Chapter 92: Camping Grounds vs. Camping Grounds?

Chapter 92: Camping Grounds vs. Camping Grounds?

Zhang Lin followed Zhao Han to the county government building and entered the county office, where he met Liu Xian once again.

"Liu Xian, Mr. Zhang is here," Zhao Han reported as he entered the office.

Liu Xian, seeing Zhang Lin, immediately invited him to sit down. "Mr. Zhang, there's something important I need to discuss with you. The Agricultural Bureau just reported that Kai Lin Investment Company has leased a large area of land around the Liyuan Farm."

"Initially, the Agricultural Bureau had reserved the surrounding land for the expansion of your Liyuan Farm. However, Kai Lin Investment Company managed to secure support from the Secretary, and their reasons were valid. They argued that they couldn't refuse a company that was willing to lease the land."

"Additionally, Kai Lin Investment Company has more substantial financial resources. Given the current enthusiasm for agricultural tourism in Youcheng, it was decided that they should be allowed to join in and grow the market. As a result, Secretary Wei had no choice but to approve their request."

Zhang Lin frowned, understanding the implications. After all, the county government was unaware of Zhao Han and his connections, and there were many influential people with their own factions.

If someone had managed to secure support from Kai Lin Investment, they would naturally find various reasons to facilitate the company's progress.

So, Zhao Neng was indeed targeting his Liyuan Farm. But did he really think that money alone could create a successful agricultural tourism project?

At that moment, Liu Xian operated a tablet and handed it to Zhang Lin. "This is the land that Kai Lin Investment has leased. Fortunately, Secretary Wei took precautions and reserved enough land for the next phase of your Liyuan Farm's expansion. However, Kai Lin Investment's efforts pose a significant threat to your farm. They have already submitted their first project, which is a major concern for your farm."

Zhang Lin looked at the map on the tablet, which showed the land leasing status. It included the area leased by Liyuan Farm and the land leased by Kai Lin Investment Company, which was strategically positioned to surround Liyuan Farm.

Although Secretary Wei had reserved additional land for future leasing, the situation was still dire.

The real issue was the first project Kai Lin Investment had submitted.

A camping ground!

That's right, their first project, as marked by the Agricultural Bureau, was a camping ground located conveniently near the entrance of Liyuan Farm.

This camping ground would undoubtedly divert a significant portion of the visitors who would otherwise come to Liyuan Farm.

After all, Liyuan Farm currently lacked accommodation facilities. By setting up this project, Kai Lin Investment's intentions were clear.

When visitors see a camping ground right next to Liyuan Farm, they would likely choose to stay there, drawing them away from the farm.

Once visitors were staying at the camping ground, they would be more likely to explore other projects Kai Lin Investment might develop.

If those projects were appealing enough, the visitors would be lost to Kai Lin Investment.

Now Zhang Lin understood what Zhao Neng meant by "intercepting" them.

He was intercepting the flow of visitors.

But why did they choose a camping ground?

Was this just a coincidence?

Wasn't Liyuan Farm planning to set up a camping ground as well?

Could Kai Lin Investment's camping ground really compete with the one developed using the game system?

Just in terms of construction, his team from the game system could build it much faster.

By the time Kai Lin Investment finished, his camping ground would likely already be operational.

Would they be surprised when they saw how well his project was doing?

The camping ground on the map was quite extensive, covering 2,000 acres. This area, minus the facilities and recreational spaces, could comfortably accommodate 5,000 visitors.

This meant a significant investment, especially considering the large amount of land they had leased. The rental costs alone would be substantial, and if they didn't recoup their investment quickly, it could be disastrous.

If they managed to intercept the visitors from Liyuan Farm, it would be one thing. But if they incurred losses, what would Kai Lin Investment do?

Liu Xian sighed. "Mr. Zhang, we can't make decisions unilaterally in these matters, but rest assured, we will do our best to support Liyuan Farm."

"Liu Xian, this isn't a problem. In fact, we at Liyuan Farm were also planning to set up a camping ground. If someone wants to provide a bit of competition, that's just perfect," Zhang Lin said with a smile, his eyes already scanning the map to find a suitable location for the farm's camping ground.

Since Kai Lin Investment had leased 2,000 acres, he would naturally need to match that or even exceed it to maintain the farm's prestige.

After understanding the situation, Zhang Lin didn't stay longer and bid farewell to Liu Xian and Zhao Han before leaving.

