Chapter 256: Did You Run Into Bandits?

Chapter 256: Did We Run into Bandits?

Xiao Lu drove the car over, and Su Taotao told him to take Dong Shengping over to Old Gao's car while she drove ahead in her own car.

Although Xiao Lu also knew the way, he never questioned Sis Su's arrangements and obediently took Dong Shengping over to Old Gao's car.

Old Gao's car already had two people in it: his assistant and a professional surveyor.

Old Gao was surprised to see Su Taotao get into the driver's seat. "Director Su knows how to drive?"

Xiao Lu proudly said, "Of course she can. Our Sis Su can do it all."

Old Gao was genuinely impressed. "I never would've guessed she could drive."

Having been around for decades, he had occasionally encountered female drivers, but they were rare.

Su Taotao was the youngest one.

Xiao Lu thought to himself, who would've thought? I haven't even told you she can fix cars too, and her driving skills are top-notch.

Su Taotao stuck her head out of the factory. "Old Gao, follow me, I know a shortcut."

Old Gao smiled and replied, "Alright."

Su Taotao drove smoothly down the road, with Old Gao right behind her.

He had initially been cautious, worried she might be a new driver and slam on the brakes unexpectedly.

To his surprise, Su Taotao kept a steady pace.

"Your Director Su drives really well; she doesn't seem like a rookie," Old Gao couldn't help but remark.

Xiao Lu nodded, "Sis Su's whole family is sharp; they're good at everything."

On this point, Old Gao, who admired Fu greatly, agreed.

...

Just as Su Taotao had said, it took just over twenty minutes to reach the new factory site from the factory.

"Old Gao, this site isn't just for the factory buildings but also includes dorms, rec areas, and a co-op store. So it's a big project. Today, we'll first measure the area.

The factory buildings and dormitories are urgent, and we'll take care of the rest gradually."

Old Gao's assistant carefully wrote down everything Su Taotao said.

Old Gao asked, "The crew's tied up with another job right now. When do you plan to start here?"

Su Taotao replied, "After the measurements, we'll submit the blueprints and plans for fast-tracked approval. I estimate it might take at least a month."

Old Gao calculated, "There are two projects ahead of you, but a month should be enough."

Su Taotao nodded, "Alright, I'll work on the blueprints as soon as I get back."

"Director Su, you and Fu are jacks-of-all-trades; you can do anything," Old Gao still remembered the blueprints from last time, which were highly professional.

"Our Fu is indeed a jack-of-all-trades. I'm not; I only know the basics and rely on him," Su Taotao said modestly.

Old Gao was a practical man, not good at flattery. After expressing his thoughts, he got to work.

Su Taotao pointed to the hill and said to Dong Shengping:

"Look at this coconut grove. Fu said we should build a conveyor belt from here, so the coconuts can roll down directly. We could add a gate or something, and they would crack open as they roll down, saving on both transportation costs and labor for cracking the coconuts."

Dong Shengping looked at the terrain, visualized the scene, and nodded. "Fu's idea is indeed very good."

"Let's go up and take a look. Xiao Lu, go tell Old Gao," Su Taotao said.

Xiao Lu: "Sure thing."

Su Taotao and Dong Shengping walked around the hill and found a small path leading up.

This coconut grove was planted artificially, and there were people managing it on the hill. At the entrance, they were stopped by a middle-aged man wearing a straw hat, with dark skin, a slim build, and a particularly shrewd look:

"Who are you? Outsiders aren't allowed in here."

Xiao Lu returned just in time, took out his credentials and documents, and showed them to the man:

"We're planning to build a factory here. These are our credentials, and this is the approval document. Take a look."

"Build a factory? We haven't received any notice about that." The man was skeptical, taking the documents to examine them.

"Just make a phone call to check. Why would we lie to you? There's nothing here but coconuts. Even if we wanted to steal them, we couldn't carry many away, right?" Xiao Lu said half-jokingly.

The man finished looking at the credentials and documents but still shook his head. "You can't go up."

"What do we need to do to go up?" Su Taotao asked.

The man said, "We need our boss's approval."

"Who is your boss? Call him out," Xiao Lu said.

The man replied, "Our boss isn't here."

Xiao Lu said again, "Go find him. We can't just wait here forever and not go up, can we?

This area has been approved by the government for factory construction, and this batch of coconut groves will be under the factory's management in the future.

Alright, I can't explain it to you clearly. You'd better go call your boss over."

The man's eyes flickered, but he still shook his head: "Our boss isn't here today. You should come back another day."

"Which day?" Su Taotao asked.

The man still shook his head: "I don't know. Our boss comes and goes unpredictably. I can't say when he'll be back or contact him."

Xiao Lu became angry: "You!"

Su Taotao stopped Xiao Lu, eyeing the guard with a sharp gaze: "What if I insist on going up?"

The guard said, "Are you planning to bully us with your numbers and force your way through?"

"Force our way through?" Su Taotao took the documents from Xiao Lu, "You can read, right? Read the content clearly. Are you planning to deny it?

This coconut grove belongs to the public. Don't tell me you've been looking at it so long that you think it's your private land?"

The guard remained calm: "Don't make false accusations. I'm just a guard. I do as instructed by my superiors."

"Unless you kill me today and step over my corpse, I won't let strangers in."

Su Taotao signaled, and Dong Shengping advanced on the Path Sentinel: "Forgive me."

The Path Sentinel nimbly dodged and suddenly pulled out a whistle from his pocket, blowing it hard—

A shrill whistle cut through the air, echoing across the coconut grove.

The birds resting in the shade of the coconut trees were startled, flapping their wings and scattering in all directions.

At the same time, footsteps echoed through the coconut grove, accompanied by the rustling of clothes against the underbrush.

Soon, a group of people dressed in black Mao suits and gray homespun trousers emerged in disciplined formation on the path...

Su Taotao and the other two exchanged puzzled glances. What was happening?

Could they have stumbled upon bandits?

...

That's all for today. I'll make up for it with more words tomorrow. Good night.