1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 165: Past Events and Cause and Effect
There was a gentle breeze in Qilu at the end of July, but even sitting under the shade of trees by the river still felt a little stuffy.

But neither Yang Mo nor Mu Liya, who had been listening quietly, paid attention to the increasingly intense hot flashes on their bodies. Instead, they held their breath and stared at the company's head who exuded an intellectual aura.

"Because of President Wang!"

Wang Yinuo gently uttered another name that could easily be confused with his own identity at first glance.

After glancing at Mu Liya, whose expression had become somewhat serious, and then at Yang Mo, whose expression had not changed much, Wang Yinuo sighed, "Yang Mo, you are not from the oil system, and you have not been in the drilling company for long, so it is normal that you have not heard of the name of Wang Xingmin, the first general manager of the drilling company."

"You just need to know that the reason why Southwest Drilling Company No. 1 was able to take root in the land of Qilu as a southern company is of course because when the oil field development campaign was launched, the hastily formed local oil companies had far less drilling technology and well-drilling experience than us; but it also has a lot to do with the fact that President Wang Xingmin fully mobilized the enthusiasm of his employees and made them work hard."

The past glorious years reappeared in his eyes, and an inexplicable light welled up on Wang Yinuo's face: "The domestic economy is not very prosperous now, but I am not taking advantage of my age. Compared with when we first set foot on this land, now is really a completely different day;"

"You younger generations will never be able to imagine how desolate and wild this place was when we first arrived here..."

"It was summer then, and more than half of the employees didn't even have tents. They just wrapped themselves in mosquito nets and slept on the ground in a sheltered pit... Even so, they still woke up with ulcers all over their bodies in the morning. Countless people fell ill due to mosquito bites, and the infirmary was overcrowded every day;"

"There were very few water conservancy projects in Dezhou before, and the battle sites were all in the wild. Even finding a village to ask for water required walking for more than ten kilometers. At that time, everyone in the company drank salty and bitter well water... Because of this, during the battle alone, no less than 300 employees of the drilling company suffered from dysentery, and countless people collapsed due to electrolyte imbalance;"

"Even so, we still had to drink the water from these wells, and most of the time we could only drink raw water, because apart from those wells, we had no other water sources for drinking. During that period of the great battle when every second counted, we simply couldn't spare any manpower, and we couldn't find enough firewood to boil water!"

"But even so, Southwest Drilling Company No. 1 was the first to find the oil field, the first to build the derrick, and the first to produce crude oil when other units were at a loss!"

His right hand unconsciously touched his right abdomen, and Wang Yinuo smiled at Yang Mo: "Although you Qilu people are much taller than the people in the southwest, you are definitely not as brave as them."

"Have you ever seen people working for 72 hours straight, walking dozens of kilometers during the day to collect mineral and soil samples, and using lanterns to analyze data with the most rudimentary instruments at night... I can tell you responsibly that there are more than 15 such technicians, and they only get less than hours of sleep per week on average!"

"Have you ever seen a man walking through the mud on a rainstorm, carrying a steel frame weighing hundreds of kilograms, climbing up a platform several dozen meters high with the simplest bamboo ladder, and building a well frame overnight without a second's notice? I can tell you responsibly that there were more than 400 such workers, of whom no less than 70 slipped and became disabled or died, and three of them were struck by lightning and turned into charcoal right in front of us!"

"You have also been trained at the grassroots level, and you must have experienced or witnessed the situation of jumping into the mud pool and stirring the mud with your body in an emergency... But I want to tell you that in that era when there was a severe shortage of operating equipment, everyone in the drilling company, regardless of gender, had to jump into the mud pool every day!"

"From laying the foundation to erecting the shaft, from carrying the drill pipe to connecting the wires, from dealing with stuck drill bits to encountering blowouts... in that era of immature technology and scarce supplies, employees of the drilling company paid the price of their lives at every stage;"

"But these workers transferred from the three southwestern provinces never said a word, nor did they retreat a single step... because Mr. Wang was always at the forefront, even though he was almost buried alive in the ground at the beginning because of the collapse of the foundation!"

As he spoke, Wang Yinuo looked at the two juniors in front of him very seriously: "So, everyone in the drilling company obeys that Mr. Wang... Old Zhang obeys, Deputy General Manager Feng obeys, Deputy General Manager Tang obeys, and I obey too!"

"I'm telling you this without a trace of falsehood... If I were to go back to that era of great battles, I would still willingly serve as the subordinate of Boss Wang, and follow his baton without sleep or rest, risking my life!"

Yang Mo frowned: "Then how did you, Mr. Wang, fall out with Director Zhang because of that old Mr. Wang?"

Although the fat guy seldom mentioned Wang Xingmin, the first general manager of the drilling company, when he occasionally mentioned this name, even a fool could see the respect in his expression.

