Chapter 190: The Estate of a Farm Owner!

Chapter 190: The Estate of a Farm Owner!

Congratulations, you have met the upgrade requirements and your game level has been upgraded to Level 5!

Congratulations, with the level upgrade, the employee recruitment system has been enhanced, and you can now set up an automatic payment system for employee salaries!

Congratulations, with the level upgrade, you have gained the ability to build 2 additional structures!

Congratulations, with the level upgrade, a special agricultural research exchange has been opened. During the exchange, unexpected research products may appear!

Congratulations, with the level upgrade, new buildable structures have been unlocked!

Congratulations, with the level upgrade, a new type of agricultural seed has been unlocked: Special Fast-Growing Dog Grass Seed!

Zhang Lin stared at the series of system notifications with a mix of surprise and excitement. This was a major upgrade, unlocking a plethora of new features.

First, the automatic payment system for employee salaries was a game-changer. Previously, because the system employees were hired at different times, their contracts needed to be renewed individually, which was a time-consuming and tedious process. Now, with the automatic payment system, he could save a significant amount of time.

Next, the ability to build 2 additional structures was a significant boon. Each structure in the game had unique attributes, such as the Service Center and the Firefly Breeding Room. With 2 more slots, he could now build even more specialized structures.

Moreover, this upgrade also unlocked new buildable structures. Zhang Lin immediately opened the building market to explore the new options. One particular structure caught his eye.

[Estate of a Farm Owner: Quality Level 2]



[This is a specially designed estate for farm owners, with unique attribute effects: +1 Sleep Quality, +1 Beautiful Environment, +1 Scenic Beauty, +1 Delicious Cooking, +1 Flavor, +2 Fresh Air! +1 Wine Quality, +1 Wine Aroma.]



[Construction Requirements: 1. 50 acres of land. 2. 150 million.]



[Note: You can choose a design provided by the system or provide your own design. The design must include all functional areas; missing any will prevent the corresponding attributes from being activated!]



Private estates were a common symbol of wealth, something only the richest could afford. Now, the Estate of a Farm Owner was essentially a private estate, but on a massive scale—50 acres of land.

The attributes were nothing short of impressive. Even if you ignored the +1 Sleep Quality, +1 Beautiful Environment, +1 Scenic Beauty, +1 Delicious Cooking, and +1 Flavor, the +2 Fresh Air attribute alone would make it a hot commodity among the wealthy. Living in such a pristine environment could significantly increase one's lifespan. Not to mention, the estate came with a wine cellar that improved the quality and aroma of the wine.

If the wine companies knew about this wine cellar, they would be drooling over it.

Compared to these attributes, the requirements of 50 acres of land and 150 million were almost negligible. Even if the price was several billion, there would be people willing to buy it.

However, Zhang Lin currently didn't have the 150 million needed to build the estate. He turned his attention to the other two notifications.

One was the opening of an agricultural research exchange. From the description, he could tell that it would be a platform to acquire unique items and products. The system mentioned that special products might be available, suggesting it was another way to obtain game items.

He saw the icon for the agricultural research exchange on the game interface, but it was grayed out. When he clicked on it, a message appeared: "No agricultural research exchange is currently open."

This meant the exchanges were random and not under his control. Without an exchange currently open, he couldn't explore this feature further.

Finally, he looked at the last reward: the Special Fast-Growing Dog Grass Seed. This was a unique type of farm grass seed that could grow rapidly and had special effects. It cost 100 yuan per pound.

What surprised him was that there were no purchase limits for these seeds. He could buy as many as he wanted.

The seeds unlocked at Level 5 were quite generous. However, he didn't know the specific attributes of the Dog Grass Seed yet. He would need to buy some and check them in the core area's warehouse to find out.

However, he knew exactly what the grass was.

Previously, he had considered creating a vast prairie for Bai Long to gallop freely, but he never got around to it. Now, with the dogtooth grass seeds, it seemed like he could finally make it happen. The key was that there were few prairies in the south. If the dogtooth grass had strong enough properties, he could plant it on the remaining empty land on his farm and launch a Southern Prairie Project. This could attract many tourists who wanted to experience the prairie but didn't have the time to travel to one.

"Uncle Zhang, what are you spacing out about?" Fu Yao noticed Zhang Lin's distraction and smiled, asking, "Are you too excited about winning the award?"

Zhang Lin laughed, about to spin a tale, but then the half-gray-haired elder stepped back onto the stage. "Everyone, the award ceremony is now over. We have prepared a lunch for everyone at the research hall this noon. In the afternoon, we will take you to visit one of our ongoing research projects."

At noon, Zhang Lin took Fu Yao, Lin Mengyao, and Ye Ling to have lunch at the research hall. Afterwards, the research hall arranged rest rooms for each research unit. The Liyuan Farm had its own dedicated rest room.

Once inside the rest room, Lin Mengyao started playing on her phone. Fu Yao, on the other hand, took out her backpack and began working on some homework. The girl was clearly very diligent with her studies. Zhang Lin tried to look over her shoulder, but he found the high school homework to be quite challenging, even difficult to understand. He had not done too badly in high school, but it seemed that the knowledge he had gained had been forgotten over the years.

Not wanting to disturb her, he watched quietly from the side. After finishing one subject, Fu Yao took out a sketchbook. Zhang Lin could see that it was filled with design drawings. It was clear that the girl had a clear goal: to become a top designer. This was why he had let her design the plans for the Southern Camping Ground.

Seeing that his girlfriend had flipped to a blank page in her sketchbook, clearly ready to draw something, he leaned in and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yao Yao, what are you going to draw?"

