Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 188 Fool
The following day, Director Xu personally guided Chen Xuebing's Audi to the Maotian Cement Plant, nestled in a remote mountain valley.

No one is empty.

Even the security guards weren't there; they must have gone to celebrate New Year's Day. The gate was locked.

But as they parked their car at the factory gate and were about to peek through the iron gate, a seven or eight-year-old child came over and asked them what they were doing.

Chen Xuebing naturally said he was from the county.

The child was quite bold; he walked up to the car, touched the four rings, and asked, "What kind of car is this?"

Chen Xuebing laughed: "Why are you asking this? Do you even know what a car is?"

"I recognize it! The one with the big bend is Changan, Wuling also has a big bend, and the one with one bend on top and two bends on the bottom is Volkswagen!"

"Wow! You know so much! What about the circles?" Yang Qingyue pointed to the front of the car.

"I don't recognize any of those circles! I've never been here before!" the child said, head held high.

Yang Qingyue adored this brave child, patting his head, making funny faces to amuse him, and even getting him snacks from the car.

"This is called Audi! 'Ao' from the Olympics! 'Di' from inspiration! Little friend, what's your name?"

"Thank you, sister!" The child grabbed the snacks and ran off.

Chen Xuebing watched the child's departing figure, somewhat speechless.

"Audi...you might as well call it a Chery QQ..."

"What's wrong?" Yang Qingyue blinked and asked.

“That kid was just a scout; he probably went back to report.” Xu Haiqiao walked over and laughed. “It’s alright. He said Audi was quick to arrive, but it’s a holiday, and he probably startled them.”

Chen Xuebing and Xu Haiqiao exchanged a smile.

In less than ten minutes, about ten men and women arrived carrying tools.

He opened the iron gate, ignored them, and went straight into the largest piece of equipment inside.

Chen Xuebing followed him inside.

He dared to come to the factory alone, which shows he had some confidence.

He already had some understanding of the properties of cement, and recently he also bought a German-translated reference book on production and studied it carefully, especially the new dry process kiln.

The largest piece of equipment the workers use is called a rotary kiln. It is tens of meters long, wide at the front and narrow at the back. It can burn limestone and metal ore, and is considered the most crucial piece of equipment in a cement plant.

It is also the largest and heaviest piece of equipment.

The equipment that we've been saying we can't pull over is probably this.

This thing needs to be filled with refractory bricks. It's such a large volume, so it takes a lot of time. And it doesn't need to be completed and cured at the same time. You just need to lay the bricks in one ring at a time, and the bricks in the same ring need to be completed in about the same time.

It's a good place to slack off; when leaders or bank staff come to visit, they'll start building a couple of circles.

The core equipment that distinguishes the new dry process for cement production from the old one is a pre-decomposition furnace, which can decompose limestone into calcium oxide and carbon dioxide at high temperatures. This makes the rotary kiln like having multiple helpers, resulting in a significantly lower load, higher thermal efficiency, lower emissions, and a shorter kiln body.

Most importantly, if he remembers correctly, the old-style dry-process kilns and vertical kilns will be classified as outdated production capacity and gradually phased out within a few years.

Now, all the large equipment has been prepared and installed for him, and a large area of ​​limestone behind him has emerged, grayish-white in color, and looks to be of good quality.

"Director Xu, I heard that this ore has a rather high sulfur content?"

"Correct!"

As Xu Haiqiao followed Chen Xuebing closer to the rotary kiln, he raised his hand to fan away the dust coming out: "Either you have to buy high-purity ore to use for firing, or you have to buy desulfurization equipment! And hey, if you're staying here for a long time, you should at least wear a professional dust mask! Inhaling too much dust can make you sick! Cement clinker can even cause a kind of cement pneumoconiosis!"

Chen Xuebing nodded. The remaining issues in the production process are desulfurization, electricity, and cost.

In cement production, combustion and electricity costs account for more than half of the total cost. If these things were to be put into operation, they could generate a fortune every day.

He glanced at the clanging and banging rotary kiln, then turned and gave instructions:

"Jiao Gui, drive to town and buy some masks for the workers. There's too much dust inside. We came all this way just to put on a show, so let's not let them get sick."

……

In the afternoon, the tour ended abruptly before it was even halfway through.

On his way to Ayi River, he experienced firsthand what it means to have a lack of three-dimensional transportation and a misalignment of spatial and temporal perception.

Several mountains, 58 bends, over 70 kilometers of road, it took nearly two hours to drive.

He sat in the car, feeling like his brain was being shaken to its limit.

When we arrived, let alone taking a boat, the water was bone-chillingly cold.

We stayed for less than an hour before heading back to Mowei Mountain and Wanzu Town.

These two places aren't that far from Pengshui, but there's really nothing to see there.

