Chapter 27: The Farm Became Like This So Soon?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: The Farm Became Like This So Soon?

Fu Yao was confused, but she still asked, "Boss, what’s wrong?"

Like he was grasping at straws, Zhang Lin pointed to his mom and Yingzi up ahead. "You see them? That’s my mom and the daughter of a family friend. That girl has her sights set on me. You gotta be my shield!"

"She’s hitting on you?" Fu Yao caught sight of Yingzi and was taken aback by her size. She glanced at her own figure. ’That woman has to be at least three times my size, right?’

Zhang Lin quickly turned back to the girl. "Save me! I’ll owe you big time!"

Fu Yao did hesitate for a moment. She was a high school girl, after all, and this was the first time she’d ever encountered a situation like this.

But her hesitation was brief. "Boss, it’s not impossible for me to help you, but I have one condition: let me work a summer job at your Flower Sea."

"You need money?" Zhang Lin asked, puzzled.

’That can’t be it,’ he thought. ’Judging by her offer to model for free, she doesn’t seem desperate for money.’

Fu Yao shook her head. "I don’t need the money. My dad’s philosophy is to provide his daughter with everything she needs, so he’d never short me on allowance. I’m already sixteen, so I’m not considered child labor anymore. I just want to get some experience in the working world. And since I love rapeseed flowers, your place is the perfect opportunity, Boss!"

"That’s a small thing. I promise!" Zhang Lin didn’t refuse. ’This girl really is much more mature than other girls her age,’ he thought.

Besides, he had long-term plans for the rapeseed Flower Sea. While the tall-growing variety of rapeseed was rare, it had numerous advantages, including a longer flowering period that could last up to two months.

What’s more, rapeseed could actually be grown year-round.

Therefore, promoting it online to attract tourists was essential. Using channels like Tiao Yin and having this girl as a long-term, part-time model would be perfect. It was what all the tourist attractions were doing these days, anyway.

"Deal," Fu Yao said with a satisfied nod. Then she quickly added, "Your mom and her friend are coming over. Boss... wait, that’s not right. A couple wouldn’t call each other that. I’ll call you ’Uncle’ for now, so we don’t blow our cover!"

"’Uncle’? What the hell? Am I that old?" Zhang Lin was rendered speechless.

He might be ten years older than her, but he didn’t qualify as an ’uncle,’ did he? At most, he was at the ’big brother’ level!

But Fu Yao was amused. "Come on. In this context, ’uncle’ isn’t a noun, it’s a term of endearment. A lot of girls call their older boyfriends that. You’re so behind the times."

"???" Zhang Lin felt like he was learning something new, whether he wanted to or not.

Aside from his high school puppy love with Lin Xin, he hadn’t been in a relationship since, so he was completely clueless about this stuff.

Lin Yan had already spotted her son. She had come to Darunfa to buy a few things and happened to run into Yingzi. They’d had a pleasant chat, and she was just about to call Zhang Lin to invite Yingzi over to their home.

She just never expected to find her son with a girl in tow.

With no other choice, she walked over with Yingzi.

"Mom! Yingzi!" Zhang Lin greeted them as soon as he saw them.

"Auntie! Yingzi!" Fu Yao immediately got into character and echoed his greeting.

Zhang Lin had to admit, the girl was remarkably poised. He quickly made the introduction, "Mom, Yingzi, this is my girlfriend, Fu Yao!"

Lin Yan froze. ’My son really found a girlfriend?’

’She’s just as beautiful as he said, but... isn’t she a little too young?’

Liu Ying, on the other hand, looked awkward. Seeing Fu Yao’s obviously young age made her uncomfortable. Her own interest in Zhang Lin might have been a bit like a cradle robber, but Zhang Lin’s situation looked like a textbook case.

The fact that he had appeared with such a young and beautiful girlfriend made her feel like a complete fool.

Zhang Lin was using the girl as a shield precisely against Yingzi, so he deliberately said to his mother, "Mom, have you heard about Zhang Dong’s situation? He’s in even worse shape than our family. He just got out of jail and can’t find a job anywhere—can’t even get work as a delivery driver. His girlfriend broke up with him and got into a BMW 5-Series right in front of his face. On top of that, Uncle Ergen had a car accident, so he’s drowning in debt from all the money he had to borrow. If someone were to help him now, he’d be grateful for a lifetime."

Hearing this, Lin Yan sighed. "Ah, no wonder he looked so miserable the last time I saw him."

But Liu Ying overheard this, and a sudden glint appeared in her eyes. She quickly said to Lin Yan, "Auntie, I just remembered I have something to do. I’ll be going now!"

With that, she scurried off. She didn’t want to stick around and be the fool, but more importantly, it seemed Zhang Dong wasn’t a bad alternative. While not as handsome as Zhang Lin, he had a sturdier build.

Zhang Lin breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her leave.

He understood her strategy perfectly. A woman of her size knew that most men wouldn’t be interested. So, her method for landing a handsome guy was to offer help and then hold that favor over their head to secure a relationship.

