"It's fine, it's normal to have rats in the countryside," Chen Feng reassured Cheng Lu.
"But this rat is too big and too disgusting!" Cheng Lu shivered.
"Don't worry, the rat will leave after circling the room once." Chen Feng comforted Cheng Lu.
"How do you know the rat won't come back after circling once?" Cheng Lu asked curiously.
"Your dormitory doesn't have any cooking, no snacks, and no food at all. Of course, the rat won't come back. Alright, the rat is gone, everything is fine." Chen Feng, his face flushed, put Cheng Lu down. He had to put her down, otherwise, the gun might go off.
"Chen Feng, my mind is full of rats now. What should I do if I'm afraid to sleep alone?" Cheng Lu said with lingering fear.
"Then sleep with the lights on, rats are afraid of light," Chen Feng suggested.
"But the fear in my mind is still there. How about you sleep with me?" Cheng Lu tested.
"Miss Cheng, this is the countryside, not like the city which is so open. A man and a woman sleeping together might be normal in the city. But in the countryside, rumors will fly everywhere…" Chen Feng quickly declined. It was as he said before, the political arena, like the entertainment industry, if you handle relationships between men and women poorly, it's easy to ruin someone. He was doing well in Wulin Village, and Qin Yan was also having a smooth career that year, it was a time for rapid advancement. He absolutely couldn't let rumors about men and women ruin this great situation.
Cheng Lu listened to Chen Feng's explanation and deeply agreed. If nothing else, her father's smooth sailing in politics was due to his extreme caution with women. He only had her mother his whole life, so opponents had no leverage.
"Alright, then you can go back to sleep. I'll sleep with the lights on. Oh, and don't forget to keep the WeChat video call active. Seeing you, I won't be afraid of rats anymore," Cheng Lu said as she opened WeChat. Chen Feng said nothing and readily opened WeChat. Cheng Lu was a rich young lady from Jiangcheng, and it was really commendable that she could stay in the countryside for so long.
Returning to his dormitory, Chen Feng went straight to bed without even washing up. By more than ten o'clock the next morning, Chen Feng woke up from his sleep. He checked the WeChat video call and his nose was bleeding. In the video, Cheng Lu was still asleep. Due to the shooting angle, it perfectly captured her two generous curves from top to bottom. Chen Feng really wanted to look a few more times; after all, who wouldn't like generous curves? However, at that moment, someone called him.
"Village Chief, regarding the crayfish project, are we still producing the new asphalt material?" the head of the crayfish project asked anxiously.
"Of course, we are producing it!" Chen Feng replied resolutely.
"But the warehouse is already full. My intention is, should we temporarily halt production?" the head of the crayfish project tested.
"No need to stop. If the original warehouse can't hold it, move it to the reserve warehouse," Chen Feng replied word for word.
"Village Chief, actually, the biggest problem isn't the warehouse. If there's anything abundant in the countryside, it's warehouses. The problem is, with so much new asphalt material piling up like mountains, continuing production will completely tie up all the working capital for the crayfish project," the head of the crayfish project said earnestly.
"I know all of what you're saying. Don't worry, I'll personally go and explore the market today. You just keep producing at full capacity," Chen Feng reassured the head of the crayfish project.
"Village Chief, I don't know if I should say this or not," the head of the crayfish project said hesitantly.
"It's fine, just say it."
"It's like this, the few marketing personnel currently in the crayfish project are quite capable. Apart from the new asphalt material which hasn't been sold, all other crayfish project products have been promoted very well. You, as the village chief, are skilled in administrative management. In terms of market marketing, you might not be as good as them…" the head of the crayfish project said softly.
"You are absolutely right, I am indeed not as good as them in market marketing. However, you must understand one thing. The reason why the new asphalt material cannot be sold is not a problem with market marketing, but a mistake in the direction," Chen Feng said seriously.
"Wrong direction?"
"Yes, wrong direction. The top salespeople in the crayfish project have no issues with their abilities, but this new asphalt material is a special government product, and it has little to do with the market. Does that make sense?"
"I understand perfectly. In that case, this matter really requires you, the Village Chief, to personally step in." The head of the crayfish project said excitedly. Chen Feng smiled, said no more, and left Wulin Village for Yongming County. Recently, Yongming County has been carrying out the "Village to Village Connectivity" project, which is a good opportunity for Qin Yan to help promote the new asphalt material.
"The procurement of new asphalt material for Yongming County, this issue is a bit difficult," Qin Yan replied with a frown.
"Deputy Director Qin, you have some connections in Yongming County, and it should be a small matter for you to say a word, right?" Chen Feng tested.
"It wouldn't be a big problem originally, but you've come too late," Qin Yan said bluntly.
"Came too late?"
"Yes, came too late. In fact, when the Yongming County Village to Village Connectivity project was approved, the material procurement was already decided internally."
"But, my new asphalt material is of better quality than the old material, and the price is also lower than the old material. Could I trouble Deputy Director Qin to use her connections?" Chen Feng said seriously.
"Chen Feng, you've been in the political arena for quite some time. Do I need to reiterate such a simple principle? In politics, connections always come first, and cost-effectiveness comes second. To put it bluntly, even if the Village to Village Connectivity project is very expensive, it's not a problem. The higher authorities can just come up with any reason to cover it up. Understand?" Qin Yan sighed.
"Deputy Director Qin, after hearing what you said, I understand everything. It seems I still lack a deep understanding of many things in the political arena. Well, that means I can only make a trip to the provincial capital."
"Tell me, why are you going to the provincial capital?" Qin Yan asked with interest.
"Yesterday, I saw a news item on a WeChat public account. The provincial capital has released a three-year plan, and one of the plans is to build several highways to connect the major cities in the province. This is a great opportunity." Chen Feng said seriously.
"Hmm, a promising student. The Yongming County Village to Village Connectivity project is not very large-scale. The provincial highway construction plan is where you can truly showcase your talents. If you can secure the large order for the provincial highway construction plan's material procurement, I will directly promote you to be the deputy town mayor in charge of economy in Mingshan Town. If not, then you can only start from a leisurely position in the Religious Affairs Bureau of Mingshan Town," Qin Yan said solemnly.
"Deputy Director Qin, for the position of deputy town mayor of Mingshan Town, I will go all out!" Chen Feng vowed. In his mind, Chen Feng had already pictured an important figure in the provincial capital. With his help, the opportunity is great!