Chapter 169: Forcing an Upgrade?

Chapter 169: Forcing an Upgrade?

Jiang Ling interviewed several farmers before following Lin Muxue into the Department of Agriculture.

Wei Yuan had been waiting inside with his team, already aware that Lin Muxue and the People's Daily reporter were on their way.

However, he didn't send anyone out to greet them while Jiang Ling was conducting her interviews, intentionally allowing the process to unfold naturally.

After all, this was also an opportunity to enhance the reputation of Linyuan Farm.

He was more than happy to help.

"President Lin, I've been waiting for you," Wei Yuan said as soon as Lin Muxue entered, quickly leading his team to welcome her.

Boss Zhang had already informed them that he didn't want to appear in front of the People's Daily reporter, so he had entrusted this task entirely to President Lin.

They had no objections, as long as the cooperation went smoothly.

Lin Muxue introduced the team, "Director Wei, this is Jiang Ling from the People's Daily!"

Wei Yuan, of course, knew her identity and greeted her warmly, "Journalist Jiang, welcome to Youcheng. I hope our city hasn't disappointed you!"

Jiang Ling responded immediately, "Director Wei, Youcheng has already surprised us so much. We will also be interviewing you about Linyuan Farm shortly."

"That's no problem, I will be completely open," Wei Yuan agreed readily.

After all, Linyuan Farm was the city's current showcase, and there was no reason to hold back.

"Thank you, Director Wei," Jiang Ling said with a smile.

After a brief chat, Wei Yuan led the group to a conference room in the Department of Agriculture.

The room was already full of people.

With 7,000 to 8,000 farmers, it was impossible to have everyone present for the signing ceremony, so they had selected representatives, mostly village leaders.

However, the village leaders themselves couldn't plant the whitening sweet potatoes, so the contracts they brought had already been signed by the farmers. Each representative carried a thick stack of documents.

This was just a formal ceremony. The Department of Agriculture would collect the contracts and sign them, while Linyuan Farm would entrust the Department to handle the process.

This arrangement was to minimize potential issues for Linyuan Farm and provide a reason for the Department of Agriculture to be involved.

Should any problems arise, the official level could intervene swiftly, allowing Linyuan Farm to focus on its core operations.

This was another form of support from the county and the Department of Agriculture for Linyuan Farm.

Jiang Ling took photos of the signing ceremony. Afterward, Wei Yuan invited the group to his office for the interview.

Once everything was set up, Jiang Ling began her interview, "Director Wei, we all know that a company's development cannot be separated from official support, especially for agricultural enterprises like Linyuan Farm. I imagine they must have received a lot of help from your Department during their early stages?"

Wei Yuan immediately shook his head, "The Department of Agriculture can't take credit for that. When Linyuan Farm first opened, we didn't even know about it, let alone provide any assistance. It wasn't until Linyuan Farm became popular and gained many fans online that we discovered such an enterprise in Youcheng!"

"We were not doing our job well at that time. Later, we shamelessly approached them for cooperation, hoping to leverage Linyuan Farm's popularity to promote Youcheng's fruits. We didn't help Linyuan Farm; instead, we took advantage of them from the start."

"Thinking back, Linyuan Farm didn't even have an office. I had to negotiate with the owner amid the noise of many tourists. From that moment on, I gained a deep respect for the owner of Linyuan Farm."

"It's hard to believe that someone could be so selfless in helping the development of local agriculture and promoting agricultural products, even creating a bamboo cultural park that has boosted our city's bamboo industry!"

Hearing the official praise for the owner of Linyuan Farm, Jiang Ling subconsciously recalled a phrase Lin Muxue had used in her interview: "Success without forgetting one's roots!"

Suddenly, the owner of Linyuan Farm seemed much more vivid and real.

Or perhaps the phrase "When successful, help others" could describe him.

All signs indicated that he was indeed such a person.

This interview left Jiang Ling with a deep admiration for the owner of Linyuan Farm.

Such people are truly rare these days.

After leaving the Department of Agriculture and returning to Linyuan Farm, Jiang Ling immediately began editing the footage and interviews from the day.

By the time night fell, Zhang Lin had finished editing the video and sent it to headquarters, then uploaded it to the People's Daily online media account.

The video from the third day caused a huge stir.

While everyone had known about Liyuan Farm and its decision to pursue the cultivation of whitening sweet potatoes as a populist route, earning it the title of a socially responsible enterprise, it had all been too vague and lacked a clear impression.

But this time, not only did it leave a strong impression of Liyuan Farm, but also of the person behind it. "Prosperous but not forgetting one's roots" became the best description of the man behind Liyuan Farm.

If it had just been Liyuan Farm saying this, there might have been some doubt. But when official departments echoed the same sentiment, there was no room for skepticism.

Even more so when people heard the 40% profit margin, earning over 500,000 yuan per quarter from just 10 acres, with each household limited to one quarter per year, everyone was envious.

Even with the lowest 5 acres, that still meant a profit of over 250,000 yuan. Really, how many people in the country earned that much in a year? Most college and graduate students didn't make that much in a year.

And these were just the first-quarter growers. There were still the second and third-quarter growers to come.

How many people could this enrich? Truly, they all wished their hometowns could have a Liyuan Farm, and then growing sweet potatoes would be a no-brainer.

Those who watched the video couldn't help but admire the owner of Liyuan Farm.

Such a person was indeed rare.

By the next morning, the video had gone viral, becoming a major topic of discussion.

Zhang Lin didn't appear in person, but his reputation soared to unprecedented heights.

When he arrived at the office and saw the online buzz, he received video links from many people, including his uncle, Liu Xian, Wei Yuan, Zhao Han, and even Chen Shengfei, all congratulating him.

