldest grandson to Su Wenchen, and then said to Su's mother.

"See, I told you there's a reason why the youngest couple is so successful."

"It's different when you see it. Unlike the eldest and second eldest sons, sending their children to the army is like sending them to the underworld."

"If you don't even have this much backbone, how can you expect to amount to anything in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Su's mother gave Su's father a disgruntled tug.

"Hmph, you think you have any backbone? All you ever think about is your meager legacy."

"What's so great about being a soldier? What will you do if something goes wrong?"

"Alright, come with me to the stove and start a fire!"

As she spoke, she pulled Su's father into the kitchen, leaving the three of them alone.

As the little one nestled in his arms, the milky scent and warmth softened Su Wenchen's heart, and the fatigue of the day's journey seemed to vanish instantly.

Qi Jin curiously patted his father's face with his little hands, and then pulled Su Wenchen's hand from time to time, starting to put it in his mouth.

Seeing this, Su Wenchen smiled and said to Jiang Li.

"What's wrong? Are you hungry?"

After Jiang Li helped Su Wenchen put his luggage away, she smiled and said directly.

"She's starting to teeth and wants to put everything in her mouth. Sometimes she even starts biting me while I'm breastfeeding!"

As she spoke, she poured some hot water from the thermos into the basin for Su Wenchen, and then took the child from him.

"Why don't you drink some water and wash up first?"

"I thought you weren't coming back for the New Year!"

As his cold hands were immersed in the warm water, Su Wenchen let out a soft sigh of comfort.

After washing my face, the warmth from the hot water spread from my fingertips, dispelling the last bit of chill, and the fatigue seemed to be washed away along with the dirt.

After wiping his face, Su Wenchen said directly.

"If the delegation hadn't also asked me to host, they might not have let me come back this year."

He said apologetically.

"But for the next few days, I can only spend time with you two at night!" After saying that, he kissed his son's smooth little face hard, which earned him an even louder "giggle" and a response of his son slapping his cheeks randomly with his little hands, and even smearing his face with saliva.

Jiang Li stood to the side, her eyes crinkling with a gentle smile, watching Su Wenchen's silly, blissful expression despite his son's spit covering his face.

Not in a good mood.

"Nighttime is enough, just like no one needs you during the day."

Su Wenchen feigned sadness and said.

"Ugh, this is so disheartening. So they only need me at night!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li slapped Su Wenchen in an annoyed tone.

"What are you saying? Keep your voice down, Mom and Dad heard you."

Su Wenchen waved his hand.

"It's okay, we're too far away! They can't hear us."

"Oh, right, your dad also brought you something!"

"Let's go inside, I'll get it for you."

After cuddling for a while, the two went to the kitchen to help prepare dinner.

Soon, under the dim light, steam rose from the table, the aroma of food, the warmth of the charcoal fire, and the laughter of family members mingled together, filling the small room to the brim with the ordinary yet incredibly precious atmosphere of home cooking.

This was also Su Wenchen's deepest thought when he was busy working outside.

A pure and profound sense of happiness and satisfaction welled up in my heart.

Those unfinished business plans, those projects waiting to be implemented, those heavy responsibilities and sense of urgency, all temporarily recede at this moment, leaving only a brief period of peace.

However, the time passed in the blink of an eye.

First grade of junior high school.

What should have been a bustling time for visiting relatives and friends has already begun to bustle the streets near the Special Economic Zone Revolutionary Committee building.

Most cadres only had a quick meal of dumplings at home before braving the cold wind to return to their posts.

The urgent notice had already been delivered to the four counties under the jurisdiction of the special zone overnight.

The "Joint Command for Presidential Visit and Major Project Construction," led by Su Wenchen and assisted by Chen Guodong, with core members including Zhao Guohua, Li Kun, Wang Rongshan, Shi Yingduan, and Guo Xiangyang from the farm, quickly got into operation.

The entire special economic zone is like a tightly wound precision machine, operating at high speed under the strong festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year.

On one hand, there was a flurry of activity in site surveying and selection.

Zhao Guohua personally oversaw the operation, coordinating personnel, measuring earthwork, and calculating water and electricity connection points. The outline of the large fertilizer plant and the future industrial zone gradually became clear under their feet.

