Chapter 63 - 62: Another 1000 Mu! A Real BMW

Chapter 63: Chapter 62: Another 1000 Mu! A Real BMW

Fu Yao: "Uncle, I recently entered a really popular online design competition for a rustic, pastoral farm style. I was hoping to find a farm to survey the actual terrain. Can I come take a look at your farm? I’d like to see the undeveloped areas, to see if I can find some inspiration!"

Zhang Lin was a little surprised to see the message. "What made you decide to enter this design competition? With your schoolwork and helping the Agriculture Bureau with promotions, you still have free time?"

This girl really wasn’t like a typical high schooler. She was completely unfazed by her newfound fame. ’Any other high school girl with this much online traffic,’ he thought, ’would probably have been making all sorts of videos by now, lost in the praise of the internet.’

But this young lady still put her studies first, not forgetting her original dream of becoming a designer. She didn’t put much thought into her online presence either; otherwise, given her situation, she could have easily piggybacked off Li Yuan Farm’s immense popularity.

Besides, the design competition she mentioned was probably the one he had stumbled upon while browsing online last night.

This so-called "rustic, pastoral farm style" competition was just riding the coattails of Li Yuan Farm’s popularity, since the requirements specifically called for a design similar to the Li Yuan Farm service center.

’They deliberately created a competition like this to mooch off one trend and attract another. In reality, the winning design was already decided behind the scenes. It might even be under construction already. Then, when they announce the farm’s construction, they’ll instantly make a name for themselves.’

So, there was no point in Fu Yao participating in this kind of competition. No one would even look at her design.

But the world could be a treacherous place, and he had no intention of telling the girl that, lest he discourage her ambition.

Fu Yao: "I still have a little bit of time. The most important thing is that it’s an offline competition. All I have to do is submit my entry."

"Alright, then come on over. I’ll pick you up after school!" Zhang Lin agreed.

Fu Yao: "Uncle, you don’t have to. I can get a taxi myself. Besides, it’s more convenient to get a taxi to and from the farm now. There are always cars going back and forth."

Zhang Lin knew the girl felt bad about bothering him for a personal matter, so he sent another message: "Are you still being so formal with me? I just went to the Agriculture Bureau for some business, so it’s on my way."

After that, he put down his phone, glanced at his scooter, and then turned to his horse. "Bailong!"

Bailong, who was in the middle of chowing down, heard his call and immediately looked up, galloping towards him at top speed.

The moment it heard its master’s call, it abandoned its meal.

Zhang Lin vaulted onto its back and rode out of the farm.

’Now that I have a horse, who needs a scooter?’

Some might say you can’t ride a horse on public roads. In reality, whether riding a horse on the road is permitted depends on the specific circumstances and local regulations.

Currently, China’s Road Traffic Safety Law does not explicitly state whether riding horses on the road is allowed; one can only find some related provisions within the regulations.

First, it should be made clear that although there are no explicit rules prohibiting it, riding a horse on public roads is not encouraged.

This is because riding on the road poses certain dangers to the horse, the rider, and other people on the road.

For example, a horse might get spooked and lose control, leading to a traffic accident.

Second, if one does ride a horse on the road, they must abide by the relevant traffic rules.

For instance, one should use a tame horse, not ride abreast with others or weave through traffic, and keep the horse under control to avoid affecting traffic flow.

Furthermore, it should be noted that horses are not allowed on expressways, as stipulated in Article 67 of the Road Traffic Safety Law.

Overall, while there is no explicit law banning horses from roads, it is not recommended for safety reasons.

If one absolutely must ride on the road, they should strictly follow traffic rules, ensure the horse is safe and controllable, and also respect the rights and safety of other road users.

This is why many internet celebrities are able to ride horses on public roads.

Of course, many large cities have explicit regulations prohibiting animal-drawn or ridden transport on their roads.

However, a small county town like You City had no such rules.

Zhang Lin soon rode Bailong out of the farm and headed down the national highway. Due to Li Yuan Farm’s popularity, the road was now busy with cars, most of them belonging to tourists.

His progress on the handsome, dashing white horse drew a lot of attention, causing people to turn their heads and stare. ℯℯ𝑙.

When he rode his horse into the Agriculture Bureau’s premises, he startled everyone inside. By the time he had tethered the horse, Wei Yuan himself had come out to see what was going on. Seeing it was Zhang Lin, he immediately greeted him with a smile, "Boss Zhang, your arrival today is certainly unique."

"I just bought a horse and wanted to try it out," Zhang Lin explained with a smile.

"Let’s go inside and talk. The documents and contract are almost ready for you. We’re just waiting for you to choose the land you want to lease," Wei Yuan said as he led Zhang Lin in, not forgetting to ask someone to keep an eye on the horse.

The leasing process this time was very smooth and incredibly fast for Zhang Lin. He selected the plot he wanted to lease, and within a few minutes, Wei Yuan had someone fill out the information, attach a map of the leased area, and the rental contract was ready.

Now that Li Yuan Farm was a hit, the lease price for nearby farmland had risen to 1,000 yuan per mu per year. It was originally barren land, costing just over 500 yuan per mu.

For 1,000 mu, that would be 1 million yuan per year. Even with quarterly payments, each quarter would cost 250,000 yuan.

However, the Agriculture Bureau offered a support policy: the first year was rent-free, which saved him a considerable sum.

Zhang Lin naturally understood the Agriculture Bureau’s motive. If he really managed to develop something that could be grown without restrictions on outside land in the future, he saw no reason not to cooperate with the You City Agriculture Bureau.

The two parties spent some time discussing the details of the contract.

After signing the lease agreement, Wei Yuan extended an invitation. "Boss Zhang, how about you let us treat you to lunch?"

"Director Wei, I have something to do this afternoon, so I won’t impose," Zhang Lin politely declined. He still had to go pick up Fu Yao.

Leaving the Agriculture Bureau, he checked the time and headed directly for the high school. By the time he got there, school was about to let out.

He sent Fu Yao a message: "Usual spot. I’m waiting for you with my prized steed today!"

Fu Yao had actually ducked out of school a bit early. Her PE teacher, for once, hadn’t called in sick, so they actually had a gym class.

It was basically free time now, so when better to slip away?

After all, since Uncle was coming to pick her up again, she didn’t want to make him wait.

Seeing the message on WeChat, she immediately replied: "Uncle, you look coolest on your scooter."

Still, she could understand. ’With the farm getting more and more popular, Uncle definitely needs a nice car for going out on business.’

’But... me, a high school girl, getting picked up in a BMW? Isn’t that a little too high-profile?’

With that thought, she rushed out of the school gate as fast as she could, and then her eyes immediately fell upon a stunningly handsome, pure white horse.

A prized steed?

She froze.

’This is the "prized steed" Uncle was talking about?’

’But isn’t this even more high-profile than what I was imagining?’

...