From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 604: Chapter 606: Letting Go Early

They had just arranged for Tang Liping to be taken to an inn when the expressions on He Gaofei and the others soured.

"These people just can’t wait." Though they knew this was inevitable, being pushed out so eagerly was still enough to leave a bad taste in their mouths.

"And here I thought you were all getting along so well with them," Ancient Wen Heng said with a smile, shaking his head. ’These people sure can change their tune quickly.’

Lu Shenggen said, "It’s just that it feels unfair. We came here and took over a complete mess. After all the hard work we put into building this place up, these people just show up to reap the rewards.

"I’d even thought about whether I could be reappointed. Better the devil you know, after all.

"I guess working too hard doesn’t pay off. Now we’re just handing it all over to someone else on a silver platter."

He Gaofei walked over, put an arm around his shoulder, and guided him inside. "You can’t think that way. Under Mr. Gu’s leadership, we’ve made Lu City what it is today. No one can take that accomplishment away from us.

"In fact, they’re the ones who should be worried. Lu City is running so perfectly that they won’t even know where to begin.

"If our superiors see them accomplish nothing for years, do you think they’ll still see this post as such a prize?"

"Mr. He, I may not be as clever as you, but that doesn’t mean I’m a fool." Lu Shenggen shook off his hand. "Mr. Gu has laid such a solid foundation that even if they do nothing, Lu City will only continue to prosper.

"Besides, the Lu City Government Office has a whole crew of pioneers. Those people are constantly generating value."

’It’s a shame those people have now been registered as slaves, property of the Lu City Prefect’s Office. They are bound to contribute to this land until the day they die.’

At this thought, He Gaofei also felt a twinge of regret. After a few years of training, those Eastern Yi people had become excellent farmers.

In just a few years, they had reclaimed tens of thousands of acres of wasteland, a significant contribution to Lu City. ’Such a shame we can’t take them with us.’

Wu Yichen, however, paid them no mind, quietly following behind Ancient Wen Heng.

"Mr. Gu, they’ve arrived quite early. Should we wait until the scheduled date to begin the handover?"

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Of course not. I was just thinking of notifying them to come to the government office tomorrow to start the process."

"So soon? Even if we stuck to the schedule, they would have no grounds to complain."

"I’m not that foolish," Ancient Wen Heng said, flipping open a document on his desk before looking up at him. "The sooner we finish the handover, the sooner we can relax.

"We have to hand over this whole operation eventually, so why cling to the last few days?

"Wouldn’t it be better to free up more time to spend with our families, or to enjoy a few extra days of travel on the road?"

Wu Yichen asked, "Aren’t you reluctant to leave it all behind, sir?"

Ancient Wen Heng gave a light chuckle. "That depends on your perspective, Mr. Wu.

"We’ve all worked diligently for years, and it wasn’t easy to build this city into the prosperous place it is today. Of course, there’s some reluctance to leave.

"But you’re forgetting, Mr. Wu, that this was never our decision to make.

"Since that’s the case, why not make things easier on ourselves?

"I think their timing is perfect. As soon as the official transfer orders arrive, we can depart immediately.

"As for your reluctance... once this is all over and you look back, you’ll see it’s not such a big deal."

Wu Yichen was speechless. ’...What he said makes perfect sense. Looking back, all those past events already feel like distant memories.’

’Even some of the older memories have started to fade.’

He looked at Ancient Wen Heng, who was already engrossed in his official documents, and lamented internally at how vast the gap between them still was.

’Even after all these years of striving to learn and figure things out on my own, I still can’t seem to understand the man before me.’

He gave a self-deprecating smile. ’No matter how much I try to emulate him, I should be content just to have learned the basics.’

He decided not to disturb Ancient Wen Heng any further and returned to his own desk.

’Mr. Gu has a point. Sooner or later, I have to pass on this pile of work. Getting it off my hands early means a few more days of rest. Why kill myself over it?’

When He Gaofei and Lu Shenggen heard from him what Ancient Wen Heng had said, they decided to let loose a bit. They even made plans to slip out that very afternoon to buy some local souvenirs.

As they put it, after toiling away here for several years, it was high time they relaxed properly.

「The next day」

When Tang Liping and his men arrived at the Prefect’s Office, they were in for a shock.

The difficult reception they had imagined never materialized.

In fact, the officials before them seemed like they couldn’t wait to explain everything and hand it all over within a single day.

This was not what they had expected. ’Shouldn’t we be getting the cold shoulder?’

Ancient Wen Heng paid no mind to what they were thinking. He and He Gaofei and the others began with a simple handover of affairs.

Immediately after, they pushed all the official documents that were now their responsibility right in front of them.

"As it happens, we’ll still be around for a bit. You gentlemen can use this time to get familiar with everything. Feel free to ask us any questions you might have. But once we’re gone, you’re on your own," He Gaofei said with an exceptionally warm smile.

He was secretly quite pleased with himself. ’I might be the most cooperative official in history when it comes to handing over power.’

’Although, this Shi Xingchen who’s taking over my post doesn’t seem particularly bright.’

’I’d better explain things to him thoroughly. The sooner he takes over, the sooner I can get out of here and have some fun.’

’What was it that Mr. Gu said before?’

’Once this whole mess is handed over, he’s going to take us sea fishing again.’

’Our next post might not be in a coastal region. We have to seize this final opportunity to go out and enjoy the thrill of a good catch.’

Tang Liping and his men felt their heads swim. The towering stacks of official documents in front of them were a stark reminder that this was no dream.

To make matters worse, Mr. Gu and his men hadn’t even left. Instead, they had procured an eight-person table, with each of them occupying a corner, leisurely sipping fine tea.

The tabletop was also laden with all sorts of pastries. The stark contrast made them feel that this post they had fought so hard for had lost its appeal.

"Why do Mr. Gu and his men look so pleased with themselves?" Fang Wan said, sensing a conspiracy. "Do you think there’s something wrong with these documents?"

Wang You Tian replied, "I don’t think so. After all, the official handover date hasn’t even arrived. If there really is a problem, they can’t absolve themselves of responsibility.

"Could it be that there’s just always this much work in Lu City, and they’re taking this rare opportunity to rest by dumping it all on us?"

Shi Xingchen chimed in, "I doubt it. This doesn’t seem like an overwhelming amount of paperwork. I’m more inclined to believe the gentlemen are magnanimous and want to give us more time to acclimate.

"Besides, this is actually a good thing for us. Getting a head start on understanding the local situation and the affairs of this government office can only benefit us."

Tang Liping concluded, "Regardless, we have no path of retreat now.

"Whatever their intentions, let’s just focus on getting through the work in front of us."

Ancient Wen Heng: ’...’ ’They’re overthinking things.’