Chapter 84: Victory No Matter What!

Chapter 84: Victory No Matter What!

"Uncle, you promised me that I could work at your farm during the summer vacation!" Fu Yao immediately reminded him upon hearing his words.

"That's right, no problem at all!" Zhang Lin recalled that he had indeed made that promise. At the time, he had asked her to be his shield against his mother, and he had promised her this.

He had just forgotten for a moment.

Fu Yao immediately said happily, "Uncle, I'll report to you as soon as my exams are over."

Zhang Lin smiled and said, "Sure, I'll hire you as a designer. You'll be designing the camping grounds, and I'm really looking forward to your designs."

"Uncle, rest assured, I'll do my best." Fu Yao quickly promised, and after hanging up the phone, she picked up a book on electrical and water installation and started reading.

It was the weekend, and besides reviewing for her exams, she also needed to read related design books. The last time her design was politely dismissed by Uncle, so she was determined to catch up and avoid embarrassing herself again.

However, the knowledge of electrical and water installation was something she needed to spend some time on.

After all, she didn't want to just go through the motions; this was a rare opportunity.

At the farm.

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Lin watched as Liu De mixed the 5 pounds of special fertilizer into a small plot of land.

The area of land that different fertilizers could cover varied, but even the poorest quality fertilizer could generally meet the needs of one acre with 30 pounds.

Zhang Lin didn't know the effect of the special fertilizer from the game, so he decided to use the standard 30 pounds per acre ratio. With 5 pounds, he could fertilize one-sixth of an acre.

"Boss, this fertilizer seems a bit special!" Liu De said, somewhat surprised.

"Can you tell that?" Zhang Lin asked, surprised.

Liu De explained, "I can't tell exactly what's special about it, but this fertilizer doesn't look like the usual rough fertilizer."

Zhang Lin nodded, recognizing the experience Liu De had.

The employees recruited through the game were very experienced in these matters.

He himself couldn't tell the difference.

After fertilizing the experimental plots, Liu De went to the fast-growing white-hearted sweet potato field to cut the sweet potato vines.

Since they were a fast-growing variety, the sweet potato fields were already lush and green.

For transplantation, he just needed to cut the sweet potato vines and plant them. The sweet potatoes' strong vitality would allow them to take root and sprout, becoming new plants.

He was skilled at planting sweet potato seedlings, and the transplantation went quickly.

When he returned to the prefabricated house, the 20 newly recruited farm workers were already arranged and waiting for him to assign tasks.

Zhang Lin also called Liu De to the office in the prefabricated house, printed out a map of the core area, and instructed, "Arrange the newly recruited farm workers to build the fence around this core area."

Liu De nodded, took the map, and left the prefabricated house, leading the new workers to start the work.

Zhang Lin then rode Bai Long to the Bamboo Culture Garden, where he saw that many tourists had already discovered the place.

His sudden appearance on a white horse caught the attention of many tourists.

"Li Yuan Farm has a horse? This horse is so beautiful."

"The rider is handsome too!"

"Indeed!"

"..."

As Zhang Lin walked through Li Yuan Farm, he didn't attract too much attention. But riding Bai Long, he certainly stood out.

When he arrived at the laser engraving room, he saw Wang Yu engraving names on bamboo products for two tourists.

A tourism bureau section chief was currently working hard here.

Zhang Lin had originally planned to hire a few waiters, but in the end, he decided to give all the recruitment slots to the tourism bureau. After all, operating the engraving machine was simple; anyone who knew a bit of computer and could type could handle it.

Not only in the engraving room, but the Bamboo Culture Garden also needed guides, registrars, and custodians.

If tourists suddenly wanted to buy large bamboo products, these staff members would help with temporary storage and registration for mailing.

These 70+ bamboo product craftsmen and service staff added up to 100 positions for the tourism bureau.

To the public and the county, this was a hard-won collaboration between the tourism bureau and Li Yuan Farm, creating job opportunities.

Thus, the Bamboo Culture Garden was the first project to be fully open for recruitment.

Zhao Han also took charge of the recruitment, just like with the bamboo product craftsmen, so the farm didn't need to worry about it.

