Having descended the mountain, the trio split into two groups: Wang Zhuo went to find Sun Jinshan, while Qi Fei and Guan Yingying sought out the village head, Meng Mingliang, to gather intelligence separately.

While the women would need to employ indirect, circuitous tactics, Wang Zhuo needed no such approach. Since Sun Jinshan not only knew the location of the mineral deposit but had also deliberately suppressed the information, there was no need for pleasantries.

When Wang Zhuo found Sun Jinshan, the man, nearing forty, was in the school mending damaged teaching aids with two students. Even though his credentials as a substitute teacher—which earned him a meager three hundred yuan a month—had been revoked, he still performed the work with meticulous care.

The vast nation could not accommodate a substitute teacher, but Taoyuan Village could. The county government could not afford the salary, but the people of Taoyuan Village paid it themselves.

An annual income of thirty-six hundred yuan—an amount less than what the 'second-generation officials' might spend on a single night out at a club—was the highest salary in Taoyuan Village. Yet, Sun Jinshan consistently spent more than half of it buying textbooks and learning materials for the children, scrimping and saving until he didn't even own a decent set of clothes.

It was rumored that during a census a few years prior, the local police officer suspected him of being a wanted fugitive hiding under an assumed identity. When his third child was born, the county refused to register the birth, and the entire village pooled their money to pay the fine for him.

After that incident, the County Family Planning Office specifically gave him a large box of Qingdao Butterfly brand (condoms). He gratefully accepted them, only to display them at the school, rewarding good students by letting them use them as balloons.

After exchanging greetings, Wang Zhuo smiled and said, "Teacher Sun, there’s something I need to discuss with you."

Sun Jinshan heard the unspoken subtext, pondered for a moment, and sent the two students away first.

"Then I'll be direct," Wang Zhuo nodded, pulled a piece of malachite from his pocket, and gently placed it on the desk. The moment Sun Jinshan saw the mineral Wang Zhuo presented, his expression changed instantly. Only after a long pause did he sigh, his look complex.

Wang Zhuo watched him, a faint smile playing on his lips, and said, "It seems Teacher Sun already knows why I'm here? Then perhaps you have a story to tell me?"

"Sit down and talk," Sun Jinshan replied, sitting down heavily and reaching out to pull a chair for Wang Zhuo.

Seated face to face, Sun Jinshan forced a bitter smile. "Since you came to me holding this, you must know everything by now?"

Wang Zhuo tapped the edge of the desk with his fingernail and spoke slowly: "Three years ago, an earthquake caused a landslide. Some children discovered some pretty stones nearby and brought them back to the village. You found out, confiscated the stones, and issued a gag order, forbidding them from spreading the news about it."

"So you’ve already been there, and you know what that hillside signifies." Sun Jinshan wiped his face, feeling wistful. "I know it’s a copper mine. If I report it, Taoyuan Village can escape poverty immediately. But do you know what that means? This secluded, peace-loving village will cease to exist. Furthermore, I know a bit about mining. Once this vein is exploited, the environmental damage will be permanent, and everyone involved in the operation will fall ill—various diseases, tormenting them with sickness even if it doesn't kill them. Currently, the village has fifteen elderly residents over seventy. If we start mining, the wealth will make the village rich quickly, but the resulting pollution will quickly take their lives."

"I know this secret can only be kept for a while, but the longer it’s kept hidden, the more opportunity Taoyuan people have to interact with the outside world. Just like the Reform and Opening Up, this is inevitable. But if I can buy the people of Taoyuan more time, I can help them integrate into the outside society better."

Listening to Sun Jinshan’s explanation, Wang Zhuo felt a heavy weight in his heart. He hadn't expected this man to be a sage, and such a selfless one at that; it truly inspired reverence!

After a period of silence, Wang Zhuo asked, "Now that I know about this, what are your plans?"

Sun Jinshan offered a helpless, wry smile. "The mine is the common property of the people, of the nation. You have the right to report it; I have no standing to ask you to keep it secret for me."

"What if I am the one to mine this deposit?" Wang Zhuo asked with a smile. "I mean, under fully compliant, legitimate terms."

Sun Jinshan chuckled. "Mr. Wang, please don't think I doubt your financial capabilities, but regarding how mining is conducted, I do know a thing or two. You may not realize it, but before I arrived in Taoyuan Village ten years ago, I was quite the dedicated netizen. There was an internet cafe in the county seat, and I'd occasionally spend two yuan for an hour there. It was quite easy to look up knowledge about the mining industry."

"You don't need to calculate for me how much a mining truck costs, or how much an excavator runs. You don't need to analyze for me how many tons of materials and how much capital are required to build an oil-slag road connecting Taoyuan to Liuhe County," Wang Zhuo said with a laugh. "I only ask you one question: If I can secure the funding to initiate operations at this deposit, would you support me mining it, or would you prefer it go to someone else?"

"Is that even a question?" Sun Jinshan replied, half-laughing, half-crying. "You people can raise hundreds of thousands in hard cash to build schools in our impoverished regions; you are truly benevolent people. I've seen unscrupulous bosses, and I’m not ignorant of the harsh realities of the world. If this mine were to be developed by you, never mind me—not one of the seven hundred souls in Taoyuan Village would oppose it with anything less than both hands raised!"

"Good!" Wang Zhuo slammed the table, applauding. "Then this matter is settled. From this moment on, you must help me keep this secret. Give me one year, and I will secure this mine for the people of Taoyuan!"

"This..." Sun Jinshan found Wang Zhuo's bold declaration difficult to accept for a moment.

