Chapter 152 - 108: The Ways of the World! Black Bear Spirit?

Chapter 152: Chapter 108: The Ways of the World! Black Bear Spirit?

Of course, there were plenty of negative incidents online, but one thing was certain: the overall trend was positive and upward.

After all, no country was more stable than ours.

"Boss Zhang, since we’ve finished our discussion, I won’t disturb you any longer." After speaking, Zhao Han also hurried out of the office center.

Looking at the construction projects around the farm, he was genuinely impressed. ’If it weren’t for a capable person like Boss Zhang, who else could have developed a wasteland to this extent in such a short time?’

Afterward, he immediately returned to the county office and found that besides Liu County, another person was there.

It was the very Secretary who had been questioned by the people from Ming City.

Zhao Han hadn’t expected the Secretary to be there, but since he’d arrived, he reported, "Liu County, just as I told you, Boss Zhang will definitely give this project his full support."

"Does Boss Zhang have any requests?" Liu County asked with a smile.

He had already seen the plan for the Night Market Town. It was, admittedly, an excellent project, and the key was that the county was taking the lead on it.

The online buzz about them "not even knowing how to cheat" hadn’t completely died down, and this project was the best response. ’Who says we don’t know how to follow a successful model?’

But the project ultimately depended on the traffic from Li Yuan Farm, so it naturally needed Boss Zhang’s support to succeed.

Zhao Han quickly explained, "Boss Zhang said he will give us his full support. However, he also said that his own funds are insufficient. Moreover, he feels it’s already a handful to manage the farm well, so he doesn’t have the extra energy for projects outside of it. He won’t be participating in this one."

Liu County was taken aback for a moment, then gave a wry smile. "This Boss Zhang still underestimates us county officials. He’s playing the social politics game. Still, you have to admire his decision!"

He actually had a clear understanding of the situation and knew what the young man was thinking. ’For someone in his position, this is a very shrewd way to handle things.’

Of course, his words just now were meant for the Secretary sitting beside him.

The Secretary also let out a wry chuckle. "This Boss Zhang is certainly a clear-headed individual."

Zhao Han then asked, "Liu County, should we schedule a preliminary meeting to discuss the project?"

Liu County waved his hand. "Not so fast. Even though Boss Zhang has declined to participate, we can’t just ignore his gesture. We must understand his position, and we certainly can’t do nothing in return. The First Construction Company will be the biggest beneficiary of this project. You make a trip to their office first. Boss Zhang played the social obligation card, so we have to play one back."

...

Back at Li Yuan Farm, Zhang Lin once again found himself in the Firefly Breeding and Cultivation Room.

Under the dim lights, thanks to the Growth Speed +1 attribute, some of the recently hatched larvae had already begun to glow. Using the leaves from that special item, another very large batch of firefly eggs had been laid.

Once this batch hatched and matured, he could release the first group.

The current projects at Li Yuan Farm, the campsite and the Flower Sea acquired from Kailin Investment, were ultimately ordinary. Without the system’s enhancements, they would lack a certain magic once they were completed and opened.

If he could add more fireflies, it would bring a splash of color to the nighttime scenery.

After observing for a while, Zhang Lin left the cultivation room to inspect a few of the farm’s projects. When he reached the service center, however, he found a man and a woman arguing. The nearby security guard, despite being recruited through the game system, had no idea who to side with in this situation.

At first, Zhang Lin thought it was just a couple fighting, but as he listened, he realized something was off.

"Zhao Chao, why are you allowed to love Lu?"

"Chuna, you’re a lunatic! What are you trying to pull?"

"Fuck, can you not bring that filthy shit you picked up while studying abroad back home?"

"Chuna, I’m not into LGBT!" a girl in a white dress standing nearby said awkwardly, tugging on the man’s arm. "Zhao Chao, let’s go!"

Zhang Lin had heard enough to make his head spin. He turned to the security guard and ordered, "Throw this woman out!"

’Fucking hell,’ he thought. ’I can’t believe this stuff has already spread here.’

He absolutely loathed it.

