Rebirth of the Mining Tycoon

Chapter 54: A Grand Gesture

Talking about money made Tang Chuqiu frown again. "I heard from some people at your unit that there's a collective housing project. They said the buildings are already up. Each person contributes two or three thousand yuan and can get a new apartment. I often hear about it when I'm out walking. If we had the money, we could've applied for one too."

Their current home was on the ground floor, and this time of year it rained almost constantly. The dampness and cold were bone-deep. Ground-floor apartments were especially prone to humidity.

The collective housing initiative was real.

Li Zaiqiang shook his head and took another big swig of his wine, blaming himself silently. After working so many years, he still hadn't provided his family with a better life.

After dinner, the family huddled in their small living room around a coal stove for warmth, watching an old black-and-white TV.

A drama from Hong Kong was playing. The voice dubbing didn't match the actors' lip movements at all, but both Li Zaiqiang and Tang Chuqiu were completely absorbed.

Li Tang, bored, opened his backpack and pulled out two mobile phones, handing one to each parent.

"What's this?" Tang Chuqiu stared at the sleek, compact "elderly phone" in her hand. She'd never seen anything like it and was clearly intrigued.

"A phone?" Li Zaiqiang had seen one before. His old classmate Qin Jianshe had something similar.

He'd heard they were expensive—costing several thousand yuan or more.

Phone plans were pricey, too. They had never even considered buying one.

They had a landline at home, but they rarely used it unless they were calling Li Tang. Even then, they were always conscious of the cost.

"I already paid the activation fees today," Li Tang said, lifting his own phone. "I stored my number in both phones, so you can reach me anytime."

"This thing's expensive!" Li Zaiqiang quickly tried to give the phone back. "Take mine back—you know I don't need a phone for work."

"How much does one cost?" Tang Chuqiu held the device gingerly, afraid she might drop it.

"Each of yours was 5,000 yuan. Mine was a bit cheaper—just over 3,000."

"Five thousand?!"

Tang Chuqiu was stunned.

"You reckless spender!" Li Zaiqiang was furious. He thought Li Tang had wasted money recklessly and immediately grew suspicious. "Tell me the truth—did you do something illegal?"

"No!" Li Tang quickly raised his hand. "I did something good. The company rewarded me with a lot of money! It's all clean and legitimate. If you don't believe me, you can call President Qin. He'll vouch for me."

Li Zaiqiang looked at the phone but didn't know how to use it. "Use your phone to call Qin Jianshe!"

Li Tang dialed.

On the other end, the background was loud—obviously a banquet.

"Hello? Li Tang, you at home? If you're free, come drink with us!" Qin Jianshe said, clearly still at a dinner party.

"I'm home. My dad wants to talk to you for a moment." Li Tang handed the phone to his father.

Nervously, afraid he'd hear something bad, Zaiqiang took the phone and stepped outside before speaking.

When he returned, the worry was gone from his face.

"Well? What's going on?" Tang Chuqiu asked anxiously.

"This kid's really done well. The company gave him a big reward," Zaiqiang said. He fully trusted his old classmate's words.

"How much?"

"Qin didn't say exactly, but he said Li Tang has plenty now. Told us to use the phones freely."

"That's a lot of money…" Tang Chuqiu still looked heartbroken as she held the phone. "Five thousand yuan—for something like this? If we'd bought food instead, it would've lasted us years!"

"You can't return them. Plus, I've already loaded up a lot of prepaid credit. Just use them," Li Tang said, gently pushing the phones back into their hands and patiently showing them how to use the basics.

That night, Li Tang slept at home—and slept soundly.

The next morning, he arrived early at the guesthouse beside the Geological Bureau. When Qin Jianshe and He Runqi came down, they all headed to the bureau together.

Noticing how exhausted He Runqi looked, Li Tang teased him. "Rough night? You look wrecked."

"You bolted faster than a rabbit. Qin and I were swarmed. I don't even remember how I got back," He Runqi grumbled.

Qin Jianshe laughed heartily. "To be fair, He Runqi held his ground pretty well—he didn't lose face! But…"

He leaned close and whispered to Li Tang, "He passed out under the table. They had to carry him back."

"That bad, huh?" Li Tang shook his head.

"If you're so tough, let's see you drink tonight!" He Runqi challenged, neck stiff.

"No matter how much I drink, I won't end up under the table," Li Tang laughed.

As they approached the entrance to the Geological Bureau, a group of people appeared, smiling broadly to welcome them.

Above them, a long red banner read: Welcome to the Leaders of Wukuang Exploration & Development Co., Visiting for Guidance and Collaboration!

"President Qin, Little He, you both look fresh and energetic!"

A slightly chubby middle-aged man hurried over, hands held in a formal greeting gesture.

"Director Han, this is too much," Qin Jianshe said, seeing the grand welcome. At least thirty people stood at the door—including nearly the entire leadership of the Geological Bureau.

"Everyone's eager to meet the esteemed guests in person."

Director Han Dexun led the group into the building.

He treated Li Tang and He Runqi like honored dignitaries, careful and respectful in every way.

Han personally led them into the Geological Bureau's exhibition room, where all the awards and exploration certifications were proudly displayed.

The message was clear: We are well-qualified and highly competitive. Trust us with your project.

Qin Jianshe got the message. At last night's banquet, people had subtly tried to probe him for details about the Tibet copper project.

He confirmed that, yes, there was indeed a massive 35-million-yuan project, and yes, it was led by their company.

And this visit? To assess potential partners.

The moment they heard that, the bureau leaders were like people on steroids—drinking like it was water.

Today, they gathered every leader early in the morning to await their "guests of honor."

It was shaping up to be a perfect match.

But after the grand tour, Han Dexun and the others noticed something odd—Qin Jianshe remained aloof, his hands behind his back, face expressionless.

"President Qin," Han finally asked, unable to bear the suspense, "what kind of criteria does your company use to select an exploration partner?"

Others leaned in, listening closely—not just from the Geological Bureau, but from the Nonferrous Metals Bureau, the Environmental Institute, and several private companies.

Who knew? Maybe someone would get lucky.

"Everything looks good," Qin said with a faint smile. Then, slowly, he added, "To be honest, our team actually split into two groups yesterday. While I was here, another group went ahead to begin discussions elsewhere. I'm not sure how that turned out yet."

"What?"

Han Dexun and the others were stunned.

They had no idea Wukuang Group had split its delegation!

They'd spent the whole day with Qin Jianshe—and now they realized the real negotiations were happening elsewhere?

"Did other leaders from Wukuang Group come as well?" Han struggled to keep his composure. "If so, I deeply apologize. We failed to welcome them properly. Please, let us bring them here—we insist on being good hosts."

"There were no other 'leaders,'" Qin said, smiling as he reached over and patted Li Tang on the shoulder. "Actually, the person who went to negotiate is right here—it was just him."

"Huh?"

Everyone turned to look at Li Tang's youthful face—stunned.

Could this young man be the real decision-maker in the delegation?

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