Chapter 90: The Experiment Succeeded! Time for a Big Move!

Chapter 90: The Experiment Succeeded! Time for a Big Move!

"Business conference? What’s it all about?" Zhang Lin was quite curious when he heard Zhao Han’s words.

He knew that official organizations often held various business conferences, some of which even made the news. However, he had never really paid attention to such events, so naturally, he was curious when Zhao Han mentioned it.

Zhao Han chuckled, "Mr. Zhang, do you want the truth or a lie?"

"Director Zhao, just tell me!" Zhang Lin knew there was more to it than met the eye.

Zhao Han explained, "It’s mainly about promoting the guidelines from the capital, ensuring that top businesses in the county are aware of industry standards and avoid any violations. It also promotes socialist values."

Zhang Lin summarized, "So, nothing really important?"

Zhao Han continued, "You can say that, but only here. Outside, I wouldn’t admit saying these things. These conferences are highly sought after, as they represent status and prestige in Youcheng."

Zhang Lin understood the implications.

While he wasn’t particularly interested in such conferences, this was the first time he had been invited.

"Alright, I’ll attend the day after tomorrow," he agreed.

After hanging up, Zhang Lin left the farm and headed back home.

The next morning, Liu De reported to Zhang Lin at the farm, "Boss, the sweet potato seedling in the special fertile soil is ready to be transplanted. Should we do it immediately?"

"Let’s go check it out!" Zhang Lin’s eyes lit up with excitement as he and Liu De headed to the special fertile soil plot. Sure enough, the sweet potato seedling had grown into a long, winding vine several meters long.

The other sweet potato seedlings nearby were only just beginning to grow vines, clearly showing a significant difference.

This confirmed that the sweet potato seedling had retained the +1 growth speed attribute from the game.

"Liu De, transplant this sweet potato seedling to regular soil first and see how it does. Then, transplant two more outside the farm’s boundaries!" Zhang Lin instructed.

This way, they could determine the specific conditions. If the experiment succeeded, they wouldn’t need to rely on the game for purchases; they could mass-produce the sweet potato seedlings and promote their cultivation.

Liu De immediately got to work, using scissors to cut the sweet potato vines and transplanting them as Zhang Lin had directed. Some were transplanted within the farm, while two were moved outside its boundaries.

Zhang Lin also dug up the sweet potato seedling that had been cut down to a small stub. He could see that the roots were beginning to swell, a sign that the sweet potatoes were starting to form.

He took the sweet potato seedling to the warehouse and checked the note:

【Special Fast-Growing White Heart Sweet Potato Seedling: Quality 1】

【This is a fast-growing white heart sweet potato seedling. After planting, it grows at +1 speed. When harvested, the sweet potatoes can be steamed and eaten, providing a +1 skin whitening effect!

Limitation: Seedlings can only be cultivated within the farm’s boundaries. Otherwise, the seedlings’ attribute retention rate is low, and the attribute effects are significantly reduced!】

Zhang Lin’s face lit up with joy upon reading the note.

This meant the cultivation was a success.

The 100,000 yuan per pound price of the special fertilizer was not wasted.

More importantly, the limitation acted as a layer of protection against theft.

This meant that while the cultivated sweet potato seedlings could be planted outside, if someone tried to cultivate the seedlings directly outside, the retention rate of the game attributes would be low, and the attribute effects would be significantly reduced.

In simple terms, if they cultivated 100 sweet potato seedlings, all 100 would retain the game attributes within the farm, but outside, only a dozen or so might retain the attributes, and even then, the effects would be weaker.

Thus, he could mass-produce the seedlings for large-scale cultivation, and anyone trying to crack the method would face significant challenges and costs.

With this in mind, Zhang Lin rode his motorcycle back home and found a pot to plant the sweet potato seedling.

This way, the seedlings cultivated and transplanted outside the farm could be checked the next day.

Back at the farm, Zhang Lin visited the Bamboo Cultural Garden again.

The Bamboo Cultural Garden was still bustling with activity. Many visitors to the farm made it their first stop, customizing bamboo fans to use during their visit, which had become a sort of tradition.

The only difference was that the workstation previously occupied by Lin Haida was now empty.

This was a position reserved for master craftsmen, and the bamboo artisans would need to compete to secure this spot. However, the Tourism Bureau was more eager to handle this, and they would coordinate with Lin Muxue.

Such matters no longer required his attention.

However, Guo Lao's workstation had two additional people today, assisting him with his work.

"Sir, what kind of bamboo craft would you like to make? Here is a catalog; you can choose from it," Guo Huai handed a catalog to Zhang Lin. The catalog featured the bamboo crafts his father specialized in, specifically compiled by the farm's operations department.

Zhang Lin took the catalog and flipped through it, noting the exquisite craftsmanship of each item.

Presenting these options to visitors would make their experience more intuitive and visually pleasing.

Guo Lao looked up and saw Zhang Lin, quickly addressing him respectfully, "Boss!"

He then hurriedly told his two sons, "This is the boss!"

Guo Huai and his brother were instantly surprised.

They had returned to learn the bamboo craft from their father and had naturally researched Liyuan Farm. They knew how impressive Liyuan Farm was in You City, but they never imagined the boss would be so young.

Several tourists nearby turned to look at Zhang Lin, their eyes filled with disbelief.

He was indeed very young.

Liyuan Farm was already very popular online, but no one knew who the farm's owner was. The boss was incredibly low-key, never appearing in public or drawing attention to himself.

They had assumed it was a wealthy investor, given the substantial funds required for Liyuan Farm's various projects.

They never expected the boss to be so young, and more importantly, so modest.

Wouldn't someone of his age be showing off, full of confidence and ambition?

Guo Lao quickly explained, "Boss, these are my sons. I asked them to come and learn the bamboo craft so they can find work here in the Bamboo Cultural Park."