Hearing Zhang Lin’s order, the two system-recruited security guards immediately grabbed the woman and started carrying her out.

"What are you doing? Let go of me! If you touch me, I’ll sue you!" the woman shrieked wildly.

This scene earned a round of applause from many of the surrounding tourists who knew what was going on.

Some who didn’t understand whispered to the people next to them, "What’s LGBT?"

"Can you believe that in other countries, they have hundreds of genders and sexual orientations?" someone nearby retorted.

Zhang Lin paid no mind to the woman’s threats. ’In other countries, a threat like that might work, because public opinion has been held hostage by LGBT ideology and the laws have been co-opted by pharmaceutical money.’

’Here at home, you just get a slap in the face.’

Zhang Lin returned to his office, and it wasn’t long before he had another visitor: Zhao Han, the director of the tourism bureau.

"Director Zhao, you’re back in a hurry. Is it about the Night Market Town again?" Zhang Lin welcomed Zhao Han, had him sit at the tea table, brewed a pot of tea, and poured him a cup with a smile.

"As a matter of fact, I have a contract for you, Boss Zhang. Liu County specifically had me go to First Construction, and their people have signed it." Zhao Han took out a contract and handed it to Zhang Lin, then smiled as he picked up his own cup of tea and took a sip.

Zhang Lin was surprised when he saw the contract. It was a construction contract for a Li Yuan Farm dormitory in the Night Market Town. Crucially, the contract stated that the construction would be funded by the county’s corporate support fund.

In other words, after the Night Market Town opened, First Construction would build a dormitory complex for Li Yuan Farm, free of charge.

Zhang Lin gleaned two things from this contract.

One, it seemed the county was very optimistic about the Night Market Town project.

Two, First Construction was probably the project’s biggest financial beneficiary.

But what surprised him even more was, ’You City has more of these damn support funds? The key thing is, they come up with a different name for them every single time.’

’It seems the room for maneuver in these matters really depends on the county’s intentions. Of course, this probably wasn’t a real support fund, just a kind of exchange of interests disguised under that name.’

This was, after all, their way of reciprocating his decision not to participate in the Night Market Town project.

It was the kind of thing one understands but doesn’t mention.

Zhang Lin smiled and signed the contract. An extra dormitory complex was always a good thing. At least now he wouldn’t have to worry about housing for his employees.

Besides, he knew that if he didn’t sign it, certain people would be uneasy.

With the contract delivered, Zhao Han’s task was complete. He asked curiously, "Boss Zhang, what’s next? Does your farm have any new projects in the pipeline? If so, our tourism bureau will give you our full support."

"What’s this? Is Director Zhao more anxious about it than I am?" Zhang Lin asked with a laugh.

Zhao Han was very direct. "Boss Zhang, I won’t hide it from you. A member of the standing committee is retiring next year. Everyone is scrambling for the opportunity."

As he spoke, he made a small gesture, raising his palm upward.

Zhang Lin understood his meaning and didn’t hide anything. "I haven’t thought of any specific projects yet, but the farm has a few things in the works. Visitor numbers won’t drop; they’ll increase."

He said this with great confidence. After all, he still had several aces up his sleeve, like the sweet potatoes, the moisturizing cream, and the fireflies. Even if there were no major new projects, he would be fine.

The sweet potatoes and the moisturizing cream were both things that would appeal to women; they could attract plenty of female visitors even without any new projects.

And that wasn’t even mentioning the fireflies.

When they were released, they would be another huge draw.

"That’s great!" Zhao Han’s face lit up with a smile, and he drank his tea with obvious delight.

Just then, Zhang Lin stared in surprise at a prompt that appeared on the glowing screen in his mind:

[Congratulations on reaching the 500-employee milestone! Your staff has grown, and so has your number of visitors. However, your farm seems to be lacking something with a bit of spirit. Congratulations on receiving a special reward: The procurement market has been updated with a Little Black Bear that enjoys wearing a Kasaya and loves to skate!]

Zhang Lin froze for a moment when he saw the game’s notification.

’A Kasaya!’

’A Black Bear Spirit?’