Chapter 41: Start
Chapter 41: Start
“Hehe, my words were crude, cousin, don’t mind me,” Li Zian said apologetically.
Ge Jun snorted coldly and glared at Li Zian with a vicious look.
Li Zian said with a smile, “Cousin, your eyes are very special. Have you seen The Invincible East? Your eyes right now reminded me of him.”
Yu Meilin couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
Even family ties could easily break.
Ge Jun’s temper suddenly exploded. “Enough, you little rascal! Do you think your joke is funny? If it weren’t for Meilin’s sake, I would tear your mouth!”
The smile disappeared from Li Zian’s face. “I called you cousin to give you face. Do you think I’m afraid of you? Not just here, but even in Shanghai, you can’t just tear my mouth if you want. Want to give it a try?”
Ge Jun clenched his fist, but then loosened it again.
He really wanted to tear Li Zian’s mouth, but he was sure he couldn’t win a fight against Li Zian.
Li Zian said lightly, “If you don’t dare to tear my mouth, then let’s get down to business. Why are you here?”
Ge Jun took a deep breath, trying hard to control his emotions, and then said, “Meilin, look what kind of man you married. He’s fierce and vulgar. I’m really worried for you. You probably don’t even realize you’ve let a wolf into your house.”
Yu Meilin said, “My affairs are none of your concern. Don’t try to drive a wedge between Zian and me. Just say it, why are you here? If you’re only here for small talk, then I’m afraid I can’t accompany you. I have many things to handle.”
Ge Jun sneered, “Since you don’t care about family ties, I won’t bother beating around the bush. I looked into it. This Copper Mine not only owes the Jingua Village workers over a million in labor fees, but it also owes the local government more than twelve million in Mineral Resource Compensation Fee. As for this Copper Mine, I know you probably won’t admit it, but the fact is, it can’t produce any ore. You only have one way out: accept Second Young Master’s conditions.”
Yu Meilin said, “Go back and tell him, that house was left to me by my mother, I won’t sell it. If he wants Grandma to live with him, he can go talk to Grandma anytime. As long as Grandma is willing, I will personally drive her to his house.”
Ge Jun said, “You know very well that Grandma likes you and dotes on you the most. If Second Young Master could just take her away by asking, would he even need to offer you conditions?”
Yu Meilin frowned slightly. “What do you mean?”
“You need to do something that upsets Grandma, make her unable to stay in your home. Then, when the elderly needs help the most, Second Young Master will appear, and then you leave,” Gejun said.
Yu Meilin was so angry she laughed. “So you’re saying I should be the villain, and he gets to be the good guy. What a great plan you came up with!”
“Meilin, you have no other choice. I’m just the vanguard. Second Young Master will come. He has connections and pathways here. Given the amount of Mineral Resource Compensation Fee you owe the local government, he can persuade the authorities to terminate your mining rights. He will take over your Copper Mine. By then, you won’t just lose this Copper Mine, but also New Star Company.”
Yu Meilin’s heart sank.
“Second Young Master is coming tomorrow. You have tonight to think it over. Consider it carefully,” Gejun said, looking very confident.
Yu Meilin’s mind was in turmoil. She instinctively glanced at Li Zian.
Li Zian stood up from the Sofa. “Ge, you should leave. Whatever decision Meilin makes, she will discuss it with Yu Jiahao. A dog barking here for half the day won’t help.”
“You… you dare call me a dog? You little rascal!” The anger Gejun had just suppressed surged up again. He swung his hand to slap Li Zian.
Li Zian raised his hand to block Gejun’s, and in that instant, kicked Gejun in the abdomen.
Gejun was kicked so hard his feet left the ground. He flew back two steps before landing, then curled up like a shrimp.
Yu Meilin was also startled. “Zian, you…”
Li Zian said, “No need to be polite to a dog that comes to provoke. Just hit it. When hitting a dog, you look at its Master. I was hitting it for its Master to see.”
He walked over, grabbed Gejun by the collar, and dragged him towards the door.
Yu Meilin’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
Personally, she didn’t want Li Zian to hit anyone. But emotionally, she felt satisfied. This Gejun came and incited San Jiuxiang to cause trouble, then pressured her with conditions she absolutely couldn’t accept. It was too much. Just moments ago, she almost couldn’t resist slapping Gejun herself!
Li Zian dragged Gejun to the door like a dead dog, opened it, and threw Gejun out.
Gejun rolled on the ground several times before stopping, covered in dust, his hair messy. The previously decent-looking man now truly resembled a dog that had been badly beaten.
Gejun struggled to get up from the ground, in pain and furious, his voice trembling. “You little rascal, you… you’re finished!”
Several men in suits hurried over. Some helped Gejun up, while the others moved to surround Li Zian.
Wang Cheng, who had been watching nearby, shouted again, “Brothers, get your tools!”
Dozens of rough men charged over again, carrying shovels, steel rods, pipes, and such.
