Chapter 64 - 63: An Awesome and Classy Reward

Chapter 64: Chapter 63: An Awesome and Classy Reward

A horse like this was flashy, to be sure, but its appeal to a high school girl was simply irresistible. Fu Yao ran excitedly to the horse. "Uncle, you got a horse! It’s so beautiful."

"His name is Bailong!" Zhang Lin introduced with a smile.

"Bailong... Can I pet him?" Fu Yao asked, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Yeah, go ahead," Zhang Lin nodded.

With a thrill of excitement, Fu Yao carefully reached out to pet Bailong.

It was the first time in her life she had ever seen a real, live horse, let alone touched one.

’Bailong’s coat is so smooth. It feels so nice.’

As if sensing the girl’s emotions, Bailong actually nudged his head against her hand. His display of intelligence made Fu Yao gasp in delight, and she couldn’t help but start stroking his head.

A crowd had already been drawn by the sight, and many were casting glances their way.

Horses were a rare sight in a place like You City, let alone a pure white one that was so strikingly handsome. Most people had gone their whole lives without seeing a real horse, only encountering them in textbooks or on screen.

"Mommy, a horse... a horse..." a little boy exclaimed, tugging on his mother’s arm excitedly.

Just then, students started trickling out of the high school’s main gate. Fu Yao quickly said to Zhang Lin, "Uncle, we should get going!"

’Bailong is way too conspicuous,’ she thought. ’Once more people from the school come out, we’re definitely going to be surrounded.’

Zhang Lin nodded and asked, "Do you want to sit in front or in back?"

"In back!" Fu Yao said instinctively.

’If I sit in front, I’ll basically be in his arms. That’s way too intimate!’

Zhang Lin nodded and patted Bailong, who cleverly knelt down.

Zhang Lin mounted first, then reached out a hand to pull Fu Yao up onto the horse. "You’d better hold on tight!" he reminded her.

"Okay!" Fu Yao’s voice was tinged with excitement after she settled onto the horse. This was the first time she had ever ridden one.

Once Bailong stood up, Zhang Lin urged him forward. However, since this was Fu Yao’s first time riding, he didn’t dare go too fast, keeping the horse at a steady, stable pace.

Fu Yao was genuinely thrilled. "Uncle, this is my first time riding a horse!"

After a while, Zhang Lin arrived back at the farm. He saw several people measuring the ground near the prefabricated building and understood at once when he spotted Huang Tao supervising nearby.

He must have brought his crew over to survey the terrain.

Although the five prefabricated dormitories just needed to be assembled, the ground still had to be measured and prepared for the foundation. Building in the real world wasn’t as simple as it was in the game system.

After helping Fu Yao dismount, Zhang Lin let Bailong keep the girl company for a bit while he walked over to Huang Tao.

The moment he saw him, Huang Tao shot a teasing look in Fu Yao’s direction. "A uniform from the high school, eh? Not bad, Zhang Lin. You haven’t changed a bit in ten years. You had a thing for high school girls back then, and you still have a thing for them now."

Hearing this slander, Zhang Lin hurriedly explained, "Don’t talk nonsense. It’s not the kind of relationship you’re thinking of. She’s just a nice girl..."

"Oh, come on, stop pretending!" Huang Tao cut him off, grinning. "We’re both men. What’s wrong with liking them young? Makes me a little envious that you’re single."

"..." Seeing that any explanation was useless, Zhang Lin gave up talking and simply flipped Huang Tao the bird.

"Tch!" Huang Tao shot back. He then remembered his purpose for being there. "By the way, the surveying is almost done. I’ll have my people come over this afternoon to officially start construction."

"Alright. Want to grab lunch?" Zhang Lin offered.

"Can’t. I’m going to my wife’s family’s place for lunch. Next time!" Huang Tao waved his hand. After the surveyors packed up their tools, he left with them.

Zhang Lin returned to where Fu Yao and Bailong were.

Seeing him return, Fu Yao said excitedly, "Uncle, I think Bailong is incredibly smart! It’s like he can understand some of the things I say!"

Zhang Lin smiled and nodded. Bailong was, after all, a highly intelligent creature.

