Chapter 113: Twin Bridges Brick Factory

Le'er and Li Ying arrived in town to meet with Mayor Wang Chaowei, only to find that he, along with Secretary Huang, was away at the county seat for a meeting. When Le'er called him, Mayor Wang was remarkably enthusiastic.

"Sha Le'er, hello, hello! How are things, our big poverty-alleviation boss? Is it about the bricks?"

"That's right, Mayor Wang. We need the bricks immediately."

"Go find Secretary Yang. I’ll call her right now and have her take you there," Mayor Wang said with a hearty laugh. "The Shuangqiao Brick Factory is also a poverty-alleviation enterprise supported by the county; you two should support each other."

Le'er felt there was something off about his tone; it didn't sound like a business arrangement. Li Ying, standing right beside him, had heard the call clearly and furrowed her brow, sensing the political undercurrents in the Mayor's words.

The two exchanged a look.

"Le'er, are there any other brick factories around?" Li Ying asked, frowning. "It doesn't matter if it's a bit further away."

"There's the Dafu Brick Factory in Futian Village, about four miles from here, right on the road to the county seat. It's privately run."

Just then, a woman in her mid-twenties approached. "Are you Sha Le'er?" She had a decent figure, though some prominent freckles on her face were quite noticeable. "I am Secretary Yang from the town government."

"Secretary Yang, hello."

Secretary Yang’s eyes landed on Li Ying. Clearly, Li Ying’s beauty had caught her attention; no matter where she went, Li Ying was bound to draw stares. Le'er introduced them, and the two women shook hands. Reputation precedes a person, and since Sha Le'er was already a local celebrity, Secretary Yang was naturally very warm.

The three of them got into the car and headed toward the Shuangqiao Brick Factory. Le'er knew the location—it was just off the road they had come in on, a short two-mile detour. On the way, Secretary Yang briefed them, "The owner, Yang Huamin, is the cousin of Deputy County Magistrate Yang."

"Oh..."

Le'er already knew this, but Li Ying frowned again. She felt the business climate here was abnormal. It was nothing like the Pearl River Delta, where the commercial environment was mature, relationships were streamlined, and the government generally didn't interfere in business. Here, the county had few enterprises, and private businesses were mostly small-time operations. Their own investment of over three million yuan made them a major player.

Protectionism was severe here. Many small businesses were merely "poverty-alleviation" fronts set up by officials for personal gain. These businesses lacked operational capacity and existed solely to siphon poverty-alleviation funds.

Deputy County Magistrate Yang Huarong’s cousin, Yang Huamin, was using his relative’s influence to run this project. It was likely the Magistrate himself held a stake. Li Ying wasn't fully versed in local affairs, but her intelligence had helped her piece the situation together over the past few days. If not for the backing of Secretary Feng, she would have been genuinely worried.

The car soon entered the factory grounds. It was desolate—no workers, no activity, just a few thousand warped, scattered bricks exposed to the elements. They were essentially useless.

"Secretary Yang, has this factory gone out of business?"

Le'er frowned, and Li Ying brought the car to a stop.

"Not at all," Secretary Yang smiled. "I know this place well. It looks like this when there's no business, but as soon as an order comes in, they start production immediately."

"Le'er, we need these bricks urgently. If the Shuangqiao factory has to start from scratch, we don't have the time to wait. It will delay the project." Li Ying’s expression and tone were cold.

"Hmm... then let's go look elsewhere."

Seeing Li Ying prepare to reverse the car, Secretary Yang grew anxious. "Sha Le'er, you can't do that. Mayor Wang specifically said you must buy your bricks here."

"What kind of talk is that?" Le'er said, visibly annoyed, a swear word slipping out. "There isn't a single brick in sight! What am I supposed to buy? I'm in a damn hurry for these materials!"

"Miss Li, please stop the car. Let me call Mayor Wang, okay?"

"Fine, go ahead."

Li Ying sighed, feeling quite disgruntled. She thought it strange that these officials were so insistent on manipulating private business transactions. Soon, Secretary Yang returned after speaking with the Mayor.

"Le'er, Mayor Wang wants to talk to you."

