Chapter 55: Giving 10 Million for Free?

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Giving 10 Million for Free?

Inside the lounge.

Zhang Lin saw that there were indeed many constipated tourists, all grabbing Honeysuckle Tea and downing it. He instructed Zhao Lin, "Film them when they start lining up. Also, have Liu De and the others find a spot to dig a few pits and cordon them off with waterproof tarps."

’These tourists might be a stubborn bunch, but I still have to make preparations. I can’t just let them shit their pants, can I?’

’That video is going to be quite a sight, though.’

After making the arrangements, Zhang Lin invited Chen Shengfei and his companion to sit at a table in the lounge. He then washed a plate of "game-produced" blueberries and brought them over. "Gentlemen, please try these blueberries," he said. "They’re a new item we’re testing, not yet for sale!"

Chen Shengfei’s interest was piqued. He immediately picked one up and tried it. "Oh, this is really good! The flavor is excellent!"

Zhao Han had been observing Zhang Lin the whole time, trying to figure out what kind of young man could build such a farm out of nowhere and generate so much buzz online.

’You could call it luck, but the visitor center is so stylish and perfectly designed it’s a pleasure just to look at. And he created that gorgeous sea of canola flowers... How could anyone do that without an artistic eye and real talent?’

’So, this young man is truly capable—a rare talent.’

Zhang Lin spoke up to thank him. "Mr. Chen, thank you for speaking up for me earlier."

"It was nothing. I just can’t stand people like that." Chen Shengfei waved a dismissive hand. He then looked at the bustling crowds of tourists and remarked, "But I have to say, Boss Zhang, your farm is truly astonishing. To have this much foot traffic after only three days... In your industry, you’re definitely the first in all of Min Province to achieve this."

"I just got lucky!" Zhang Lin said modestly, though he privately agreed with Chen Shengfei.

Chen Shengfei and Zhao Han just smiled at his response, both knowing that Boss Zhang was merely being humble.

Just then, Chen Shengfei caught the frantic signals Zhao Han was sending him. He smiled and said, "Boss Zhang, to be honest, I came to the farm today at someone’s request. Specifically, my cousin here. He’s the director of your You City Tourism Bureau."

"Director Zhao!" It clicked for Zhang Lin the moment he heard the name Zhao Han.

The man had called and introduced himself before.

When they’d met earlier, Chen Shengfei had only mentioned his cousin’s surname was Zhao, so Zhang Lin hadn’t made the connection.

’After all, it’s a common surname. Who could be expected to make that leap in logic?’

Zhao Han smiled. "Boss Zhang, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve been wanting to connect for a while now to clear up the misunderstanding between you and our Tourism Bureau. Chen Ting has been removed from his post. I am truly sorry for the trouble he caused you."

He got straight to the point, immediately addressing that the source of their conflict had been dealt with.

"Director Zhao, if the misunderstanding is cleared up, then there’s no misunderstanding left," Zhang Lin replied politely.

’The man came in person and even got rid of Chen Ting.’ Zhang Lin knew he couldn’t hold a grudge. ’After all, there are plenty of people like Chen Ting in a small place like this, but you can’t condemn an entire group because of one bad apple.’

Zhao Han smiled. "Exactly, no misunderstanding. As for the tourism development subsidy for Li Yuan Farm, our bureau has already held a meeting to discuss it. I brought the documents with me today. Please, take a look, Boss Zhang."

As he spoke, he took a file out of his briefcase and handed it to Zhang Lin.

Zhang Lin had already decided he didn’t need the subsidy and was about to refuse. But when his eyes fell upon the document’s title—"Minutes of the Meeting Regarding a Ten-Million Yuan Unconditional Development Subsidy for Li Yuan Farm"—the words of refusal died on his lips.

He immediately picked up the file and started to read.

’They’re showing this much sincerity, so the least I can do is look at the document. It wouldn’t be right to disrespect the director.’

’After all, it’s always better to have another friend than another enemy.’

