Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 52: The Lecture

After chatting for about ten minutes, Li Tang began to grow a bit anxious when he realized his father still hadn't returned. "What kind of report is he giving that's taking this long?"

"A while ago, our geology department applied for a general survey project through the provincial geological fund," Pan Yuexing explained with a sigh. "It didn't get approved. So Chief Engineer Liu called your father in, probably to analyze why it failed."

He seemed helpless as he spoke. "Work has been really hard lately. No projects, and everyone in the team just sits around the office. We only earn two or three hundred yuan in base salary each month—it's almost impossible to support a family. A lot of people here have gone back to side jobs, like pedaling rickshaws, to make ends meet."

A few years ago, the economic conditions were even worse. Most employees, though still technically state workers, had been forced to find other means of survival—some sold pork, some farmed, others became street vendors or rickshaw drivers.

Only recently had things slightly improved. Occasionally, tasks were handed down from higher up, and when projects came in, the unit would call everyone back to work.

But the work wasn't stable—on-again, off-again, with long idle periods in between.

Li Tang waited for a while longer, then finally asked, "Where is he reporting? I'll go check."

"Upstairs. Take the stairs and turn right—it's the first office."

"Got it."

Li Tang walked up the stairs and turned to find an open office door. Inside, someone was speaking loudly.

"…such a low-level mistake. When juniors make them, it's because they're young and careless. But as team leaders, we didn't review the materials properly either. We failed to catch the errors before submitting the proposal. When higher-ups reviewed the application, they thought, 'Hey, the technical plan's solid, but how can a serious geological team submit something with basic spelling errors?' How can they trust us with funding? They gave the project to someone else."

"The truth is, decisions like these often hinge on little things."

"Old Li, you're over forty. You're older than me. How are you still making rookie mistakes?"

"Losing a project over a small error—it's heartbreaking."

"How can I trust you to lead projects in the future?"

"The captain and I have been running all over trying to secure new work, while you technical folks don't even take things seriously. It's just too disappointing."

Only one voice filled the room. Li Tang didn't hear his father speak at all. Pretending to pass by, he glanced into the office.

Inside, two people. One sat in a chair, clearly the one delivering the long-winded scolding.

The other stood motionless with his back to the door, hands by his sides, dressed in dark blue overalls and wearing canvas Liberation shoes.

It was a classic scene: one person lecturing, the other being lectured.

It was common in a workplace—but it hurt Li Tang deeply.

His father was over forty, being publicly reprimanded by someone younger and not shown the slightest respect.

Thud thud!

Li Tang knocked on the doorframe. "Sorry to interrupt."

The man sitting down—Liu Yifeng, Chief Engineer of the 101st Geological Team—looked up and seemed to recognize him. "You're Li Tang?"

"I am. I'm here to see my father." Li Tang's face was expressionless.

He vaguely remembered Liu Yifeng from earlier years. If memory served, this man would eventually be dismissed for embezzling project funds.

Hearing his son's voice, Li Zaiqiang turned around. Despite being berated just moments ago, his face lit up with a warm, fatherly smile. "What are you doing here? Wait for me in the downstairs office—I'm still talking with Director Liu."

"I need to speak with you urgently," Li Tang replied, a hint of anger and resentment in his tone.

Li Zaiqiang turned back to Liu Yifeng and smiled bitterly. "Director Liu, would you mind…"

"Old Li, I've been criticizing you for your own good!" Liu Yifeng still showed no restraint, even in front of Li Tang. "You're not getting any younger, and your problem is you've become complacent. Since your son's here, all the more reason to set a good example. Go ahead—just don't neglect your work."

"Yes, Director Liu."

Li Zaiqiang nodded and turned to leave, taking Li Tang downstairs with him.

"You were in there a long time, Chief Li," Pan Yuexing said when they returned, already guessing what had happened. In a hushed voice, he asked, "Did Liu Yifeng go off on you again? That guy blames everyone for everything. I've lost count of how many times he's chewed me out. Total scapegoat mentality."

"It wasn't so bad. He's the leader, after all. He's got a lot on his plate, and a bad temper is understandable," Li Zaiqiang replied calmly. He had clearly grown used to such treatment and didn't take it to heart. "This is my son, Li Tang. He used to come along on site visits when he was little. Do you remember?"

"Of course!" Pan Yuexing laughed. "We chatted quite a while while you were upstairs getting yelled at."

Li Zaiqiang glanced at his watch. It wasn't yet the end of the workday, so he pointed to a wooden bench by the wall. "Sit here for a bit. Once we're done, I'll head home with you."

Li Tang was still fuming from watching his father get scolded. No matter how mature or hardened he was, it was difficult to stay calm after witnessing something like that.

"What was so serious that he laid into you like that?" he asked.

"Nothing major—just work stuff. Don't worry about it."

Zaiqiang could tell his son was upset and felt a little embarrassed to have been chewed out in front of him. "We recently applied for a 300,000-yuan geological fund project. It wasn't approved, so the boss was frustrated. A little yelling is no big deal—we're all still in one piece."

"So the project was denied because of something you did?"

"No way." Zaiqiang shook his head firmly. He took pride in his work. "I'm careful. I wouldn't make the kind of rookie mistakes Liu Yifeng claimed. The rejection probably had nothing to do with the technical team. Why the higher-ups turned it down, only they know."

"Liu Yifeng's just a desperate dog lashing out," Pan Yuexing muttered quietly.

It was clear they all knew exactly what kind of person Liu Yifeng was—and despised him.

"He's the leader. When a project fails, he gets the blame, so he shifts it downward," said Liao Wenyang, who had been silent until now, sharing the same sentiment.

"Let's not be so resentful," Zaiqiang said, trying to calm everyone down. "Do your job and stay steady."

He looked at his watch again. It was nearly time to leave, so he stood up and motioned to Li Tang. "Let's go home."

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