Volume Four: Awakening of Insects - Chapter 143: The Serpent Appears at Coiled Snake Mountain

Lele readily agreed to take over the Shuangqiao Brick Factory. Because this was Secretary Feng's intention, Secretary Feng had stated that although this poverty alleviation project had failed, it must not affect the county's grand endeavor of poverty alleviation. When Secretary Huang uttered these words, Lele agreed almost without a single moment of thought.

Secretary Huang and Feng Shuya looked at Lele in astonishment, their faces beaming with delight.

"Well... you agreed to this so quickly?"

"Of course," Lele said with a hearty chuckle, the light of rural wisdom flickering in his eyes. "Secretary Feng's words are something I cannot decline, and Secretary Feng would never let me suffer a loss."

Lele raised his glass, clinking it with Secretary Huang and Feng Shuya. Feng Shuya smiled all over her face, thinking that if Lele were to enter officialdom, he would likely enjoy a smooth and prosperous career. Such blind trust of his would certainly never lead to misfortune. What sometimes seemed reckless and blind was actually the trait most capable of winning favor from superiors.

She recalled just before the New Year when her father invited Lele and Li Ying to dinner, and her father personally served dishes to Lele twice. Her father rarely did such a thing; even in official circles and in the presence of superiors, he seldom acted this way. He had only served food to her when she was a child, and never once since she grew up. Therefore, seeing him serve Lele made her feel a little envious. This also showed how much her father regarded Lele like his own child and how deeply he cherished him.

Seeing Lele's blind trust in her father at this moment, she finally understood why her father liked Lele so much.

"Hehe... you rascal really are shrewd. This brick factory might seem to carry a heavy burden with five hundred thousand in debt, and no one else is willing to touch this hot potato, but I happen to know it's a good project. Secretary Feng said that whenever the county has construction projects in the future, they will all use your bricks," Secretary Huang nodded approvingly. "There is already a major project about to start right now. County No. 1 High School is facing reconstruction and expansion, and it will require a supply of over two million small bricks."

"I knew it! Whatever Secretary Feng gives me is definitely a good thing."

"You need to resume production immediately," Secretary Huang instructed him. "Also, won't you consult with Li Ying and Boss Hong?"

"I'll register this factory under my own name first, rather than the company's."

"Do you still have the capital to resume production on your own? This is no joke. The high school expansion is estimated to start in two months," Feng Shuya frowned. "Resuming production will also require a considerable amount of capital."

"The company won't have any revenue until next year, and it will need a large amount of capital. I cannot drain the company's funds," Lele said with a smile. "I originally kept several hundred thousand as my bride-price savings. I'll just take that out now to restart production."

"You... you still have several hundred thousand? Just how much money do you actually have?" Secretary Huang burst into laughter. "I never expected you rascal to be hiding your wealth so well."

Feng Shuya also smiled faintly. This Sha Lele—he initially claimed to only have one hundred thousand, then it became five hundred thousand, and now he had invested one million five hundred thousand into the Great Snake King Company, yet he still claimed to have several hundred thousand more. She couldn't help but smile bitterly, though she felt even happier inside. She truly liked Sha Lele—not in the romantic sense, of course, but rather with the affection one holds for a younger brother.

"Indeed, Lele is really not entirely honest."

"I am honest... but one shouldn't flash one's wealth. If others knew I had so much money, life wouldn't be easy," Lele laughed honestly. "I'm really taking it all out this time; there are only three hundred thousand left."

"Damn it, nobody would believe you!"

Secretary Huang laughed heartily. "Let's consider this meal as a penalty for your dishonesty. Go pay the bill yourself."

"Huh... Secretary Huang, didn't we agree that you were treating?"

Lele put on a very innocent expression, but immediately grinned and trotted off to settle the bill. The meal would probably only cost one or two hundred yuan, and he was no longer the stingy country boy of the past who treated money like his own life; he now understood the importance of money.

***

Little Snake Jin'er and Lele had not yet returned. The matter of repairing the water tower had already been finalized and was expected to be completed in a few days, after which the water tower and solar water heaters would be installed.

He left these matters to Sha Long to handle. Thinking it over, the brick factory also needed to resume production immediately, and since he had no time to manage it himself, he was now pondering whom to appoint as the factory director.

He felt that Uncle Shenggui was quite suitable, and Sha Long would do as well. Unable to make up his mind, he had called Li Ying yesterday after returning home, and Li Ying praised him for handling it well. However, she was also undecided on the management selection, only telling him two things: first, the person must have management capability, and second, they must be loyal.

At the same time, Li Ying was somewhat surprised that Lele had made such a prompt and decisive decision without consulting her. She realized that Lele had matured compared to before and possessed the ability to make resolute choices, which made her very happy.

After much thought, he decided to send both Uncle Shenggui and Sha Long to the brick factory. Sha Long's management skills were stronger than Uncle Shenggui's, his character was upright, and he spoke little, making him a pragmatic worker, but Uncle Shenggui made him feel more secure. Sha Long would be the primary manager in charge of overall operations, while Uncle Shenggui would serve as the deputy manager overseeing coal procurement, accounts, and sales.

Older villagers like Sha Dahai and Sha Youfu could all go to work at the brick factory.

