【The second update for today is here; I'm heading out to eat and visit a courtesan. There won't be a third, so everyone finish reading and then wash up and go to sleep.】

In the time it took for everyone to finish speaking, the long-delayed medical team finally arrived.

The sluggish response of the medical team cost Yan Xiaopeng face once again, and he severely reprimanded the two leaders accompanying them.

This time, even Qi Fei and Guan Yingying could only shake their heads in exasperation. They knew that Yan Xiaopeng himself had personally called to summon this very medical team, yet they took this long to reach the site. If this had been a serious emergency, lives might already have been lost.

“The driver wasn't familiar with the route and took a wrong turn into another district,” the head of the medical team explained meekly.

“You are the medical team, one integrated unit!” Yan Xiaopeng roared back, his voice sharp. “What use is treatment if you can’t even find the patient’s location? You will all drive out later to familiarize yourselves with the environment. I will conduct spot checks at any time.”

Such an incident was somewhat excusable, so Wang Zhuo didn't press the matter too hard. However, if the medical team repeated this mistake after this clear warning, Wang Zhuo suspected that even if he said nothing, Yan Xiaopeng would have to speak to the medical team's superiors.

During the afternoon tea meeting, Yan Xiaopeng delivered a profound self-criticism. All the middle management personnel felt as if they were walking on thin ice. It seemed the leader’s leader was far more difficult to deal with than anticipated; he clearly knew how to take charge of operations, and they needed to ensure no mishaps occurred in their own domains. This was certainly not the time for carelessness.

Under Yan Xiaopeng’s decisive action, the corruption and malfeasance involving Ruichao and Wang Quanbin were thoroughly investigated in just two hours. All involved employees and leaders received disciplinary action. To save face for the Liuhe County official backing Ruichao and Wang Quanbin, Yan Xiaopeng refrained from pressing formal charges of embezzlement, settling instead for the confiscation of ill-gotten gains, fines, and dismissal.

Those who accepted bribes packed their bags and were gone. Those who knew but failed to report were demoted or fined. Before the Taoyuan Copper Mine was even officially inaugurated, the first rectification and discipline campaign had already been launched so suddenly.

Not only did Ruichao and Wang Quanbin lose their jobs, but they were forced to disgorge twice what they had taken. The frustration they felt was indescribable. They ran to their influential backer for solace, only to be severely scolded. From then on, they harbored deep resentment toward Wang Zhuo, Yan Xiaopeng, and their associates.

Yan Xiaopeng returned to his administrative duties. Wang Zhuo felt that after this sharp warning, he should correct his previous mistakes and manage things properly, so he did not follow up. Instead, led by Gong Qiang, he formally began the tour of the mining area with Qi Fei and Guan Yingying.

The general process at the Taoyuan Copper Mine was as follows: first, explosives were used to detach the ore from the rock stratum. Then, the ore was loaded onto trucks and hauled out of the mine area. Next, using a combination of manual labor and machinery, the large chunks of ore were crushed into pieces about the size of a walnut.

At this point, the processes within the mining area concluded. These ore pieces would then be transported by dump trucks to Liuhe County for the subsequent refining steps.

“We will perform double-weighing during transportation to strive for the complete elimination of any ore loss,” Gong Qiang explained with a slight smile. “We have also considered the possibility of illicit substitution, and we can draw upon the advanced experiences of other similar enterprises in this regard.”

“Let me guess,” Wang Zhuo’s eyes twinkled as he smiled. “You’ll be installing surveillance cameras on the trucks?”

“Haha!” Gong Qiang burst into laughter. “Chairman Wang, you guessed it perfectly. This is indeed the most crucial element among several regulatory methods.”

After sharing a laugh, Gong Qiang continued detailing the next stages. Once the ore arrived in Liuhe County, it would first undergo sorting to separate ores of different purities. Then, based on the purity level, they would enter the next process.

The sorted copper ore entered a crusher, where it was ground into a fine powder, feeling much like flour to the touch. This was one of the most vital steps in ore smelting and also the primary source of pneumoconiosis.

Mentioning this, Gong Qiang added with admiration, “Chairman Wang, you are the leader who values worker health the most I have ever encountered—bar none.”

Wang Zhuo chuckled and joked, “I just don’t want to end up having sons without fertility later on.”

“Now that’s a conscientious entrepreneur,” Gong Qiang nodded, smiling.

Following this, the ore powder would be immersed in a weak acid solution, resulting in a dilute copper sulfate solution. This solution would then be subjected to electrolysis, where copper ions would deposit onto the starting cathode plates made of pure copper sheets.

The deposition process required a certain amount of time. Previously, the coal produced in Liuhe County could be sold externally. However, with the increased electricity demand from the Taoyuan Copper Mine, not only was this coal no longer available for export, but they even needed to purchase large amounts of it for power generation.

After electrolytic deposition, the starting plates ultimately yielded cathode copper, also known as electrolytic copper or pure copper, weighing several hundred kilograms. Other metals like gold, silver, and platinum were recovered from the electrolyte, though the methods differed from those used for copper.

The wastewater generated after electrolysis represented the largest source of pollution in copper smelting. If not treated properly, it could cause severe environmental contamination in the surrounding areas, leading to lead poisoning and other heavy metal intoxication.

