Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 864 - 484: The Eve of National Day

Chapter 864: Chapter 484: The Eve of National Day

The sounds of gongs and drums filled the sky!

Another bustling event was happening in Sancha River town!

From the entrance of the cattle farm all the way to the west end of the bridge, lines of large and small drums were set up along the road. Even the firecrackers prepared by the cattle farm for greeting guests were unnecessary, for as soon as the county officials’ cars arrived, the people on both sides of the road were even more energized. The thunderous drumbeats echoed to the heavens, shaking the bridge until it quivered like trembling Haloxylon ammodendron.

The result was quite the opposite of what was intended. Secretary Jiao stepped out of the car amidst the cacophony of gongs and drums, and his first words were to reprimand Mayor Chen, "Old Chen, you’re an experienced comrade, but you’re still engaging in this formalism. Isn’t this a waste of the people’s labor and resources? It’s fine for those receiving cattle, but what’s with all these drums? It’s the busy farming season, are you not worried about delaying the autumn harvest by pulling so many people together?"

The smile on Mayor Chen’s face immediately turned awkward, and after a moment, he looked more wronged than Dou Er, "Secretary Jiao, this really wasn’t organized by the township, it was all spontaneously done by the masses. You ask Boss Yan, he knows best."

Standing nearby, Yan Fei didn’t seem to know whether he was defending Mayor Chen or fanning the flames, "People in our township heard that Secretary Jiao was coming and they all came over to welcome him of their own accord. Not one of these big drums was called for by us, they really all came here on their own initiative..."

As he spoke, his heart was quite amused: who said men have to be magnanimous? Who said it’s bad to be petty? Isn’t this just perfect?

In the past few days, the rumor had spread like wildfire through the township that back in Huangtuwa, when Boss Yan wanted to rent land to grow grass, he had made the village chief lose face and was very displeased about it. In fact, there were no secrets in the township, and quite a few people had already heard about it. It was only after Yan Fei deducted two quotas from that village that the matter was brought up again.

With Huangtuwa being such a large village, it was originally allocated four cattle quotas, but Boss Yan changed that to two with a single remark. It wasn’t a big issue, but the village chief of Huangtuwa had lost face, and it wasn’t something he could pick up again quickly.

Many people also realized that even though Boss Yan might be awesome and capable of making money, he was ultimately still a youngster. At his age, whether city kid or country kid, it’s the prime time for mischief and disobedience, so calling him a naughty child wasn’t an overstatement.

If he was a naughty child, then he would be hard to predict. Don’t be fooled by his usual laughing demeanor, seeming carefree about everything. But once someone rubbed him the wrong way, no one knew what he’d do to vent his frustration.

Some people, understanding the ways of the world, started to figure out what Boss Yan liked. They racked their brains, but it was troubling to think of anything. The man could make money, and he had a college-educated wife. He had no other desires. And even if he did, there was little that our poor village could offer. In the end, all we could think of was to try to flatter him and boost his ego a little.

The folks in the township really couldn’t think of anything fancy, but the villages had drums and gongs that had been gathering thick dust over the years, so why not bring them out to bolster Boss Yan’s prestige?

One village started drumming and parading over, and when other villages saw it, they thought: We can’t fall behind. If Boss Yan sees that we’re not as supportive, wouldn’t it appear that we value him less? Ringing a gong and beating a drum doesn’t need many people, and since some folks were going to collect cattle anyway, missing a few hours of labor was worth it. The more people we have, the more we’d show our gratitude to Boss Yan and let him know that we’re not ungrateful, insensitive folks.

And so, it wasn’t just the drums and gongs that arrived; most of the village tractors were put to use as well. After all, adding the cattle that were to be distributed today, Boss Yan had a total of over one thousand heads. That’s at least five hundred households. Who didn’t have a relative or a friend? The villages in the township are all interconnected by relations, so when a few more came to join the excitement, the numbers were staggering.

From the entrance of the cattle farm heading west, it was two rows of drums and gongs, and going north, all the way to the gate of the town’s fortress, tractors lined the roadside, a magnificent sight.

When Secretary Jiao first got out of the car, he was somewhat displeased, but as he walked towards the entrance of the cattle farm and looked back, seeing the endless stream of people and vehicles, he began to understand.

The township could never have such a strong pull on its own. Ultimately, it was Boss Yan’s influence that was strong. That’s not quite right to say either. It should be said that Boss Yan could bring hope to everyone, showing them the benefits that made everyone take action.

Originally, Yan Fei wanted his parents to come as well, but the fertilizer factory was in its busiest season, and there was simply no way they could take time off to come. After the autumn harvest, the fields need to be fertilized. Now the fertilizer factories were working overtime, production is nonstop; to think of taking a leave was a dream, with not working overtime already being a blessing.

The cattle farm was well-organized for the distribution; recipients queued to have their fingerprints taken, and after that, they’d carry their agreement to collect their cattle—all orderly and regulated. There was no need to crowd or pick; everything was arranged by the farm, collected in order—whatever cattle one got in their turn was theirs, and there was no cause for complaint whether some calves were slightly bigger or smaller.

Of course, that’s the official line, but the actual operation was still carried out by people. With each household receiving two heads of cattle, a fair mix was generally ensured so that no one ended up with only notably larger or smaller calves.

Those who had brought big red flowers for the occasion quickly adorned their cattle with them and led them in line to take photos. With a snap here and a snap there, Secretary Jiao hurriedly took a few photos and rushed back to the car to leave. However, a familiar reporter stayed behind—it was Zhang Kun, the newspaper journalist whom Yan Fei knew.