Chapter 164 - 114: Opening the Mountain Goods Market! Holy Shit

Chapter 164: Chapter 114: Opening the Mountain Goods Market! Holy Shit

Zhang Lin followed Director Zhong, who had personally come down to welcome him, up to the second floor. As soon as they arrived, the director began trying to cozy up to him.

"Boss Zhang, Director Wei from the Agriculture Bureau and I are old acquaintances. We even worked in the same department back in the day, fought in the trenches together. I’ve heard Wei mention your capabilities before."

"Our farm also owes a lot to Director Wei’s support in the beginning."

Zhang Lin was now almost certain that Director Zhong wanted a favor. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have even brought up Director Wei from the Agriculture Bureau.

And considering the director’s behavior, he had a pretty good idea of what that favor might be.

After producing the documents for Li Yuan Farm, which he had already taken care of, Zhong Lei asked, "President Zhang, now that you’ve acquired Kailin Investment’s farm assets and are expanding, you must be hiring a lot of people, right?"

Zhang Lin understood immediately. He played along, "Yes, we at Li Yuan Farm are in need of a lot of talented people right now. We still haven’t found managers for some of our projects. Does Director Zhong have anyone to recommend?"

Director Zhong’s smile widened at his words. "As a matter of fact, there is someone. I’ll have her go to the farm this afternoon to find you, Boss Zhang."

The conversation was, all in all, a pleasant one.

It was a simple transaction: you do me a favor, and I’ll owe you one.

Zhang Lin didn’t even have to think to know that the "talented person" Director Zhong mentioned was either a relative or one of his own children.

With recent news online, regulations against nepotism within the government system—things like children inheriting their parents’ positions—have become increasingly strict. Even though someone in his position could probably still pull strings to get someone a government job, sometimes you also have to consider if their personality is a good fit.

Forcing an appointment for someone who wasn’t a good fit would only lead to trouble. It would be meaningless for them to languish in a low-level position for their entire life, so it was better to just arrange a good job for them elsewhere.

For someone of the director’s status, arranging a job in You City was simple. Plenty of companies in You City would grant him that favor.

The fact that he had chosen Li Yuan Farm probably meant he was banking on its future prospects.

He had specifically mentioned needing a project manager as a way of asking if that position was satisfactory. Since the director was clearly satisfied, he had told the person to go to the farm to find him.

It was just as a certain public figure, Zhang Xuefeng, had once said, wasn’t it? Four roommates in a dorm might goof off together, skip classes, and go clubbing. But when graduation comes, only one is scrambling to find a job. The other three are casually packing their bags, either to go home and inherit the family business or to start a job their family has already arranged.

Clearly, Director Zhong’s request fell into the category of "a job arranged by the family."

People really are born into different circumstances.

As far as Zhang Lin was concerned, if he could arrange a position for Lin Mengyao, he could arrange another. As long as it wasn’t a core position, it was no problem. It was simply a matter of using an unimportant role to maintain a relationship.

Of course, it wasn’t a favor he would do for just anyone.

After Zhong Lei and Zhang Lin came to an agreement, he personally escorted Zhang Lin downstairs with a broad smile. Now that the matter was settled, he would have something to report to his wife when he got home.

He had only brought this up because of his daughter.

The number of tourists in You City had doubled this year, which meant Zhao Han’s promotion was all but guaranteed. And everyone knew who they had to thank for that.

As for his daughter, he really had no other choice. Her personality wasn’t suited for a government career, and his wife was worried she would suffer or be mistreated at a regular job. His hands were tied, so he had no choice but to arrange a good position for her.

He had done his research on Li Yuan Farm. From what he understood, the project managers for attractions like the Flower Sea, the Bamboo Maze, and the Bamboo Culture Park all earned a salary of 15,000 plus bonuses.

In a small place like You City, not many people earned that kind of salary.

Having his daughter work at Li Yuan Farm would be an excellent outcome.

Zhong Lei escorted Zhang Lin all the way to the entrance, which again drew stares from the people there on business, especially those who knew who Zhong Lei was.

’To be personally received and then escorted out so politely by a man like that, his company must be one of the top in You City,’ they thought. ’Otherwise, you wouldn’t even get the chance to see him, unlike us.’

But as Zhong Lei went back inside, they all watched Zhang Lin walk to the parking lot, get on a mud-splattered scooter, and ride away. Everyone was dumbfounded.

’So low-key at such a young age?’

"Who on earth is that?"

"Maybe he’s that legendary figure everyone talks about!"

"What legendary figure?"

"Don’t you know any big shots who attend the county’s business conferences? There’s only one young man in the entire county who attends those meetings, and he sits right near the front!"

"Who says I don’t? Being that young, it has to be him!"

"Him who?"

"..."

...

Not long after Zhang Lin left the Administration for Industry and Commerce, a game notification appeared in his mind:

[Congratulations on completing the milestone for developing 5,000 mu. You have received a special reward: the Mountain Goods Market is now unlocked! Mountain goods may not be mainstream, but they are an indispensable part of agriculture. In fact, agricultural treasures can often be found among them, providing a livelihood for many. The Mountain Goods Market will periodically refresh with new mountain goods available for purchase.]

Zhang Lin glanced at the game data on the screen in his mind:

Develop 10,000 mu of agricultural land (6,295/10,000).

Total Farm Area: 47,000!

’Just as I thought.’ After he finished the paperwork for the assets acquired from Kailin Investment, both his developed area and total farm area had changed.

Adding Kailin Investment’s 2,000-mu campsite and 500-mu Flower Sea brought his total developed area to 6,295 mu. On top of that, hitting the 5,000-mu development milestone had even given him a reward.

’It’s a shame the total area didn’t trigger a milestone reward, though. What a waste of a 40,000-mu increase.’

Still, he was very interested in this Mountain Goods Market, unlocked as a reward for developing 5,000 mu.