Moreover, the recruited staff would rent their own houses in the county, with the farm providing housing subsidies. Those who lived in the county wouldn't need to rent at all.

Naturally, the farm could also arrange some dormitories for them later.

In the future, for projects on the outskirts of the core area, Zhang Lin plans to recruit real-world employees using the same template. After all, creating more job opportunities in the real world has many advantages over recruiting game employees.

However, the core area will still be managed by absolutely loyal game employees.

"Boss Zhang!" Wang Yu greeted Zhang Lin as soon as he saw him.

"Thanks for your hard work, Director Wang," Zhang Lin replied with a smile.

"It's my duty, and I've gained a lot from this project," Wang Yu said openly.

After this project, he could finally drop the "acting" from his title as acting director. Moreover, Chen Ting's demotion had a bit to do with Boss Zhang, so he held a good impression of him.

...

Lin Muxue's team worked very quickly. By evening, they had already sent him the promotional video for the Bamboo Culture Garden.

The video started with an overall shot of the Bamboo Culture Garden, then switched to scenes of the bamboo forest, likely filmed in the Bamboo Maze area. Next, it showed footage of craftsmen making bamboo products, followed by a display of the finished products. The main part of the video focused on these bamboo products, not just fans but also other small items like bamboo tubes and plates.

With the Bamboo Culture Garden's attribute boost, each piece was exquisitely crafted, almost like works of art. Even Zhang Lin himself was captivated by the bamboo products.

The video also featured a pleasant female narrator:

"Green bamboo has captivated countless literati and artists throughout history, inspiring thousands of bamboo myths, poems, and paintings, forming an important part of our bamboo culture. Today, we introduce you to Liyuan Farm's unique Bamboo Culture Garden, where the unique bamboo culture comes to life..."

The combination of narration and subtitles made the video much more engaging than a simple visual presentation.

Zhang Lin was satisfied with the video, finding it better than the one he had produced. He instructed Lin Muxue to upload the promotional video immediately.

After handling this, Zhang Lin went to inspect the service center. To his surprise, Chu Heng, the producer of "Brainiest," rushed over.

Seeing the documents in his hand, Zhang Lin guessed the purpose of his visit—likely about the special episode of "Brainiest" in the Bamboo Maze.

They had previously agreed that the show would produce a season of "Brainiest" in the Bamboo Maze, with the farm receiving 10 million yuan in fees. Chu Heng must have prepared the contract and other documents.

Zhang Lin wondered what they would call this special season.

"Brainiest: Bamboo Maze Challenge?"

It probably wouldn't be such a generic name.

Sure enough, Chu Heng immediately handed him the contract when he arrived. "Boss Zhang, after I proposed this to the channel, they provided the funding. I prepared the contract and came to discuss it with you as soon as possible."

Zhang Lin wasn't surprised.

To someone like him, even with the farm, 10 million yuan was a significant amount, but in the entertainment industry, with the right audience, it was a small price to pay. After all, a single ad could generate far more revenue.

Zhang Lin reviewed the contract, which had many clauses. He took a photo of the contract and sent it to his law school senior for review.

The senior quickly responded, "The contract is fine, you can sign it. I didn't expect Liyuan Farm to be run by my junior."

"Thanks, senior," Zhang Lin replied, transferring 5000 yuan for the consultation fee.

After that, he signed the contract with Chu Heng.

"Boss Zhang, the funds will be transferred tomorrow morning," Chu Heng informed him before leaving hurriedly to start planning the season.

Zhang Lin took his copy of the contract back to the prefab house. Checking his phone, he found another message from his law school senior: "Junior, I heard Lin Muxue is working for you?"

"Yes, senior!" Zhang Lin replied.

"Junior, I treated you well in the club, right? I'll visit your farm, and you'll have to entertain me. We're alumni, so we should have a meal together, right?"

"Senior, you're right."

Zhang Lin replied, a knowing smile on his face.

It seemed Lin Muxue was quite popular.

He understood his senior's intentions, but he couldn't promise anything.

By night, the promotional video for the Bamboo Culture Garden had gone viral.

Back at home, Zhang Lin watched the promotional video to assess its effectiveness.

"These are all souvenirs? They are crafted so beautifully!"

