In the center of the Logging Camp, there were two rows of shacks on both the east and west sides. The two rows on the east were for the Gui Ling workers, while the two on the west were for the hauling teams.
At the main gate of the Logging Camp, there were two more shacks. One was the cook's shack, and the other, right by the gate, was where Elder Yang lived.
Perhaps it was a professional instinct. After arriving at the New Logging Camp, Elder Yang didn't just tend the fire; he also appointed himself to the post of gatekeeper.
Hearing that Zhao Jun was going to hold a meeting in his shack for the Gui Ling team leader and the three Leaders, Elder Yang said nothing and just went off to the side to chop firewood.
Zhang Xuefeng shot a fierce glare at Zhao Qingzhu, then followed close behind Zhao Jun into the shack.
Song Tiemin wore a grave expression, but he followed them in as well. This left only the three Leaders standing at the entrance, staring at the swinging shack door, their thoughts a mystery.
Zhao Qingzhu turned to look at Lin Musen and Xu Shengli. He was about to rally some support, only to see the two of them also walking toward the shack.
Zhao Qingzhu gritted his teeth. Just yesterday, Dou Baoguo had sent his secretary, Li Chaoyun, to the New Logging Camp to inform him that an inspector named Zhao Jun was coming today. This Zhao Jun was supposedly the key for Dou Baoguo to topple his rival, and the instructions were for Zhao Qingzhu to target this Zhao Jun and really make an issue of him.
Li Chaoyun had a flowery way of speaking. Zhao Qingzhu didn't know what "making an issue" of someone meant, but he knew exactly what it meant to give someone a hard time.
But to his surprise, the moment Zhao Jun arrived, he was the one to assert his dominance first.
'This is a bad start!' Zhao Qingzhu's heart sank. He had a very bad feeling about this. There was an old saying in the Northeast: a smooth start means all will go well; a rough start means all is lost.
Seeing Lin Musen reach the shack, pull the door open, and let the older Xu Shengli enter first, Zhao Qingzhu gave a cold snort and quickened his pace to follow.
But what he didn't know was that this was only the beginning.
Once inside the shack, Zhao Jun tossed the measuring pole, marking hammer, and ledger onto the kang, then turned and sat on the edge.
Zhang Xuefeng followed and sat down beside Zhao Jun.
When Song Tiemin entered, he saw Zhao Jun staring intently at him and couldn't help but feel unnerved.
As a result, Song Tiemin didn't dare go forward to sit with Zhao Jun. But since there were no stools in the shack, he simply stood off to the side.
When the three Leaders came in, they saw Song Tiemin standing. Just as they had done with Xu Baoshan earlier, they all stood opposite Zhao Jun and Zhang Xuefeng.
Zhao Jun was blunt. He didn't invite the four men to sit and immediately began to speak. Their current positions made it look exactly as if Zhao Jun was about to lecture them.
Zhao Jun's voice wasn't loud, but every single word was clearly heard by everyone present. He said, "Brother Feng and I have been sent by the Forest Farm to inspect the timber. I don't care how things were done in the past. From this day forward, production at our Logging Camp will be done according to proper regulations and standards."
Zhao Jun's words didn't make much of an impression on the four men opposite him. Nearly every inspector gave the same speech upon first arriving at the Logging Camp.
But Zhao Jun's next words made the expressions of the three Leaders change. They heard him continue, "Our Farm Director Dou, the man in charge of production, has stressed time and again since taking office that forestry inspections must strictly adhere to the regulations and the ten standards. My colleagues from the inspection team have had some... conflicts with this Logging Camp in the past."
"Farm Director Dou said that this was precisely because we failed to strictly adhere to the regulations and the ten standards. So, starting today, we will make sure not to repeat past mistakes."
The moment Zhao Jun said this, both Lin Musen and Xu Shengli turned to look at Zhao Qingzhu. They had understood the subtext of Zhao Jun's words. The inspection team was here to settle old scores.
It had all started when Zhao Qingzhu led his hauling team to beat up four inspectors. Now, the result was that all three teams were going to face the consequences together.
This made Lin Musen and Xu Shengli feel wronged, but they couldn't blame Zhao Jun. They could only blame Zhao Qingzhu and his hauling team.
Zhao Qingzhu's face darkened; he knew what Zhao Jun was trying to do. 'But what good will that do?'
Seeing that none of them spoke, Zhao Jun continued, "There are rules for everything. In case you don't understand them, allow me to lay them out for you. Today, Brother Feng and I will work overtime to inspect all the timber brought to the Log Pile Yard over the last two days. Starting tomorrow..."
Here, Zhao Jun's voice rose as he declared loudly, "All hauling teams bringing logs into the yard must sort and place them according to the regulatory guidelines."
Once he finished speaking, Zhao Jun scanned the three Leaders and demanded, "Do you all know how to sort them?"
Both Lin Musen and Xu Shengli blanched. Forcing smiles, they nodded and said, "Yes, yes, we know."
Zhao Qingzhu, on the other hand, just gave Zhao Jun a blank look. But the instant their eyes met, Zhao Qingzhu saw that Zhao Jun's gaze was no longer as harmless as it had been during their first encounter.
Zhao Qingzhu couldn't quite describe it, but he felt Zhao Jun's gaze was terrifying—like a Hunter that had locked onto its prey, ready to deliver the fatal blow.
Cowed by Zhao Jun's sharp gaze, Zhao Qingzhu hastily turned to look at Lin Musen and Xu Shengli.
But this time, the two Leaders didn't even glance at Zhao Qingzhu. Both were watching Zhao Jun with smiles, waiting for him to continue.
They had already figured it out: this new, young inspector was not someone to be trifled with.
"Do you know?" Zhao Jun asked Zhao Qingzhu. When Zhao Qingzhu turned back to face him, Zhao Jun added, "What are you looking at? I'm asking you."
"I... I don't know," Zhao Qingzhu answered feebly. Now, he wasn't just unnerved—he was afraid.