Chapter 133

"No need, Master's wife, I don't lack anything. If there is anything I really need, I can buy it myself."

Shazhu said naively.

Originally in the drama, Sha Zhu had always been obsessed with Qin Huairu, but now, Qin Huairu is Li Jiandong's wife, and Sha Zhu doesn't even dare to think about it.

Even every time he saw Qin Huairu, he didn't dare to look at her directly, for fear that his gaze would disrespect his master's wife.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be obsessed with Chen Xueru. After all, there is still a gap between Chen Xueru and Qin Huairu.

"Qin Huairu, where is your old Li?"

Yan Bugui also came along with the car. Looking at Sha Zhu's room, he thought to himself that it would be great if he could move in.

Such a big room, and most importantly, it’s free. You can rent out your own house for only two or three dollars a month.

Qin Huairu said:

"I asked Xunxing to call him. Third uncle, why didn't you play mahjong with Daqing and the others today? Why did you come to see Brother Jiandong for something?"

There are fewer and fewer fish in the river now, and even if you catch some, they are only small fish. Yan Bugui hasn't gone fishing for a long time. In the past few months, he has been playing mahjong with He Daqing and others every weekend.

As long as Li Jiandong is not there, Yan Bugui will most likely win money, which is more profitable than fishing.

I didn't go to play mahjong today, but came to see Li Jiandong. It was obvious that he must have something to do.

"Well, this isn't a big deal. Let's wait until Li Jiandong comes."

Yan Bugui was too embarrassed to tell Qin Huairu that he actually wanted to buy her gas stove.

Gas is very cheap these days, and it doesn’t cost much to cook with a gas stove. If you use an earthen kang, you still have to burn wood. Where would people in the city get so much wood to burn?

In order to get free firewood, Yan Bugui's family has to spend many days every year collecting it outside.

If you use this time to play mahjong, you can win a lot more money, which can completely offset the gas bill.

The most important thing is that meals cooked on a gas stove are delicious and convenient. This was said by He Daqing himself.

Before, I couldn’t buy a gas stove from He Daqing and Jia Dongxu.

Yan Bugui had no choice but to focus his attention on Li Jiandong.

"Old Yan, I heard you have something to ask me?"

As soon as Yan Bugui finished speaking, Li Jiandong walked in from outside.

"Master."

"Good morning, Master."

"Hello, Master."

When Jia Dongxu and other disciples saw Li Jiandong, they all greeted him respectfully. Li Jiandong nodded at them. Yan Bugui grinned when he saw him:
"Lao Li, this is what happened. Didn't you give Lao He a gas stove? He keeps saying how delicious the food cooked on the gas stove is. I'm so greedy that I want to get one too. Do you think you can get another one from the steel mill?"

Li Jiandong didn't expect that Yan Bugui actually came for the gas stove.

However, this is normal. Ever since the gas stoves were mass-produced and distributed, many people have used their connections to try to get one from the steel mill.

But the result is the same. The gas stoves produced by the steel rolling mill are not yet available for individual purchase. Except for one or two sets given to each team member, the rest are all supplied to the unit canteen.

"Old Yan, I really can't help you with this. Even though I made this gas stove, I'm not eligible to buy it. I gave one of the two that the factory gave me before to He Daqing. You can't ask me to give you the one from my house."

“Alas, that’s definitely not possible, so I ask you to give me yours.

But why can't your factory produce a few more? It doesn't seem to be difficult to make this thing, right?"

Yan Bugui was dejected. The more he couldn't get, the more he felt he was at a disadvantage.

Li Jiandong smiled and said:
"Indeed, this gas stove is easy to make, but the steel production in our country is too low. It is not enough for construction. How can we have extra steel to make a gas stove?"

Speaking of this, Li Jiandong was also quite helpless.

The resource problem not only troubles our country now, but will also remain a big problem in the future.

However, compared with the huge demand for steel in the future, the amount of steel produced each year is actually not large.

If one or two high-quality iron ores could be discovered, the problem could be solved immediately.

Li Jiandong is not an encyclopedia and he knew little about minerals before.

