Chapter 272: Zhao Guoliang

Zhang Ping'an had clearly oversimplified the matter; this Zhao Guoliang had not investigated him, but instead had secretly checked the files of the people he had introduced, as well as the current Clothing Shop.

Zhao Guoliang held a thick stack of documents, frowning incessantly; the relatives Zhang Ping'an had initially introduced to the factory had now become the backbone of the Rolling Mill, and they might even pass the Level Five Worker exam by the end of the year.

The people Zhang Ping'an later introduced to the Procurement Section were basically all hunters; unless there was substantive evidence, Zhao Guoliang dared not court disaster. These men were used to seeing blood year-round, and if they acted on impulse and shot him, there would be nowhere to buy regret medicine.

The Clothing Shop was equally thorny; the three family members were all Public Security, and the Public Manager, Zhao Fangyuan, was a retired veteran. Once he checked the background, he was startled and realized he could not afford to offend them.

Only Liu Tiejun, Zhu Dachang, and the other three orphans at the pig farm were a bit easier to handle, and Zhao Guoliang gradually formed a plan in his mind.

"Li, tell Ping'an to watch out for that Zhao Guoliang," Xu Lijuan suddenly blurted out while eating dinner at home that evening with Li Huaide.

"Hmm?"

"My father hinted at it this afternoon; he can't intervene in this matter, but that Zhao Guoliang is just a pawn. In any case, tell Ping'an to be careful."

Whoever could set their sights on the Lou family's assets was certainly no ordinary person; at the very least, they had the ability to cover up the truth. Zhao Guoliang was merely a pawn for those people.

And as the only person currently in Sijiucheng who could be linked to the Lou family, Zhang Ping'an was naturally someone they had to keep an eye on.

Although Xu Lijuan was also furious about the actions of Wang Xiaoling's family, Zhang Ping'an was innocent and had given her a second life; she did not want to see him get hurt.

"Alright, I understand."

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an was called into the office by Li Huaide.

"Factory Director, you were looking for me?"

"Sit down, Ping'an. Hmm... you know the Logistics Deputy Director, Zhao Guoliang, right?"

"I've heard of him; it seems he was sent from above."

"Right. Keep an eye on him; this guy is likely up to no good."

Li Huaide was no longer lecherous, but his desire for power had reached its peak; he had already begun treating the Rolling Mill as his own tool for promotion.

He would not allow anyone to come in and cause trouble; any behavior intended to disrupt the current harmonious atmosphere of the Rolling Mill would be a provocation against him.

Zhang Ping'an was stunned upon hearing this; he hadn't expected this guy to really be coming for him. He hadn't noticed anyone tailing him during this time, but since Li Huaide had said so, it certainly wasn't baseless.

"Alright, Factory Director, I understand."

"Hmm, go get busy."

Li Huaide frowned in thought. Regarding Zhao Guoliang's actions, although Li Huaide couldn't touch the people behind him, it was easy to handle him. You want to stir up trouble? Then I'll keep you so busy you won't have time to think about other things.

"Cao, come over here." Thinking of this, Li Huaide began calling for people.

"Alright, Factory Director."

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in. Sit, Cao. Are there any tasks in Logistics that require a Deputy Director or higher to go on a business trip?"

"Yes, Factory Director. The procurement of coal requires a signature from a Deputy Director or higher."

"Hmm... I think the new Director Zhao would be very suitable. This will also allow him to adapt to the Rolling Mill's logistics work more quickly."

"Right, Factory Director, I think so too."

"Hmm, go arrange it as soon as possible. We can't let personal reasons delay the entire factory's production tasks."

"You got it."

Cao Guodong understood Li Huaide's stance, and his apprehension toward Zhao Guoliang lessened slightly.

The very next day, Zhao Guoliang was sent off on a train to Jin Province, completely bewildered.

"Eh? Wait, no? What was I supposed to be doing?"

