I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

The next day, Liu Yuanyuan had already gone to work. In the private room, Li Jing'an was talking to Mine Manager Hu from Shandong.

"Old Hu, I'll send a car to take you to the train station in a little while. I've taken care of things for you. Go home and wait, don't reveal anything, don't cause any trouble, just pretend you don't know anything. In a couple of days, the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry and your provincial Revolutionary Committee will send letters to your mine. Then you can go directly to your Shandong Provincial Metallurgical Bureau to take up your post."

"Thank you, Director Li! Thank you, Director Li!" Old Hu didn't expect the trip to go so smoothly. The matter was resolved in just two days. Li Jing'an was truly incredibly influential.

He was truly amazed to hear that Li Jing'an had made direct contact with the leaders of the Central Cultural Revolution Group, which led to his transfer from a mine manager to the Provincial Metallurgical Department.

He knew that what he brought wouldn't impress Li Jing'an at all—Li Jing'an had already reached this level, what was a little seafood to him? It was definitely because he had established a connection with Li Jing'an before Li Jing'an rose to power, and had even paid him a special visit; this seafood was just a token of his loyalty. Luckily, Li Jing'an accepted it. He was now incredibly grateful to Li Jing'an; if Li Jing'an hadn't stopped him, he would have knelt down. Li Jing'an was practically a second parent to him.

"Old Hu, let me reiterate your mission to the Shandong Provincial Metallurgical Bureau. You'll be directly in charge of gold mining operations, so you must safeguard this purse of foreign exchange. Our country is facing very difficult times right now, and we can't afford to lose gold as a crucial source of foreign exchange."

"Over the past few months, your gold mining system has been impacted for various reasons. Since we chose you, we're sending you down here with a mission. Once you arrive, your most important task is to protect the personnel and equipment related to the gold mine."

"Although the main task of the revolution is struggle, the task I'm giving you is not to engage in infighting. You must protect the original technical and management personnel, and you must not stop updating prospecting technology and equipment, nor stop new prospecting tasks. Even if you don't develop the land, you must continue."

"After the situation is clarified, do not rush to increase or expand production. The situation is still unclear and chaotic, especially since the factories are controlled by the rebels. We must avoid conflicts, protect our personnel, and keep a close watch on the production lines. These are our lifeline, and they can be reused at any time."

"The newly discovered mines need to be able to be initially developed. We don't expect you to start large-scale operations quickly, but they must be able to produce and increase production at critical times. Although the drawbacks of reduced foreign exchange reserves are not yet obvious, the country will realize this soon. If we start production, explore for more minerals, and train key technical and management personnel at that time, too much time will be wasted, and the country will suffer too much loss. So your task is very challenging."

"Yes, yes, Director Li, I will definitely follow your instructions meticulously when I get back. But..." Director Hu looked troubled, "The tasks assigned by the Metallurgical Bureau are now all handled by the Shandong Provincial Revolutionary Committee. It's not that I'm afraid of doing the work, it's that I'm afraid I won't be able to make the decisions, and even if I wanted to do it, I wouldn't be able to."

"Hey, don't worry. It won't be long after you go back. The Central Cultural Revolution Group will contact the Shandong Provincial Revolutionary Committee, and the military will also give you the green light. It won't delay your mission."

"Furthermore, I will be in charge of gold business in the Metallurgical Bureau from now on. The original gold company of the Metallurgical Bureau was paralyzed. After my efforts over the past two days, I have finally regained some power. Although it is not all, it is enough to protect you and issue preliminary orders to the gold mines in various provinces. I will cooperate with you, and I hope you can do a good job."

"Director Li, please rest assured! I will definitely follow your instructions strictly after I return, and protect your purse strings and all the gold mines in our Shandong Province!"

Li Jing'an frowned. "Hey, how can you talk like that? That's the nation's gold mine! That's the people's gold mine!"

---

Li Jing'an dawdled, finally arriving at the steel rolling mill around 9 or 10 o'clock. Looking up in the corridor, he suddenly noticed someone still standing at his office door. He was startled at first, then slapped his forehead—how could he have forgotten about Luo Tianyou?

He had clearly told the person to come to his office this morning, but he had completely forgotten about it in his busy schedule. Li Jing'an immediately put on an apologetic face and quickly went to greet him: "Engineer Luo, I'm so sorry! Look at me, I'm the director of the steel rolling mill and also the deputy director of the metallurgical department. With so many things to do, my brain just couldn't keep up. I really left you here, I'm so sorry."

Luo Tianyou quickly waved his hand, "Director Li, it's alright, it's alright." His voice was low and restrained, clearly indicating that he didn't dare to really hold a grudge.

Li Jing'an pushed open the office door, let Luo Tianyou sit down on the sofa, and called out to the door, "Xiao Lin, pour two cups of tea!" He then walked over to the sofa opposite Luo Tianyou with a smile, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to him.

When Luo Tianyou accepted the cigarette, his hand trembled slightly—he had never received such treatment since the wind picked up. While flattered, he also felt a growing sense of unease, unable to understand why Li Jing'an was being so polite to him.

"Professor Luo, then I'll be frank." Li Jing'an lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "First of all, I personally admire you from the bottom of my heart. I've seen your file; your parents had a successful business in Southeast Asia, and you yourself studied in the United States, yet you resolutely returned to China to contribute to the construction of the new China. This kind of dedication is rare. The current difficulties are only temporary. I believe that before long, everything will be calm again. The country cannot do without insightful people like you."

Luo Tianyou listened quietly, without saying a word. His experiences these past few days had already taught him: the less you talk, the fewer mistakes you make. Li Jing'an didn't mind that he didn't respond—he knew that this period had been exhausting for him, and anyone would have struggled to recover from something like this.

"I can only do what I can to help you," Li Jing'an said, flicking his cigarette ash. "How about this: you go work at our affiliated school, doing some logistical work. Schools are quiet these days; the students are all involved in political movements, so classes aren't really in session. Going to a school will keep you away from the center of trouble, what do you think?"

Luo Tianyou's eyes finally lit up for a moment. He never expected that his life would return to normal one day. Looking at Li Jing'an's sincere face, the guard in his heart finally relaxed a little—perhaps, he really had met a good person.

"Thank you, Director Li! Thank you, Director Li!" he said repeatedly, his voice carrying a warmth he hadn't felt in days.

Li Jing'an waved his hand, looking ashamed: "Don't thank me, this was originally my mistake. When you were sent down to the countryside, Vice Minister Gao specifically told me to take care of you. I agreed verbally, but the people below me disobeyed me, and I was too busy to take care of you. I feel bad that you have suffered.

Luo Tianyou was moved and quickly stood up, bowing slightly to indicate that it was alright. Li Jing'an quickly stood up as well and pressed him back onto the sofa: "Engineer Luo, don't be like this. The more you do this, the more upset I feel. This is all I can do. You should go back and rest. I'll have someone go to the school to call someone over later to show you around."

Luo Tianyou thanked him repeatedly, and Li Jing'an pulled him twice before seeing him out the door.