Sail across the sea

Chapter 398 If you want to learn, then learn; if you don't, then get out.

"Uh, Special Envoy, actually, we were just talking nonsense, just joking with Engineer Liu."

Zhong Nairong said awkwardly.

"Yes, yes, we were just joking. It wouldn't be easy to extract 50 tons from a mountain like this."

“The mountain I contracted was even bigger than this, but I could only extract 30 tons before I couldn’t extract any more.”

"I'm only 2... uh, I was just kidding, I'll slap myself."

The last guy, Erzi, was halfway through his sentence when he saw Gao Fan cast a sharp glance at him, and he quickly changed his words in fright.

Even when trying to elicit sympathy, there are basic principles to follow. If you portray it as too pitiful, it's like treating the special envoy like a fool.

After everyone fell silent, Gao Fan said to Liu Yanlin, "Engineer Liu, you can continue," and then stepped back to stand with Pei Hengxue again.

Liu Yanlin paused for a moment, essentially snapping out of his daze, then roused himself and addressed the group:

"According to the theoretical upper limit of the pond leaching process, such a mine can extract more than 120 tons of rare earth oxides. However, in practice, due to the losses in each stage of mining, leaching, and precipitation, the losses caused by slag covering the ore body, and the impact of the abandonment of low-grade ore soil due to economic factors, the actual amount of minerals that can be extracted, calculated by the weight of oxides, is only about 60 to 70 tons. Do you all agree?"

This time, no one could hide it anymore, and they all nodded in agreement.

"Our new process can solve various problems existing in the pool leaching process. When using the new leaching agent, it can also extract rare earth elements that cannot be leached by traditional leaching agents. After a month of trial production, we estimate that we can stably mine such a mine for more than 10 years, with an annual output of no less than 20 tons of rare earth oxides in the first five years and an average annual output of 10 to 15 tons in the latter five years."

"What? 20 tons a year! And for five consecutive years?"

"Can we still harvest 15 tons per year for the next five years?"

"If you add that up, wouldn't that be... at least 150 tons?"

The mine owners were shocked.

My goodness! If we can really harvest 150 tons, even if the contract fee goes up to 60, I'll still make at least 100 million in profit. From 30 to 100 million, that's a whopping 70 in profit! It's like a windfall!
"Engineer Liu, is this technology of yours easy to learn?"

Some people couldn't help but ask loudly, implying that they wished they could become Liu Yanlin's apprentices today and earn that million yuan tomorrow.

“I don’t think this technology is that difficult, right?” another person said, putting on a smug look. “Didn’t Engineer Liu just say that it’s about pouring salt water onto the mountain, then digging a ditch at the foot of the mountain to collect the water flowing down from the mountain? That water is the rare earth mother liquor.”

"Yes, yes, it seems quite easy."

"We should ask an expert to teach us this, since it's a method they invented."

"Right, right, even if you can understand it at a glance, you should at least treat the expert to a pack of cigarettes."

Then, that clear voice rang out again:
"Who just said they could do it after just one glance? You can leave now." Everyone shuddered again. Damn it, how could they forget there was a special envoy standing here?

Rare earth mine owners have all dealt with the engineers from Zeyan Institute, because mining and leaching are technically complex processes, and having engineers provide guidance is far more effective than figuring it out on one's own.

In the process of dealing with the engineers, everyone also discovered their characteristics: they have high IQs but generally lack EQ.

When it comes to bargaining, the entire Zeyan Institute, with its hundreds of employees, is no match for a single mine owner.

For example, Zeyan Institute charges a technical guidance fee of 30 yuan per day. If a shrewd engineer were to delay the process and split one day's work into two days, what could you do?

You said the soil here needs to be analyzed for its composition, but who knows how long an analysis would take?
Go have a smoke, take a paid dump, what can the mine owners do to you?
In reality, however, these engineers are extremely diligent, as if afraid of not living up to the service fees paid to them. If the mine owners secretly slip them a pack of cigarettes, the engineers are overjoyed and will voluntarily work overtime without being asked.

Because of this past experience, everyone is here to learn the new technology with the mindset of getting something for free. Previously, inflating production figures was for this purpose, and now claiming it's easy to learn at a glance is also for the same reason.

Their thinking was that if they acted nonchalant, the other party wouldn't be able to set a price. Then they'd treat the engineers to a meal and give them some cured meat, and wouldn't they be willing to give away all their technology?

The plan was perfect, but we forgot that there was a treacherous and cunning special envoy on site today.

"Will you die if you don't act cool?!"

Gao Fan's first words were always a Beijing-accented swear word:
"Do you know who Engineer Liu is? He was a graduate of Xi'an Jiaotong University in the 1960s. No one in your entire Gu'nan County has read as many books as Engineer Liu."

"Engineer Liu has won a national invention award and attended the award ceremony in Beijing, where he shook hands with central leaders. As for the awards from the ministries and provinces, he has won more than 20 awards, big and small, and has taken photos with ministers and governors more than 10 times. How many times have you even met a county magistrate?"

“This person came all the way to Gunan to teach you his skills and help you make money. Instead of being grateful, you are playing tricks on him and taking Liu’s good intentions for granted. Do you think you are so great?”

"Whoever said this technology was simple, you can leave now. We don't beg anyone to learn it. Our attitude is simple: learn if you want, get out if you don't!"

This rapid-fire remark left everyone speechless. Only Pei Hengxue managed to remain somewhat calm, for no other reason than that when he first met Gao Fan a few months ago, Gao Fan had also berated him in the same way, never holding back his sharp tongue.

"Cough cough!"

Liu Yanlin broke the ice by forcing a smile and saying:

"Well, what Assistant Gao just said was a bit exaggerated. Actually, the award I received in Beijing belonged to our entire research lab, not just me."

"The in-situ leaching process is quite technically challenging, not as simple as it seems. The location, depth, and size of the injection wells on the mountain must be calculated to ensure leaching efficiency."

"The biggest challenge in this process is controlling leakage. Ensuring that the leached rare earth mother liquor only flows into the collection ditch and doesn't flow elsewhere involves many specific technical aspects..."

(End of this chapter)