Chapter 57: Dumbing Down Bamboo Maze

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Dumbing Down Bamboo Maze

Zhang Lin opened Tiao Yin to check and immediately understood what was going on.

He had seen the viral video posted by Chen Shengfei. Judging by when it was posted, to get so much traffic in such a short time, he must have spent a fortune buying views.

So, it was no wonder his follower count had skyrocketed.

And with a big boss like him publicly vouching for the farm, the old woman’s accusations instantly looked like a baseless tantrum. After all, a mogul like that would never be a paid shill.

The big boss spoke a word of justice, the old woman threw a fit, and the narrative that she was in the right just because she was filming with her phone was completely cleared up.

On top of that, Chen Shengfei had specifically mentioned that Li Yuan Farm’s Honeysuckle Tea was a good product.

That meant that while the tea was expensive, at least a wealthy person endorsed it. In other words, the product really worked; if it didn’t, a rich guy wouldn’t be so foolish as to praise it.

Zhang Lin hadn’t expected Mr. Chen to make such a move before he had even done anything himself. However, he could also see the man’s motive. It seemed to be related to grain and oil, and he was also trying to capitalize on the situation to gain traffic.

And after scrolling through a couple more videos and seeing the online scandal about grain and oil, he understood Mr. Chen’s intentions even better.

’If I were in his shoes, I’d do the same thing.’

With that in mind, he decided to strike while the iron was hot. He immediately uploaded the video of the chaotic scene with the title: "Scene Gets Out of Control Because of Honeysuckle Tea—A PSA for constipated tourists: Make sure there’s a restroom nearby before you drink!"

He then uploaded it.

At this point, thanks to the video Chen Shengfei had paid to promote, Li Yuan Farm’s popularity was already at its peak. So, not long after Zhang Lin uploaded his video, it also started trending.

Many people who saw the video’s content were captivated by the chaotic scene:

"Holy shit, is this Honeysuckle Tea really that effective? They didn’t just put laxatives in it, did they?"

"To the commenter above, laxatives work on everyone. Didn’t you see only the constipated people were running to the restroom? Besides, did you not notice at the end of the video how refreshed everyone looked after they came out?"

"Exactly, you wouldn’t be fine and dandy after a laxative-induced bathroom trip!"

"My friend said he suddenly realized 200 yuan is nothing, as long as the effect is real."

"I’m the friend the commenter above mentioned. I’m going to Li Yuan Farm tomorrow to check it out."

"Nonsense, I’m obviously his friend."

As Zhang Lin’s video started trending, Li Yuan Farm’s popularity indeed soared even higher. This was evident from the faster increase in likes, comments, and followers.

At this rate, he should be able to break 500,000 followers by tonight.

When that happened, there would also be a milestone reward for "500,000 followers from online promotion."

’So that old woman really did deliver a fortune to my doorstep.’

As noon approached, Zhang Lin remembered his arrangement with Fu Yao. He immediately rode his scooter to the gate of No. 1 High School to wait for her and sent her a WeChat message: "The usual spot!"

The school bell rang, and a few moments later, Fu Yao came out. This time, several boys were gathered around her with enthusiastic expressions; they were probably her admirers.

Zhang Lin wasn’t surprised. Fu Yao was beautiful and cute, a prime target for boys interested in puppy love. Moreover, with Li Yuan Farm’s current popularity, she was practically an internet celebrity, which certainly made her even more attractive to the young boys at school.

"Uncle!" Fu Yao felt saved the moment she saw Zhang Lin. She was getting sick and tired of these immature boys.

The boys actually followed her and began to eagerly curry favor with Zhang Lin:

"Hello, Uncle! I’m Fu Yao’s classmate!"

"Uncle, I’m in the class next to hers. We were in a competition together!"

"Uncle..."

"???" Zhang Lin was a little baffled. ’Are these boys thinking I’m Fu Yao’s actual uncle?’

’Damn it, do I look that old?’

’Her "Uncle" isn’t a real uncle.’

"Uncle, let’s go!" Fu Yao urged as she quickly got on the scooter, thinking these boys were acting like idiots.

Zhang Lin chuckled, started the scooter, and headed toward Li Yuan Farm. On the way, he didn’t forget to tease her, "Fu Yao, are those boys your admirers?"

Fu Yao sounded helpless. "Uncle, don’t even mention those immature guys. I’m so sick of them."

When Zhang Lin arrived at the service center with Fu Yao, he found that Lin Mengxi had already arrived with people from the Bureau of Agriculture. Seeing him with Fu Yao, she was the first to greet him, "Boss Zhang!"

Then, she greeted Fu Yao as well. "Fu Yao, my name is Lin Mengxi. I’m a representative from the Bureau of Agriculture. Thank you so much for taking the trouble to come all the way out here."

