Chapter 1321: I Will Find a Way for You

Yin Hualong's Third Uncle said, "We are here to find Secretary Su."

Su Xinghui asked with a smile, "Is there something you need from me?"

"Secretary Su, can you please not make our quarry stop production?"

The workers said this in unison. Looking at the pleading expressions on their faces, Su Xinghui didn't know what to say. He naturally knew why they were begging him like this; they hoped to keep this job that was severely damaging their health.

Su Xinghui asked, "Did your boss send you to find me?"

The workers looked at each other. They didn't know how to lie, but they also didn't know if they should tell Su Xinghui the truth.

Yin Hualong said, "Third Uncle, tell Secretary Su the truth. If there are any difficulties, he will definitely be able to help you solve them."

Only then did his Third Uncle sigh and say, "Yes, our boss called and said that since the quarry stopped production, he would stop paying wages. He told Manager Shen to tell us to organize all the workers in the quarry and go to the township to make a scene until they let us resume production. But how could we go make a scene? The workers pushed us few to come and plead with Secretary Su. Secretary Su, please let our quarry resume production."

Su Xinghui said, "Don't you know that working there will cause great damage to your health?"

A worker said, "But we need to earn money. Our families are really too poor. A few days ago, my child wanted to buy a book and I couldn't afford it. The wages at the quarry haven't been settled for us yet, and the boss said if we don't resume production, he won't pay our past wages either."

Yin Hualong said, "He wouldn't dare!"

The worker said, "If he doesn't pay, what can we do to him? They have money and power; we can't even get our complaints heard."

Su Xinghui said, "How many months of wages does the boss owe you? How many workers are there in total?"

"He owes us three months of wages, and there are over twenty workers in total."

Su Xinghui was filled with rage. Was this boss even human? He dared to withhold the money people were literally risking their lives for!

Su Xinghui said, "Don't worry, I will definitely help you get this money back. If I can't get it back, I will pay it for you!"

The workers were all shocked: "How can we let you pay this money? This has nothing to do with you. As the saying goes, 'every debt has its debtor,' and this debt must not be dragged onto you!"

Su Xinghui said, "Since I am the one who ordered the stop to production, if I can't help you get the money back, then it has everything to do with me, and I will definitely pay it for you! Secretary Lin, Director Fan, please bear witness for me."

The workers looked at each other. They felt this was inappropriate, but since Su Xinghui had said as much, what else could they say?

Su Xinghui said, "However, fellow masters, it's best if you don't do the work at the quarry anymore. It really causes too much damage to your health. Look, I only stayed in the quarry for about half an hour just now, and I'm covered in this much dust. You stay in the quarry all day long—how can you handle that? Even if you earn a little money, if you really get sick, I expect the money you earned won't even be enough for medical treatment."

The workers said, "But if we don't do this, what can we do?"

Su Xinghui said, "Don't worry. It won't be long before I help you find a way to get rich."

The workers were skeptical. Yin Hualong said, "Secretary Su was an expert at economic development when he was in Shangjun County. He worked in two townships, and both underwent earth-shaking changes. So, if he says he can help you find a way to get rich, he definitely isn't just boasting."

Yin Hualong's words gave the workers more confidence in Su Xinghui. They looked at each other again and then said to Su Xinghui, "Okay, Secretary Su, then we'll go home and wait for now."

Su Xinghui asked, "How long have you been working at the quarry?"

Yin Hualong's Third Uncle said, "We've been working there since Boss Shen bought the quarry last May, so about eight months now."

Su Xinghui said, "That's good, the time isn't too long. However, you should go to the hospital for a physical examination, especially for your lungs. You must have an X-ray to see if there are any problems. If there are, bring the results to me, and I will help you seek compensation from that Boss Shen."

The workers all agreed and left, thanking him profusely.

Su Xinghui said to Fan Xiaodong, "Director Fan, keep an eye on the quarry for me these next few days and don't let them resume production. If they resume production without authorization, call me, and I'll have the perfect reason to shut them down permanently."

Fan Xiaodong was very spirited. He nodded and said, "Secretary Su, don't worry. It's impossible for them to resume production secretly. With that production line of theirs, we'll hear it as soon as they turn it on."

Su Xinghui then got up to tour the village and check on the situation.

To the east of Baiyun Village was the highway from Yulin City to Changshan County. This highway was less than two kilometers from Baiyun Village, and a village-level road connected it to the village. This village-level road had become the most important channel connecting Baiyun Village to the outside world.

The crushed stone from the Baiyun Mountain Quarry was transported out through this village-level road and the county-level highway from Yulin City to Changshan County. Originally, this quarry was considered an enterprise of Baiyun Village, allowing some villagers to find employment and solving some economic problems.

But who would have thought that this quarry would bring such great damage to the environment of Baiyun Village and the health of the villagers?

Every household in Baiyun Village didn't dare to hang clothes outside. People in Baiyun Village even tried to graze their sheep as far away as possible; otherwise, the sheep wouldn't even eat the shrub leaves and grass covered in dust. And the massive noise from that production line seriously affected the sleep of both people and sheep.

Fortunately, Su Xinghui had already made this quarry stop production, so these problems no longer existed. From now on, they just needed to work hard to develop the economy.

After touring Baiyun Village and understanding the situation, Su Xinghui left with Yin Hualong, toured Hougou Village a few miles to the west, and then returned to the township government.

Upon returning to the township government, Su Xinghui called Rao Songnian. Rao Songnian knew that Su Xinghui had been transferred to Changshan County. As soon as he received the call, he asked about Su Xinghui's current work situation. Su Xinghui told him that he was now the Party Secretary of Matou Township.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Rao Songnian heard the name Matou Township, he asked if it was the Matou Township famous for its Matou goats. Su Xinghui said, "Professor Rao, have you been here before?"

Rao Songnian said, "Have you forgotten what I do? I specialize in zoology. Of course I've studied high-quality goat breeds like the Matou goat. If I wanted to study Matou goats, I naturally would have gone to Matou Township. But that was ten years ago. At that time, it took me three or four hours to take a bus from Yulin District to Matou Township—the road was hard to travel. How is it now?"

Su Xinghui said, "The road should be a bit better than it was ten years ago, but only to a limited extent. Transportation is still very inconvenient. By the way, Professor Rao, since you've studied Matou goats, is there any way to solve the problem of rapidly expanding the population scale of Matou goats?"

Rao Songnian laughed and said, "You've really asked the right person. The Matou goat is a high-quality breed, but its shortcoming is a low reproduction rate. It's not easy to rapidly expand the population scale. However, after joint research by experts from our school's Department of Zoology, the problem of the Matou goat's low reproduction rate can now be solved. Are you planning to raise Matou goats on a large scale in your Matou Township?"