Fu Yao explained, "Just some design sketches, to practice my skills and imagination."

Zhang Lin thought of the farm's main estate. He could use her design for that. Since he was going to have her design it anyway, why not let her practice and add some personal touches? "Yao Yao, how about you help Uncle design another plan?"

Fu Yao's interest was immediately piqued. "Uncle Zhang, what do you want to design?"

Zhang Lin smiled. "I want to design an estate, about 50 acres in size, with a wine cellar, a swimming pool, a large courtyard, and a big lawn. I plan to spend 150 million yuan to build it. You can design whatever features you want. If you want flowers, design a garden. If you want trees, design a small forest."

Fu Yao's eyes lit up. "Really? I can design whatever I like?"

Zhang Lin nodded firmly. "Of course. You're my girlfriend, and I want us to live there in the future. So, you can design whatever you like."

Hearing this, Fu Yao's eyes welled up with tears of emotion. She practically melted into his arms. "Uncle Zhang, why do you have to be so romantic!"

For her, this was the most romantic thing he could do. If he actually built the estate according to her design, she would be overwhelmed with gratitude.

Beside them, Lin Mengyao's mouth dropped open. She had felt something was off when she heard the first part of the conversation, but the second part was like being force-fed a mouthful of sweet, sweet dog food. Yet, she had to admit, it was incredibly romantic.

The Southern Camping Ground project had already made her and the others envious, and now this? If the estate was ever built, they would feel like they were eating dog food just by looking at it.

Really, no woman could resist such a romantic gesture from her boyfriend. The difference was that they didn't have a boyfriend like that.

No, she couldn't keep this to herself. She immediately pulled out the "Liyuan Farm Office Women's Crazy Group" chat.

This group had been formed when Lin Jie's birthday party was held at a bar, and later, Zhong Miaoying, the HR girl, and the finance girl, Jingjing, were added. The group was exclusively for the women.

She sent a message directly to the group: "The boss plans to spend 150 million yuan to build an estate, a love nest for himself and Yaoyao. He even wants Fu Yao to personally design the layout of the estate."

???

???

???

A row of question marks appeared, leaving Lin Mengyao stunned. She sent another message: "What do you mean? Aren't you all envious, jealous, and resentful?"

Liu Qian: "So you know about envy, jealousy, and resentment? Then why did you send it? For heaven's sake, work is already so tough, and now we have to be fed this kind of dog food. Some people are just cruel!"

???

Lin Mengyao was taken aback.

Fu Yao was moved for a long time before she finally picked up her pen and started drawing on the sketchbook.

Soon, someone from the research hall came to notify everyone, inviting them to visit some of the main ongoing projects.

When they arrived at the hall, Zhang Lin noticed that the people from various teams gathered there didn't seem very enthusiastic. This was odd because the opportunity to visit research projects was usually rare for those in agricultural studies.

"Ah, if it doesn't work out, we'll just wing it. After all, we can't be blamed if we don't succeed."

"Let's see how it goes. If we can make progress, we'll give it a try. If we succeed, our research institute will become famous."

"Of course, the research hall will just force us to help!"

"..."

Zhang Lin overheard these conversations and understood what was going on.

The country allocated a fixed amount of funding for scientific research each year, which had to be distributed across various industries. The agricultural sector had a set budget, and even the research hall in Minsheng Province didn't receive much funding. However, some projects were highly significant and worth studying.

So, when important projects like this came up, the provincial agricultural research hall would look for research teams in Minsheng Province that could collaborate.

This was one way to proceed.

However, each research institute had its own project plans and was often driven by profit. Naturally, they were reluctant to get involved in such endeavors.

Zhang Lin understood the situation and decided to stay out of it. After all, he was just a farm owner and didn't have a research lab.

The elderly man appeared again, leading everyone into a large hall. The hall was specially arranged with many diagrams, data, and research directions displayed.

This was clearly a presentation of a research project, apparently about cultivating a medicinal plant seed.

What surprised him was that the medicinal plant was a flower.

He was particularly drawn to the information about the disease it could treat and the high cost of imported medicines.

This disease affected teenagers and could be financially devastating for most families, often leading to significant financial strain over several years. For those already in difficult circumstances, it could be catastrophic.

This was the significance of the research.

The researchers around him sighed:

"Yesterday, we heard about this. It's the Mohexian flower, which grows in the western part of the United States. Due to environmental factors, it's nearly impossible to cultivate it domestically. Yet, the research hall hasn't given up!"

"It's the main medicinal ingredient for Emiconitin, which is effective for ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases. But the high cost of this single ingredient forces us to import it, keeping prices sky-high!"

"Researching this flower would be extremely costly. Changing the environmental requirements for a medicinal plant is no easy task."

"True, everyone knows that the Mohexian flower can be made to sprout in a controlled greenhouse environment, but it withers quickly after that."

"Unless we can alter its characteristics, which would require a huge investment. How many people would be willing to spend their resources on this?"

"..."

The researchers whispered, trying to keep their voices down, but the elderly man still overheard some of their comments and sighed.

He understood the difficulties and couldn't force anyone to participate. It was understandable that not everyone had the necessary dedication.

At that moment, a voice suddenly spoke up: "What if we change the color of the flower, or make it multicolored? Would that count as altering its characteristics?"

The elderly man, with his half-gray hair, was drawn to the voice and looked over to see a young man speaking. His face showed surprise.

The researchers from the various teams were also drawn to the young man from Linyuan Farm. Could he be considering taking on this project?

There are no such selfless people in the world, are there?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end