Chapter 0001 Who Will Attend Their Own Funeral
These three pagodas were originally built by the Sun family, the largest ethnic capitalist family in Donghua City during the Republic of China era, as a private pagoda garden. They once housed three statues of Guanyin made of gold, silver, and jade, which were renowned throughout the province for a time
Shen Huai woke up, disregarding the doctor's advice. He immediately returned to the city government, took a vehicle, and rushed towards Meixi Town, which is located in the southeastern outskirts of the city.
This world has never been fair
He was supposed to have died, and the urn held by his younger sister contained the ashes of his body after cremation; however, his consciousness and soul lived on in another's body
The steel mill in the city really needs to be properly restructured. In this day and age, it is one thing to have one or two workers die from accidents, but if news spreads that Mayor Chen inspected the enterprise and a worker was injured, the officials from Donghua would have no face to go out.
Xiao Li, it is I, Haiwen! ... I am not dead, I am still your brother ...
Reflecting on his past life, Shen Huai sat in the car, feeling a deep sense of bitterness within.
Haiwen has died; his sister, Xiao Li, who was originally his only companion, has suddenly become all alone and desolate. In fact, it is she who is suffering the most in her heart. She does not know what to do in the future
He has considered leaving the city steel mill, but in the Donghua area, there are not many places where he can utilize his skills after leaving the city steel mill
Shen Huai's injury is not serious; he spent three drowsy days in the hospital. Today, an elderly patient passed away in the hospital, and the cries of the family woke him up, making him suddenly realize that while he was parasitizing another's body and adapting to a new identity amidst shock and confusion, his younger sister must be devastated by his "unexpected death," and from now on, she will become all alone and helpless
Even without a background, he garnered significant attention from Xiong and the factory director Wenbin, who was just discussed by colleagues as Old Xiong. Within two years, he became the workshop director, setting a record among over three hundred state-owned enterprises in the city. Later, when the city steel plant established a branch factory in Xinjing, Wenbin proposed that he take on the role of branch factory director, despite having been at the city steel plant for less than three years.
He has come to a clear understanding that in a place like Donghua, where the economy is underdeveloped, opportunities for rising above the rest are inherently scarce, and are predominantly controlled by those with connections and power. Even if he possesses great ability and talent, it is still difficult for him to find significant opportunities for development
How much better can his situation be in the city with Xiong Wenbin compared to being at the city steel mill
In the 1950s, after the Pagoda Garden was designated as a public cemetery, most local citizens stored the urns of their relatives in the Pagoda Cemetery. The garden is filled with trees thick enough to be embraced by a person, lush and verdant; pavilions and rock formations are scattered throughout the park. If one is not afraid of the ominous aura associated with the deceased, the Pagoda Cemetery is indeed one of the most worthwhile sights in the southeastern suburbs of Donghua
Listening to former colleagues standing by the car to speak up for him, Shen Huai felt a mix of emotions: Sun Haiwen's life is truly his own; when it comes to his life experiences, who could possibly understand them better than he does himself
Who knows that the transfer of Xiong Wenbin is merely a tactic employed by certain individuals in the city to divert attention, facilitating others to take control of the municipal steel plant
The duration of the fall was very brief; his mind went blank, and he only remembered hitting the left shoulder of Deputy Mayor Chen Mingde's secretary before losing all consciousness.
It seemed that at that moment, he, who should have been Sun Haiwen, inexplicably became Secretary Shen Huai of Vice Mayor Chen Mingde
Perhaps his brilliance was too overwhelming in the past, and his exceptional talent and technical foundation led to him facing even greater exclusion and suppression. In the past two years, he has been completely relegated to the boiler room with the books
Ultimately, it is because Haiwen is soft-hearted. At that time, he was wholeheartedly following Old Bear to the city, relying on flattery to gain favor with the city leaders and rise to prominence. Could he have stopped him then? Just think about it, has Haiwen been wronged over the years? Why has he lived such a constrained life? Isn't it simply because his family lacks power and influence? The more talented Haiwen is, the more he is suppressed under someone like Gu Houzi—after all, isn't it just fear that Haiwen might eventually rise above him? Haiwen has truly suffered over the years. Now that he has been accepted into Yanda for a doctoral degree, he should no longer have to look at Gu Houzi's face. Who would have thought such a thing would happen? This world is truly unfair... The more talented Haiwen is, the more he is suppressed under someone like Gu Houzi—after all, isn't it just fear that Haiwen might eventually rise above him? Haiwen has truly suffered over the years. Now that he has been accepted into Yanda for a doctoral degree, he should no longer have to look at Gu Houzi's face. Who would have thought such a thing would happen? This world is truly unfair...
At the moment of falling to the ground, his consciousness had already detached from his body, destined to completely dissipate and bid farewell to this world; however, a change occurred just before he hit the ground, at the instant he struck the left shoulder of Secretary Chen Mingde, the deputy mayor.
On the eve of liberation, the Sun family, along with their relatives, migrated overseas to settle down, and the Sun family's land, properties, and this pagoda garden were subsequently nationalized.
As he was climbing up the electric arc furnace to explain the technological transformation of the municipal steel plant to Vice Mayor Chen Mingde and his entourage, a rusted railing suddenly broke, causing him to fall from a height of twenty meters
Xiong Wenbin was initially appointed as the Deputy Secretary-General of the municipal government and the Director of the Enterprise Office. Everyone believed that Xiong Wenbin would soon be transferred to a more important position.