After all, such recognition wasn't something everyone could achieve or even deserved.

Even Fu Yao sent him the video link, followed by a series of admiring emojis.

She truly admired him. Working at Liyuan Farm, she had always thought the boss was impressive, but after the People's Daily interview, she realized just how much he deserved her admiration.

Zhang Lin, however, felt a bit helpless. Fame was exhausting, and he didn't really want to be so highly praised.

But the facts were what they were, and there was nothing he could do about it. After drinking his special medicinal wine, he went as usual to tend to the sweet peaches, passing by the whitening sweet potato fields where farmers were busy at work.

Liu De had stopped assigning more farmers to plant whitening sweet potatoes and was instead focusing on cultivating sweet potato seedlings for the billion-planting project, aiming to produce enough seedlings for the project.

Thus, the 10,000-acre milestone was stuck at around 9,600 acres.

But it would only take a couple more days to complete, and then the milestone reward could be claimed.

So, there was no rush.

His phone rang, and he saw it was Cheng Dahao (Chapter 147) calling, likely to inform him that the water channel for the mountain spring water had been built.

He immediately answered, saying, "Mr. Cheng, receiving your call must mean there's good news!"

Cheng Dahao quickly replied, "Mr. Zhang, the water channel has been completed, and we'd like you to come and inspect it."

"Sure, I'm on my way!" Zhang Lin had to put aside his plans for the sweet peach seedlings and go to inspect the water channel, which would also serve as his exercise.

Hanging up, he turned his scooter toward the mountain spring water health resort project.

Soon, he arrived at the 1,000-acre construction site, where the work was in full swing. The foundation was almost complete, and the internal structures were rising rapidly.

The game construction team's speed was astonishing.

Cheng Dahao had a firsthand experience of this, having led his own team on the mountain, constantly watching their progress, which made his team feel utterly inferior.

These were insane construction workers, working as if they feared no fatigue.

He was certain that nowhere in the country could find another team like this.

Seeing Zhang Lin arrive on his scooter, Cheng Dahao immediately greeted him, "Mr. Zhang!"

Zhang Lin smiled and said, "Mr. Cheng, your speed has far exceeded my expectations."

Cheng Dahao said awkwardly, "Mr. Zhang, where did you find this construction team? Working next to them, we feel immense pressure. We can't help but work faster, even if we don't want to."

Zhang Lin understood the situation and replied, "Mr. Cheng, let's go up the mountain to check the water channel project."

"Mr. Zhang, please!" Cheng Dahao nodded and invited Zhang Lin up the mountain.

Soon, Zhang Lin arrived at the spring water source. A protective pump had been constructed there, surrounded by a large cement structure. This was to prevent anyone from defecating or urinating in the water source, a very real possibility given the number of people with poor manners. There had even been a news story about a water reservoir at a water treatment plant being contaminated multiple times. The issue was compounded by the negligence of the plant's staff, who failed to detect the problem, leading to users unknowingly drinking contaminated water for an extended period. It was a bizarre and disturbing incident that remained unsolved.

The protective pump not only prevented such incidents but also kept birds, animals, and other creatures from contaminating the water. The water channel connected to the spring was a buried pipeline, ensuring that the mountain spring water remained pristine.

Zhang Lin inspected the water channel as they descended the mountain, even digging up sections to check the pipes. Fortunately, the team recommended by Huang Tao had done an excellent job, and there were no issues.

Once they reached the bottom, Zhang Lin said to Cheng Dahao, "Mr. Cheng, our farm staff will come to inspect the project tomorrow. You should also register with the farm's HR department. The final payment will be processed within a week, and the deposit will be refunded once everything is verified."

Zhang Lin had no intention of delaying the final payment. Construction work was challenging, and it was only fair to pay promptly when the job was done well. After all, the workers needed to support their families.

Cheng Dahao immediately thanked him, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang. If you need anything in the future, just give me a call, and I'll drop everything to help you."

It was a sincere statement. Construction work was tough, especially for small teams like his. Any issue with the final payment could be catastrophic. There was a case in You City where a small construction team was left bankrupt because the client, who owed them the final payment, suddenly went bankrupt after gambling.

Therefore, a client like Mr. Zhang, who promised to settle the final payment within a week, was invaluable. Everyone wanted to work for such a reliable client.

After discussing the matter, Zhang Lin rode his scooter back to the farm.

...

Outside the office center, Jiang Ling didn't rush to leave You City. Her schedule was set for the next day, so she had the afternoon to spare. She and Lin Muxue had a pleasant conversation, discussing various topics.

"Ms. Lin, I can't help but ask, is your boss out on a business trip? Or does he just prefer to stay out of the spotlight?" Jiang Ling finally asked.

"Uh!" Lin Muxue smiled awkwardly, realizing Jiang Ling had guessed.

Jiang Ling continued, "I'm not prying, but I just want to know if you've seen him these past few days. Since we're here to interview him, he wouldn't just ignore us, right? He must have come to check things out."

Lin Muxue's eyes shifted to Zhang Lin, who was riding his mud-covered scooter toward them. It seemed that when you talk about someone, they appear.

"It's him..." Jiang Ling's face showed surprise as she realized from Lin Muxue's reaction.

He was indeed low-key, unconventional, and indifferent to fame. Perhaps only someone like him could create a place like Lishuan Farm.

At that moment, Liu Qian rushed out of the office center and reported to Lin Muxue, "Sis Lin, the Bamboo Maze called. There's been an issue."

Zhang Lin, having parked his scooter outside the office center, subconsciously glanced at the game interface in his mind. A red exclamation mark appeared, indicating an emergency at the Bamboo Maze.

He immediately checked the notification, and his brow furrowed.

Damn, was this forcing him to upgrade?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end