After Li Liancheng and his party returned to South China from Huangling, they went to Qinxi without stopping for a while. After County Magistrate Chi returned to the county seat, he informed Secretary Liu of Li Liancheng's intention to purchase or lease the virgin forest north of Hujiagou.
reported.
Secretary Liu walked a few steps in the office and pondered: "Why is Li Liancheng interested in that virgin forest?"
County Magistrate Chi said: “He said he was a member of the International Association for the Protection of Virgin Forests.”
Secretary Liu shook his head and said: "Ever since Li Liancheng decided to invest in Huangling, I began to collect information about this person. The reason why this person will do such a big business is that he combines business and personal opinions.
, hobbies, and even feelings are clearly distinguished. Americans are called "cold-blooded money-making machines". Therefore, I don't believe that he would throw away 100 million for a hobby. There must be some people in this primitive forest.
He wants something, but what is it?"
County Magistrate Chi told the legend about the primeval forest. Secretary Liu said: "This is even more interesting. I believe even more that there are unknown secrets hidden in this primeval forest. In this way, there is no need to rush to the meeting on this matter."
, hold off for a while and then talk.”
County Magistrate Chi said with some embarrassment: "I promised Li Liancheng that I would give him a reply within a week."
Secretary Liu said: "This is easy to handle. You can reply to him in a moment and say that you have checked the relevant laws. Selling or leasing the virgin forests owned by the country must be approved by the Ministry of Forestry. We have already sent a report to him.
Waiting for news."
County Magistrate Chi said: "Will our doing this affect his investment in Huangling?"
Secretary Liu shook his head and said: "Definitely not. Now that the Southwest Expressway passes through Huangling, Huangling has become the back garden of Qinxi. There is a lot of room for land appreciation. This shrewd Li Liancheng will never give up this money-making opportunity."
County Magistrate Chi said: "Then shall we file this report? Will this virgin forest be sold?"
Secretary Liu said: "We have to wait until we figure out what is in this forest. If there are any rare mineral deposits there and we sell them recklessly, we will become the sinners of the people of South China."
County Magistrate Chi said: "That's true. I will organize people to go in tomorrow to see what is in the forest that will arouse the interest of this big boss."
Secretary Liu said: "It is safer to invite professional exploration personnel to go in."
Three days later, a fifteen-person exploration team entered the virgin forest behind Hujiagou. They carried the most advanced detection equipment and conducted a careful exploration of the geological structures in the forest.
To people's surprise, the survey went very smoothly. Although the forest was very dense and there were no traces of modern human activities, it was not very large. They also found an ax that was almost rusted into thin slices in a mountain col.
, experts infer based on its degree of rust that the ax was lost here a hundred years ago, which shows that this forest should have had human activities in the early days and was not a true virgin forest.
After exploration by the explorers, it was found that the crust under the forest is entirely limestone, and there cannot be any rare mineral deposits. Two large caves were discovered, but the development value is not very great.
Li Liancheng, who was staying at the Jinfuli Hotel in Qinxi, couldn't sit still after hearing that an exploration team had entered the Hujiagou primeval forest. He came to South China again and questioned Secretary Liu as a member of the International Primeval Forest Protection Association.
, why send an exploration team into the virgin forest? Destroy such precious and rare resources?
Secretary Liu said with a smile: "We sent the exploration team into the Hujiagou Forest to define the area of the forest and prepare for cooperation with Mr. Li. This is also our responsibility for Mr. Li. During this exploration, we unexpectedly
After discovering traces of human activities a hundred years ago and discovering that this place is not a true virgin forest, is Mr. Li still willing to buy or rent it?"
The meaning of Secretary Liu's words is very clear. Don't treat us as fools. We have known for a long time that you want that forest not for the noble purpose of protecting the virgin forest.
A trace of surprise flashed across Li Liancheng's face. He did not expect that the leaders of the South China County Party Committee and County Government were so smart and far-sighted, which forced him to adjust his view of mainland officials.
Li Liancheng chuckled and said: "Protecting forest resources is the responsibility of every person on earth. It doesn't matter whether it is a virgin forest or not. I see that my willingness to buy or rent it will not change."
Secretary Liu smiled and asked: "Mr. Li, can you tell us what your company is buying this forest for?"
Li Liancheng shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, this is our company's business secret and cannot be made public."
Secretary Liu smiled and said: "That will be difficult. As a government official in the jurisdiction, I must first consider the interests of the country. Your company wants to purchase a forest of fifty square kilometers in my jurisdiction, but refuses to inform you of the purpose.
I think the superiors will definitely not approve it."
Li Liancheng thought hard and finally sighed: "The mainland has too many regulations. There is no other way. Let me tell you that our company wants to use that forest to build a forest park as a place for leisure and entertainment for the citizens of Qinxi. Then.
