The early morning of midsummer always comes earlier than usual. At four or five o'clock, the first morning star has lit up the first ray of morning light. The stars that have accompanied travelers on their thousands-mile journey quietly hide their faces. When the dawn breaks in the east and the sky turns white, Liu Ya, who has slept soundly all night, opens her eyes drowsily.
"Where are we?"
Wen Liang turned his head and saw Xiang Ziyu leaning on the chair with her clothes on. Her long eyelashes were slightly curled up, her nose was smooth and round, and her lips were bright red. She seemed to have gathered all the beauty in the world into one, which made people couldn't help but have reveries.
"Hey, I'm asking you how you are. Where are you looking?"
Liu Ya waved her hand in front of Wen Liang's eyes. Although her words were unpleasant, her tone was a little teasing, which was a world of difference from her previous attitude. Wen Liang pointed to the corner of his eye and whispered, "Assistant Liu, there is eye mucus..."
"Ah?" Liu Ya exclaimed, and quickly took out the makeup box from her bag. She looked left and right, but didn't find anything. She realized that she was deceived by Wen Liang, and she was furious and said, "You!"
Xiang Ziyu was sleeping soundly when Liu Ya woke him up. After figuring out the situation in the car, he ignored Liu Ya's complaint and said with a smile, "Mr. Wen, good morning!"
"Good morning," Wen Liang looked at his watch and said, "It's half past four now. It will take about half an hour to get to Guanshan. Miss Xiang, have you arranged accommodation?"
"Why, do you want to find a place for us?" Liu Ya said with a smile, leaning on the back of the front row chair.
Wen Liang pretended to be embarrassed and said, "We poor people only stay in small hotels and guesthouses. We don't even know which direction the door of a big hotel opens. Assistant Liu, please don't embarrass me."
"Keep pretending!" Liu Ya pouted and said, "Don't think I really don't understand. Those who can afford Audi in the mainland are people with connections and backgrounds. Otherwise, they can't buy one even if they want to!"
Wen Liang burst out laughing and said, "What kind of old almanac is this... Is it a 'three-no' tabloid you read at a street stall in Mingzhu?"
Liu Ya opened her mouth slightly, staring at Wen Liang without saying a word, it seemed that he had guessed it right. Wen Liang sighed and said, "This is because of the lack of communication and understanding. Now the country is different from before. The market economy is open and invigorating. As long as you can afford it, you can buy anything, not to mention Audi, even Porsche and Ferrari..."
"Oh, you talk as if our country is so developed!" Liu Ya knew that she had been tricked by the tabloids and had lost face in front of the evil man Wen Liang. She wanted to save face and said, "Then tell me, why do you want to implement family planning? Why do you use violence to deprive every woman of her reproductive rights? You saw it yourself. If it weren't for family planning, Liu Shi and his family wouldn't have to leave their hometown and wander around. Wu Ping wouldn't have taken this path. This... This is the biggest insult to a woman!"
Speaking of family planning, Wen Liang recalled a joke that was circulated on the Internet in later generations, saying that Chinese people planned their lives but died randomly, and chose the most difficult mode from the beginning of reincarnation, because even if you work hard to outrun billions of brothers and sisters, you don’t know if you can come into this world legally. Of course, jokes are jokes, and reality is reality. Family planning policy involves too many aspects, various views and positions, and it is impossible to coordinate them.
Wen Liang sighed and said, "On this issue, I can only say that family planning is a national policy. The people who formulate national policies should be smarter than you and me, and have a longer foresight than you and me..."
"Hehe, I knew you were going to say empty words. Let me tell you, the population explosion swallowing up the reform dividends, the contradiction between rapid population growth and limited resources, these are all false. Japan's fertility rate was also high after the war, but with the increase in per capita income and social and economic development, it dropped below 1.5 in the 1960s and 1970s, and then to 1.5 in the 1990s. It is foreseeable that it will drop further in the future. On the contrary, your Professor Ma talks about population theory in a set way, but I am afraid he does not understand the connection between population and economy..."
Wen Liang was a little surprised. Liu Ya seemed to be big-breasted and brainless, but she could blurt out such data. She must not be talking nonsense. Xiang Ziyu, who had been smiling and listening to their bickering, seemed to be able to see through Wen Liang's thoughts and explained: "Liu Ya studied business in Japan before. Her graduation thesis was about the economic weakness of Japan in the 1990s..."