However, he knew that there was one of the largest iron mines in Asia in the country.

Moreover, it seems that this iron mine was not discovered until two thousand years later.

If it is exposed now, the temporary problem of steelmaking raw materials can be solved within a year.

The more Li Jiandong thought about it, the more he felt that this matter should be put on the agenda as soon as possible. He planned to talk to Director Yang about it as soon as he got to work tomorrow.

After helping Sha Zhu move, the apprentices left without staying for dinner.

At noon, Qin Huairu was about to go to the kitchen, but was intercepted by Sha Zhu.

"Master's wife, when I'm at home from now on, I'll be the one doing the cooking."

Although it was his master's house, Sha Zhu felt embarrassed to live there for free, so it was only natural for him to help cook.

The most important thing is that Sha Zhu has his own little thoughts.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Zhuzi."

Qin Huairu did not reject Sha Zhu's filial piety. There was no point in arguing about such things.

Li Jiandong didn't care about it. Although Sha Zhu rarely cooked, his cooking skills were still better than Qin Huairu's.

Moreover, his cooking can also improve Li Jiandong's cooking skills. Even if Li Jiandong doesn't cook, it's good to have an extra skill. If he can upgrade it to the maximum level and gain a unique skill, it will be even more profitable.

Soon Sha Zhu prepared the meal and brought it to the backyard for Li Jiandong and Qin Huairu.

As soon as the food was placed on the table, the aroma filled the air.

Li Jiandong called out to Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, why are you still standing? Sit down and eat with us."

"No need, Master. I left food for two people in the front yard. Master Xu and I can eat there later."

Master Xu is Xu Zhengyang. Unless Li Jiandong calls him, he rarely comes to the backyard.

As soon as Li Jiandong saw Shazhu's expression, he guessed that he must be lying.

He should have left two dishes, but one of them was definitely not for himself, but for Chen Xueru.

He would rather not eat it himself but give it to the woman he likes. This is very much in the style of Shazhu.

Li Jiandong wanted to persuade his apprentice that this was not the way to get a wife.

However, such words were too blunt and could easily hurt others, so Li Jiandong thought about it and decided to let him go for the time being.

"If you want to go back and eat, then go back and eat, Huairu, let's eat our own food."

Li Jiandong invited Qin Huairu and his three sons to have dinner together.

Sha Zhu returned to the front yard and divided the vegetables that had been left behind into two portions.

One of the portions was placed on a plate, and the other was placed in a lunch box. He pushed the door open, knocked on it, and handed the rice on the plate to him.

Then he took the lunch box and left the yard, walked to the door next door, hesitated for a moment, and finally knocked on the other door.

"Who is it?"

Chen Xueru's voice came from the room.

"It's me, Sister Chen."

Sha Zhu replied, and after Chen Xueru opened the door, he nervously said the lines he had prepared long ago.

"Sister Chen, this is the dish I just made. Master asked me to send a portion over for you and the child to try."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Please thank your master for me. Thank you so much."

Chen Xueru said sorry, but she was just being polite and quickly reached out to take the lunch box.

Sha Zhu felt very happy when he saw her put away her lunch box.

He said with a silly smile:

"Don't be polite, Sister Chen. We are all neighbors. I will send you delicious food in the future."

"Thank you, Master He. I'll go back first. I'll bring the lunch box back to you in the evening."

Chen Xueru didn't know that the lunch box was sent by Sha Zhu on his own initiative, and she thought she was giving two pieces of clothes to Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu returned the favor by sending her food, so she happily took the lunch box and went home.

Sha Zhu also returned to his room with a happy face.

Even without vegetables, they still had rice. Li Jiandong's family ate white flour buns, which tasted delicious even without vegetables. Sha Zhu cut two slices of pickled vegetables for himself and ate them with the buns.

Although it was just pickles, it made him feel better than eating meat.

the next day.

Li Jiandong came to the steel rolling mill and knocked directly on the door of Director Yang's office.

"Haha, Jiandong, I know something good is going to happen when I see you now. Tell me, what good thing did you invent this time?"

