Chapter 168: A Year of Hard Work Isn't Worth a Sweet Potato!

Chapter 168: A Year of Hard Work Isn’t Worth a Sweet Potato!

[Congratulations, another batch of fireflies has matured in the firefly breeding room and laid eggs!]



Upon receiving this notification, Zhang Lin promptly left his office and rushed to the core area on his scooter. As he approached, he saw Lin Muxue and the staff from People's Daily.

"Hello, President Lin!" Zhang Lin quickly greeted her.

Lin Muxue rolled her eyes at him, considering whether to greet him back but decided against it, realizing that the boss didn't want the reporter, Jiang Ling, to know his identity.

She continued to welcome Jiang Ling, leading her toward the office center.

Zhang Lin soon arrived at the core area and entered the firefly breeding room. The room was teeming with fireflies, their numbers having grown significantly. He approached the special plants and saw that they were covered in layers upon layers of firefly eggs, the sheer number of them was astounding.

Even the ground was littered with eggs. He didn’t dare to step further, fearing he might crush the eggs underfoot, each step potentially causing countless deaths.

The firefly breeding room had been operational for some time, starting with just 20 fireflies. After two rounds of egg-laying and growth, another batch had matured and laid eggs. Zhang Lin had been eagerly awaiting the day when these fireflies would dance in the Liyuan Farm, adding to its nocturnal beauty.

Given the current situation, once this batch of fireflies matured, they could be released into the farm. The breeding room had a growth speed +1 attribute, so this batch would likely grow quickly. Moreover, these fireflies had a vitality +1 attribute, meaning they would live longer and be less prone to death compared to normal fireflies.

After checking the breeding room, Zhang Lin left the core area and returned to the office center. Checking his phone, he saw a message from Fu Yao, who had sent a selfie of herself bored and lying on her desk, along with the message: "Uncle, I’m so bored during class breaks, and all my classmates are so immature."

Zhang Lin chuckled and replied to her. It was a bit concerning that the girl was so mature for her age, seeing her peers as if they were children.

Time passed quickly, and the next day arrived. People's Daily had posted the video “Liyuan Farm Part 2” on their online media account the previous night, which received high praise and views. However, most of the content was already known to the public, so it didn’t generate much excitement.

The only draw was the billion-dollar project for cultivating whitening sweet potatoes and the lush fields of whitening sweet potatoes shown at the end of the video. This piqued the interest of many who were looking forward to the follow-up interviews about the whitening sweet potatoes.

Lin Muxue arrived at the farm early in the morning, handled some affairs, and then met Jiang Ling, heading to the operations department. Today, they would be taking Jiang Ling to the county to sign the relevant contracts. Since President Zhang didn’t want to be in the spotlight, Lin Muxue would represent Liyuan Farm and sign the documents.

As the project director, her signature was valid. However, before that, she needed to conduct a simple interview for People's Daily.

Lin Muxue led Jiang Ling to the interview setup in the operations department and said, "Reporter Jiang, should this place be suitable for the interview?"

Jiang Ling immediately smiled and said, "President Lin, the setup is great. Shall we start?"

"Sure," Lin Muxue nodded.

The two sat opposite each other, and the People's Daily photographer had the camera focused on them. The operations department staff, including Liu Qian, also took out their equipment to record the interview. While it wasn’t necessary to post the interview on the farm’s main account, they had created several accounts to share daily farm activities, which could be used.

Once everything was ready, Jiang Ling began the interview, "President Lin, over the past two days, we’ve learned a lot about Liyuan Farm. I really admire your farm for creating such popular projects, but what I admire even more is your whitening sweet potato product. Why did you choose to make it accessible to the masses rather than going the luxury route?"

"From what I understand, there have been foreign investors interested in collaborating with you. That would have made the whitening sweet potatoes more profitable, given that a single beauty injection costs 20,000 yuan. If it were another company, they would have chosen to increase the price."

Lin Muxue had her response ready: "Actually, this decision is closely tied to our boss’s philosophy and the culture of our company. Our boss often says that a company should not only create wealth but also provide employment and contribute to the country through taxes. Success should not be forgotten, and we should give back to our hometown. By making the whitening sweet potatoes accessible, we can create more jobs and bring wealth to our rural community."

"Of course, our boss is a person with a special sentiment. He doesn’t want a good product, something that everyone likes, to be out of reach for ordinary people, becoming a luxury item only the wealthy can afford, something that only the rich can enjoy in their social circles, leaving the common folk behind."

"He doesn’t want a good thing to become like that. Even if it means earning less, he wants more people to experience the whitening sweet potatoes, making them accessible to everyone!"

At the door, Zhang Lin had just come to check on things. Hearing Lin Muxue’s words, he felt a bit embarrassed.

Was he really as good as she described?