That same day, Zhu Weiguo was also sent out by Li Huaide, though he was sent to Modu. Zhu Weiguo accepted it happily; he understood Li Huaide's stance, and his confidence in securing the position of Logistics Director in two years grew even more.

Zhao Guoliang being dispatched gave Zhang Ping'an a buffer period; he only knew he wasn't being followed, but he had forgotten about the people around him.

"Dad, has anyone been trying to get close to you lately?"

"What do you mean? Who? Ping'an, what happened?"

"Hmm... it might be people investigating Boss Lou's family. I was quite close to Xiao'e's family back then, you know."

"Oh, that's nothing. No one has been trying to get close to me. However, that kid you introduced, the one called 'Pig Intestines'? He seems to be getting along quite well with a new hire named Qian Dazhuang."

Qian Dazhuang? Qian Dahu? Damn, don't tell me that kid Zhu Dachang got swindled?

"Alright, Dad, I understand."

That night, Zhang Laohan lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

"Da Ni, are you asleep?"

"No. You keep squirming, how am I supposed to sleep?"

"Cough, how about we move back to our hometown? Now that the grandson and granddaughter aren't by our side, there's no fun in working in the city anymore."

"That's fine, but let's wait until next year. Once we find a wife for Ping'an, we'll go back."

"Hmm, alright."

At dawn, Zhang Ping'an knocked rhythmically on the gate of the courtyard where Zhu Dachang and the others lived.

"Master, I've finally waited for you. That Qian Dazhuang..."

"Hmm, let's go inside and talk."

"Oh, right."

"That Qian Dazhuang claimed to be Dahu's cousin. He knows most of Dahu's information and has been intentionally or unintentionally probing into Dahu's whereabouts. I don't trust him, so I just gave him some perfunctory answers."

Although Wang Weiguo had erased the connection between Zhang Ping'an and Qian Dahu, those old guys still managed to find Zhu Dachang and the other orphans by following the clues.

Zhang Ping'an had forgotten that these people were orphans who had mingled in society from a young age; their instinct for self-preservation made them disbelieve a word from strangers.

"Hmm... don't say anything about the brothers Dahu or my affairs. For everything else, just mislead him with a mix of truth and lies."

"Alright, Master. Are Dahu and the others okay?"

"They're fine, don't worry."

Since Zhang Ping'an knew someone was targeting him, he had to tidy up the things at home; nothing could be out of line with the regulations.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an returned to his hometown under the pretext of hunting, using his spatial scan to check where his father might have hidden gold bars.

Whoa, the Zhang family really did have good stuff; four meters underground beneath the kitchen stove, there were two tightly wrapped boxes, one large and one small—the small one contained Yellow Fish, and the large one contained some antique bottles and jars.

Could the Zhang family ancestors really have been Landlords? Zhang Ping'an went to check the homes of his second and third uncles, and hey, it was true, every family had some, and they were hidden very deep.

Zhang Ping'an also went to take a look at his great-uncle's side; these families all had a little bit, more or less, and all were hidden very securely—it seems the Zhang family ancestors really did have something.

Whether it was because they weren't old enough or something else, it seemed the third generation of the Zhang family, like Zhang Ping'an, didn't know their own family's true situation.

If it hadn't been for the Big Yellow Fish that Zhang Laohan took out when buying the Siheyuan back then, Zhang Ping'an wouldn't have known his family had this kind of foundation either.

However, thinking about how the only brick-and-tile house in the village was the Ancestral Hall, Zhang Ping'an didn't find it strange anymore, it was just a pity that in a few more years, it would likely be forced to be demolished.

After investigating the situation clearly, Zhang Ping'an casually took a few wild rabbits and headed back to Sijiucheng to report in.

"Huaide, you shouldn't have made a move against Zhao Guoliang."

"Father, this is a necessity for logistics work; I can't disregard the entire Rolling Mill just because of one person, can I?"