Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1079 - 560: Don’t Overdo Everything_2

Chapter 1079: Chapter 560: Don’t Overdo Everything_2

To sum it up, it boils down to the same principle as making the simple excavators and Douzi Cars work; it’s a matter of human nature. Although Yan Fei has grown and toughened up quite a bit over the years, he still doesn’t give these issues enough thought.

Of course, most of the time, having developed to the current stage, it’s okay even if he doesn’t think things through completely, just like the current situation. If he bluntly saw which village wasn’t putting in the effort and was dawdling, he could directly send them away without anyone being able to fault him for it.

But now that there’s someone who can help him spot and fix oversights, to make things better, why wouldn’t he be happy to do so?

After a few back-and-forth comments with the other two, Yan Fei had already come up with a solution: "Just tell them that once there are more people, the cattle farm won’t be able to provide meals like this every day. From now on, only those who do a good job will get to eat meat; the rest will just have to settle for soup."

Neither Ma Yongming nor Lin Baoguo had anything to say in response. The principle that those who worked well would get to eat meat made sense to everyone, wherever it was applied.

If the others were only supplied with beef soup, or big bone soup, it would still be a level of food provision that other construction sites couldn’t match, and the cost wasn’t too high either, given the cattle farm’s convenient conditions.

Having finally sent those two away, Yan Fei felt that with all his hard work, it was very necessary to seek some comfort.

After strolling around, he arrived at the office, only to see several people inside busy beyond belief. Apart from Chief Accountant Xiang, Boss Xu, and the wives of Ma Chao and Heizi, even Fang Xiaoqing, who was on summer vacation, was there helping out. Each person had a calculator, one hand pressing on it, calculating something, the other hand holding a pen, ready to jot down notes at any moment.

Yan Fei had reached the door and yet nobody paid him any attention. Normally, he would feel awkward to call out to any of them, but now, seeing that no one noticed him, he felt a bit annoyed. Steeling his face and putting on a serious expression, he called out to Xu Xiaoyan, "Xiao Xing, come and give me a hand with some materials..."

Xu Xiaoyan, suspecting nothing, quickly pressed a few buttons on her calculator, wrote down the result with one hand, and double-checked it. Then she hurriedly set aside her work and followed him: "What’s up?"

Boss Yan, with a contemplative look led her into the office, "Come and talk over here, close the door..."

Xu Xiaoyan thought there was really something urgent. After she closed the door, she saw him turn around with a mischievous grin: "Hehe, there’s nothing particularly pressing, I, the boss, am just so busy that I need a hug from my secretary to relax a bit."

The girl hadn’t even reacted before she was scooped up into his embrace and seated in his big boss chair.

"What are you doing? Everyone is so busy, and here you are slacking off, and you even drag me into it?" Xu Xiaoyan chided. "Is something bothering you? Feeling down?"

"No!" Yan Fei muttered under his breath, too preoccupied to speak any further.

After a while, the girl finally managed to wriggle free and catch her breath. "Alright, that’s enough. I have work to do! If you have nothing better to do, just stay aside. I need to get back to work quick!"

"What work?" Yan Fei prevented her from leaving. "Work is never done. If you only care about working without doing anything else, then what’s the point of earning money? Don’t go. Stay here with me and hide away."

This guy’s office had thick curtains for a reason too obvious to state. If he really wanted to hide without opening the door, the people outside wouldn’t even know they were inside.

Regrettably, the lovestruck fellow had forgotten that with the advent of mobile phones, unless he hid away in a dinosaur world, calls could always come through.

Just as he was besotted with lust, his phone rang at an inopportune moment.

As he was momentarily distracted, Miss Xu Xiaoyan took the opportunity to snatch the phone from his pocket: "Hurry up and pick it up. These days, the calls are always about important matters. Don’t slack off!"

Upon answering the phone, he heard a cheerful voice: "Boss Yan, what are you busy with? I want to ask, do you have any free time in a few days? We’re having a celebration and awards ceremony here, and your name is on the list. We’d like to invite you to join us. Can you make time for it?"