Liu Xian and Zhao Han exchanged glances, both looking surprised.

"Mr. Zhang doesn't seem worried at all!" Zhao Han exclaimed. "And he's planning to compete directly with Kai Lin Investment. They want to set up a camping ground, and he wants to set up a camping ground too?"

County Administrator Liu nodded, "Mr. Zhang isn't just unworried; he seems confident. Zhao Han, keep a close eye on the situation. Provide all the support you can to Liyuan Farm."

Honestly, he wasn't satisfied with the actions of Kaolin Investment Co., Ltd.

After all, the future of Linyuan Farm was promising, and it would bring significant benefits to You City's economy.

He didn't want anyone to come in and ruin this great opportunity.

But what could he do? Some people just knew how to pull strings.

Some people, despite not understanding many things, liked to show off their authority, proving their relevance...

It was a situation everyone understood but couldn't do much about.

However, thinking about Mr. Zhang's confident demeanor, he felt a bit more hopeful.

If Kaolin Investment Co. failed at Linyuan Farm, it would be a significant loss. They wouldn't even be invited to the next business meeting.

...

After leaving the county building, Zhang Lin received a message from Lin Mengxi: "Mr. Zhang, we have a table booked for lunch today. You should know about the Kaolin Investment Co. situation. I've investigated some information for you and can tell you about it now."

Zhang Lin remembered he had a lunch date with Miss Lin, so he headed to the restaurant.

The restaurant, Sifang Table, was on the third floor of the Central Commercial Plaza and had a good reputation.

When Zhang Lin arrived, he received another message from Lin Mengxi with the table number. As soon as he entered Sifang Table, he spotted her.

She had chosen a corner table, likely to avoid being recognized as a popular agricultural livestreamer in You City.

He originally planned to invite her to the Linyuan Farm restaurant but was afraid of her insisting on a free meal.

"Mr. Zhang, take a look at the menu!" Lin Mengxi said with a smile when she saw him.

Zhang Lin nodded and casually ordered two dishes. The dishes at chain restaurants were generally decent, not terrible but not outstanding either. After all, affordable prices were their selling point.

"Mr. Zhang, you know about the Kaolin Investment Co. situation, right?" Lin Mengxi asked after a bit of eating.

"Um, yes," Zhang Lin nodded.

Lin Mengxi continued, "I heard about this today at the bureau and did some investigation. They've been planning this for a while. They had the design plans ready before even leasing the land, and they've already ordered tents and other equipment."

Lin Mengxi shared a lot of information, but it didn't provide much practical help to Zhang Lin.

However, he was grateful for her effort: "Thank you, Miss Lin, for the information!"

Lin Mengxi, surprised by Zhang Lin's calm demeanor, said, "Mr. Zhang, you don't seem worried at all."

After all, Kaolin Investment Group was well-known in You City, and they had mobilized significant resources for this project.

"Uncle, Sister Mengxi, you're here too?" a surprised voice interrupted.

Both turned to see Fu Yao, accompanied by another girl. The girl, upon seeing Lin Mengxi, exclaimed, "You're Sister Mengxi! The agricultural livestreamer!"

"Um, yes," Lin Mengxi nodded, inviting Fu Yao, "Fu Yao, you and your classmate? Join us!"

"No, no, I'm treating my classmate to lunch today. I need her help with something," Fu Yao quickly declined, then suddenly asked, "Sister Mengxi, are you on a date with Uncle?"

For some reason, she felt a strange sensation when she asked this.

Zhang Lin hurriedly shook his head, "Just a casual lunch!"

Lin Mengxi added, "Yes, to thank Mr. Zhang for his support, I invited him to lunch."

Of course, she didn't mention that if there was a chance, she wouldn't mind dating Mr. Zhang. After all, in a small place like You City, there weren't many outstanding men.

Men like Mr. Zhang were rare.

However, since he hadn't shown any interest or special affection, she wouldn't push it. She wasn't the type to be overly forward or clingy.

Naturally, if he showed any interest, she wouldn't mind exploring it further.

Unfortunately, he hadn't.

"Then I won't disturb you. I still need to treat my classmate!" Fu Yao led her classmate to another table.

After the meal, Zhang Lin received a WeChat message from Fu Yao: "Uncle, don't forget you promised to let me work at the farm this summer!"

Zhang Lin smiled. Was this girl worried he would back out over such a small matter? He replied, "I won't forget this, no matter what."

"You forgot before!"

