Chapter 193: The Impact of Lishan Farm on Youcheng!

Chapter 193: The Impact of Lishan Farm on Youcheng!

"Let's go, don't overthink it. We need to head back for a meeting," Liu Xian called out.

He knew that Liu Shan wasn't as adaptable as Zhao Han. However, for the future development of Youcheng, the Tourism Bureau didn't need someone highly adaptable; they just needed someone who could follow the rules and be reliable.

Initially, Lishan Farm only needed to deal with the Tourism Bureau, and Zhao Han had perfectly completed that task. Now, Lishan Farm required direct engagement with the county government. In short, the Tourism Bureau was no longer qualified to handle everything and could only act as a liaison and assistant.

The three of them returned to the county, where various department heads had already been notified and were rushing to the meeting.

Everyone was a bit puzzled, wondering why a sudden meeting was called.

Wei Yuan was the first to arrive, and he knew exactly what was going on. He had brought all the necessary documents regarding the land Lishan Farm needed.

Once all the department heads were present, Liu Xian got straight to the point: "The reason I called this meeting is simple: Lishan Farm is planning to create a 50,000-acre grassland. We need to support them in this endeavor."

"Everyone should understand the immense benefits a 50,000-acre grassland would bring to Youcheng. Therefore, tasks such as land leveling and acquisition will be handled by the county government."

"Director Wei, please share the details of the land Lishan Farm needs."

Wei Yuan nodded and connected a USB drive to the meeting room's multimedia system. He opened the documents and began explaining.

As the meeting progressed, the news about Lishan Farm's plans to create a grassland quickly spread throughout Youcheng.

If any other company or scenic area had announced such a project, no one would have believed it. After all, Youcheng was a mountainous region, and the idea of a grassland seemed far-fetched. A small patch of lawn wouldn't even be worth the effort.

But Lishan Farm was different. When they announced something, people believed it without a doubt. Over time, Lishan Farm had gained a high reputation in Youcheng.

On Donghe Street, in a traditional meat pie shop, Cao Dashan was chatting idly with the owner of a nearby snack shop.

"Tourists seem to be increasing lately."

"Exactly, the two hotels and a few guesthouses nearby are always full."

At that moment, a few tourists entered the meat pie shop and asked, "Boss, are these authentic Youcheng meat pies?"

Cao Dashan immediately replied, "Of course, these are genuine meat pies from a 20-year-old establishment."

"Give me 20," one tourist said.

"Sure thing." Cao Dashan nodded and started taking pies from the oven, placing them in a bag and handing it over. "That will be 40 yuan."

The tourists paid via a QR code and began eating the pies, praising their crispy and delicious taste.

"These meat pies are really good!"

"Youcheng meat pies are also highly ranked online."

Cao Dashan felt a surge of happiness from their compliments.

Indeed, he had noticed a change in his life at some point. Initially, his business wasn't doing well, despite the popularity of Youcheng meat pies, as most locals had already tried them.

But at some point, he noticed an increase in unfamiliar customers. Later, he learned that Lishan Farm had attracted many tourists to Youcheng.

He couldn't remember exactly when he started to associate Lishan Farm with his improved business, but he was grateful to them. With more tourists, his single oven wasn't enough, so he added two more. The price of each pie also increased to 2 yuan.

If his wife hadn't returned from the factory to help, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with the demand. Now, his income was three times what it used to be, all thanks to Lishan Farm.

After serving the tourists, he resumed his conversation with the snack shop owner, "Old Chen, what do you think my son should major in next year? You always have good ideas. Any suggestions?"

Old Chen smiled and said, "Old Cao, are you crazy? He should definitely major in agriculture. When he graduates, if he can't find a good job, he can always apply to Lishan Farm. The future of agriculture in Youcheng is bright, and he can work close to home, which is great, isn't it?"

”

  “But what if something goes wrong with the Liyuan Farm during the four years of university?” Old Cao said with a hint of worry.

