Chapter 304: Look at How Happy They Are!

When Xu Chaoyang opened the small notebook that Li Xian had taken from his bed, and saw the lists and entries inside, his eyes widened like peeled lychees!

"Where did you get this thing? Is it real?" Xu Chaoyang asked, his tone growing increasingly serious as he flipped through the ledger.

In the forestry system, no one knew the dark sides better than Xu Chaoyang. In fact, he had long heard about and even dealt with some of these shady dealings himself. However, as the saying goes, policies from above are met with countermeasures from below. Each forestry station had its own system of corruption, and the forestry area had its own processes, all firmly entrenched. After all, with the saws roaring, there's a lot of money to be made, and almost everyone involved in the timber industry was a vested interest.

Even though the forestry bureau conducted multiple investigations and emphasized the issues, it had little effect.

The way things were, they remained the same.

Over time, for the loss of state assets, the forestry bureau could only turn a blind eye. It wasn't tolerance, but rather a lack of options.

As Xu Chaoyang flipped through the pages of the ledger, the intricate dealings between the various departments of the Eight-Nine Forestry Station and the Forestry Bureau became clear.

At this moment, Xu Chaoyang was a mix of shock and delight.

The shock came from the staggering amounts involved, which left him, the bureau chief, astounded. The delight was because, with this ledger, almost all barriers within the forestry system seemed to vanish before him.

"I don't know where this came from, and I haven't verified its authenticity. After all, I'm not in the system and don't have the means to confirm it. I thought about it and felt it was too hot to handle in my hands. But since it's with you, you can verify it. If it's real, it should be useful."

Seeing Xu Chaoyang's attention fully absorbed by the ledger, Li Xian chuckled and said.

Only then did Xu Chaoyang pull his attention away from the ledger, close it, and place it on the bed, sighing deeply.

As the bureau chief for three years, Xu Chaoyang had witnessed many events. He remembered clearly the production tasks and timber data of the Eight-Nine Forestry Station over the past three years. Many details in the ledger matched his knowledge.

In fact, in his heart, Xu Chaoyang already believed the ledger was about 80% authentic.

As the bureau chief facing Li Xian, he felt embarrassed.

"Do you… not worry that I might have some involvement in these matters?"

Xu Chaoyang looked at Li Xian and suddenly asked.

Li Xian smiled slightly. "I really don't worry. If you're involved, with the ledger in your hands, what can you do to me?"

He had considered this issue when he first received the ledger. But then he thought it over and dismissed the concern. If Xu Chaoyang wanted money, the vouchers he gave last winter could easily fetch tens of thousands of yuan per batch. The signatures and stamps alone were valuable. There was no need to get involved in such petty matters.

From another perspective, even if Xu Chaoyang was involved in these issues, handing over the ledger would remove any further complications for him.

Li Xian had prepared for both scenarios.

Seeing Li Xian's determination and scrutiny, Xu Chaoyang lightly punched his chest and laughed. "You're really something. You've handed over the hot potato, but it's still a hot potato for me."

"Heh," Li Xian grinned. "You're quite straightforward. With this sharp sword in hand, you can squeeze whoever you want from the departments involved, and you'll be precise. And it's still a hot potato? You'd probably prefer to put it on display rather than just pretend it's a hot potato."

Taken aback by Li Xian's comment, Xu Chaoyang's face turned red. He feigned anger and said, "Alright, stop messing around. Although we're not together every day, we've known each other for a while. I've never seen you do any voluntary labor. So, tell me, what are your conditions? Since I'm in a good mood now."

"Well, well, you're quite understanding."

Seeing Xu Chaoyang fondling the ledger, Li Xian extended a finger. "For the transportation issues of the primary processing plant, the broken wood factory, and the sauerkraut factory, I need to use the bureau's transportation trains and freight cars."

"If it doesn't affect the raw material delivery schedule, that's fine. And now that your dad is the station chief, this is easy to handle."

Xu Chaoyang agreed readily.

"Due to the impact of the hail disaster on the Eight-Nine Forestry Station, the buildings need repair. This work should be funded by the bureau. I have a construction team, so if possible, please consider prioritizing this."