Then he said, "Let’s go to the restaurant and eat first. You can go survey the site after lunch."

Hearing this, Fu Yao immediately said, "Uncle, to thank you for picking me up, lunch is on me."

As if afraid Zhang Lin would refuse, she quickly added, "I have money. I haven’t finished spending the 2,000 yuan you paid me, and my mom and dad both gave me an allowance. You’re so nice to me, Uncle. I’d feel bad otherwise."

"Alright then," Zhang Lin agreed with a smile. He took the girl to the restaurant, only to run right into Lin Mengxi and some people from the Agriculture Bureau.

"Boss Zhang, Fu Yao, we just ordered. You should join us!" Lin Mengxi’s invitation was so enthusiastic that neither of them could bring themselves to refuse.

And just like that, Fu Yao was off the hook.

As they were finishing their meal, Zhang Lin remembered to say, "Fu Yao, just let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll take you back."

Hearing this, Fu Yao quickly replied, "Uncle, it’s fine if you’re on your scooter, but riding a horse is too flashy! All the students from school will surround us!"

This caught Lin Mengxi’s attention. She asked in surprise, "Boss Zhang, you have a horse now?"

Fu Yao immediately answered for him, "Uncle’s horse is named Bailong, and he’s gorgeous. Uncle rode him to pick me up today. I even took a video of Bailong. Mengxi, let me show you!"

With that, she took out her phone to share the video with Lin Mengxi.

Lin Mengxi saw the snow-white horse, and its handsome appearance immediately captivated her.

’What a magnificent horse.’

She couldn’t help but ask Zhang Lin, "Boss Zhang, I’ve never ridden a horse before. When you have time, could you take me for a ride?"

"Sure, when I’m free," Zhang Lin nodded. It was a small matter to him.

Seeing Zhang Lin agree, Lin Mengxi grew a little excited. She said, "Then, as a thank you, I’ll take Fu Yao back to school this afternoon. I should be about done with my work here around then. It’ll be a good chance to learn the way, so I can pick her up if I need her help in the future."

Fu Yao heard this and thought it was a good idea. "Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mengxi."

Since the two girls had already agreed, Zhang Lin naturally had nothing more to say.

After the meal, Lin Mengxi went back to her preparatory work, while Fu Yao went off to wander around the farm on her own.

’What’s the point of wandering around a barren piece of land for a design project?’ Zhang Lin wondered.

However, he had no say in the matter; after all, he didn’t know the first thing about design.

Leaving the restaurant, he made a trip to the ticket office. Tourists were already buying tickets for the Flower Sea, and he could see that along with their Flower Sea ticket, they were also receiving a ticket package for You City’s attractions.

"What’s with this ticket package? I only bought a ticket for the Flower Sea," a confused tourist asked.

The ticket seller immediately explained, "Ma’am, this package is a complimentary gift from the You City Tourism Bureau to welcome everyone to You City. With this package, you can get free admission to any scenic spot in You City."

The tourist was pleasantly surprised. "Wow, really? If I have enough time, I might just go check them out."

With that, she tucked the ticket package into her bag.

Hearing the explanation, the other tourists understood as well. They all put their ticket packages away, likely planning to visit some of the nearby attractions if their schedules allowed.

This was precisely why the Tourism Bureau had asked for help distributing the tickets.

Zhang Lin watched for a moment before returning to the prefabricated office building. The first thing he did was call for Liu De.

Now that the new 1,000-mu plot of land was contracted, it was time to plant the peach saplings.

Liu De entered the office and asked respectfully, "Boss, the fields on the farm have all been tilled. Did you call me because you’ve decided what to plant?"

Zhang Lin handed Liu De a map of the newly contracted area and instructed, "Don’t worry about planting on those fields just yet. This is the newly contracted land, which will be used exclusively for growing peach trees. I want you to take some men and start planting the peach saplings there."

"Yes, Boss!" After receiving his orders, Liu De left immediately to carry them out, without a moment’s hesitation.

Afterward, Zhang Lin also left the prefabricated building and headed for the Bamboo Maze construction site.

