Chapter 31: Heading to Chang'an

The next day, as soon as work started, Lu Fan went to the township government to borrow someone from Secretary Li Daqiang. The chef in the township government kitchen was famous throughout the county for his mutton-cooking skills, and many leaders came to Baishu Bay specifically to eat his mutton.

Secretary Li said helplessly, "Xiao Fan, Old Chen is sick. He had surgery and definitely can't help you."

"Ah? That's finished. This mutton has to be sent to the province."

Secretary Li laughed, "Old Chen is down, but Xiao Chen is still here, and he has received Old Chen's true teachings. I've tasted his cooking; it's basically the same. Do you want to borrow him?"

"Borrow, of course I want to borrow him!"

Lu Fan led the chef back to the forest farm and gave him two cartons of Furongwang cigarettes before he started working.

Chen Tianhao accepted the cigarettes with a smile and stated, "Director, don't worry. If this meat isn't cooked well, you can eat my meat!"

Lu Fan laughed, "I believe in your skills! Tianhao, your dad should be back to work after the New Year, right? Will you have to be a kitchen helper again? I think you might as well come to the forest farm as a chef and be the 'number one'!"

Chen Tianhao's eyes lit up, and he said, "If the director thinks highly of me and gives me face, of course I have to take it! I'll go back and tell the old man, and I'll come over when he goes back to work. I can't take these cigarettes!"

"If I give them to you, take them. If you really want to thank me, bring out your best skills and cook the mutton well!"

"Just wait and see!"

"Don't rush. Prepare during the day, stew the meat at night, and pack it into the pressure cookers tomorrow morning. I'll take it away, and I must ensure the meat is piping hot when I leave."

"Guarantee to complete the mission!"

Lu Fan personally supervised, treating these two matters as political tasks to be completed, intending to use this to break into the director's circle.

Character determines destiny, quality determines life, details determine success or failure, and attitude determines everything.

In the afternoon, Uncle Wu sent someone to deliver a business car. Twenty pots of mutton took up a lot of space, and an ordinary sedan couldn't hold them.

In the evening, Lu Fan asked Director Guo Tongyu when they would set off tomorrow.

Director Guo said, "We'll leave at eight o'clock, go to Yingjiang first, which should take an hour or two. Then we'll go to Chang'an, striving to finish everything in one day so we can come back and spend the New Year with peace of mind. Is everything ready?"

"Director, don't worry, everything is in place. I'll come to pick you up on time tomorrow morning."

Immediately, Chen Tianhao started working, putting over 200 catties of premium mutton into the pots. Du Wenlong and Su Xiaoyi helped, and Lu Fan followed along to learn, intending to "steal the craft" of this clear-soup mutton. A clear, fragrant smell wafted over the entire forest farm.

At five o'clock in the morning, the forest farm began to bustle. Chen Tianhao started packing the hot, fragrant mutton into the pressure cookers. Du Wenlong, Su Xiaoyi, and Wang Le wiped every pot clean and then packed them into boxes.

At six o'clock sharp, 23 pots of mutton were loaded, and Lu Fan set off with Du Wenlong.

At seven-fifty, the business car stopped at the Forestry Bureau staff quarters, and Guo Tongyu was waiting at the gate, smoking.

After getting into the car, Lu Fan gave Director Guo a box of Huazi cigarettes and specially prepared a thermos cup filled with brewed Tieguanyin tea, serving the director meticulously.

"Director, this is my brother, Du Wenlong, here to be a runner for you."

"Hello, leader!"

"Xiao Du, thank you for your hard work!"

"You're too polite, leader. It's my honor to serve you."

Guo Tongyu was becoming more and more satisfied with Lu Fan. Everything he entrusted to him was handled beautifully; he thought ahead and acted first in everything. He even had the idea of transferring him back to the bureau.

Half an hour later, they drove off the highway. Guo Tongyu said, "Go straight to the staff quarters of the Municipal Forestry Bureau. The leaders all live there, which saves trouble. Xiao Fan, do you have a girlfriend?"

Lu Fan smiled shyly and said, "Director Guo, my family situation is poor. Thanks to the leaders' care, I finally got a job. Now I'm focused entirely on work. No matter what, I can't lose face for you, so how could I have time to talk about a girlfriend? Besides, Baishu Bay is a poor and remote place, there aren't many girls, and the atmosphere in that place isn't good. You understand!"

Guo Tongyu laughed, "The atmosphere there is indeed problematic; even good people go there and turn bad. But you're young and vigorous, you need to find a girlfriend. I'll look for one for you in the county."

"Director, would anyone look at someone like me? I don't have anything, and I still have to support my sister who is in her first year of middle school. Besides, I'm not even 19 yet, still a few years away from the legal marriage age. Who could date me for so long?"

"Don't belittle yourself. You're at least a rising star in our forestry system. Work hard, strive to get the deputy section level when the time comes, and who would dare look down on you? But age is indeed a problem. Those who are working are all a few years older than you, so let's wait two more years."

Arriving at the Municipal Forestry Bureau staff quarters, Guo Tongyu poked his head out and greeted the security guard, looking very familiar, and the car was let in smoothly.

