Chapter 135: Yue E's Clever Scheme Astonishes All, Deputy Director Li Pays a Late‑Night Visit

Lin Yue'e's words were like a bolt of lightning cutting through the night sky, and everyone was stunned.

"Yue E, what did you say?" Lu Qingshan's eyes flashed with surprise; he hadn't expected his usually gentle wife to have such sharp thoughts.

Lin Yue'e tightened her coat, and in the moonlight her eyes glittered with resolve: "Lu Qingshan, think about it—since those people can learn our movements in advance, they must have internal information channels. Why can't we turn those channels to our advantage?"

Chen Zhiguo's eyes lit up: "Sister-in-law, you mean…"

"Deliberately release false information!" Lin Yue'e's voice was crisp and forceful. "Make them think we're planning something, while we actually do something else. This both probes their details and catches them off guard."

The villagers heard a muddled murmur, but all sensed the weight of the suggestion. Liu Fugui scratched his head: "Sister-in-law, this… could it be too risky?"

"Without risk there can be no reward," Lin Yue'e looked at her husband. "Lu Qingshan, what do you think?"

Lu Qingshan gazed deeply at his wife, a warm current rising in his heart. In a past life Lin Yue'e was kind but had never shown such wisdom and daring. Reborn, she is like a pearl polished anew.

"Yue E is right," Lu Qingshan nodded. "All warfare tolerates deception; since the other side intends to ambush us, we cannot sit idle to die."

Just then, Li Ming's cell phone rang. In this era, mobile phones were still rare, and everyone's gaze turned toward it.

"Hello?" Li Ming answered, his expression gradually turning serious.

"What? Provincial Industry Department?... quality issue?... suspend cooperation?"

Hearing those keywords, the atmosphere tightened instantly. Lu Qingshan walked to Li Ming's side and signaled him to use speakerphone.

A stern male voice came from the other end: "Comrade Li Ming, I am Director Wang of the Quality Supervision Division of the Provincial Industry Department. We received a report that your Shenyang Heavy Industry equipment has quality hazards, especially the batch shipped to the countryside. I suggest you suspend cooperation with Shanwan Village and cooperate with our investigation."

Li Ming glanced at Lu Qingshan, then said into the phone: "Director Wang, our equipment has passed quality inspection and carries complete certification…"

"Certificates can be forged!" the voice grew harsher. "Comrade Li Ming, you must be responsible for the safety of the farmer brothers! If the equipment fails, can you bear that responsibility?"

At that point, Lu Qingshan and Chen Zhiguo exchanged glances, both understanding something.

Lu Qingshan stepped beside Li Ming and whispered: "Ask him for the specific quality issue, request a detailed explanation."

Li Ming nodded: "Director Wang, could you specify what the quality problem is? We'll cooperate with the rectification."

The voice on the other end paused, then said: "Mainly… the temperature control system is unstable, which may cause product quality to fall short of standards."

Qian Jin heard this and almost laughed out loud. He whispered to Lu Qingshan: "This person is completely lay, the temperature control system is the most mature technology; how could it be unstable?"

Lu Qingshan already had a plan in mind, and gave Li Ming a meaningful glance.

Li Ming understood immediately: "Director Wang, you are right, caution is indeed needed. How about this—we will halt supply at once and return to the factory for a full inspection."

"That's it!" the voice on the other end relaxed noticeably. "Remember, before we officially lift the warning, you are not allowed to supply Shanwan Village!"

After hanging up, Li Ming gave a wry smile and shook his head: "Factory Director Lu, it seems the other side's reach is quite long."

"That's actually a good thing," Lu Qingshan's eyes flashed a cold light. "Now we know their routine. Yue E, your suggestion comes in handy."

Lin Yue'e stepped forward: "Lu Qingshan, what ideas do you have?"

"Since they want to stage a play, we'll act along with them to the full," Lu Qingshan turned to Li Ming. "Tomorrow follow the normal procedure to 'inspect' back at the factory, but secretly bring the equipment over. We'll build a visible road while covertly moving through Chen Cang."

Chen Zhiguo nodded: "That plan is good! I can coordinate the transport route to avoid the main roads."

"Then how do we release the false news?" Zhao Yongnian asked.

Lu Qingshan thought for a moment: "We'll say that because of equipment issues we're preparing to switch to other projects, such as… expanding the fish farm. This both confuses the other side and buys time for the real project."

Yao Bai'nian stroked his beard: "Lu Qingshan, this feint is used brilliantly."

Just as everyone was discussing tactics, Zhao Tiezhu suddenly ran over: "Brother Lu, another vehicle arrived at the village entrance!"

The crowd looked toward the village entrance and saw a black sedan slowly approaching. The license plate indicated it was a provincial vehicle.

The car door opened, and a man in his fifties stepped out, dressed in a suit, exuding distinguished bearing.

Zhang Xincheng recognized the newcomer at a glance: "Director Li, why are you here again?"

Isn't this Deputy Director Li Guoqiang, who came during the day? Coming so late specially must mean something important.

Li Guoqiang looked around, his gaze finally landing on Lu Qingshan: "Comrade Lu, we just received word that your equipment procurement has met resistance?"

Lu Qingshan felt a stir; the news had traveled far too quickly.

"Indeed we encountered a minor snag," Lu Qingshan replied honestly.

Li Guoqiang nodded: "I knew it would turn out like this. Comrade Lu, there are some matters I must clarify with you."

He walked to a relatively secluded spot and signaled Lu Qingshan to join him for a private talk.

"Comrade Lu, your Shanwan Village project has attracted a lot of attention, both positive and negative," Li Guoqiang lowered his voice. "Some people don't want the countryside to develop too quickly, because it threatens their cake."

Lu Qingshan felt tension: "Director Li, you mean…"

"What I mean is, you must prepare for even tougher challenges," Li Guoqiang said, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes. "But at the same time, you have strong backing. The provincial authorities, no, higher‑level leadership, value your project highly and will never let certain people succeed."

Hearing this, Lu Qingshan felt both nervous and excited. It seemed the Shanwan Village project had indeed risen to a higher level.

"Director Li, then what should we do?"

"Do whatever needs to be done!" Li Guoqiang's tone grew firm. "Remember, any legitimate commercial activity is protected by law. If anyone dares to blatantly sabotage, we will never stand by idly."

Before leaving, Li Guoqiang left a phone number: "If you encounter an unsolvable problem, call me directly."

After seeing Li Guoqiang off, Lu Qingshan returned to the crowd.

"Lu, what did Director Li say?" Lin Yue'e asked concernedly.

"He said we have strong backing, so we can act boldly with confidence," Lu Qingshan said, looking at his wife, his eyes full of tenderness. "Yue E, thank you for tonight's reminder; if not for you, I truly wouldn't have thought of this tactic."

Lin Yue'e's cheeks flushed slightly: "I was just rambling, didn't expect it to actually work."

Li Ming walked over at that moment: "Factory Director Lu, shall we now proceed according to the plan?"

"Yes!" Lu Qingshan nodded, then turned to everyone. "Villagers, starting tomorrow we will truly embark on a great undertaking! No matter what difficulties arise, we must unite as one and build Shanwan Village even better!"

The villagers were stirred by Lu Qingshan's words, their blood boiling, and they all pledged full support.