Chapter 36: Yun Di
Chapter 36: Yun Di
A worn-out Great Wall Pickup Truck was bumping along a rugged mountain road, kicking up a thick cloud of yellow-brown dust behind its wheels, as if some monster was chasing it.
The driver was the mine manager of the copper mine, Wang Cheng. His hair was messy, his body was dirty, and his skin was dark. A man in his thirties, he looked like he was in his forties.
Wang Cheng had a smell on him, a mix of diesel, gunpowder, and tobacco that was very unpleasant. Yu Meilin wrinkled her nose the whole way, her face full of disgust. If she had a mask, she would have put it on as soon as she got in the car.
Li Zian didn’t mind. He leaned against the car window, looking at the scenery outside. There were rolling mountains and pine forests, as well as a blue sky and white clouds.
“General Manager Yu, is this your first time at the mine?” Wang Cheng broke the silence in the car.
Yu Meilin said, “I came once when the Jingua Copper Mine was first approved. The locals took me to have a look. I barely remember it now, I don’t know what it looks like anymore.”
“It’s changed a lot. That mountain is almost dug bare. Damn it, there’s still no ore. If this continues, I’m afraid my head will go bald too.” Wang Cheng sighed, unable to hide the bitterness and helplessness in his voice.
Yu Meilin was silent for a moment before saying, “Mine Manager Wang, be honest with me. Can the Jingua Copper Mine produce ore?”
“There has to be ore. The instruments don’t lie. But we don’t know where the vein is. Give me one more year, and I will definitely find the vein,” Wang Cheng said.
Yu Meilin’s face turned pale.
One more year?
The creditors of New Star Company wouldn’t give her a year.
Li Zian wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say.
The car climbed up a slope and then drove further into a valley.
In the valley, there was a Caotian Tribe village. Stilt houses stood at the foot of the mountain and on the slopes, row upon row, covering a large area. It was mealtime, and cooking smoke rose from the village. Against the blue sky, white clouds, green mountains, and clear waters, it had a unique charm of a paradise.
“General Manager Yu, Mr. Li, let’s go eat in the village first. After we eat, we’ll go to the mine,” Wang Cheng said.
Yu Meilin said, “No need. We ate on the plane. Let’s go directly to the mine.”
“But I’ve already arranged it. Caotian-style wild game and wild vegetables. You definitely haven’t tried them.”
Yu Meilin frowned. “Go directly to the mine.”
“Well… alright then.” Wang Cheng stepped on the accelerator.
The car sped past the road beside Jingua Village and drove about four or five more kilometers into the mountains before reaching the Jingua Copper Mine.
Li Zian saw some buildings through the car window. Most were prefabricated panel houses, with a few brick houses. The red bricks and tiles didn’t even have plaster on the walls. A large group of people dressed in Caotian Tribe clothes were gathered in front of an iron gate, seemingly arguing. He could hear the noise even through the car window.
“Mine Manager Wang, what are those people doing at the gate?” Li Zian asked.
Wang Cheng punched the dashboard angrily and said, “Those are all people from Jingua Village. A few came yesterday asking for money. I didn’t expect so many to come today.”
“What money are they asking for?” Li Zian asked.
“Wages for their work. The mine has no money right now. If I had it, I would have given it to them long ago. I told them to wait a bit longer. Causing trouble like this won’t make money appear.” Wang Cheng glanced back at Yu Meilin.
Yu Meilin said coldly, “Don’t look at me. The company’s accounts have no money either.”
Wang Cheng was slightly stunned. He clearly didn’t expect Yu Meilin to answer so directly. His face became serious in that instant. The company had no money, the copper mine wasn’t producing ore, and people were blocking the gate every day demanding money. What could he do?
“Mine Manager Wang, how much money does the mine owe those people?” Li Zian asked again.
“Not too much. About over a million. The exact amount would require checking,” Wang Cheng said.
Li Zian said, “Go tell them to come get the money tomorrow and ask them to disperse.”
“Really?” Wang Cheng looked incredulous. General Manager Yu said there was no money, but General Manager Yu’s husband was telling them to come get the money. He didn’t know who to listen to.
Li Zian nodded. “Really, go ahead.”
“Alright, I’ll go right away. Those guys really annoy me.” Wang Cheng eagerly pushed open the car door.
Yu Meilin said, “Wait a moment.”
Wang Cheng had one foot already out of the car but pulled it back. “General Manager Yu, do you have further instructions?”
Yu Meilin said, “Get out and wait a moment. I need to speak with my husband.”
“Okay.” Wang Cheng got out of the car and closed the door.
Yu Meilin looked at Li Zian. “Zian, I made it very clear. The company’s accounts have no money. We’re currently applying for a loan, but the bank hasn’t approved it yet. You told them to come get money tomorrow. What are we supposed to give them?”
Li Zian smiled. “I have money. Those people came for their wages. We can’t cheat them out of that money; we have to pay them.”
