Chapter 209 - 205: What Took You So Long?

Chapter 209: Chapter 205: What Took You So Long?

The old monk from West Spirit Mountain walked into Lin Xian Village, filled with an indescribable envy. ’How wonderful it would be if this place belonged to them,’ he thought.

In his eyes, the current Lin Xian Village was completely wasting its resources. They had so many miraculous things, yet they weren’t exploiting them.

’They should be charging an entrance fee. If you want to worship at the Land God Temple, that should be another ticket. And the first incense offering of the day should also cost money.’

’It would be even better if the Land God Temple could control its effects. They could charge for blessings.’

’And the Medicinal Cuisine is far too cheap. It should be at least 58,888 per serving.’

Not to mention the other special features. Unfortunately, this place wasn’t his, and the owner didn’t seem to care much.

He arrived at the small courtyard where Lin Feng lived. Seeing the environment here—a patch of vibrant green plants thriving amidst the harsh winter—filled him with inexpressible envy.

Many of these plants shouldn’t be able to grow in winter, but on the lands of Lin Xian Village, such an abnormal phenomenon was as common as could be.

Inside the courtyard, Hu Zhiming craned his neck to look at the old monk outside. ’These monks are really thick-skinned,’ he thought.

"Amitabha, Donor Lin. Every time I see this place of yours, this humble monk gains a new understanding."

Lin Feng smiled and asked, "Oh, Master, you’ve arrived. I wonder what kind of understanding you’ve gained?"

"Natural harmony, full of life. And Donor Lin himself has become more and more extraordinary."

Hearing this, Lin Feng awkwardly took a sip of tea. ’The master is really something else. What a smooth talker!’

"I wonder, is there a particular reason for your visit this time, Master?

I saw online that your West Spirit Mountain Temple is doing very well, not much worse off than our Lin Xian Village."

The old monk said gratefully, "For that, I must thank Donor Lin’s Lin Xian Village for bringing a large number of visitors to our temple.

If Lin Xian Village hadn’t attracted the tourists, our temple wouldn’t have so many visitors.

Donor Lin, this humble monk came here today precisely for this matter.

To thank Lin Xian Village for bringing visitors to our temple, the temple is willing to give ten percent of its income to Donor Lin and partner with you for future development."

"You jest, Master. Although your temple was somewhat influenced by Lin Xian Village, the impact wasn’t that significant.

It’s more that you masters are skilled in management and understand the market. Who knows, perhaps your temple will surpass Lin Xian Village someday.

When that happens, Lin Xian Village might be able to benefit a little from your temple’s prosperity.

As for cooperation, let’s forget it. You can donate the money to those in need, Master."

Hu Zhiming couldn’t help but interject, "Old monk, you didn’t come ask our opinion before building the temple.

Now that the temple is built, you piggyback off Lin Xian Village’s fame for hype, and we still didn’t cause you any trouble.

And now that a problem has come up, you have the nerve to come to Lin Xian Village? Are you here seeking cooperation? You’re here because you know you’re finished."

"Amitabha. Donor, this humble monk admits the temple was built because of Lin Xian Village. I have come this time with all sincerity to cooperate with Donor Lin."

"Whether you’re sincere or not has nothing to do with us. Where were you before?

Besides, do you think Lin Xian Village cares about your paltry sum?

It’s only because my Brother Lin is generous enough not to bother with you. Otherwise, you’d be in for a world of hurt just for daring to step foot in Lin Xian Village’s territory."

The old monk saw Lin Feng just sitting there drinking his tea, with no intention of speaking. He knew this was not going well.

"Donor Lin, if we have made any mistakes, this humble monk apologizes to you.

Our temple is already built. You can state your demands, and we can do things your way."

Lin Feng put down his teacup. "That won’t be necessary. I’m not interested in your temple.

If you have no other business, Master, you can go back. I’m busy here."

Regarding the West Spirit Mountain Temple, Lin Feng felt the current situation was for the best. It served as an example to others who might get similar ideas.

’There are some benefits I don’t care about, but you people can’t go too far.’

’Otherwise, when problems arise, don’t come looking for me.’

He knew very well that even if he didn’t admit to it, people would attribute this matter to him.

This was fine, too. At least it let others know that he wasn’t someone who could be bullied at will.

"Donor Lin, is there really no way to restore the environment on our West Spirit Mountain?

If you have any demands, please state them."

"If there’s an environmental problem, you should ask the national environmental department to help you investigate. What’s the use of coming to me?

There are many professors in that field right here in Lin Xian Village. You can ask them to look into it for you and see if there’s a solution.

I’ve never studied this field, so I definitely can’t help you solve it."

Hu Zhiming said, "Master, it’s useless to ask Brother Lin. If you have nothing else, you should go back and figure it out yourself.

Anyway, other temples are much like yours, and their donations are flourishing."

"Donor Lin, my apologies for the disturbance."

As soon as the old monk left Lin Xian Village, he took out his phone and called the people at the temple to explain the situation.

The group of monks flew into a rage out of humiliation. The environmental problems on the mountain were clearly his doing, yet he refused to admit it and was unwilling to help restore it.

This owner of Lin Xian Village didn’t know what was good for him. They had been willing to concede profits and had come to him for help, yet he had actually refused.

"I think we need to show him what we’re capable of."

"What? You want to storm his gates?!"

"What kind of stupid talk is that? I’m talking about mobilizing our power to file complaints against Lin Xian Village."

"That’s a good idea. We can give it a try. It might work."

They had used this method before to turn a Daoist Temple on a mountain into a Buddhist temple.

"Also, we could try mobilizing our followers. That might be effective too."

"Then let’s try everything. We can’t let this temple be abandoned just like that."

Ever since the environment changed, the tourists who were there left immediately, and no new ones came.

