Chapter 77: Even Poetry Should Be Critical
It was lunchtime, and students poured into the cafeteria from classrooms and dormitories alike. The place was bustling, packed with people and alive with noise.
After getting their food, everyone sat and ate whatever was on their trays.
Professor Zhang looked at the two former students and asked, "So what brings you back to see your old teacher?"
"We're working on a bauxite exploration project," Li Tang explained loudly over the cafeteria din. "We need to conduct high-precision gravity surveys. I remember the university imported an advanced gravimeter from the U.S. a couple of years ago."
He continued, "We wanted to ask if you'd be available to help us run the survey and set up the grid in the target area."
"You've only been working for a year, and you already have projects to manage?" Zhang asked, surprised.
"We were hired by Huazhou Aluminum," Li Tang said. "Normal gravity surveys won't cut it—we need microgravity. Not many institutions can do that, which is why we're here to ask you."
He smiled. "Of course, we'll pay you for your time, based on standard market rates."
"Well now, having students think of their teacher like this—I'm really touched," Zhang said, clearly pleased. "What's the size of the survey area? What kind of grid are you looking to set up?"
Teachers are human too, and like everyone else, they're glad when an opportunity comes along to earn some extra income and improve their quality of life.
"You can decide that," Li Tang said.
"What about the payment terms?" Zhang asked.
"We'll go by standard budgeting rates."
"And how will payment be handled?"
"Thirty percent up front. After the fieldwork is done, we'll pay up to eighty percent. Once the final report is submitted and accepted, we'll pay the full amount."
"Gravity survey costs are typically calculated by area and scale. If it's done by standard rates, it's not cheap," Zhang noted. But since this was a Huazhou Aluminum project, it seemed trustworthy. "I'll bring a team and handle it. You're my students, and the fact that you thought of me first—of course I'll cut you a deal."
"No need to discount anything," Li Tang said, shaking his head. "We're not paying out of pocket. The funding comes from Huazhou Aluminum. The project is on a tight schedule, so we need you to get started as soon as possible. Just follow the normal pricing and contract procedures."
"Well, in that case, I won't be shy," Zhang laughed. "I'll bring a group of seniors from my fourth-year class. They've already got solid hands-on experience in microgravity. I'll lead them in the field. You're okay with that?"
"Of course," Li Tang nodded. "Professor Zhang, bring your team and instruments straight to Huazhou Aluminum. We'll sign the contract first, and then head out to the project site in County A of Luoyi City."
"Perfect!" Zhang looked at Li Tang and He Runqi with some nostalgia. "You two still feel like undergrads in my class, but in the blink of an eye, you've grown and advanced. If you're managing projects already, your future is bright. I remember you, Li Tang—you used to skip class a lot. And you, He Runqi—I recall you writing love letters to that girl Chen Lulu. Did anything ever happen between you two?"
"Professor, don't say that! I never wrote a love letter. That's not true!" He Runqi flushed red, clearly embarrassed.
Nearly everyone does something bold or silly in their college years—like writing a love letter—but few are willing to admit it later.
"Li Tang, weren't you a bit of a poet back then?" Professor Zhang grinned. "I remember one of your rhyming verses got posted on the class bulletin board. Lots of girls admired your literary flair. Do you still write poetry? Come on—your teacher loves poetry. Give me something off the cuff!"
"Yeah, let's hear one!" He Runqi joined in, egging him on.
Li Tang wasn't shy. He remembered his younger, more pretentious self had written a few doggerel verses. He couldn't recall any now, but seeing the couples eating together nearby and then looking at He Runqi's round, dark face, he made one up on the spot:
"Entered college as a cuddly pup,
Four years passed—I'm still solo'd up."
"Tsk tsk…" Professor Zhang smacked his lips, savoring the flavor of the poem, then turned to He Runqi with a hearty laugh. "Good poem! Has some depth to it!"
"Teacher, why are you laughing and looking at me?" Runqi grumbled.
"There were plenty of single folks in class—why's it always me?"
"If you had Li Tang's poetic talent, you would've won the girl by now!" Zhang teased.
"Professor, I didn't pursue Chen Lulu!" Runqi protested again.
The three of them ate and laughed, reminiscing about their college days.
Then, suddenly, Li Tang's phone rang.
He looked at the screen—it was his father.
Long-distance calls were expensive, especially from the provinces, so his father rarely called unless it was important.
The cafeteria was too noisy. He gestured to the others and stepped outside, stopping beneath a plane tree before answering.
"Dad, sorry, it was noisy just now. What were you saying?"
"Construction told me you're in Huazhou Province. What was all that noise?"
"I'm at the university cafeteria. It's packed."
"You're back in Yanjing? Good. I have something important to tell you—Director Han and Team Leader Zhou have gone to Yanjing."
"Really? I'll meet them tonight. I'll treat them to dinner."
"They've gone to Wukuang Group. Been there for a week. They're trying to finalize the contract for the detailed exploration phase of Qulong. Team Leader Zhou just called me. He said they're running into problems."
"What kind of problems?"
"Originally, it was agreed that our 101st Geological Team would do both the preliminary and detailed exploration. Zhou says Wukuang has already approved the 30-million-yuan budget for the next phase. He and Director Han went to Yanjing to finalize the deal—but now things are looking uncertain."
"They're the ones who should be doing it," Li Tang replied seriously.
"Exactly. They've been in Yanjing for a week and can't get in to see Director Niu. They keep getting brushed off. Zhou suspects Wukuang might be handing the project to someone else."
"That's outrageous!" Li Tang said, voice rising.
The original agreement had been that if Qulong was successfully explored, the entire project—preliminary and detailed—would go to the 101st Geological Team.
And that was his one condition when he initiated the project.
At the time, both Zhao Hepu and Qin Jianshe had promised him face-to-face.
Now they were breaking that promise?
"You're part of the company. Maybe you can ask around? Han and Zhou are worried sick. They don't know what's going on and have no options left."
"I understand. I'll head back to the company right away."
He said a few more words of caution and concern to his father before ending the call.
After composing himself, Li Tang thought things through and immediately called Luo Qinchong to follow up on the microgravity arrangements.
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