Chapter 1739: Securing It

"Teacher Ma, I truly thank you for going to such great trouble to move houses. Actually, if you ask me, this county isn't large; living anywhere is much the same..."

Wang Yan, carrying wine, biscuits, canned goods, and other items, went to visit the cadre who had yielded his house to him. The man was in his forties and worked for the County Public Finance Bureau.

Houses and land in Mazhi County were worthless; this gesture of organizational care was what held true value.

After all, Wang Yan was alone and without support; his willingness to marry here meant his willingness to take root here. Even if Secretary Chen and others might feel Wang Yan was not clever enough, on the surface they had to call him an idealistic and aspiring youth.

Therefore, since Wang Yan intended to stay here, it was better to see the kindness through to the end by placing him closer to Xiao Yan's family, providing him with some warmth from a household. This was why Teacher Ma had yielded his house and moved.

Of course, another consideration was that Wang Yan himself tended to attract trouble; there were many criminals who bore grudges against him, so some precautions were necessary. Near Xiao Yan's home, there were still many public security officers stationed; overall, the safety level was higher, and he could also look out for his family, separated by merely a wall.

Since Teacher Ma had yielded his house, Wang Yan naturally had to express gratitude, especially since Secretary Chen had specifically instructed it. Thus, he brought gifts to visit, thanked Teacher Ma profusely, and had a good long chat with him. It turned out Teacher Ma had come here with his father as a child, representing the steadfast dedication of two generations.

After learning Teacher Ma's story, Wang Yan expressed that he would include it in his next article, letting people see the pioneering spirit and arduous struggle of the older generation. Teacher Ma was delighted and said he looked forward to it.

Wang Yan gathered the Mountain Patrol Team to help Teacher Ma move, then solicited some tables, chairs, and benches, along with pots, pans, and bowls. In his new, bare-walled house, he hosted the Mountain Patrol Team, as well as Wangmu, Zhuoma from Zhacuo's village, Cairin (Dorje's wife), and little Zhaxi, who all came together. Bai Shao and Bai Ji were also present, and even Dean Zhang, who had gotten off work early, was there.

Of course, they had all contributed items to Wang Yan's new house; otherwise, how could he have solicited them...

At the doorway, Feng Keqing arrived with two people carrying gifts: "Aiyo, I seem to have arrived at just the right time; so many people, how lively."

"Boss Feng, what is the meaning of this?" Wang Yan stepped forward actively to greet him.

"I heard today was your housewarming; this is a good thing, so I bought some household items like thermos flasks. They are all inexpensive little things, nothing to make you commit an error, just a simple congratulation."

"Then you are truly too polite; thank you, Boss Feng. However, there is one matter I really cannot understand," Wang Yan said as he watched Feng Keqing and his two companions set the items down on the ground.

"What matter is it that even you, a university graduate, cannot understand?"

"I just cannot understand you, Boss Feng," Wang Yan said straightforwardly. "You were brought here by County Head Lin to invest; I hear you have influence in Tianduo City and even in the provincial capital. Yet I am merely a tiny deputy section-level cadre. You invite me to dinner and send gifts; I am just wondering, what favor could you possibly need from me?"

Feng Keqing paused slightly, then laughed heartily: "Precisely because I cannot ask you for favors is our friendship so precious. Manager Wang, I genuinely admire your ability and your character. You gave up bright prospects elsewhere to come to this poor, remote place, yet not long after arriving, you made Mazhi County famous across the nation.

With such ability and a down-to-earth, hardworking attitude, Manager Wang will sooner or later rise to a higher position. I am a businessman and need government leaders; perhaps one day you will lead me. I am building a friendship with Wang Laoban today, hoping that in the future, Wang Laoban will remember this old friend."

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease; no wonder Boss Feng gets along everywhere. We are just cooking; won't Boss Feng stay and eat with us?"

If Wang Yan had truly intended to keep him, he wouldn't have asked. Feng Keqing naturally understood this point; he waved his hand to take his leave: "Forget it; another day when there is a chance, I will treat you to a drink. I won't disturb your merrymaking."

Feng Keqing exchanged greetings with Dorje and Dean Zhang, then left with his people.

The crowd in the courtyard discussed the matter of Feng Keqing for a moment, and then began eating and drinking.

Wang Yan placed a whole roasted sheep onto the large table and, wielding a knife, chopped it open: "Spring has arrived, and we have more ingredients coming in; I've brought out all my culinary skills, so everyone, do not be polite—eat well and drink well."

Zhacuo didn't stop at all, his mouth smeared with grease: "I am never polite. Wang Yan, your cooking is far tastier than that big restaurant's; if you opened a restaurant, you would surely earn even more than them."

