Chapter 110: Settlement
The more the veteran experts praised the discovery, the hotter Ding Shaoying's face became.
Once the compliments finally ended, he stood up and, with genuine humility, said:
"To be honest, the credit for discovering this bauxite deposit doesn't belong to us. We were just the executors. The one who truly guided the technical direction and made the correct exploration decisions is someone else."
Bi Junjie, standing beside him, smiled and added,
"There seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding. To be precise, the person who found this deposit is a young man named Li Tang."
"For the project's site selection, the exploration methods used, and the exact drilling positions—all the technical guidance came from Li Tang."
Ding Shaoying chuckled awkwardly.
"We really don't dare to take the credit."
Bi looked at the crowd of geological association veterans, then turned to the two professors from Yanjing Geological University—Zhang Zhongyu and Chen Jinan.
"That's exactly why I invited both of you here. The exploration methods Li Tang used in this project, and the underlying theoretical model, broke all conventional boundaries. If a student is this impressive, then his teachers must be extraordinary."
It was a simple, but highly effective compliment.
Zhang and Chen exchanged glances.
Originally, it was Chen Jinan who had been invited by the Huazhou Provincial Geological Association. Chen had already done some notable research on bauxite deposits and often visited Huazhou—a province rich in such resources—to collect field data and interact with local experts.
Zhang Zhongyu had come along mostly for the ride and to catch up with Li Tang.
After the gravity survey work was completed, he and his students had returned to the university and hadn't kept up with the project's progress.
They hadn't expected the mineralization results to be so stunning—truly beyond belief.
Meeting Chen's gaze, Zhang whispered,
"You probably won't believe this, but I really don't know how it happened."
Regardless, when a student achieved something great, it reflected positively on the teacher and the university. That, in itself, was worth celebrating.
"Professor Chen, has your team at Yanjing University made any major theoretical breakthroughs in bauxite research?" someone asked.
"In terms of the genesis of the Yunyue Bauxite Deposit and the associated exploration theory," Chen replied,
"I think it's a very valuable subject for in-depth study."
Truthfully, he didn't yet understand what had happened. He had just arrived and had no clear picture of the situation.
Understanding the formation of a deposit requires analyzing large volumes of data, conducting rock sampling, studying the geological timeframes involved, and reconstructing the area's geologic history. Only then can a relatively accurate theory be formed.
It's not something that can be figured out overnight—it requires time and patience.
That is the duty and responsibility of researchers.
And that is the fundamental difference between scientific researchers and field geologists.
Researchers use real-world observations to build reliable theories.
Exploration geologists use those theories to discover actual deposits.
The two sides function in opposite but complementary ways.
Seeing that Chen was still deep in thought, Ding Shaoying spoke up,
"I had a conversation with Li Tang. He told me that the formation of the Yunyue Bauxite Deposit is tied to paleo-weathering processes of ancient continental landmasses."
"Paleo-weathering of ancient landmasses?"
The term triggered a flicker of recognition in Chen's mind. He recalled reading some papers discussing that very hypothesis.
"Yes, someone has done some preliminary research and speculation in this area," he said.
…
After enjoying two relaxing days exploring Luoyi City, Li Tang and He Runqi received a phone call from Zhang Zhongyu.
That's when they found out that Professors Zhang and Chen had already visited the Huazhou Aluminum Plant. The call had come from the guesthouse's landline.
On the phone, Zhang Zhongyu made it clear—they were there to settle the final payment for the gravity survey work.
Upon arriving at the aluminum plant, they quickly realized that both Li Tang and Luo Qinzhong were in Luoyi, not Tiemu Town.
Luckily, it wasn't far. They took Luo's official car to the plant.
Once they got out and saw Zhang and Chen standing in front of the office building, Li Tang jogged over, smiling broadly.
"Why didn't you let us know you were coming?"
"We thought you'd be at the Tiemu Town project site," Zhang replied with a laugh.
"When Professor Chen and I got there and didn't see you, we realized we'd have to track you down."
"We're actually staying in Luoyi—it's just ten kilometers away,"
He Runqi explained. Looking at Professor Chen, he felt a twinge of nervousness. This professor had always been strict. Seeing him again triggered a bit of fear and respect.
"Professor Chen, I didn't expect to see you here too."
Seeing his two students, Chen felt a wave of emotion.
"The provincial geological association invited us. Zhang and I caught a ride here. We wanted to check out the Yunyue Bauxite Project. Originally, they asked me to analyze the deposit and answer their questions—but when I got there, I was just as confused as everyone else! This was the first time I'd seen a bauxite deposit like that. I had no clue where to begin. The trip was enlightening."
"It wasn't so bad,"
Zhang jumped in to ease the moment.
"Professor Chen still gave a thorough and thought-provoking explanation of the paleo-weathering theory."
"Luckily, I'd read some papers on the topic. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to say,"
Chen muttered. Then, looking back at the students, he added,
"You haven't even been out of school long, and you're already working as experts—discovering a massive bauxite deposit, no less. I'm really proud of you."
"He's the impressive one,"
He Runqi said, pointing at Li Tang.
"Li Tang, you'll have to tell your teachers all about the methods you used for discovering the Yunyue Bauxite Deposit,"
Chen said, still not quite grasping how it had all happened.
"Of course,"
Li Tang nodded.
"Let's not stand around at the entrance. Come upstairs and sit down,"
Luo Qinzhong invited.
Once they got to the office and exchanged a few pleasantries, Zhang, remembering his mission, took out the finalized gravity survey invoice and documentation.
Luo reviewed the materials and, seeing no issues, signed immediately.
"For the payment to be released, the plant director still needs to sign. Let's go—I'll take you over."
He grabbed the documents and led Zhang over to the director's office.
Lai Xiangrong scanned the materials, saw that everything was in order, and picked up his pen. Just as he was about to sign, he paused and looked up.
"I remember—you're Li Tang's teacher, aren't you?"
"Yes, I'm a professor at Yanjing Geological University,"
Zhang replied, sensing some tension.
This was a sizable payment, and Zhang had personally fronted a lot of the expenses for the survey. If the funds didn't come through, he'd be in serious trouble.
He had even promised his wife they'd get paid—only then did he dare to use their savings to cover costs.
If something went wrong now, he might not even be able to go home.
He looked at Lai with visible nervousness.
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