"It’s no trouble at all, Mengxi," Fu Yao replied politely, familiarly addressing her by her first name.

Her gaze lingered on Lin Mengxi.

Because this woman was very beautiful and carried herself with a distinct elegance.

Lin Mengxi spoke again, "Boss Zhang, I’m in the middle of setting things up here. Could you please take Fu Yao to rest on the side for a bit? We’ll all go have lunch at the restaurant first, and then we’ll shoot the video after we eat."

"Okay!" Zhang Lin nodded and led Fu Yao to a nearby table to sit and rest.

He had to admit, Lin Mengxi was a truly charismatic woman. She had the few people from the Bureau of Agriculture organized and working methodically. The key thing was that they were all older than her. Civil servants in a small county were often jaded old-timers. If she weren’t genuinely capable and effective, it would be a real question whether they’d cooperate with her.

A capable woman possessed a unique charm. Combined with her special aura, good looks, and figure, it was easy for people to find her admirable.

"Uncle, this Mengxi is gorgeous!" Fu Yao said with a grin. "Want me to ask her if she’s single for you?"

"Uh!" Zhang Lin hadn’t expected the girl to suddenly ask such a question. He shook his head and said, "She’s not my type. I don’t feel that way about her."

"Oh, I see," Fu Yao said, looking thoughtful.

Lin Mengxi finished her preparations quickly and then invited the two of them to the restaurant. She had already ordered their meal.

It was on the Bureau of Agriculture’s entertainment budget, so the standard was quite good. The spread of dishes was lavish.

After lunch, Lin Mengxi invited Fu Yao to start filming the video.

This attracted the attention of quite a few tourists.

"She looks like that girl from the promotional video!"

"It really is her! She’s very pretty in person, too!"

"I don’t know who gets it, but seeing a pure, innocent girl like that really takes an old guy like me back."

"..."

Many tourists also took out their phones and started filming Fu Yao. This was the typical reaction people have these days when they see an internet celebrity or star—a mix of curiosity, pleasant surprise, and admiration.

Fu Yao, however, faced the scene with poise and grace. She wasn’t shy and had a strong nerve.

However, since it was her first time filming, it took a while. When the shoot finally ended, an unexpected problem occurred: they hadn’t managed their time well. By the time Zhang Lin got her back to No. 1 High School, the school gate was already closed.

"Ah, the gate guard is going to write me up," Fu Yao sighed.

"Don’t worry." Zhang Lin was well aware that the guards at No. 1 High School would write students up. Being late, not wearing a uniform, and other infractions would be recorded with your grade, class, and name, affecting the class’s evaluation for the "mobile red flag" award.

’I can’t believe they’re still doing this after more than ten years.’

He walked to a nearby store and bought a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. Then he led Fu Yao toward the school gate. Just as the security guard approached with a registration book, Zhang Lin stepped forward first. "Brother, my little sister had something to take care of today and ended up a bit late. Could you let it slide?"

What he said wasn’t as important as the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes he slipped into the guard’s hand.

The guard assured himself that he was definitely not doing this for the pack of Zhonghua cigarettes. He was simply understanding of the student’s family emergency. After all, who doesn’t have things come up?

So, he waved his hand, signaling for Fu Yao to go inside.

Fu Yao watched this unfold in amazement. ’So this is Uncle’s method?’

She scurried inside in a flash. The feeling of not getting written up was always a happy one.

Seeing this, Zhang Lin also took off and headed back to the farm.

Time passed. The day of the massive tourist influx went by with some thrills but no real danger. After seeing off the last tourist, he checked his balance: 837,354.12 yuan.

Today’s profits from wholesale fruit, Honeysuckle Tea, and the restaurant exceeded 230,000 yuan.

He checked the upgrade requirements:

Upgrade Requirements: 1. 20 workers (44/20)! 2. Earn 1,000,000 in profit (837,354/1,000,000)! 3. Develop 500 mu of agricultural land (574/500)! 4. Cultivate over 10 types of agricultural products, each with a planting area of no less than 5 mu (10/10).

At this rate, he would reach 1,000,000 in profit very soon, and then he could level up.

Moreover, there was also a milestone for reaching 1,000,000 in profit.

The reward would surely be substantial.

However, when Zhang Lin returned home, he first received a game notification. The milestone for 500,000 followers from online promotion had been reached first.

[Congratulations! Through your diligent promotional efforts, you have completed the 500,000-follower milestone. With a considerable customer base, you now require more attractions to accommodate them. Reward: Special Attraction Construction Scroll: Dumbing Down Bamboo Maze!]

"???" Zhang Lin was a little stunned when he saw this notification.

He knew what a bamboo maze was; many agricultural tourist sites had that kind of attraction.

But what was the deal with the "Dumbing Down" prefix?

...