He changed Tiwat

"Lady Keqing is in charge of land development, so you must have seen the workers painting the wooden planks, right?"

“Of course.” Ke Qing nodded.

"Let's assume a worker needs to paint both sides of a wooden board. It takes him one minute to paint one side, and after the paint dries, he can flip the board over to paint the other side. The paint takes five minutes to dry. How long will it take him to paint six wooden boards?" Han Fulai asked.

“It takes seven minutes to brush both sides of a wooden board, so it takes forty-two minutes to brush six boards,” Ke Qing answered without hesitation.

“No, the answer is twelve minutes.” Han Fulai’s face showed the unique smile of a test-taker from a small town.

It's that kind of smug smile that says, "It's just a problem, I know it's nothing special, but I solved the problem you couldn't, so I'm the better one now."

"The worker only needs to paint one side of each of the six planks in order. By the time he finishes painting the sixth plank, five minutes have passed. So the paint on the first plank has dried. He just needs to flip the planks over and paint them again in order."

"Hmm." Ke Qing looked at Han Fulai's smile and felt a little itchy to try her hand at it. "So, Mr. Han, what are you trying to express by asking me this question?"

"This is what I meant by staffing issues. While the second plank is being painted, the paint on the first plank is drying. Similarly, a person cannot do only one thing at a time. Lady Keqing can arrange many things in parallel, and so can your subordinates."

“But having one staff member handle many things at the same time would increase the workload significantly and could potentially affect their original work…” Ke Qing hesitated.

“There is another principle, which is that the process of doing things can be broken down and does not necessarily have to be done by the same person. Many people can complete only one step of the process, and then put these steps together to still get a perfect result. For example, Lady Keqing and I took turns painting six wooden boards. Although it took a total of twelve minutes, each of us actually only spent six minutes.”

"You mean, even if some people are doing other jobs, they can be temporarily reassigned to participate in part of the fireworks display work, and then they can go back to their original jobs after they're done. This way, they won't have to delay their own work, and they can also improve the efficiency of the fireworks display preparations!" Ke Qing's eyes lit up.

“Pengyi is a fireworks designer. He doesn’t understand personnel management or the setup of fireworks display sites. If you put him in charge of all these things, it will definitely be less efficient. Why don’t you remove these responsibilities outside his expertise and let him focus on making fireworks and speed up the research and development of the various fireworks needed for the fireworks festival?”

“Miss Jiang Zhou already has experience in coordinating the Lantern Festival and is a civil servant in the General Affairs Department. She is very familiar with personnel organization, management, and resource allocation. The work she is currently in charge of regarding the construction progress of the ‘Mingxiao Lantern’ is simply review and supervision. She only needs to inspect the progress on time every day, and the rest of her time can be used to manage the organization of the fireworks display.”

“Miss Wangya is in charge of coordinating the donation of materials to Xiaoshi. She needs to stay near Xiaoshi, which happens to be next to the construction site of Mingxiao Lantern. So when Miss Jiangzhou is coordinating the fireworks event, Miss Wangya can help Miss Jiangzhou supervise the construction site of Mingxiao Lantern. She can also notify the General Affairs Department in a timely manner if anything happens.”

"...and there are others...like this."

Han Fulai reviewed the work arrangements for the General Affairs Department staff with Ke Qing. Each person only needed to take on a part of the process in their area of ​​expertise, but together they could form a complete plan for organizing the fireworks display.

"What you need to do is, after returning to Liyue Harbor tomorrow, reassign these people to their jobs and then oversee the preparations for the fireworks festival. In this way, although your workload as the overall person in charge of the fireworks festival won't change much, your overall work efficiency should be greatly improved. Moreover, you now have me to help you share some of the work," Han Fulai concluded.

"Great!" Keqing stood up, practically itching to fly back to Liyue Harbor to make work arrangements. However, considering she had to visit the Demon Slayer tomorrow, Keqing took out paper and pen with a slight regret, preparing to quickly jot down all the work arrangements she had just made.

Han Fulai pressed down on Keqing's hand and pointed to the moon, which was already high in the sky. "As your personal secretary, I now wish to exercise my authority and manage your schedule—Lady Keqing, you should go to sleep. Staying up late is bad for your skin."

