Chen Xiang's hometown is in a mountainous area in the southwest. Although the administrative level is a county, the total population of the county is only 170,000, which is not even as large as the population of some developed towns on the eastern seaboard. And the annual output value here is very, very low, and there are basically no industries to sell, so there are no jobs.

Chen Xiang has lived in this small county for more than ten years, and there has been basically no development in the county in the past ten years. It will always be a main road, and the reason why it is called a main road is not only because it is the only two-way lane in the county, but also because it is the busiest place in the county. There are dozens of shops that provide shopping opportunities for the residents of the prefecture.

Most of the houses in the county are low-rise, and seven stories are considered high-rises. Because the buildings further up need to build elevators, it is a bit too luxurious for this poor county to build elevator rooms. After repairing, few people can afford to live in an elevator room. Because the per capita monthly income here is only 1,7500 yuan. In fact, it has always been difficult to find a job in the county seat that is more than 1,500.

In fact, Chen Xiang's family conditions are relatively good in the county, and their family runs a hot and sour noodle shop in the county. A bowl of hot and sour noodles sells for five yuan, which is not expensive. But for the people of this county, it is not cheap. The level of education in the county has always been very poor, even if Chen Xiang studied hard, but his grades were not very good.

If you go to high school, you won't have much of a way out, because most of you won't be able to get into college. So as soon as his parents summed it up, they simply pooled money from the family and sent Chen Xiang to Jinan thousands of miles away to study at a technical school. At least this can be regarded as letting my son go out and see the market. I can also find a good job outside in the future.

Pity the hearts of parents all over the world, and that's all Chen Xiang's parents can do for Chen Xiang. They have lived in the county all their lives, and they know that there will be no interest or development here. So they gave a lot of their savings to Chen Xiang to go out to study.

Chen Xiang hasn't been home for a year. Because the round-trip fare is too expensive to go home. He worked in Jinan during his winter and summer vacations, earning a little tuition and living expenses. This time he came home on the hyperloop to surprise his parents and tell them that their son was now in good shape. As soon as you graduate, you can get a job with an annual salary of 150,000 yuan.

got off the train with Mr. Wang, and under the leadership of Mr. Wang, Chen Xiang got on the bus back to the county. It's not the kind of bus I made two years ago, but the same suspension car as Jinan. However, it is clear that the price of this ticket is more expensive than that of the old buses. So many people don't necessarily choose to take this kind of car.

In Chen Xiang's memory, the road from the city back to his hometown was never very easy. Not to mention the potholes on the road, there are nine twists and eighteen turns. Most drivers are reluctant to run this mountain road because it is too dangerous. Not to mention the driver who drives, even passengers like themselves will be frightened every time they see the driver turning on the edge of the cliff, afraid that the driver will make a mistake and the whole car will fall off the cliff. And this is not uncommon, every year there are always some buses that fall off the cliffs.

Normally, this road is only 270 kilometers away from the provincial capital, and it takes nearly ten hours to reach it. The inconvenience of roads is also one of the main reasons for restricting the development of the county, and it is inconvenient to go out and enter. Mobility is also difficult. And there are many natural villages scattered in the mountains in the county, and their conditions are even more difficult.

When the hovercar drove to the highway where it should enter the mountain, Chen Xiang couldn't help but grab the handle of the seat. He looked nervous, and Mr. Wang glanced at him: "What's wrong?"

"I was a little scared of the way into the mountains. Chen Xiang told the truth. However, Mr. Wang smiled calmly: "Don't be afraid, a new road has been built now." Teacher Wang pointed into the distance.

One straddles the mountains, connecting the two mountains that are more than ten kilometers apart. Originally, the road required hundreds of kilometers of winding through the mountains, which was dangerous and slow. A rainbow descends from the sky, and the danger becomes a thoroughfare.

