Agent Yi Leng

At the end of the runway at West Flow Bay Airport, the top executives of the Jiang Tail Shipbuilding Group gathered to welcome the Temasek Company investigation team.

Qin Dechang stood at the front in a navy blue wool coat with a gray scarf, followed by the group's general manager Yin Yongchen, third-level managers, and deputy directors.

The group had been continuously losing money and was deeply in debt, surviving only by the slimmest margin. The lower-level workers were unaware of the situation, like frogs in warm water unaware of the impending crisis. These leaders understood that the group's survival depended on this order.

The airport was windy, blowing the trouser legs of the chief engineer and deputy general manager, Gao Ming, who was the youngest and most promising candidate to succeed as chairman. He deliberately stood slightly apart from the others, looking down on those fat, old guys as if they were clay chickens and tile dogs.

Standing behind Gao Ming was deputy chief engineer Ma Xiaowei, even younger and more educated, but only five years younger than Gao Ming, destined to forever remain his right-hand man.

Watching the business jet slowly descending, Ma Xiaowei felt a surge of ambition. Compared to the private jets of super-rich people, the Hummer, Range Rover, and Cayenne of these nouveau riche shipyard workers were nothing. A real man should travel the world in a private jet.

The plane stabilized, a red carpet was rolled out, and group leaders stepped forward to welcome it. As the cabin door opened and the stairs lowered, the first to emerge was a refined, well-fed middle-aged man - Ou Jinhua, a director of Temasek Holdings and head of the Singapore Ou Family Consortium.

Ou had a legendary background. The Ou family was originally a Shanghai aristocratic family, split into four branches after liberation, spreading to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore. The last branch, the youngest son, remained on the mainland. While the first three branches developed well in the previous decades, the mainland branch eventually surpassed them, growing rapidly in the past ten years, even acquiring the Singapore Ou family and reorganizing a large international shipping group.

Just based on this order, calling Ou Jinhua the "Ship King" would not be an exaggeration.

Following Ou Jinhua was a tall girl wearing colorful down clothing and snow boots, not looking like a business professional. Some of the less sophisticated old men in the welcoming party were secretly speculating whether she might be Ou's third child.

Qin Dechang was already shaking hands with Ou Jinhua and his entourage. The girl remained detached, not participating in the handshake line, instead looking around with great interest.

After the welcome ceremony, the shipyard prepared a convoy. Motorcycles from the security department led, followed by Toyota Coasters and a long line of black Audi sedans, with a grand reception rivaling national-level hospitality.

VIP guests were arranged in the shipyard's internal, non-public guest house, with a separate large garden, a standalone sea-view villa, and dedicated chefs and security. The shipyard had gone to great lengths to ensure thorough hospitality.

Ou Jinhua was a practical man who, after a brief rest, proposed visiting the ship production workshop. Qin Dechang and others accompanied him fully. With dozens of people and propaganda department cameras, it was chaotic. No one noticed Ah Li slipping out of the guest house.

...

On Coal Port Road, there was a hardware shop mainly dealing with anti-theft doors and windows, also doing some welding work. The owner was a laid-off welder from the factory. Yi Leng had eaten at Yu Mei Restaurant, approached him, offered a cigarette, and explained his purpose. The owner found him some angle irons and a roll of iron sheet, and Yi Leng picked up the welding gun and started working himself.

"You're quite skilled. Where did you learn this?" the owner asked, curious about his proficiency.

"I graduated from a technical school," Yi Leng said, reminiscing about his time at the International Relations Academy. To maintain cover, trainees would learn some basic skills. He had chosen cooking and engineering classes, becoming proficient in various technical skills including welding.

Yi Leng was making a simple water heater. He bought a slightly better electric kettle from a nearby grocery store, replaced the plug, made a water tank, and installed a shower head. With just a few dozen yuan, he could achieve hot water freedom.

While welding, sparks flying, Yi Leng wore a protective mask and noticed a pair of slender legs in snow boots. He said, "Move aside, don't get hurt."

The snow boots shifted slightly but didn't move away. When Yi Leng looked up, his heart unexpectedly stirred, reminiscent of his first sight of Xiang Mo.

This girl didn't belong to the shipyard area. She was too sophisticated, not just in her clothing, but in her demeanor - the kind of quality only someone who had seen the world would possess.

The girl wore large sunglasses and smiled sweetly: "Master, I'm just watching. Am I disturbing you?"

"Oh, welcome to observe," Yi Leng continued working. From the corner of his eye, he saw the snow boots excitedly stomping.

Ah Li recognized this man - wasn't he the one eating bread in the snow at the Jinjiang High-Speed Railway South Station plaza? She was genuinely happy for him, finding a job he was good at, with life ahead of him.

