Chapter 369: Jade Foot

“Brother Niu, how long are you planning to stay in Jiangsan City?”

“Not long. Ten days to half a month should be enough.”

“That short? You’re not going to stay and have some fun?”

The atmosphere inside the car was lively. Zhang Niu and his wife were in the back seat, while Wang Chao acted as the driver up front with Zhang Min.

“Jiangsan City is pretty fun. It’s got beaches and a commercial district.”

“And plenty of tourist attractions, too.”

“No, no.”

Zhang Niu declined with a chuckle.

“The main reason I came this time was to spend the New Year with Xiao Min.”

“Besides, I’ve got a pile of work waiting for me back in the Capital City.”

He wasn’t the only one who cared about the business in the Capital City now.

The government cared even more than he did!

Smartphones would elevate people’s lives to a whole new level. Anyone with half a brain could see how huge the impact would be.

Therefore, Zhang Niu’s project was the most crucial one in the Capital City.

Just how important was it?

You could tell from the resources they were pouring into it.

“SCREECH~”

The car stopped. Just as Zhang Niu got out, he suddenly froze as if he’d remembered something and quickly pulled out a brick-like object.

“The latest prototype.”

“The higher-ups invested so much that we managed to create a preliminary model in just a month and a half.”

In Zhang Niu’s hand was, indeed, the first-generation smartphone.

Wang Chao tried using it like he had before, and a look of amazement appeared on his face.

As he swiped his finger across the palm-sized screen, the displayed image scrolled along with it.

There were also some small applications on it, like a camera.

But when Wang Chao tried to tap into the camera app, he found he couldn’t open it.

“The basic factory software hasn’t been successfully developed yet.”

Zhang Niu pointed at the camera lens.

“The hardware can’t keep up, but that’s not a difficult problem to solve.”

“After the New Year—by mid-year at the latest—we can plan to launch the first-generation phone!”

Wang Chao was amazed.

“Just how many resources did the higher-ups pour into this?”

“It’s an astronomical figure. The caliber of the research personnel alone is on a completely different level.”

Zhang Niu himself was a bit taken aback.

The phone was made, but it was still just a semi-finished product, albeit one close to completion.

With current technology, this thing wasn’t actually that hard to make.

In fact, the most basic technology involved wasn’t very advanced. If you weren’t aiming for peak performance, any manufacturer could develop one in a year or so.

This much was clear just by looking at the knockoff phones that had sprouted up like bamboo shoots in the Eastern Country after the Fruit Phone appeared in Xu Huo’s previous life.

With the government’s support, on top of Zhang Niu’s own capabilities, creating the first generation in just under a year was completely doable.

“Hiss~”

Wang Chao sucked in a sharp breath, his mind already calculating when he could start arranging the software side of things.

Before he could finish his thought, however, Zhang Niu’s wife interrupted him.

“It’s the New Year, and you’re still talking about work…”

“How come I never see you this eager to talk shop when you’re at the office?”

Zhang Min’s mother was clearly displeased.

“We haven’t even brought the luggage inside yet.”

Zhang Niu immediately softened. “You’re right. We won’t talk about this during the New Year. As long as we have a plan, that’s enough.”

“Come on, let’s go. Let’s get inside and see the house.”

Zhang Niu headed forward, pulling the luggage behind him.

This was a residential complex, and a very luxurious one at that.

The residents here were either rich or powerful. Normally, places like this didn’t do short-term leases, but that wasn’t a problem. The important thing was making the right impression.

The apartment came fully furnished with appliances.

It was a very luxurious apartment.

Zhang Niu hadn’t brought much luggage, so unpacking would be quick.

However…

Before he could even put the luggage in the bedroom,

Zhang Min suddenly stuck out an arm, stopping her parents.

“Wait.”

Zhang Min said, pausing for a moment. Her expression grew wary as she stepped inside.

With practiced ease, she got down on the floor and first checked under the sofa.

Then she checked the bathroom, opening the toilet to see if there were any… human fragments inside.

All the while, she was constantly sniffing the air, but there were no strange odors.

She didn’t even spare the dresser drawers, repeatedly checking to see if anything… inauspicious was hidden inside.

She even removed the drawers to carefully inspect every crevice.

Finally,

Zhang Min took a deep breath, her gaze falling grimly on the surrounding furniture.

Her eyes settled on the air conditioner.

First was the floor-standing unit in the living room.

She checked for any signs that it had been tampered with, then knocked on it and peered inside.

After that, she inspected the one in the bedroom, not even sparing the outdoor unit.

At last, once she confirmed everything was clear, she returned to the entryway and breathed a sigh of relief.

“It’s okay now.”

Zhang Niu: ???

Zhang Niu was completely stunned. A hesitant look crossed his face, unable to comprehend what on earth his daughter was doing.

He remembered… Back in the Capital City, Zhang Min wasn’t like this!

How had she developed this strange habit after less than a month in Jiangsan City…?

Zhang Niu looked at Wang Chao with suspicion.

“Well, Jiangsan City…”

Wang Chao thought for a moment, unsure how to explain. After a moment of silence, he spoke with a grave expression.

“The feng shui in Jiangsan City is a bit off. It tends to randomly spawn… small gifts.”

“The locals are used to it.”

“Out-of-towners might encounter some… very special welcome gifts.”

‘Wel… welcome gifts?’

‘What the hell is that?’

Zhang Niu’s mind felt like it was tied in a knot. He exchanged a look with his wife, his head filled with nothing but confusion.

“The feng shui in Jiangsan City is bad?”

“It’s bad.”

“Little brother, didn’t you say before that the feng shui in the Capital City was bad too? How is it that Jiangsan City’s is also bad…”

“Mmm…”

Wang Chao fell silent. A moment later, he said with utmost seriousness,

“It’s better for you not to know about this!”

Nearby, Zhang Min’s eye twitched. She looked like she wanted to say something but held her tongue.