Having achieved financial freedom, I reorganized my workplace.

What's the point of asking questions in Chapter 6?

Emerging from Wang Guisheng's house, Lin Chen felt the sun had come out and it was getting warmer. He squinted and just then saw Li Fugui, the village chief of Meihua Village, carrying a heavy load of firewood, swaying as he walked from the other end of the village road.

Seeing Lin Chen come out of Wang Biesan's house, Li Fugui knew exactly what was going on. He put down the firewood, wiped his sweat, and said, "Squad Leader Lin, here to collect the water fee? That bastard Wang Biesan refuses to pay? Do you want me to help you?"

Lin Chen waved his hand: "Village chief, no need, he just paid."

Li Fugui clicked his tongue, wrinkles appearing on his dark face, seemingly a little surprised. He then changed the subject: "Well... Squad Leader Lin, it's not really Wang Laosan's fault. This water is truly unusable."

Actually, it was he who instigated Wang Guisheng not to pay the water bill and threatened the water supply station.

Lin Chen: "I understand, village chief. For now, everyone should use large basins to catch the sediment and let it settle before using it. Maybe things will be better after this rainy season is over."

"This isn't a long-term solution!"

Li Fugui sighed, his brows furrowing into a knot.

Lin Chen was silent for a moment, then the feeling of suffocation in his chest rose again. He took a deep breath, and a stubborn light shone in his eyes: "I will definitely resolve this matter. Trust me."

With just that one sentence, the worry on Li Fugui's face eased slightly. He nodded vigorously: "I believe you! I, Old Li, believe what you, Xiao Lin, say! I really wouldn't bother with anyone else!"

Lin Chen had been collecting water fees here for several years and always kept his word to the villagers, who all trusted him. He enthusiastically grabbed Lin Chen's arm, "Stay for dinner! I'll have your auntie fry two eggs."

"No, thank you," Lin Chen quickly declined. "I still have to rush to the next village to collect the fees."

Only then did Li Fugui notice Tang Yuwei following behind Lin Chen. The girl was fair-skinned and stood out in the drab village. His eyes lit up, and he grinned, "Hey, Lin, is this pretty girl your wife?"

Tang Yuwei's cheeks flushed red, and she thought to herself that the village chief was too vulgar. But strangely, apart from feeling embarrassed, she didn't feel much disgust.

Lin Chen explained, "Village chief, this is Tang Yuwei, a new colleague from our water supply center. I brought her down here today to familiarize her with the situation. She might be collecting water fees here in the future, so please give her your support."

Li Fugui clicked his tongue. "Oh, a colleague... I thought... What a pity. Such a fine young man like Xiao Lin, I wonder which girl will end up with him." He then turned to Tang Yuwei. "Girl, next time you come to our village, come to my house for dinner, don't be shy!"

Tang Yuwei turned her head away without responding, but she was really puzzled: Lin Chen's style of doing things is so rigid, and sometimes he even seems to be cold-hearted, so how come he seems to be quite popular among these villagers?

The two walked one after the other to the motorcycle parked not far away. Tang Yuwei looked at Lin Chen and couldn't help but bring up the old topic again: "Squad leader, this water quality problem is really too serious. Shouldn't we report it to the leadership immediately?"

Lin Chen didn't even turn his head, only throwing out two words:

"Get in the car."

He was too lazy to explain any further and simply started the engine.

"Something's wrong," Tang Yuwei pouted.

Lin Chen laughed inwardly. Respond? It's not like we haven't responded before, what's the use!

A few years ago, Director Bao Qinglin of the Production and Responsibility Department of the County Company visited the Balu Water Supply Station.

Back then, Lin Chen was still a hot-blooded and impetuous young man. In front of Director Lin Kaidong, he directly exposed the water quality problem in Meihua Village.

He recalled speaking quite solemnly at the time: "Director Bao, our Meihua Village gets a lot of rain and the soil is loose. Every year, a large amount of silt and sand are washed directly into the water tower, seriously polluting the water quality. In the long run, this may endanger the health of the people."

When Director Bao heard this, he wore his usual enigmatic smile. He gave a soft "heh," his tone laced with a hint of dismissive mockery: "Xiao Lin, aren't you exaggerating? A little bit of dirt and sand, and you're escalating it to endangering the lives of the people? That's a bit much, isn't it?"

Seeing that Director Bao was smiling, Director Lin Kaidong, who was standing next to him, immediately followed suit and said, "That's right, as the old saying goes, 'What's dirty won't make you sick!' I've never heard of sand and mud being poisonous."

At that moment, Lin Chen was seething with anger, and his tone became even more serious: "Director Bao, Director, what era are we living in? We can still find sand and mud in the water supplied by our Xinhai Group. If this gets out, it will seriously damage the company's reputation and image."

Seeing Lin Chen's lack of tact, Director Bao's smile faded, replaced by a businesslike expression: "Well, we all know Comrade Lin Chen is a very responsible and good comrade. The issue you raised... is indeed worth noting. However, simply raising the issue isn't enough; do you have any concrete, feasible solutions?"

At Xinhai Group, asking questions to superiors is a sophisticated art. You must have your own solutions, otherwise you'll just be causing trouble for your superiors and it's a sign of incompetence.

Lin Chen had learned his lesson in this matter before and was well prepared.

He immediately chimed in, "Director Bao, we do have a solution. The most thorough approach is to upgrade the water tower and install a dual-circulation sedimentation and purification filtration system. This will effectively reduce pollution at its source."

Upon hearing the words "system" and "reform," Director Bao's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He spoke in an official tone, "Xiao Lin, your idea is good. But you must understand the company's difficulties. Money is needed everywhere right now. Every water supply station is complaining of problems and needing funds. Where does the company have the financial and material resources to undertake such a large project?"

Lin Chen, as a second-best option, proposed a more economical solution: "If a complete overhaul of the water tower is difficult for the time being, then at least a large water purification filter can be installed at the outlet tank. This is much cheaper, mainly because the pipe adjustments are a bit more troublesome, but the effect is immediate."

Director Bao probably hadn't expected Lin Chen to be so persistent, and having been put on the defensive, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Alright, since you've considered everything so thoroughly, then write a detailed proposal report and submit it. I'll take it back to the company and discuss it with Director Tan."

Before leaving, Director Bao praised Lin Chen for his serious attitude and meticulous work. At that time, Lin Chen still retained a touch of naive enthusiasm.

He took it seriously. After returning home, he meticulously surveyed and calculated the data, stayed up all night to write a detailed plan report, clearly outlining the cost budget for manpower and resources, and submitted it with high hopes.

Then?

Then there is no more.

That report, which embodied his hard work and expectations, disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again.

Later, Lin Chen couldn't help but mention it to the director again, and was lectured by the director, who said he was naive and cute.

Lin Chen had a fight with the director, and from that moment on, he became much more passive in his work.