"Uh-huh!" Zhang Lin nodded, understanding the situation.

These were normal human relations; as long as they were skilled, there was no issue.

After finishing his tour of the Bamboo Cultural Park, Zhang Lin left and rode his scooter to the service center. To his surprise, he encountered a man and a woman who greeted him:

"Zhang Lin!"

"Are you Zhang Lin?"

"Chen Hao, Wu Ling!" Zhang Lin was momentarily stunned, recognizing them as his university classmates. The man had even organized the last class reunion.

He had declined when they asked him to attend.

However, Zhang Lin looked at them with a peculiar expression.

In a previous class group chat, a classmate had revealed that a male and female classmate had been caught playing an intimate game by the man's wife during the reunion, leading to a heated argument (Chapter 17).

These two were the main characters in that incident.

Now, they were here at his farm, acting as if nothing had happened. Had they both divorced and decided to be together?

If that was the case, he felt some sympathy for the other man and woman involved.

If they hadn't divorced, his sympathy for the other couple would be even greater.

"Zhang Lin, are you working at Liyuan Farm?" Chen Hao asked, surprised.

"Zhang Lin, why are you working here?" Wu Ling looked at his old scooter with a mocking smile. "Are you an employee here? Can you get us any special benefits?"

Zhang Lin saw the mocking look on Wu Ling's face and said with a self-deprecating smile, "Do I look like someone who would get special benefits? I have work to do, so let's talk later."

With that, he rode his scooter away.

Some classmates were worth keeping, like Huang Tao.

Others, he preferred to avoid as much as possible.

Chen Hao and Wu Ling watched him ride away, their expressions growing more playful.

"No wonder he didn't dare to attend the class reunion; he's working at a farm!"

"True, I'd be embarrassed too and wouldn't show up."

...

Zhang Lin rode his scooter to the service center and found Lin Mengxi once again working with people from the Agriculture Bureau.

"Mr. Zhang!" Lin Mengxi greeted him with a warm smile.

Zhang Lin smiled back, "Miss Lin, are you preparing for the third agricultural assistance live stream tonight?"

Lin Mengxi nodded, "Yes, the first two were very successful, and we've gained a lot of momentum. We plan to capitalize on this. Honestly, this plan wouldn't have succeeded without Mr. Zhang's help."

"Small things, a win-win for both of us!" Zhang Lin smiled.

Lin Mengxi said, "The farm and our bureau have a cooperative relationship, but to me, this is a significant achievement. I still want to thank you, Mr. Zhang. Would you mind if I treat you to a meal tomorrow?"

"That would be great. Just let me know the time and place, Miss Lin!" Zhang Lin politely agreed and returned to his prefabricated office.

He had just sat down when he noticed a flurry of @mentions from his college classmates in their group chat.

Looking at the messages, they were discussing his job at Liyuan Farm:

"Zhang Lin, why are you working at a farm? Your previous job was good, right?"

"Zhang Lin, we're all classmates. Come work at my company!"

"I'm a department head now and can hire someone!"

"..."

Zhang Lin read the comments, which seemed to be out of concern, but each one was also a subtle show of their own accomplishments.

He hadn't expected Chen Hao and the others to spread the news so quickly.

Shaking his head, he put his phone down.

These were people he wouldn't see again. Let them talk.

Time passed.

The next morning, Zhang Lin got up and looked at the sweet potato plant he had planted at home.

The plant had been trimmed yesterday, but with the +1 growth speed attribute, it had grown another section overnight.

He then went to the farm to check on the sweet potato cuttings he had transplanted there. They had also grown, indicating that the +1 growth speed attribute had been retained and they had taken root.

With this, he could cultivate enough sweet potato cuttings in a month. By mid-August, it would be the right time to plant them for the autumn season.

He then called Liu De and showed him the two sweet potato cuttings that had been transplanted outside the farm. There had been no change, and one of them was even wilting, confirming that cultivation outside the farm's range was impossible.

"Liu De, from now on, focus on cultivating these sweet potato cuttings. The more, the better," Zhang Lin instructed.

Once enough cuttings were ready, it would be time for a big push.

"Yes, boss!" Liu De nodded.

After checking the status of the sweet potato cuttings, Zhang Lin returned to his prefabricated office and rode his scooter to You County.

Today, there was a major business conference in You County, organized by County Magistrate Liu.

Entering the county government building, he found a spot to park his scooter in a dedicated two-wheeler area next to the car parking lot.

As he parked, a Mercedes S480 pulled up beside him. In a small county like this, the driver was likely a local businessman, probably attending the conference.

A middle-aged man got out of the car and glanced at Zhang Lin, not giving him much thought. After all, many people came to the county for various reasons, and this young man wasn't dressed like a county official.

He walked straight in and saw the conference signage in the lobby, heading directly to the meeting room. He had attended such meetings before, so he knew the way.

What he didn't expect was for the young man to follow him in. Feeling a bit concerned, he said, "Young man, you're in the wrong place. You need to go to the other side for business."

"Uh!" Zhang Lin was taken aback. Was this uncle being kind or just nosy?

At that moment, Zhao Han appeared.

Seeing Zhao Han, the middle-aged man smiled and said, "Director Zhao, I just listened to your guidance on the tourism industry. Didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Mr. Li!" Zhao Han greeted him with a handshake and then noticed Zhang Lin behind him. He immediately smiled and approached, "Mr. Zhang, I was worried you might get lost. County Magistrate Liu specifically asked me to escort you to the meeting room."

Beside them, Mr. Li heard this and looked at Zhang Lin with surprise.

Although Director Zhao only managed the tourism sector, his position was significant. Did he need to be so polite to a young man?

And this young man was attending the conference too?

He must have heard right.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end