"This bridge is called Feihong Bridge. Because of the fog in the early morning in the mountains, a beautiful rainbow is formed under the refraction of the sun. It is said that you can see a beautiful rainbow on the bridge every morning. Mr. Wang smiled and said to Chen Xiang: "Of course, this bridge is not a rainbow falling from the sky, but an engineering miracle created by construction workers in just half a year." ”

"Can this bridge be repaired in half a year?!" Chen Xiang was incredible.

"Hehe, Xiao Chen, aren't you a mecha piloting professional? You should know how much the engineering mecha has changed the productivity of the entire society after it is put into production. A skilled engineering mech pilot can compare to dozens or hundreds of traditional construction workers. They can do almost anything, welding, handling, lifting, calibrating, mapping, calculating. Why do you get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars as soon as you graduate? Because the company knows how much value you can create, and you alone can afford the workload of one of their previous working groups. Relatively speaking, you save the company money by being practical. ”

Listening to Mr. Wang talk about these things that he never understood and never understood, Chen Xiang thought to himself that it was no wonder that he could get such a high salary.

The suspension bus runs smoothly on the Feihong Bridge as always, with high mountains on both sides, and deep cliffs under the bridge. A line of birds flew in a line at the arch of the bridge, and the cars were on the flat ground, but the people were in the air. Mr. Wang said: "Those engineering miracles in the past will become normal engineering projects in the future." In the past, it was impossible to build such roads and bridges for a county seat. But now it can. ”

"Why?" Chen Xiang was a little puzzled: "Is it because of the appearance of engineering mechas?"

"It's just one reason, it's more important to control nuclear fusion. Do you know that there is a [nuclear city] in the middle of our country?"

Hearing Teacher Wang's question, Chen Xiang nodded: "I know, our teacher said that this place is now called [Heart of China]. ”

"That's right, it's [the heart of China]. Because Tony Stark's Ark reactor was realized, and a spacecraft capable of going to the moon to mine helium-3 was built. This has led to a huge breakthrough in our controlled nuclear fusion. The state relocated all the original inhabitants of the [Nuclear City] and built a huge reactor for controlled nuclear fusion. Clean, efficient and pollution-free. It now supplies 75 percent of China's electricity. ”

"Now the price of electricity has fallen below the bottom line that we once expected. The cost of electricity is almost zero. In addition to paying part of the cost of equipment wear and tear and human resources, in fact, our country has begun to develop in the direction of free energy. Because energy is no longer expensive, even the production cost of various materials such as steel and cement has been pushed down. Coupled with the large-scale use of engineering mechs, construction costs are now beginning to shrink rapidly. But at the same time, because of the large-scale use of engineering mechas, many people are also unemployed. Did you know that almost 30 million industrial workers in our country have lost their jobs this year? ”

Teacher Wang talked about these things to Chen Xiang, and Chen Xiang shook his head blankly: "Is there so much? ”

"yes, you don't know. I can't even feel it. Because the state has started a large number of new constructions. The super building urban plan submitted by Stark Group, as well as these mega projects in our country, have been launched one by one. Because costs are compressed, financial pressures are eased. State funds can launch a very large number of industrial projects. These projects have absorbed a large number of traditional workers who have lost their jobs due to the rise of new industries. And as a superhero, Tony Stark is also very clear that he has put in so many engineering mechs, so that the engineering and manufacturing industry has entered the 3.0 era. He may have foreseen this wave of unemployment. So he's also invested a lot of money in the world. Training for those who have lost their jobs as a result of their own industrial upgrading programs. Although it is impossible to make everyone progress with industrial upgrading, just like you are successful in upgrading, there will be losers. But it's also unavoidable. At least Tony Stark has invested a fair amount of money in this to do it. All of these factors come together, so you don't feel a noticeable wave of unemployment, and you don't feel a noticeable sense of social unrest. ”

Chen Xiang nodded as if he didn't understand. Because of these things, the roads in your hometown have also been repaired? The hovercar traveled in an hour to cover what had once taken ten hours. At the station, Chen Xiang and Mr. Wang said goodbye and broke up.

