38: Chapter 38 A Triumphant Return Home? A Small County Head's Visit to His Relatives!

Two days later, Lin Zhou returned to that familiar small county on the Chuanxi Plain.

Outside the high-speed railway station, waves of heat mixed with humidity rushed toward him, and the air was filled with the spicy scent of hot pot base and street snacks.

This was the smell of home.

Due to the prior arrangements made by intelligence agencies, his journey home was exceptionally low-key; wearing a baseball cap and a mask, he pulled his suitcase and merged into the crowd exiting the station.

He hailed a taxi and gave the name of his residential compound.

The driver was a middle-aged man with a dark, ruddy complexion and was a quintessential chatterbox.

He skillfully turned the steering wheel, glanced at Lin Zhou through the rearview mirror, and struck up a conversation with practiced familiarity:

"Young man, are you coming back from out of town? Judging by how you're dressed, did you strike it rich in a big city?"

"No, just an ordinary worker." Lin Zhou lowered his voice and replied with a smile.

"There are different levels to working, you know!" The driver slapped the steering wheel, his tone rising an octave, his expression turning mysterious and excited. "Have you seen the news? The hottest thing now isn't going to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, but to Africa! Have you heard of that 'Cyber Republic' recently?"

Lin Zhou paused for a moment and rubbed his nose: "Uh, I've heard a little about it."

"Only heard of it? Let me tell you, I'm the core of this county's 'intelligence bureau.'" The driver looked proud, spitting as he spoke. "My son drives for the city's Foreign Affairs Office, and he told me the inside scoop. That king of the 'Cyber Republic,' I heard he's a young man from our Chuanxi! He started from scratch and built a country right in the desert! Now, all the major powers in the world are fighting to shake his hand. Just think, if he ever came back here for a visit, the county head and the mayor would have to line up to greet him at the airport, right? They might even cordon off his ancestral grave and turn it into a tourist attraction! Young man, look at him, then look at you. Both working, but the gap is as big as that between hot pot base and clear broth!"

Lin Zhou suppressed a laugh and expressed his sincere agreement: "You're right, there's really no comparison."

The taxi stopped at the entrance of an old residential compound.

Just as Lin Zhou got out of the car and pulled out his suitcase, an auntie with a perm and a bag of imported fruit walked straight toward him.

"Oh, isn't this Lin Zhou from Wang Xiue's family?" The neighbor, Auntie Zhang, had sharp eyes and shouted at the top of her lungs.

Lin Zhou greeted her politely: "Auntie Zhang."

"Oh my, how long has it been since we last saw you? Look at you, all worn out, your suitcase is even peeling paint. You must be exhausted from working outside, right?" Auntie Zhang shook the fruit basket in her hand with affected grace. "My son, Xiaoqiang, just got back from Shanghai. He's a senior executive at a Fortune 500 foreign company, and his monthly salary is this much!" She held up five fingers, looking pained. "See, he insisted on buying me these imported cherries, I couldn't stop him. Lin Zhou, it's not that Auntie wants to criticize you, but if you can't make a name for yourself out there, you might as well come back and take the civil service exam. Even if it's just running errands for the community, it's better than wandering around outside. At least it's not embarrassing."

Before she could finish, two black sedans with ordinary civilian license plates, yet polished to a shine, pulled up silently at the entrance of the residential compound.

The car doors opened, and several men in dark Zhongshan suits with reserved demeanors stepped out quickly.

The leader scanned the area, locked his gaze accurately onto Lin Zhou, and jogged over.

Auntie Zhang thought her son had brought back a foreign company executive and was just about to put on airs, but she saw the leading man walk up to Lin Zhou, his expression solemn, and he actually bowed slightly:

"Mr. Lin, in accordance with the instructions from our superiors, we are here on behalf of the provincial department and relevant authorities to visit your family. These are some 'comfort gifts' prepared by the ministry; please accept this humble offering."

Several people behind him followed with boxes of various sizes. Although the packaging was extremely low-key, the special supply labels on them made all the old neighbors present stare in disbelief.

"Mr. Lin, you have worked hard during this time. The ministry has instructed that if you have any needs while at home, please call this direct line. We are on standby twenty-four hours a day."

Lin Zhou took the black card with only a number on it and nodded: "Please thank the leaders for me. I just want some peace and quiet at home for a few days."

"Understood, we will withdraw now."

The black cars came and went quickly. The entrance to the residential compound instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The imported fruit basket in Auntie Zhang's hand wobbled, her face alternating between red and white, as if the bag of cherries had suddenly turned into a hot potato. She was completely stunned, and she scurried into the building entrance in embarrassment.

Lin Zhou pulled his suitcase and walked into the familiar apartment building.

The door opened quickly. His mother, Wang Xiue, was wearing an apron. The moment she saw him, her eyes turned red, but she immediately put on a stern face: "You still know how to come back! People outside were saying such terrible things, claiming you had been arrested by the state and thrown in jail!"

"Mom, haven't I returned safe and sound?" Lin Zhou put on his slippers, looked at his father watching the news in the living room, and called out, "Dad."

His father, Lin Dongyue, pushed up his reading glasses and snorted: "Still remember you have a home." Although his tone was unkind, he silently turned down the volume of the TV; that was his way of showing concern.

Soon, twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, and tomato scrambled eggs were set on the table.

At the dinner table, there was a moment of silence before Lin Dongyue finally spoke: "That thing you're doing outside... that 'nation-building,' is it real or fake?"

"It's real." Lin Zhou put down his chopsticks and took out the "Five-Star Card" that symbolized his special status.

Lin Dongyue and Wang Xiue studied it for a long time, and upon seeing the bright red national emblem, they finally felt a little more at ease.

"Then in the future... will you really be a 'foreigner'?" Lin Dongyue sighed; as an honest, hardworking laborer, he could never understand his son's choice in his entire life.

"Mom, I changed my nationality, not my ancestors. My roots will always be here." Lin Zhou comforted her softly.

That night, Lin Zhou lay on his small bed, smelling the scent of sunshine on his quilt, and felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

It felt as if the thrilling events of the past two months in Africa and Beijing were just an unreal dream.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone suddenly vibrated. It was Qin Yue.

"Boss, five small African countries, including Congo and Gabon, have all agreed to the meeting request. We can begin negotiations starting next week."

"Also," Qin Yue's voice became a bit strange, "we received a very unexpected application for establishing diplomatic relations."

"Who?"

"Vatican City."

Lin Zhou opened his eyes and looked at the old ceiling fan. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. In this quiet little county, he knew that the magnificent journey that belonged to him had only just begun.