“You have money?” Yu Meilin gave a bitter smile. “Didn’t you hear Mine Manager Wang just now? That’s over a million, not a thousand yuan.”
“I heard clearly. I know it’s over a million.”
“I believe you have a thousand, but where would you get over a million? Don’t tell me you saved over a million from growing vegetables in the mountains all these years.” Yu Meilin’s eyes were full of doubt.
Li Zian said, “Since I left the mountains, I’ve treated two people and did fortune-telling. They paid me. I have over two million in my account.”
Yu Meilin said in surprise, “Who would give that much?”
“One was Mu Chuntao’s friend, named Fan Rui. The other was a casino boss from Haijing Island introduced by Fan Rui. That boss directly gave two million.”
“A person gave you two million for a fortune-telling?” Yu Meilin still didn’t believe it.
Li Zian patiently explained, “Do you think I’m a street-side fortune-teller doing it for a few dollars? This is a private, customized, high-end service. For this, I even set up a studio. I asked Mu Chuntao to help me find clients.”
Since she asked, he might as well bring up the studio matter to avoid having to explain later if she found out.
Yu Meilin was silent for a moment before saying, “What is your relationship with Mu Chuntao?”
The question made Li Zian inexplicably nervous, but he remained calm on the surface. “She had nothing to do anyway. I offered her fifty thousand a month to help me find clients.”
“Would she care about that little money?” Yu Meilin retorted.
Li Zian said, “In the future, there will be many important people seeking my fortune-telling services. She’s also using this opportunity to connect with those important people.”
“How long has your studio been established? You’re only telling me today?” Yu Meilin stared directly at Li Zian, her eyes seeming to pierce through him.
“It was established just yesterday. Telling you today isn’t too late, is it?”
Yu Meilin continued to stare at Li Zian, as if weighing how much of his words were true and how much were false.
Li Zian gave a wry smile. “You asked me a bunch of questions. Now I’ll ask you just one. When is your birthday?”
Yu Meilin was taken aback. Her doubtful expression turned into one of embarrassment.
They had been married for four years, and their child was three years old, yet she had never even told Li Zian her birthday.
Li Zian shrugged. “Isn’t that right? You tell me nothing. You’ve only started talking to me more recently. Would you care about what I do?”
“Let’s get out of the car.” Yu Meilin opened the car door and got out.
Li Zian also opened the door and got out.
At that moment, over a dozen Caotian people approached. They were all young adults, probably the main ones blocking the gate. The leader was tall and strong, with dark skin. By his looks, he didn’t seem like a friendly person.
“Mine Manager Wang, if you don’t pay up today, brother here won’t be polite!” the leading Caotian man said aggressively.
Wang Cheng frowned and said, “San Jiuxiang, how many times do I have to tell you? Don’t cause trouble. The company won’t withhold your money. We just need you to wait a bit.”
“I can’t wait!” The man called San Jiuxiang spat on the ground. “It’s today. Either you pay up, or we’ll shut down this damn mine.”
More Caotian people gathered around.
Wang Cheng looked at Yu Meilin. “General Manager Yu, what do you think…”
Yu Meilin said, “Tell them to come get the money tomorrow morning.”
Wang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and then said, “Our General Manager Yu said, come get the money tomorrow morning. You won’t be shortchanged. Everyone disperse. Blocking the gate like this won’t solve anything.”
San Jiuxiang shifted his gaze to Yu Meilin and Li Zian. “Who is General Manager Yu?”
Yu Meilin said, “I am.”
San Jiuxiang said, “Good. I’m telling you, you must pay us our wages today, or we’ll shut down your mine!”
Yu Meilin frowned. “I’ve made it very clear. Come get the money tomorrow morning. What more do you want?”
“No! We want the money now!”
“We don’t believe what you say. You’ve been delaying for half a year already!”
“Yeah, not a single word you say is true.”
A large group of Caotian tribespeople shouted and argued, their emotions running high.
Yu Meilin’s frown deepened, but she did not argue with the Caotian tribespeople.
Li Zian raised his voice and said, “Our General Manager Yu is here. She said she’ll pay you tomorrow, then she’ll pay you tomorrow. Not a single cent less. How much are your wages in total? We need to calculate the total, right? It takes time to withdraw money from the bank. Tomorrow morning is the soonest. If you continue to cause trouble here, we can’t work, we can’t calculate the accounts, we can’t withdraw the money. Then how can we pay you tomorrow?”
“Who are you?” San Jiuxiang glared at Li Zian, clearly not believing his words.
Before Li Zian could answer, Yu Meilin spoke up. “He is my husband. What he says is the same as what I say. If you don’t believe it, then wait outside. Zian, let’s go in.”
Li Zian followed Yu Meilin through the iron gate.
The group of Caotian tribespeople still gathered at the entrance, refusing to leave.
“I’ll transfer the money to you, and you can transfer it to the mine,” Li Zian said.
Yu Meilin said, “My birthday is August 15th.”
Li Zian stared at her blankly, at a loss for words.