The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 808 Mining Giants in Action!!!
Wang Huijuan bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting the tissue.

A gust of wind blew past the window, and the sycamore leaves rustled, as if accompanying her chaotic thoughts.

“Actually,” she suddenly looked up, a hint of stubbornness flashing in her eyes, “I had already noticed some details.”

"That time at the library, I saw him on the phone talking about 'traveling abroad,' and there was that black card in his wallet." Her voice trailed off, "but I've never dared to think too deeply about it."

Zhang Li and Li Mei exchanged a glance.

Li Mei suddenly slapped her thigh: "Wait! I remember last year's school anniversary gala, wasn't that the middle-aged man sitting in the VIP section in the front row Liu Zhenbang? I remember that Senior Liu even went over to say hello."

"Now that you mention it, I remember now," Zhang Li said thoughtfully. "No wonder the principal was so polite to him that day. I thought he was some high-ranking leader."

Li Mei was an impatient person. She waved her hand impatiently: "Hey, stop guessing! Boss, didn't you bring your laptop? Just open Baidu and check it out!"

“That’s right, that’s right, ‘Just search it on Baidu and you’ll know!’” Zhang Li suddenly slapped her forehead, her eyes lighting up.

In this era of booming internet development, Baidu, founded by Robin Li, has firmly occupied the top spot in the domestic search market.

The popular internet phrase "If you have a question, just search on Baidu" has become a common saying among young people today when acquiring knowledge and searching for information.

Whether it's studying, working, or dealing with everyday matters, a wealth of information is at your fingertips with just a click of the mouse.

Wang Huijuan took a deep breath and opened her laptop with trembling fingers.

The moment the screen lit up, she felt her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.

Zhang Li and Li Mei sidled up to each other, their three eyes fixed intently on the search box.

As soon as the words "Liu Zhenbang Black Card" were typed in, a dense array of search results appeared on the page.

At the very top is a financial news article: "Mining tycoon Liu Zhenbang: Mining scramble in Asia, Africa and Latin America".

The middle-aged man in the suit in the accompanying picture is the same person they saw at the campus gala.

“My God!” Li Mei exclaimed, “Senior Brother Liu’s father is really amazing! Look, Wall Street calls them mining tycoons.” She suddenly fell silent because she saw that breathtaking astronomical figure.

Wang Huijuan's fingertips swiped across the touchpad, opening an encyclopedia entry.

According to available information, Liu Zhenbang is not only a mining tycoon but also an outstanding alumnus of their school, who has been sponsoring impoverished students for many years.

"So that was the school anniversary celebration." She murmured to herself, recalling the scene of Senior Brother Liu and his son chatting happily with the school leaders that day.

Zhang Li suddenly gasped: "Wait! Look at this news!" She pointed to an inconspicuous news item at the bottom of the screen: "Liu Yunpeng, heir to the Liu Group, makes a low-key appearance at a campus recruitment fair."

Wang Huijuan's heart sank.

The boy in casual clothes in the photo is "Senior Brother Liu," who studies with her in the library every day.

He stood in front of the recruitment booth, his work badge hanging around his neck clearly bearing the words "Human Resources Department of Liu's Mining Group".

“So what he meant by ‘internship’ was working at his family company,” Wang Huijuan said, her voice trembling slightly.

"The gap between us is too big..."

Li Mei suddenly slammed her hand on the table excitedly: "Youngest brother! Are you stupid?! Isn't this perfect?" She winked and lowered her voice, "Think about it, what if you two get together?"

"Don't talk nonsense! How could their family possibly look up to someone like me..." Wang Huijuan slammed her laptop shut, her cheeks burning uncontrollably.

She remembered the gentle look in Liu Yunpeng's eyes when he insisted on giving her his umbrella on that rainy day last week; she remembered how he always unintentionally saved her a window seat; and she remembered yesterday when he hesitated before saying, "I have something important to tell you..."

Outside the window, the rustling sound of the sycamore leaves suddenly became exceptionally clear.