The car stopped downstairs at Unit 2. Guo Tongyu took out a list and handed it to Lu Fan, saying, "I'm going to the director's house, I'll probably sit for a while. You go deliver to the 5 section chiefs. I've already greeted them. Don't go inside, just deliver and leave, then take a pot and wait for me at 402."

Lu Fan nodded and said, "Don't worry, I guarantee to complete the mission."

Guo Tongyu personally carried a pot and walked away with his briefcase. Lu Fan and Du Wenlong each carried a pot and went to Unit 3.

The first house was the Municipal Bureau Office Director Huo Peilin. After knocking on the door, Lu Fan said with a full face of smiles, "Director Huo, I'm Lu Fan, Director of Baishu Bay Forest Farm. Director Guo arranged for me to bring some local specialties."

Huo Peilin laughed, "Your Director Guo is too polite. We met just a couple of days ago. You're Lu Fan, right? Young and promising. Let's exchange contact information!"

Lu Fan quickly gave his phone number and added, "Director Huo, if you have anything, just give me a call anytime. You're welcome to come to Baishu Bay to play. Fishing and having a barbecue are quite nice; that's all we have—beautiful mountains and clear waters."

"I'll definitely go when I have time. Come in and have a cup of water."

"I won't disturb your family reunion. We'll take our leave."

"Alright, let's keep in touch in the future!"

In less than twenty minutes, Lu Fan and Du Wenlong completed the task. They carried a pot of meat and went to 402 in Unit 2. Du Wenlong stood by in the car.

After waiting for a few minutes, Guo Tongyu arrived. He knocked on the door, and a burly man opened it, laughing, "Tongyu, we have everything at home. You insist on coming; you're too polite. Come in and sit!"

"Director Wang, we only have these few good things in Ningyang, so we must let the family taste them. Since it's the New Year, we won't go in. Oh, let me introduce you. This is Lu Fan, the director of Baishu Bay."

"Oh, young and promising. Follow your director well, and you'll definitely have a great future!"

Lu Fan quickly said, "I wish Director Wang a Happy New Year, good health, and smooth work." After saying this, he placed the "pressure cooker" on the shoe rack.

After a round, Lu Fan followed the director and got to know the Municipal Bureau Deputy Directors Wang Zheng, Tian Lei, and Cheng Zeheng, which could be considered as getting familiar.

People often say: girlfriends rely on moving, business relies on movement, relationships rely on walking, and success relies on action!

Lu Fan believed that water drips through stone, and time reveals a person's heart. If he manages it well, these people will all be his connections in the future.

After handling the municipal bureau leaders, the three headed to the provincial capital.

On the highway, Guo Tongyu asked, "Xiao Fan, the mutton was prepared very well this time. You are very attentive."

"This is a major event for the bureau, how could I be careless? Without the support of superiors, our work is hard to do. This is something that can't be helped, and you must be annoyed too!"

"Sigh, who says it isn't? The cake is only so big, and it can be given to anyone. Why should they give more to you? With a big mouth and empty teeth, can the special funds be approved? Our bureau is a big spender, and some people talk behind our backs, but they don't look at how much special funding the Forestry Bureau brings back every year?"

"Director, that's naked jealousy. You don't need to take it to heart. You are the one doing the real work. Those who are half-full are the ones chattering non-stop. Our bureau has been provincial-level excellent for three consecutive years. I think you're not far from being a Deputy County Chief."

"Haha, it's hard! I'm like a widow sleeping—no one above me! Xiao Fan, a piece of advice: in officialdom, you can't go far without a background. In the county, reaching my level is the limit. You're still young. If you have ideas, no matter what method you use, find a powerful background."

After driving on the highway for more than two hours, the mountains gradually became fewer and smaller, and the front was boundless. Is this the legendary Guanzhong Plain?

This was Lu Fan's first time leaving Yingjiang City and stepping out of the Loess Plateau. He was like a child who had never seen the world, finding everything novel, especially the fields on the plain, lush and boundless. It really is good land. I heard that the wheat here is harvested twice a year, but what's the use?

Those who are covered in silk are not the ones raising silkworms. Relying on farming can't make you rich. Just like the rich people in the village, none of them got rich from farming.

Although he hadn't been working for long, Lu Fan already understood that people can't get rich by diligence. It can only solve your food and clothing problems. Getting rich depends on brains, vision, wrist, and opportunity. Wealth is a compensation for cognition, not a reward for diligence. Without heaven-reaching means, where would the vast wealth come from?

By the time farming can make big money, those who can farm will definitely not be farmers; the land will inevitably be transferred and monopolized by capital.

After another hour or so, he finally saw Chang'an!

The first landscape he saw was "Jing and Wei clearly distinguished"—the Jing River is clear, the Wei River is muddy, and the boundary is clear.

Looking at Lu Fan's curious appearance, looking left and right, Guo Tongyu laughed, "Xiao Fan, first time in Chang'an?"

Lu Fan said embarrassedly, "I only went to Yingjiang last year, never left the city!"

"You still need to see more of the world to know how wonderful the outside is! Chang'an, the millennium imperial capital, has a thick historical and cultural heritage, exuding cultural atmosphere everywhere. It is indeed worth seeing."

The second day of the first show, starting the rating. Five-star reviews are needed. Thank you for your support! ===== CHAPTER 32 =====