The contents were straightforward. It was a summary of the Tourism Bureau’s meeting, where they discussed giving the remaining 10 million yuan from You City’s quarterly development subsidy to Li Yuan Farm as an outright grant.

The meeting’s resolution was already officially stamped, meaning the document was valid as long as the Tourism Bureau decided to proceed.

Zhang Lin understood that this was the Tourism Bureau’s gesture of goodwill, a clear statement of their stance.

"Director Zhao, it says ’unconditional subsidy,’ but I’m sure there are still some conditions, right?" Zhang Lin didn’t believe in a free lunch. Until he understood their true objective, he wouldn’t accept the money, not even for a free 10 million yuan.

Zhao Han nodded without any concealment. "The condition is that the Tourism Bureau hopes to receive some promotional assistance from Li Yuan Farm. There are just two things for now, and they’re both simple. For example, we’d like to place a promotional sign for You City’s scenic attractions at the entrance to Li Yuan Farm, allowing us to advertise other sites in the city. The other thing is we’re hoping the Li Yuan Farm ticket office can help us distribute complimentary ticket packages for these other attractions. We would, of course, provide them free of charge."

Hearing these two conditions, Zhang Lin understood the Tourism Bureau’s angle.

’The first condition is obvious—free advertising. The ten million is basically an advertising fee, though a hefty one.’

Zhang Lin had no objection to that.

’None of You City’s other attractions are the same type as my farm, so they’re not a threat. If they can lure away my visitors with a sign at the entrance, well, that’s on them.’

’But the second condition is what will really help You City’s attractions.’

’Giving away free ticket packages.’

’It means for every ticket sold to Li Yuan Farm, the customer gets a complimentary package of tickets to other attractions in You City.’

’But sometimes, "free" is the most expensive thing there is. Free-to-play games are the perfect example.’

’The tickets might be free, but the attractions themselves don’t just run on admission fees. Once people are inside, other activities cost money, right? Food, drinks, lodging, transportation—it all adds up. It also boosts their visitor numbers. Higher numbers look better in promotional videos and data releases, which increases their appeal to tourists from further away.’

’When tourists get those free tickets, many of them will feel like they got a great deal and will decide to extend their stay to check those places out.’

"Director Zhao, I can agree to both of those points," Zhang Lin said with a smile.

Zhao Han nodded and continued, "There’s one more thing. The funds must remain under the supervision of our Tourism Bureau and can only be used for developing attractions on the farm. Of course, all we need is for you to submit an application detailing the project. It’s just a formality so we have something to show our superiors. After all, when it comes to developing your farm’s landscape, you’re the expert, not us."

Zhang Lin wasn’t surprised by this. ’It’s ten million yuan, after all. It’d be strange if there wasn’t any supervision.’

’However, he could read between the lines of the director’s last statement: the supervision wouldn’t be strict. You just had to make things look good on paper, even if that meant reporting a one-million-yuan project as costing two million.’

’Naturally, this was an unspoken understanding.’

Once they reached an agreement, Zhao Han immediately produced a contract.

Zhang Lin hadn’t expected them to have the contract ready to go. ’They’re certainly in a hurry.’

Of course Zhao Han was in a hurry. Li Yuan Farm’s hype was at its peak right now, and who knew how long that would last? The sooner this was done, the better. He had even already ordered the promotional billboard for the farm’s entrance.

After all, they were spending ten million yuan on it.

Zhang Lin gave the contract a quick read-through, then took out his phone. He took photos of the relevant clauses and sent them via WeChat to a senior he knew from a university club, who was studying law.

Reviewing a contract wasn’t a quick affair; the fine print required careful attention.

Zhang Lin made small talk with Zhao Han and Chen Shengfei. He relaxed once his senior replied that everything looked fine. Zhang Lin transferred a 2,000-yuan consulting fee to him, then signed the contract with the Tourism Bureau.

"Boss Zhang, a pleasure doing business with you." Having achieved his goal, Zhao Han let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Director Zhao, a pleasure doing business with you," Zhang Lin replied with a smile.

