Chapter 6 Accidental Talent

  The next afternoon, Duan Guoxue and his three apprentices led the camels carrying the ransom to the designated place. A henchman appeared at the mountain pass, waving his hand to let them through.

  "What are you doing?" Another fellow emerged from behind a rock and asked as he approached.

  "Come in and find relatives." Gan Fulin replied in dialect with the specified tone.

  "Is it just the three of you?"

  "Only three people."

  "Follow me." Luó asked a few questions cautiously and observed the three of them carefully before turning around to lead the way.

  After walking for more than half an hour, the guide in front whistled at another mountain pass, and after hearing two long and short whistles from the mountain pass, the guide continued to lead the three people inside.

  As soon as they entered the mountain pass, the three of them, who had been lying in ambush and counter-ambushing for more than half a year, clearly felt the killing intent all around. They saw the shadowy figures lurking behind the grass, the gun barrels exposed from behind the boulders. Although these tactics were not impressive to the three of them, they could sense that this group was made up of seasoned professionals in their line of work.

  As they walked into the middle of the valley, a burly man with a scarred face and a waistband with China's most popular box cannon sat on a large stone, playing with a short-bladed dagger in his hand, waiting for them.

  "Is it Old Master?" Scarface didn't even turn his head, and said while playing with the short blade in his hand.

  "My surname is Duan, I'm not brave enough to be a boss, just a poor teacher."

  "You're poor because of teaching? What a joke! If you're still crying about being poor, then I'm blind!" With that, his hand rose and with a "thud", the short blade in Knife Scar's hand was inserted just an inch away from Duan Guoxue's foot.

  "Hey!!!" Duan Guoxue stretched out his hand to stop You Tian who was about to step forward. He calmly and confidently said to the scar-faced man:

  "I don't know what I, Duan Mou, did to offend this big brother. Since I arrived in your esteemed place, although I haven't done anything particularly good or accumulated any merits, it seems like I also haven't done anything that would wrong others."

  "Arrived at this mountain head where we can't even see our grandfather. It's just that they look down on us Black Head Ridge!"

  "Oh. So that's how it is... However, your mountain head doesn't seem to be the local mountain head. According to the rules, it's just a courtesy visit. It shouldn't be your turn yet, Mountain Head..."

  "How dare you!!!" In a fit of rage, he stretched out his scarred face and reached for the handgun at his waist.

  "Hold it!! Lao San!!" A voice timely stopped the furious Scarface.

  "First, come with a strong opening to intimidate, if it works, increase the stakes and raise the price, if not, stop while you're ahead. This trick has been used so many times in TV shows and movies that people have long known that the one who can really talk is always standing next to them." Although Duan Guoxue thought this way, his heart still skipped a beat.

  "Mr. Duan, my third brother is a bit rough around the edges, forgive him! Forgive him!"

  "No need for formalities, how should I address you?" Duan Guoxue bowed his hands in response to the man in white clothes who emerged from behind the stone.

  "My surname is Wei, Mr. Duan can just call me Erzhai Zhu."

  "Now that the two of you are here, shouldn't we discuss the main issue? Where is he?" Duan Guoxue didn't want to have much contact with these people and wanted to hurry up and pay the ransom to get the person back.

  "That's natural." Wei Er Zhuo waved his hand, and a person with their eyes covered by a five-flower knot was brought before Duan Guoxue. The hostage looked to be quite old, and surprisingly didn't seem afraid or panicked, only a bit disheveled in their clothes.

  Zhao Youtian walked forward, removed the hostage's blindfold, and the hostage couldn't adapt to the strong light for a moment. After closing his eyes for a while, he opened them again. After confirming that the hostage was correct by comparing him with the photo given by Mo County Magistrate, Duan Guoxue let Gan Fulin open the box and reveal the well-sealed foreign currency inside. Two bandits came over from the opposite side to move the box down and immediately counted and checked it. After a while, when the two bandits indicated that the amount was correct, Wei Erzhai burst out laughing twice.

  "Mr. Duan, the money and goods are clear, I appreciate Mr. Duan's efficient handling of things and his character. If fate permits it in the future, I'll invite Mr. Duan to have a drink with me. Also, when you arrive at our place, if you encounter any difficulties, Mr. Duan can look for us at Hei Tou Ling."