He had a very unattractive, but wealthy, male classmate in college who used the same tactic to marry the most beautiful girl in their department.

’Now that Yingzi knows how desperate Zhang Dong’s situation is, she’ll probably shift her focus to him, right?’

"Mom, Fu Yao and I were just about to get something to eat. Why don’t you join us?" Zhang Lin said to his mother.

"You two go ahead. I’ve got things to do at home," Lin Yan said, surprisingly shaking her head. Her spirits didn’t seem high.

Zhang Lin could clearly sense that something was off with his mother, and it confused him. ’Didn’t she always want me to find a girlfriend? Now that I’ve brought one home, shouldn’t she be happy?’

This left him feeling distracted throughout his meal with Fu Yao. After they finished, he dropped her off and rushed home.

"You’re back?" Lin Yan greeted him, but she looked like she wanted to say more and was holding her tongue.

Seeing this, Zhang Lin asked tentatively, "Mom, why the long face? You’ve always wanted to meet my girlfriend. Now that you have, you should be happy!"

Hearing this, Lin Yan sighed. "Lin, the girl is very beautiful, but anyone can see she’s much younger than you. She looks like a high school kid!"

"Huh?" Zhang Lin hadn’t expected this was what his mother was worried about. He quickly said, "Mom, it’s common for people to date someone much younger these days."

Lin Yan said worriedly, "I’m not saying it’s bad to date someone younger. But given our family’s situation, with all this debt, I’m afraid you won’t be able to keep her and will only end up getting hurt again!"

Zhang Lin finally understood the root of the problem. He gave a wry smile. "Mom, what’s wrong with our situation? Didn’t I tell you I started a wholesale fruit business?"

"Besides, construction has already started at the farm. I’ve hired ten workers and planted a 500-mu rapeseed Flower Sea. Our farm will soon be a tourist destination for viewing the flowers."

"And you don’t need to worry about the debt. It’ll all be paid off very soon."

This string of news left Lin Yan stunned. After a long moment, she asked, "Lin, are you telling the truth?"

It was no wonder she found it hard to believe. She wasn’t clueless about the farm’s operations; she had been the one helping her husband run it before he passed away.

It had only been a little over ten days since her son had first mentioned taking over the farm.

Her son had been starting from less than zero, burdened with over a million in debt.

Now, in such a short amount of time, he was telling her he had already hired ten employees, developed a 500-mu rapeseed Flower Sea, was building a service center, and that their family’s debts would be paid off soon?

’Even with an investor, it couldn’t happen this fast, could it?’

’Is my son really that capable?’

Zhang Lin smiled. "Of course it’s true, Mom. You haven’t been to the farm in a long time. Why don’t you come with me and take a look now?"

Lin Yan nodded instinctively, suddenly eager to see for herself if what her son was saying was true.

They went outside, and Zhang Lin took his mother to the farm on his scooter.

When he arrived, Liu De and the others had just finished lunch and were about to take their midday break. Seeing Zhang Lin, they all immediately greeted him.

"Boss!"

"Boss!"

...

Lin Yan saw the group from a distance. It was only when she heard them call her son "Boss" that it sank in: these were the farm’s employees. There really were more than ten of them.

She also saw a newly constructed prefab building off to the side.

Based on this alone, it seemed her son had been telling the truth.

Zhang Lin nodded to Liu De and the others, then continued on the scooter toward the rapeseed Flower Sea.

Soon, the 500-mu rapeseed Flower Sea came into view.

When Lin Yan saw the 500 mu of developed land, she was utterly stunned. He had really cleared that much land.

She thought about how long she and her husband had worked to make just a fraction of this progress, and it felt unbelievable.

’My son is just incredible.’

Especially when she got a closer look at the rapeseed Flower Sea, she found it breathtakingly beautiful. It captured your attention instantly.

Even at her age, the sight of such a vast field of flowers made her want to run in and enjoy it.

"Mom, isn’t the Flower Sea beautiful?" Zhang Lin said with a grin. "Once the flowers bloom, we’ll definitely attract a lot of tourists. And I promise I’ll pay off all our relatives within a month. You don’t need to worry about any of that."

When she then saw the service center under construction, Lin Yan no longer had any doubt about her son’s words. The knot of anxiety in her heart over their family’s debt suddenly vanished.

She suddenly realized her son was truly incredible. How many other people his age could have accomplished all of this?

Then, she had to laugh wryly at her own needless worrying.

’My son is so exceptional. He’s more than worthy of that girl.’

At this thought, she immediately said to Zhang Lin, "Lin, your girlfriend’s name is Fu Yao, right? She’s very, very pretty, but she seems like a high schooler... a bit underdeveloped. Bring her home in a few days. I’ll have someone set aside a farm-raised pork leg to make a nourishing soup for her!"

"..." Zhang Lin was dumbfounded.

’She *is* a high school girl! And more importantly, she’s just a shield I’m using!’

’Is this what they always talk about in novels? The ’fake girlfriend’ shield always ends up causing more problems down the line?’

’How am I going to get out of this one?’

...