Chapter 251: Eager for Change!
Chapter 251: Eager for Change!
In the bustling city of Xia, the head of the Urban Landscape Management Department was named Chu Linyuan.
Chu Linyuan had been in charge of the Xia City Landscape Management Department for a long time. Given that Xia City was a major tourist destination, his responsibilities included overseeing the city's scenic areas, which came with considerable authority.
Moreover, he had led the Bougainvillea landscape renovation project twice, so he was very familiar with the process.
This year, the competition was likely to be between the two largest horticultural companies in Xia City.
However, those two companies had each undertaken the project once, and to be honest, they hadn't shown much creativity.
This year, Chu Linyuan wanted to seek change; otherwise, Xia City might be overtaken by Shen City.
Indeed, both Xia City and Shen City had designated the Bougainvillea as their city flower.
This wasn't surprising, as cities often competed with each other for recognition and prestige.
Shen City was also a major producer of Bougainvillea, and they had designated it as their city flower as well. No one could argue against it, so the competition ultimately came down to who had better marketing and public support.
Some cities even went as far as to argue over the heritage of ancient celebrities.
For example, a few years ago, two places had claimed that the famous Zhu Xi belonged to them.
With the two major horticultural companies in Xia City, their proposals were lackluster and clearly couldn't outshine Shen City. They could only match them at best.
Furthermore, he had received news that a company in Shen City had developed a special mutant Bougainvillea capable of large-scale cultivation of two-color varieties, and they would be ready for transplantation next year.
If that happened, Xia City might lose face in calling the Bougainvillea their city flower.
The public's perception would also shift in favor of Shen City.
"Is there any unexpected company this year? We even opened up bidding to companies from other regions to improve things. Surely, there must be someone better than those two companies, right?" Chu Linyuan sighed and asked his subordinates, who were reviewing a proposal.
His subordinates shook their heads.
"Minister Chu, we haven't seen any impressive proposals."
"Not only that, but none of them can even match the two horticultural bases."
"Indeed, even a small county from You City dared to send a proposal. It's just a joke," one of them said, holding a proposal and mocking it.
This comment made Chu Linyuan and others look at him with surprise.
Because You City reminded them of a specific place.
Liyuan Farm.
Anyone who followed the news knew about the farm's prowess. Its two flower seas were considered the best in the country, with netizens praising them as unparalleled.
Chu Linyuan asked directly, "Have you looked at their proposal?"
"Not yet," the person said, embarrassed.
"Give it to me!" Chu Linyuan frowned at him.
The others looked at him with strange expressions. When they heard "You City," they immediately thought of Liyuan Farm. If You City dared to send a proposal, they must have some confidence or support.
If it turned out differently, the person was just talking big, which wasn't a big deal.
But if it was as they suspected and You City had real support, then the person was being negligent and irresponsible.
People like that would likely remain low-level civil servants for life.
The person, despite having a high academic degree, seemed to lack emotional intelligence.
Chu Linyuan took the proposal from You City and started reading it, initially with a skeptical attitude. However, his face soon showed disbelief. "This... It can't be!"
The others gathered around, curious.
"Minister Chu, what's wrong?"
"Is there a problem with You City's proposal?"
Chu Linyuan handed the proposal to them. "Look at it yourselves, it's unbelievable."
They took the proposal and began reading. When they saw the five-color Bougainvillea, their faces showed shock.
"This... It's fake, right?"
"How is this possible now?"
"Five colors, how did they do it?"
"..."
The department was responsible for the city's landscapes, and the Bougainvillea was a significant part of it. They were well-versed in Bougainvillea and its current research status.
For instance, Shen City's development of a two-color Bougainvillea that could be cultivated on a large scale had already put them under tremendous pressure.
Now, You City's proposal showed a Bougainvillea with five colors.
If another small county had sent such a proposal, Zhang Lin would have assumed it was just a publicity stunt or that the hibiscus photos were doctored.
But the document sent by Youcheng Cooperative had a crucial detail: it was led by Liyuan Farm, which held a 51% stake.
They naturally knew about such cooperatives. Typically, local leading enterprises drive economic development in their areas, and the local government often seeks their help. As long as it doesn’t affect their own operations, these companies usually assist in establishing such cooperatives to:
1. Strengthen ties with the government.
2. Integrate more deeply with the local community, enhancing their status.
3. Gain a good reputation locally.
What mattered most was that Luyuan Farm was involved in leading this cooperative.
So, the five-color hibiscus must be real.
"Minister, this is likely genuine."
"Right, that's Luyuan Farm."
"Exactly, it should be real."
As they spoke, their gazes toward the earlier skeptic carried a hint of mockery. Such a highly educated but socially awkward colleague was still a good colleague and shouldn’t be discriminated against. However, if they had a colleague who was both highly educated and socially adept, it might not be a good thing for them.
Chu Linyuan nodded without hesitation. "Quick, prepare the car. We need to go immediately. We can arrive by afternoon, and once we’ve inspected everything, we’ll push aside the other company proposals."
If the five-color hibiscus is real, they would do everything to secure the cooperation.
Shen City had already started promoting two-color hibiscus, acting as if they had it in the bag.
What would be the impact of unveiling the five-color hibiscus?
It would be a royal flush.
A game-changer.
"Alright, Minister Chu." Someone nearby immediately responded, and they all started making preparations.
The skeptic from earlier was momentarily stunned. Had he unintentionally made a mistake?
But it shouldn’t be, right? He was just being straightforward, which shouldn’t be a big deal.
In college, his straightforwardness had even earned him praise from teachers.
...
At Luyuan Farm, Zhang Lin and Hu Bing discussed a lot, mostly about the future development of the agricultural cooperative and the issues to watch out for during the process.
From their conversation, Zhang Lin could tell that Hu Bing was quite capable.
He understood that Hu Bing was deliberately showcasing his abilities, indicating that he could manage the cooperative well and was seeking Zhang Lin’s support.
With so much interaction with people like Liu Xian, Wei Yuan, and Zhao Han, Zhang Lin had learned a lot and naturally understood Hu Bing’s intentions.
So, he smiled and said, "Mr. Hu, you can focus on developing the cooperative. If you encounter any issues, feel free to discuss them with me."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang." Hu Bing also smiled and nodded.
With Mr. Zhang’s words, he felt reassured.
After Hu Bing left, Zhang Lin went to the special fertile plot of land. The whitening sweet potato was cultivated here, retaining its game attributes.
He hadn’t forgotten that a special Sun Rose grape had also been influenced by the game attributes and retained them.
This special Sun Rose grape not only had the regular effects: Deliciousness +1, Texture +1, Sweetness +1, but also special effects: Unaffected by Seasons +1, Environmental Factors -1.
Especially those two special effects, he was very excited about. Because of these effects, it would be even more significant and powerful than the whitening sweet potato.
However, during the earlier seedling stage, he couldn’t distinguish which one retained the game attributes.
But this time, he seemed to be able to tell. One plant had a noticeably deeper color, while the others remained the same.
He squatted in front of that plant and examined it. Not only was the color deeper, but it also had more fine hairs and more nodes, features that plants without the game attributes lacked.
After checking, Zhang Lin returned to the office center. He had just sat down when he received a call from Liu Xian: "Mr. Zhang, good news. The people from Xiamen are on their way and will arrive this afternoon. So, we might bring them to the farm. Mr. Zhang, please take care of the farm arrangements."
"Are they in such a hurry?" Zhang Lin was surprised.
Liu Xian couldn’t help but say, "Mr. Zhang, this shows just how valuable the five-color hibiscus from your Luyuan Farm is. That’s why they are so eager."
(End of Chapter)
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