Unconsciously, Wang Huijuan clenched the tissue in her hand, only to find that she had twisted it into pieces without even realizing it.

“This is the heir to the ‘mining tycoon’! How could the two of us possibly be together…”

Friday arrived quickly.

Wang Huijuan's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ringing of her cell phone.

The words "Liu Yunpeng" were displayed on the screen. Her finger hovered above the answer button, hesitant to press it.

"Come pick them up!" Li Mei stamped her feet anxiously. "They must be here to take you to Liujiazhuang!"

Zhang Li noticed Wang Huijuan's pale face and gently pressed her hand: "Why don't we take a break first?"

Just then, there was a knock on the dormitory door.

The four looked at each other in bewilderment. Li Mei rushed over to open the door, only to see Liu Yunpeng standing outside in a sharp suit, holding a bouquet of pure white baby's breath.

"I...I'm here to take you to Liujiazhuang." His ears were slightly red. "There are some things I want to say to your face."

Wang Huijuan stood at the dormitory entrance, staring at the bouquet of flowers in Liu Yunpeng's hand, and for a moment forgot to breathe.

The baby's breath shimmered with tiny lights in the sunlight, much like her chaotic thoughts at that moment.

“I…I understand.” Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. “It’s about your Liu family.”

Liu Yunpeng's eyes suddenly deepened, and he sighed softly: "So this is why you've been avoiding me lately?" He took a step forward and handed the bouquet to her. "I didn't mean to hide it from you. I was planning to tell you when I took you home today."

Li Mei frantically winked at Zhang Li from behind, while Zhang Li quietly closed the dormitory door, leaving the two of them alone.

Throughout the journey, Liu Yunpeng drove very steadily. Wang Huijuan gazed at the fleeting scenery outside the window, her fingers unconsciously stroking the seatbelt.

“Actually, I’ve wanted to tell you this for a while,” Liu Yunpeng suddenly said, “but I was worried about the pressure… To be honest, although my family isn’t ordinary, my family members are just like any other family, including my parents…”

As Wang Huijuan gazed at the gradually emerging outline of the Liujiazhuang High-tech Zone outside the window, her heart pounded faster and faster.

Liu Yunpeng seemed to sense her nervousness and gently took her hand: "Don't be afraid, my family is very kind, it's not that scary."

When the car entered the parking lot in front of the courtyard house, Wang Huijuan was surprised to find that it was not as bustling as she had imagined; on the contrary, it was as quiet as an ordinary courtyard house.

Neat green plants are planted on both sides of the road, and a small ecological park has been built in the distance.

Liu Yunpeng explained, "Our Liujiazhuang has always emphasized green environmental protection, and one-third of the old town area on the west bank of the river has been greened." As soon as she got out of the car, Wang Huijuan saw an elegant middle-aged woman walking out of the vermilion gate of the courtyard house with a smile.

"Mom?" Liu Yunpeng asked in surprise, "Why did you come out in person?"

Mrs. Liu warmly grasped Wang Huijuan's hand, her eyes filled with loving smiles: "This must be Huijuan that Yunpeng often mentions, right? This boy has finally come to his senses and knows to bring his girlfriend home to meet his parents."

Wang Huijuan blushed instantly, her face turning red all the way to her ears.

To her surprise, Mrs. Liu's hands were warm and soft, as friendly as a neighbor's aunt, completely lacking the aloofness one might expect from a wealthy socialite.

“Huijuan,” Mrs. Liu gently patted the back of her hand and explained, “Your Uncle Liu is currently abroad negotiating an important mining acquisition project and simply cannot leave. He specifically asked me to apologize to you, saying he will definitely cook a welcome dinner for you next time.”

“Auntie, you’re too kind,” Wang Huijuan quickly waved her hand, her voice soft but firm. “Uncle Liu is so busy with his work, I understand. Actually, I’m already very happy to see you, Auntie.”

"Hehehe, you're such a lovable child. Auntie is so happy that you came to our home."

"Come on, let's go inside the yard and talk. Auntie will show you around our house."