Liu Ya looked at Wen Liang smugly and said, "I left you speechless, right? There are many factors that contribute to Japan's economic weakness, one of the most important being the serious aging of the population, which is the consequence of not implementing family planning... From a stupid person like me, I think that in less than 20 years, you inland areas will inevitably face the same problems that Japan is facing now... Tell me, what kind of foresight would lead you to repeat the same detour that others have taken? Hmm?"
Wen Liang had never done research on this issue, and without research, he had no right to speak. He could only smile and said, "I have not studied the Japanese economy, but the Professor Ma you mentioned has written many economics books. His work "New Population Theory" is a cross-industry work..."
"Master of Economics from Yale University, PhD of Economics from Columbia University. I'm just wondering, how did such a powerful person calculate that if family planning is not implemented, the mainland population will exceed 600 million by 2007?" Liu Ya said with disdain: "Could it be that in the next few decades, the population growth rate will only increase, not decrease? Could it be that in the future, when the economy develops and social pressures become greater, we still have to have seven or eight children. Can we afford to support them?"
Wen Liang has always been an eloquent person, and he can talk for three days without reason, but facing Liu Ya's aggressiveness, he really doesn't know how to refute. Especially from his perspective of two lives, he can clearly see the historical limitations of "New Population Theory", and facts have also proved that the propaganda of "only one child, the government will take care of the elderly" when the family planning was implemented is infinitely close to bankruptcy, and the aging problem is seriously plaguing the country.
But the question is, if we don’t implement family planning, will we not face the same problem in thirty years
There are no ifs in history, so there will be no answers!
"600 million is just a theoretical number. You can't look at historical figures from a historical perspective. That would be unfair to them."
"Yes, it's unfair!" Liu Ya obviously hated Professor Ma very much. She said, "I married two wives and had seven children, but I want others to implement family planning!"
Wen Liang said helplessly: "This is unreasonable. He married a wife and had children during the Republic of China. Let's talk about the facts and be reasonable."
Liu Ya looked at Wen Liang as if he were a rare animal and said, "Are you crazy? Are you stupid enough to reason with a girl?"
What else could Wen Liang say? He just shut up and ignored her. Liu Ya rarely got the upper hand in the battle with Wen Liang, so naturally she didn't want to let him go so quickly. She leaned over with her head tilted, teasing him non-stop, "Hey, why don't you continue the debate?"
"Okay, I'll give in and let you speak, but I won't."
"Actually, I understand what you mean. National policy is, of course, the result of collective efforts. It can't be blamed on one person."
"Hey, are you a man? You are so stingy. You don't want to talk, right? If you don't talk, I will never talk to you again..."
The words sounded a bit like a quarrel between lovers. Liu Ya sensed something was wrong and said, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, "I won't say anything more. It's so irritating!"
While the two were making a fuss, Chang Cheng suddenly honked his horn and said excitedly, "We've reached the pass!"
The ancient city of Guanshan revealed its true face in the early morning light and shadow. From afar, many pedestrians who got up early to exercise could be seen. Willow trees were everywhere, lotus leaves were everywhere, and a few egrets were leisurely gliding across the clear water. It was the most beautiful season of the year. When the car entered the city, Liu Ya leaned out of the window and admired it while exclaiming: "It's so beautiful, just like in a painting, Miss, you can't see such a view in Mingzhu."
Xiang Ziyu nodded, her eyes stayed more on Wen Liang, and she asked, "Mr. Wen, are you going back to Qingzhou later?"
"I'll leave after I drop you off at the hotel. I've been out for over a month. There's an idiom that says, I can't wait to go home. Ha!"
Xiang Ziyu smiled slightly and said, "Yeah, I miss home a little bit too..."
The Audi stopped in front of the Minghua Hotel, which was owned by Gu Shitong. Liu Ya looked around and was quite satisfied with the environment. She said, "Mayor Chen's arrangement is pretty good... Hey, a poor man, do you want to go in with us to see more? Don't worry, we won't charge you any money. We'll treat you to breakfast!"
Although Xiang Ziyu didn't say anything, her eyes showed that she had no objection to this proposal. Although Wen Liang didn't mind staying with them for a while, he and Gu Shitong were enemies. What if he was recognized while eating in his territory and secretly spit into the food? So it was better to have less trouble than more.