When Director Yang saw that it was Li Jiandong, he immediately burst into laughter.

Li Jiandong rarely comes to him. Three or four out of ten times he comes are because he has new inventions, and the remaining few times are usually good news.

Leaders are most afraid of their subordinates coming to the office, because most of them come to worry about something, but Li Jiandong is the only person Director Yang is willing to see.

"Director Yang, there is indeed a good thing, but it is not a new invention, but a new discovery."

Li Jiandong also laughed.

The reason he came here this time was to contact the leaders of Bi University and promote the exploration and excavation of Asia's largest iron ore through the Ministry of Industry.

Li Jiandong has the contact information of Bida’s leader, but it is better to report such matters step by step.

If I talk to Bi Da directly about this matter without going through Director Yang, it might cause misunderstanding.
Director Yang was surprised by Li Jiandong's words, even though it was just one word difference.

But there is still a big difference between discovery and invention. Li Jiandong is very good at research and has invented many good things that benefit the country and the people, but what does this new discovery mean?
"Jiandong, don't keep us in suspense. What good stuff did you find? Can you tell me?"

Director Yang was provoked and felt itchy, so he asked anxiously.

It was the first time that Li Jiandong saw him behave like this. He couldn't help laughing and said,
"Director Yang, please don't get too excited. Actually, I'm not sure whether it's a discovery or not.

But if it is true, it is definitely great news for our country and the entire industry."

“This is a long story, so I’ll just tell you the result. If nothing unexpected happens, there should be a giant iron ore mine with a volume of tens of billions of tons in BX City, Jilin Province.

Once discovered, it will be enough for us to pursue production for decades, so I want to apply to my superiors to go there to explore for iron ore. I have a 90% chance that the news is true. "

Li Jiandong only knew that Benxi Mine was the largest iron mine in Asia, but he was not sure where it was exactly.

However, as long as the leaders pay enough attention to it and send people to explore there, I believe the results will be found soon.

Director Yang didn't expect that the important discovery Li Jiandong mentioned was actually this. He was stunned for a moment, and then his heart beat faster.

Although steel rolling and energy are two different industries, there is no doubt that the lack of steel will greatly affect the development of steel mills. The reason why energy, smelting and steel rolling mills are all under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Industry is because they complement each other.

At present, most of the domestic steel ingots are imported from abroad, in addition to the backward smelting technology.

The main reason is that there is no high-grade and large-yield iron ore in the country.

If what Li Jiandong said was true, he really discovered the largest iron mine in Asia.

That is absolutely unprecedented good news for the national industry.

"Jiandong, is what you said true? Where did you get this information?"

Director Yang asked impatiently.

If someone really discovered iron ore, it should have been reported directly to the country. How could it have reached Li Jiandong's ears first?
Li Jiandong couldn't explain this problem either.

So I just made up a story and said,
"It's a long story. It all started with my apprentice Liu Guangqi. His wife is from Benxi, and his father-in-law is a senior prospector."

Li Jiandong began to tell the story he had prepared long ago.

We had to make Director Yang believe the authenticity of the story, and at the same time, we had to make it as reasonable as possible.

The general meaning is that his apprentice's father-in-law is very good at exploration.

However, due to his lack of emotional intelligence, he offended his superiors, so all his exploration results were denied, and he was left with no way to mine the mines.

There was no other way, so I thought of using this method to find help for myself.

After hearing this, Director Yang slammed the table. This was purely due to personal grudges and disregarded the development of the country. This was an act that should be punished by execution.

Li Jiandong agreed repeatedly. From Director Yang's expression, he knew that his story should have been passed off as such.

Next, Director Yang asked Li Jiandong to go to Bida to discuss the matter in person.

After all, the matter was of great importance, and if the call was tapped it might cause trouble. After receiving the order, Li Jiandong drove to the Ministry of Industry.

After listening to Li Jiandong's report, Bida's leader had the same reaction as Director Yang.

Not only did he say that he would immediately send people to Benxi to conduct mineral exploration, he also planned to send a specialist there to investigate the inaction of the exploration department's leaders.