Afterward, Zhao Han took the contract, eager to return and start making arrangements. Before he left, he made sure to add, "Boss Zhang, don’t worry about the Price Bureau. I’ve already spoken with their director."

Zhang Lin smiled at that. He hadn’t been worried in the slightest, but he had to admit that cooperating with the Tourism and Agriculture Bureaus had its perks. It would help him avoid a lot of trouble, and some problems might even be handled for him before they reached his door.

After Zhao Han and Chen Shengfei left, Zhang Lin’s thoughts turned to the matter with the Agriculture Bureau. Lin Mengxi had asked Fu Yao to help film the first promotional video that afternoon.

He needed to talk to Fu Yao about it.

Just as he pulled up her WeChat, a message from her popped up. "Uncle, is something wrong at your farm? Someone is calling you guys out online."

Below the message was a link to a video.

Zhang Lin clicked it and was taken to a trending Tiao Yin video.

"Li Yuan Farm sells outrageously priced Honeysuckle Tea. This stuff usually costs a few dozen yuan a pound, but they’re selling a single cup, made with just one gram, for 200 yuan! And the worst part is, they mocked me, saying if I can’t afford it, I shouldn’t buy it!"

"Not only does Li Yuan Farm sell ridiculously priced tea, but they even hired two shills to gang up on me..."

The video then played the indignant voice of an old woman.

Zhang Lin was surprised to see the trending video.

’Was this a case of perfect timing?’

’He had been planning to use this incident to generate some controversy anyway. Bad publicity was still publicity, as long as it increased hype and traffic.’

’Besides, he wasn’t afraid of this kind of negative press at all. After all, he now had both the You City Agriculture Bureau and Tourism Bureau backing him.’

’He could flip the narrative whenever he wanted, but for now, the hype was real and growing.’

The comments on the video, however, were brimming with genuine malice:

"LOL, Li Yuan Farm is desperate for cash. Haven’t they only been famous for like, a week?"

"Isn’t Honeysuckle Tea just herbal tea? I guess I’m too uncultured, I can’t afford a 200-yuan cup. You think I’m still going to visit that farm?"

"I’ve seen daylight robbery, but never anything this blatant. Li Yuan Farm is going to flop right after its grand opening."

"@YouCityTourismBureau @YouCityAgricultureBureau, I suggest you investigate Li Yuan Farm immediately!"

Zhang Lin looked at the comments, then casually paid for a small "dou+" promotion to boost the video’s popularity.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiumei was also watching. The more popular the video became and the more people joined in on trashing Li Yuan Farm, the happier she was.

Just then, she received a reply on WeChat. "Mom, what’s going on? I’ve been in meetings all day, I left my phone in the office."

Seeing the message from her son, Lin Da, she immediately typed back, "I took your son to Li Yuan Farm, and they were selling outrageously priced Honeysuckle Tea for 200 yuan a cup! They even tried to trick your son into buying it. It’s despicable! You have to fine them."

"That happened? Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll investigate them." Lin Da saw red after reading his mother’s message. He worked for the You City Price Bureau. Who in You City would dare to price gouge and scam his own family?

But he had barely sent his reply when another section chief, one he was friendly with, hurried over. "Lin Da, the director just called a meeting! Something major just went down."

"What’s going on?" Lin Da asked, confused.

The other man chuckled. "Sounds like someone around here didn’t do a good job of managing their family members. One of them caused a scene, and apparently, that big shot from the Tourism Bureau was there to witness it. He personally called our boss and said it was seriously damaging You City’s image. Life is already hard enough for people like us. A brainless family member can really be the death of you."

"Which unlucky sap is that?" Lin Da asked, nodding in agreement.

His colleague continued, "I don’t know the details. Apparently, it was an old woman with her grandson. Not only was she making a scene for no reason, but she was also bragging that her son would fine the other party. Acting all high and mighty."

"???" Lin Da’s mind suddenly went blank.

...