Cathode copper was just one step away from the finished product. It could be cast into ingots, drawn into wires, or forged into billets for external sale. Once the scale increased, deep processing enterprises could be established in Liuhe County to reintroduce some of the purified metals from the ore back into the cathode copper, creating copper alloys for sale.

Stated this way, even a middle school student could understand: Shengshi Dynasty would undertake massive construction in Liuhe County, establishing numerous large enterprises—in mineral dressing, refining, processing, transportation, and ancillary wastewater treatment plants, among others. Liuhe County would not only shed its label as a poverty-stricken county but achieving prosperity would be just around the corner.

“I heard that housing prices in Liuhe have already risen by twenty percent over the last few months,” Guan Yingying remarked. “The local government is calling for migrant workers to return home for employment. With so many enterprises being built successively, there are more job openings than people to fill them.”

“Indeed,” Qi Fei said with a smile. “Local workers must be recruited first, and a group of middle managers and technical staff must be cultivated from among them. This ensures enterprise localization and helps reduce some labor costs.”

Gong Qiang laughed heartily. “With such an enlightened boss as Chairman Wang, I believe the Taoyuan Copper Mine will never have to worry about labor disputes or worker unrest.”

Wang Zhuo smiled faintly and shook his head. “Shengshi Dynasty isn’t a one-man show; there are other shareholders too. If I had the final say on everything, things would certainly be much simpler.”

Wang Zhuo spoke from genuine feeling. Although he held absolute controlling shares in Shengshi Dynasty, the magnates of the interest groups had also extended their influence. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been the one developing the Taoyuan Copper Mine; someone else would have plucked the fruit long ago. Despite being at the start of this venture where the interest groups allowed him free rein, who knew if they might send a representative in the future to dictate terms? That was entirely possible.

“Hey, Chairman Wang, what are you saying?” Gong Qiang stated solemnly. “As long as we work together wholeheartedly to succeed in this venture, others will simply follow along to collect their dividends and won’t have much of a voice.”

Gong Qiang, already over sixty and having served as Chief Engineer for twenty years, understood these nuances perfectly. In truth, he still underestimated Wang Zhuo, viewing him merely as the representative of the interests of Qin Xue’s political faction. He was unaware that Wang Zhuo and Qin Xue were partners of equal standing. If one absolutely had to determine superiority, Wang Zhuo certainly owed Qin Xue a massive favor. However, he could confidently state that he had already returned that benefit to the people; though indebted to Qin Xue, his conscience was clear toward the populace.

The office building for the Taoyuan Copper Mine was still under construction. The bricks and cement were hauled from Liuhe County, making transportation costs quite high. Currently, the mine site relied on temporary prefabricated structures, which were cramped, and bathing was limited to available groundwater.

Given the poor living conditions, Wang Zhuo and his entourage decided not to stay overnight at the mine. The weather was rainy and overcast, so by four o’clock, Gong Qiang urged them to depart.

“The road surface is inconvenient after the rain, and it gets dark early today with no lights along the way. We should leave sooner,” Lu Weimin analyzed.

Wang Zhuo had intended to have dinner with the mine leadership, but that plan was now canceled. After bidding farewell to Yan Xiaopeng, they headed back.

The Lu Hu off-road vehicle slowly navigated the winding mountain road. Wang Zhuo glanced back at the Taoyuan Copper Mine, gradually receding in the distance, and sighed sincerely, “This is what starting a business is all about…”

Guan Yingying burst into laughter. “The entrepreneurs are working hard on the mountain; you’re just the one walking around inspecting things with your hands clasped behind your back.”

The mine site presented a scene of intense activity. Dormitories and offices were under frantic construction. Trucks roared as they worked, and several large pieces of machinery were being installed and tested. Though a light drizzle fell from the sky, the construction site was buzzing with fervor.

“Let me say something fair,” Qi Fei smiled. “Without Wang Zhuo—the inspector with his hands behind his back—the Taoyuan Copper Mine would certainly not be what it is today.”

“Sister Qi Fei is truly supportive,” Wang Zhuo said smugly. “Without me, the Taoyuan Copper Mine would still be just dirt clods and broken rocks. The people of Taoyuan Village wouldn't dream of using toilet paper every day, let alone even rough paper.”

Lu Weimin, who was driving, chuckled upon hearing this. “Is it really that exaggerated?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Wang Zhuo laughed. “The time I visited early this year, I personally saw a small stone box in their latrine containing short, peeled willow branches. If it weren’t for the Taoyuan Copper Mine, they’d still be visiting the restroom with sounds like frogs croaking in the rice paddies.”

This was Guan Yingying’s first time hearing this joke, and she interjected curiously, “How do frogs croak in the rice paddies?”

“Gun’er gua, gun’er gua,” Wang Zhuo mimicked twice with perfect inflection, causing the two women to collapse in laughter.

Seeing them doubled over with mirth, Wang Zhuo pressed on. “If they didn't even have small sticks, they’d have to mimic the sound of a train: kucha chacha, kucha chacha…”

His imitation was so vivid that it made the women rock back and forth with laughter, their chests rising and falling like ocean waves. Lu Weimin was also laughing uncontrollably, and he only managed to slam on the brakes just in time, otherwise, he might have crashed the vehicle straight into the stone wall beside the road.