"Thank you Assistant Liu for your generosity, but I am poor and cannot afford such high-quality food." Wen Liang said jokingly, then stared at Xiang Ziyu's face and said, "Miss Xiang, may I ask, which Mayor Chen is the one Assistant Liu mentioned just now?"
After hearing what Wen Liang said, Xiang Ziyu looked at him quietly for a moment, straightened her body slightly, put her long legs sideways and together, raised her head slightly, lowered her eyelids, and said lightly: "Guanshan Mayor Chen Zongzhi, how come, do you know him too, Mr. Wen?"
"I've heard of it, but I don't know it, and I don't have the honor to do so!"
Wen Liang knew that Xiang Ziyu had misunderstood her and thought that she was the kind of opportunist who wanted to establish a relationship with high-ranking officials when he heard about them, so she only adjusted her sitting posture inadvertently, but her previous extremely comfortable and casual state changed to the current ladylike sitting posture that no one could find fault with.
It's hard to trust someone.
It's easy to not trust someone!
"I'm sure Mr. Wen can guess that we came to the mainland this time to make investments. Mayor Chen was introduced to us by a friend, so we are not familiar with each other."
Xiang Ziyu is a smart man, and smart people often think about why. Wen Liang has been very gentlemanly all along, and he knows how to behave in a very measured way. Apart from knowing that he is from Mingzhu, he has never asked any personal questions. Even when they were chatting in the car, he completely let down his guard and he still did not cross the line. But when he just arrived at Guanshan, he immediately became interested when he heard Chen Zongzhi's name. This was just the beginning of Liu Ya's words, but he immediately caught it, and the meaning it represented was self-evident.
And he is a native of Jiangdong, the mayor of a provincial capital city. Liu Ya may not know what he represents to the locals, but she is very clear about the power involved. If she could really establish a relationship with him, it would be enough to save people ten years of hard work!
Ten years, how many people can resist such temptation
Perhaps, he thought that after a night of getting along, he had laid enough groundwork and could take the opportunity to make some requests that did not seem too excessive, such as acting as a matchmaker between him and Mayor Chen
The human heart is indeed the most difficult thing to guess!
The alienation in Xiang Ziyu's words was very clear, and there was a hint of rejection. Wen Liang smiled and did not explain anything. Explaining at this time would make him seem guilty. He said, "I hope Miss Xiang's investment goes smoothly and her career prospers!"
The conversation was over, relatively boring, Xiang Ziyu and Liu Ya got out of the car, watched the Audi go away, and the urge to contact him disappeared at the last moment. Liu Ya seemed to sense something, glanced at her own lady, and said nothing.
Xiang Ziyu stood there for a while, her expression calmed down again, and she turned around and walked towards the hotel: "Xiao Ya, let's go, take a shower, have some breakfast, and then take some time to rest. We have to meet Chen Zongzhi in the morning."
She traveled thousands of miles in one night. It was the first time that she experienced street fights, the first time that she witnessed the joys and sorrows of ordinary people, the first time that she quietly hid behind a strange man and asked him to protect her, the first time that she boldly got into the stranger's car and traveled thousands of miles with him, and the first time that she did such a shameful thing in the wild. However, the figure standing under the bright moon did not make her feel embarrassed, but rather relieved!
He was not the wisest person she had ever met, nor the most charming person, nor was he a star that could be noticed at first sight, but compared to those handsome men who were always around her, he was easier to get close to and more relaxing, as if he had a strange quality that made boring topics interesting, and interesting topics even more interesting. Of course, this was not love, or even goodwill. She did not have the fantasy of a little girl falling in love at first sight, and she was no longer at the age of simply being obsessed with men. She had just been alone for too long and thought she had finally met someone who could be her friend.
However, in the end, she discovered that this friend was no different from the men she had met before, or rather, the difference was that he was better at hiding his true face, and because of this, he seemed even more terrifying!
but…
Thank you for this night's journey.
Then,
Go your separate ways, take care!
(On September 1, 2010, Parallel Lines was officially released. On September 1, 2015, a full five years had passed. Many people went from being students to working, and many people went from being single to being married. Everyone, including me, has changed a lot, but what remains unchanged is the original intention of writing Parallel Lines. Thank you for the persistence of my friends who have followed me so far, and thank you for your willingness to tolerate Maru's laziness and lack of strength. Looking back now, I have so many words to say but I don't know where to start. I can only bow my head again and thank you so much!) (To be continued)