Chapter 93: A Basketful of Hope
The preliminary work at Qu Long Copper Mine had come to an end.
Most of the technical team from the 101 Geological Team had already left, with only a few people staying behind to oversee the final drill hole.
Now that the last drill hole had been completed, Li Zaiqiang was packing up, preparing to return home.
Li Tang called his father to learn about their plans, then borrowed a car from Liu Kaisheng and drove himself to Gongka County.
At the rented house used by the 101 Geological Team, he found the place nearly empty. At the height of the Qu Long project, more than twenty people had been living and working there.
Now, only Li Zaiqiang and Pan Yuexing—the two directors from the geological institute—remained, holding the last line of defense.
"Li Tang, long time no see!"
Pan Yuexing was in his work clothes, with dusty Liberation shoes on his feet.
"Everyone else has gone. Why are you two still here?"
Li Tang could tell from their appearance that they had just come down from the mountain.
"There's no more work to do, so the team left. Director Li and I stayed behind to help the drilling team finish up. He's still on the mountain, helping carry drill rods. Just wait a bit, he'll be down soon."
Pan Yuexing brought over a chair and poured Li Tang a cup of hot water.
Drilling deep holes meant heavy machinery, and in remote areas like this, most of the transportation had to be done by hand. It was both exhausting and dangerous.
Li Tang understood that the drill crew also belonged to the Guizhou Provincial Geological Bureau, so it made sense that the institute's directors would stay to help.
After quite a while, Li Zaiqiang finally appeared—covered in black oil stains, especially on both shoulders, where it was clear he had been carrying heavy loads.
"Dad."
Li Tang handed him a cup of hot water with concern. "Why work yourself so hard?"
Parched, Li Zaiqiang took the cup and drank in one go. He exhaled in relief.
"We hired some locals to help move the equipment. I was just lending a hand."
He looked at Li Tang, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you."
"Once the rig is loaded onto the truck, Pan Yuexing and I will head back to Guizhou."
Across the street, several trucks from Guizhou Province were parked, clearly ready to transport all the drilling equipment back.
"You're taking all the rigs back?" Li Tang was surprised.
"Captain Zhou called and told me the detailed exploration project is likely dead in the water. There's basically no chance of any work happening here this year. It's not suitable to store the machines here—when winter comes, the cold will damage the equipment."
"You could leave them here—or rent a warehouse in the provincial capital to store them."
"What for?" Li Zaiqiang looked at him, confused.
"There might be a project here soon," Li Tang replied, though he wasn't entirely certain.
"Your company has another project here? How big is it?"
Li Zaiqiang's eyes lit up immediately.
"It's not a Wu Mining project."
Li Tang shook his head. "Do you remember Chen Jinhe—the guy who asked you about Qu Long?"
"Yes."
"He might be launching a new copper exploration project in Tibet. It's a sizable one. And Zise Mining is a strong state-owned company with a solid reputation. If we land the project, you won't need to take the rigs back."
"Zise Mining?"
Li Zaiqiang thought for a moment, then looked a bit discouraged. "If it's a state-owned enterprise, we won't get the job without connections."
Then, noticing his son's serious expression, he suddenly realized he was overlooking something important.
"You and Chen Jinhe… you're friends?"
"More or less."
Li Tang's answer was intentionally vague.
"You can get the project?"
A wave of hope surged through Li Zaiqiang—but quickly gave way to skepticism.
His son was only twenty-one. While he had some influence within Wu Mining Group through Qin Jianshe, that didn't mean he could control what happened in a different SOE like Zise Mining.
"Nothing's confirmed yet," Li Tang admitted. "But there's a decent chance."
"How decent?"
"About… a basketful of hope."
"An empty basket? So, basically no hope."
Li Zaiqiang sighed, then laughed as he rubbed his son's head. "You've already done great. Getting us the Qu Long preliminary survey project—five million yuan—it made a real difference. Before that, we didn't even get end-of-year bonuses. Last year, everyone got a few hundred yuan. That was tangible change."
Pan Yuexing laughed too. "Li Tang, you wouldn't believe it—everyone at the geological team practically worships you now. They want to build a statue of you and light incense to it every day. With no projects, everyone's just hoping you can bring something back from Wu Mining."
Though he was joking, the underlying truth revealed the team's dire situation.
"Trust me on this," Li Tang said confidently. "Leave the rigs here. Within ten days—maybe two weeks—Zise Mining should get back to me."
"Chen Jinhe's going to talk to you about the project?"
Li Zaiqiang found that hard to believe.
"Yes." Li Tang nodded. "Worst case, rent a warehouse and store the rigs for a while."
"But those trucks came all the way from Guizhou. If we send them back empty, we still have to pay the freight costs."
"Let them go back." Li Tang was firm.
"That's over ten thousand yuan in freight!"
Li Zaiqiang felt the sting—but seeing his son's determined face, he chose to believe in him.
"Alright. I'll tell them to go. I'll find a place to store the equipment."
Finding a suitable warehouse and moving multiple rigs would take time.
Meanwhile, far away in Jian'an Province, Zise Mining had received the Feasibility Study for the Qinglong Copper Mine in Gaizhe County, Tibet, sent by Li Tang.
The board of directors immediately convened an emergency meeting.
It was the first major project decision since the company's restructuring.
The county remained the largest shareholder, with the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Office appointing Hu Shenwu as a board member.
The Jian'an Geological Bureau was the second-largest shareholder, represented by board member Yao Zhenyu.
The rest were senior executives, all long-time employees who also held shares in the company.
"You've all received the feasibility report ahead of time,"
Chen Jinhe said, holding a second document.
"In addition to this Qinglong Copper Mine report, I've also obtained the original feasibility study from Wu Mining for the Qu Long project."
He flipped to the first page and pointed.
"You'll notice something very clear—both reports were written by the same person."
Everyone opened their reports and looked. Sure enough, the name on both covers was the same: Li Tang.
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