173: Chapter 173 The Quirky and Clever Su Xingxing

The next morning, Su Ye packed his luggage for the return trip and stood in the entryway changing his shoes.

Li Mei walked over carrying a cloth bag filled with cured meat and pickled vegetables, and without a word, stuffed it into his suitcase. "These are all things you love to eat. Take them to Chengdu and heat them up yourself; don't always eat takeout."

Su Ye took the suitcase, reached out to hug his parents, and then patted Su Xingxing on the head.

"I know, Mom."

"Let me know when you're free, and I'll have someone pick you up to visit Chengdu."

A black domestic Hongqi sedan slowly pulled up, its body lines simple and fluid, exuding a steady and imposing air.

On the outside of the front left and right doors, there was a striking label displaying the vehicle's administrative level, the usage nature "Official Vehicle," a supervision hotline, and a unique serial number. The license plate, Sichuan A-GW-SXXXX, was intimidating.

Su Yi stepped out of the back seat, saw Su Hong, Li Mei, and Su Xingxing, and greeted them with a smile: "Old Fifth, Sister-in-law, Xingxing."

Su Xingxing didn't know why she was so fond of Fourth Uncle, who had appeared so suddenly. Seeing him get out of the car, her eyes lit up, and she trotted over to hug his leg tightly.

Her eyes, like stars, stared at Su Yi, and a sweet smile hung on her little face as she called out, "Fourth Uncle——"

When Su Yi heard Su Xingxing call him, he felt his heart melting and quickly crouched down to scoop the little cutie into his arms.

"Whose little cutie is this——"

Su Xingxing rolled her big eyes, giggled, cupped Su Yi's cheeks, and said in her milky voice, "Yours——"

"Hahahaha, alright, alright, my little cutie."

Seeing Su Xingxing, with her precocious nature, coaxing Su Yi, a high-ranking official, into such a docile state, Su Ye and the others couldn't help but smile.

Su Yi played with Su Xingxing for a while longer, until the young man with a buzz cut and a resolute face standing by the car said softly, "Leader, it's getting late, and Secretary Zhang is still waiting for you."

Su Yi then reluctantly set Su Xingxing down on the ground and said to Su Ye, "Little Su, let's go."

He greeted Su Hong and Li Mei again, "Old Fifth, Sister-in-law, we're heading to Chengdu first; there are people waiting there."

Su Hong nodded and said, "Fourth Brother, you and Little Su go ahead. Please look after Little Su for me."

Su Yi nodded with a smile, then got into the back seat with Su Ye.

Su Xingxing, her big eyes turning red, waved her little hand and said, "Big Brother, come back soon."

Su Ye also waved goodbye to his family. It wasn't until their figures disappeared in the rearview mirror that he lowered his hand, feeling a bit of heartache.

Su Yi was also very reluctant to leave. This trip back had allowed him to experience the familial affection he had longed for but hadn't felt in over twenty years, yet he had to leave after barely two days.

Suddenly remembering something, Su Ye asked, "Fourth Uncle, did you tell Grandma and Grandpa before you left?"

Su Yi rolled his eyes, then pointed to the trunk and said, "Of course I did. The trunk is packed full; it's all food and drink that Grandma and Grandpa gave me."

He then added in a melancholic tone, "The old folks couldn't bear to eat or drink it themselves, and gave me all their stock. I checked, and a few cartons of milk had expired. It's not that the milk expired, it's that we let the milk expire."

Su Ye was speechless and choked up for a moment, only able to look at the ever-changing scenery outside the car window.

The black sedan drove smoothly on the highway from Chang City to Chengdu. The morning light filtered through the windows, casting a glow on the leather seats and outlining the steady atmosphere inside the car.

Su Yi leaned against the front passenger seat, his left hand tapping unconsciously on the armrest. After a long while, he was the first to break the silence: "Little Su, having grown up in Sichuan Province, worked at the grassroots level before, and now being considered part of the upper echelon of Sichuan Province, what is your take on Sichuan Province now? What is the view of the business community on Sichuan Province?"

Su Ye didn't speak but glanced at the driver in front. Su Yi understood and said with a smile, "It's fine, Little Su. Little Wang is one of our own; he's trustworthy."

Little Wang in the front seat was taken aback by Su Yi's words, but immediately realized that Su Ye must be wary of him. He didn't feel uncomfortable; on the contrary, he felt happy. He had been with Su Yi for nearly ten years, ever since he left the army. He was genuinely happy that Su Yi had found his family, and he was also glad for Su Yi that Su Ye had such high vigilance. At the very least, Su Ye wouldn't be the kind of useless second-generation offspring who only caused trouble for Su Yi.

Moreover, hearing Su Yi call him "one of our own" and "trustworthy" warmed Little Wang's heart, and he even focused his attention more on driving.

Su Ye nodded and then smiled, "Sorry, I was being too cautious."

Su Yi waved his hand, looking at Su Ye with a smile, "Being cautious is good. Caution is the parent of safety."

After a long time, Su Ye slowly said, "Personally, I feel that the problems in Sichuan Province are significant, and the business environment isn't very good."

Su Yi was taken aback by Su Ye's words. He had originally expected Su Ye to sing praises, as he had seen too many entrepreneurs do that. But then he realized, this was his own nephew, and he was Su Ye's own Fourth Uncle; what could not be said?

Unconsciously, he sat up straight, adopting a listening posture. Su Ye continued, "First, as someone who worked at the grassroots level, my impression of Sichuan Province is that it's polarized. Why do I say it's polarized? Chengdu has siphoned off too much population and talent, occupying most of Sichuan Province's resources. Fourth Uncle, you can see how many young people are left in cities other than Chengdu. But does Chengdu really need so many young people? Does it need so much talent? No! Various industries in Chengdu are already saturated. We used to have a joke that even Sun Wukong would have to make five hundred phone calls before he could leave Chengdu. Nowadays, the most common job in Chengdu is sales, especially telemarketing."

Su Ye took the mineral water Su Yi had opened, took a sip, and continued, "And what about the local areas? They lack people, they lack young people. The competition in Chengdu is too intense, while the local areas have little competition—though, of course, the competition for state-owned enterprises and civil service positions is still quite high. That's one point. Second, the standardization of enterprises. Not to say too much, just look at the cliff-like drop in the marriage rate; what is it for? To summarize, it's two points. One, high work pressure and the prevalent overtime culture. Young people are basically on call 24 hours a day just to survive; where would they have time to date? Furthermore, the cost of dating is too high; young people simply cannot afford it. This also contributes to the high divorce rate. Of course, Fourth Uncle, you can analyze the specifics yourself later."

Su Ye let out a long sigh, as if he were venting to an elder on behalf of his former self.

Su Ye continued, "As for the high-level business environment, I feel my perspective is insufficient, and I don't have enough experience."

Su Ye smiled and spread his hands, "After all, I haven't even been to the company many times. However, I can arrange for a few entrepreneurs to chat with you, Fourth Uncle. I believe they definitely have some insights."

Su Yi laughed heartily at Su Ye's words and then reached out to poke Su Ye, "You kid, if you want to help Fourth Uncle, just help. Why are you playing mind games with me?"

Su Ye pursed his lips and smiled, saying nothing.