  "Then thank you first! Farewell!" Duan Guoxue didn't say much, and took the three of them to leave the mountain valley. Next time I go to find you, it must be with people to find your bad luck, and blood will wash over Hei Tou Ridge. Duan Guoxue thought viciously as he walked. They walked for a long time, and Duan Guoxue's face was also gloomy and silent. The two students saw that he didn't have a good expression, so they naturally wouldn't go looking for trouble. It was another person who broke the silence, the meat ticket.

  "Excuse me, what kind of people are you?"

  "We are friends of County Magistrate Mo, and we have been entrusted to come and redeem you." Duan Guoxue was not in a good mood, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper at County Magistrate Mo's younger brother, so he replied indifferently.

  "Oh, I see." Meat ticket didn't say much either, it seemed he had sensed Duan Guoxue's coldness and stopped paying attention to them. He simply took out a few stones from his pocket and gazed at them fondly, making soft noises of admiration.

  "Tungsten ore!" Duan Guoxue saw at a glance that the stone in Rou Piao's hand was of extraordinary origin.

  "Huh? You also know this is tungsten ore?" The thick lenses of Rou Tiao's glasses couldn't block out that glint.

  "I certainly know... Mr. has not asked for advice yet..." Duan Guoxue only now carefully examined the object of this rescue - a middle-aged man wearing simple clothes, carrying a small backpack, and wearing thick glasses, but with some gray hair on his head and wrinkles all over his face, making him look more like an old man.

  "My name is Huang Fangye, and I came into the mountains not for anything else, just to find these stones that others consider useless. However, in all my previous trips into the mountains, no one has ever taken an interest in this old man, so I don't know why this time it's caused such a big commotion." Huang Fangye pushed his thick-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and said with some confusion.

  "Wait!!! Are you saying that you came to the mountain to mine for minerals? And this is not your first time?!?" Duan Guoxue's depressed mood suddenly soared to Java.

  "Yes, I've been searching for mines in the mountains since a few years ago. I've basically covered all the surrounding counties." As he said this, Huang Fangye's face showed a hint of pride.

  "Is that gentleman an expert in finding mines?"

  "That's not it, I studied steel, but now I've fallen to the point of searching for mines." Huang Fangye's pride instantly turned into despair.

  "May I ask, sir, how old are you? Where did you learn the steel-making technique?" Duan Guoxue was now like a treasure hunter who had just discovered a treasure, and his excitement became more and more uncontrollable, to the point where he didn't even notice that his question was very impolite.

  "Germany Clausthal University of Technology, Metallurgy major, this year... 37 years old." Although Huang Fangye felt some displeasure at Duan Guoxue's rudeness, he suppressed his unhappiness and replied.

  "Haha……" The excited and unreserved laughter of the three people left them in astonishment, until Duan Guoxue finally calmed down his agitated mood and spoke to Huang Fangye with respect:

  "Mr. Huang, that young man was impolite just now, but hearing such good news is really exciting! Mr. Huang has been searching for mineral deposits for several years and must have found many suitable veins, why not develop them?"

  "What's the point of developing? What's the use of developing if we can't even smelt our own minerals into steel, but instead sell them cheaply to foreigners, who then refine them into guns and cannons to sell back to us, so that we can slaughter each other? Or is it just a matter of being forced to sign all sorts of humiliating treaties at gunpoint?" Huang Fangye said indignantly.

  "That... in Mr. Huang's eyes, would let these treasures be buried in the dirt?" Duan Guoxue was startled by Huang Fangye's extreme idea, which is very similar to a certain party's thinking during a certain period in the future. As long as it is sold to foreigners for operation, it is considered selling state-owned assets and selling out the country, and is equated with traitors and national thieves. Although many of the white-haired old men opposite him were clearly not young and angry, Duan Guoxue still planned to extract more of Huang Fangye's ideas before laying his cards on the table.

  "The state collects taxes, the state develops, taking in moderation, using for the country."

  "So according to Mr. Huang's meaning, only the country can exploit and develop?" Duan Guoxue heard this and felt a bit uneasy in his heart.

  "The country has strong purchasing power and can make the most of its resources."

  "Then, then, can we rely on the people's power?" Duan Guoxue stammered and said out his own suggestion.

  "Who?! Who wants to invest? Which of our countrymen has the power to invest?! Go and genuinely do this undertaking!" Huang Fangye's reaction was somewhat agitated, it was unclear whether he was angry or nervous.