Chapter Twenty-One: There is an Inn in Huazhou

Ke Qing has been working tirelessly these past few days, but last night she managed to get a good night's sleep, which was a rare treat.

Keqing wasn't an immortal; she naturally needed to eat and sleep. But the fireworks display was something she had proposed and was entirely responsible for, leaving a mountain of tasks on her shoulders. With the unfinished work constantly on her mind, how could she, at her age and stage of life, possibly find sleep?

However, her conversation with Han Fulai by the campfire last night seemed to reassure Ke Qing, giving her the first feeling that she was no longer fighting alone. Reassured, Ke Qing slept soundly in the carriage until dawn.

When she woke up, the carriage had been on the road for quite some time. She could hear Han Fulai and the coachman Luo Lun chatting outside the carriage. The two had obviously been talking for a long time, and had even become so familiar that they addressed each other as brothers, calling each other "Old Luo" and "Little Han" very affectionately.

Keqing leaned lazily against the carriage, listening to them chat about all sorts of mundane topics. Lao Luo complained to Han Fulai that his daughter, Miaoli, had been playing pranks again recently. That Thoth from the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt was no good, and he would have the Thousand Rock Army arrest him sooner or later, otherwise his daughter would be kidnapped.

Ke Qing listened with great interest. It wasn't until the driver, Lao Luo, heard that Han Fulai was still single and started introducing him to his relative's niece who had just turned eighteen, strongly urging Han Fulai to go on a blind date, that Ke Qing finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

When Han Fulai heard that Ke Qing had woken up, he lifted the curtain and entered the carriage, handing Ke Qing a basin of hot water and a towel that he had prepared beforehand.

Starting a fire is difficult during long journeys, and hot water is often hard to come by. When traveling, most people lower their hygiene standards and often just use stream water or similar water for washing.

But Keqing was, after all, a dignified star of Yuheng. Although this carriage wasn't particularly luxurious, it had all the necessary refinements. For example, the carriage was always equipped with hot spring white stones—"Secret Fire".

The so-called "secret fire" is a hot spring facility from Inazuma. The people of Inazuma love soaking in hot springs, and this "secret fire" is a common feature in Inazuma hot spring ryokans (traditional Japanese inns). It appears as a white stone block, but actually contains a furnace chamber to hold charcoal fires, connected below to a flue and ventilation holes. The stone is extremely thin, providing excellent thermal conductivity. Thanks to this mechanism, the preheated hot spring water can maintain a comfortable temperature for a long time.

Carrying a "Secret Flame" is incredibly convenient for both heating and getting hot water during your journey. Of course, the price is that it's extremely expensive; only wealthy people like Keqing can afford it in Liyue.

After washing up and eating some dry food for breakfast, Ke Qing began to ask Han Fulai, the newly appointed secretary of Yuheng Star, with great interest: "What is today's schedule?"

Han Fulai solemnly pulled out a small notebook from his satchel and read it aloud: "Lady Keqing's schedule for today: In the morning, travel by carriage to Wangshu Inn; have lunch with the Great Sage of Exorcism at noon; return to Liyue Harbor in the afternoon; and please make your own arrangements for the evening."

"Having lunch with the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons? You made an appointment with the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons?" Ke Qing asked curiously.

"Of course not." Han Fulai shook his head as if it were a matter of course.

"Then how can you guarantee that this immortal will be willing to see us and even have lunch with us?" Ke Qing asked.

"I have my own brilliant plan," Han Fulai replied calmly.

Ke Qing couldn't help but laugh when she saw Han Fulai putting on an act.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you this yesterday. As you know, the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons is a celestial being who is nocturnal. Won't it disturb his rest if we look for him during the day?"

Han Fulai recalled his ethereal boss at Yuehai Pavilion, who always worked overtime and stayed up late but never had dark circles under his eyes, and a look of lingering fear crossed his face.

"Does Lady Keqing know that staying up all night is also called 'cultivating immortality'? So, immortals are very powerful when they stay up all night, so Lady Keqing doesn't need to worry."

