Watching the back of Director Zhao Dajie’s housing authority as she cycled away, Chen Lan mused. The director, she had to admit, was truly capable. Chen Lan admired her decisive and efficient work style, so brisk and clean without a hint of hesitation.
A tinge of regret surfaced in Chen Lan's heart. "It's such a shame. For someone so capable, I never imagined she'd turn out to be a major villain."
This fact alone completely shattered Chen Lan's preconceived notions of villainous characters. Real-life villains weren't so easily identified. If she hadn't transmigrated from the future, knowing the subsequent turn of events, and if it weren't for the matter of that dilapidated house, she wouldn't have heard Zhao Dajie reveal her director's secret while trying to sell the property to her. She would never have known that Zhao Dajie's director was a villain.
It could only be said that fate had its arrangements. Bad people would eventually meet their comeuppance. Who knew they’d run into her? It would be hard not to get rich even if she tried! Annoyed, Chen Lan felt she was practically beaming with pride; her luck was simply unstoppable.
Zhao Dajie, recently entrusted with an important task by her director, felt a surge of importance and trust. As her director walked away, she glanced at the approved slip and keys in her hand, then carefully tucked them into her pocket. Her pace naturally quickened.
For Chen Lan and the others, who were accustomed to climbing mountains, gathering wild goods, and hunting, this pace was hardly a challenge. Lao Zhangtou, also excited, led Yao and the four children at the forefront. As he walked, he looked back and asked, "Hongmei, are we going to the biggest scrap recycling station?"
Zhao Dajie, who had just been given an important role by her director, replied happily, "Yes, cousin-in-law. We're going to that one. That scrap recycling station is the largest in our Harbin. So, the materials collected by the Revolutionary Committee are usually sent there first. If it can't hold any more, then it's sent to other recycling stations."
Chen Lan asked in surprise, "Zhao Dajie, are there many scrap recycling stations in Harbin?"
Zhao Dajie smiled and said, "Of course. There are quite a few scrap recycling stations in all of Harbin. In our Nangang District alone, there are no less than seven or eight. Comrade Xiao Chen, don't underestimate a small scrap recycling station; it's closely related to our daily lives. Things like toothpaste tubes, chicken and duck feathers, broken glass, waste batteries, meat bones, hair, various used books, newspapers, and scrap metal – things we don't use at home anymore – can be sold to the recycling station for a little money. This way, accumulated savings can increase household income, lighten the financial burden, reduce pollution, and improve resource recycling and utilization. It can turn waste into treasure, recovering many useful raw materials for the country and supporting our national construction."
Hearing Zhao Dajie's words, Chen Lan turned it over in her mind. Wasn't that true? In her previous life, she had heard people say that many individuals had become rich by collecting scrap. Scrap acquisition had been a highly profitable industry in the eyes of some foresighted people.
It was said that there were several provinces known nationwide for scrap recycling. Foresighted individuals in these provinces had opened their scrap acquisition businesses in large cities across the country. Those who invested early in scrap acquisition had essentially made fortunes in major cities, with private steel smelting, lead smelting, and plastic pelletizing also creating many stories of overnight wealth.
In short, never underestimate anyone or any industry. Gold will always shine.
Furthermore, in her past life during the eighties and nineties, Chen Lan often read news reports in newspapers and saw television broadcasts about people discovering antique treasures at scrap recycling stations and turning them over to the state.
As the group walked and talked, they soon arrived at a scrap recycling station in Nangang District. The station covered a considerable area, surrounded by high walls. They had taken a shortcut, so they couldn't see inside from across the wall. After circling the area for nearly half a lap, they finally found the entrance to the scrap recycling station.
An elderly man was on duty at the gate. Seeing a large group of people arrive empty-handed, he immediately became vigilant.
He immediately shouted, "What are you people doing here? This is a state-run scrap recycling station. Why are so many of you here?"
Concerned about a misunderstanding, Zhao Dajie quickly took out the approved slip from her pocket and handed it to the gatekeeper. The old man looked at the slip for a long time. He couldn't read, but he recognized the red seal of the Revolutionary Committee.
So, he asked Zhao Dajie, "Comrade, I'm on duty alone today. The station's leadership and other staff are all out inspecting other recycling stations. Tell me, what do you plan to take away this time? I'll have to report it to the leadership when they return."
Zhao Dajie put the approved slip back into her pocket and patiently replied, "I am Zhao Hongmei from the Housing Authority. I'm responsible for the sale, rental, and repair of vacant properties in this area. We are here to look at the warehouse where the Revolutionary Committee stores discarded lumber and broken furniture. We want to see if there are any materials for house repairs. Today, we just want to see if there's anything useful. If there is, our Housing Authority will arrange for a truck to pick it up tomorrow. Please open the gate so we can go in. I have the key to the warehouse from the Revolutionary Committee."
After saying this, Zhao Dajie took out a key from her pocket and dangled it in front of the old man.
Seeing the key and hearing that Zhao Dajie only wanted to look at the warehouse storing broken wood, the gatekeeper finally opened the gate and let them in.
He even kindly informed Zhao Dajie that the warehouse for discarded furniture was in the largest warehouse at the very back.
After thanking the gatekeeper, the group entered the scrap recycling station. Indeed, there were an unusual number of items. The vast area was filled with all sorts of scrap, truly piled high like mountains. All kinds of messy things were there, piled haphazardly, emitting unpleasant odors.
Chen Lan guessed that these piles of items had likely been collected recently and hadn't been sorted yet.
Why did she say that? Because Chen Lan noticed that the items piled on the ground had not accumulated much dust. The bad smell was due to the hot summer weather, where some items were bound to rot and smell, especially in a scrap recycling station.