Chapter 150: The Sweet Potatoes Are Ready!

Chapter 150: The Sweet Potatoes Are Ready!

Congratulations! The fast-growing white-core sweet potatoes you planted have finally started to mature!

Zhang Lin's face lit up with joy as he read the notification.

He had obtained the seeds for these fast-growing white-core sweet potatoes a while ago and planted them. Now, after a considerable amount of time, they were finally ready to harvest.

These sweet potatoes, when cooked and eaten, had a skin-whitening effect. They would become another specialty of the farm, following the moisturizing cream.

Unlike the moisturizing cream, which was limited by the system's production of rapeseed oil and had a low yield, the sweet potato seedlings had been cultivated by Zhang Lin himself. He didn't need to rely on the game, and he could even promote them on a large scale.

Most importantly, he had already conducted experiments with Liu De, and the sweet potato seedlings couldn't be cultivated outside the farm. They had to be grown within the farm and then transplanted outside.

This meant that if anyone wanted to plant these sweet potatoes on a large scale, they would have to purchase the seedlings from Liyuan Farm.

This opened up many possibilities. He could sign contracts with farmers, stipulating that the sweet potatoes could only be sold back to Liyuan Farm. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to purchase the seedlings.

Of course, if someone tried to buy the seedlings from Liyuan Farm, plant them, and then cultivate new seedlings from the vines, they would find that the new seedlings had almost no special properties. The speed+1 attribute alone was a significant difference.

Most importantly, Zhang Lin had been researching one of the agricultural honors required for his next level-up. Many agricultural honors were awarded for breakthroughs in crop research or the development of new crop varieties.

He had seen that even simple research, like tomatoes growing uglier after being studied or scallions turning yellow, could win awards.

Given this standard, his fast-growing white-core sweet potatoes would definitely win an award. Even if they were only partially effective when planted outside the farm, they would still qualify.

With this in mind, he was quite excited.

The Mercedes S-class sped along the road, and as he approached the farm, he saw two visitors coming out of the parking lot. One of them was Mr. Chen, the wealthy businessman from Ming City, whom he had met before.

Chen Shengfei waved at him with a smile.

Zhang Lin stopped the car and greeted him politely, "Mr. Chen, you're here again. Why didn't you call me ahead of time so I could make arrangements for you?"

Chen Shengfei quickly explained, "I just happened to be passing by and decided to drop in."

He wasn't lying. He and a friend were returning from Xiamen City and suddenly thought of the farm's restaurant. So, they took a detour off the highway to visit.

Zhang Lin nodded and chatted with him for a moment before driving to the office center.

"Fu Peng, let's go in!" Chen Shengfei called to the man beside him after Zhang Lin left.

Fu Peng, looking at the Mercedes S-class, asked curiously, "Who is that young man?"

Chen Shengfei smiled, "He's the owner of Liyuan Farm!"

"So young?" Fu Peng was genuinely surprised.

He was in the manufacturing industry and didn't pay much attention to agriculture. The videos recommended to him were also skewed, so he had never come across any videos about Liyuan Farm. When Chen Shengfei suggested taking a detour to the farm's restaurant, he thought his friend might be a bit off.

However, after checking some videos about Liyuan Farm, he had to admit that the creator of the farm was truly remarkable.

Who would have thought that a few common agricultural projects could attract nearly 20,000 visitors to the farm in a short time?

The flower fields, camping grounds, bamboo mazes, and bamboo crafts were not unique to Liyuan Farm. There were at least 30 well-known flower fields in Fujian Province alone, and countless more across the country. Yet, none of them could match the level of Liyuan Farm.

As for camping grounds, there were many across the country, but how many received such high praise that they were fully booked every day?

The bamboo maze was a niche attraction, but how many were widely known?

Bamboo crafts were also common, but Liyuan Farm had successfully combined them with traditional culture, making them a unique and successful feature.

Anyone who could achieve this was undoubtedly a genius, with unparalleled talent and ability in this field.

Now, Chen Shengfei was telling him that this genius was the young man he had just seen, which was truly unbelievable.

Chen Shengfei added, "The restaurant here has a top-notch chef. You'll understand why I took the detour after you try the food."

"I'm definitely looking forward to it!" Fu Peng replied with anticipation.

Zhang Lin parked his car at the office center and headed toward the core area.

Lin Mengyao, on the other hand, walked into the office center with a sense of excitement. She had a lot of enthusiasm for handling the necessary procedures for the new Great Wall Cannon and the Volkswagen ordered by President Zhang. After all, these vehicles were intended for use by their department.