Seeing Han Fulai's state, Ke Qing stopped asking questions and instead started talking about what had just happened.

"Mr. Han is quite capable; he became familiar with my driver in no time."

"It wasn't just this short time; Lao Luo and I were roommates who shared a bed."

Ke Qing slept in the carriage last night. Since it wasn't convenient for Han Fulai to sleep with Ke Qing, he naturally went to share a tent with the coachman, Lao Luo. He and Lao Luo shared a blanket, so they were obviously roommates who had slept in the same bed.

Han Fulai paused for a moment, then said to Keqing quite seriously, "Lady Keqing, the foundation of trust begins with communication. I hope that Lady Keqing can also communicate more with the staff around her."

"The coachman is crucial to the safety of the journey and is a profession that requires a great deal of trust. Therefore, the coachmen of private carriages are usually employed by their owners on a long-term basis. However, the fact that Lady Keqing's coachman changes frequently indicates a significant problem."

Ke Qing was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Frequent personnel changes are a sign of inefficiency, and I will pay attention to that in the future."

Seeing that Ke Qing had begun to regain consciousness, Han Fulai said no more.

His relationship with Keqing is not yet close; the conversation he had with her by the campfire last night was the best he could do.

Every Chinese student has studied the story of "Zou Ji Advises King Qi to Accept Criticism," but few people consider that Zou Ji was able to advise King Qi Wei because he was already very close to the king. According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Zou Ji initially rose to become the prime minister of Qi because of his skill in playing the qin (a seven-stringed zither), which King Qi Wei also enjoyed.

In other words, Zou Ji was able to successfully persuade King Wei of Qi by using the analogy of wives and concubines because his relationship with King Wei was so good that they could chat about everyday matters.

The same words can have different effects depending on who says them. As a secretary, the most important skill to cultivate is the art of speaking, and the biggest taboo is speaking too intimately with a superior. And his relationship with Ke Qing isn't yet good enough to make her change her long-standing work style.

It's already a good result that Keqing was willing to accept his opinion and make some changes.

Logically, as Ke Qing's temporary personal secretary on loan, Han Fulai shouldn't have needed to interfere with Ke Qing's way of doing things. However, he still had some concerns. Based on his previous experience in the workplace in China and at Yuehaiting, he felt that Ke Qing's way of doing things might have some hidden dangers.

In order to ensure the success of this year's fireworks display, he had to be extra careful in secret.

It was nearly noon when the carriage finally arrived at Wangshu Inn on Dihua Isle.

Wangshu Inn is located at the southern end of Dihua Island, a necessary stop on the way from Mondstadt to Liyue Harbor, attracting numerous merchants and travelers. Built against a massive, hundred-foot-tall tree, the inn appears to blend seamlessly with the trunk from a distance, a unique feature. The inn is also surrounded by a dock and waterwheels, creating a bustling scene.

Wangshu is the name of the goddess who drives the moon chariot in mythology. Since the inn is named Wangshu, it's naturally a good place for moon viewing. It's said that the pavilions of Wangshu Inn are a popular spot for lovers to meet and admire the moon. Besides the residents of Liyue, many couples from the other six kingdoms of Teyvat travel great distances to come here together, hoping to share the beautiful sentiment of "sharing the same moon across a thousand miles."

There are even rumors that even immortals occasionally bask in the cool moonlight here.

Needless to say, the legendary immortal bathed in moonlight is none other than Xiao, the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons whom Han Fulai and Ke Qing are to visit on this trip.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Offerings to the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons

For tourists, Wangshu Inn has a famous attraction: the long staircase built around a giant tree.

On a clear day, climbing the stairs of the inn offers a panoramic 360-degree view of Dihua Isle. If Han Fulai and Ke Qing were a couple traveling here, they probably wouldn't miss the opportunity to climb the stairs. In fact, there are quite a few couples holding hands and enjoying the natural scenery on the stairs of Wangshu Inn now.

However, with so many gifts in their bags, Han Fulai and Ke Qing naturally wouldn't climb the inn's terrifyingly long staircase.