The decision to go the mass-market route was primarily because the quantity was sufficient to generate significant profits while creating more jobs and increasing the farm’s influence.

Now that Lin Muxue had said it, it sounded incredibly grand and impressive.

However, Zhang Lin understood that this was just hype.

Many companies these days create hype around their bosses, adding all sorts of personas to their images.

He should find some time to talk to Senior Lin and tell her not to create too many personas for him in the future. Carrying a persona can be exhausting and takes away from the freedom and ease of life.

Zhang Lin glanced around and then left the Operations Department.

He had already taken the special medicinal wine and was heading to the sweet peach plantation for some cultivation and exercise. With each day of drinking the special wine, the differences might not be noticeable, but over time, his physical strength was definitely improving.

This was something he could clearly feel.

Jiang Ling, on the other hand, was also deeply impressed by Lin Muxue's words. But thinking about the decision of Liyuan Farm to focus on the whitening sweet potato, this was something that could be expected.

If the owner of Luyuan Farm didn't have such a noble character, the authorities in Yucheng and the agricultural department of Fujian Province wouldn't have come forward to support him.

After all, they were official entities, and if the person they endorsed had any issues, it would damage their reputation. This demonstrated their trust in the owner of Luyuan Farm.

The interview ended quickly, and Jiang Ling asked Lin Muxue, "President Lin, are we heading to the county next?"

She was very excited about the billion-dollar planting project that Luyuan Farm and Yucheng were collaborating on.

She wasn't the only one; the women online who wanted to buy the whitening sweet potatoes were also eagerly anticipating it.

Currently, Luyuan Farm's production was limited, and they couldn't even meet the demands of daily visitors, let alone sell to the public. They were all waiting for this collaboration to speed up the cultivation of the whitening sweet potatoes.

With a growing cycle that was only one-third of a regular sweet potato, they should be able to harvest them quite soon.

"Journalist Jiang, let's go!" Lin Muxue nodded, checking the time. It was almost time for the meeting with the Agriculture Bureau.

They got into the car and soon arrived outside the Agriculture Bureau. When they entered, they were surprised to see a crowd filling the courtyard.

Jiang Ling, curious, immediately asked one of the people, "Sir, what's going on here?"

The man quickly replied, "We are all here because we've been given the right to grow the whitening sweet potatoes. Even though we're not representatives, we didn't want to miss this important signing ceremony."

Jiang Ling realized who these people were and immediately instructed the photographer, "Quick, take some shots. These farmers seem very eager to grow the whitening sweet potatoes."

The photographer nodded and started taking photos, capturing the crowded scene.

Jiang Ling then turned to another man and asked, "Sir, can you tell me about the collaboration with Luyuan Farm? What are your expectations for this partnership?"

She had originally intended to ask Lin Muxue, but since Luyuan Farm was the client, it was also important to hear from the other side.

With so many farmers present, this was the perfect opportunity to ask.

The man, recognizing them as journalists, knew they were there for an interview.

He also recognized Lin Muxue as the director of Luyuan Farm and assumed they were Luyuan Farm's own journalists.

So, he quickly flattered them, "We are very excited about collaborating with Luyuan Farm. I was lucky enough to secure a 10-acre planting quota. This will definitely change my life and lead me to prosperity. I am very grateful to Luyuan Farm."

Jiang Ling, hearing that he only had 10 acres, asked in confusion, "Sir, 10 acres doesn't seem like a lot. How many whitening sweet potatoes can you grow?"

The man looked at Jiang Ling in surprise. "You, a journalist from Luyuan Farm, don't know how much 10 acres can earn?"

Then he realized what she was doing—she wanted him to say it.

So, he cooperated, "Miss, don't underestimate these 10 acres. Luyuan Farm's whitening sweet potatoes yield over 1,000 pounds per acre, and they sell for 200 yuan per pound. That means 10 acres can generate 2 million yuan. Luyuan Farm gives us a 40% profit share, so we can earn at least 500,000 yuan, and the growing cycle is only one-third of a regular sweet potato."

This statement shocked Jiang Ling and the three photographers, especially when they heard about the 500,000 yuan profit.

Jiang Ling was not only surprised by the 500,000 yuan figure but also by Luyuan Farm's generosity in sharing so much profit.

She remembered a phrase Lin Muxue had said: "Success should not forget the roots."

Luyuan Farm wasn't just talking; they were truly living up to their words, demonstrating a strong sense of social responsibility.

Jiang Ling immediately interviewed others, and the results were the same. She could hear the genuine praise and respect in their voices.

She knew that once this video was uploaded online, it would attract a lot of attention.

Truly, very few companies could achieve what Luyuan Farm had.

The three photographers suddenly felt that their cameras weren't as valuable as they thought. Working hard for a year was no match for growing sweet potatoes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end