"What are you doing?" Ah Li asked. She liked interacting with people, especially strangers in unfamiliar cities. The more she met and interacted, the more she felt she had truly traveled the world.

"Making a water heater," Yi Leng said. "This way, you can have a hot shower for very little money."

"Can I take a photo?" Ah Li pulled out the latest iPhone 5.

"Don't photograph my face," Yi Leng maintained his spy's instinct, always avoiding photographs.

"Click click click" - Ah Li took a series of photos. She thought men working seriously were most attractive, worth capturing this moment.

After photographing, she continued exploring. It was Ah Li's first time in Jiang Tail, but everything felt strangely familiar. She wandered the streets, taking photos, chatting with vegetable vendors, enjoying herself until noon when her stomach started growling.

Since her heart transplant, Ah Li's tastes had changed. Raised in Shanghai and later studying in the US, she had always loved light foods. Now she craved spicy and sweet dishes, fortunately maintaining her figure.

For lunch, she naturally chose a local small restaurant. Ah Li disliked chain restaurants with centrally distributed semi-prepared dishes. To her, the best restaurants were family-run shops that had been operating for years, bustling with customers - only then could you taste the true local flavor.

Coal Port Road had dozens of restaurants. Ah Li walked around and stopped at Yu Mei Restaurant's entrance because the man who was welding earlier was there.

"Master, are you here to eat?" Ah Li asked.

"I'm the chef here," Yi Leng said.

"Great! Recommend something for me," Ah Li entered the restaurant.

It was early, and the restaurant was empty. Wu Yumei had just organized ingredients from the market when she saw a beautiful girl in a red and white down jacket walk in, chatting with Old Huang. She couldn't help feeling displeased. Old Huang might bring in business, but he was also attracting women.

"What would you like, sister?" Wu Yumei pushed Huang Peihu into the back kitchen and handed over the menu, strongly recommending the spicy stir-fried sesame chicken.

"I might not be able to finish that much," Ah Li said.

Just then, Yi Bing brought Yi Nuannuan to help with business. Wu Yumei said, "Why don't you two share a dish? I'll split one large portion into two. It'll be more economical than ordering two small portions."

Both being girls with small appetites, they were naturally happy to agree.

Huang Peihu bustled in the kitchen and personally brought out two large bowls of Dahongpao spicy chicken. Xiao Hong followed with two plates of fried ice cream - a sister combo dish.

"Spicy dishes need to be eaten with sweet dishes," Yi Leng lit a cigarette and said cheerfully. He loved cooking for his daughter.

With few customers in the restaurant, Yi Nuannuan heard this and was moved. Her father had said something similar before, and they had even debated it.

Ah Li tasted the Dahongpao, closing her eyes to experience the rich layers - numbing, spicy, fragrant, sweet, and crisp. Though extremely spicy, she found herself increasingly addicted. Eating the fried ice cream afterward helped reduce the spiciness, making her even more satisfied.

At the next table, Xiang Bing was asking about his niece's studies. Nuannuan complained about her poor English grades, saying their English teacher wanted to transfer and wasn't committed to teaching.

Ah Li took the initiative to chat with the middle school girl.

A LCD television hung on the wall, broadcasting the factory TV station's news about fire rescue heroes. Yin Bingsong's face appeared on screen, pompously telling the camera this was the responsibility of an old factory worker.

Xiang Bing slammed the table: "How shameless! It was clearly this uncle who rescued people! By the way, what's your name, uncle?"

Yi Leng said: "Just call me Old Huang."

Ah Li curiously asked about what happened. Xiang Bing vividly explained, with Xiao Hong adding dramatic details, saying the man on TV was a bad guy.

"Wow, just like Spider-Man," Ah Li exclaimed.

"Forget it, rescuing people isn't about seeking recognition," Old Huang laughed. At that moment, Ah Li felt a light in his eyes.

Suddenly, the door opened. Several uniformed personnel entered, asking Wu Yumei to show her business license. They were from the district health bureau, conducting a routine inspection.

Wu Yumei cooperated. After checking the license without issues, they entered the kitchen and were disappointed. They then demanded to see everyone's food hygiene certificates.

This caused trouble. Huang Peihu had no health certificate. The health bureau staff immediately pulled out a seal, closing the kitchen and fining them 2000 yuan. They asked the two tables of customers to leave, claiming the restaurant was unsanitary and needed rectification.

Wu Yumei had nothing to say. It was indeed her fault.

The two tables of customers had to leave before finishing. Wu Yumei packed their food, saw them out, and watched as the health bureau staff also sealed the front door.

Ah Li saw the light disappear from Old Huang's eyes and inexplicably felt a pain in her heart.