Just like most famous mountain scenic areas have both mountain roads and cable cars, Wangshu Inn also thoughtfully built an elevator for guests carrying luggage.

The two took the elevator of Wangshu Inn to the top floor, intending to ask the inn's owner, Phil Goddette, about the immortal's whereabouts, but unexpectedly saw two familiar figures.

"It's Qiqi..." Han Fulai saw the short figure dressed in purple and wearing a Qing Dynasty-style hat. Next to Qiqi stood a medicine bag that was about the same height as her.

"And that strange guy with the snake around his neck... cough, I mean, Boss Bai." Ke Qing also noticed the tall, green-haired owner of the Bu Bu Lu restaurant. Ke Qing's strongest impression of Bai Shu was that the medicine he prescribed was really bitter.

At this moment, Qiqi was presenting a cluster of glass bags to Baishu as if offering a treasure.

"Mr. Bai, we've collected a lot of herbs."

Bai Zhu reached out and adjusted his glasses, examined the herbs Qi Qi handed him, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Okay. I'll pack up and then I can go back."

"It's been a long time, you two." Han Fulai stepped forward to greet the two. He had only accompanied Zhong Li to Bubulu once, and didn't have much of a relationship with Bai Shu and Qi Qi. However, he was a major customer who had done business with Bai Shu worth 2.99 million Mora, so Bai Shu must recognize him.

Looking at Han Fulai, Qi Qi felt that this young man had promised her something very important, but she couldn't remember what it was.

If Han Fulai knew what Qi Qi was thinking, he would be glad that he had escaped a disaster—back then at Bubulu, in order to help Zhongli prepare for the Sending-Off-Immortal Ceremony, he made a big promise to Qi Qi that he could bring a coconut sheep to see her in exchange for the Eternal Incense... Fortunately, Qi Qi didn't remember.

Ke Qing stepped forward and asked, "Why have you two come to Wangshu Inn?"

Qiqi tilted her head, and the bright yellow talisman on her hat swayed with her movements. She remembered Keqing, the Jade Balance Star of Liyue. Keqing looked exactly like those children who hated bitter tastes when she drank medicine in Bubulu. Qiqi had written in her notebook, "Cat ears and twin tails who can't eat bitter things."

“Mr. Bai wanted to gather herbs, so Qiqi came to gather them. But Mr. Bai also came…” Qiqi said.

Bai Shu then interjected, "We are stockpiling medicinal herbs. Miss Ke Qing, and Mr. Han, it's a pleasure to meet you."

“During festivals, digestive medicines at ‘Bu Bu Lu’ always sell out. The Lantern Festival is coming soon, and I wanted to prepare in advance. So, we went a bit further and collected quite a few herbs. Once we’ve counted them, we can head back.” Bai Shu said, showing Ke Qing the herbs in his hand. “However, I didn’t expect to meet Miss Ke Qing from Yuheng Star here.”

“Some official business,” Ke Qing replied simply.

Bai Shu's medical skills are superb, and his Bu Bu Lu is very famous in Liyue. However, Ke Qing has always been wary of Bai Shu, who has an unknown background and is unconventional.

"I see." Bai Shu nodded with a smile. "The festival is approaching, and you're still running around. You must be very tired."

"Mr. Bai, you're too kind. It's just my duty."

Qiqi tilted her head and spread out her little hands. "Keqing is very busy. We are busy too. We are busy with you."

"Everyone has worked hard!" Han Fulai said with a smile, secretly adding in his mind, "You're busy making money, and we're busy giving it away."

"Hmm. Thank you, Qiqi." Keqing had a good impression of this cute little girl who was also purple.

She looked at Bai Shu and said goodbye, "Second... cough! The three of you go ahead with your work, we won't bother you any longer."

The three here naturally include the talking snake around Bai Shu's neck. Its name is Chang Sheng. It spoke to Ke Qing when she was getting medicine at the Bu Bu Lu, which startled her. However, since Li Yue has talking cranes and deer, a talking snake doesn't seem so unusual.

Ke Qing turned to Han Fulai, "Mr. Han, let's go find Miss Philgoldette."

