Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 53: A Simple Family Meal

When Tang Chuqiu came home from work and saw her son already there, she was overjoyed. She quickly ran to the market and bought extra meat for dinner.

That evening, the three of them sat together for a simple but satisfying home-cooked meal.

Upon learning that Qin Jianshe had also come to Zhucheng, Li Zaiqiang originally wanted to go personally and invite his old classmate over for dinner. But Li Tang simply took out his phone, dialed the number, and after finding out that Qin Jianshe was already tied up by the local geological bureau leaders at a drinking event, he hung up immediately—especially when he heard "drinking" mentioned.

Qin Jianshe had even suggested Li Tang join them, hoping to bolster their side in numbers. But as soon as Li Tang heard there was drinking involved, he didn't hesitate to decline.

The family dinner was much more abundant than usual, and they ate heartily.

"Now that you're working, you can drink a little," said Li Zaiqiang with a smile.

Though he rarely drank, when he was happy, he would pull out his carefully stashed good liquor, pour himself a glass, and slowly savor it.

When Li Tang was still a student, alcohol was strictly off-limits at home. But now that he was employed, things had changed.

The father and son clinked glasses. Li Zaiqiang took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "This is good liquor."

Li Tang's face twisted in pain as the strong spirit burned its way down his throat. "Too strong!"

Seeing her son wince, Tang Chuqiu quickly picked up her chopsticks and loaded his bowl with food. "Eat more!"

Li Tang stuffed a few pieces of meat into his mouth just to suppress the aftertaste of the alcohol.

"You came to Zhucheng with Qin Jianshe—are you here for a project?" Li Zaiqiang asked while eating, clearly curious.

Since it wasn't a holiday, they couldn't be back just for fun.

"Yeah, there's a project—we're here to discuss it."

As soon as she heard that, Tang Chuqiu lit up. "It would be great if you could stay here long-term. You'd be able to come home often."

"There's no such thing as free time during a project. It's not realistic," said Li Zaiqiang, knowing full well the demanding nature of fieldwork.

"The project's not in Guizhou—it's in Tibet," Li Tang said as he ate hungrily, clearly enjoying his parents' cooking.

"Not in Zhucheng?" Tang Chuqiu frowned slightly. "Tibet's conditions are even tougher. It's freezing there."

"Tibet is indeed harsher than Guizhou," Li Zaiqiang added. He had been there before, and even someone as driven as he was grew concerned. "Make sure you stay safe."

"I'll be careful. Besides, it's not like I'm going alone."

"If the project's in Tibet, then why are you here?" his mother asked.

"The exploration contractor hasn't been chosen yet, so we're here looking for a partner."

"You have a project and you're offering it to someone else to execute?"

Li Zaiqiang picked up his glass, clearly deep in thought. Naturally, he hoped the project would be awarded to his own unit—everyone was desperate for work.

People were simple. They didn't chase luxury. All they wanted was steady work and income to support their families.

Because at the end of the day, poverty was the norm. Wages were far too low.

But then he thought about how his son had just started at the company and probably didn't have much influence. Asking him to pull strings seemed unreasonable.

He took a distracted sip of wine, clinking glasses with his son. The liquor hit his throat and made him cough.

"Drink slower!" Tang Chuqiu scolded, frowning.

Li Tang gulped down a chunk of lamb before responding. "It's a big project—35 million total budget. Right now, we're starting with the preliminary survey, which is budgeted at 5 million."

"That big?" Li Zaiqiang was taken aback. As a grassroots worker, he hadn't heard anything about the project. It was the first time he was learning of it, and the number startled him.

He had worked in the geological field his whole life and had never been involved in anything so large.

"Yeah, it's a pretty big deal."

"So… have you already found a partner? Otherwise, you wouldn't have come all this way, right?"

"We have a potential partner, but nothing's signed yet. It's not finalized."

"If this project came to our unit, the whole team would be thrilled. Not only would they get field bonuses, but maybe even a decent year-end reward."

"Dad, would you want to work on a project in Tibet?" Li Tang asked after eating his fill and lifting his glass to toast again.

Zaiqiang lifted his own glass, thought for a second, then chuckled. "Of course I would."

"Tibet is so far away," Tang Chuqiu said, full of concern at the thought of both father and son being away from home.

"It's just temporary. When the project's done, I'll come back." Zaiqiang tried to reassure his wife. "I've been home so much lately, you're probably sick of seeing me."

"Dad, you said you'd do it—if we hand the project to your team, don't back out because it's hard work."

"If you're the one calling the shots, I'll toast you three times right now!"

Zaiqiang raised his glass and clinked it against Li Tang's, taking a big gulp.

Clearly, he was joking and didn't take it seriously.

Li Tang smiled at his father's attitude but also seemed to make up his mind. "Dad, I remember there's a rule at your unit—if someone brings in a project, they get a bonus, right?"

"Yeah. Whoever secures a project gets a commission—usually three to five percent. For a five-million-yuan project, it's three percent."

Talking about it reminded him of the scolding he got earlier that day. "You saw what happened earlier—Liu Yifeng went berserk because a 300,000-yuan project didn't get approved. If it had, he would've taken a five percent cut—15,000 yuan!"

Fifteen thousand—that was more than a full year's salary!

No wonder he was furious. Missing out on that was a big loss.

"Everyone helps write the proposal, but only one guy gets paid?" Li Tang was stunned.

"This project idea came from Liu Yifeng. He told the unit to start preparing the application," Zaiqiang explained. "Of course, if the leader is generous, he might share a little of the bonus with the staff."

"But if the leader isn't generous, everyone else gets nothing."

"That's just how it is," Zaiqiang said with a sigh. As a mid-level employee, all he could do was try to secure some benefits for those under him whenever possible.

"So if we give this project to your unit, you'd get a three percent cut?"

"For a five-million-yuan project?"

Zaiqiang had never even dared imagine such a thing. But with his son asking, he couldn't help doing the math. "Three percent of five million is 150,000! I've never made that much in my entire life."

"Whoa, that much?" Tang Chuqiu exclaimed.

"Let's just live simply. As long as we have food and warmth, that's enough. Don't think about unrealistic stuff." Despite the wine, Zaiqiang was still clear-headed. He raised his glass and told Li Tang, "Focus on your work. Don't get greedy or overambitious."

"Got it," Li Tang nodded.

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