"Will the tourists get the same items as shown in the videos?"

"The bamboo crafts are like works of art, even better than what I've seen from a bamboo art master!"

"Checked out the art master's work that someone mentioned upstairs, and it really doesn't compare to what Liyuan Farm has!"

"What's going on? An art master's work can't match a farm's souvenirs?"

"What are you thinking? It's definitely just filters and special effects. How could a farm souvenir be so exquisite?"

"Don't you understand the difference between what a seller shows and what a buyer gets?"

"Comparing a farm souvenir to an art master's work? Must still be dreaming!"

"..."

Zhang Lin read the comments and realized something was off. The comment section had erupted into a heated argument.

"Xiao Lin, it looks like the farm is being criticized. There's an old man saying we're being deceptive!" His mother's voice rang out as she approached with her phone, clearly very concerned about the farm. She had been refreshing the farm's videos every day when she got home.

Zhang Lin glanced at the video his mother was showing him.

The old man in the video appeared with a look of anger: "I noticed many people tagging me, and when I saw why, I was furious. It turns out a farm is just trying to attract attention with false product claims, promoting bamboo culture. I checked their bamboo crafts, and they are indeed beautiful, but I can assure you they are fake. No one would sell such high-level bamboo crafts as souvenirs. I also ask everyone not to compare my work to theirs. My status as a master is built on genuine craftsmanship, not false advertising!"

Zhang Lin felt a bit awkward.

Was this the bamboo art master everyone was talking about in the comments?

He seemed rather upset and embarrassed.

But Zhang Lin understood. In today's society, everyone is vying for attention and fame, and this situation was affecting the master's reputation.

Just then, he noticed that their farm's account had posted another video: "Liyuan Farm Sincerely Invites Master Zhao to Exchange Bamboo Craft Techniques!"

It was posted by Lin Muxue, and Master Zhao was the bamboo art master.

This was the benefit of having a professional team managing their accounts.

By extending this invitation, they were sure to capture the attention and traffic.

Now that the art master had raised doubts, they had to respond. Instead of arguing or engaging in a mud-slinging contest, Lin Muxue invited him to exchange ideas, putting the ball back in his court.

Moreover, this move would keep the focus on the Bamboo Culture Garden, attracting more attention.

If Master Zhao accepted, it would be a windfall for the farm and the local community.

As he was thinking, Zhang Lin noticed that the Tourism Bureau had also posted a video: "Youcheng Invites Master Zhao to Exchange Bamboo Craft Techniques!"

6666!

It seemed even the Tourism Bureau had caught on to the trend of leveraging this situation for attention.

Now, they were really putting the master in the spotlight.

In another part of town, in a villa, an old man's angry voice couldn't be contained: "Is this Liyuan Farm shameless? I've made it so clear, and they still don't understand? Don't they fear that I'll expose their tricks if I go there?"

A middle-aged man beside him said, "Dad, it seems there's another development. The Tourism Bureau in Youcheng is also calling out to you, inviting you to exchange ideas."

Another middle-aged man added, "Dad, what are they trying to do? They're clearly spreading false claims, yet they're insisting you come. Do they want to use you to boost the fame of their Bamboo Culture Garden? Maybe they plan to bribe you in private?"

"Is that all there is? I'll just ignore them. Once the tourists buy the items, they'll know the truth!" Zhao Kang was very confident and proud of his bamboo craft skills.

After all, everything he had—this villa, his son's wedding house, his car, and the respect from his family—was due to his bamboo craft skills.

So, he had his son help him record a video, saying, "My status in the bamboo craft industry isn't something that can be summoned by just anyone. I have no interest in supporting false claims. Everything will become clear once the tourists buy the items."

Master Zhao chose not to fall for their trap.

But the Bamboo Culture Garden had already gained a lot of attention. Regardless of what happened, Liyuan Farm and the Youcheng Tourism Bureau had already won.

The high level of online attention had drawn in more and more people.

Even the bamboo craft masters at the Bamboo Culture Garden had seen the videos. Led by Old Guo, they carefully reviewed Master Zhao's past videos, noting his villa, car, and the respect from his son. They were filled with anticipation for the opening of the Bamboo Culture Garden the next day.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end