Chapter 83: Special Fertilizer!

Chapter 83: Special Fertilizer!

"Boss Zhang, if tourists continue to buy at this rate, the bamboo craft masters we’ve hired might not be enough!" Zhao Han, after observing for a while, finally confirmed this issue.

He and Boss Zhang had initially calculated that out of 10,000 visitors, 1,500 would buy souvenirs. At that ratio, the number of masters they had hired was sufficient. However, at the current rate, the number of souvenir buyers would far exceed 1,500, potentially overwhelming the masters. When word got out, the influx of tourists to the cultural park could lead to chaos.

Thinking about the potential for the bamboo cultural park to become a sensation, Zhao Han hurriedly left to prepare in the county. After all, County Chief Liu would be leading a tour of the county’s officials, and arrangements needed to be made.

Just as he returned to the county, he received a call from County Chief Liu.

He quickly answered, respectfully saying, "County Chief Liu, I’ve just returned from Liyuan Farm. What do you need?"

County Chief Liu’s voice came through, "Perfect, I wanted to ask you about the bamboo cultural park project at Liyuan Farm. How’s it going?"

Zhao Han knew that County Chief Liu was highly invested in the project.

"County Chief Liu, the bamboo cultural park at Liyuan Farm is all set up and has already started a trial run today. Should I come over and give you a detailed report?"

"Sure, come on over!"

Zhao Han didn’t dare hesitate and rushed to the office building, knocking on County Chief Liu’s door.

"Come in!"

County Chief Liu’s voice echoed, and Zhao Han opened the door to find a middle-aged man busy with paperwork.

"County Chief Liu!"

"Ah, you’re here. Tell me about the bamboo cultural park project. The commerce department has reported that the latest season’s bamboo products industry in Yucheng has seen a 5% decline in market share. This isn’t good for our bamboo capital. I hope this project will help."

"County Chief Liu, it will definitely help," Zhao Han said, knowing that Liu wanted to hear good news. "Liyuan Farm is promoting the project as a way to preserve Yucheng’s bamboo craft heritage. With the farm’s current visitor numbers, it’s bound to have a positive impact."

"Hmm!" County Chief Liu nodded, then asked, "What about the pricing? Should we consider aligning it with Yucheng’s bamboo products industry prices?"

"County Chief Liu, their prices have no reference value for Yucheng’s bamboo products industry. They’re selling a handmade bamboo fan for 100 yuan, while a mass-produced one only costs 10 yuan!"

"100 yuan? Isn’t that too high? It might affect the visitors' experience."

"County Chief Liu, don’t worry. I was just at the cultural park, and the bamboo products from Liyuan Farm are very popular with visitors. The bamboo fans they make are truly exquisite."

As he spoke, Zhao Han took out a bamboo fan he had brought back from the cultural park and handed it to County Chief Liu.

County Chief Liu was visibly stunned when he took the fan. The craftsmanship was outstanding, and it had a high aesthetic value, especially when he saw the intricate carvings.

Such a beautifully crafted, artistic bamboo fan didn’t seem too expensive at 100 yuan.

"Did Liyuan Farm hire a bamboo craft master?" County Chief Liu asked, surprised.

He had seen such exquisite bamboo products before at a bamboo craft seminar. The master’s works were truly stunning, and many industry bosses competed to purchase and collect them, with some simple bamboo items selling for thousands.

However, such masters were rare and highly specialized.

Moreover, he felt that the bamboo products he had seen at the seminar were slightly less refined than the fan in his hand.

He hadn’t expected Liyuan Farm to have hired such a master, showing a significant investment.

Zhao Han quickly clarified, "County Chief Liu, Liyuan Farm didn’t hire a master. These bamboo fans were made by the bamboo craft heritage artisans in our county, and more than one of them can produce such high-quality fans."

"What?" County Chief Liu was incredulous.

These bamboo fans were made by the artisans in their county? And more than one could make them?

When did their county’s artisans become so skilled? Did that mean they were all bamboo craft masters?

Then, County Chief Liu understood—it was all about reputation.

With a good reputation, you were a master; without it, you were just an artisan.

So, the bamboo products made by Yucheng’s artisans were even better than those of the masters.

Was it because Yucheng’s bamboo craft heritage was that exceptional? Or were the masters just better marketed?

