Chapter 1217

Su Xinghui said, "That's right, it's hard to find a good opponent. I don't have much to do these past two days, so I'll come over and play a few games with you when I have time."

Master Dai said happily, "That would be wonderful. We can really play a few good games these next few days."

Su Xinghui picked up his wine glass again and said, "Come, let me toast you another one."

After Master Dai finished the drink, he asked, "Young man, listening to your accent, are you from Xinhe County?"

Su Xinghui said, "Yes, I am from Xinhe County."

Master Dai asked again, "Xinhe County is about two hundred kilometers away from our Qing County, isn't it? You traveled so far, is there something you need?"

Su Xinghui said, "Sigh, don't mention it. A friend told me there's a coal mine for sale in Qingxi County, so I thought I'd come take a look. But today I heard that it's not easy for outsiders to open a mine and make money here, so I'm hesitating now."

Master Dai lowered his voice and asked, "Who did you hear that from, that it's not easy for outsiders to make money mining here?"

Su Xinghui said, "It was the person running the stall when I was eating breakfast this morning. Why, was what he said wrong?"

Master Dai said, "He was right. You, you'd best not buy any coal mine here, otherwise, I'm afraid you'll lose everything you have."

Su Xinghui said in surprise, "Master Dai, it couldn't be that bad, could it? If we buy a coal mine here, we'd be considered investors. If something happens, wouldn't the county take care of it?"

Master Dai suddenly stopped mid-sentence. Zhang Bin quickly picked up his drink and said, "Master Dai, I have to drive later, so I can't drink alcohol. Let me toast you with this instead."

Master Dai drank with Zhang Bin, and Su Xinghui said, "Master Dai, don't drink too fast, have some food."

Master Dai followed his advice and ate a few bites of food, but still remained silent.

Su Xinghui said, "Master Dai, tell me exactly what the situation is. If this mine really can't be bought, I'll leave immediately, and whatever happens won't implicate you."

Master Dai sighed and said, "Young man, I feel like we get along, so I'll tell you, but you must never say that I was the one who told you."

Su Xinghui nodded solemnly and said, "Master Dai, how could I? I'm not that kind of person. As long as this place isn't suitable for business, I'll leave right away."

Master Dai said, "Our Qingxi County produces coal, top-quality anthracite. We also have stone mines, and the stone produced is the best. The calcium stone used by Jiang Steel for smelting is all sourced from here. And the limestone used for building houses and roads, what we produce here is also the best. But the best mines in the county have all been occupied by the Shuangli Company in the county."

Shuangli Company? Su Xinghui's pupils constricted slightly. This Shuangli Company must have some connection to that Duan Shuangli.

"The boss of Shuangli Company is surnamed Duan, named Duan Shuangli. His Shuangli Company doesn't just mine; it also does construction. He has a wharf by the Changjiangdaqiao and handles freight—you could say it's a one-stop shop. The mines he operates use his own trucks to transport directly to his own wharf, then he uses ships to transport it to Jiangcheng to sell. He also builds houses and roads; he's made a fortune."

Su Xinghui asked, "How is this Boss Duan so powerful?"

While asking, Su Xinghui drank another glass with Master Dai. Although Master Dai's tolerance was decent, after several glasses in a row, he slowly began to open up.

"Do you know the surname of our Qingxi County Party Secretary? It's also Duan! The Duan family in our county is the largest clan, and many officials are surnamed Duan. Duan Shuangli is the direct nephew of Secretary Duan. Would you say he's powerful or not?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "That is indeed powerful. But is he so overbearing that even an outsider can't buy a coal mine?"

Master Dai said, "He wants to monopolize everything. In the past, several big bosses from outside came here to buy mines to operate, but they were all squeezed out by Duan Shuangli. After he squeezed these bosses' mines out of business, he bought the mines himself. They were all good mines, and they had invested in equipment, but he bought them for pennies on the dollar. Otherwise, how could he have such a large family business now?"

Su Xinghui picked up another glass of wine and said, "Come, Master Dai, let's have another. This Duan Shuangli is so capable, he can just squeeze others out whenever he wants?"

Master Dai took a slurp and downed the glass of liquor, then sneered, "What kind of ability does he have? Doesn't he just rely on his uncle to send people to other mines every few days for inspections and order them to suspend production for rectification, making it impossible for others to run their mines? Then he sends some thugs to harass those mines until the owners are forced to leave, that's all."

Su Xinghui said, "He's so arrogant, isn't he afraid of others finding out and reporting him?"

Master Dai shook his head and said, "Who in our county doesn't know about these things? But what's the use of knowing? His uncle, Secretary Duan, has managed the county for decades, and many leaders in the city are his old subordinates and colleagues. Can you even get a report out?"

Su Xinghui said, "Then go to the higher-ups to petition."

Master Dai said, "Don't even mention it. He does every evil thing, bullies the market, bullies men and women, and builds shoddy projects for roads and embankments. Do you think no one has gone to petition? Petitioning is useless. In the past, when people went to the province to file complaints, the complaint letters were sent back to the county within a few days. The people who filed the complaints were retaliated against, beaten half to death, and some were even fired or arrested. Now, who dares to file a complaint?"

Su Xinghui said, "According to that, I really can't open a mine here."

Master Dai nodded and said, "Right, this is a fire pit. The person who wants to sell the mine is probably being squeezed out by Duan Shuangli and can't go on, which is why he's selling. Think about it, would Duan Shuangli let you buy it smoothly?"

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Alright, thank you, Master Dai. I'll head back tomorrow."

Master Dai said regretfully, "Then we won't be able to play chess."

Su Xinghui smiled and said, "There will always be opportunities in the future."

Master Dai said, "By the way, if you see those imported luxury cars on the streets of Qingxi County today, you must not get into any road rage or anything with them. Those driving the luxury cars might be from the Duan family, and even if they aren't, they're from the families of county leaders."

Su Xinghui nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. Thank you!"

After finishing the meal, the two of them sent Master Dai home. With Zhang Bin driving, they returned to the guesthouse. Su Xinghui called Xu Yufu again. Xu Yufu had been waiting for his call in the office. As soon as he heard Su Xinghui's voice, he said, "There's no lead on that matter yet."

Su Xinghui said, "Brother Xu, let's have a meal together this afternoon then."

Xu Yufu said, "Sure, let's eat at the Red Sun Restaurant this afternoon. I'll go after work, you guys go a bit later."

Su Xinghui agreed, hung up the phone, and went upstairs with Zhang Bin to rest.

After resting for a while, the two of them drove back out to wander the streets, partly to familiarize themselves with the terrain, and partly to understand the situation in Qingxi County.

On the streets of Qingxi County, there were indeed many luxury cars—Land Rovers, BMWs, Audis, Mercedes, Crowns, and Nissan Cedrics were endless. In terms of frequency, the appearance of luxury cars here was even higher than in Jiangcheng, revealing a kind of distorted prosperity.

These luxury cars must have been smuggled in. The nineties were the most rampant time for luxury car smuggling. ===== CHAPTER 1219 =====