  Old Chen shook his head helplessly and reassured him, “Don’t worry, the county won’t let the Liyuan Farm go under.”

  “Why not?” Old Cao asked, puzzled.

  “Old Cao, you’re truly blessed to be so naive,” Old Chen teased before asking, “Would you be willing if the Liyuan Farm went bankrupt?”

  Old Cao was taken aback and replied instinctively, “Of course not, I’m counting on the farm’s visitors to buy my flatbreads.”

  Indeed, with the farm’s visitors, he could run three ovens at once, earning three times what he used to. Without the Liyuan Farm’s visitors, he’d be back to his old ways.

  Old Chen smiled, “I don’t want it to happen either. My snack shop is doing so well now, and I can charge more than before. Ask anyone on this street how many merchants would be happy if the Liyuan Farm went under.”

  “Nobody wants that. The county officials wouldn’t either. If the Liyuan Farm goes under, what will they do? Their achievements would be gone. So, why are you worrying about this?”

  Cao Dashan laughed upon hearing this, “That’s good to know. I’ll let that brat study agriculture, then. By the way, Old Chen, I’m thinking of buying a house this year. I saw the promotion for the Night Market Town. Do you think the houses there are worth buying?”

  “Um!” Old Chen was taken aback, “You should be worried about whether you can buy one, not whether you want to. I managed to reserve three houses through some connections.”

  “Ah?” Cao Dashan was shocked, “Isn’t it said that buying pre-sale houses is risky and can delay construction? Why did you buy three, Old Chen?”

  Old Chen explained, “It depends on who’s selling and where. The Night Market Town is built to complement the Liyuan Farm. The county is eager for the town to be completed quickly. How could there be any delays? Old Cao, you’re worrying about the wrong things. When the Night Market Town opens, I’ll move my snack shop there. The same bowl of noodles will sell for twice the price.”

  Cao Dashan was completely stunned by this.

  Is that even possible?

  Compared to the rumors that had been circulating, the official announcement from the county about the Liyuan Farm’s grassland project confirmed that the Liyuan Farm was indeed planning to create a grassland. The construction area was also revealed.

  A massive 50,000 acres.

  The key was the land requisition notice, which drew the attention of many people.

  With land requisition, many wealthy families would be involved.

  The county would have funds for cars and houses, and many single women looking for matches had their families start inquiring if there were any single men in the requisitioned villages, hoping to find a match.

  In short, the single men of Guanglin Village had been feeling very popular these days.

  Gutianle had even gone on two blind dates, but he didn’t like either of the girls.

  After dinner, he met up with a few villagers to chat.

  “Who would have thought we’d get such luck?”

  “Ha, it seems coming back to Youcheng to look for work wasn’t a bad idea.”

  “Once the land is requisitioned, I’ll buy a house in the county and find a wife to marry.”

  The group was clearly very excited, eagerly awaiting the land requisition, almost impatiently quiet.

  “Don’t get too excited too soon,” one of them suddenly warned, “There was a village that tried to raise the price during the Liyuan Farm’s land requisition. The farm just changed its plan and went to another place. We have someone in our village who might do that.”

  “Old Sun the Scoundrel,” Gutianle immediately named him.

  When the village needed to install power lines, with poles on several families’ fields, each family was to be compensated 2,000 yuan. Old Sun the Scoundrel demanded 4,000 yuan.

  If he tried the same trick with the Liyuan Farm’s land requisition, everyone would be in trouble.

  “Let’s go to Old Sun the Scoundrel’s house,” Gutianle said, picking up a stick and heading straight for Old Sun’s house.

  The others understood what he meant, and they picked up stones and sticks.

  They marched angrily toward Old Sun’s house, drawing the attention of many villagers.

  “Gutianle, what are you doing? Causing trouble as soon as you’re back?” a villager called out.