Moreover, with the current hype around Liyuan Farm, even his family was talking about the bamboo maze. Once the cultural park officially opened, it would attract even more attention.

I wonder if the traditional artisans in You City have the chance to become bamboo craft masters.

Thinking about it, he immediately instructed Zhao Han, "Make the arrangements. Tomorrow, when they open, I'll bring some people over to learn and broaden our horizons. Sometimes, managing a county and managing a farm are similar—both aim to improve a place."

"Sure, County Chief Liu!" Zhao Han nodded.

...

Liyuan Farm.

Zhang Lin and Lin Muxue also left the Bamboo Culture Park.

Lin Muxue said immediately, "Boss Zhang, we've finished shooting the video footage. Now, we'll go back and look for some materials, plan, and edit. We'll definitely have the promotional video for the Bamboo Culture Park ready by tonight!"

"Alright, I'll leave it to you, Senior Sister," Zhang Lin nodded, seeing Lin Muxue and the others off in a taxi.

Just as he returned to the service center, he received a call from Huang Tao, "Zhang Lin, the contracts for the brick and cement factories are ready. I'll send a batch over for you to use. Where should I deliver them?"

"Deliver them to the color steel house area," Zhang Lin replied.

The core area's wall construction will be handled by the game employees, so the materials should be placed as close as possible to avoid the hassle of transporting them from the service center.

"Got it, see you soon!" Huang Tao said and hung up.

Not long after Zhang Lin returned to the color steel house, the sound of transport vehicles could be heard. Several trucks carrying bricks and cement drove in and began unloading.

Huang Tao's car also arrived, and upon seeing Zhang Lin, he handed him several contracts, "Here are the contracts and the inspection reports. It took some time to get these reports. If you find that the bricks or cement don't meet the standards, you can refuse to pay them further."

"Thank you for the trouble," Zhang Lin smiled and nodded.

Huang Tao went through the effort of getting these inspection reports to ensure that the brick and cement factory owners couldn't cut corners.

Huang Tao waved it off, "It's no trouble, just doing what needs to be done. You trust me, and I can't afford to make mistakes, or I'll lose all my old classmates."

Zhang Lin appreciated Huang Tao's effort and, to show respect, promptly paid the 200,000 yuan deposit.

After that, he asked, "Huang Tao, do you know any reliable car dealers?"

Huang Tao smiled and asked, "Do you want to buy a car? Makes sense, now that you're a big boss, you should get a car. It'll be convenient sometimes. I have a friend who runs a car dealership, handling all models under 1 million yuan. What kind of car do you want? I'll have him help you."

Zhang Lin knew that with Huang Tao's family background, his connections in the county were far better than theirs. Finding him for this was definitely the right move.

He thought for a moment and said, "A 7-seater Dream car and a Mercedes S-Class!"

The 7-seater would be for Lin Muxue's operations team, while the Mercedes S-Class would be for his personal use.

While he didn't mind riding a scooter or even a white dragon, Huang Tao was right; being the boss of Liyuan Farm, having a car was indeed more convenient.

At least, he couldn't use a scooter or ride a white dragon when picking up or dropping off people.

A Mercedes S-Class was a luxury car, not too flashy, and still had class.

Huang Tao nodded, "No problem, I'll call my friend right away!"

Almost immediately, Zhang Lin received a screenshot from Huang Tao. His friend had already placed the order with the 4S store and even prepaid a 300,000 yuan deposit for both cars.

Seeing this, Zhang Lin immediately transferred 300,000 yuan to Huang Tao.

Since the other party trusted him, he couldn't be slow in his actions.

"My friend said the business car will arrive tomorrow, but the Mercedes S-Class needs to be ordered from the factory, so it will take some time."

"Alright, no rush for the Mercedes S-Class!"

The donated bricks and cement were quickly unloaded, and Huang Tao said his goodbyes and left with the transport trucks.

Zhang Lin returned to the color steel house and looked at the game screen. Now that the bricks and cement had arrived, it was time to start isolating the core area.

He also checked the game data in his mind.

After hiring 40 more people for the Bamboo Maze, the farm now had 88 employees!

As for the farm workers, apart from those planting the fast-growing white heart sweet potatoes daily, most were now planting watermelon peach saplings.