With the opening of the Southwest Expressway, this place will definitely become people's first choice for leisure and entertainment. If Secretary Liu helps our company facilitate this, I will give Secretary Liu a 5% commission."
Secretary Liu was shocked. 5% of 100 million is 5 million. It seems that Li Liancheng has a strong desire to get that forest, so he used this method. However, after exploration, it was found that there were no rare mineral deposits or precious tree species there.
, what was his purpose in purchasing that forest?
Secretary Liu would never believe his nonsense about building a forest park. Forest parks are long-term investments, so how could he only rent them for ten years? And if it was an investment in a forest park, it should be hyped up, and there was no need to keep it secret.
Secretary Liu sternly rejected Li Liancheng's so-called 5% commission suggestion, saying that they had already reported this matter to their superiors and asked Mr. Li to wait patiently.
While Secretary Liu and Li Liancheng were fighting for their wits, Li Wei once again walked into the Hujiagou, which was full of weeds.
This time, he was lucky enough to see the ugly and disabled old man. The old man was sitting blankly on the stone in front of the door. The right side of his face was almost completely burned off, and his muscles shrank together, revealing his white teeth, but his right eye was closed.
Covering them all up makes it look very hideous and terrifying.
Li Wei knelt down in front of him and said loudly: "Old man, what is your name?"
The old man chuckled, opened his mouth wide, and exposed half of his tongue. Li Wei could see very clearly that the tongue was broken very neatly, and it must have been cut away with a sharp knife, not burned.
Although the old man could not speak, Li Wei accurately captured the old man's voice from his brain: "I am the treasure keeper."
Treasure keeper? So there must be some treasure in Hujiagou or in the forest behind it? That Li Liancheng came all the way from the United States for this treasure?
Li Wei suppressed the excitement in his heart and asked loudly: "Old man, what treasure are you guarding?"
The old man suddenly burst into laughter and said, "As expected, Brother Hu Yue, you actually have an eye that has never been seen in three hundred years."
Li Wei was shocked and jumped up: "You, you can talk."
The old man patted the top of his head, lifted it up from under his chin, and a mask was taken off, revealing a childlike face with white hair. If Li Wei could have glanced at the barber shop opposite when he was eating noodles at He Gensheng's Noodle House that day,
You will find that the old man who has been paying attention to him in the barber shop that day is this fake mute.
The old man laughed and said, "Since you can read minds, why can't I speak?"
Li Wei was a little confused. He couldn't be dreaming. Could it be that he had met a hidden master again?
Li Wei raised his arm and took a bite. The pain made him gasp. It was not a dream.
When the old man saw Li Wei biting his arm for no reason, he knew that he was too surprised and thought he was dreaming. He said, "You are not dreaming. If you come with me, all the questions in your mind will be solved."
As the old man spoke, he took a step forward, grabbed one of Li Wei's arms, and walked towards the grass. Li Wei felt that the old man's pace was not fast, but he could not keep up even at a trot. Gradually, the old man's pace became faster and faster.
Quickly, the grass under his feet retreated quickly, and Li Wei felt that he was about to fly.
Suddenly, a white mist surged out in front of him, and he couldn't see anything. He only felt the wind whistling in his ears, and grass was constantly blowing under his feet. After five or six minutes, he felt that everything was black in front of him, and there was nothing under his feet.
He also stepped on the ground and must have entered a cave.
He was led by the old man for a long distance in the dark. He only heard a soft creaking sound, a stone door opened, and a light danced in the stone room.
Li Wei gradually adapted to the light in the stone chamber and found a pale old man sitting cross-legged on the stone platform under the oil lamp. His hair and beard were as white as silk and were three feet long. His hair was draped on his back and his beard was hanging down.
on the chest.
In front of him, there was a bamboo couch, and sleeping on the bamboo couch was an old man with a sallow face and a haggard appearance. There was no muscle on his face, only wrinkled skin covering his bones.
Mummy.
The old man with the white beard stretched out his hand from his beard and pressed it tightly on the chest of the mummy.
The old man pretending to be mute let go of Li Wei, bowed and stood in front of the bamboo couch, and asked carefully: "Hu Yue, how is the eldest brother?"
The oil has run out and the lamp has dried up. I'm afraid I won't be able to survive tonight." The old man named Hu Yue shook his head and said sadly: "We have worked hard for decades, but I am afraid that in the end we will live up to our ancestors' last wishes."
The old man who pretended to be mute said: "I brought that boy here. He is indeed a clairvoyant."
Hu Yue trembled with excitement when he heard this, and asked urgently: "Is this true?"
The old man said: "I have tried it just now."
Only then did Hu Yue notice a young man standing in the dark behind the old man. He looked at the young man quietly without speaking.
("Guanwang Tianxia" is a very cool official article, updated today, go check it out, book366088.html)