There were even people online saying that bad things would happen if you visited their temple.

Even without these issues, the environmental change made the area completely disharmonious with its surroundings.

...

In Mountain Ridge Town, Ma Dehua looked at the villagers before him, his mood foul.

"Ma! You’re playing favorites as mayor!

Why couldn’t our kid be selected to be an apprentice in Lin Xian Village this time? I bet you took a bribe!"

"Exactly! My grandson is so well-behaved, why wasn’t he chosen?"

"If you don’t give us a reason today, we’re going to the county to report you."

"We let it slide when you favored others for jobs before, but this time, you have to let my grandson become an apprentice."

Ma Dehua’s face hardened. "Alright, you, the one who just spoke. You want a reason? Let me ask you, what did your kid do two months ago?

Should I remind you? I was the one who signed the papers and went with you to bring him back.

And you, saying I play favorites? My own child had to compete with everyone else just to get hired as an employee by Lin Xian Village.

Last time Lin Xian Village was hiring, didn’t I notify you all? I made sure everyone was notified. I even announced it over the broadcast system for three days.

And what was the result? How many of your children came back for it?

One by one, you all refused to believe it, and now you’re blaming me."

Someone nearby said, "You women only think about the benefits. Go take a look at the list of people selected this time.

The children Mayor Ma selected are all from families facing hardship. They’re sensible, polite, and willing to endure hardship.

Do you really think sending your kid to Lin Xian Village will solve all their problems?

If a kid really causes trouble in Lin Xian Village, and it leads to them no longer recruiting from Mountain Ridge Town, just see if anyone here lets you get away with it."

"But why didn’t our children get any chance at all?"

"Didn’t I just say? The children this time were all chosen from the most destitute families in the entire town.

Besides, Lin Xian Village agreed to this plan. It’s useless for you to argue."

"I’m telling you, if you keep causing a scene and Lin Xian Village finds out, don’t blame me for not warning you when they exclude your families from future recruitment."

Hearing this, the troublemakers were genuinely scared and didn’t dare to cause any more fuss.

They had heard that the number one thing they look for when hiring in Lin Xian Village is character.

The result was that some families in Mountain Ridge Town who previously had poor character and corrupt morals were now striving to change.

Because these people knew very well that if they didn’t change, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

Moreover, it wouldn’t just affect them, but their children as well.

After the people left, someone said, "Mayor, next time something like this comes up, just let Lin Xian Village choose the people themselves."

"Yeah. No matter who we choose, some villagers will always have a problem with it.

If Lin Xian Village chooses directly, these people wouldn’t dare to make a fuss."

Ma Dehua took out a cigarette, tapped it on his hand, and said, "Even if it’s troublesome, we have to do it. If there’s a problem, we’ll find a way to solve it.

If we really let Lin Xian Village choose for themselves, they might not necessarily choose people from our Mountain Ridge Town.

Do you really think the neighboring towns aren’t green with envy that Lin Xian Village recruits from our town?"

Ma Dehua also knew that if he pushed the matter away, he wouldn’t have to bear any responsibility.

But the relationship between Lin Feng’s family and their town wasn’t as close as people imagined; his family had moved to the county seat long ago.

If he didn’t take on this task, Lin Feng would likely ask the county for help, and then the chosen candidates would have little to do with Mountain Ridge Town.

Just like this time, sending these children to Lin Xian Village as apprentices could solve the problem of poverty for many destitute families.

Moreover, he had heard that the current Lin Xian Village could also treat some illnesses.

Sending these children there might help them solve the issue of illnesses affecting the adults in their families.

The families of the chosen children weren’t poor because they were lazy, but had fallen back into poverty due to special hardships.

The country is too big. Even with the desire to help, the most that could be guaranteed for such cases was that they had food to eat.

However, thanks to the tourists brought in by Lin Xian Village’s development, Mountain Ridge Town’s economic situation was getting better and better.

As long as one was willing to work, there was no shortage of opportunities to make money in Mountain Ridge Town now.

For example, the livestock market he established had already become somewhat famous, with a large number of tourists buying livestock there every day.

The families of the children selected as apprentices this time all began to instruct them to be obedient once they got to Lin Xian Village.

Many families knew that this was their only chance. If they missed it, it would be impossible to get another one like it.

After seeing the old monk off, Lin Feng was at the Wharf, watching the workers place a barrier net into the lake.

Lin Dongyue walked over and said, "Xiaofeng, I heard the village is recruiting a batch of kids as apprentices?"

"Yes, Dad. The Woodworking Workshop and the Stone Workshop both need apprentices. Did someone come looking for you?"

"Yes, quite a few people came to me. I turned them all down.

However, you know your great-uncle’s grandson, Xiaolei. That kid graduated from a technical high school and just messes around in the city all day.

Your great-uncle’s idea is to send him to you as an apprentice."

"That’s no problem. Xiaolei, right? I didn’t realize he’d already graduated from technical school.

Just tell my great-uncle that being an apprentice here is very tough."

"Your great-uncle knows. When he called, he was hoping you could help discipline the boy."

Lin Feng only ever saw these younger relatives during the New Year.

His great-uncle’s grandson, Lin Lei, used to be very quiet and honest. After he started working these past few years, Lin Feng rarely saw him even during the New Year.

Lin Feng asked curiously, "Dad, have none of our relatives asked you about coming to work for me here?"

"They all have jobs. Although they’ve heard about the situation here, they haven’t come back to see it for themselves.

Besides, they’ve all settled down in other places. It wouldn’t be convenient for them to come work for you even if they wanted to."

Lin Feng figured that was true. Although some relatives had heard about his success, they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, so they wouldn’t completely believe it.

Perhaps some relatives had seen information online, but getting them to move their families back wouldn’t be so easy.