Back to the Imperial Capital, Meeting Fourth Uncle

Since he needed to hire workers anyway, it made little difference who he hired. This would help his father too, so Lin Chao Ci volunteered the idea.

His father listened, then asked in disbelief, "You're saying you have over a dozen factories now? And you can hire more than five thousand workers?"

His father had always thought Lin Chao Ci was just playing around by starting a company, and that once the novelty wore off after a couple of days, it would fold on its own.

But reality had turned out rather differently from what he had expected.

Not only had Lin Chao Ci's company survived, it was doing incredibly well. With over a dozen factories under its name, its size and scale would probably put it among the notable businesses in the province.

"That's not all. If my company were valued now, it would be worth at least a hundred million!"

Seeing his father's stunned expression, Lin Chao Ci could barely hold back his laughter and casually showed off a little more.

His father fell silent and smoked a cigarette, a whirlwind of emotions stirring inside him. He had heard of plenty of his old army buddies' sons going into business.

Very few had made money. They had either lost everything, been swindled out of their money, or earned very little.

Yet his own son's company had reached a valuation of a hundred million just one month after its founding.

He was making money faster than a money-printing factory, and far more than he could get from robbery!

Those ruthless robbers in Hong Kong risked their lives with every job, and even then, they only made a few million each time.

His son, meanwhile, had earned in a month an amount that 99.9 percent of people would never earn in their entire lives.

His father was impressed, but also felt it was something of a pity. He still believed his son would do better in politics.

With his son's talent, he would surely become a major regional official if he pursued a political career.

Unfortunately, his son had little interest in politics.

"Good. That's my son—you inherited my talent! But remember, ours is a respectable family. We can't get involved in anything shady, organized crime, or anything against the law..."

His father was immensely proud of him, but as a father, he still felt obliged to offer a few words of advice.

He wanted to remind his son not to stray down the wrong path.

"Don't worry..."

Lin Chao Ci nodded, knowing his father was looking out for him.

"Oh, right. New Year's is in three days. Your office should be on holiday already, shouldn't it? When are we heading back to the imperial capital?"

Before leaving, Lin Chao Ci remembered that New Year's was only a few days away. His mother had called to ask when the two of them were coming home.

As for his younger sister, her holiday had started a few days earlier. It was her first time being apart from their mother for so long, and she missed her so much that she had flown home the very day her holiday began.

That left only Lin Chao Ci and his father, Lin Jianguo, in Haikou City, both busy with their work.

His grandparents kept telling them to come home sooner.

"The office is on holiday. Those of us in leadership positions get five days off, then we have to come back after New Year's!"

Lin Jianguo nodded. If the office had not closed for the holiday, he would still have been there at this hour, busy arranging placements for the workers.

Since being transferred to Haikou City to gain experience, Lin Jianguo had missed his family dearly. Usually, he could only go home once a year, at New Year's.

Now that he finally had some time off, he could hardly wait to get home.

"All right. There isn't much going on at the company lately, so let's leave in a bit. We can sleep on the plane tonight and reach the imperial capital tomorrow morning!"

Lin Chao Ci had already taken care of the company's affairs.

Some employees were taking staggered days off, while others had chosen to work overtime.

Lin Chao Ci had also required that at least one person at manager level or above be on-site every day, even during the New Year holiday.

That way, any emergencies at the company could be dealt with promptly.

"All right!"

His father nodded. As two grown men, they did not have much to pack. If they really needed anything, they could buy it after reaching the imperial capital.

They packed a few changes of clothes and, more importantly, some gifts, then set off and boarded their flight home.

As the plane cut through the atmosphere, Lin Chao Ci gazed at the bright stars outside the window and felt an inexplicable nervousness. Perhaps it was the apprehension that came with nearing home.

The family he had not seen in so long, the friends he had not seen in so long... As his thoughts wandered, Lin Chao Ci fell asleep.

At a little past nine the next morning, they finally arrived at the imperial capital's airport.

"Third Brother, you're finally back! And my nephew..."

As soon as they left the airport, several cars bearing military license plates pulled up in front of them.

The moment the cars came to a stop, a strong, agile figure sprang out, strode over, and wrapped Lin Jianguo in a fierce hug.

"Fourth Brother!"

"Fourth Uncle!"

Both Lin Jianguo and Lin Chao Ci smiled at the sight of him.

Lin Jianguo eagerly stepped forward and hugged his younger brother tightly.

"Brother, you've got gray hair now!"

The first things Fourth Brother noticed were his third brother's somewhat haggard face and the few strands of gray in his hair.

His heart ached, and guilt welled up inside him.

Fourth Brother's name was Lin Huguo. He served as a division commander in an army unit and held the rank of senior colonel.

Lin Chao Ci's grandfather had four sons in all.

The eldest had died in the war.

The second had gone missing during the war.

The third was Lin Chao Ci's father, Lin Jianguo.

The fourth was Lin Huguo.

His grandfather had wanted to groom a successor, but resources and official posts were limited. He could only choose one of the two to inherit his military connections and resources.

Some might ask why they could not both advance together.

There were only so many positions for major generals, lieutenant generals, and generals. Someone had to retire before another could fill the vacancy.

For one son, everyone would naturally lend a hand out of respect for his grandfather.

But for two, what would the higher-ups think? What would his old comrades think?

Besides, even if a position opened up, it would not necessarily go to them. Others wanted it too. Once seniority was taken into account, they might have to wait more than a decade for a promotion, only moving up one rank upon retirement.

His grandfather did not want that, so he had let the two brothers decide for themselves: one would inherit his connections, and the other would transfer to civilian work.

His father was an honest man who valued family and brotherhood. The moment he heard his own father's proposal, he chose to give his younger brother the opportunity and transfer to civilian work himself.

His fourth brother, Lin Huguo, was a sincere man too, and had felt guilty ever since. He believed that if his third brother had inherited the family's connections, he would surely have gone further than he had.

"People get gray hair when they grow old! But you've certainly gotten sturdier than before!"

Lin Jianguo patted his younger brother's shoulder without saying much more. He knew his brother felt guilty, but did not know how to comfort him.

"Dad, Fourth Uncle, stop catching up for now. Let's get in the cars and head home first. Grandpa and Grandma must be getting impatient!"

Seeing that the two showed no signs of finishing their reunion, Lin Chao Ci could not help interrupting.

"Hahaha, I almost forgot! Come on, let's get in!"

"Get in, get in..."

Only after his reminder did the two realize, and they hurried into the cars.

After all, they were at the airport's arrivals exit, and quite a few cars were backed up behind them, waiting to pick people up.

If everyone had not seen the military plates and realized that important people were riding inside, someone would have come over to complain long ago.

They got into the cars and headed for the Military Commission Compound.

As the cars traveled along the road, the drivers around them voluntarily gave way, and even the traffic lights stayed green all the way.