Standing at the gate of the station, Chen Xiang was a little surprised, is this his former county seat? Now the entire county is like a big construction site, which is completely different from the appearance that has not changed for ten years.

Chen Xiang saw a large truck transporting a large amount of I-beams to a construction site for building construction, and an engineering mecha directly grabbed an I-beam and flew it into the air, and then put the I-beam on the part that needed to be welded. Immediately afterwards, another engineering mecha flew over and welded the I-beam with the welding torch in its arm. With the cooperation of the two mechs, the high-altitude welding operation was completed in just one minute. This is unimaginable in traditional welding, which requires the perfect coordination of the crane and the worker. Perhaps it takes more than an hour before and after welding one such I-beam. Now there is another engineering mecha, and the efficiency has increased by more than sixty times.

The roads in the county have also been widened repeatedly, from the original two lanes to four lanes. A large number of engineers are building new buildings. Chen Xiang found his family's hot and sour noodle shop with his memory. The business in the store is surprisingly good, in sharp contrast to the lukewarm business of the past.

Chen Xiang noticed that most of the people who came to eat here seemed to be people working on construction sites. They all wore safety suits and helmets. Chatting while eating hot and sour noodles. Chen Xiang's parents were busy in the store, and they didn't see Chen Xiang at all.

However, Chen Xiang also noticed that there were two people in the crowd eating here who looked a little unusual. Because they weren't wearing that kind of dirty overalls and safety helmets. Instead, he wore a gray tights, which was a bit like the kind of gym outfit he wore to exercise.

And they were clearly a bit out of place with the construction workers. The construction workers were chatting about their hometowns, all sorts of pornographic jokes, who had made a mistake in mixing cement today, or who had not done a good job of tying the rebar. And these two people are talking about what inclination angle cut, power compensation, heat decay consumption and so on.

Chen Xiang listened carefully, and he knew all these questions. Because this is what I learned in school. It's just that their own experience is not enough, and there are many things that the two of them have not heard or encountered yet. After the two finished eating the hot and sour noodles, they scanned the code to pay, said to Chen Xiang's parents, who were still busy in the back kitchen, paid the money, and then got up and left.

Chen Xiang noticed that the other workers in the store looked at the two of them with envy, jealousy, and unwillingness. But these two people didn't pay any attention to the eyes of these traditional construction workers, and even treated them as if they didn't exist. It's as if they're no longer in this world.

They walked to the door of the store, where they listened to two gray engineering mechs with a metallic sheen and a very sci-fi look.

This type of mecha Chen Xiang learned in school, and it is the new sub-flagship engineering mecha of Stark Group. The Chinese translation is "Creator". The price of a mecha is as high as 11 million coins, and you must have a B+ level driving certificate to be allowed to drive.

Don't look at yourself as a B-level certificate holder, it doesn't look much different from B+. But Chen Xiang knew very well that there was actually a huge gap in this small level.

"Dress. The two stood in front of the mecha and shouted orders.

"The sound comparison is correct, and the pupil contrast is successful. The mech is turned on. "In the sound of mechanical science fiction, two mechs with a height of 2.5 meters open up the internal operation space. Two pilots enter the mech, which closes. Under the slightly envious gaze of the passers-by and the jealousy of their co-workers, the two flew away in a mecha.

Chen Xiang glanced at the other construction workers in the store, and he thought of what Teacher Wang had said to him. Perhaps the value that dozens of other workers in this store can create in a day is not even as much as the amount of work that others can do in a day. So it's no wonder that the two mech pilots can't talk to them at all. The two types of people are not at the same level at all. There is a big difference in income.

Others work in engineering mechas, and they don't need to be exposed to the wind and sun. The mech has a life support system that keeps the driver in a comfortable state at all times. In addition to being mentally stressed, they are not physically overworked. Presumably, these people think that the work of mecha pilots is high and easy to do. So they're going to be a little upset.