Peixian feed mill has also begun to clean up and upgrade, reserving space for modern equipment and making preparations in advance.

Meanwhile, the final environmental cleanup efforts have also been mobilized in full swing.

Sanitation workers, mobilized cadres, and militia members became the main force.

A thorough cleanup and sweeping operation has begun on both sides of the main road leading from the Special Economic Zone to the airport.

The snow and debris were cleared away, and the newly planted roadside trees were tied with frost-proof straw ropes.

Along the way, people were organized to help clean and tidy up the houses in the villages, so as to present a clean appearance as much as possible.

After all, this is the first time they have showcased their rural life on the international stage.

The core members of the Special Administrative Region's security department will also be joined by professional security personnel seconded from higher authorities.

They began to conduct repeated on-site inspections of each of the planned sites for the visiting group.

From the saline-alkali land management demonstration area to the large-scale rabbit breeding site for saline-alkali land management, and even the Golden Feather Chicken Pear Garden in Dangshan, Su Wenchen had all the mushroom greenhouses in Fengxian County re-inspected.

Route optimization, pre-established security posts, and background checks on personnel were all carried out under strict confidentiality.

The Special Administrative Region's Publicity Office also worked with officials from various counties and townships.

From verbal communication to field presentations by farm team leaders, the emphasis has been repeatedly stressed through various channels.

Just enjoy the New Year in peace; there's no need to deliberately watch or be overly vigilant.

All we need to do is showcase the spirit of those in the special economic zone who change their destiny through hard work and perseverance.

Time flew by in the midst of their busy schedules, and after half a month of preparations...

The date is February 25, 1972.

In the late winter and early spring, the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain still carried a chilly feeling, but an unprecedented surge of enthusiasm was flowing through the special economic zone.

Just after 10 a.m., the newly built temporary airport in the Special Administrative Region was already under heavy security.

After nearly half a month of intensive, round-the-clock preparations, the various contingency plans under the joint command have been repeatedly rehearsed and confirmed.

The main road leading to the airport was swept spotless, and the newly planted saplings on both sides, tied with straw ropes to prevent frost damage, stood tall and proud.

Su Wenchen, dressed in a neatly pressed gray Zhongshan suit, stood at the forefront of the special economic zone management committee cadres and the heads of the four counties.

The crowd looked solemn and reserved, their gazes fixed on the clear but slightly chilly sky at the end of the track.

Finally, a low but clear announcement broke the silence.

"Target spotted, altitude decreasing, expected to land in ten minutes."

The command center's instructions came through the walkie-talkie, and Lei Bailiang nodded slightly to Su Wenchen and his superiors.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the gradually enlarging silver-gray figure.

A Boeing 707 adorned with the American flag, like a giant bird of the times, slowly descended and smoothly glided onto this once barren saline-alkali land.

The deafening roar of the engine grew louder as it approached, eventually coming to a steady stop.

The hatch opened and the gangway was lowered.

The first to arrive were the joint security personnel from both sides, who scanned their surroundings warily.

Following them were hundreds of reporters with cameras and curious expressions as they descended the gangway.

Looking at the crowd lined up to welcome me, I saw that although they were simply dressed, they were in good spirits.

Just a few days ago, they had visited the capital of this ancient country.

Now they also want to see what the rest of the country, especially the countryside in another dimension, is like.

On the way off the plane, everyone was talking about it, and almost everyone's eyes were filled with curiosity and inquiry.

After the entire press corps came down, cameras and video cameras were set up.

Immediately afterwards, a tall foreign dignitary, dressed in a well-fitting dark suit, appeared at the cabin door. His distinctively resolute face was that of the first US president to visit China in history.

He stood still for a moment, his gaze sweeping across this land, which was both unfamiliar to him and full of significance for exploration.

However, the next moment, another figure appeared next to him, and everyone's attention was instantly focused on the figure beside him.

"Mr. President, welcome to our Huang-Huai-Hai Special Zone!"

A brief but solemn welcoming ceremony was then held next to the airport tarmac.

"A new chapter of transforming nature and overcoming poverty is being written on this land."

"We hope that this visit will allow the American people to see a real, developing, and striving-to-change-destiny Chinese village." (End of Chapter)