After listening to my words, Wei Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Sheng Nan's situation was already stagnant. If it weren't for your help, the outcome would be unimaginable. Since you think there is hope, then do it your way. The Wei family will do its best to cooperate! As for Qu Ruilin, it depends on his wishes. After all, you are all helping the Wei family, and we have no right to ask you to do anything."
Seeing Wei Xiao adopt such a humble attitude, I felt a little embarrassed: "Uncle Wei, you're too kind. We all come from the same place and are family. It's only right that we help each other out."
"That's settled then. I'll send people to Heihe as soon as possible to assist you in your operation."
Wei Xiao didn't continue with pleasantries: "I'll thank you properly after this matter is resolved."
With the support of the Wei family, I boarded a plane to Heihe again.
The night before, I was kept awake by Song Laosan, and today I spent the whole day in Daqing. As soon as I got on the plane, I fell into a deep sleep.
When I opened my eyes, I found that it was already daylight outside, and everyone else was taking a nap in their seats.
A middle-aged man in the next seat opened his eyes and smiled: "Mr. Duan, you're awake!"
I stared at the unfamiliar face, momentarily speechless: "Do we know each other?"
"Let me introduce myself. My name is Pan Xiaodong. I am the head of the Heilongjiang branch of Changwei Group. I am assigned by the head office and will unconditionally cooperate with all your actions."
Pan Xiaodong paused for a moment: "After your plane landed, I saw that you were all quite tired, and it was inconvenient to do anything in the middle of the night, so I didn't have anyone wake you up."
I picked up a bottle of mineral water to moisten my throat: "How far is it from here to Wudalianchi?"
"More than 300 kilometers, about a five-hour drive."
Pan Xiaodong paused for a moment: "Mr. Duan, I have already arranged breakfast at a nearby hotel, and the convoy is on standby. Let's have breakfast first, and then set off. Is that alright with you?"
"Breakfast doesn't need to be so complicated. Just have someone buy some steamed buns and soy milk from a street stall."
I knew that as the guest whom Wei Xiao had repeatedly instructed me to treat well, the banquet Pan Xiaodong had prepared would certainly be very lavish.
However, we came here to save lives, and we couldn't eat much so early in the morning.
It's really pointless to waste an hour or two just to have a meal.
When Pan Xiaodong heard me say that, he smiled awkwardly and said, "Mr. Duan, President Wei repeatedly instructed me to take good care of you! You've come all this way, and if you can't even have a proper meal, it would make me look like I haven't done my job properly."
I sensed that Pan Xiaodong was a bit shrewd, and he said clearly, "Your job is to cooperate with me, so doing things according to my orders to my satisfaction is what constitutes fulfilling your duties, not making decisions for me. What do you think?"
Pan Xiaodong, feeling somewhat embarrassed after being met with a cold shoulder, looked at me and said, "Mr. Duan, I just wanted to provide you with a good working environment and improve your work efficiency. Please don't misunderstand."
“I haven’t misunderstood anything. I just hope you understand that what you need to do is not to arrange things for me, but to help me get things done when I need it.”
I couldn't reveal Wei Shengnan's status as the group's heir, so I said rather cryptically, "Right now, the most important thing for me is time, so can we set off as soon as possible?"
As a branch manager, Pan Xiaodong had seen all sorts of people and quickly changed his attitude: "No problem, I'll arrange it immediately."
As I stepped off the plane, Monkey also disembarked from another plane and quickly caught up with me: "Young Master Duan, you rushed me here yesterday because the statue we're looking for is in Heihe?"
"I guess so. I came here to look for clues."
Monkey and I got into a van and found hot coffee and some snacks inside. I picked up a cup to perk myself up: "For the next period of time, we need to do something for the Hu family, one of the Five Immortals of Northeast China. In exchange, they will help us find the Duokuohuo statue."
"The Five Immortals of Northeast China?"
The monkey scratched its head: "You mean those fortune tellers and shamans?"
“Yes, I never thought I would get involved in this circle one day, but if we want to find the statue, this is a necessary step.”
Seeing Pan Xiaodong board the car, I changed the subject: "We agreed that the three of us would meet here. Is there still one person who hasn't arrived?"
"You mean Mr. Song? He was originally planning to fly from Inner Mongolia, but due to the special weather, his flight was delayed and he won't arrive until noon today. I've already arranged for someone else to pick him up."
Pan Xiaodong paused for a moment: "If you wish to travel with him, you can wait in your hotel room at the airport."
"Never mind, time is of the essence, let's not wait for him."
I heard that it would be a long time before Song Laosan arrived, so I decided to go to Jile Mountain first.
Previously, Old Ma's wife only told me that the Hu family was in Jile Mountain, but she didn't tell me whether they were male or female, old or young, or how to contact them.
I knew in my heart that this was a test from Old Ma's wife. If I couldn't even find the Hu family, I would only become a burden to them.
Since Song Laosan hasn't arrived yet, instead of waiting here idly, I might as well go and investigate first, and meet with the Hu family.
The convoy sped along and finally arrived at the Wudalianchi Nature Reserve at noon.
The Greater Khingan Mountains, as the dragon vein of the Qing Dynasty, boast an impressive terrain and excellent feng shui.
Wudalianchi is the yang pole of this dragon vein.
Wudalianchi is a volcanic group. Between 1719 and 1721, volcanic eruptions blocked the Baihe River, forming five interconnected lakes, hence the name Wudalianchi (Five Connected Lakes).
Before 1974, the Wudalianchi Scenic Area did not have a dedicated management agency. At that time, the scenic area was under the jurisdiction of Shuangquan Commune in Dedu County, and was the location of Qingquan Brigade of Shuangquan Commune.
Later, on March 10, 1976, Wudalianchi Town was established. In March 1980, it was designated as a provincial-level nature reserve. On February 3, 2004, it was approved by UNESCO as one of the first batch of global geoparks.
As one of the first batch of national geoparks and one of the key national scenic spots, Wudalianchi is well-known. The closer you get to the scenic area, the more severe the congestion becomes.
Pan Xiaodong was unaware of the purpose of my trip. After the vehicle arrived at the scenic area, he asked me, "Mr. Duan, the core scenic spots of Wudalianchi are a string of lakes consisting of Lotus Lake, Yanshan Lake, Bailong Lake, Heming Lake, and Ruyi Lake! I have already used my connections to speak with the scenic area, so we can skip the queue and go through the staff entrance. Which one would you like to visit first?"
I waved my hand: "I'm not going to these pools, I'm going straight to Yaoquan Mountain."
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