The one speaking so straightforwardly was a junior leader from a military unit in the suburbs.

The cattle farm had supplied beef to the unit for some time now. Although the quantity wasn’t substantial, being a military supplier naturally added to its reputation.

This year was special, as the troops were particularly hard at work, running around assisting with flood relief. Boss Yan certainly couldn’t just stand by; with a generous gesture, he provided several batches of beef for free, as a way to show appreciation for the diligent soldiers and officers—though in reality, the amount wasn’t that significant.

Now, unexpectedly, a phone call had come in.

In a few days it would be the military holiday, and they probably wanted to take that opportunity to invite him to a big meeting to express their thanks.

The military couldn’t offer him much else, but presenting him with an award such as the "Model for Supporting the Military" was likely within their means.

Yan Fei hesitated for a moment, feeling that he was too busy to commit to attending. But he found he quite liked the way these military folks went about things—efficient and clear-cut. Like this phone call, they got straight to the point. Unlike others who, when they had something to discuss, would beat around the bush with things like, "I’ve got great news for you," or, "We’re going to give you an award," droning on endlessly.

As he hesitated, Xu Xiaoyan in his arms grew anxious and stared at him, urging him to quickly agree.

The person on the other end of the line was still waiting for a response. Without further delay, he explained his situation: "I’ve just started some construction work, and there’s a whole lot to handle on the site. I’ll try my best to make time to come over that day, but if something really comes up and I can’t make it, I’ll come over later to apologize."

The person on the other end was just as decisive, "Alright, I’ll let them know. Do your best to come, but if you’re really too busy, then it can’t be helped."

After hanging up, he reassured Xu Xiaoyan, "Don’t worry, there’ll be other opportunities like this, we’ll still need to get along with them. Usually, no one notices there’s a military unit in the suburbs until something happens, and that’s when everyone realizes who they can rely on. It’s only right to send them something; as for the award, it’s not really a big deal."

This was indeed true. If not for the occasional sight of tanks rolling out, many residents of Wan City wouldn’t even be aware that there was a military unit stationed nearby.

But this year, when floods struck, some saw firsthand at the front lines, or watched on TV news how these young soldiers leaped into the waters with selfless bravery. It was then people knew who was most reliable—young faces, determined expressions; what else could be more moving than this?

So usually, Yan Fei’s extravagant ways might draw some criticism, but this time, when he offered free beef supplies, not only did no one object, some even gave him thumbs up—like Old Cheng from the cattle farm, Old Pan from the local militia, and many others.

With real work to do, Xu Xiaoyan seized the chance to escape the tiger’s den. As she ran to the door, she didn’t forget to look back and give a certain someone, who was hoping for a little more mischief, a sweet, sweet smile: "You’d better get on with your proper work. With how busy it’s going to be tonight, I reckon I’ll have to work overtime here. I’ve got to get busy..."

Yan Fei’s mind immediately wandered again, "Go on, go on!"

He wanted to say more, but seeing Xu Xiaoyan had already dashed out, he reluctantly swallowed the rest of his words.

He really was busy, served him right for not being able to slack off. Before he could take a break, the phone rang again. This time, it was Secretary Xiao Zhao from the county: "Boss Yan, are you encountering any difficulties with the start of work these past days? Secretary Jiao mentioned he would make time to visit tomorrow, to check on your situation. If there are any problems, feel free to report them. Secretary Jiao is very concerned about your project; if there’s an issue, just speak up. Don’t be shy..."

"There’s nothing problematic, just started with the work. Secretary Jiao is welcome to come and provide guidance!" Yan Fei was somewhat relieved, feeling that at least someone cared about his work. Difficulties didn’t need to be mentioned; with so many helpful people around, just having a visit would suffice.

Secretary Xiao Zhao immediately laughed, "That’s settled, then. There’s no need for pleasantries. When Secretary Jiao says he wants to check things out, he really means to help you resolve issues, so why the formality?"

I do believe that. It’s not the first time we’ve interacted. If I were to describe Secretary Jiao in two words: down-to-earth.