"Also, the oral liquid from the berry research institute and the sauerkraut products from the sauerkraut factory are about to be launched. The promotion within the forestry system still needs your attention, Director Xu. But this can't be counted as a request, as it benefits both the Eight-Nine Forestry Station and the Forestry Bureau, right?"

"No problem," Xu Chaoyang thought for a moment and nodded. "Anything else?"

After discussing these two matters, Li Xian pursed his lips and smiled shyly. "One more thing. Accountant Liu is quite annoying. But Director Xu, you don't think I'm making a huge favor and listing all my demands at once, do you?"

"You rascal!" Xu Chaoyang was startled and widened his eyes. "Are you looking for a long-term meal ticket?"

Li Xian chuckled and nodded.

---

The next day.

Xu Chaoyang, who had come to visit and learn, had lost interest in the primary processing plant and sauerkraut factory.

Throughout the morning's visit, Xu Chaoyang kept glancing at Han Wenzhong, who was chatting animatedly with Liu Yuan. The look on his face, as if observing a lamb to be slaughtered, was noticeable.

By noon, Xu Chaoyang used a sudden work issue as an excuse, skipping lunch and leaving behind the reporters from the bureau's newspaper and TV station. He instructed them to ensure good publicity for the two factories at the Eight-Nine Forestry Station before departing.

The reporters were quite happy with this task. Treated well with good food and drink, and the local leaders' enthusiasm for the news workers made them reluctant to leave.

After a hearty lunch and assuring Li You of proper news content and publicity for the Eight-Nine Forestry Station's two enterprises, the reporters went to work.

At the forestry station and the club, that is, the sauerkraut factory.

Reporter Liu Fangfang from Bangye Forestry TV tidied herself up and stood in front of the camera.

"Hello, viewers and forestry bureau staff. I'm now at the Eight-Nine Forestry Station of Bangye Forestry Bureau. Behind me is a two-story building, which is the sauerkraut factory established through the collective efforts of the Eight-Nine Forestry Station's leadership and staff…"

A few days later.

A storm hit the forestry bureau.

First, Liu Yuan, the accountant of the Eight-Nine Forestry Station, was arrested by the forestry bureau's public security bureau for embezzlement. Later, the investigation team sent by the forestry bureau received a public report accusing Han Wenzhong, the director of the Bureau of Diverse Management, of using his power to engage in private timber trading for personal gain.

After an investigation, the matter became clear, and Han Wenzhong was taken by the investigation team to the General Bureau of Forestry for questioning.

With these two in trouble, several forestry station chiefs couldn't sit still. The threshold of Xu Chaoyang's office was immediately worn down by the visiting chiefs.

In addition to these guilty chiefs, leaders from several departments of the forestry bureau also gathered at Xu Chaoyang's office. Some came to test the waters, while others, terrified, came forward voluntarily to confess issues.

After several busy days, Xu Chaoyang finally had a breather and returned home after work.

While having dinner and turning on the TV, Xu Chaoyang saw the forestry station channel airing a special news report titled "New Station Chief Leads Staff in Deepening Forest Sub-industries and Fighting Natural Disasters by Starting Enterprises."

In the report, a slightly chubby host introduced the sauerkraut factory's situation.

"This sauerkraut factory, with an investment of less than 50,000 yuan, employs over 200 staff. You might wonder how such a large-scale factory can exist in a forestry station with only about 1,100 people. This dates back to the hail disaster more than half a month ago…"

...

Seeing the footage of the forestry staff's homes ruined and Li You's determination to become the station chief to find a new path for the staff, Xu Chaoyang couldn't help but be impressed.

In the factory's back courtyard, three people covered in dark sauce were diligently scrubbing the large vats.

These three were expressionless, seeming numb to everything around them. Each squatted in the dirty vats, wearing mechanical smiles.

As they scrubbed the large vats with brushes, they hummed something.

"To get the sauerkraut factory up and running quickly and ensure the equipment for making sauerkraut is in place, the staff voluntarily took on the dirtiest and hardest tasks! The stink of the vats, to Deputy Factory Director Sun Fucheng, Women's Director Sun Fulai, and cashier Zhang Dayou, is no different from their usual dining bowls! After ten

 days of work, over 300 large vats were scrubbed to a shine."

"Look at how happy they are!"