Chapter 119: A Friend to the Elderly
Lai Xiangrong pulled Li Tang to the sofa. "Come, come, sit down and rest a bit. I heard you went to the Ali region in Tibet. The conditions over there are much tougher than here!"
"They were tough indeed."
Li Tang's lips were still cracked and hadn't healed properly—mostly due to the lack of fresh vegetables and fruits. The harsh climate over there had taken a toll on his body.
"In the future, avoid going to places like that. Our Huazhou Province has everything—good people, good food, no need to suffer out there!"
The more Lai Xiangrong looked at Li Tang, the more he appreciated this young man. Just a few days ago, he'd even joked with Niu Fu during a meeting in Yanjing, suggesting transferring Li Tang to the Huazhou Aluminum Plant—only to be sternly refused.
These kinds of comments always carried a layer of subtle meaning.
Though it sounded like praise and recognition, it also hinted at discontent—criticizing Li Tang for not being involved enough in the Yunshang Bauxite project and for being neglectful.
Li Tang couldn't outright say the Qinglong Copper Mine in Tibet was more important. He simply assured them, "From now on, I won't be stationed long-term in Tibet. I'll spend more time here on the Yunshang Bauxite project."
"Good, good. I don't trust anyone else watching the site. Only when you're here can I rest easy."
Lai Xiangrong smiled and signaled to Luo Qinzhong.
Luo Qinzhong quickly said, "Li Tang, you've been away from the project for quite a while and were unreachable. Let me update you on the current status. The project is basically at its final stage.
After reviewing it internally, we at the aluminum plant believe the project is ready for official acceptance."
"It's really finished?"
Li Tang found it all a bit sudden.
"For now, the work has reached its current limits. Later, when conditions are right, we can carry out further in-depth exploration."
Luo Qinzhong opened his notebook and briefly reported the project results to Li Tang: "According to Chief Engineer Ding's recent report, we've delineated over 28 million tons of bauxite. That scale has clearly surpassed the threshold for a large-scale deposit!
And both the ore grade and thickness meet industrial standards!"
"Outstanding results!"
Even hearing the 28 million tons figure again, Lai Xiangrong still felt a rush of excitement.
This was the 16th large-scale bauxite deposit discovered in China in nearly 50 years!
And it was their Huazhou Aluminum Plant that had achieved this breakthrough.
If the news spread, countless aluminum plants would be jealous of them.
Li Tang, however, remained calm.
He had expected the Yunshang Bauxite project to yield these results. In fact, he thought the actual reserve figure might even be a bit low.
In his estimation, the deposit could reach 33 million tons.
It was obvious that the work hadn't been carried out thoroughly enough yet, so the current figures were likely an underestimation.
"What does Chief Engineer Ding think?" he asked calmly.
Luo Qinzhong glanced at Lai Xiangrong, carefully choosing his words. "Chief Engineer Ding also supports proceeding with acceptance. However, he believes there's still potential to expand the results—though it would require deeper work, over 600 meters, with significantly greater difficulty and cost."
After discussing the project status, Lai Xiangrong smiled at Li Tang.
"We signed a reward contract with you. According to the terms, once the project passes inspection, we'll pay you a bonus of 2.8 million yuan. You can come claim it anytime—I'll sign it for you myself."
2.8 million—what an incredible sum.
Li Tang couldn't help but feel a little pleased inside.
Seeing his expression soften, Lai Xiangrong added in a firm and friendly tone, "The funds are ready. If future exploration at Yunshang Bauxite yields more reserves, we'll continue awarding bonuses based on the contract.
We, at Huazhou Aluminum Plant, won't go back on our word. As long as I remain the plant director, that reward contract stays valid."
Li Tang nodded. "Director Lai, you're wise and decisive. Naturally, I support your decision."
"So, you also agree to proceed with project acceptance?" Lai Xiangrong confirmed again.
"Of course. I support it."
Li Tang couldn't wait for acceptance to go through so he could receive his payment sooner.
Lai Xiangrong and Luo Qinzhong exchanged glances, visibly relieved.
"You don't know, lately all kinds of bauxite experts from across the province have come here, treating Yunshang Bauxite like a treasure—studying it again and again, holding one technical seminar after another."
Luo Qinzhong sighed, "Since you're the one who found it, now the experts all trust your word.
When we proposed proceeding with acceptance, many experts objected—especially Old Bi. He raised a lot of issues.
We were in a tough spot. The Land Resources Department, which oversees the acceptance, has to respect expert opinions.
If you hadn't spoken up, those old experts wouldn't have budged."
"They weren't being unreasonable," Lai Xiangrong defended the experts. "They care about the country, they're passionate about finding more ore. That's their motivation."
Li Tang hadn't known that during his absence, his name had already spread throughout the geology industry in Huazhou Province.
When he arrived in Tiemu Town, he was received like a celebrity.
"He's here!"
"Li Tang is back!"
"Everyone, don't crowd—let the young man inside to drink some water first!"
A group of elderly men, their hair white, surrounded Li Tang with tearful eyes and exuberant smiles.
Maybe this was what it meant to be a friend to the elderly.
Li Tang felt a bit embarrassed and didn't know how to handle the situation.
He followed their directions like a puppet, sat down, and drank a sip of water from a cup they held to his mouth.
Only then did the group quiet down. Each of them found a small stool and sat down in the uneven, dimly lit room.
A representative stood up. "In the golden autumn of September, the breeze is crisp and refreshing…
May our country prosper, the mining industry flourish, and the people live in abundance and peace!"
After that long speech, full of old-fashioned phrases, he finally got to the point.
"Discovering a large-scale deposit at Yunshang Bauxite is a remarkable breakthrough—a grand achievement for the bauxite industry!
From this day forward, a new theory of exploration, a new direction, has been validated!
On this ancient land of Huazhou Province, we will discover one large bauxite deposit after another, solving our nation's bauxite shortage once and for all!"
"If we can fully understand the metallogenic theory behind Yunshang Bauxite, it will be a priority for China's nonferrous metals industry!"
"I've heard the China Nonferrous Metals Association has already allocated funds and invited top universities and research institutes to launch scientific research projects based on Yunshang Bauxite!"
After several passionate speeches, they finally calmed down again.
"Everyone, don't rush to share your thoughts. And don't worry about dying before seeing the theory of Yunshang Bauxite come to fruition.
Li Tang is sitting right here in front of us. Now none of us will have regrets!"
"Yes, yes! Everyone quiet down—let's hear what Li Tang has to say!"
"Young man, don't mind me being eighty years old. My teeth are gone, but my ears are still sharp... What's that?... You want me to speak softer?"
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