So this is very strange. The respect and admiration that Wang Yinuo showed for Mr. Wang just now definitely didn't seem fake, and that fat guy Zhang Wenshun was a die-hard fan of Mr. Wang. Why did these two people who originally had a very good relationship fall out because of Mr. Wang?

Wang Yinuo smiled, with a hint of bitterness and helplessness on his face: "Because although Mr. Wang has great personal charm, he is only a general who is suitable for leading the charge, not a commander who can coordinate the entire army!"

As he spoke, Wang Yinuo poured another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp: "You know, the reputation and status of Drilling Company No. 1 was achieved through its own strength and the sacrifices of countless employees!"

"To be frank, at that time, the oil brother units in Qilu were far behind us in terms of site exploration, plan design, and drilling efficiency! Even the Dongying Command Headquarters hoped that we could participate whenever they encountered an oil well that needed to be attacked... If for nothing else, it was because we dared to fight and fight, and we were flexible and willing to do research!"

Putting down the wine glass, Wang Yinuo's eyes revealed a hint of contempt: "Taking advantage of the reputation and glory gained from the great battle, and having such a brave and hard-working team under his command, any visionary leader should strike while the iron is hot and consolidate his position... After all, the drilling company is a southwestern unit, and the subtle mentality of local brother companies towards us can be seen by everyone. As the saying goes, one must be on guard against others, and it's just self-protection. This kind of thing makes sense anywhere!"

At this point, Wang Yinuo's expression darkened: "Although I really respect Mr. Wang, I have to say that he really disappoints me in this regard!"

Wang Yinuo glanced at Mu Liya and sighed: "For the sake of respect, you can tell Yang Mo what happened next."

Mu Liya nodded, and then said in a very calm tone: "After the development campaign, the drilling company became very popular. In just one and a half years, it explored and drilled more than 30 oil wells in Linyi, Shanghe, Tai'an, Liaocheng and other places. Its crude oil production even accounted for 40% of Qilu's oil production at one time... Although the oil production at the time was far from what it is now, it suppressed more than a dozen local production units with its own strength, which was enough to make the Dongying Command Headquarters dwarf the Southwest Petroleum Bureau."

"It was precisely because the Drilling Company No. 1 had shown outstanding strength and potential in all aspects at that time that, in addition to drilling production, it had already shown a tendency to become a technical exchange center for exploration, refining, and transportation in the Qilu Oil System. The Ministry even discussed several times whether to expand the business scope of the Drilling Company, give full play to the advantages of the Southwest employees who are daring and hardworking and have flexible minds, and build this leader in production drilling into another driving core of the Qilu Oil System."

At this point, Mu Liya's expression became a little strange. "But when the leaders of the department invited Mr. Wang to the imperial capital to ask for his opinion... it is said that Mr. Wang hesitated for a long time, and finally said that he was just a rough man who only knew how to drill wells. He came to Qilu to help the brother units. If the organization hopes that the drilling company will continue to stay in Qilu to help, they can continue to drill wells. The technical experience in exploration and refining that has been figured out in actual combat can be shared with the brother companies free of charge... Even if personnel support is needed, the drilling company is willing to exchange those technical personnel to various brother units."

At this point, Mu Liya smiled awkwardly: "So, this is why Drilling Company No. 1 now only retains the core business of production drilling, and the geological exploration, crude oil refining, transportation and chemical production businesses are subcontracted to Linyi and Linpan brother units."

Hearing this magical twist, Yang Mo was dumbfounded. He immediately understood why Wang Yinuo said that Mr. Wang was not a talented person, and roughly guessed why he had a falling out with that fat guy. If he were a veteran, he would probably be very surprised... Such a dreamy start, but because of just a few words, all the advantages in the early stage were lost, and even the drilling company fell into such a passive situation from the bottom logic.

Are you sure you're not kidding me?

Or……

Are there any unknown tricks involved?

Seeing Yang Mo looking at her suspiciously, Mu Liya quickly waved her hands: "Don't look at me. I really don't know if there are other reasons... But according to my dad, everyone's thoughts were not that complicated at the time, and Mr. Wang was too popular. There should be no other twists and turns. It's just that Mr. Wang is too honest and too unambitious."

Yang Mo opened his mouth in astonishment.

Although he knew that people born before or after the founding of the People's Republic of China were generally relatively simple, but as the head of such a large enterprise, wasn't Mr. Wang a little too "honest"?

Wang Yinuo sighed with some regret: "You know, at the beginning, everyone in the drilling company really had the same goal and worked together. At that time, the three southwestern provinces were really united as one;"

"But as the main business of drilling companies other than production was split up, countless technical talents were diverted or even repatriated. Even after the exploration rights were lost, the core production business was gradually controlled by others;"

"As a result, the company gradually split into two factions, then three, and then four... and President Wang, the first helmsman, was sadly transferred back to the headquarters after serving two terms."

