I See through Everything

A short while later, Li Zixuan jogged over. "Boss, Manager Han from Jianfang Hydroelectric Power Construction Company has arrived at headquarters."

"We’ll head back right away." Jiang Miao turned to his brother-in-law and Zhang Zhixing. "My apologies, I have some official business to attend to, so I’ll have to excuse myself. Brother-in-law, please keep Manager Zhang company. If anything comes up that you can’t decide on, give me a call."

"You’re too kind, General Manager Jiang. Please, go ahead and take care of your business," Zhang Zhixing said with a smile, waving his hand.

His brother-in-law also nodded. "Ah Miao, you go on ahead. I’ll handle things here."

Ke Yong had already run off to get the car. By the time Jiang Miao walked out of the farm’s main gate, the pickup truck was already waiting by the side of the road.

The concrete by the road was scorching hot from the sun. A gust of wind blew past, bringing a wave of heat, and everyone quickly got into the truck.

In less than five minutes, the pickup truck carrying Jiang Miao and the others was back at the entrance of the headquarters.

Inside the reception room at headquarters.

Han Zhendong, the project manager from Jianfang Company, was in the middle of drinking tea when he suddenly saw the reception room door get pushed open. Li Xiaoxing, who had been receiving them, quickly stood up. "Boss, this is Manager Han Zhendong from Jianfang Company."

Li Xiaoxing was Jiang Haibo’s assistant and was also in charge of the company’s daily reception of outside guests. He smiled and turned to Han Zhendong to introduce Jiang Miao.

"Manager Han, this is our boss, Mr. Jiang Miao."

"Hello, Manager Han."

"It’s a great honor to meet you, General Manager Jiang."

The two shook hands and then took their respective seats.

Based on his appearance, Han Zhendong looked to be in his forties or fifties. However, Jiang Miao discovered through his appraisal panel that the man was only thirty-nine. His weather-beaten face, likely from constantly handling business in the field, made him look much older.

As soon as he sat down, Jiang Miao didn’t beat around the bush and got straight to the point. "Manager Han, I’ll skip the pleasantries. I’m satisfied with your company’s quote, but whether this deal goes through depends on a site inspection. We also need to see about getting approval from the relevant departments."

Hearing Jiang Miao’s words, Han Zhendong was surprised. It was the first time he’d encountered such a frank and direct client. Still, he felt a sense of relief. ’This kind of client is actually easier to work with,’ he thought, ’unlike those other customers who were always a huge hassle.’

He thought for a moment, then said with a smile, "General Manager Jiang, for this type of hydroelectric project, you can actually entrust the entire process to our company. As for getting approvals, we’ve been in this industry for over a decade. We have at least some pull in various parts of the south."

"Oh? Your company has connections? What’s the agency fee?" Jiang Miao didn’t believe in free lunches.

Han Zhendong rubbed the stubble on his chin. "For a small-scale pumped-storage reservoir, the agency fee is one million, all-inclusive. Of course, the construction costs are separate," he added.

Jiang Miao didn’t find the fee excessive. After all, they would be doing all the legwork. Even if they made a small profit from the one million, they deserved it.

For a company unfamiliar with the hydroelectric construction industry, the approval process was the biggest headache. It wasn’t a matter of getting a single department’s sign-off; it required navigating through many.

Furthermore, it required approvals not just from the relevant local departments in Shanmei, but also from many related departments at higher levels of government.

Hailufeng Company’s current influence could get the green light from local departments, but it wouldn’t work with the higher-ups.

To Jiang Miao, time was the most valuable commodity. If spending a million could expedite the project’s approval, he certainly wouldn’t be stingy. He nodded.

"Alright. There’s no time to lose. Let’s go to the site right now!"

Although he felt Jiang Miao was a bit hasty, Han Zhendong chose to go along with the client’s wishes. He replied with a smile, "No problem on my end. General Manager Jiang has already paid the preliminary survey fee for the project. We’ve also brought the survey equipment and engineers. The entire preliminary survey should take about a month."

With an hour and a half left until noon, Jiang Miao planned to strike while the iron was hot and get this handled quickly so he could get back to his research.

As for Jiang Haibo, he had been away on a business trip to Gannan for the past few days.

Three pickup trucks filed out of the company headquarters’ parking lot.

They passed through the residential area of Nanhu Village.

Then, they turned south, reaching the coastal breakwater. After driving east along the concrete road on the breakwater for five or six hundred meters, they hit a gravel road. They continued east for about two more kilometers before stopping.

They hadn’t arrived yet, though. They had to stop because the road ahead was impassable for vehicles. They would have to walk the rest of the way, but thankfully, it wasn’t far.

After walking for a little over ten minutes along a path at the foot of the coastal mountains, they finally arrived at a distinct valley.

The valley opened up toward the southern beach in a trumpet shape, flanked by hills over a hundred meters high. A small stream ran through the middle of the valley, but its flow was very weak.

Hailufeng Company had contracted this mountain hollow precisely for the purpose of building a pumped-storage reservoir.

This mountainous area was called Bamboo Mountain.

Bamboo Mountain and Yandun Mountain were two small, parallel mountain ranges, both running east-west. The southern side of Bamboo Mountain faced the sea, and there weren’t many orchards or farmlands in the vicinity, only large swaths of wild bamboo and masson pine forests.

The contracted piece of mountain land was right on the coast, covering an area of over 400 hectares. The hollow was about 700 to 900 meters from the coast, with an elevation between 70 and 120 meters.

All that was needed was to build a dam at the opening of the hollow to create a pumped-storage reservoir. And the Bamboo Mountain Reservoir would directly use seawater for storage.