Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1071 - 557: The Uninvited Boss Niu

Chapter 1071: Chapter 557: The Uninvited Boss Niu

What’s the most comfortable thing to do in the summer at Sancha River? The naughty children of Sancha River Township would all answer this question: soak in the river!

In an era where air conditioning was still a myth, and people could only rely on electric fans and palm-leaf fans all summer long, the best relaxation spot for the people of Sancha River Township was on the fortress walls and by the river.

Most places along the fortress walls were forests, so the older folks would carry their large tea cups, find a spot in the shade at random, sit down with a few friends, set up a chessboard, and just like that, the heat of the day became bearable.

The naughty children would definitely be soaking in the river. Some of the children’s families were in business, having breakfast early, so by seven or eight o’clock they’d be finished eating. As the family members started getting busy, the children would meet up and head to the river. Despite the morning water being a bit cool, they’d make a splash as they jumped in.

Catching crabs, searching for seashells, snaring small fish and eels, or a group of naughty children playing some sort of game in the water—aside from going home on time for lunch, that’s essentially how they’d spend the day.

You could tell at a glance which children had been soaking in the water—their hands, when stretched out, would be all pruney and pale from being waterlogged. It was even more fun to run around everywhere; at night, when they took off their vests, they’d have a white ’vest’ on their bodies—a result of the unexposed skin under their clothes remaining paler than the rest.

West River Pier was a good spot. The rest of the fortress wall was dirt paths, but only the pier area was paved with stone and cement, and the trees there were extraordinarily lush. The terrain was high, which made the river breeze there feel particularly strong.

During the summer, no matter the time, this place was always bustling with people—chatting and drinking tea, playing cards, and playing chess. Anyone nearby loved to come here.

The crowd had been even larger these past two days because Boss Yan, whose shed on the opposite riverbank had recently been washed away by the water, was gearing up for a major construction initiative. Rumor had it that he was even planning to dig another river channel to enclose several thousand acres in the middle into a River Heart Island, turning the entire area into a cattle farming base—when people heard this news, their first reaction was: My goodness, Boss Yan is shooting for the stars now!

So, those chatting, playing chess, and playing cards started to become distracted, occasionally lifting their gaze towards the opposite bank, curious about any new developments there.

A few days ago, there were only a few cultured individuals who looked like scholars bustling around there, but today there was finally some new activity. Boss Yan himself was rowing a boat, circling around the area with a few others.

After Secretary Xiao Zhao came by and gave Yan Fei a reassurance, he left and there was no news for two days.

Just when Secretary Xiao Zhao eventually called him this morning, Yan Fei, who had been ready to take the money to sign the contract, got terribly frustrated, "Uh, Boss Yan, Secretary Jiao originally said we should expedite the necessary procedures so you could start work as soon as possible. However, there’s been a notice from above, it seems that a senior official wants to attend your groundbreaking ceremony..."

"But I haven’t paid yet, shouldn’t there at least be a ceremony for the contract signing?" Yan Fei didn’t understand.

"All together!" Secretary Xiao Zhao responded briskly. "It’s all been arranged. After the signing, the groundbreaking ceremony will take place..."

Alright then!

So Yan Fei hung up the phone and instead of waiting foolishly, he came over by boat with Professor Shu and a few others. One reason was to take a leisurely ride, and another was to listen more to Professor Shu’s construction plans to understand them clearly. He didn’t want to be caught unawares when construction started, with herds of workers running around carrying tools.

Of course, there was the sly Ma Yongming as well.

Boss Ma was also very diligent, dressing up every day like a white-collar worker from a big city, always ready to be called upon. When he had nothing to do, he would follow one student for a while, then another, quickly asking questions whenever they seemed in a good mood, and then quietly jotting down their answers in a notebook.

Now that Yan Fei had come over with Professor Shu, it would be strange if he didn’t join in.

Professor Shu was briefing Yan Fei, "With the current scale of your cattle farming, you can temporarily do without sewage treatment equipment. But as it grows in the future, sewage treatment will become essential. So over there, I’ve reserved a space for you, so that when it’s time to install sewage treatment equipment, you won’t have to go through the trouble of finding a new location. Take a look, the drainage system I’ve designed, will all flow through that area. If we do the groundwork now, you’ll save a lot of trouble later."

"And this drainage system, you must pay attention to during construction," Professor Shu continued after taking a sip of tea, enjoying the river breeze under the boat’s canopy that shielded them from the sun. "You can’t model it after others who think the deeper and larger the better. That’s how it is in the cities, but your situation here is different. Say you build a sewer, what if the water rises and backflows into it? These are issues to consider. This is how I’ve designed it..."

Ma Yongming, with his notebook in hand, squatted behind them, writing feverishly.

As they were talking, Yan Fei’s phone rang.

Seeing Yan Fei apologize, Professor Shu waved his hand, "You go ahead with your call, I’m fine here. Anyway, I’ll be around when it’s time. I just wanted to give you an advanced briefing so you understand how everything is going to be built on your future territory. If ever there’s a problem down the line, you won’t be scratching your head in confusion..."