"That was a pure accident. But you should give me the design plans for the campsite soon, preferably for a 2,000-acre area."

Zhang Lin didn’t forget the main task at hand and said, "I’m looking forward to it."

Fu Yao replied, "Actually, the design is almost done. However, for 2,000 acres, I’ll need to adjust some of the design parameters. I’ll send them to you in a couple of days."

"Great, I’m waiting for your good news!"

After returning to the farm, Zhang Lin started preparing the necessary documents. Since he was planning to build a camping site, he needed to lease the land first. He had already chosen an area by the river, right where the bamboo maze and the rapeseed flower fields intersected.

This setup would form a convex structure, with the camping site, the rapeseed flower fields, and the bamboo maze creating a harmonious layout. At the tip of the convex shape, a road would be built to serve as another entrance to the farm, with another road leading to the parking area on the left side.

The parking area would also need to be expanded, as many tourists were coming from nearby cities by car. Once the camping site was ready, the number of such visitors would increase even more.

Most importantly, Kai Lin Investment’s camping site was located not far from the tip of the convex shape, directly opposite Zhang Lin’s site. This setup provided the perfect opportunity for a direct comparison.

After preparing the documents, Zhang Lin promptly headed to the Agricultural Bureau to lease the land.

Wei Yuan greeted him immediately and apologized, "Mr. Zhang, I’m really sorry about Kai Lin Investment’s lease. I can see the potential of Linyuan Farm, and I know it will need more land in the future. However, some leaders had different opinions. They believe Kai Lin Investment has substantial funds and can quickly expand the market. That’s just nonsense!"

"Leasing so much land and surrounding Linyuan Farm, they really don’t seem to have thought it through. If their plans don’t work out, they’ll have to come to you, Mr. Zhang, and ask for a low-price sublease!"

"Then they’re in for a surprise," Zhang Lin said with a smile. "But even if they do, I won’t have the funds to help them."

"Ah!" Wei Yuan was taken aback.

Mr. Zhang was very confident.

Wei Yuan thought for a moment, "Mr. Zhang, Kai Lin Investment’s first project is a camping site. You’re not here to lease land for a camping site, are you?"

"Mr. Wei, you’re sharp. That’s exactly what I’m here for," Zhang Lin said, handing over his documents to Wei Yuan.

"Do I even need to guess?" Wei Yuan said, almost unconsciously.

Knowing that Kai Lin Investment was planning a camping site, he would have done the same to compete.

More importantly, from Mr. Zhang’s past projects, it was clear that he wasn’t someone to be underestimated. Kai Lin Investment might have more funds right now, but that could change over time.

If that happened, Kai Lin Investment would be in trouble, and what Mr. Zhang said might come true.

Kai Lin Investment had leased so much land, and in Youcheng, no one else would be able to sublease it.

Wei Yuan felt increasingly excited about this potential outcome. He quickly helped Zhang Lin complete the procedures, offering the same support policies as before, with the first year’s rent waived and a 2-acre agricultural promotion market designated for the Agricultural Bureau.

This clearly showed Wei Yuan’s confidence in Linyuan Farm.

After receiving the lease contract, Zhang Lin rode his scooter back to Linyuan Farm. On the way, he saw several trucks transporting mud and sand heading toward the farm, or rather, past the farm’s entrance.

He understood the situation.

Their actions were indeed swift.

At a nearby site, not far from Linyuan Farm, Zhao Neng was already directing a group of workers on the construction site. The area was bustling with activity, with workers clearing the land and preparing for construction.

He found a spot from where he could see Linyuan Farm.

"Mr. Zhao, we’ve leased so much land. If our first project doesn’t successfully undercut Linyuan Farm, we’ll be in a bad position," his assistant reported.

Zhao Neng, a seasoned businessman, was confident in the project, "Right now, they don’t have an accommodation option, which is our best opportunity. Even if they learn about our project and try to catch up, we’ve signed contracts with large construction teams in Youcheng and the two neighboring counties, as well as priority supply contracts for construction materials."

"Without a construction team or materials, they’ll have to look elsewhere, which will significantly increase their costs. By the time they finish their current projects and start, their construction progress will be far behind. By then, our camping site might already be open."

"Mr. Zhao, that’s a brilliant move," the assistant nodded.

Zhao Neng added, "Also, make sure to push the construction teams to move in as soon as possible."

"Rest assured, Mr. Zhao. They’ve promised to start as soon as they finish their current projects," the assistant replied.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end