"Zhacuo, even meat cannot block your mouth. If the university graduate wanted to open a restaurant, why would he come to our place?" Samba always had to tease Zhacuo a few words, but what he said was not wrong.

"That's right; he is an educated, idealistic aspiring youth, and now he is also a leading cadre," Shao Yunfei said. "Let me tell you, you cannot keep calling him 'university graduate'; that shows too little respect for a leader."

"Get lost," Wang Yan said disdainfully. "Dorje is still a deputy county head, yet everyone still calls him Dorje, doesn't they?"

Amidst laughter and chatter, everyone ate and drank their fill, and then lit a bonfire in the courtyard, singing and dancing, carefree and worry-free...

Watching the lively scene, Dorje sat together with Wang Yan, smoking and talking.

"Regarding the matter you mentioned about finding a place to plant trees, I discussed it with Secretary Chen and the others over the past two days. Anyway, our county is only this large, so there is no need to demarcate a specific plot; let's start planting along this central road in our county first. Once it is fully planted, we will expand outward; wherever there are no people, we can plant.

Today I have already contacted Tianduo City to send a batch of saplings over. They will arrive the day after tomorrow; in these two days, you should arrange the work and see how to sell them."

Wang Yan nodded with an 'mm' and asked, "What else does that Feng Keqing intend to do?"

"Open mines," Dorje said, taking a slow drag from his cigarette.

"What kind of mines?"

"Gold mines, coal mines; he wants to open them all. Do you remember when I first led tourists into the mountains and encountered a survey team? Those people were arranged by Feng Keqing."

Dorje fell silent for a moment, then leaned closer and whispered, "I heard that leaders from Tianduo City also put in a good word. This Feng Keqing belongs to the Xining Chamber of Commerce; that chamber is considered the leading one in our province, and I hear they have considerable power."

"Did you refuse them?"

"They want to operate on the periphery of Bolamula, where a coal mine has already been prospected; the scale is sufficient. They wanted to develop it before, but various conditions were not mature. Now that the road has been built to our location, that area has become highly sought-after.

That Boss Ouyang who came to our place before, the one you met once, the one who lost several hundred thousand. He actually also wanted to open that coal mine, but before I could even express my disagreement, the county authorities were unwilling to let him proceed. Now Feng Keqing wants to do it, and they have agreed..."

Dorje felt almost like cursing.

In the original drama, Lin Peisheng claimed that the approval documents given to Feng Keqing were obtained by him secretly stamping the county and city seals, but the mine was genuinely opened and operated.

Especially within the county, right under everyone's noses; they couldn't treat everyone as blind. Later, Feng Keqing grew so large, becoming one of the notable figures in the province and a nationally ranked major company; who didn't know about it? How could it possibly be secretly stamped official seals?

Wang Yan nodded with understanding. Come to think of it, this matter was related to him.

He had created such a huge commotion, causing Feng Keqing to start researching mine opening earlier; otherwise, delaying it by another year would have been fine. After all, the main factor depended on when the outside road would be built to this location.

It was just that now Mazhi County had become a hotspot of focused attention, and the county authorities had always been actively seeking investment, so too many people were coming. Feng Keqing had strong connections, but he could not withstand the sheer number of people, so he became anxious to step forward.

Otherwise, following the trajectory of the original drama, Feng Keqing should currently be supporting Li Yongqiang and his gang, who were previously arrested and sentenced to three years, in panning for gold inside Bolamula.

Part of Feng Keqing's capital accumulation should have originated from there.

At this current time, it was estimated that Feng Keqing's people were already panning for gold in Bolamula; the Mountain Patrol Team just hadn't encountered them yet.

Thus, Wang Yan said, "I see horizontal flesh on Feng Keqing's face; he is not a good character."

"Judging people by their appearance, are we, university graduate?" Dorje teased.

"It is experience. From what I have heard, among those wealthy and powerful people, very few are simple; they are all ruthless individuals, belonging to the wolf category."

"Even wolves are not as formidable as you; are you still afraid of wolves?"

"Of course I am not afraid, but wolves travel in packs and hold grudges; they will not stop until the wolf king is beaten to death, which is very troublesome."

Dorje stopped smiling, furrowed his brows, and asked, "It shouldn't be that serious, should it?"

"Weren't we just talking about wolves? We weren't talking about Feng Keqing, nor the group of people pulling strings behind him," Wang Yan smiled. "An arm cannot twist a thigh; developing the periphery of Bolamula is not a big problem. If you ask me, you should just hold on for a few more days and demand some benefits for the Mountain Patrol Team. There is no need to clash with them to the death."

"Once destroyed, it can never return to its original state..."

