After Accidentally Marrying the Big Shot in a Period Novel

Chapter 70

The knock on the door was more effective than any reminder could be. Qi Fang froze mid-action.He then raised his eyes, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through the door and land squarely on the person outside.

Yan Xue found it amusing and nudged him. "They're calling for you, Master Qi."

Master Qi withdrew his gaze—and his hand. "I'm going."

After all, it was work hours. He couldn’t just stay in the breakroom with Yan Xue doing nothing. This wasn’t his private space.

The door soon opened, and Master Qi emerged looking even colder than when he’d entered. "Which workshop?"

The young apprentice had assumed the couple had been arguing inside, but when he glanced past Qi Fang, he saw Yan Xue’s bright, smiling eyes.

Honestly, she was quite lovely to look at—but after just one glance, he suddenly felt like the stove in the room wasn’t burning well enough.

Qi Fang stood at the doorway, glancing down at the apprentice, then surveying the crowded workshop outside before turning back to Yan Xue. "Why don’t you come with me?"

Yan Xue didn’t mind where she stayed, but she still asked the apprentice, "Is that allowed?"

The apprentice answered earnestly, "Master didn’t say we couldn’t bring others."

So Master Hong waited and waited for the apprentice to return, only to find him bringing back a young, pretty woman along the way.

"Master Qi’s wife came, so it took a little longer," the apprentice explained seriously.

Talk about poor timing—couldn’t he have waited before interrupting when the man’s wife was visiting?

But since she was already here, Master Hong gave Qi Fang a nod in greeting before explaining the situation.

After listening, Qi Fang first inspected the tractor being retrofitted. "Is this a TDT-40?"

Before the domestically produced Jicai-50 was developed and put into production, the main forestry logging tractors were Soviet-imported RT-12s.

But the RT-12 ran on wood gas, requiring a stop every hour and a half to reload firewood. Later, the Soviets produced a diesel version and renamed it the TDT-40.

However, TDT-40s were rare in Chengshui. Master Hong was impressed that Qi Fang recognized it at a glance. "Yes, one of the later batches of TDT-40s."

Qi Fang nodded without further comment and began inspecting the machine’s hydraulic transmission system, followed by the engine.

Master Hong watched him work. "Engineer Shen checked it once before and said the machine was overloaded. But we’ve used it like this plenty of times—never had issues before."

"Forestry logging and construction work are different," Qi Fang said. "Forestry machines operate at 60-70% capacity, while bulldozers run at over 90%."

Not just the utilization rate—the work intensity also differed. Bulldozers often faced prolonged, high-intensity operation.

After a full inspection, Qi Fang circled back to the front and examined the bulldozer’s blade. "What’s the capacity?"

Master Hong gave a number close to Qi Fang’s estimate. "The machine really is overloaded. This is a TDT-40 with a 50-horsepower engine. If it were an RT-12’s 45-horsepower, a blade this size might not even be movable."

Overloading strained both the engine and transmission system—no wonder the transmission kept failing.

"So what should we do?" Master Hong had assumed as long as it could move, it was fine. He hadn’t realized there were so many technicalities.

The best solution would be installing a higher-density hydraulic system, but since they were retrofitting a tractor into a bulldozer, the county definitely didn’t have the budget for that.

Qi Fang thought for a moment. "Got paper and pen?"he same."

"You think everyone’s as selfless as you?" Shan Qiufang blurted, then sighed. "How long will this take to heal? And Qi Fang isn’t even home."

At the mention of Qi Fang, Yan Xue hesitated. "It’s alright. The doctor said three or four weeks."

"Still, you need to rest. No heavy work for months. That reckless driver—couldn’t he have slowed down?"

But complaints wouldn’t help now. They needed to check if the post office was still open to send word to the forestry station. Otherwise, Yan Xue’s family would worry when she didn’t return that night.

Unfortunately, the post office was already closed. Shan Qiufang suggested, "Should we try your uncle’s workplace?"

"Anything wrong?" A voice interrupted as a cyclist passed by and stopped.

Yan Xue recognized him. "Secretary Qu."

"Didn’t you call me ‘brother’ last time?" Qu Mingli waved from his bike, then noticed her sling. "Need help?"

After his second offer, Yan Xue explained, "We missed the train after the accident. I wanted to call home."

"Use my office phone," Qu Mingli said without hesitation, turning his bike around.

The trio climbed the slope to the forestry bureau office, only to hear the phone ringing as they entered.

Qu Mingli gestured for them to wait while he answered. "Hello, Uncle Yue... Yes, I’ve settled in well here. The province’s land is prosperous, its people outstanding... The issue’s resolved. No trouble for the provincial office, right? The task will definitely be completed..."

Yan Xue hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but "Uncle Yue" caught her attention—she recalled a prominent figure with that surname often featured in provincial newspapers.

Qu Mingli soon hung up and provided the number for Jinchuan Forestry Station.

After notifying her family and thanking him, Yan Xue stayed at Shan Qiufang’s place overnight and returned home the next day.

The Second Old Lady was heartbroken to see her sling. Even little Yan Jigang looked solemn, blowing on her injury and asking if it hurt.

Unexpectedly, a letter from Qi Fang arrived the following day, asking if everything at home was alright.

After some thought, Yan Xue chose not to mention her injury, replying only that all was well and he needn’t worry.

When Qi Fang received her response, he didn’t press further. He’d only asked because rumors had reached him about a near-accident on the road to Chengshui.

Meanwhile, after Wu Xingde’s failed attempt to sway Yan Xue, Engineer Shen had grown more relentless, repeatedly insinuating doubts about Qi Fang’s solution.

Frustrated by Qi Fang’s silence, Shen changed tactics. "I got another call from above yesterday—if we can’t fix these Jicai-50 machines, the hydrostatic research gets scrapped. They called it a waste of state funds, useless."

He sighed dramatically. "After a lifetime of research by so many, how can it be ‘useless’? If this fails, the project might stall for decades."

"A lifetime of research?" Qi Fang’s gaze turned sharp. "By whom? Your mentor? Or those who grabbed a half-finished project to chase fame?"

His peach-blossom eyes glinted coldly. "This isn’t my burden. I didn’t build these, nor have I taken a cent of state funding."

"The real issue is your rushed testing, slow problem-solving, and relying on a mechanic like me. That’s why it’s still unresolved."

The sudden outburst stunned everyone—especially Qi Fang’s uncharacteristic verbosity, each word striking a nerve.

Engineer Shen’s face darkened with rage. "What does a lowly mechanic know? You’re just afraid of being exposed as a fraud—"

Before he could finish speaking, Master Hong's booming voice came from outside the workshop, "Qi Fang, about that bulldozer you fixed for me last time..."

As soon as the door opened, he noticed the tense atmosphere inside and froze, "What's going on here?"

Qi Fang snapped, "If I'm not allowed to go home to my wife, I'll take it out on anyone in my way!"