  "...I, I am building a steel mill locally." Duan Guoxue was overwhelmed by Huang Fangye's fierce momentum, and he really couldn't believe that this thin old man could burst out with such a huge aura, just this fierce momentum made him feel suffocated now.

  "Really? You're kidding me!!! How come I didn't know about this!!!!!!" The old man's eyes burst out with an intimidating glint.

  "This... this... this... Gan Fulin!" The old man's intimidating gaze finally made Duan Guoxue think of the person responsible for the problem.

  "Got it!" Gan Fulin subconsciously responded with a loud voice, seeing his teacher eat garlic for the first time, and couldn't help but sneak a smile beside him.

  "What's going on with the recruitment notice you and Wei Zuirong are in charge of? Didn't we ask for all towns in this county to be covered, and spread to surrounding towns?" Duan Guoxue fiercely questioned Gan Fulin, "You little brat, if it's your problem that makes me lose such a great talent, I'll skin you alive!"

  "Heavens! I and Xun Rong must have done it, maybe, just maybe the news of Mr. Huang's outing was spread too slowly because he was kidnapped in a place that is already very far from our county." Gan Fulian quickly found an excuse with an innocent face.

  "You little brat, if I find out it's different from what you said when I get back, just you wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

  "Uh... Mr. Huang, I am Duan Guoxue, an overseas returnee who has invested in several factories in this county, including a small steel mill, which is now in need of a high-level talent like you to take charge and guide us. Would you be interested in joining our humble factory?"

  "Do you really want to build a steel plant? Why?"

  "Yes. As for the reason - enrich the country through industry."

  "Hahaha!!! " Huang Fangye burst out laughing and said: "Industrialized country!!!! I haven't heard this joke-like phrase in a long time! Kid, you'd better be reborn in another country to say this phrase again!!" Two lines of murky tears glistened in the air as the sun set.

  "Mr. Huang, what are you talking about?!" Duan Guoxue was shocked to hear this.

  "Doll, listen to my advice, in this world, it's best to stay at home and live a peaceful life. Go back, don't think about these unrealistic things anymore." Huang Fangye walked forward without looking back.

  Watching Huang Fangye walking further and further away, Duan Guoxue did not expect that this old man would have such a negative idea. Suddenly, Duan Guoxue felt that the treasure in front of him was getting farther and farther away from himself, more and more out of reach. Suddenly, Duan Guoxue's heart moved.

  "Mr. Huang, when you were abroad, did you suffer from the discrimination and humiliation of foreigners? Have you ever thought about why our great China has to endure such humiliation and discrimination?" Duan Guoxue thought that no matter now or in the future, Chinese people abroad would suffer from varying degrees of discrimination. Since the old man had been abroad, he must have suffered this kind of humiliation as well. Indeed! Upon hearing these words, Huang Fangye's footsteps clearly faltered.

  "What's the big deal!! We're already far behind, kid. I'm telling you, before I returned to China a few years ago, we were already more than 50 years behind!" He said, and then took another step forward.

  "Can we just stick our heads in the sand like an ostrich and avoid disaster?! Haven't you heard, Mr. Huang, that before the Sino-Japanese War, many things were not done because they couldn't be done, but also because they weren't understood!!! We didn't not do them, we just didn't know how!!! You students went abroad to study, wasn't it to learn science and technology to revitalize China?! Now you've returned, Mr. Huang, after years of being cold-shouldered and twisted, your heart is weary and you're saying we're too far behind and don't want to try anymore! If we make an effort, if we chase after them, even if we're 50 or 100 years behind now, we can move forward year by year! Even if we can't catch up, we'll still only be 50 or 100 years behind. But if we do nothing, we'll fall further and further behind, not just 50 or 100 years, but 101, 150, or even several hundred years!!! This is not 'can't' but 'won't'!!!!!!"

  Duan Guoxue became more and more agitated as he thought that in later generations, there would be some so-called "xp" who would forever only take things for granted, forever only sing the praises of foreign moons, only fawn and beg from others, forever expecting the charity and pity of others, but never willing to strive on their own, even forever belittling the country's independent technology. Little did they know that without taking the first step to catch up, they would forever fall behind those who dared to pursue the pioneers in second and third place.

  The old man was like being struck by five thunders when he heard the last eight words, standing still and motionless on the spot. After a long while, the old man suddenly turned around and ran to hug Duan Guoxue, wailing loudly in tears! It could be seen that Duan Guoxue's shoulders were covered with a patch of white snot and tears.