Chapter 1314: Encountering a Quarry on the Road

Yin Hualong said, "I used to go home every week, but my dad told me not to go back too often. He told me to work hard and put all my focus into my job. He said it wasn't easy for our family to have someone like me working as a public servant, and told me not to worry about home—that he, my older brother, and my younger brother were there."

Su Xinghui nodded. So that was the reason. Still, it was true; for the Yin family to have someone like Yin Hualong working at the township government was indeed quite an achievement. Naturally, they wouldn't want trivial family matters to weigh on his mind, hoping instead that he could devote himself wholeheartedly to his work.

The two rode their bicycles for nearly an hour when Yin Hualong pointed to a small village ahead and said, "That is Baiyun Village."

However, Su Xinghui's gaze did not land on Baiyun Village. He saw a quarry by the side of the road ahead. The nameplate next to the gate read "Baiyun Mountain Quarry." He asked Yin Hualong, "Who runs this quarry?"

Yin Hualong replied, "This quarry used to belong to the Highway Department. It seems it was sold to a private boss last year. The boss's surname seems to be Shen, and he's from the county seat."

The quarry was currently in operation. The massive noise from the production line was deafening, even from over a hundred meters away. The two had to shout to speak to each other, and the dust kicked up by the production line was all-encompassing, making the entire mountain appear gray and hazy.

The roofs of the houses on both sides of the road were covered in white dust; from a distance, it looked as if it had just snowed. A truck fully loaded with crushed stone pulled out of the quarry. Including the vehicle and its cargo, it weighed at least twenty or thirty tons. After exiting, it made a turn and headed straight toward Su Xinghui and Yin Hualong.

The road out of the mountain was narrow and on a downhill slope. The truck showed no intention of slowing down and charged right toward them. Su Xinghui and Yin Hualong hurriedly hoisted their bicycles and stood on a rock by the roadside to let the truck pass.

Su Xinghui placed his bicycle back on the ground. He furrowed his brows tightly and shouted, "Little Yin, let's go in and take a look."

Yin Hualong nodded, followed Su Xinghui, and pushed his bicycle for over a hundred meters until they entered the quarry gate.

As soon as they entered the quarry, Su Xinghui felt a massive wave of dust hit him in the face, as if someone had punched him. He couldn't help but take a step back. He hurriedly covered his mouth and nose with his left hand, which made it slightly better and allowed him to catch his breath.

Yin Hualong was also frowning and covering his nose; he looked just as uncomfortable.

A burly young man walked toward them. He seemed completely unaffected by the heavy dust and asked nonchalantly, "Are you here to buy stone?"

Su Xinghui thought to himself, *This is a case of "one who stays in a fish market no longer smells the fish."* The dust here was so severe, yet this young man wasn't afraid at all.

Su Xinghui said, "We're just here to take a look. The dust here is so severe—don't you have any measures for humidification and dust suppression?"

The young man glared and said, "If you aren't here to buy stone, why are you causing trouble? Go, go, go, don't block the road here. Our trucks still need to get out."

As he spoke, another truck fully loaded with crushed stone drove over. Su Xinghui and Yin Hualong stepped aside to let it pass.

Su Xinghui said, "Call your quarry manager over. I have a few words for him."

The young man suddenly flared up: "Who exactly are you? You're here to pick a fight, aren't you? You want to see our manager? Is our manager someone you can just see whenever you want? Are you leaving or not? If you don't leave, believe it or not, I'll set the dogs on you!"

As if to prove the young man's point, two dogs—one black and one yellow—rushed out from beside the weigh station. However, under the heavy dust, both dogs had turned white. As they ran, powder fell off their bodies.

The two dogs ran to the young man's side and began barking wildly at Su Xinghui and Yin Hualong, looking very vicious. Su Xinghui, of course, was not afraid; these were just common mountain dogs. They barked loudly, but they wouldn't dare to actually bite. With Su Xinghui's skills, even if they did charge to bite, it would only take one kick each to deal with them.

Yin Hualong said, "Don't do anything rash. We are from the township government."

"Township government?" The young man sneered. "I don't care where you're from, get out of here now!"

Yin Hualong said, "This is our township's new Secretary Su."

The young man said, "Isn't the Secretary in the township Secretary Li? When did a Secretary Su come along? Deputy Secretary? You aren't lying to me, are you? Is there such a young Deputy Secretary?"

Yin Hualong said, "Secretary Li has been transferred. This Secretary Su is now the township's Party Secretary, the top leader."

Even with the township's top leader present, the young man remained unafraid. He shook his head and said, "Who knows if you're real or fake? Even if you are real, we are operating legally here."

Su Xinghui said calmly, "You are operating legally, so what's wrong with me asking you to call the manager over?"

The young man's tone softened slightly: "Comrade, our manager is in the county seat. He doesn't usually come here."

Su Xinghui said, "Who are you? You must have a production manager here, right? Calling him over will do."

The young man said, "I am the manager of the security department here, specifically tasked with blocking idlers. The production manager is busy right now and doesn't have time to see you. You can just tell me whatever you have to say."

A cold glint flashed in Su Xinghui's eyes. *Arrogant. This place is truly arrogant! *

Su Xinghui laughed instead of getting angry: "I can just tell you, right? Then please stop production immediately!"

"Stop production?" the young man said. "On what grounds? We have all the necessary certificates and are operating legally. You tell me to stop production, and I just stop?"

Su Xinghui said, "On what grounds? On the grounds that the dust here is too severe and has a major impact on the workers' health—that's grounds enough for me to stop your production!"

The young man's eyes turned vicious: "If you dare to stop production, I dare to hit someone!"