Chapter 866: Hidden Dragons and Crouching Tigers

Zhou Andong noticed the old man's expression and said with a sigh, "Uncle, if you have any difficulties, just say so. I will definitely do my best to solve them for you and ensure your family lives without worry."

Zhou Andong's words were so heartwarming that the old man couldn't help but shed tears, tightly gripping Zhou Andong's hand.

"Boss Zhou, you are a good person. You came to visit this old man and even gave me money, but I feel ashamed in my heart."

Zhou Andong's heart stirred, and he said with a smile, "Uncle, I should be the one feeling ashamed; what do you have to be ashamed of? Rest assured, your son was a victim, and I will definitely get the compensation for you."

"No!" The old man shook his head violently. "You must be careful of Yuan Hongbiao."

"Oh?" Once Zhou Andong heard this, he understood, but he still asked, "What's wrong? Although we have major disagreements at work, we are partners after all, and I still trust him quite a bit."

Seeing that Zhou Andong didn't believe him, the old man became anxious and gritted his teeth. "A while ago, Liang Zhen came to find me and told me that a big boss surnamed Zhou had bought shares in the mine."

"He told me to go find that Boss Zhou to demand compensation. He also said he had found reporters and that if they didn't pay, we should make a scene. As long as it made the news, Boss Zhou would definitely pay. Afterward, he would give me another eight hundred yuan."

"At first, I didn't agree. I'm an old fool, but my heart is clear. The mine disaster happened five years ago; what does it have to do with Boss Zhou? Liang Zhen doing this definitely didn't have good intentions."

"But, I couldn't refuse. He came every day for the past two days and added two hundred yuan. He said if I continued to refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, he would send my granddaughter to the dance hall in the county."

"That Liang Zhen is a man who would do anything, and there's also Yuan Hongbiao. I really couldn't afford to offend them, so in the end, I could only agree..."

Zhou Baoshan frowned. He really didn't know about this matter, and he felt a bit worried—would Zhou Andong get angry and stop caring about the compensation?

"Uncle, this isn't your fault!" Zhou Andong comforted him with a smile. "Didn't you not come to make a scene with me? It's fine, don't have any psychological burden."

The old man's tears flowed again. "I've lived to this age, and this is the first time I've met such a great person as Boss Zhou."

Zhou Baoshan exhaled, and at the same time, his respect for Zhou Andong's broad-mindedness grew even deeper. This was returning good for evil, right?

To have such bearing at such a young age, no wonder he could be a big boss. His future achievements would definitely be limitless.

"Alright!" Zhou Andong said, "I still need to go visit other families. We'll chat again when we have time."

As the group came out, the old man held Zhou Andong's hand and whispered, "Liang Zhen came to find me, so he definitely went to find others too."

Zhou Andong nodded. "I know. Rest assured, I have it all figured out."

The news that Zhou Andong had come to visit the families of the victims of the mine disaster five years ago and had given each family five hundred yuan swept through this small mountain village like a gust of wind.

It even spread what Zhou Andong had said with vivid detail. In the eyes of the villagers, Boss Zhou had instantly become a living Bodhisattva.

Having such a good boss at the mine made many villagers think about going to work there; they just didn't know if Zhou Andong would hire them.

The Liu family was the last one Zhou Andong visited. Compared to the other families, this family lived the best.

Because the two sons and one daughter of the victimized miner were already adults, and the eldest son was already married and had children.

Zhou Andong was stunned when he entered the house and saw the woman. Because this woman was too clean; her hair was meticulously coiled behind her head, and the clothes she wore were very form-fitting. Standing there, she actually gave off the feeling of a young lady from a prominent family.

What surprised Zhou Andong even more was that the woman looked very young. If one didn't know, it would be hard to believe she was already a grandmother.

However, Zhou Andong soon felt relieved. After all, people married early in that era, especially in rural areas, where it wasn't uncommon to have children at fifteen or sixteen. So, this woman's age shouldn't be too great.

"Big Sister!" Regardless of how old she was, calling a young-looking woman "Big Sister" was never wrong. "You look really good."

The woman smiled and said, "It's alright. My children are filial, and I don't lack food or drink."

"That's great!" Zhou Andong took five hundred yuan from Yuan Hongzhan's hand. "This is five hundred yuan. It's not mine disaster compensation, but a condolence payment from me personally."

"Boss Zhou, I appreciate your kindness, but I cannot take this money." The woman shook her head and refused. "My family isn't rich, and five hundred yuan isn't a small amount for me."

"But compared to other families, I don't lack food or drink, so give the money to them instead. Of course, if it were the compensation for my husband, I wouldn't refuse, because that is what I deserve."

Five hundred yuan—even for an employee of the Yugong Group, if they didn't miss work and had to work overtime, that was a month and a half's salary. In such a small mountain village, one might not be able to earn that in half a year.

Looking at the envious gazes of the villagers who had followed to watch the fun, one could tell how tempting this five hundred yuan was, yet it was now being refused.

Zhou Andong really didn't expect that a village with only a hundred or so households would be so full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Having one Zhou Baoshan was enough, but now another one had appeared, and it was a woman at that.

Seeing Zhou Andong's stunned expression, Zhou Baoshan laughed, as if he had known this would be the result and was just waiting to see Zhou Andong's reaction after being refused.

"I gave it to every family; you should take this money." Zhou Andong placed the money on the *kang*.

The woman picked it up again and stuffed it back into Zhou Andong's hand. "I don't deserve a reward without merit. You should take the money back."

Zhou Andong was about to say something else when Zhou Baoshan spoke up: "Boss Zhou, Yuzhi won't take it. You should just take the money back."

Yuzhi? A grown man, in front of so many people, calling a woman by her given name without saying her surname—the relationship between the two was very unusual.

"Alright!" Since Zhou Baoshan said so, there was no need for him to insist.

"Brother Baoshan!" Suddenly, a young man ran in, panting. "Something big has happened."

Zhou Baoshan frowned. "What happened?"

The young man caught his breath. "The village party secretary, the village chief, the accountant, the security director, and the women's director have all been arrested. Many police officers came, and there were soldiers too, all carrying guns."

Zhou Baoshan was stunned. "They were all arrested?"

"Yes!" The young man nodded. "They were holding some meeting at the brigade headquarters, and they were all taken in one fell swoop."

Zhou Baoshan suddenly laughed. "Let's go take a look!"

Zhou Andong and Yuan Hongzhan exchanged glances and followed to watch the fun.

It was just that by the time they arrived at the brigade headquarters, the police had already left. However, there were quite a few villagers, and more were running there upon hearing the news.

"Baoshan!"

"Baoshan!"

"Brother Baoshan!"

"..."

As soon as Zhou Baoshan appeared, many people greeted him.

Zhou Andong took it all in and whispered to Yuan Hongzhan, "It seems this guy has a lot of prestige in the village." ===== CHAPTER 867 =====