He was stopped by Li Jiandong, after all, that leader was made up by him.

Including Zhou Rong's father, he is not an explorer but an eighth-level construction worker. If a specialist is really sent over and cannot find the person, it is easy for things to go wrong.

So, Li Jiandong advised the senior leader to complete the exploration work first and then talk about punishing those who did not take action.

To prevent the leaders there from deliberately affecting the exploration work in order to save their lives.

The top leader felt that Li Jiandong was right. No matter how important a matter was, it would have to take a back seat when compared to Asia's largest iron mine.

Therefore, the issue of accountability was temporarily put aside and more technical exploration personnel were sent to Benxi.

At this point, the rest has nothing to do with Li Jiandong.

Exploration sounds simple, but it is actually a very troublesome process. It takes ten days or half a month just to drill a hole. Benxi is so big that if you are unlucky, you may not find the source of the mine for a year or two.

But even so, at least we have a direction. If we can't find the mineral source in one or two years, we can always find it in three to five years.

Once found, given the demand for steel in this era, there will be no need to rely on imports in the short term.

Lunar calendar, the ninth day of the winter month.

Yard No. 40 was decorated with lights and colors, and all the residents wore their newest clothes. The yard was swept clean in preparation for welcoming the new residents.

Xu Damao was in high spirits today. He was wearing a black Zhongshan suit with a big red flower on his chest. He was about to go to the Lou family to marry, and from now on he would be a married man.

"Da Mao, congratulations. Among all of us brothers, you are the most capable one. You managed to seduce Lou Bancheng's daughter back."

Jia Dongxu and a few of his fellow disciples surrounded Xu Damao and were truly happy for the boy.

That was Lou Bancheng's daughter, although workers were the cutest during that period.
However, not everyone believes this. The better life is, the more they understand that money is still the most important.

What's more, Lou Xiao'e is not only the daughter of Lou Bancheng, but also very outstanding herself.

First of all, she is good-looking and has a good personality.

Secondly, her cultural level is also outstanding among the wives of several fellow brothers. Except for Zhou Rong, she should have the highest academic qualifications.

"Da Mao, can you tell us how you managed to seduce Xiao E?"

"Yes, she is the eldest daughter of a wealthy family. How could she fall in love with a farmer like you?"

Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangqi also said with a smile.

Not only the two of them, but everyone else was very interested in this, especially the younger children.

For example, Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiefang also wanted to hear Xu Damao's experience. Maybe in the future they would be able to find a daughter from a wealthy family as their wife, which would save them decades of hard work.

Xu Damao was speechless:

"Second Brother, Guangqi, look at what you said. What do you mean I was asked to hook up? Ezi and I are in love with each other. We fell in love at first sight."

"Oh, even love at first sight came up. Where did you learn this phrase, Damao?"

Chang Hanqing also smiled and said that he had visited Li Jiandong in Courtyard No. 40 many times in recent years, and he had become familiar with these apprentices.
Before, when he married Jin Canlan, these fellow apprentices also went to support them, so they have a very good relationship.

Of course he also came to Xu Damao's wedding, even though he was the last one to become a disciple here.

But he was older and more educated, so no one really treated him as a junior brother, and they just called each other by their names.

"Now even Damao is married. Among all of us brothers, only Zhuzi and Qiunan are still single. How about Qiunan, you put up with it and become a couple with Zhuzi and you two?"

Yan Jiecheng suddenly changed the subject.

All the fellow disciples immediately turned their eyes to Ding Qiunan.

As the only female among Li Jiandong's apprentices, his fellow apprentices are all very concerned about Ding Qiunan's lifelong affairs.

We have all discussed this privately before.

Today, taking advantage of the auspicious day of Xu Damao's wedding, Yan Jiecheng couldn't help but tell this matter.

Ding Qiunan was stunned for a moment. She just came to join in the fun, but she didn't expect to become the protagonist in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly I felt a little awkward.

"I, I, I don't want to get married for the time being."

(End of this chapter)