The two entered the lobby of Wangshu Inn. A blonde woman was standing behind the counter, head down, checking the day's accounts, seemingly unaware that anyone had entered. A black and white calico cat sat on the counter, idly licking its paws.

"Hello, boss lady," Han Fulai said.

Philgoldette looked up, a hint of helplessness in her expression. "Sigh... I'm not the landlady. I'm the owner of this Wangshu Inn. Yes, the boss."

Keqing coughed lightly, drawing Philgold's attention.

"Lady Keqing, what brings you here? Is there any special arrangement?"

"No, I just came to ask you about the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons. Is he at Wangshu Inn?" Keqing's expression was businesslike. As one of the Liyue Seven Stars, she naturally knew about Filgott's special status. Wangshu Inn was one of Liyue's intelligence hubs, and all the inn's staff were actually Ningguang's subordinates.

Although Han Fu claimed to have a way to let Keqing see Xiao, Keqing still wanted to pay her respects to this immortal in a proper way first.

“We won’t interfere with Xiao’s schedule, but if he’s around, he’s usually on the roof. You can go there and take a look,” Phil Goddette replied.

The two followed his instructions and went up to the rooftop terrace of the inn. The terrace was empty except for potted plants and trees; there was no trace of the demon-slaying sage.

Keqing looked around and confirmed that Xiao was not there.

“It seems he’s not here… As expected… We’ve come at the wrong time.” Ke Qing said, glancing at Han Fulai, her meaning clear in her eyes.

Han Fulai smiled and said, "Please wait here for a moment, Lord Keqing. I'll be right back."

After saying that, he turned and went downstairs.

A short while later, he returned to the rooftop carrying a small food box.

"What is this?" Ke Qing asked, her face full of confusion.

“Naturally…it’s an offering to the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons.” Han Fulai smiled as he opened the food box.

A delicate almond aroma wafted out instantly, and Ke Qing looked closely and saw that what Han Fulai was holding was Wangshu Inn's signature dish—almond tofu.

Just then, a green figure appeared beside them without warning.

"Gentlemen, what brings you here?"

Chapter Twenty-Three: If in danger, call my name.

The short but handsome young man standing before them was the very person they were going to visit today: Xiao.

Before Han Fulai arrived, he wrote "have lunch with the Great Sage Who Subdues Demons" in Keqing's schedule. Lunch refers to the signature dish of Wangshu Inn - almond tofu.

As a Genshin Impact player, Han Fulai naturally knew Xiao's preferences. Gift-giving is an art, and it boils down to four words: "cater to their tastes." That's why he went downstairs to the kitchen of Wangshu Inn to find Chef Yan Xiao and asked him to make a signature almond tofu dish.

Keqing certainly understood the principle of catering to one's preferences. She gave Granny Ping rare flower seeds because she liked growing flowers; she gave Liuyun Jiefeng Zhenjun mechanical fireworks tubes because he liked studying mechanisms; but Keqing knew nothing about this taciturn and reclusive demon-slaying sage, so none of the gifts she prepared were things that Xiao liked.

Xiao doesn't like being near humans, and Keqing and Han Fulai aren't familiar with him. Under these circumstances, bringing bags of gifts he doesn't like will only make him feel annoyed and even less willing to come out and meet people.

Han Fulai strongly advised Ke Qing against rushing to Wangshu Inn last night. The reason was simple: the head chef Yan Xiao had gone to sleep in the middle of the night, so who would make almond tofu for Xiao? Of course, it would be better to go to the inn at mealtime the next day.

Bringing almond tofu, which Xiao likes, to see him serves two purposes: firstly, it caters to his tastes, and secondly, it shows that they did their homework on choosing the gift and were very sincere.

Han Fulai had seen supervisors in the workplace before try to curry favor with company managers by giving them gifts during holidays. Giving ordinary gifts like cigarettes and alcohol was obviously something the manager wouldn't refuse, as they didn't need them. But when the supervisor learned that the manager enjoyed playing golf, the gift was the same golf shoes and cap worn by golf star Rory McIlroy. The manager was immediately delighted and even arranged to meet the supervisor at the golf course that weekend.