Chapter 135: Acting Skills Not Up to Par

Seeing Li Xian's awkward yet somewhat gloating smile and hearing his recent remark, Xu Chaoyang finally understood what was happening. At that moment, he also recalled that the name Li You was mentioned during his previous visit to the rest home when he was visiting Wang Lin and Shi.

He made the connection.

But it was still awkward.

He glanced at Li Xian and then at Gao Dayi, asking in a deep voice, "What exactly happened?"

Li Xian shook his head, glanced at Gao Dayi, and briefly explained the situation. After listening to Li Xian's description, Xu Chaoyang sighed in relief. Although Li Xian hadn't mentioned the timber account, Xu Chaoyang, well-versed in the forest farm's situation, understood the underlying issues.

He waved his hand to stop Li Xian and shifted the topic to the sawmill. "What's the situation with the sawmill?"

After hearing that Li Xian had established a paper industry company with Beilin and expanded Sina's wood pulp production, which required a sawmill to support it, Xu Chaoyang expressed his appreciation. He also thought Li Xian's plan to turn Sina into a wood pulp production base was a good idea.

Wood pulp is a crucial component in paper production. Although Sina Paper's scale seemed to have diminished, having a wood pulp base supported by the Forestry Bureau could become a foundational enterprise if managed well.

Considering the upcoming inspection team, Xu Chaoyang thought this matter was worth mentioning.

He waved his hand again, saying, "You don't need to worry about the sawmill. The bureau will arrange it. Also, if you have no other pressing matters in a few days, don't go too far. There might be visitors from the Forest Industry next week; you should help me host them."

Hearing Xu Chaoyang's words, Li Xian felt reassured.

However, Gao Dayi was displeased. "Director, what about me…"

"Old Gao, it's not that I'm criticizing you. Supporting the establishment of enterprises in the forest farm to boost employment and the timber secondary industry should be encouraged. But why did it end up like this? It's so passive. You should go back now."

"Hey!"

Seeing Xu Chaoyang's impassive expression, Gao Dayi struggled to contain his frustration. He glared at Li Xian before leaving.

Given Li Xian's close relationship with Xu Chaoyang and Xu Chaoyang's stance, Gao Dayi didn't dare mention the factory director quitting.

---

After Gao Dayi left, Xu Chaoyang discussed Sina Paper's future plans with Li Xian in detail. He concluded the conversation with a mild reminder for Li Xian to maintain good relations with the farm's leadership.

With the bureau's support, the sawmill issue became much easier to handle.

The sawmill itself wasn't technically complex. It used equipment such as wood chipper and double-feed crushers to turn timber into 20mm flakes, which were then dried. It didn't require specially built facilities; a building that could fit the equipment and a flat area for drying were sufficient.

Considering these conditions, the bureau allocated the abandoned Ba Jiu Forest Farm's school and playground for the sawmill. After purchasing the equipment, Li Xian promptly arranged for staff to set up the sawmill. In less than a week, the sawmill was completed.

During this period, the Forest Industry Bureau's inspection team arrived at Bangye Forestry Bureau. They highly evaluated the reform and current benefits of the tile factory and Sina Paper, particularly Sina Paper's benefits and its success in stabilizing worker income and creating job opportunities for the disabled.

Back at the forest farm, Gao Dayi settled down. He kept Gao Ming at home, refusing to let him work at the sawmill.

Although Gao Dayi was dissatisfied with the sawmill, it couldn't stop the enthusiasm of others in the farm.

With the sawmill established and employing over seventy people, it created a new revenue stream for the forest farm. Despite the director's unhappiness, the general populace supported it.

Correspondingly, Li You's status in the forest farm rose significantly. However, adhering to Li Xian's repeated advice, he kept a low profile.

As the saying goes, one's position determines their perspective. As a factory director managing many employees, Li You's awareness improved. In recent calls with Li Xian, he showed off his new approach of letting key personnel handle issues rather than doing everything himself, quoting "knowing one's limits and maintaining dignity."

Whether this wisdom came from Li Daoyun or elsewhere was unclear.

By the 27th of the Lunar New Year, the sawmill had started production. Sina Paper, after its transformation, finally achieved the production goal of twenty tons of paper pulp per day that Li Xian had set before the New Year.

During this time, coordinating the production switch between Beilin and Sina, remotely managing the sawmill setup, and accompanying Xu Chaoyang to host the Forest Industry inspection team kept Li Xian extremely busy.

Especially during the inspection team's visit, Li Xian witnessed firsthand how every leader, whether from the headquarters or various forestry bureaus, could drink a lot.

In the past week, he hadn't been sober for a single day. His alcohol tolerance increased from a few shots of liquor to several times that amount, and his beer consumption went from chugging one bottle to drinking from the bottle itself.

Only after sending the guests away did Li Xian find some peace.

In front of the main gate, next to the original sign, a new sign reading "New Bei Paper Pulp Production Base" had been added to Sina Paper's office building. Li Xian sighed deeply.

Running a business was really exhausting. He wished he could just lie down and have people throw money at him.

Thinking of the ridiculous rumors about being supported by a rich woman, he smiled wryly and shook his head. If such good fortune really existed, maybe he should try it?

While he was lost in thought, Li Xian reached the second floor and saw a small figure.

Hmm, not interested in being supported.

The budding thought of laziness was quickly drowned by the sight of a high ponytail cascading like a waterfall between rocks.

Recently, Su Ya had been working hard. The entire factory was undergoing major changes, with the workshop renovations creating a mess everywhere. The office building she managed was trampled like a cement plant daily.

Li Xian checked his watch and was surprised to see it was already past ten in the morning.

"Hey." He greeted Su Ya, who had noticed him approaching, and asked, "Why haven't you gone home today? Isn't your mom's care sufficient?"

Although he had often been at the factory recently, there were too many things happening, and Su Ya was busy in the workshop. Li Xian had not had a chance to speak to her alone.

Su Ya smiled, made a poker face, and then gestured with a peace sign.

The expression bore a strong resemblance to Su Hui's mannerisms.

"Su Hui is at home, going to the forest farm on February 2nd?"

Seeing that Li Xian understood her meaning perfectly, Su Ya nodded and smiled. After thinking for a moment, she placed her right hand on her chest and then gave a thumbs-up, making a couple of gestures.

This was too professional; Li Xian didn't understand sign language.

Noticing Li Xian's puzzled expression, Su Ya patted her pocket, pulled out a crumpled notebook and pencil, and soon handed him a note.

"Thank you for the things from the New Year, but Su Hui and I have already troubled you a lot. I can't accept them for free."

Li Xian then realized the sign language meant "thank you." He replied, "If you're not accepting it for free, then how about offering yourself in return?"

He waved his hand.

Su Ya's face turned stern, clearly uncomfortable with such a joke. Li Xian chuckled, finding her reaction quite amusing.

Compared to the uninhibited conversations they would have later, this tone was…

Tsk,

Unbearable, feeling itchy inside.

Considering that the matters with Sina were concluding and he would soon head to Beilin, probably not seeing her for a while, he said, "I have to leave tomorrow and won't be back for a long time. Don't miss me too much."

Her response was a playful tongue and a silly face. Watching her repeatedly trace circles on her face with her finger, Li Xian grinned, "I'm thick-skinned and not shy. By the way, has Su Hui told you anything?"

Seeing Su Ya's face flush but still feigning confusion, Li Xian laughed.

He thought, "Her acting skills are lacking."

Not pressing the matter further.