Although she was currently earning over 20,000 RMB in bonuses, was single, and didn't have a family to support, she could easily afford a BBA car with a zero down payment. However, this was a company benefit, and it felt different.

Before long, Zhang Lin entered the core area of the farm and made his way to the first batch of sweet potato seedlings.

The first batch of fast-growing white-fleshed sweet potatoes had been pruned and transplanted numerous times, but thanks to their fast-growing attribute, they quickly covered the ground with vines. Fortunately, the vines stopped growing once they reached a certain length, much like a field of rapeseed flowers. When it was time for them to bloom, the fast-growing attribute ceased.

Zhang Lin walked up to a cluster of sweet potatoes, grabbed the exposed vines, and pulled, effortlessly extracting the sweet potatoes from the soil.

The fast-growing white-fleshed sweet potatoes weren't very large, much smaller than the conventional sweet potatoes in You City. Instead, they were longer and more slender, giving them a delicate and elegant appearance.

He took the string of sweet potatoes to the warehouse, where he saw the following note:

[Special Fast-Growing White-Fleshed Mini Sweet Potato Seedlings: Quality 1]



[This is a fast-growing white-fleshed mini sweet potato produced by the game. When steamed or boiled and consumed, it has a skin-whitening effect +1!]



Upon reading the note, Zhang Lin frowned slightly, deep in thought.

The sweet potato was different from the skin moisturizer. The moisturizer's effects could be promoted through trial events, allowing people to see the results immediately and compare them with similar products on the market. However, the fast-growing white-fleshed sweet potato was a different story.

There were no similar products on the market, and the skin-whitening effect couldn't be demonstrated directly. Therefore, he needed a way to make the skin-whitening effect more apparent.

He thought about testing.

He could have the sweet potatoes tested in a laboratory to verify their skin-whitening effects. Moreover, he needed to find a highly authoritative and national-level laboratory, which would likely be in Ming City.

However, he had no experience in this area and didn't know the specific procedures.

With this in mind, Zhang Lin took the sweet potatoes to the service center, intending to have them steamed in the restaurant and taste them himself.

When he entered the restaurant, there were already some guests inside. Coincidentally, he ran into Chen Shengfei and his companion at a table.

"President Zhang, come and join us," Chen Shengfei greeted with a smile.

Zhang Lin's eyes lit up when he saw Chen Shengfei. Since Chen Shengfei was from Ming City, he might know something about national-level laboratories.

Thinking this, Zhang Lin said, "Mr. Chen, please wait a moment."

He entered the kitchen and found the head chef, Lin Nan.

"Boss, what do you need?" Lin Nan asked directly.

Zhang Lin handed him the sweet potatoes. "Cook these sweet potatoes and send them to table 21."

Lin Nan nodded and took the sweet potatoes, then said in surprise, "President Zhang, the sweet potato leaves are still very fresh and can be stir-fried. They are a rare delicacy."

"These leaves can also be stir-fried in a small bowl, and send them to table 21 as well," Zhang Lin replied, knowing that sweet potato leaves could be stir-fried. He then left the kitchen and headed to table 21.

"President Zhang, please sit down," Chen Shengfei said, gesturing for him to join them. "This is my good friend, Fu Peng. We were just talking about you. To transform a barren piece of land into such a thriving farm in such a short time, we are all very impressed."

"President Zhang, you are truly remarkable. In terms of agricultural landscape, there is no one in the country who can match your capabilities," Fu Peng praised sincerely.

"Mr. Fu, you are too kind," Zhang Lin said quickly. "It's all thanks to the support of the county. Otherwise, the farm wouldn't have developed to this extent."

Fu Peng disagreed with this modesty. "President Zhang, you're being too humble. While You City's support is one thing, how they support you is another. Essentially, You City can't produce another you."

Zhang Lin then chatted with the two men about the farm's development process and learned about their respective businesses.

Chen Shengfei's business involved the production of cooking oil and grain, along with his own storage and transportation facilities. Zhang Lin had known about this when Chen Shengfei had piggybacked on the farm's success (Chapter 56).

Fu Peng, on the other hand, was involved in the real estate sector, not in construction but in the subsequent service chain.

As they chatted, Lin Nan brought a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves to the table.

Zhang Lin immediately said to the two men, "Gentlemen, please try these sweet potato leaves. They are a new dish the restaurant is about to launch!"

