Chapter 28: Freeloader's Timber Processor

After transferring the payment, Lu San asked the other party what was going on.

Only after hearing the other party's explanation did he belatedly realize he had been scammed.

Not only had Li Jiaci deceived him, but the Zhang Ge standing before him had also done so.

It was obvious they had both heard the news that timber prices had risen, which was why they came looking for him.

Moreover, compared to Li Jiaci, this Zhang Ge was clearly more hateful.

After all, Li Jiaci had arrived first, and back then he had suspected this, so he had made inquiries, but timber prices had not surged at that time.

It was precisely when Zhang Ge arrived at the timber mill that the timber market truly began to surge.

However.

This guy, however, said nothing at all.

Moreover, he put on a troubled expression in front of him, demanding a bribe before agreeing to help.

Thinking of that guy's extortionate demeanor, Lu San's repressed anger began to **.

Seeing him start to reach for his money, Lu San hardly thought before swinging his fist.

"Damn your mother, you dog swindler!"

"Smack!"

"Make me pay for your karaoke!"

"Smack!"

"And make me call you a sis."

"Smack!"

"Timber prices went up and you didn't tell me, now you have the nerve to ask me for a bribe? Screw your mother!"

Lu San threw a punch at Zhang Ge with every sentence he spoke.

Zhang Ge's body, hollowed out by drink and lust, was no match for Lu San.

After three punches and two kicks, Lu San had him lying on the ground, unable to get up.

Lu San showed no sign of stopping until Maozi, who had rushed over, dragged him away, all the while he kept cursing.

Afterwards.

The police's handling was simple.

Lu San was charged with provoking trouble, sentenced to fifteen days detention, fined two hundred, and ordered to compensate Zhang Ge two thousand yuan for nutritional expenses and cover all his hospitalization costs.

And his 1,200 cubic meters of timber ultimately yielded only a thousand yuan left in his hand.

Still, this was surely far better than his previous life's outcome.

……

Three days later.

Li Jiaci, Li Yihu, and the others also arrived outside a huge warehouse in the suburbs.

An old man who looked at least seventy walked ahead, guiding them and pushing open the warehouse door.

The warehouse interior was empty, save for a few rust‑stained machine consoles whose purpose was indiscernible, haphazardly piled in the corners.

Li Jiaci's gaze swept quickly over those machines, then he turned to the old man and said, "Old sir, this place is pretty dusty—how long has it been unoccupied?"

"After the timber mill moved out in 1985, this place has been empty."

"During this period quite a few people came asking about rent, but most were just looking for a bargain."

The old man gave a cold snort and said, "As an old man, I can tolerate anything in this life except being bullied."

"When the little devils bullied the old man, what happened in the end?"

"I, the old man, took a red‑tasseled rifle and picked off seven or eight of them."

"** faction wanted to bully the old man—what happened then?"

"The old man, with a bent‑barrel gun in one hand and an explosive pack in the other, single‑handedly took out their bunker."

"When chatting with the military region leaders, they always called me 'little brother,' yet that bunch of bastards thought they could bully this old man? Not a chance—I'd sweep them out with a broom!"

As the old man spoke, he gestured—especially when mentioning killing the devils and the ** faction—his bearing and eyes revealed an indescribable vigor.

This perhaps is the killing aura only a veteran who has seen battle can possess.

After the reform and opening‑up.

Many state‑owned factories subsequently shut down or relocated.

After the state‑owned factories in Pingzhou withdrew, the premises were basically handed over to the elderly caretakers to handle as they saw fit.

The original agreement was that as long as they lived, the factories belonged to them; upon their death, the factories would revert to the state.

Moreover, most of these elders had military merits; the state's aim in doing so was to let these meritorious servants enjoy their twilight years in peace.

Of course, there were also elders duped by speculators who sold their usage rights outright, so when the government later tried to reclaim the land, it had to cater to those speculators' whims.

Yet the old man before them was clearly sharp—at least he hadn't been fooled.

"Old sir, you're still vigorous, not inferior to your prime."

Li Jiaci chuckled and praised, "They dare bully you only because they lack vision and picked the wrong target!"

"Hmph!"

The old man, brimming with pride, replied, "It's you, young man, who has the eye for talent!"

"Hehe."

Li Jiaci smiled, glanced around, then asked the old man, "By the way, old sir, how much do you charge per year to rent this place out?"

"If it's someone else—"

"I wouldn't even give a glance to anyone offering less than ten thousand a year."

"But this old man sees that you, young fellow, are genuinely pleased."

The old man stretched out two fingers and said: "Two years, sixteen thousand, what do you think?"

Hmm...

Li Jiaci nodded and said: "This price is actually quite fair and reasonable."

That's right.

The old man said: "I, this old guy, am an honest person known throughout the surrounding villages."

Indeed, indeed.

Li Jiaci, not stinting on praise, then raised his head to look toward Zhang Chuqiang; seeing Zhang Chuqiang nod, he also unconsciously curled the corner of his mouth, then changed the subject and asked: "Can we sign a lease for the house?"

What contract?

The old man raised his eyebrows: "You wouldn't also be trying to deceive this old man with all sorts of junk, would you?"

No, no, no, I don't mean that.

Li Jiaci waved his hand and said: "I just want to sign a renewal lease with the old man, meaning that as long as I want to stay here in the future, the old man must prioritize renting this workshop to me."

And I will certainly not shortchange you; I will increase the rent by ten percent each year.

Hey! Hey!

The old man waved his hand and said: "I must correct you: it's not for me, this old man, but for the government; this workshop belongs to the government, so the rental money naturally goes to the government."

Right, right, right, it's for the government.

Li Jiaci spoke up: "But what do you think of my proposal?"

Hmm...

The old man lowered his head, thought for a moment, and said: "You little brat are an honest person; this matter is settled like this, I've decided!"

All right!

Then let's find a place to print the contract and sign it.

Li Jiaci said: "By the way, also find someone who can read characters to come, so you won't be deceived by me."

Hehe, you little brat.

The old man didn't say much more, then led Li Jiaci to the town's only copy shop to draft the contract.

While the old man went to find someone he trusted who could read characters,

Li Yihu also came up to Li Jiaci's side: "Brother, he said eight thousand, why are you giving eight thousand eight hundred and still increasing yearly? That's just throwing money away."