Before Gejun could speak, the suited men who wanted to gang up on Li Zian stopped.
Fighting is simple—you just do it. But if you’re definitely going to be the one knocked down, how could you fight?
Li Zian said, “Still not leaving? Want to be carried out?”
“You little rascal, just you wait! Let’s go!” Gejun left with his men.
“Dammit, you’re lucky you knew better, or we’d have killed you!”
“Foolish, still trying to show off here? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your sorry faces!”
“What are you looking at? Keep looking and I’ll hit you with a brick!”
A large group of rough men cursed and swore.
Yu Meilin initially wanted to come out and see, but hearing the rough men’s vulgar language, she couldn’t bring herself to step out.
Gejun couldn’t straighten his back even when he reached the main gate, still hunched over. That kick was really vicious. He glanced back at Li Zian, his eyes poisonous and full of hatred.
Li Zian smiled, raised his right hand high, and waved.
Was that a goodbye?
Gejun felt a choking sensation in his chest, coughed violently, and spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Wow, did I hit him too hard?” Li Zian thought to himself, feeling a bit guilty.
Two off-road vehicles drove away.
Li Zian said to Wang Cheng, “Mine Manager Wang, the brothers were great. Tonight, let’s have extra food and drinks, plenty of meat and alcohol. It’s on me.”
Wang Cheng said with a smile, “Thank you, General Manager Li.”
“General Manager Li is awesome!”
“General Manager Li is generous!”
The dozens of rough men were also very happy.
Li Zian immediately added Wang Cheng on WeChat and transferred him ten thousand yuan to buy alcohol and meat.
Wang Cheng took two men and left.
Li Zian returned to the Prefabricated Panel House.
Yu Meilin said, “I never thought you were so generous before. In four years of marriage, you never gave me a single gift. You just met these people today, yet you spent ten thousand on treating them.”
Li Zian smiled wryly. “You only came back once a year and didn’t want to talk to me. How could I know what gift you wanted? As for now, they helped us. Besides, you’ll still need to rely on these people in the future. Treating them to a meal is only right. I make money easily now, so I can be more generous. In the past, even if I wanted to treat like this, I couldn’t afford it.”
An awkward expression flashed across Yu Meilin’s face. She changed the subject. “I was just thinking about Yu Jiahao’s conditions.”
Li Zian was slightly stunned. “You’re not thinking of accepting, are you?”
Yu Meilin remained silent.
“No matter what difficulties we face, I will face and overcome them with you. But if you give up, then I can’t help you either,” Li Zian said.
“I don’t want to give up New Star Company. And this Copper Mine is New Star Company’s only hope. But…” Yu Meilin sighed. “If Yu Jiahao really has the connections to persuade the local government to terminate my mining rights and buy this Copper Mine, then New Star Company will really be finished. My mind is a mess right now.”
“Even if New Star Company is finished, you don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of you,” Li Zian said.
“Do you think I’m the kind of woman who needs a man to support her?” Yu Meilin retorted.
It was the same old problem. She was too strong-willed, and talking with her easily ended conversations.
Li Zian changed the subject. “Let me try to see if I can help you find the ore vein. If I can find it, then Yu Jiahao, and even the Yu Family, won’t be able to pressure you anymore.”
“You can find the ore vein?” Yu Meilin’s eyes lit up with hope.
Li Zian said, “I’ll do my best. I hope I can find it. I’m going to look for some things.”
“What things are you looking for?”
“Don’t worry about that.” Li Zian left the Prefabricated Panel House.
Yu Meilin followed him to the doorway. She wanted to call out to Li Zian, but her cherry lips trembled, and the words to make him stay never came out.
Li Zian asked a few miners and finally got a bundle of incense sticks from one miner.
People working in the mines mostly respected gods and spirits. They would worship the mountain gods before blasting or entering the mines, so things like incense, candles, and Spirit Money were common.
Holding that bundle of incense, Li Zian went up the mountain again.
By the time he climbed to the mountainside, the sky was growing dim. When he reached the mountaintop, it was completely dark.
The night sky was clear, the dark blue Heavenly Veil filled with countless stars like dust.
Li Zian stood at the highest point, looking down. The Mining Site was lit up. The rough men at the mine were probably feasting on large pieces of meat and drinking from big bowls. In the distance, Jingua Village was brightly lit, but only the lights were visible, not the stilted houses.
Li Zian’s gaze moved slowly, looking left and right, front and back, observing the mountain shapes and formations, the water shapes and flows.
Still no results.
This outcome was within Li Zian’s expectations. He chose this time to climb the mountain because he wanted to try solving the problem using Star Observation.
After a brief preparation, Li Zian took three incense sticks from the oil paper wrapping, lit them with a lighter, and stuck them beside him.
Wisps of blue smoke rose.
Boom!
The Great Sluggish Cauldron awakened. In that instant, Li Zian’s brain seemed to open up, containing the entire starry sky!