Fu Peng and Chen Shengfei nodded and picked up their chopsticks to taste the dish, both agreeing that it was excellent.

Before long, Lin Nan returned with the sweet potatoes and placed them on the table.

Zhang Lin then said, "Gentlemen, these sweet potatoes are a new product from the farm. Please try them."

Chen Shengfei and Fu Peng nodded and picked up the sweet potatoes to taste them.

With the attributes of +1 deliciousness and +1 texture, the sweet potatoes were naturally very tasty.

Fu Peng couldn't help but praise, "To steam simple sweet potatoes to this level of deliciousness, I really have to admire your restaurant, Zhang. I believe even the high-end restaurants in Ming City wouldn't be able to match this."

Chen Shengfei nodded in agreement.

At this point, Zhang Lin got to the point and asked, "Gentlemen, do you happen to know anything about national-level agricultural testing laboratories? Or do you have any connections? I have a new variety of sweet potatoes that I want to get tested."

Hearing this, Chen Shengfei smiled. "Zhang, what a coincidence. Fu Peng's cousin works at the Ming City Agricultural Research Center, a genuine national-level institution that regularly conducts various agricultural product tests. So, he can help you get the samples over there, even through some back channels."

Fu Peng didn't refuse for such a small favor. "Zhang, you can give me the sweet potatoes you want to test. I'll take them back, and my cousin will handle it."

He didn't refuse because he wanted to build a relationship with Zhang Lin.

At such a young age, to have achieved so much with a farm, he felt that Zhang Lin's future accomplishments would not be limited to a small place like You City.

"Thank you, Mr. Fu," Zhang Lin quickly expressed his gratitude.

After that, he also took a piece of sweet potato to taste it.

Eating just one piece of sweet potato wouldn't make his skin whiter immediately, but with the +1 skin whitening effect, eating it for a few days would definitely show results.

When the meal was over, Zhang Lin called Liu De and asked him to bring over a few sweet potatoes.

Liu De quickly bagged the sweet potatoes and delivered them.

After receiving them, Zhang Lin immediately handed the sweet potatoes to Fu Peng and expressed his thanks, then escorted them to the parking lot.

After they left, Zhang Lin called Liu De and instructed, "Starting tomorrow, have the team collect sweet potato leaves and deliver them to the restaurant for use as ingredients. Each dish will sell for 20 yuan, and we can make quite a bit each day. Also, bring some more sweet potatoes to my office; I have a use for them."

"Sure, boss!" Liu De nodded and immediately went to handle it.

Back in his office, Zhang Lin began searching online.

He planned to submit the sweet potatoes to a relevant agricultural award center, where they were sure to win. This would satisfy the conditions for an agricultural honor award.

He found that the Fujian Provincial Agricultural Research Breakthrough Award Center was currently conducting an evaluation, and it was affiliated with the provincial agricultural bureau.

This was the perfect place to send the sweet potatoes and their documentation.

Based on the center's past evaluations, his sweet potatoes were almost guaranteed to win.

On their official website, he prepared the required documents and registered, paying the registration fee of 2000 yuan.

However, this was a small amount to him.

After preparing the documents, he downloaded and printed them. Liu De arrived with the sweet potatoes, and Zhang Lin immediately packed them and personally drove to the courier center to arrange for expedited delivery.

With everything done, he just had to wait for the items to reach the agricultural award center.

Time passed.

The next morning, Zhang Lin received a message from Fu Peng, confirming that the sweet potatoes had been delivered to the research center and that his cousin was personally helping with the testing.

Zhang Lin immediately sent a message of thanks.

This was the advantage of having connections.

By noon, he received an update on the shipment, confirming that the sweet potatoes and related documents had arrived at the Fujian Provincial Agricultural Research Breakthrough Award Center.

Everything was proceeding smoothly.

All he had to do now was wait for the test results and the award announcement. It was all going perfectly.

At the Fujian Provincial Agricultural Research Breakthrough Award Center, an employee received a new package and walked it to a sorting room.

It was strange that an agricultural award center would have a sorting room, but there it was.

The employee entered the room and said, "New item for evaluation, number 678. It seems to be a sweet potato. Check the sponsorship status!"

There were several tables in the room, each displaying different agricultural products, with a number sign on each table.

Someone immediately checked the computer. "Hmm, no sponsorship!"

"Now there are still people who don't understand? Their brains must be fried from research," the employee holding the package complained, and then tossed it into a large trash bin.

Several other packages were already in the bin.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end