Shen Huai sat in the car, gazing out the window at the sunlight filtering through the ancient elm trees in front of the temple, casting dappled patterns in the shadows that resembled colored glass, evoking a sense of deathly slumber, leaving him with a feeling of emptiness in his heart
If we say that each person inhabits their own world, from the moment of collision upon landing, he must live in the world of Secretary Chen Mingde and Shen Huai, and can no longer return to the world of Sun Haiwen
Donghua City has several private enterprises that appear to be of considerable scale, yet behind the scenes, they may not be any cleaner than state-owned enterprises. The management of these family businesses is also largely controlled by nepotism.
When he woke up, he was already lying in the hospital, surrounded by doctors and others who looked familiar yet whose strangeness he could not shake off, all looking at him with concern: "Secretary Shen, Secretary Shen, you have finally woken up..."
However, after Xiong Wenbin was transferred from the municipal steel plant, especially after he was quickly assigned to a non-essential department, his lack of background was completely exposed.
Xiong Wenbin can be regarded as one of the most capable figures in Donghua's business operations. In the latter half of the 1980s, while managing the municipal steel plant, he achieved the remarkable feat of generating over 300 million in annual tax contributions.
Shen Huai witnessed his younger sister, with the help of relatives and friends, holding a funeral for him starting from noon, sending his body to the crematorium for cremation, and then saw the urn being delivered to the Tian Ning Temple Cemetery for storage
The rear cemetery features three pagodas built during the Republic of China era, adjacent to the ancient temple of Tianning Temple, which has a history of a thousand years
Especially when others engage in cunning and opportunistic behavior, flattering and ingratiating themselves, your insistence on maintaining your integrity becomes the most fatal mistake
After a long time, he finally began to understand roughly what had happened
His mother passed away a year ago after a serious illness. He successfully gained admission to the doctoral program in the Department of Economics at Yanda University. He had thought this would be an opportunity to break free from the small circle of Donghua with his younger sister, but unexpectedly, an accident occurred three days ago
Shen Huai gripped the steering wheel tightly, his nails digging deeply into his flesh, yet he felt no pain
On that day, Vice Mayor Chen Mingde led a team to inspect the most significant technological transformation achievements of the municipal steel plant in recent years, and he temporarily summoned personnel from the boiler room to serve as technical explainers
Relatives and friends accompanying the funeral gradually emerged from the rear compartment, holding wreaths. The mourning banner was inscribed in clerical script: "The sorrowful voice cannot summon the drifting clouds, the sound of weeping follows the wild crane's flight: In memory of my brother Sun Haiwen"
Three days have passed, and the initial shock and confusion have not completely faded. However, seeing his younger sister in such deep sorrow, Shen Huai feels a sharper pain in his heart. He longs to open the car door and rush out, loudly telling his heartbroken sister:
At that time, my father had already passed away, and my mother was seriously ill. My younger sister was still very young, and the situation did not allow me to leave Donghua to develop elsewhere—although life at the city steel mill was stifling, the income was relatively stable, and I was still able to support the family on my own
Unfortunately, he now lives in someone else's body, and no one—neither his younger sister, relatives, nor former colleagues—recognizes him anymore
If consciousness were a tangible entity, at that moment, Secretary Chen Mingde's consciousness shattered due to intense fright, and his consciousness then penetrated into Secretary Chen Mingde's mind, allowing it to survive
Old Bear went to the city with the intention of transferring Haiwen. However, at that time, the factory was collaborating with the Japanese on technological upgrades, specifically to set up a continuous casting furnace, and the factory could not do without Haiwen
In simpler terms, at that moment, Secretary Chen Mingde was actually terrified to death, while he was parasitically residing in Secretary Chen Mingde's body, Shen Huai
Outside the main gate of the Ta Cemetery, there is a small square. Shen Huai parked the car at the edge of the square, under the lush shade of the trees, watching as a Liberation-brand truck slowly approached and stopped in front of the main gate of the Ta Cemetery
Haiwen died just like that, what a pity. Had I known this would be the outcome, it would have been better to stubbornly go to the city with Old Bear and the * book * back then...
The impact on the left shoulder was not significant; rather, it was the sudden shock of the accident that left Chen Mingde's secretary utterly terrified in that moment
There were two funeral attendants accompanying the hearse, who were colleagues of his from before. They did not enter the mausoleum but instead walked this way, standing under the shade of a tree to smoke and rest, unaware that there were still people sitting in the car parked by the roadside
The younger sister stepped out of the car holding a lead-gray urn, tears still glistening on her delicate face, her eyes swollen and red from crying. Seeing this, Shen Huai, who was sitting in the car, felt his tears streaming down, dripping onto the steering wheel
He could not figure out what had happened at that time; the specific details were heard from others: "That was really close! The worker almost fell right in front of Mayor Chen's nose. Secretary Shen, you are quite lucky too; you only got grazed on your left shoulder. Aside from a dislocation, you have some serious abrasions that require hospitalization for observation"
Watching his younger sister in utter despair, Shen Huai felt utterly powerless: his sister, along with each of his familiar friends and relatives, regarded him as a stranger
Who would sit quietly in a car waiting to attend their own funeral
Shen Huai saw his longtime friend, who was also his colleague at the city steel mill, Zhao Dong, park the car. He quickly got out of the driver's seat, hurriedly walked around to the right side of the car, and opened the door
Xiong Wenbin was appointed as the deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government less than a year after arriving in the city, seemingly becoming a marginal figure in the Donghua political scene, with no signs of a breakthrough in sight to this day
He graduated from the provincial university in 1986, and was subsequently assigned to the municipal steel plant. With a solid academic foundation, he mastered all aspects of production technology at the steel plant in just over a year, becoming an absolute technical backbone of the factory
In fact, going to the city with Xiong Wenbin may not necessarily lead to a better situation