"You should know that for a founder like Mr. Wang, if he doesn't make any major mistakes, as long as he can convince the public, although it's not realistic for him to be re-elected for life, he will have no problem being re-elected for three or four terms."

Yang Mo naturally understood what he meant, but he had already guessed why Zhang Wenshun had fallen out with Wang Yinuo, so he remained calm: "Boss Wang, let's not talk about whether Director Zhang's behavior is considered to be a shady attempt to summon the dead; let's not talk about whether Boss Wang is worth looking forward to his comeback. I am very curious about one thing now."

Seeing Yang Mo unexpectedly skipping the middle link, Wang Yinuo was surprised, and smiled at him with some amusement: "What's the matter?"

Yang Mo was lost in thought as he stared at the bottle of divine wine with the words almost worn out, then raised his head and said, "If you were to follow what you just said, Mr. Wang, you should belong to the initial expansion faction. You were dissatisfied with Mr. Wang for not letting the drilling company, which had made great efforts and paid a high price, get the status and rights it deserved, and even let it be passively restricted everywhere. That's why you and others voted out Mr. Wang;"

"So what I'm curious about is... from what I know, Mr. Wang, you seem to be closer to the Dongying Command in recent years, right?"

"Even if Director Zhang's attempt to summon the spirits is somewhat ridiculous in the eyes of many people, as the head of the company, you can understand that you laugh at him for trying to shake a tree with a gnat, but... Mr. Wang, where do you get the right position to deny what Director Zhang did?"

This is said very bluntly. Didn't you, Wang Yinuo, rebel against Wang Xingmin because he ruined the drilling company's strategic initiative?
From the perspective of Southwest Drilling Company No. 1, how is the attitude you have shown in recent years different from that of the capitulationists?
Where do you get the right to retell that tragic history and deny that fat guy in front of me?
Hearing this almost offensive question, Wang Yinuo did not get angry. Instead, he stared at Yang Mo with a vaguely appreciative look for a while, and suddenly laughed: "Yang Mo, you have just joined the company for a little over a year, and you are mainly in contact with grassroots and middle-level people, so it is not surprising that you don't understand some things; but since you are a friend that Xiaoya trusts very much, and Lao Zhang also thinks highly of you, there is no need to hide some things from you."

At this point, Wang Yinuo glanced at Miss Mu who was acting as if nothing had happened, and said in a very strange tone: "Who told you that I am unconditionally inclined to the Dongying base camp?"

"If everything is really as you think, do you think that the drilling company can still maintain its say at the Dongying headquarters given the mess it has been in over the years?"

Mu Liya coughed lightly: "Yang Mo, Uncle Wang and my dad are good friends and partners... and my dad and several other uncles at the headquarters have slightly different views on some things from others... In fact, the reason why the drilling company has achieved new production targets in the past two years is that in addition to the hard work of the company's employees, my dad and his colleagues also contributed a little bit."

!!!

Yang Mo looked at Wang Yinuo in shock, and many of the confusing things in his mind suddenly became clear to him.

No wonder the drilling company can still get so many drilling quotas every year even though the exploration rights have always been in the hands of Linpan Oil Production Plant;

No wonder that fat guy was always in a bad mood when he mentioned Wang Yinuo's name, but like the other vice presidents, he never called him a traitor to the company;
No wonder Miss Mu's first action after parachuting from the headquarters to the drilling company was to target the tertiary industry projects and foreign trade export business;
No wonder Wang Yinuo, who already had the upper hand in the ring competition, would ignore the huge risks and unexpected events and come up with such an unconventional move!

Keep a bandit and respect yourself!

Although he knew that this description was not appropriate, these four words still popped up in Yang Mo's mind.

………………

Deliberately controlling the frequency of his chest rising and falling, and after taking a few breaths without leaving a trace, Yang Mo calmed down his emotions and nodded: "Thank you, Mr. Wang, for helping me solve my doubts... It's getting late. Mr. Wang asked me out this time, so you can just say it if you have something to say."

Wang Yinuo looked at him for a while, then suddenly pursed her lips and shook her head: "It's just like what Xiaoya said. It's rare to find young people as calm as you nowadays... But young people should be energetic. It's okay to be a little arrogant, but it's not good to always hide your emotions... I asked you out this time, don't you really know why?"

Hearing this, Yang Mo also laughed: "I guessed a little, but no matter what, young people should not be self-righteous. It would be embarrassing if they guessed wrong."

Hearing the words "self-righteous", Wang Yinuo laughed: "No wonder Lao Zhang and Xiaoya both look at you differently. If it weren't for the prohibition of becoming a spirit after the founding of the country, I almost thought you were a fox spirit in human skin..."

(End of this chapter)