But what can that be? Chen Xiang suddenly thought of a sentence: Those who cannot keep up with the times will be eliminated by the times. The times are progressing so fast, how many people will be eliminated?

This is his best era, but what about the others? Is it too? Or do they think this is actually the worst era? Chen Xiang suddenly thought of this for no reason. But he didn't have to think about it in a hurry, because his mother, who had been busy, was bringing out a bowl of hot and sour noodles from the back kitchen, and she saw Chen Xiang and shouted happily: "Xiangxiang!"

"Mom. Can you not call me by my nickname!" Chen Xiang was a little ashamed. Because of such a big person, he still has a nickname, which really makes him feel very shy.

"Why are you back?!" After serving hot and sour noodles to the guests, the mother couldn't help but step forward and ask with concern, "Aren't you studying at school to prepare for your graduation exam?"

"I finished the exam the day before yesterday and signed a work agreement yesterday. I've got a job. Chen Xiang surprised his mother, but there are too many outsiders here, and he can't say how much he earns from his work.

"Really?!, that feeling good. You go to your Chen Tiege's house and sit for a while, and then you'll be busy at noon. I'm going home with you. Mother happily patted Chen Xiang on the shoulder.

Chen Tie is Chen Xiang's cousin, and he was originally a cheerful person. When they were children, the two played together, but since Chen Tie was in a car accident at the age of sixteen and broke a leg, he has never laughed again, and he doesn't even read books, and he is depressed at home every day, and he will only be happy when he chats with Chen Xiang. Chen Xiang was ready to give Chen Tie a surprise, but he didn't expect that he gave himself a surprise on the way to Chen Tie's holiday.

"Brother Tie, your legs have grown?!" Chen Xiang looked at Chen Tie's other thigh intact in disbelief. Chen Tie was just going home from grocery shopping.

"yes! Chen Tie smiled, but his smile was not so cheerful: "Osborne's limb regeneration center has opened a medical point in the provincial capital. I went to the queue to register, and it was my turn five months ago. I went for treatment. Healed my broken leg. ”

Chen Xiang didn't notice the bitterness in Chen Tie's smile, and he said very happily: "This is a good thing!"

"yes, that's a good thing. Although the doctor said that a new leg might shorten my life by five to seven years. But it's worth it. It is better for a disabled person to live to the age of 70 than for the able-bodied to live to the age of 60. Chen Tie said these words that Chen Xiang agreed with very much.

"Anyway, our brothers are going to have a good drink today. Chen Tie put his arm around Chen Xiang's shoulders and walked home.

"Brother, you're on the wrong track. Chen Xiang pointed to the road and said to Chen Tie when he passed by Chen Tie's house.

"That's right. The family's house was sold. ”

"Sold ?!!!"

"yes, sold. And all the compensation for the accident that year was spent. You don't know how expensive Osborne Medical Center is. In order for my leg to grow again, my family has sold everything of value. I also borrowed 30,000 yuan from your family. But don't worry, I'll go out and look for a job to pay it back. Even if I go to the construction site to move bricks, I won't owe this money. ”

Seeing Chen Tie say this, the corners of Chen Xiang's mouth moved. But in the end, he still didn't say what he wanted to say.

"Brother, in the future, there may be no need to move bricks on the construction site. Now times have changed. Anyone who can't keep up with the rapid pace of this era will be eliminated. ”

I don't know why, Chen Xiang suddenly thought of the high-speed train. This era is like this fast-moving train, and how many people can keep up with it without being eliminated? What was popular yesterday will be out of fashion tomorrow.

What seemed like a normal way of life yesterday will become outdated and ridiculous tomorrow.

If Chen Xiang had read Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities", he might have said with emotion: This is the best of times, and the worst of times. Use this to whine.

Now the only thing Chen Xiang thinks about is what will they do if so many people can't keep up with the train of the times?

Note: The stories written in this chapter are based in part on the '08 financial crisis.