Chapter 307: Harmonious Relations Between Humans and Animals

Thanks to the impressive performance of the big pig, the entire forest farm's thirty-odd dangerous houses were turned into collapsed houses. Although these houses were already dangerous and had indeed collapsed due to non-human causes, the disaster relief team was not foolish. They suspected that the 89 Forest Farm was exploiting loopholes, so the disaster registration issue was eventually escalated to the Forestry Bureau.

Upon learning about this, Xu Chaoyang almost laughed himself silly.

He was aware of the character of the young deputy director at the 89 Forest Farm. However, using a pig to knock down houses to handle disaster verification was something he had never seen before. But Xu knew the style of the external personnel from the headquarters, and it was clear that the disaster relief team had gone too far. He spoke a few good words on their behalf.

The disaster relief team, already embarrassed and knowing they would not gain any benefits from this round of compensation, accepted Xu Chaoyang's suggestion and recorded the houses that had been knocked down by the pig. They applied for compensation based on the collapsed houses.

After the team left, everyone knew that the compensation for the more than forty households was a result of Li Xian and his father's efforts. However, the pig that played a major role had become a new star of the forest farm.

Over the past two days, with the pig being lured by pig feed and other delicious treats, its head had swollen up considerably from knocking down over thirty houses. Although it still looked somewhat silly, the pig seemed to have become a bit more alert. Occasionally, it even avoided Li Xian, especially when Li Xian smiled at it.

In this harmonious environment, everything seemed to be thriving.

But just as there are a few insects in a vast expanse of blue waves and a few dead fish and shrimp in a great sea, not all was peaceful.

Amidst the overall harmony, there were still some unstable elements.

While everyone in the forest farm was brainstorming ways to address the poor living conditions in Yin-Yang Village, with the idea of setting up a new area and waiting for wages and year-end bonuses from the pickled cabbage factory and the primary processing plant, Liu Laoda, who had been in hiding in the forest farm for a while due to his father's arrest and his younger brother's removal from the Youth League secretary position, boarded the minibus heading down the mountain.

...

In Ice City.

In a private room of a coarse grain and eight-stew ecological restaurant near the Forest Industry Headquarters, two middle-aged men were drinking and eating at a table.

The two men sat at opposite sides of a large table, drinking on their own for a long time without talking.

In the room for sixteen people, the silence of the two individuals made the atmosphere somewhat oppressive.

After an indeterminate amount of time, seemingly satisfied with the food and drink, the man at the east end of the table put down his chopsticks and used a white wet tissue on the table to wipe his mouth.

This man appeared to be in his forties, with a square face and a slicked-back hairstyle. His eyes were large like copper bells, but with heavy eye bags, likely due to insufficient kidney essence, and his eyelids were somewhat puffy. However, his big ears, resembling those of a Maitreya Buddha, gave him a benevolent appearance.

Though not tall, he was robust and broad-shouldered. His Pierre Cardin wool suit looked loose on him, with his wide shoulders stretching the upper part of the suit into a rounded shape. The prominent gold ring with an emerald on his ring finger was particularly eye-catching.

After placing the wet tissue on the table, the man smiled at the person across from him, his face showing three parts of a smile but his words full of hostility: "Director Wang, what is Xu Chaoyang up to in the Bangye Forestry Bureau? I have been working on the berry research institute, the pharmaceutical factory, and the beverage factory for half a year. And now, just these days, he's also gotten Han Wenzhong sent to jail. Is this a direct attack on me, Huang Yingxiong, or what?"

The man on the other side of the table, who appeared similar in age, was slender and had a scholarly demeanor. However, he responded to the other's gaze with a composed, neither humble nor arrogant attitude, "How Xu Chaoyang handles his work is his own business. If Mr. Huang has any opinions, you can speak directly with him. What's the point of bringing me into this? I'm not his superior."

The man referred to as Huang Yingxiong forced a smile. "Speak directly with him? Xu Chaoyang was promoted by your elder, and I heard your elder treats him like his own son. Since you have the same relationship, now that Xu Chaoyang is causing trouble, who else should I turn to if not you, Wang Anguo?"

Hearing the mockery in the other's tone, Wang Anguo's face showed a hint of anger, but it quickly faded. Despite his distaste for the person before him, Huang Yingxiong's background and tangled relationships within the Forest Industry system forced him to maintain composure.

"I have no say in your matters. My relationship with Xu Chaoyang is merely one of familial acquaintances. It is neither close nor distant. As for my elder, Mr. Huang, you should know that we have not communicated for years. If you have complaints about the administrative policies or personnel arrangements of the Bangye Forestry Bureau, you should report them to the group. This is not something I, as the director of the Transportation Bureau, can interfere with."

After speaking with lowered eyelids, Wang Anguo, the current director of the Forest Industry Transportation Bureau, glanced at his watch.

He left after stating that he had an afternoon meeting and exited the room.

As he opened the private room door and took his briefcase from the waiting driver, Liu Xiaoliu, a puzzled look appeared on Wang Anguo's face.

"Director Wang, who is that person? Why was he so aggressive?"

The driver was new, straightforward but talkative.

Wang Anguo lit a cigarette from his bag. As the smoke swirled and quickly dissipated in the cold wind, he waved his hand, "You're new, so you don't know yet. You'll understand in due time."

Hearing Wang Anguo's non-answer, the driver scratched his head.

On the other side.

Huang Yingxiong watched Wang Anguo's car leave the premises. He gently set his wine glass on the table, waved to his secretary waiting by the door, and prepared to leave.

"Mr. Huang, where are we going this afternoon?"

In the car below the coarse grain ecological garden, the secretary asked.

Huang Yingxiong looked at the Forest Industry Group headquarters building in the distance, then closed his eyes and crossed his hands over his chest, appearing to rest.

The secretary tapped the driver's seat, who understood and drove straight to the Forest Industry Group headquarters.

A few minutes later, as the Mercedes-Benz arrived at the Forest Industry Group gate, the commotion outside woke Huang Yingxiong from his rest.

"Stop the car!"

With a sharp command, the Mercedes-Benz came to a halt.

Seeing a person arguing with the security guards at the Forest Industry Group gate, Huang Yingxiong rolled down the window.

"Hey."

He called out, drawing the attention of the security guards and the man involved.

"I think I heard you mention something about reporting people from the 89 Forest Farm and Bangye Forestry Bureau?"

Liu Laoda, who had finally found the Forest Industry Group after much difficulty and was being blocked by security, saw Huang Yingxiong and immediately flared up.

"That's right! I want to report the 89 Forest Farm's director Li You, his son Li Xian, and Xu Chaoyang from the Forestry Bureau! They are colluding to fraudulently claim disaster relief housing compensation!"

Upon hearing this, Huang Yingxiong smiled. He opened the car door and nodded his head towards Liu Laoda.

"Get in the car."

He said with a commanding tone.