Planting the peach grove would provide the best cover for the system-produced honey peaches, while completing the Bamboo Maze would be the best way to manage the flow of tourists on the farm.

At least it would prevent the more than 5,000 daily visitors from having to wait in line for the Flower Sea.

Many tourists had been complaining about the long waits.

When Zhang Lin arrived at the Bamboo Maze site, he saw that pathways for tourists had already been built around the maze’s exterior. They were paved with cobblestones, which were cheap, easy to install, and aesthetically pleasing.

Moreover, the entrance to the Bamboo Maze was also complete. Stepping through the gate revealed three paths leading in three different directions, each lined with identical vegetation.

Clearly, with the game’s construction team working around the clock, the pace of progress was far beyond what any real-world crew could match.

Just then, he saw a man hurry out from inside, muttering to himself, "Madmen. Absolute madmen. These people work like their lives depend on it."

Zhang Lin looked at the man and guessed he must be the person sent by the Tourism Bureau to track the progress and film documentation for the project.

From his expression, he had clearly been shocked by the game system’s construction team.

Wang Yu was indeed shocked.

He clearly remembered what this place looked like when he left last evening. Who would have thought that when he came back this morning, a whole new ring of visitor pathways would have appeared outside, and large sections of the interior would have been developed as well.

’Did these construction crews actually work all through the night?’

More importantly, after observing them all morning, he was finally sure of one thing: these people were working with a death wish. Seeing their desperate fervor, he even felt the urge to tell the workers to take a break. ’Is it really worth all this for a bit of pay?’

As he thought this, he sent the videos and photos he had just taken to his director, along with a message: "Director, Li Yuan Farm has hired a crew of absolute madmen for this project."

「Tourism Bureau」

Zhao Han was looking at data on his computer—tourist reception figures for You City’s various scenic spots. He could clearly see that the number of visitors to the Zhu Zi Culture Center in the county seat had quadrupled that morning alone compared to previous days.

He knew exactly why.

Li Yuan Farm was helping distribute tickets, and the Zhu Zi Culture Park was the closest attraction. If time permitted, the gimmick of it being the place where the poem "Reflections on Reading" was composed, combined with the fame of Zhu Xi himself, was enough to entice tourists with free tickets to pay a visit.

Li Yuan Farm’s method of diverting tourist traffic was working.

And it was working exceptionally well.

Zhao Han couldn’t help but feel relieved. Thankfully, Boss Zhang was easy to deal with. They had managed to smooth things over with him and ride on his coattails.

They would have to continue fostering a good relationship with him from now on.

According to Boss Zhang, if the Bamboo Maze was a success, it would be even better than the canola Flower Sea. When that happened, Li Yuan Farm’s popularity would likely soar to even greater heights.

Just then, he received Wang Yu’s message. He was taken aback for a moment when he read the words, "Li Yuan Farm has hired a crew of absolute madmen."

’What on earth is he talking about?’

However, when he saw the video and photos Wang Yu had sent, he began to understand.

Looking at the development progress in the video and photos, he could hardly believe it. ’Is this really the Bamboo Maze they just signed the contract for and started work on yesterday?’

’They’ve developed it this much in such a short amount of time?’

"It looks like Boss Zhang’s money was well spent!"

As Zhao Han was marveling at this, Zhang Lin was staring in astonishment at a notification that had suddenly appeared from the game system:

[Congratulations on completing the "Online Promotion, 1 Million Follower Milestone"! Your farm’s reputation has spread far and wide, and it has become quite famous. Therefore, as a member of the cultural tourism industry, you must also bear a corresponding social responsibility in this area. You are rewarded with a special Culture Park Construction Scroll (Quality: 1). Culture type is being randomly selected...]

[Congratulations! The special Culture Park Construction Scroll (Quality: 1) has been randomly assigned the type: Bamboo Product Culture!]

"???" Zhang Lin was stunned for a moment by the system notification.

It was another construction scroll reward, just like the one for the Bamboo Maze.

’I’m just a farmer, and the game system is lecturing me about social responsibility?’

However, when he saw the description on the special scroll, his eyes lit up.

’This thing is pretty awesome. And it has a ton of prestige, too.’

...