Wang Yan said, "We are always protecting on the basis of destruction; after all, if no one destroyed anything, there would be no need for us, would there? Currently, inside Bolamula, there are still many places we have not visited, and who knows how many people are panning for gold. The land is ruined, the water is ruined, and garbage created by them is scattered everywhere.

Haven't you understood this matter yet, Dorje? Secretary Chen and County Head Lin are of one opinion; we cannot twist an arm against a thigh. We must wait until we become the thigh ourselves before turning around to solve the problem; at that time, with a single document from us, won't we be able to seal it off just like that? Resisting hard will only harm ourselves."

Dorje stared at Wang Yan, trying to discern whether this was Wang Yan's true thought, yet he saw only sincerity on Wang Yan's face.

"Then tell me, what benefits should we demand."

"Quotas, and money."

Wang Yan said, "We only received five quotas earlier, but we now have over fifty people; if we want to expand our operations later, how can these few quotas suffice? We must request five more to give everyone hope."

"As for the money, doesn't Feng Keqing have the means? Ecological protection isn't just something we say; it's mandated by law, specifically the Environmental Protection Law. Since he is mining on our turf and damaging the ecological environment of Bolamula, he must provide compensation. We cannot let him pocket all the profits while the land of Mazhi County's people is ruined by him."

"Will that work?"

"We are the government; what couldn't work? We aren't robbing him; we are collecting an environmental protection fee from him. This is a local tax for our county; later, the county will go through the proper procedures and issue a document, renaming it something like an 'Environmental Protection Fund.' Everything is based on legal grounds."

"This sum of money will naturally belong to our Economic Development Company; once our funding is more ample and we have more personnel, we can naturally accomplish more. With over forty thousand people in the county, we don't need many; as long as we can support a thousand people and pay their wages on time, County Head Lin will never again slam his table at you."

"Slamming the table was also for the sake of work; I can even slam the table at him now, so there's no reason he can't do the same to me." Duo Jie smiled and shook his head, then continued, "Now that you are the Assistant Regional Commander Manager of the Economic Development Company, you still have a voice on matters concerning Bolamula. Next time there's a meeting, come with me; I'm clumsy with words and not as articulate as you."

Wang Yan smiled and nodded: "If it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't; no amount of flowery talk is useful; in the end, it's up to you, the leader, to make the final decision. If you don't agree, they won't be able to proceed in Bolamula."

"Save your effort; later, go tell Secretary Chen and the others; I don't like listening to such flattery."

All lively gatherings must eventually end. After eating and drinking their fill at Wang Yan's new home, everyone departed, leaving only Wang Yan and Xiao Yan behind.

But they left precisely today; after all, since it was the first day moving in, it wouldn't be proper for them to linger here and be a nuisance.

In the future, after entering the mountains and returning, the members of the Mountain Patrol Team will come to Wang Yan's place to spend the night. Although Dean Zhang offers shelter, the space there is indeed a bit small; now with Wang Yan's place added, everyone can be much more comfortable.

Nor will it interfere with Wang Yan and Xiao Yan's affectionate time together, after all, this arrangement applies only on the very day they return from the mountains; afterward, everyone will wash up, do some shopping, and then leave...

The two did not clean up the mess left after the lively gathering; instead, after washing up, they lay down on the bed inside the room.

Xiao Yan hugged Wang Yan: "You won't treat me badly in the future, will you?"

"I'll always treat you well; you and I are the best in the whole world."

"I heard Baishao say that men are the best at lying."

"Listen to her less; she's leading you astray."

Amidst their conversation, their hands had already begun wandering and touching; it was truly a stormy tempest urgently hastening the growth of a tender sprout.

Xiao Yan was a fine woman, grounded and practical. Whenever Wang Yan went into the mountains for ten days or half a month, she never uttered a single complaint, worrying only that he might be injured in gunfights with others. Ever since Wang Yan started staying half the time at Xiao Yan's home, every time he returned from the mountains with clothes filthy through and through, Xiao Yan would grunt and heave as she scrubbed them clean.

There was no great, earth-shattering drama; it was simply through their time together, mutually recognizing one another and gradually drawing closer, that they ended up together, arriving at this day.

Whenever moments like this occurred, a pot of piping hot chicken soup was indispensable; Wang Yan had added some local ingredients to slightly improve the recipe. His chicken soup indeed had many versions: a universal version, local versions, and numerous methods of preparation, yet all shared the same fresh, fragrant, and delicious taste, rarely found in the mortal world.

Xiao Yan said this was the best soup in the world, countless times more delicious than any other dish Wang Yan cooked.

Looking at Wang Yan smiling opposite her, she drank the chicken soup, her eyes narrowing in comfort, while her two long braids swayed back and forth...

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