Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Clearly, Qin Laishun had been preparing this "eloquent speech" for a long time. Although it contained some exaggeration, it provided a fairly thorough analysis of the current situation in Qin Family Village.

Compared to the other two villages, Qin Family Village had the worst geographical location. The roads were poor, and the number of people engaged in industry was the smallest; over the years, it had indeed fallen behind. But Qin Laishun wasn't telling this to complain about poverty; he wanted to express only one point—quarrying and mining were the only way out for the people of Qin Family Village!

At this moment, Qin Yunhai's expression grew increasingly grim. Just as he was about to say something, Qin Shuangling, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly coughed. "Second Uncle, my eldest brother's idea is actually not wrong. In the past, mining equipment was backward, and it was indeed easy to cause deaths. But now it's different. In addition to explosives, there are many more ways to mine stones. Moreover... Moreover, the price of ore has increased several times compared to a few years ago. Even if we stop those five bastards, there are still others who will have designs on the stones."

"Let me say something you might not like to hear: those five brothers are all ruthless when it comes to money. You're getting old, and Aimin has a stable job. It's not worth fighting them to the death. This time we've only lost a few sheep, but who knows what might happen in the future! I remember Aimin once said, 'The hearts of the people are like a flood; they should be channeled, not blocked.' Instead of letting those scoundrels illegally mine, we should find some legitimate companies to contract the mines. That way, the villagers will benefit, and we won't have to live in constant fear. Second Uncle, don't you think I'm right?"

Qin Shuangling was of average means and never stood out from the crowd. He was focused on ensuring his large family could live peacefully and safely. In his eyes, nothing was more important than stability.

If Qin Yunhai hadn't developed epilepsy, or if he were ten or twenty years younger, he would never have accepted Qin Shuangling's suggestion, and might even have berated his nephew as a capitulationist.

But now he understands that he is not the head of the family, and besides, he only has one son. If something happens and Aimin is implicated, how can he face his deceased wife? This time, Geda was almost killed. Isn't this a lesson?

Qin Shuangling's words also stirred something within Ai Min. However, while he wasn't afraid of being retaliated against, he was concerned for his father's safety. What son doesn't want his parents to enjoy their later years in peace? If he suffered undeserved misfortune because of some scoundrels, could he still work and start a business with peace of mind?

The room was unusually quiet at this moment, as everyone waited for Qin Yunhai's response, but the old man did not utter a single word for a long time.

Qin Laishun was quite surprised by this. He had thought his second uncle was going to give him another political lecture about the role of mountains in war. But this time, he had clearly miscalculated, and all the prepared rhetoric had to be swallowed back.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Qin Laishun took a deep breath, grinned, and said, "Second Uncle, let me make this clear first: regardless of whether I'm in charge or not, I will absolutely not allow anyone without the necessary licenses and qualifications to interfere in the mining business. I've learned my lesson from before!"

"Furthermore, whoever contracts the mine, as long as the team receives dividends, I will distribute them to the members according to the cultivated land area points. I will never pocket the money myself. I said this when I was first elected team leader, and it still stands. We are different from the old hunters in our conduct and dealings; we will never let the villagers talk behind our backs! Today, since you are all here, you can be my witnesses. If one day I go back on my word, or do something disgraceful again, you can hit me, scold me, or even spit on me, and I won't complain!"

Seeing that Qin Laishun was about to raise the ancestral tablet and swear a solemn oath, Qin Shuangling quickly played the good cop, "Brother, what are you saying? Don't we know who you are? Let me remind you, our ancestral graves, including Second Aunt's grave, are all above the old mine pit. It involves land requisition and relocation of graves, so you can't be confused!"

"I won't make a foolish mistake!" Qin Laishun thumped his chest loudly. "I'll be buried in the ancestral graves someday too! How could I let anyone ruin our family's feng shui? Don't worry, anyone who dares to disturb our ancestral graves will have to ask me, Qin Laishun, first. Even if there's gold and silver buried down there, I can protect our family's wealth!"

Regardless of whether these words hold true in the future, at least Qin Laishun spoke from the heart, which reassured everyone present that as long as a consensus was reached on this fundamental issue, the mining project could be discussed.

"Second Uncle, there's something else I need to discuss with you. A while ago, Lao Chengxi from Laojiapo specifically came to me, wanting to partner with me to dig stones on the mountain..."

While speaking, Qin Laishun kept observing Qin Yunhai's expression. Seeing the old man's brows furrow slightly, he immediately adjusted his tone and defended himself, saying, "Don't overthink it! I didn't agree to anything he said! This is what I was thinking: Dongling and Xiling belong to Qinjiazhuang and Laojiapo respectively, but they are still one mineral vein. Since he has already obtained the mining permit, let him do whatever he wants. We don't care about the consequences, as long as he takes our village's land, he definitely has to give us an explanation. Shuangling, Aimin, what do you two say?"

After saying that, Qin Laishun gave his cousin a wink.

The ball was in Qin Shuangling's court, and he had no choice but to accept it. However, he wasn't acting on his cousin's orders; he was simply analyzing the situation objectively: "The Cheng brothers, Cheng Xi and Cheng Dong, are related to our family, so entrusting the mine to them is better than letting others do it. However, I think our people should just stand by and offer encouragement, and it's best not to get involved in these matters. Mining and dealing with rocks is no small matter; if handled poorly, it can offend a whole circle of people..."

Although they were both his nephews, Qin Yunhai trusted Qin Shuangling more. After all, he had been "sold out" by Qin Laishun once, so he couldn't completely trust what the other party said. But if Qin Shuangling agreed, then Qin Yunhai had to consider it carefully. After all, he was getting old and needed to leave many things to the younger generation.

After thinking it over, Qin Yunhai slowly spoke, "I'm useless now; from now on, you few will be in charge. I have two things to say: First, the procedures must be proper; second, be honest with the villagers. The villagers only have so much land; if you take it all away, they'll definitely fight you to the death! If necessary, you can call representatives from each household over to talk, and explain the actual situation to them. We all share the same surname, Qin, and we all come from the same ancestor. We can't be like those bastards, the old hunter, who eat the meat themselves and don't even share the soup with others!"

Before he could finish speaking, Qin Laishun nodded repeatedly, "I've remembered what Second Uncle said. Shuangling is right too; mining is risky. Let's think about this carefully. However, on the other hand, Qin Family Village and Lao Family Slope each occupy a hilltop, but nobody knows exactly where the mine extends. We've cooperated with the people of Lao Family Slope before and haven't suffered any losses, so I think we can consider cooperating with them..."

Qin Laishun was always good at saying the opposite of what he meant, and he could say anything he wanted.

And Aimin? He was the most silent person all night. No one knew that he was grieving over the two acres of chrysanthemum seedlings that had been destroyed!