At a time like this, Wang Zhuo certainly didn't mind boasting a little. He chuckled, deliberately lowering his voice slightly. "Teacher Sun, I think you only know part of the story, not the whole truth. My jewelry company is merely a subordinate branch of my father's listed conglomerate. Launching this mineral project and raising a few hundred million in capital is simply not an issue for me!"

Sun Jinshan hesitated for a long time, finally hoodwinked by Wang Zhuo's grand claims! He had lived in the tranquil seclusion of Taoyuan Village for too long, and now he had encountered Wang Zhuo, a little fox who could lie without batting an eye—it was no wonder he was deceived!

The two chatted for a while longer. Sun Jinshan promised Wang Zhuo he would do his utmost to help him safeguard the secret, and he even began offering advice and strategy, effectively aligning himself with Wang Zhuo.

Wang Zhuo understood Sun Jinshan's thinking: since the secret couldn't be kept forever anyway, it was better to entrust it to a reliable person who could, at the very least, secure some tangible benefits for the people of Taoyuan.

While they were talking, hurried footsteps sounded across the campus. Wang Zhuo turned his head, his gaze piercing through the stone walls of the classroom, and saw that it was Qi Fei and Guan Yingying rushing towards them.

He immediately stood up, waved from the classroom doorway, beckoned them in, and took the lead in smiling, "Teacher Sun and I have reached an agreement. Until we secure the mining rights for this mountain, he will continue to help us keep this secret."

The two women were overjoyed upon hearing this. They immediately stepped forward to offer enthusiastic greetings and heartfelt thanks to the model substitute teacher, Sun Jinshan, who had dedicated ten years of service to the people—representing the Motherland, the people, and the Party in his selfless contributions!

After expressing their gratitude, Wang Zhuo asked, "Sisters, how did things go on your end?"

Guan Yingying said, "Village Head Meng said that about ten years ago, some people came to survey the area and took soil samples, but then nothing came of it."

Wang Zhuo nodded; the situation was consistent with what Sun Jinshan had just described. It seemed the area hadn't been completely unexplored, just that the findings at the time were inconclusive.

"We came to find you for another reason!" Qi Fei said somewhat urgently. "On our second day here in Taoyuan Village, two outsiders—a man and a woman—arrived. We heard them gathering more than ten young wives, telling them they were going out to work, so we went to check them out."

Guan Yingying added, "Those two kept changing their story—one minute it was textile work, the next it was washing bedding at a big hotel. Nothing they said sounded reliable. We suspect they might be human traffickers!"

Sun Jinshan hastily asked, "What did Meng Mingliang say?"

Qi Fei shook her head with a wry smile. "Village Head Meng said that couldn't be right. Traffickers aren't fools; they can’t control more than ten people at once."

More than ten people was already too many? How could he account for the hundreds of women controlled by the 'Red House'? Wang Zhuo immediately felt anxious. "Let's go take a look!"

A moment later, they arrived outside a courtyard home. Indeed, a number of women—equivalent to an extended family gathering of aunts—were present inside. Meng Mingliang, Deputy Director Kang, and Party Secretary He were seated on stone stools outside the courtyard wall, chatting amiably.

Seeing the four of them approaching quickly, the three men smiled and waved them over to sit. Wang Zhuo dropped onto a stool and asked directly, "Are there two people inside recruiting workers?"

"Yes," Secretary He chuckled. "They arrived a day later than us. We’re having a roast lamb dinner tonight, so everyone can get acquainted!"

Wang Zhuo ignored the foodie, turning instead to ask Meng Mingliang, "Brother Meng, where did these two come from? Have they been here before?"

"Meng Yu brought them back. They took great care of Meng Yu in the big city; they shouldn't be bad people." Meng Mingliang's second sentence was actually aimed at Guan Yingying and Qi Fei, as they were suspicious of the pair's identity, and he felt they were perhaps overthinking things.

Meng Yu? Wang Zhuo immediately remembered the woman from the match-making session last night who had demonstrated oral skills to Sister-in-law Meng. So, she was the one who brought them here.

Deputy Director Kang chuckled merrily, "It seems Taoyuan Village is finally starting to see a trend of migrant work. This is truly great news."

Watching everyone’s cheerful demeanor, Sun Jinshan grew worried and pulled Wang Zhuo aside, whispering, "Taoyuan Village is too remote. Human traffickers have never come here before. Look at them; they have absolutely no defenses."

Wang Zhuo nodded slightly and said in a low voice, "I'll go in and take a look first."

Inside the courtyard, several of the selected young wives were chatting happily in a cluster. At a glance, Wang Zhuo saw that every one of them was radiant. Taoyuan Village was a place that produced beauties, but these young wives were all above average in looks even among Taoyuan women. The other wives standing nearby, watching them with envious expressions, were clearly a tier below in appearance.

Textile workers and cleaning staff—do they have to be beauties too? Wang Zhuo scoffed internally and walked straight into the house.

The two distinguished guests—a man and a woman—were seated in the center of the heated brick kang, drinking peach wine and eating dried fruit while enthusiastically boasting. Their facial features were sharp, clearly indicating they were siblings. The man was in his early thirties, with slightly dark skin and lean cheeks, wearing a gold necklace the thickness of a little finger around his neck. The woman's complexion was dull, evidence of long-term heavy makeup.

These two seemed unremarkable on the surface, but with a casual sweep of his Fiery Eyes (Huoyan Jingjing), Wang Zhuo instantly spotted the dense track marks from needles on the man's arm veins!