The workforce didn't need to be huge, but they all had to be strong laborers. Secretary Huang had already invited a technician for him—the very same technician who used to work at the Shuangqiao Brick Factory. Having been out of work and disgusted by the actions of the Yang brothers, he had long since gone to Guangzhou to work as a migrant laborer.

Secretary Huang had personally called to invite him back, and he had promised to return within three days.

Lele called Li Ying again to share his thoughts, and she felt such an arrangement was quite good. Running an enterprise required knowing how to employ people; only with management talent could there be any possibility of development.

He had now formed the habit of keeping a journal, recording everything that happened each day in the small notebook he carried with him. The matters concerning the brick factory were arranged and similarly jotted down in his notebook.

Sitting in the office, he didn't need to worry about the snake farm.

Li Ying called to say that Boss Hong had agreed to send over a knowledgeable and managerial factory director. Afterward, Luo Yinxiang would continue to serve as the deputy director, allowing Lele himself to free up time to handle other matters.

Just as he was about to sit down to read a book, a sudden commotion erupted outside.

"—Snakes! Run quickly, there are so many snakes!"

Lele was startled. Where did snakes come from? The snakes hadn't even been transported here yet; how could there be snakes now? He got up to go outside and check just as Luo Yinxiang burst in.

"Lele, something strange is happening! A lot of snakes are swarming out of that black cave, and everyone is running!"

Before her voice had even faded, Tao Youneng and Tao Huan rushed in.

"Lele... Lele, go take a look quickly! The little snakes brought a whole nest of snakes out of the cave, and there's a python as thick as a water vat! Heavens, it's several zhang long, and when it opens its mouth, it could swallow a person whole!" Tao Youneng patted his chest. "It's terrifying, everyone has run down the mountain! Your two little snakes are coiled on top of the python's head, looking overwhelmingly majestic—they're truly spirit snakes!"

"Little Jin'er and Little Lele are back?" Lele was overjoyed. "I'll go take a look."

Lele walked outside with a broad smile.

"Lele, don't go! With a snake that big, what will you do if it swallows you in one gulp?" Luo Yinxiang panicked and blocked Lele's path. "I won't let you go. Sister Ying will scold me if she comes back."

"Don't worry, with Jin'er around, what the hell is there to fear?"

Lele pushed Luo Yinxiang aside and walked out.

"Lele, I'm going too."

"Aren't you scared?" Lele smiled. "Don't get scared to tears later."

"I'll just stick right behind you."

She really grabbed onto Lele's clothes and refused to let go. The rest of the people watched Lele head up the mountain, following closely from a distance. Who wouldn't be afraid? A snake that big had a fork-tongue six feet long!

"Lele, you rascal, you must not go! That's the snake deity!" Uncle Shengtian hurried over. "Go quickly and get paper money to burn, light some incense, and worship properly. You must not offend them."

"Uncle, what the hell is there to be afraid of?" Lele smiled cheerfully as he continued walking upward. "With Jin'er here, what do I have to fear? Didn't it bring a whole bunch of snakes last time without causing any trouble?"

Uncle Shengtian thought about it and realized it was true. Otherwise, why hadn't those snakes come down to bite people or chase anyone? It must have been the merit of that little snake. Heavens, what kind of little snake was that? Had it attained immortality?

"Then you must be careful... I'm telling you, wild boy, you really shouldn't go up. That snake is just too big."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Lele continued forward. Luo Yinxiang clutched his clothes, her body trembling. Lele could sense her fear and turned back to look at her, seeing her face as pale as paper. "Hey... if you're so damn scared, why are you still following me?"

"No, I'm sticking with you."

Although she was terrified, she stubbornly shook her head and refused to let go of his clothes. Lele soon reached the edge of the small mountain basin up on the mountain. Upon looking, he was indeed startled: Luo Yinxiang wrapped her arms around his waist and peeked out from under his armpit, her face completely drained of color. The entire mountain basin was densely packed with colorful snakes. Lele recognized that most of these snakes were vipers, accompanied only by one large python and one small python. The large python wasn't as thick as a large water vat, but it was still about the size of a standard plastic bucket. When it opened its mouth, its blood-red maw was wide enough to swallow a calf. The small python, however, was quite cute—only the thickness of a calf, snow-white, slithering around the large python's body.

Jin'er and Little Lele were coiled atop the large python's head, raising their heads and flicking their tongues.

"Jin'er..."

Lele shouted aloud. The little snake caught his scent, its body springing up from the python's head, and darted toward him like a shooting star, with the little snake Lele following closely behind.

"You guys, how did you bring so many snakes along?" The two little snakes bounced off his shoulders, landing on his left and right respectively, and flicked their tongues to lick his face. Lele stroked them. "You'd better keep them under control; don't let them run around everywhere."

The little snakes hissed softly and suddenly slid down his shoulders.

"Jin'er, what do you want me to do?"

The little snake slid forward a short distance, then stopped and hissed at him. He had no choice but to follow, walking right into the midst of the sea of snakes. The crowd behind him drew a bit closer now, each person marveling in awe. Hearing the news, the elderly villagers of the village all walked over holding paper money and incense candles to worship the snake deity.