As Madam Liu walked into the courtyard with Wang Huijuan by the arm, the luxurious atmosphere that greeted them was not the one they had imagined, but rather the faint fragrance of osmanthus.

Several old plum trees were planted in the courtyard, with simple rattan chairs under the trees, and a few bamboo winnowing baskets drying in the corner.

“These are all habits left by my mother-in-law,” Mrs. Liu explained, following Wang Huijuan’s gaze. “She said that no matter how rich you are, you can’t forget your roots.” She gently pushed open the carved wooden door of the main hall. “Come, have some tea and rest first.”

The main hall is simply and elegantly furnished, with several ink paintings hanging on the walls and blue and white porcelain tea sets on the coffee table.

Madam Liu smiled knowingly and personally poured Wang Huijuan a cup of tea: "This is ancient tree tea that Yunpeng's father brought back from Yunnan. Please try it."

The tea soup was clear and bright, with a sweet aftertaste, and Wang Huijuan's tense nerves relaxed without her realizing it.

“Auntie, your home is much warmer than I imagined…” she carefully chose her words.

Mrs. Liu patted her hand affectionately: "Hehehe, silly child, our family is just an ordinary family."

Yunpeng's father often said, "Money is just an external thing; people are the most important." She suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Yunpeng said you're working on a project about ecological restoration in mining areas?"

Wang Huijuan looked at Liu Yunpeng in surprise, not expecting him to mention this to his family.

Mrs. Liu had already gotten up and taken a photo album from the bookshelf: "These are photos of your Uncle Liu when he was young, taken at the Xishan Coal Mine. Back then, our family hadn't made it big yet, and the conditions at the mine were tough..."

The yellowed black and white photos in the album record Liu Zhenbang's experiences in the mining area during his youth.

There's a picture of him wearing a safety helmet as he goes down into the well, a picture of him and the workers squatting in front of a makeshift shed to eat, and a particularly eye-catching picture of young Liu Zhenbang squatting on the ground, carefully watering a patch of newly planted saplings.

“This is…” Wang Huijuan couldn’t help but reach out and gently stroke the photo.

“That was the first mine restoration project our family contracted,” Mrs. Liu said gently and proudly. “From then on, he made a rule: every time we mine, we must restore a patch of green to the earth.”

The crisp chirping of birds drifted in from outside the window, and sunlight filtered through the carved window lattice, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Wang Huijuan suddenly felt that this courtyard house, full of the warmth of everyday life, made her feel more at ease than any luxury mansion.

On a cool autumn day, the construction site of the Jijiaoshan lithium mine in Linwu County was bustling with activity, with the roar of excavators and bulldozers rising and falling, and heavy trucks shuttling back and forth.

Since March of last year, when the Provincial Department of Natural Resources announced the discovery of a super-large lithium mine with 4.9 million tons in Jijiaoshan, the area has received widespread attention from all sectors of society.

The discovery of a lithium mine with reserves of hundreds of millions of tons in southern Hunan Province is inseparable from the "Xiangnan Dazhong" Lithium Mine Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the "Liu's Mining Group".

Since settling in Linwu County five years ago, the company has focused on the development and construction of the entire lithium battery industry chain and has become an important force in promoting the development of the lithium battery industry in southern Hunan.

"On this fertile land of southern Hunan, we will continue to cultivate the lithium battery new energy industry, make greater contributions to the high-quality development of the private economy, and help my country's lithium battery industry gain more say in the world," said Liu Zhenbang, Chairman and President of Liu's Mining Group.

Liu's Mining Group Co., Ltd. is the largest private mining company in China in terms of resources and market value, and is also a leading listed mining group in China.

Guided by the national "dual carbon" strategy, the company recognized the broad prospects of the lithium battery new energy industry and actively embarked on a strategic transformation to enter the lithium battery new energy field.

Last year, Liu's Mining established Xiangnan Dazhong Lithium Mine Co., Ltd., and signed an "Investment Cooperation Agreement" with Linwu County, planning to invest 260 billion yuan to build a lithium battery new energy full industry chain project, covering key links such as lithium polymetallic mineral resource mining and beneficiation, lithium carbonate processing and lithium battery production.