Therefore, he planned to hire 20 more farm workers to build the wall around the core area.

However, this meant the color steel house dormitories would be full again, and he should find a time to have Huang Tao bring more color steel house dormitories.

【Congratulations! You have spent 150,000 yuan to recruit 20 farm workers. The workers are materializing...】

  "Account number 62122... Expended 150,000.00 yuan, balance: 2,649,517.05 yuan!"

  Just as before, beams of light began to appear in the prefabricated office, and figures started to take shape, along with their contracts.

  As the workers materialized, they respectfully greeted Zhang Lin. However, Zhang Lin was surprised by a sudden milestone reward notification in the game:

  【Congratulations! You have completed the milestone of recruiting 100 employees and received a special milestone reward: Special Fertilizer (Grade 1). Price: 100,000 yuan per pound, refreshes 5 pounds daily!】

  Zhang Lin was taken aback by this reward.

  This was the first time he had seen such an expensive item, priced at 100,000 yuan per pound, with only 5 pounds refreshing daily.

  It was truly astonishing.

  He naturally knew what fertilizer was—it was used to enrich the soil for farming. The fact that the game was offering this at such a high price indicated its extraordinary nature.

  Moreover, Grade 1 meant it had special attributes.

  This piqued his interest.

  Looking at the newly recruited workers, he immediately called his mother.

  Since his mother suggested coming to work at the farm, she had taken charge of managing the employee dormitories and supplies. She was happy to do it and often wandered around the farm when she had free time.

  Her mood had improved, and so had her health.

  "Xiao Lin, did you recruit new employees?" Lin Yan asked as she entered and saw the crowd.

  Zhang Lin nodded and said, "Mom, they are all new recruits. Please take them to arrange their accommodations, and I'll give them tasks later."

  "Leave it to me," Lin Yan immediately called the workers to follow her out.

  Zhang Lin then turned to the procurement market and clicked to buy the one pound of special fertilizer that had refreshed.

  【Congratulations! You have successfully purchased 5 pounds of Special Fertilizer, which has been stored in your warehouse!】

  "Account number 62122... Expended 500,000.00 yuan, balance: 2,149,517.05 yuan!"

  After purchasing, Zhang Lin headed to the warehouse.

  Spending so much money on this item, he definitely wanted to see what it was all about.

  In the warehouse, he saw the fertilizers, each packed in small bags of one pound each, neatly arranged.

   Zhang Lin immediately picked up a bag of special fertilizer and checked the note, which made him even more surprised. He now understood why it was so expensive.

  【Special Fertilizer: Grade 1】

  【This is a special fertilizer. When mixed into the soil, it can give the soil special attributes: Cultivate special crops, with a chance to retain +1 attribute.】

  Seeing this attribute, he recalled the previous attempt to transplant the fast-growth white heart sweet potato seedlings, which had failed to retain the game's attributes.

  It seemed that the attributes of game products couldn't be cultivated.

  But now, with the special fertilizer, there was a chance to retain the attributes of game products when planted in the enriched soil.

  No wonder it was so expensive.

  However, the price was worth it. Even though it was just a chance, it meant there was a possibility to cultivate game products outside the farm, not just the fast-growth white heart sweet potatoes, but also the sea of rapeseed flowers, special peach seedlings, and more.

  Thinking about this, he immediately called Liu De to prepare the tools and carried the 5 pounds of special fertilizer out of the warehouse.

  Liu De quickly arrived with the tools for tilling the land and a pair of shears for transplanting the sweet potato seedlings.

  "Boss, transplanting sweet potato seedlings again?" Liu De asked upon seeing him.

  "Yep!" Zhang Lin nodded, leading Liu De to a nearby plot of land and handing him the 5 pounds of special fertilizer. "Mix these fertilizers into the soil."

  "Got it." Liu De took the fertilizers and started working with the hoe.

  At that moment, Zhang Lin received a call from Fu Yao.

  He answered and asked, "Is the campsite design ready?"

  "Of course not, I've been really busy lately. I'm still learning about water and electricity installations and preparing for the final exams of the second semester of my second year of high school," Fu Yao explained, then asked expectantly, "Uncle, I'll be on break after the exams. Don't forget the thing you promised me."

  "What thing?" Zhang Lin was momentarily stumped, unable to recall what he had promised.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end