Chapter 864

The room suddenly went quiet. Yuan Ying blinked: "What's wrong? Isn't this huge good news?"

"Sigh!"

Yuan Hongdang sighed: "I knew there would be such a day sooner or later."

Yuan Hongjun said coldly: "I wouldn't be surprised if he got a bullet."

Yuan Tao smiled: "With this, that faction of Second Grandpa's can also be a bit more comfortable. Having to hold their heads high to look at people for so many years, I've felt tired just watching them."

Yuan Zhe looked around: "Where did my dad and eldest brother go?"

Yuan Hai deliberately chimed in: "I'm here, but I don't know where your dad went."

Yuan Zhe rolled his eyes: "Who asked you? I'm talking about Brother Dongzi."

Yuan Ying turned to walk outside. Yuan Qu Hongqi asked: "What are you going to do?"

Yuan Ying said without looking back: "I'm going to buy meat to make dumplings tonight."

"This child!"

Yuan Qu Hongqi knew that Yuan Ying making dumplings was to celebrate, but he didn't stop her.

Come to think of it, the relationship between the two families was okay; at the very least, the basic social interactions hadn't been lacking.

If Yuan Yuan Hongbiao hadn't harbored thoughts of setting Zhou Andong up, they would have gone to see the Second Old Master after something like this happened.

But now, forget it. Yuan Yuan Hongbiao even tried to set Zhou Andong up; now that he's been arrested, them not setting off firecrackers is already being polite.

………………

Jianshe Village is less than thirty kilometers from the town, and the limestone mine is ten kilometers east of the village, belonging to the territory of Jianshe Village.

As soon as Zhou Andong's car entered the village, it attracted the attention of many villagers. A few half-grown boys, shirtless and wearing patched shorts, wandered around the car.

This was their first time seeing such a beautiful car. As soon as Zhou Andong and Yuan Yuan Hongzhan got out, a half-grown boy asked.

"What kind of car is this?"

Zhou Andong said with a smile: "This is a Mercedes!"

The half-grown boy's eyes lit up, and he reached out to touch the car: "So this is a Mercedes."

Zhou Andong didn't pay any more attention to these boys, but took out cigarettes from his pocket and immediately spotted a middle-aged man standing in the crowd.

How should I put it? Most of the villagers were shirtless, unshaven, and their faces were gray, as if they hadn't washed in half a year.

But the middle-aged man was different; although his clothes and pants also had patches, they were very clean, and his hair was combed meticulously. Standing there, his posture was very straight, giving him a feeling of standing out from the crowd.

"Big brother, come have a cigarette."

Zhou Andong first handed a cigarette to the middle-aged man, and then smiled and distributed one to every villager.

Seeing this scene, a trace of surprise flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes.

Because their village had a limestone mine, bosses driving cars often came by.

These people, a few years ago, were probably just like them—poor bastards, damn it.

But once they had money, it seemed the earth couldn't hold them anymore; each one had their eyes growing on the top of their heads, looking at the moon and wanting to go up there.

When asking villagers for directions, let alone giving a cigarette, if they could even say a polite word, it would be considered that their parents had raised them well.

Every time he encountered them, he was too lazy to pay attention, and because of this, he had even been cursed and threatened.

But this young man in front of him, looking at his attire and demeanor, and the Mercedes parked there, was definitely a truly wealthy big boss.

Not to mention anything else, just that Mercedes—he estimated that only by tying all the bosses he had seen before together could they afford it.

Yet, such a person, who was wealthier than those so-called bosses, was not only polite to them but also gave them cigarettes, without a hint of looking down on them.

For a moment, the middle-aged man was full of good feelings toward Zhou Andong. A big boss from the capital is just different; they really can't be compared to those bumpkin upstarts.

The middle-aged man took the cigarette and smelled it under his nose: "You're here to find the village party secretary, right?"

Zhou Andong took out a lighter and lit the cigarette for the middle-aged man, asking in surprise: "How did you know we were here to find the village party secretary and not visiting relatives?"

The middle-aged man smiled: "Jianshe Village is only this big, with a hundred households; everyone knows a little bit about what each family is like and what relatives they have.

Anyway, as far as I know, no family has relatives in the capital, let alone such a wealthy big boss. And our village has a limestone mine, so coming here must be to find the village party secretary."

Yuan Yuan Hongzhan asked curiously: "How did you know we were from the capital?"

The middle-aged man pointed to the license plate: "The license plate."

Yuan Yuan Hongzhan realized: "Your analysis makes sense, but you only got half of it right."

The middle-aged man was stunned: "Where did I analyze it wrong?"

Yuan Yuan Hongzhan smiled: "We are indeed not anyone's relatives, but we are also not here to find the village party secretary."

"Oh?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, "Then what are you here for?"

Zhou Andong lit a cigarette for himself: "We came over to find the families of the victims of that mine disaster five years ago."

The middle-aged man immediately became vigilant: "What are you looking for them for?"

"A while ago, I invested in Yuan Yuan Hongbiao's mine and became a shareholder."

Zhou Andong sighed, a look of sadness on his face, and began his performance.

"At first, I didn't know about the mine disaster. When I found out, I discovered that the mine hadn't provided the families of the victimized miners with the compensation they deserved, which made me very angry.

As an enterprise, as an enterprise leader, making money is not the only goal; one must also shoulder social responsibilities. Especially for miners, this high-risk profession, the responsibility of ensuring their life safety is the first element of an enterprise.

But what I didn't expect was that the mine in the town had no safety measures at all. After the mine disaster occurred, instead of comforting the families and providing compensation immediately, they threatened and intimidated them instead.

Miners create profits for the enterprise and wealth for the boss. They and the boss are in a mutually dependent relationship; they are class brothers, not animals without feelings that can be sacrificed and abandoned at any time.

More importantly, they are often the pillars of their families. Without them, a family collapses by more than half. Wives, children, and elderly parents may fall into life's predicament.

This is something I absolutely cannot tolerate. Although the mine disaster five years ago has nothing to do with me, if I just ignore it, I won't be able to bear the condemnation of my conscience. I estimate I wouldn't be able to get over this hurdle for the rest of my life.

So, I went to talk to Yuan Yuan Hongbiao, insisting that the families of the victimized miners must be compensated. However, I was very domineeringly rejected by Yuan Yuan Hongbiao. It's true that I'm a major shareholder, but Yuan Yuan Hongbiao still calls the shots at the mine.

There was no other way, so I could only come to visit the families of the victimized miners in my personal capacity and provide them with whatever help I could. Of course, I will continue to talk to Yuan Yuan Hongbiao; even if it means a falling out, I will get the compensation money for them."

Hearing Zhou Andong's words, the villagers were all stunned, especially the middle-aged man, whose heart was churning violently. He didn't even know what vocabulary to use to describe his mood at this moment.