According to Liu Zhenbang, Hunan Province has advantages in policy, talent and resources, which have given Dazhong Mining confidence and accelerated its development in Hunan.

In recent years, Southeast University has begun to attach great importance to the development of new energy industries such as lithium batteries.

In the year 2000, the "Several Measures to Support the High-Quality Development of the Entire Lithium Battery New Energy Industry Chain" were introduced, and two months later, the Three-Year Action Plan for Lithium Batteries and Advanced Energy Storage Materials (2000-2003) was released.

In March of last year, the lithium battery project of Xiangnan Dazhong Company was selected into the list of key construction projects in the province; subsequently, the project was successfully included in the "2001 Xiangnan Province Lithium Battery New Energy Demonstration Project" and the "Top Ten Key Industrial Projects in Xiangnan Province".

CPPCC committees at all levels have continued to exert efforts in promoting industrial development: the provincial CPPCC, focusing on the overall development of county-level economies, has made promoting the lithium battery industry a key focus of its work.

At the same time, the Chenzhou Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government fully supported Xiangnan Dazhong Lithium Battery Company in bidding for the exploration rights of Jijiaoshan Mountain, and promptly coordinated and resolved the difficulties and problems encountered by the company in its development, especially in terms of license processing and production factor guarantee, creating a favorable development environment for the company.

Throughout the entire process of the "Xiangnan Dazhong" company's lithium battery full industry chain project, from resource exploration to implementation, Linwu County provided comprehensive support with its pragmatic spirit of daring to take responsibility and making innovative breakthroughs.

During the resource exploration phase, Linwu County took the initiative and focused its efforts precisely. It not only actively sought support from higher-level departments to facilitate the approval of the 4.9 million tons of lithium ore (including 324 million tons of lithium carbonate equivalent resources) of the Dazhonghe Jijiaoshan lithium mine, but also opened a green channel for the protection of exploration rights and cooperated with provincial departments to expedite the process of converting exploration rights into mining rights.

In terms of resource allocation, Linwu County established a special working group involving the Natural Resources Bureau, the Lithium Battery Operation Command Center, and other parties. Within two months, the approval for the conversion of agricultural land to industrial land was completed, securing over 3000 mu of land for the lithium battery industry. Simultaneously, the construction of a 220 kV substation, a water plant with a daily supply of 50,000 tons, a natural gas integrated station, and multiple industrial roads were promoted, establishing a comprehensive support system encompassing water, electricity, gas, and roads. Furthermore, innovative measures such as "starting construction immediately upon land acquisition" and "one-stop online processing" significantly reduced the approval time.

Domestically, the "Liu's Mining Group" is making great strides, and its success overseas is equally impressive.

Liu's Mining Group is a leading company in the global lithium industry. From October 1999 to August 2002, Liu's Mining Group acquired a lithium mine in Mexico through a series of operations including equity participation and acquisitions, eventually becoming the 100% shareholder of the main company.

The lithium mining project for which "Liu's Mining Group" obtained a mining license is one of the world's largest lithium resource projects, known as M Mine.

This mine has a lithium resource equivalent to approximately 882 million tons of lithium carbonate, giving it an absolute advantage for mass production. The annualized lithium hydroxide production capacity is expected to be 2 tons after the first phase of the project is put into operation.

The Liu family's overseas mining companies can raise funds from the public and investors at different stages, such as exploration, trial production, and mass production, through listing on specific exchanges, and use the funds for specific mining projects.

Therefore, prior to 1995, "Liu's Overseas Mining Group" Limited was listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange as a shell company in May 1999, and in July announced the terms of its qualifying transaction to acquire various borate licenses.

In 2000, after acquiring the group's initial four lithium licenses, "Liu's Overseas" Mining Group completed the qualification transaction and became a secondary issuer on the Toronto Venture Exchange.

(End of this chapter)