"Get up! You'll be late for work if you don't get up now!"
"Mmm... No, let me sleep a little longer! Just a little while!"
Li Ya mumbled, her lips pouting, her face full of morning grumpiness.
"Then I'll get up first!"
Qin Chuan sat up and started to get dressed. Several distinct scratch marks appeared on his bronze back, hinting at the intensity of the situation.
...
Half an hour later, the two were sitting by a breakfast stall, eating breakfast together.
The Tiger Head Benz parked at the breakfast stall drew pointed fingers from the crowd. Many recognized the young man and woman eating breakfast as the most famous representatives of Yongnan County.
One was a rising star, with millions in assets at a young age, involved in building construction and running supermarkets. As for Li Ya, she was the beautiful factory director of Butterfly Clothing Factory.
The two of them together were truly a match made in heaven, a perfect couple.
Many common folk called out, "Boss Qin!" and "Director Li!" To this, both Qin Chuan and Li Ya responded with smiles, occasionally chatting with everyone, showing great approachability and no airs whatsoever.
After breakfast, Li Ya parted ways with Qin Chuan and went to work at the clothing factory.
Last night, she had received a million yuan from Qin Chuan. With this influx of capital, many of the clothing factory's plans would need adjustments.
Meanwhile, Qin Chuan drove to a hotel. Li Chunsheng was already waiting there.
"Where is Boss Wang? Why don't I see him?"
"Boss Wang had breakfast with me and then headed straight to the construction site."
"Alright, then we'll head to the construction site first, and then we'll go see the electronics factory."
Li Chunsheng had no objections. This was Qin Chuan's territory, and he was the boss, so whatever he said went.
The two of them drove to the construction site and found Wang Ying's team to be very proactive, already setting up mechanical equipment and looking ready to start work.
Qin Chuan personally sat down with Wang Ying for a lengthy discussion, and they finalized the contract and construction plan.
Afterward, Qin Chuan called Zheng Chengdao, instructing him to arrange for people to purchase materials for shipbuilding soon, as the sand quarry could begin operations once the road was completed.
Therefore, the dredging ship could be prepared in advance.
The construction of the dredging ship itself was quite simple. Many experienced old welders living by the Yellow River could build one. It primarily required materials like iron plates, channel steel, steel pipes, angle steel, diesel engines, sand pumps, small water pumps, and outboard motors.
Thus, Qin Chuan decided against outsourcing the procurement and instead hired people to build it themselves, which would save a considerable amount of money.
After arranging everything, Qin Chuan drove with Li Chunsheng to the county government.
The moment the Tiger Head Benz entered the compound, the entire government premises fell silent as everyone cast their gaze.
Government officials were different from ordinary folk; they certainly recognized the emblem of a luxury car like Mercedes-Benz.
Everyone was awestruck by the imposing presence of the Tiger Head Benz, wondering which wealthy magnate had arrived. Such a powerful Benz likely cost over a million yuan.
It wasn't until Qin Chuan stepped out of the car that these government officials were even more astonished.
Qin Chuan was a very familiar face here; almost everyone knew him.
But precisely because they knew him, their surprise was even greater.
In the past, Qin Chuan had driven a broken Santana, which actually belonged to the beautiful factory director of Butterfly Clothing Factory. To think that he was now driving a Benz after not being seen for less than a month!
Although many didn't know the exact price of the Benz before them.
"I thought it was someone else, but it's Boss Qin!"
"Boss Qin, where did you make your fortune to be driving a Benz now!"
"Boss Qin, you're amazing!"
"Will you let us follow you from now on?"
A flurry of voices instantly surrounded Qin Chuan, to which he responded with smiles, greeting everyone one by one.
Li Chunsheng, standing beside Qin Chuan, inwardly nodded as he witnessed this warm reception.
Qin Chuan hadn't lied; he indeed had considerable influence in this county, even if the county itself was a bit dilapidated and impoverished...
"Uncle Li, let's go! I'll take you to meet the County Magistrate!"
Having finally dealt with everyone, Qin Chuan led Li Chunsheng familiarly towards the second floor.
As they ascended, the door to an office not far away was pushed open, and Wang Ping'an emerged.
Their eyes met, and a brilliant smile spread across Qin Chuan's face as he called out, "Hello, Secretary Wang!"
Wang Ping'an sized up Qin Chuan, a peculiar expression on his face.
"Brother Wang, what's with that look?"
Qin Chuan asked, bewildered.
"You kid... Is that Tiger Head Benz downstairs really yours?"
Wang Ping'an inquired.
Qin Chuan blinked, then quickly reacted, chuckling, "Did Brother Wang see it from the window just now?"
"Of course, such a commotion! I'm not deaf!"
Wang Ping'an rolled his eyes.
"A friend gave it to me! You could say I bought it myself!"
Qin Chuan explained, then asked, "Is the County Magistrate in?"
"Yes, I'll take you there."
Wang Ping'an didn't press for details about the Benz's origin and led the way.
Entering the County Magistrate's office, Ye Qingping was engrossed in his work behind the desk.
"County Magistrate, Qin Chuan is back!"
Wang Ping'an walked over and said softly, then leaned in to whisper a few words into Ye Qingping's ear. A fleeting look of surprise flickered in Ye Qingping's eyes.
Then, his expression transformed into a broad smile. "Well, well, our Boss Qin has finally returned from the provincial capital!"
Qin Chuan smiled and nodded. "Yes, I'm back! I've come specifically to help the County Magistrate solve some problems!"
Upon hearing Qin Chuan's words, Ye Qingping's smile became even warmer by three points. He enthusiastically invited Qin Chuan and Li Chunsheng to sit down.
"And this gentleman is..."
Ye Qingping's gaze fell upon Li Chunsheng.
"Oh, my memory! I forgot to introduce him!"
Qin Chuan tapped his forehead. "County Magistrate, this is Li Chunsheng. He's a research engineer I've recruited from out of town. He graduated from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and specializes in electronic information technology."
"Uncle Li, this is County Magistrate Ye!"
Li Chunsheng stood up and extended his hand. "Hello, County Magistrate Ye!"
"Hello, Mr. Li!"
Ye Qingping was surprised. "Mr. Li graduated from the Chinese Academy of Sciences? That's our country's top scientific institution. Impressive!"
Wang Ping'an, who was carrying a teapot, also showed a shocked expression upon hearing that Li Chunsheng had graduated from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Li Chunsheng smiled modestly. "County Magistrate Ye flatters me. I'm just an old scholar, only knowing how to deal with knowledge my entire life."
"Dealing with knowledge is excellent! Our country urgently needs talents like Mr. Li right now."
Perhaps due to Li Chunsheng's high academic qualifications, Ye Qingping's attitude towards him was exceptionally warm.