Wu Yumei said it was no problem, they could quickly get the certificates and reopen tomorrow.

She didn't know this was arranged by Yin Bingsong. Today was the health bureau, tomorrow would be market supervision, the day after city management - ensuring they couldn't continue operating.

Ah Li paid and took her packed food, continuing to wander. She reached the middle school gate. It was Sunday, with only high school seniors taking supplementary classes. The campus was quiet. The gate guard said, "Are you a newly assigned college graduate? Come back tomorrow. The principal is resting today."

As if possessed, Ah Li asked, "Uncle, does our school need teachers?"

The gate guard said, "Of course. There's always a shortage. Capable teachers have been transferred, leaving behind those who continue to harm the next generation."

Ah Li said, "I wonder if I'm qualified."

The gate guard asked, "Which university did you graduate from? Do you have a teaching qualification certificate?"

Ah Li said, "I graduated from Princeton University's Comparative Literature, but I don't have a teaching certificate."

The gate guard said, "Sounds like a foreign university. What's your English level?"

Ah Li sweated, "I don't seem to have a level."

The gate guard said, "No way. First, get a domestic bachelor's degree through self-study, then pass the English level 6 exam, get a teaching qualification certificate, then come apply."

"Okay, thank you," Ah Li said disappointedly, leaving the middle school and continuing to wander. This time she arrived at a residential area and saw the four faded characters "Shipyard New Village".

The community was large, with six-story old buildings from the 1980s. Aspidistra grew in cement planters, dirty snow piled on both sides. Domestic brand small cars and more electric bikes were parked, each handlebar decorated with colorful cotton wind guards.

Ah Li had lived in a standalone Western-style house in Shanghai's Jingan District since childhood and studied abroad as a teenager. She had never encountered such a workers' village before. Yet now, she unexpectedly felt a sense of home, a strong impulse to stay and accompany certain people.

After sitting in the shipyard new village for a long time, Ah Li finally returned. Walking east from the dilapidated village, she saw a high-end community completed four years ago, looking much more pleasant. Called "Hawaii Style Coastal Residence", it had high-rise buildings, row houses, and the best location being a batch of standalone villas. The exterior wall was an iron fence, with mostly joint-venture vehicles parked in the spaces, mid-to-low-end Mercedes and BMWs everywhere.

The shipyard guesthouse was built by the sea, with fifty years of history. Rumored to have hosted national leaders in the 1960s, it underwent renovation and expansion two years ago, adding a main building. It was one of the few five-star hotels in Jiang Tail, with a VIP building used only for internal reception, a separate courtyard with experienced old guards.

So even without a pass, the guards let Ah Li in, recognizing she wasn't a local.

Returning to the sea-view villa, Ah Li handed the packed Dahongpao to the service staff, asking them to reheat it. Just as the leftover dish was warmed, Ou Jinhua returned after completing his investigations, coming back to rest and change before the evening banquet.

"Dad, try this," Ah Li fed a piece of chicken into her father's mouth, making Ou Jinhua sweat from the spiciness. Yet he still praised, "Mm, good. Very tasty. Where did you buy it?"

Ah Li said, "At Yu Mei Restaurant. By the way, Dad, I want to do volunteer teaching here."

"What?" Ou Jinhua didn't understand.

"I want to work here for a while. Wasn't the plan to go to Africa for social practice? I think here is good too," Ah Li said.

Ou Jinhua didn't dare object. His daughter had been delicate since childhood, fragile as a glass flower with a sensitive temperament. Since her heart transplant, she seemed like a different person - braver, with changed tastes. Previously, she wouldn't even look at such unhealthy, oily, and spicy food.

However, his daughter had become more sunny and positive. As a father, he was gratified and supportive. He didn't seek great achievements for her, just wanting her to be happy. Whatever choice she made, he would fully support her.

The original plan was for Ah Li to be a volunteer in Kenya for six months, serve in a local medical institution, write a thesis, and then go to Harvard. But plans change - volunteer teaching in Jiang Tail could work too. But does Jiang Tail have Hope Primary School?

A service staff in the VIP building called the group's chief engineer's office, whispering for a while.

Placing an inside line in the VIP building was arranged by Chief Engineer Gao Ming and personally implemented by Deputy Chief Engineer Ma Xiaowei. This staff member was responsible for collecting all information about the investigation team, with meticulous detail - what they ate, what they drank, any special preferences.

Ma Xiaowei took the call and immediately reported to Gao Ming that the Ou family really enjoyed a chicken dish from Yu Mei Restaurant, very spicy and bright red.

Gao Ming immediately instructed: "I don't care how you do it, but this dish must appear at tonight's reception banquet."

[--------------------------------------------]

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