What Miao culture?

The Miao girls from the village were all wearing jeans, and they were humming as they passed the car:

"Pig - your nose has two holes, and when you have a cold, you still have snot hanging from your nose."

This became the happiest moment of Yang Qingyue's afternoon, and she sang it several times along the way, pointing at Chen Xuebing.

People really shouldn't get carried away with their own self-indulgence.

There's a reason why tourism in Pengshui didn't take off in the past.

Developing tourism in this area presents far more challenges than he imagined.

Winter is too cold; it's only suitable for earning money for half a year.

Miao culture is fragmented and lacks unity, and has been heavily Sinicized, so its status as one of the "ancestral lands of Chiyou" is not worthy of the name.

Most of the buildings are also not very attractive, and Wanzu Ancient Town is mostly made of brick and tile houses.

The most important safety issue: Some mountain roads and skywalks have been in disrepair for years. If an accident occurs due to infrastructure problems, it could be disastrous.

The only thing that did not disappoint him was the beautiful scenery.

After lunch, they headed back early. On the way, Chen Xuebing kept his eyes closed, pondering repeatedly the gains and losses of developing Pengshui.

I've lost all interest in dating because of it.

On the contrary, Yang Qingyue became much more cheerful and kept teasing him the whole way.

"Pig, pig!"

……

The night was smooth as satin.

The entire journey was speechless.

Yang Qingyue changed into her beige trench coat again.

"Here, here you go."

When she arrived at her apartment building, she returned the nice white down jacket to Chen Xuebing.

"Don't buy clothes for other girls anymore, Mengzhen will be sad if she sees it."

Chen Xuebing frowned, feeling a bit unable to stand this childish temper, and would mention Xin Mengzhen every now and then.

Haven't we already explained it all?
Although they are not divorced, they are living separately.

In a state of double status, but emotionally single.

In the eyes of a 40-year-old man, this is the best explanation.

Once he was focused on his work, he had little interest in this kind of back-and-forth, and pushed the clothes back: "I've already bought them, who else would I give them to if I didn't want them?"

Yang Qingyue pursed her lips: "Even if you give it to me, I don't want to wear it. It is indeed very warm, and I like it very much, but it's not mine."

"As long as you like it."

"No."

"Okay!" Chen Xuebing's voice was a little louder.

Yang Qingyue suddenly looked aggrieved and punched Chen Xuebing repeatedly with her small fists.

"Don't yell at me! Don't yell at me! I'm not your girlfriend, why are you yelling at me!"

Chen Xuebing sighed inwardly, realizing that the Chongqing "skyrocket" mentality was indeed inherited; they would resort to violence at the slightest provocation.

He pulled Yang Qingyue into his arms, but unfortunately, a woman walked over from a distance, seemingly about to enter the building, so he quickly let go.

The two remained silent, and when the woman approached, they both turned their faces away so she wouldn't see them.

Chen Xuebing then realized that he wasn't very responsible either. After the woman entered the building, he coughed awkwardly.

"You...you mean if you become my girlfriend, I can yell at you, right?"

"It's not going to work out. We won't be together." Yang Qingyue was very decisive this time. She had enjoyed being Chen Xuebing's "girlfriend" all day, and had even refrained from refusing his hand when he occasionally reached out to hold hers, all for the sake of a clean farewell that evening.

Chen Xuebing took a deep breath.

At this point, he was actually thinking of giving up. His male pride told him that a forced relationship wouldn't be happy, but he was also afraid that he would regret it.

He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, turned around and lit it, trying to calm himself down and think things through three times before speaking.

"clatter."

"clatter."

"Da da da."

The lighter wouldn't light no matter what I did, the wind was blowing it, and I was getting a little annoyed.

A shadow loomed over him.

It's a turtleneck sweater, a shapely sweater.

Yang Qingyue unbuttoned her trench coat and used it to shield him from the wind.

Chen Xuebing felt some warmth inside the clothes and hesitated for a moment.

The two stood close together, gazing at each other.

"Click." The firelight flared up.

Within its small space, it stands out exceptionally brightly.

Chen Xuebing was a little reluctant to light the cigarette, so he lit it slowly, twice.

He recalled the Huangpu River, and the cigarette he had smoked in front of Xin Mengzhen, which she had snatched from his hand and put in her mouth.

Xin Mengzhen probably didn't want him to smoke, so she used a clever way to force him.

That time, he truly never smoked in front of Xin Mengzhen again.

Yang Qingyue was foolish enough to shield him from the wind, unaware that this action would lead to a habitual relationship, allowing her to smoke in front of him without restraint in the future.

In that instant, the scales in his heart tipped.

Chen Xuebing took a puff, walked to the nearby trash can, turned his back to her, exhaled wisps of smoke, and then extinguished the puff.