Le'er took the phone. Mayor Wang’s laughter echoed through the receiver, but Le'er cut him off. "Mayor Wang, there isn't a single brick here. We are in a rush and don't have time to wait." His tone was blunt.

"Haha, Le'er, no need to be so impatient," the Mayor continued to laugh it off. "Shuangqiao is a county-supported poverty-alleviation enterprise, and so is yours. You two should join hands to boost our county's efforts. I know they can start production as soon as there's an order. It won't delay you much. Just do me a favor."

Le'er was furious and wanted to curse him out, but he held back. Though he was just a village boy with little formal education, he found it shocking that a Mayor could be so unprofessional.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Wang," Le'er said, steadying himself. "It's not that I don't want to do you a favor, but our construction site is already active. If we miss our deadline, we'll miss the snake-breeding season next year. Besides, I'm not the only owner of this company."

Li Ying had been listening the whole time, and she felt a sense of satisfaction at Le'er’s response. For a village boy with little schooling, his ability to parry the pressure so effectively was impressive.

Le'er exchanged a glance with Li Ying; she nodded, signaling her agreement.

"Le'er, even if you're in a hurry, surely ten days or half a month won't kill you? Besides, once they start, they'll have bricks in seven or eight days. How much could that possibly delay you?" Mayor Wang sounded displeased that Le'er wouldn't play ball. "You should know that the factory owner is Deputy County Magistrate Yang's cousin. Helping them is helping the Magistrate. It will make things much easier for you in the future."

This was an open threat. Li Ying’s face turned stony. Secretary Yang, on the other hand, looked delighted, humming a tune as if to say, "Think you're tough? Let's see how you handle this!" Seeing her expression, Le'er’s temper flared.

"Mayor Wang, screw this! I'm not running this farm anymore!" Le'er finally snapped. "It's a good thing we just started and haven't lost much money. If this is how things are going to be, I don't want to deal with it. I can't afford to play this game. I'm leaving."

Mayor Wang panicked. If Sha Le'er really walked away over this, his own career as Mayor would likely be over. If he caused the collapse of a project that Secretary Feng was backing, would the Secretary let him off easily? Even though he wasn't in Secretary Feng's camp, he didn't dare provoke him.

"Le'er, don't be so hasty! Let's talk this through," the Mayor pleaded. "I'm only suggesting this for your own good. Your farm is a major county project with Secretary Feng personally overseeing it—it's a political mandate! You can't just quit. My point is, why don't you talk to Manager Yang and see if they can work with you without delaying your schedule?"

Despite his conciliatory tone, the Mayor was gritting his teeth in hatred. A mere villager dared to defy him! But he had to endure it. On one side was Secretary Feng; on the other was the Deputy Magistrate who had hand-picked him.

The Shuangqiao Brick Factory was failing; the bricks were poor quality and overpriced. Deputy Magistrate Yang was desperate. He needed this big order from the Snake King Company to keep the factory alive and secure his own political achievements. He had ordered Mayor Wang to secure the deal at all costs. But with no coal, no workers, and no capital, how could they produce anything? The Mayor was tearing his hair out.

Le'er, however, had his own leverage. He realized that if he treated every official like a god, he’d be bowing for the rest of his life. He was determined to run his farm, and he knew that threatening to quit would force the Mayor's hand.

"Fine, we'll talk," Le'er said, stepping out of the car. "Sis, stay here. It's too dirty inside. I'll go."

Li Ying felt relieved; she knew Le'er wouldn't be taken advantage of. She had no desire to deal with the factory or buy their bricks, and she knew Le'er felt the same.

"Secretary Yang, let's go."

Secretary Yang was much more subdued now; she knew better than to provoke someone who dared to curse out the Mayor. She followed Le'er into the silent factory. They didn't even see a dog.

"Manager Yang? Manager Yang?" Secretary Yang called out.

"Who the hell is shouting?"

Finally, a voice replied. It was angry, but Secretary Yang smiled. They followed the sound and soon heard the clacking of mahjong tiles and the sound of people swearing. A man with a fierce look on his face stepped out of the room.