  Gutianle hurriedly replied, “The Liyuan Farm is requisitioning land, I’m going to warnoldsun The Scoundrel!”

  The villager was shocked, “Damn, is Old Sun The Scoundrel trying to cause trouble again?

"Wait for me!"

With that, he grabbed his hoe and dashed out the door, shouting to his neighbors, "Big Dog, Ox Ball, come on out! Old Lazy is trying to mess with the Liyuan Farm land acquisition."

In no time, his neighbors rushed out, armed with their hoes, ready for action.

The group quickly grew as they informed others about the Liyuan Farm land acquisition, rallying everyone against Old Lazy’s potential mischief. Soon, the entire village gathered and headed straight to Old Lazy’s house.

Gu Tianle led the charge, pounding on the door. A somewhat chubby old man, none other than Old Lazy, emerged, trembling at the sight of the villagers armed with weapons.

"What are you all doing here? I haven’t wronged any of you, have I?"

Gu Tianle stepped forward, his face twisted with anger. "Old Lazy, listen up. If you try to jack up the price or cause any trouble with this Liyuan Farm land acquisition, we won’t let you off easy."

Old Lazy breathed a sigh of relief. "I don’t want to cause any trouble. The county has provided information on the land acquisition. Those who agree can get land in a nearby village, plus additional compensation. They’ll also have priority for planting the new whitening sweet potatoes. Why would I cause trouble?"

Gu Tianle and the others were taken aback, their anger dissipating as they murmured among themselves.

"Is that true?"

"That’s great news, let’s check our phones."

"It seems to be true!"

"Great, long live Liyuan Farm!"

"..."

Time passed quickly, and two days later, Zhao Han and Wei Yuan arrived at Liyuan Farm early in the morning.

They hadn’t expected the land acquisition to go so smoothly. The county had been worried about the same issues as before, but the offer of priority for planting the whitening sweet potatoes proved to be a powerful incentive.

At the Liyuan Farm office, they met Zhang Lin, who invited them to sit down at a tea table.

Zhao Han immediately said, "Mr. Zhang, we’re here to deliver the completed land acquisition contract and the lease contract. Once your farm signs, the county will proceed with the next steps."

Zhang Lin called over his legal advisor, Chen Xin, to review the contract. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the county, but proper procedures had to be followed, and the legal department needed to sign off before he did.

Indeed, after Chen Xin joined, Liyuan Farm established a legal department, even though it was just him. As the farm grew, it needed to become more formal.

"The contract looks fine," Chen Xin said after reviewing it, signing his name and marking it as legal, then passing it to Zhang Lin.

Zhang Lin signed the contract and handed one copy back to Zhao Han and Wei Yuan.

"Mr. Zhang, with this, the grassland project can begin immediately. We appreciate your attention to it," Zhao Han added.

They could only provide support; the core of the grassland project would rely on Zhang Lin.

"Rest assured, Mr. Zhao," Zhang Lin smiled. "Our project director is fully committed to this."

Indeed, the detailed planning—whether it was animal husbandry, zoning, or building entertainment facilities—had been handed over to Lin Muxue. Zhang Lin’s role was to ensure the county cleared and leveled the 50,000 acres of land and to purchase the game’s dogtooth grass seeds to cover the area.

However, he could see that Lin Muxue was incredibly enthusiastic about the project. It was her first from the ground up, and she was personally designing every aspect, finding it very fulfilling.

Zhang Lin couldn’t tell her that the project would be fine even if she didn’t put in so much effort, as the dogtooth grass would support the grassland. But seeing her dedication, he didn’t want to dampen her spirits, and he certainly couldn’t share that with anyone else.

Zhao Han and Wei Yuan left soon after, with plenty of work to do back in the county.

As Zhang Lin saw them off, he suddenly glanced at the game in his mind. A new event had just triggered.

He quickly looked at the exclamation mark and realized what had happened.

This is great news! Zhang Lin couldn’t help but smile.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end