“I dreamt about you; in the dream, I was 40 years old.”

"You...should be 38 years old."

Do you know what you'll look like when you're 38?

"Huh?" These words finally piqued Yang Qingyue's curiosity, and she took the initiative to approach.

Chen Xuebing turned to face her and gestured on her face.

"Her face... is still so pale, her cheekbones are a little wider, and she has curly hair, the kind of... cloud perm, which is very pretty. She was even more shy when she saw me than she is now."

Yang Qingyue looked down at her straight hair and said irritably, "Where am I shy now!"

Chen Xuebing smiled slightly and spoke to himself.

"I don't know if you were married at that time, but looking into your eyes, I felt that you still liked me."

“That dream was very long, extremely long, it felt like it lasted for 20 years. In that dream, I dreamed about you several times, but you were always around seventeen or eighteen years old, back in high school.”

"I think I can't forget you either."

Yang Qingyue's eyes gradually became glazed over as she drifted into her imagination.

The silence allowed the two to resonate with each other like never before.

After a moment, her delicate eyebrows lifted: "If I still like you 20 years from now, it's probably because I never want to grow up."

Chen Xuebing was taken aback.

I find this idea very interesting.

Perhaps that's really the case.

He looked at Yang Qingyue's innocent face and grew to like her even more.

Who wouldn't want a girl who never grows up, forever passionate, forever as vibrant as the rising sun?

In fact, he is a very nostalgic person. Yang Qingyue is the girl next door in his heart, while Xin Mengzhen is someone he was amazed by at first sight, an unattainable dream.

If a person's heart is a hollow circle, Yang Qingyue is his white moonlight, filling every corner with warmth and comfort. Xin Mengzhen is his cinnabar mole, a small mole that bounces around inside whenever he thinks of her, causing him unbearable itch when she touches the edge.

He already knew in his heart who was more suitable to be by his side.

It's just a struggle with greed.

“Actually…” Yang Qingyue’s voice broke his thoughts: “I’ve always wanted to ask you if you ever liked me, and now I’ve heard it.”

As she spoke, a smile spread across her face, and she took a key out of her coat pocket and handed it to him.

"It's enough to have loved in my dreams, for a full twenty years."

"Now, here you go."

Chen Xuebing stared at the key, shook his head, took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, and picked up one that was exactly the same.

"I already have one. This one is yours. If you really don't want it anymore, just throw it away."

He stared at Yang Qingyue with an extremely serious look in his eyes.

Some things are meaningless in themselves. A key is just a key. If you lose it, you can get another one made. But if you hold a grudge, then it represents your feelings for it.

Yang Qingyue held the key tightly, which she had long decided to return to Chen Xuebing, but now she couldn't bear to part with it.

But after hesitating for a moment, she walked to the trash can and threw it away.

Upon hearing the "clang," Chen Xuebing's expression gradually turned to astonishment.

"Damn, you've really lost it!"

He rushed to the trash can and reached inside to rummage through it.

Seeing Chen Xuebing's anxious and flustered appearance, Yang Qingyue couldn't help but smile, but when she saw him actually reach into the trash can, she quickly pulled him back.

"Dirty, filthy!"

She quickly held out the key she was clutching in her hand in front of Chen Xuebing and shouted, "Idiot, I lost my lipstick!"

Chen Xuebing, with his hand stuck in the trash can in an odd posture, looked at the key and visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yang Qingyue's eyes gradually filled with emotion: "Why are you doing this, it's so dirty!"

Chen Xuebing then stretched out his hand and looked at her speechlessly.

"Who knows if you'd really be willing to lose it? Losing a key means paying the landlord 30 yuan!"

Within a second or two, Yang Qingyue went from tears welling up to laughter through her tears, and then hugged Chen Xuebing tightly.

Chen Xuebing turned his head and kissed Yang Qingyue's cheek.

"Let go, I'm taking my clothes off."

"No, it'll be cold if I take it off." Yang Qingyue leaned close to Chen Xuebing's shoulder and shook her head.

Chen Xuebing firmly pushed her away, reached behind his back, and took the down jacket she had been carrying.

"There's one here, isn't there?"

He quickly took off his clothes and put on Yang Qingyue's down jacket.

The girl's down jacket looked a bit too small on him, which was somewhat comical.

Yang Qingyue thought it was so cute.

Her eyes softened, glistening with tears, and she laughed softly.

"Fool!"

Chen Xuebing shook his head and swaggered around.

"It's warm! The clothes I bought are warm."

"Fool, fool, fool!"

The two hugged each other again.

Chen Xuebing smiled slightly.

Who's the fool?

The key was made of metal, and the lipstick was made of plastic; how could I not recognize the sound?

(End of this chapter)