Grandma Lin got up and walked out of the main room, calling out towards the kitchen, "Ayan, go to the village to answer the phone."

When she looked towards the door again, the village secretary was nowhere to be seen.

Hearing the sound, Lin Ziyan hurriedly came out of the kitchen, but seeing the heavy rain outside, she thought she had misheard.

"Grandma, has the village secretary come by?" She looked suspiciously at the door, but didn't see anyone.

Grandma nodded, "Go quickly, it says it's an overseas call, it should be your uncle calling."

She took a raincoat from the room next door and handed it to Lin Ziyan.

Then they gave her a large umbrella.

Lin Ziyan put on a raincoat, opened a large umbrella, and walked out of the yard.

When she arrived at the village office, she saw Grandpa Lin sitting inside playing chess and paused for a few seconds.

"Ayan, come in and wait quickly."

"They'll call back in a bit." Village Party Secretary Grandpa Qin beckoned her to sit down in the chair next to the phone.

Grandpa Lin,

"Grandpa Qin".

Lin Ziyan greeted them before taking off her raincoat and placing it on a bamboo pole outside the office.

She sat in the chair for a few minutes, and then the phone rang.

"Hello, I am Lin Ziyan."

There was static coming from the other end of the phone, indicating a poor signal.

After a short while, it seemed like the call was transferred, and then the sound came through.

"Ayan, it's your uncle." Lin Shaowen's voice came from the other end of the phone.

Lin Ziyan, "..."

Is this a transfer from overseas?

She almost forgot how difficult it is to make a phone call from abroad these days.

"Uncle," Lin Ziyan called out softly.

Village Party Secretary Uncle Qin and Uncle Lin exchanged a knowing glance.

When Lin Atai was young, she adopted a son, who later went to sea on a ship and never returned.

Many of the older generation in the village know this.

Lin Ziyan listened carefully.

[Ayan, Boss Huo has already told your uncle about what happened last time. If you encounter any difficulties next time, just contact him, and he will find me. Communication is inconvenient in China right now, and I can't reach you from afar.]

I want to fund the reconstruction of the port, but I don't trust the investment promotion department in Fukushi City...

Lin Ziyan pursed her lips, and after listening, she immediately thought of Lu Qiuying.

"Uncle, you can contact the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing. They can recommend suitable candidates for you."

After she finished speaking, Lin Shaowen said a few more words, and then she hung up the phone.

Lin Ziyan greeted the two chess players and then left.

She hurried out of the office and rushed home.

…

On the other side

The conference room of Fukushima City Government

Lu Qiuying's sudden appointment to the Fuzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce aroused great dissatisfaction from the former director of the Foreign Trade Department.

The last foreign business summit was a great success, giving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a much-needed boost in the Ministry of Commerce's standing.

Before they could even catch their breath, a Minister of Commerce was parachuted into Beijing.

"Director Luo, haven't you contacted Mr. Lin proactively?"

Lu Qiuying's tone was calm, revealing no emotion.

She flipped through the summit summary report submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, and was not very satisfied.

Director Luo leaned back in his chair, his gaze sharp. "Before Mr. Lin left, he promised to consider the issue of port reconstruction."

Lu Qiuying nodded. "Then there isn't."

The expressions on the faces of the people in the meeting room all changed slightly.

For their first time hosting a foreign business summit, this achievement is already commendable.

But now, it's a completely different story.

Director Luo smiled faintly, "How about Minister Lu takes the initiative to contact him?"

"Give us a demonstration?"

The smile in his eyes was ambiguous as he looked at Lu Qiuying.

Director Luo has some powerful connections. If Lu Qiuying's connections weren't stronger than his, he wouldn't have had to swallow his pride and give a little girl a subordinate position.

Lu Qiuying didn't notice his gaze. "Okay."

She was just about to follow up on the port matter when Director Luo unexpectedly presented her with the opportunity.

Upon assuming her new post, Lu Qiuying did not rush to make any major adjustments.

Moreover, she was well-prepared and communicating directly with Mr. Lin was not a problem.

Director Luo squinted, intending to say more about Lin Shaowen, but suddenly decided he didn't want to say anything more.

“Then let’s wait and see, otherwise we won’t know how to do our work…” said Deputy Director Wang from the Foreign Investment Department.

He and Director Luo have always been at odds, but they are quite compatible when it comes to working together against external threats.

Deputy Director Wang was originally waiting for his position to be moved up so that he could get promoted.

Unexpectedly, someone from above parachuted in, thwarting their plans.

The foreign business summit has concluded, and while the response was indeed positive, there were no actual investments.

Those foreign businessmen either built ancestral halls or donated money and supplies to schools.

After reading through the recent documents, Lu Qiuying closed the meeting and said, "Meeting adjourned."

She knew her subordinates were dissatisfied, but she knew that saying anything now would be less effective than producing results.

"Director Luo, do you think she will stay in Fuzhou indefinitely?"

Deputy Director Wang watched Lu Qiuying's retreating figure, lost in thought.

Given his age, if he doesn't advance further within three years, he'll likely stagnate.

“We can let her return to Beijing ahead of schedule,” Director Luo said calmly, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.

Mr. Lin hates it when someone calls him abruptly.

If Lu Qiuying offends Mr. Lin this time, causing the port reconstruction project to be shelved for a long time, then there's no need for him to take action.

Upon realizing this, the coldness in Director Luo's eyes completely vanished.

The new Minister of Commerce may soon be transferred.

After leaving the meeting room.

Lu Qiuying took out Lin Shaowen's information separately and pursed her lips slightly.

Lin Shaowen went to Germany by ship in his early years, and later founded Rongkai Shipping Company, which gradually developed into Rongkai Shipping Group.

I haven't been back to China for over fifty years. This was my first time back. My parents were separated during the war years.

Knock knock,

Lu Qiuying looked towards the door and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Lu Yunshen strode into the house, carrying a bag in his hand. "Grandma asked me to deliver some soup on my way."

He put down the thermos and turned to leave.

"Wait..." Lu Qiuying called out to him in time.

She took out a small box of books from the cabinet; they were clearly newly delivered, as the seals on them hadn't been torn off yet.

Lu Qiuying took another notebook from the drawer and put it in the box.

"Please take this to Lin Ziyan for me."

Lu Yunshen's gaze paused slightly, then he turned and walked to her desk, casually flipping through the pages.

English version, German version?

They are all books about aquaculture.

Lu Qiuying opened the thermos; inside was a stewed soup with seafood, which smelled delicious.

"How do you have so many books on this subject?" Lu Yunshen lifted his eyelids and looked at her.

Lu Qiuying took a sip of soup before slowly saying, "Do you think I got this position as Minister of Commerce by taking the exam casually?"

"Most of them were bought back from abroad by my aunt."

"When I took the exam, my goal was the provincial capital on the coast."

Lu Yunshen raised an eyebrow, picked up the tape next to him, and resealed the box.

It's raining today, and if I take the book out like this, it will definitely get wet.